From the Abyss of Stars

41. Farewell, Cage!

 

"Huff… huff…"

 

Qiu Ran lay in the backseat, sleeping peacefully. The howling wind and snow of the outer world were not much noise for the modified car of the Abyss Humanitarian Relief Organization, which had excellent soundproofing.

 

She curled up, wrapped in a coat, with a small, sparkling drool trail hanging from her mouth, occasionally giggling:

 

"Potatoes, potatoes are cooked… hehe… Master, no need to work…"

 

Clang!

 

Suddenly, a loud noise startled Qiu Ran awake. She quickly raised her head to see Nuo Mi, the infected one, pounding on the glass and shouting at her:

 

"Open the door!"

 

"Don't hit it, don't hit it! I just got this new car…"

 

Qiu Ran pitifully leaned over the front seat and unlocked the car door.

 

"Damn, it's freezing out there! I've been yelling at you for ages, why didn't you respond?"

 

Nuo Mi quickly climbed in, shaking off the snow and mud. She expertly engaged the clutch and gear, muttering:

 

"Uh, I… I was asleep." Qiu Ran scratched her head, giggling sheepishly.

 

"Seriously? In the outer world, where you never know when a tornado, sandstorm, blizzard, avalanche, landslide, or earthquake might hit—you can sleep through that?"

 

Nuo Mi said, popping the car door open and shouting outside:

 

"Hey, you done yet?"

 

Just then, Li Aozzi opened the door and climbed in, his gravity shield protecting him from the wind and snow.

 

"The hook's on, drive."

 

Li Aozzi spoke quickly, opening the medical kit to treat his shoulder, stopping the bleeding, and bandaging it:

 

"Law IV's cars are faster on flat ground, we can't outrun them."

 

"So what do we do?"

 

"They don't know we switched cars. Drive a bit, then unhook the back car. They'll stop to check it."

 

"But even then, they'll still catch up!"

 

"They have four cars from the climb. If they split one off, three will remain… I can handle them."

 

Li Aozzi rummaged through the car, finding chains and gasoline in the backseat.

 

"—If they dare come, they're seeking their own death."

 

Li Aozzi held the chain, weighing it in his hand, satisfied.

 

He had been considering transitioning to the blood magic path during the [Mutant] phase due to his mutation direction. Seeing the chain, he decided not to hesitate.

 

He would follow the blood magic path!

 

"When I advance to [Echoer], chains and whips are the best weapons for me, complementing the low-threshold blood magic path to boost my combat power."

 

The problem with [Starfall Master] was the high threshold and long training period. In his past life, Li Aozzi and his fellow enthusiasts always thought about how to change that.

 

The threshold of four prerequisite Omega-level abilities was solvable, with stable methods available later.

 

But how to change the prison-like experience? Li Aozzi had superior skills and awareness, but ordinary players lacked that capacity.

 

Why did so many play [Warrior]?

 

Not because of flashy moves like Skull Splitter, Uppercut, Shadowless Light Fist, Qi Gong Cannon, Intentional Punch, or Nine Heavens Thunder Kick—but because it required no thinking.

 

Mages had to calculate cooldowns, formulas, mana cost ratios, and positioning.

 

Mutants needed precise ability use and leveraging all factors to be effective.

 

But warriors didn't need that.

 

They just activated their brute strength and charged, solving 90% of problems.

 

The remaining 9.9% could be solved with a Black King Bar.

 

The last 0.1% couldn't be solved, leading to inevitable defeat.

 

The "blood magic path" was low-threshold and easily popularized.

 

Even without the [Ability Capsule] factor, players almost always acquired the core abilities needed for the "blood magic path":

 

[Life Extract], [Death Link].

 

These were Delta-grade, common abilities.

 

The complete "blood magic path" only required an additional continuous damage ability.

 

No one knew Li Aozzi's thoughts.

 

Nuo Mi just glanced at him, saying:

 

"It's up to you."

 

Despite Li Aozzi's tendency to lie, Nuo Mi couldn't bring herself to dislike him.

 

His nationality might be fake, his name might be fake, and he might even be fake.

 

But in the face of life and death, he didn't abandon her, a stranger, and negotiated with the ruthless Law IV to buy time without betraying her for safety—this alone made him far better than most.

 

Besides, Li Aozzi's ability had an irresistible, oppressive presence that left her speechless.

 

Li Aozzi adjusted the rearview mirror to prevent Nuo Mi from being dazzled by Law IV's high beams, prioritizing vehicle safety.

 

"Qiu Ran, watch the rearview mirror. If you see headlights, tell me immediately."

 

"Oh, oh—wait, aren't we supposed to be chasing others? Why does it sound like… we're being chased?"

 

Qiu Ran was confused.

 

"You're right, but no prize. We're being chased by some very bad people. Keep an eye on the rear, and I'll buy you a drink later."

 

Li Aozzi didn't bother explaining Law IV, knowing the average person's strong fear of such agencies.

 

Nuo Mi suddenly asked:

 

"What about me?"

 

"You, the driver, want to drink? Reminder: drunk driving is illegal in every country, and aren't you underage? Want to drink?"

 

"Huh? Damn it, (civilized Frostshroud), I've smashed countless heads since birth, and you're telling me I can't drink because I'm underage? (civilized outer world)!"

 

Li Aozzi wanted to tease Nuo Mi to lighten the mood. But the next moment, Qiu Ran, peeking out the rear window, screamed:

 

"They're coming! One, two, three, four—four cars! Ah, they're heading right for us!"

 

Ping—bang, clang—

 

Before Qiu Ran finished, several white cracks appeared on the glass, with a 9mm bullet hitting the glass right in front of her nose, making her duck and hide on the backseat cushion.

 

"Don't panic," Li Aozzi reassured, picking up the chain and gasoline can. "This is a Durina Light Industry level-three bulletproof glass, can withstand full-power bullets and 12.7*108mm machine gun rounds. They can't break it."

 

"I know, I maintain this car…" Qiu Ran said pitifully. "But I, I haven't tested its bulletproof ability."

 

"That's not good. Have you seen Durina's boss, Lurio Durina, hold a press conference? He sat in the car and let his subordinates shoot at it for 10 minutes in front of reporters."

 

Qiu Ran was amazed: "Such a bold boss."

 

"Bold my ass. His ability is kinetic absorption, immune to firearms."

 

Li Aozzi patted her shoulder:

 

"Miss Qiu Ran, I'll drop the chain soon. Just touch it with your finger to activate your ability."

 

"Uh… okay."

 

Li Aozzi's joke relaxed her a bit. She held onto the cushion tightly, but her panic lessened.

 

Li Aozzi reclined the front passenger seat to stand steadily on it, watching Law IV's pursuing cars through the rear glass, calculating the distance.

 

"400 meters… 300 meters… too fast. At this speed, the wind will blow me off."

 

Using his ability inside the car would wrap it in the gravity field, but his current ability control was too low to avoid affecting his allies.

 

The key was the car—without a vehicle in the outer world, it was basically a death sentence.

 

Holding the seat, he shouted to Nuo Mi:

 

"Nuo Mi, you have 20 seconds to slow down to 60 km/h without letting them notice."

 

"Got it, don't yell!"

 

Nuo Mi gently lifted her foot off the gas, smoothly decelerating the car. Qiu Ran could hear the gunfire intensifying.

 

Jingle—

 

Standing in the car, Li Aozzi wrapped the iron chain around his arm. The chain, used for securing the car, was 8 meters long, each link 10mm in diameter. It was heavy for an ordinary person but just right for Li Aozzi to wield.