068. You See, He Even Thanks Me After Paying Me!
Li Aozi had countless thoughts running through his mind, but to the three soldier players, it seemed to pass in an instant. The excessively handsome man in front of them touched his chin, hesitated briefly, and said:
"Hmm... I understand your desire to protect your homeland and resist the Frost-Plated invaders, but in principle, I dare not grant you this power. It's dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt."
With the opening of the path system, Li Aozi decided to optimize his investments in the players to increase the number of those walking the [Starfall Master] path. The more followers, the higher his chances of ascending to godhood.
As an NPC, he could gain experience and financial resources from players by imparting knowledge and skills. However, Li Aozi had no interest in ordinary individuals—the real gains were to be had from corporate forces.
Reaping the top-tier harvest was the smartest strategy.
Material gains alone weren't enough; he needed them to love him, depend on him, and have him on their minds constantly.
Rather than merely exploiting them, Li Aozi felt more like he was manipulating the players, turning them into his "followers."
The three soldier players had originally been quite suspicious, but after seeing Li Aozi's dedication to the fight and witnessing his immense strength, along with his exceptional charisma, they soon let go of their reservations.
Li Aozi used the persuasive techniques taught by the Abyss Professor, first explaining how dangerous his power was—genetic disruption, shortened lifespan, deformed offspring, and irreversible harm if misused.
His words didn't outright reject their request; instead, he expressed concern for their well-being—"I'm worried about your safety." This left the three soldier players feeling a bit touched.
"He's not trying to refuse us; he's just worried we might get hurt."
Though there were no visible changes on the surface, hearing this warmed their hearts.
"He's really a kind person."
The three players quickly said:
"It's okay! For the sake of our homeland, we're willing to risk our lives. As long as we can drive out the Frost-Plated invaders, what does it matter what happens to us?"
"I see, I can feel your determination."
Li Aozi appeared moved and used the path system to give the three a task:
[Career Task Triggered—"Path: Authority of Domination"]
[Type]: Legacy
[Time Limit]: None
[Difficulty]: D
[Description]:
"Welcome to the Star Abyss, where every mortal can embark on different paths to change their fate and achieve self-transcendence."
You are a passerby in a mediocre life, one of the many mortals in this Star Abyss, but your heart is filled with dissatisfaction and ambition. You long to change your ordinary and short-lived fate through your own efforts.
On this Azure Star, a new path has opened for you. Your ambitions can't be suppressed by the sky, and you've decided to follow the powerful [Mutant], Li Aozi.
Now, step onto this path filled with domination and authority!
[Completion Conditions]:
a. "Gene Potential"—Purchase the [dm-101 Mutation Inducer] from Li Aozi (Price: 13,888 Derbies) to undergo your first Omega Energy mutation awakening and officially embark on the [Mutant] path.
Reward: Unlock the main class—[Mutant];
b. "High Compensation"—Your financial strength is far from enough to afford the Omega Energy awakening serum. Fortunately, Li Aozi is willing to accept labor as payment.
Now, you can complete various daily tasks assigned by Li Aozi to pay off your debt for the awakening serum.
Reward: Li Aozi Favorability +50
————————
Since Li Aozi had cracked the Omega Energy awakening serum formula from the Abyss Humanitarian Organization and didn't care about paying Frost-Plated's patent royalties, the cost of producing the mutation inducer was significantly reduced.
However, even so, 13,888 Derbies was a huge sum for the newbie soldier players. As soldiers, they had their own training and combat tasks and didn't have the time to earn money on the side.
The three soldiers thought it over. If they didn't want to pawn their weapons, the most practical option was to work for Li Aozi as laborers.
Moreover, the task's reward was an increase in Li Aozi's favorability, and the soldiers understood the importance of favorability.
Without sufficient favorability, NPCs wouldn't give you quests, wouldn't bother talking to you, and wouldn't even trade with you.
"Judging by the task description, it seems like there's plenty of that Omega Energy awakening serum available."
"If we raise our favorability enough, could we buy it wholesale?"
"Not only that, but we might even be able to hire Li Aozi to help us take down our targets."
As the first high-level NPC they'd encountered, Li Aozi's power was unanimously acknowledged by them—no one doubted the authenticity of that mountain of downed planes.
A superhuman capable of flying at Mach 5 or 6 had already relieved them of the greatest aerial threat, preventing airships, bomb drones, and bombers from providing air support.
The soldier players could see Li Aozi's strength and recognized the potential of the [Mutant] class.
Now, the entire [Mutant] class trainer stood before them, and the key item, the [dm-101 Mutation Inducer], was only available through Li Aozi.
Appeasing Li Aozi was clearly a worthwhile endeavor.
Li Aozi had priced the serum carefully—not so low that he'd lose money, but not so high that people would be scared off.
He didn't intend to rip off the newbies too harshly, driving them away as customers. A gradual approach and long-term operation with a good reputation and image would yield steady returns.
The three soldier players didn't hesitate for long.
Tactical flashlights, aiming bases, under-barrel grenade launchers, or 5-milliwatt lasers, tactical grips, side-mounted holographic sights, an ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight), lightweight triggers, carbon folding stocks, textured grips.
—In comparison, 14,000 Derbies was nowhere near enough to fully upgrade an assault rifle's accessories, so why not try Omega Energy instead?
In their estimation, a full set of equipment for a regular Frost-Plated soldier—complete with weapons, accessories, a uniform with a positioning system, life indicators, survival gear, IFF signals, super Kevlar fiber helmets, bulletproof vests, and alloy plates—without even counting cybernetic implants, was worth up to 170,000 Derbies.
By comparison, 13,888 Derbies for Omega Energy, which didn't require maintenance, was nothing.
When Li Aozi saw how readily the three players agreed, he knew he had set the right price.
There was no better business strategy than lowering prices—except giving something for free, and whatever was free was always the most expensive.
The three soldiers didn't have enough money combined to buy even a bottle cap of the serum, so Li Aozi quickly assigned them a task to help the villagers transport the wreckage of the planes.
In reality, this was also a hint that they could take some electronic components or optical equipment and trade them with the Bermudes military to pay off their debt while also improving the army's equipment.
After all, the future would require soldiers to protect the electronic immigrants, and earning their favor would ensure long-term business.
After issuing a series of daily tasks, Li Aozi flew directly into the sky, soaring over the airspace between Granat and Frost-Plated, heading for Triangle Town.
He needed to relocate his biopool, which had already produced and stored thousands of bottles of the dm-101 Mutation Inducer. During the war, he had also used the biopool to produce bioweapons, easing the burden on the Granat people.
Now that he had dealt with Frost-Plated's air force, they wouldn't dare deploy any more precious aircraft here for months.
With soldier players now entering the battlefield for testing, Li Aozi planned to use the task system to guide them in training and building Granat's own combat forces.
Teach a man to fish rather than giving him fish.
When the three soldiers saw the subsequent series of labor-for-debt tasks, including "teaching Granat people how to use weapons," they reported back and then eagerly got to work.
With their own interests on the line, they were highly motivated, quickly helping the Granat farmers transport the wreckage. In the process, they also witnessed the simple and pitiable nature of the Granat people, increasing their animosity toward the Frost-Plated.
But that wasn't something Li Aozi was concerned about.
When Li Aozi returned to Triangle Town, compressed the biopool, and prepared to leave, Lord Auckland suddenly approached him with a serious expression and said:
"Someone's here to see you. It's a woman from Frost-Plated."
"Who?" Li Aozi was a bit puzzled. He didn't know many Frost-Plated women, probably only Yavanna and Nimotin.
"Judging by the equipment her entourage is using, they seem to be from Abyss Heavy Industries."
Lord Auckland said seriously:
"The woman leading them calls herself N4, but her subordinates refer to her as..."
"—The Pioneer."
Li Aozi said, his expression darkening slightly.
Pioneer N4, a far more dangerous woman than the Abyss Professor.
Abyss Heavy Industries had been a giant corporation in Frost-Plated since the old era. After several bankruptcies, restructurings, and mergers, it now presented itself as a low-profile "pharmaceutical and medical equipment company."
In reality, according to Li Aozi's knowledge, Abyss Heavy Industries secretly funded numerous laboratories, conducting inhumane human experiments under various guises.
Abyss Humanitarian, Abyss Elementary School, Abyss Electronics Factory, Abyss Town, Abyss Film Company—these seemingly similar projects were actually eighty percent controlled by Abyss Heavy Industries.
Outsiders might wonder why no one had noticed such an obvious conspiracy.
In truth, the name Mingji (Abyss) was extremely common in Frost-Plated—equivalent to names like "Jack," "Zhang Wei," "Hans," or "Yin Wan."
And the most common name for women in Frost-Plated was Sijia.
Li Aozi remembered his great-great-grandfather was named Mingji Just, an outer-region planner. Duzesin's grandfather was named Du Mingji. In his past life, after David Lin was assassinated, his successor was named Chu Mingji.
If you threw a brick down a Frost-Plated street, chances were you'd hit a man named Mingji—and more likely be chased down by a woman named Sijia.
Compared to the biotechnicians of other nations, Abyss Heavy Industries had one terrifying advantage—they preserved knowledge from cosmic civilizations.
The Professor came from this system, and Pioneer N4 was one of the actual controllers of Abyss Heavy Industries, as well as the most powerful [Biotechnician] in the world.
Li Aozi's vigilance heightened.
In his previous life, N4 was no good. Not to mention the horrifying biolabs and the deliberate release of various deformed mutant beasts, which were allowed to breed with outer-world creatures.
This left the people of the outer world suffering from the harsh natural environment while facing hybrid monsters that had evolved over generations.
Leaving all that aside, Li Aozi's strongest impression of N4 was this:
She was the only class trainer who betrayed both the players and the people of Azure Star.