From the Abyss of Stars

39. Li Aorunrunzi

 

Nimotin sneered, "I knew it. Your resume and identity are contradictory. I asked extra questions on purpose."

 

Li Aozzi remained silent, his frost-covered face still calm. This wasn't surprising; Nimotin interpreted it as his last struggle.

 

She circled Li Aozzi triumphantly, the gun barrel in her palm constantly aimed at his head.

 

She hadn't found any weapons on him, and the implanted scanner didn't detect any implants or metal objects in his body. He was clean.

 

"As I suspected—the Rose Army is a cover. You ventured into the outer world at all costs to find your Red Arrow Empire contact."

 

Li Aozzi raised his head and looked at her steadily, his gray eyes remaining calm.

 

Nimotin sneered:

 

"So, Li Aozzi, this identity is also fake. When did you infiltrate Frost Republic?"

 

She wasn't in a hurry to take him away now. With Frost Republic in such a state, it was normal for the Rose Army to have moles, but a spy from the Red Arrow Empire—that was a big catch.

 

Nimotin had long wanted to return to the headquarters of Law IV in the capital. Who would want to bear the burden all year round, running all over the country, risking their life for a meal? In the capital, life was luxurious and easy, just reading newspapers, drinking tea, and earning a salary without much work.

 

Living like every day is a holiday, wasn't that appealing?

 

However, Li Aozzi's unexpected reply disrupted Nimotin's interrogation.

 

"Ma'am, have you forgotten your original purpose?"

 

Li Aozzi's tone was unhurried, showing no tension or panic from being exposed. His gaze never left Nimotin's eyes.

 

This absolute confidence, combined with his strong charisma, created an aura that made people listen and think about his words, looking for deeper meanings.

 

The essence of [Charisma] is its attraction to external things.

 

On a macro level, this attraction significantly increases others' attention and goodwill towards him.

 

On a micro level, this attraction makes every word and action impact others' thoughts and behaviors.

 

Someone with high [Charisma], even if they casually say "potatoes are tasty," could create a market frenzy. Scholars might explore the philosophical meaning of potatoes, people would rush to buy them, politicians could use them to push new policies, and charities might even organize potato fundraisers.

 

With a [Charisma] score of 27, compared to Nimotin's mere 5 points of Will, Li Aozzi's charisma checks would easily pass, causing a fivefold effect due to the attribute disparity.

 

This is the advantage of a primary attribute specialty.

 

"My original purpose?"

 

Nimotin was taken aback, then fell into thought.

 

Why was she here? To find the Rose Army.

 

Her main task was to locate the Rose Army informant at the border.

 

Now, Li Aozzi was a Red Arrow Empire spy—but handling foreign spies wasn't her job.

 

Managing foreign espionage, especially infiltration between the Four Nations, was the duty of Law IV's internal bureau. What was she, an external operative, doing here?

 

The more she thought, the more she felt something was wrong, growing uneasy.

 

On one hand, Li Aozzi's words strongly influenced her.

 

On the other hand, she realized: the Red Arrow Empire and Frost Republic were old enemies. Given the identities of the Four Nations, they constantly saw each other as hypothetical adversaries.

 

Moreover, the Elga coast of the Red Arrow Empire was 4,000 kilometers from Frost Republic.

 

But the Rose Army was a nearby threat, with recent attacks greatly damaging the national border security, stirring unrest in the other three nations.

 

Nimotin might be dim-witted, but she knew her place.

 

She wasn't here to deal with a Red Arrow Empire spy, nor to catch a security guard who burned a bank, or stop smugglers—though the latter was indeed important. Ultimately, her main task was to catch the Rose Army!

 

Why catch Li Aozzi? Because Agent Yavanna found out he was acting under the Rose Army's name.

 

Now they found Li Aozzi, but he wasn't part of the Rose Army...

 

Nimotin sensed something was off, but she couldn't pinpoint it.

 

"Ma'am," Li Aozzi said, seeing Nimotin's hesitation, "we are all people of the Four Nations. The real threat to us is the Rose Army."

 

Li Aozzi's words enlightened Nimotin: Yes, the rebels against the Four Nations were their common enemy.

 

The conflicts among the Four Nations could be set aside, and occasional wars could even be used to reduce surplus population and divert social conflicts.

 

So should Li Aozzi be captured? He could be, but it wasn't necessary.

 

Besides, not capturing him might leave a good impression on the Red Arrow Empire.

 

Frankly, how many clean hands are there in the espionage business?

 

Bribery, buying off, kidnapping, assassination, incitement, and supporting proxies in other countries were all too common.

 

Keeping a card up her sleeve, who knew when it might come in handy?

 

As Nimotin wavered, Li Aozzi delivered another assist:

 

"Actually, I have some understanding of the Rose Army's deployments at the border, which could help your country..."

 

Nimotin raised an eyebrow.

 

Even the phrase "your country" was used, making it clear: Li Aozzi was laying his cards on the table, no longer pretending. He was a Red Arrow Empire spy.

 

Now, recognizing the situation, he knew he had to divulge some non-critical Empire secrets to save himself—his death would be a loss for the Empire.

 

Li Aozzi deliberately left his words unfinished, glancing around, pausing on the armed police aiming at him.

 

Nimotin pondered for a moment, understanding his implication, and slightly waved her hand:

 

"Stand down."

 

The police didn't dare defy the orders of a Law IV officer, lowering their guns and standing with their weapons slung.

 

Ding... ding...

 

Faint knocking sounds were heard, but no one paid attention. The storm outside, with sand and stones, often made similar noises.

 

However, Li Aozzi knew clearly that it was Nuo Mi, ready and signaling with a wrench.

 

Time was up.

 

Li Aozzi's eyes flickered, and he spoke softly:

 

"This matter is crucial. I can only tell you alone."

 

"Alright."

 

Nimotin agreed without hesitation. As an Alpha-tier [Assassin], wearing professional tactical gear, a normal man without cybernetic enhancements couldn't possibly harm her.

 

Li Aozzi subtly adjusted his posture, his gaze sweeping past the waste lake behind Nimotin.

 

"Go on, the whereabouts of the Rose Army..."

 

She leaned in, placing a hand on Li Aozzi's shoulder, her left ear close to his cheek.

 

Li Aozzi slightly tilted his head, golden rings appearing in his eyes. His hands hung down, his right palm wrapping around his left elbow. He twisted his shoulder, ready to dislocate it manually. As he got closer to Nimotin's ear, he said:

 

"The Twin Queens of the Civilized Red Arrow are a pair of sluts, and you, you piece of shit! Fuck you!"

 

Nimotin was momentarily stunned.

 

The next moment, she felt herself plunging into an abyss, rapidly falling backward. The surrounding police screamed and fell, plunging into the waste lake.

 

Gravity reversal!

 

"Aether!"

 

Nimotin growled.

 

She reacted swiftly, immediately grabbing Li Aozzi's shoulder.

 

However, she only heard a crisp "crack" as Li Aozzi's shoulder seemed to break, slipping out of her grip!

 

"Damn it!"

 

Nimotin was dumbfounded—Li Aozzi dislocated himself to avoid her grasp.

 

She tumbled, her body parallel to the ground, before her prosthetic arm shot out a grappling hook, catching onto nearby scrap metal. With a strong yank, she landed.

 

That fall almost made her break into a cold sweat—her foot was only 15 centimeters away from the scalding waste pool.

 

The temperature there was extremely high. The police who fell in screamed as their skin corroded, and the toxic substances quickly infiltrated their bodies, leaving them lifeless.

 

Damn it...

 

Nimotin exerted force, climbing the ground as if rock climbing, awkwardly getting up.

 

She pressed her earpiece, shouting to the unscathed female agents on the hill:

 

"Open fire! What are you waiting for?! Kill him!"

 

The female agents snapped out of it, drawing their guns to shoot, but Li Aozzi immediately dived into the car. Nuo Mi was already behind the wheel, stomping the gas, ramming two blocking officers, and speeding up the hill.

 

"This car doesn't have much gas! Head back! Go to Qiu Ran!"

 

Li Aozzi, sitting in the passenger seat, urged, biting his teeth as he reset his dislocated shoulder, blood still pouring from the wound, a chunk of flesh missing.

 

Just now, Nimotin's grab had directly cost him 35 health points.

 

"Hold on tight!"

 

Nuo Mi didn't waste any time, steering into the valley. Behind them, the headlights of two Law IV modified cars lit up, chasing them like dark beasts.