100. The Stage Is Set
Infiltrating the Abandoned Mist was impossible, but for Li Aozi, the intelligence gathered was sufficient. The Murloc Guild, seeing the mission progress reach 100%, quickly called their members back.
The Hojo Family's security had detected abnormal biological signals and immediately locked down the building to conduct an internal sweep.
However, no matter how stringent Tianhuan's security detection was, they couldn't prevent players from committing suicide to escape and revive back in Triangle Town.
"Awesome! Brothers, this operation was incredible! Our livestream and forum traffic are through the roof—totally worth it!"
The rewards this time were generous, and the Murloc Guild players enthusiastically discussed how to use them. They were now even more eager to stay close to Li Aozi.
Unfortunately, Li Aozi had already gone to Qiong'an Capital, and the players couldn't find him to buy skills or learn knowledge. They decided to take on quests and level up in Triangle Town while waiting for his return.
This benefited the young Lord of Auckland. He had reaped significant gains recently—the players worked tirelessly, scrambling to do the dirty and hard work, and they had virtually no moral constraints. They attacked bandit shipments and engaged in all sorts of underhanded dealings. The territory suddenly became vibrant and flourishing, and the people grew accustomed to ordering the players around, no longer surprised by some of their odd behaviors.
The Murloc Guild's discovery caused quite a stir among the players. Many Tianhuan players, after seeing the cruel experiments conducted by the Beitiao Group, felt their goodwill toward Tianhuan plummet.
Influenced by Li Aozi, many casual players had developed a favorable impression of [Mutants] and had envisioned becoming one themselves. Learning that the Beitiao Group conducted human experiments, many targeting Omega Energy awakeners, left them feeling cold and dissatisfied.
Li Aozi downloaded the photos and videos from the forum. These were quite useful to him; he could use them to threaten the Hojo Family for some benefits, or at the very least, use them to protect himself.
With his current combat strength, [Charisma], and fame, if he wanted to expose something, Tianhuan couldn't stop him.
Personality-wise, Li Aozi considered himself a litigator. He excelled at using blackmail and public opinion to coerce organizations into handing over benefits. For him, there was absolutely no moral burden; discussing morality in the universe was sheer nonsense—only interests were eternal.
Having obtained the intelligence and experimental photos, Li Aozi suddenly had a thought:
"I've caused such severe damage to Frost Plate; they won't let me go. They might play dirty at the Kowloon Gathering."
Law III had never been one for fair play: framing, slander, rigged votes, supporting coups, kidnapping hostages, bomb attacks—Li Aozi felt that if the Frost Plate president didn't do something, it would be unworthy of his position.
So, Li Aozi called Xia Jianjing.
"Give me a reason why you woke me from my dream so late."
Although Xia Jianjing said this, she picked up the call instantly. She had likely been anxiously awaiting news from Li Aozi these past two days, not daring to miss his call.
Without hesitation, Li Aozi informed the Akaban Squad about the prison holding the [Black Knight] and the information on the hydrogen bomb.
"I'll attend the gathering tomorrow and seize the opportunity to steal the hydrogen bomb. Grett War is up to you."
"You? Alone? There will be at least four Gamma-level powerhouses present. You'd better restrain yourself. The Kowloon Gathering is highly significant; if you dare cause a major disturbance, Tianhuan won't let you off."
Xia Jianjing was incredulous at Li Aozi's arrogance. Having fought him before, she was certain this kid wasn't at the Gamma level.
"Where do you get your confidence? You're facing one of the Four Great Nations!"
"I just finished beating one of them; I don't mind taking on another."
Li Aozi's tone was calm:
"Trust me."
Xia Jianjing narrowed her eyes, pondering for a moment before slowly nodding:
"…Understood. We'll act tomorrow."
Even with the Akaban Squad arranged, Li Aozi felt it wasn't enough. After contemplating for a moment, he surmised that Law III probably wouldn't dare to assassinate him directly; they'd more likely use others to kill him or smear his reputation.
He was never concerned about conspiracies, so he decided to be ready to flip the table.
After this, he was definitely heading to space. With such a good opportunity, he might as well make some empty promises.
"Looks like it's time to use her."
With that thought, Li Aozi made a call:
"Ms. N4, let's discuss the terms of joining Underworld Heavy Industries…"
.........
The frigid wind outside cut across her cheeks as if to tear off a piece of flesh. Her long boots sank into the white sand, and any remaining body heat was continually stripped away.
Yavanna hadn't heard Desia's voice for a long time. Wandering in this bitterly cold wasteland for two months had turned her once blue hair into dry straw. Her formerly delicate and pretty face now looked as ghastly and repulsive as a corpse due to frostbite and dehydration.
All the food had been completely exhausted; the days of drinking snow and swallowing ice were long gone. Yavanna wandered aimlessly in the endless night, the cold and pain keeping her in a constant state of torment.
Prolonged hardship had drained her spiritual energy; she could no longer communicate with Desia. In the vast snowy night, only the howling wind kept her company.
But for Yavanna, this was nothing. Although her father's status was prominent, she was resilient and hardworking. It was the lack of food and the fiery hunger in her stomach that blurred her consciousness—for a moment, perhaps she went mad or overthought things. She felt as if she had returned to the past.
Back to that afternoon when Desia starved to death before her eyes.
Before Davi Lin made his fortune, he was just an ordinary company officer with modest income, barely enough to support his family.
In Frost Plate, male officers often received their salaries a week later than female officers. Her elder brother relied on his abilities to study in the city, working part-time to support himself. For Yavanna and her younger sister Desia, who lived in the countryside, since their mother farmed, they didn't typically have to worry about hunger.
However, that was under normal circumstances.
That year, Tianhuan's warriors launched a fierce attack on Frost Plate. Twelve forward cities fell within two weeks, becoming spoils of war for Tianhuan. Due to the destruction of transportation, Yavanna and Desia were stranded at their aunt's house in the war zone. Grain from Gulant couldn't be transported over.
They evaded air raids and dodged bombardments from mobile armor, but they couldn't escape the scattered soldiers of Tianhuan whose frontline had collapsed. Those beasts, terrified by Frost Plate's soldiers on the front lines, turned to the countryside, burning, killing, and looting to regain their strength.
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