From the Abyss of Stars

101. Beautiful Wishes (Part 2)

 

Li Aozi searched the third level of the shelter for half an hour.

 

At this moment, he finally understood why no player guild in the previous life had tried to take down Abyss Humanitarian and turn it into their stronghold, despite its excellent infrastructure.

 

"There are too many secret passages in this place."

 

Li Aozi crawled out of a secret passage, dragging the corpse of a Calamity Armament boy with one hand and holding a long knife with the other, feeling an intense headache.

 

The facts before him were not optimistic. The small P-205 shelter had more than forty emergency passages and safety exits. Some passages even extended for two kilometers. When Li Aozi explored outside, he found a snowy landscape.

 

If he dug down one by one, it would take at least two days.

 

Players easily lost patience with such tedious work, especially with scattered Abyss Humanitarian's Calamity Armaments launching occasional sneak attacks, turning guerrilla fights in the passages into a nightmare.

 

Due to the presence of mimics, Li Aozi was wary and dared not split up. Neither Qiu Ran nor Jane Neria, both not at the Alpha tier, could be attacked and replaced by mimics.

 

Li Aozi found himself in a tricky situation.

 

The players in the previous life had under-explored the "Unremembered" mission, and even the terrain of the lower two levels of Abyss Humanitarian hadn't been mapped out.

 

Unlike the streets of Tianhuan and Red Arrow, which Li Aozi could navigate with his eyes closed, knowing every Blue Singer Dance Hall location in each city.

 

"Tsk, it would be great to have a 【Biochemist】 and a 【Mechanic】 for this."

 

Complaining now was useless.

 

"Phew... so tired..."

 

"Take a short rest, stay alert, and don't relax."

 

Li Aozi looked at the exhausted Qiu Ran and the indifferent Jane Neria, planning in his mind.

 

"It's certain that according to the 'Unremembered' mission flow, the second level is key. Xue Nuo and the remaining Abyss Humanitarian members are also on the second level."

 

This led to a problem: to go to the second level, they needed Assistant Doctor Anna's access.

 

But if Assistant Doctor Anna was already on the second level, was there another way?

 

Li Aozi thought Abyss Humanitarian's upper management wouldn't be so foolish. Otherwise, in case of a fire, everyone on the first level would be doomed.

 

So, there must be a backup passage.

 

Assistant Doctor Anna, though successful in her power grab, had only been in control for three days.

 

"The professor could transfer his consciousness to the Cannibal in the outer regions, but Anna is missing... What is she thinking? Handling the professor's legacy? Or contacting Frost-Plated for support?"

 

Li Aozi didn't think Assistant Doctor Anna could quickly accept the professor's legacy. The reason was simple: she lacked the ability.

 

The professor was a bona fide Beta-tier 【Biochemist】, knowledgeable in dozens of basic disciplines. For anyone to accept all of a 【Biochemist】's knowledge, it required high intelligence.

 

Could Assistant Doctor Anna's academic ability compare to the professor's?

 

The answer: definitely not.

 

Even with limited data, the impression Assistant Doctor Anna left on players was far from good.

 

If the professor was a mad scientist devoid of conscience, then Anna was a businessperson questioning, 'How much is a conscience worth?'

 

Abyss might change, but it would never collapse.

 

In the previous life, Abyss Humanitarian hadn't suffered any catastrophic attacks. Players often fought Calamity Armaments, reluctantly killing these unfortunate teenagers, which weighed on their conscience.

 

These mass-produced Calamity Armaments came from outer regions' people and Frost-Plated's poor citizens. Once off the production line, they were converted into money, transported to various warlords, rogue gangs, and small armies.

 

These Calamity Armaments were obedient and useful, never betraying, and intelligent, making them more cost-effective than periodically maintained smart robots.

 

There were even traffickers kidnapping teenagers, selling them to Abyss Humanitarian to be turned into weapons.

 

However, in the previous life, Calamity Armaments were widespread, used throughout Frost-Plated. Players never knew who invented this sinful weapon.

 

And Assistant Doctor Anna played a crucial role in this.

 

Incidentally, when the planet exploded in the previous life, this woman escaped into space, openly selling medical knowledge and potions to players, later switching sides between hostile factions and their civilization, becoming a full-fledged opportunist.

 

Therefore, Li Aozi believed that Assistant Doctor Anna would choose to contact Frost-Plated.

 

"From this perspective... she should contact Law III."

 

Li Aozi frowned slightly.

 

Honestly, he didn't want to confront Law III head-on at this time.

 

On one hand, Law III agents were generally strong, highly skilled, with Gamma (γ, the third Greek letter) and Beta (β, the second Greek letter) tier experts in their ranks.

 

Li Aozi could disregard Law IV, but Law III's network was spread across all outer region settlements.

 

On the other hand, many Davelin faction members were undercover in Law III—Frost-Plated's aspiring individuals were either in the military or in Law III.

 

He planned to recruit the legendary Davelin in the future. Davelin was a top-tier political and military talent, needing a team and connections to maximize his impact.

 

Accidentally harming allies would be detrimental.

 

If Assistant Doctor Anna went to contact Law III, how could he flush her out?

 

"Let me think... Previously, Doctor Chen Siqi mentioned that Law III relied on the Metro Brotherhood's railways for transportation."

 

"If that's the case, Abyss Humanitarian must have an active subway line for covert communication and transport."

 

"If Assistant Doctor Anna didn't go to the second level, she must be waiting at the subway station for Law III's support."

 

Li Aozi rubbed his temples, recalling the Metro Brotherhood's subway routes.

 

Honestly, after all these years, many memories had faded.

 

Especially since the Metro Brotherhood's routes were so complicated, he couldn't remember for a long time.

 

Subway... subway...

 

While pacing, Li Aozi suddenly thought of something.

 

"Wait, why am I following the routes for recollection?"

 

He stopped, lost in thought.

 

"The P-205 shelter is a pre-Old Era building, meaning it must have had a specific subway station name in the Old Era!"

 

A light bulb went off in Li Aozi's mind.

 

Although he couldn't remember the exact routes, he vividly remembered the locations of the old-era cities and player teleport points on Azure Star.

 

"Let me think, P-205... corresponds to Godzilla, no, to—Krasnaya Gora Station!"

 

He fixed on a direction, then crouched, kneeling on one knee, placing his palm on the ground, releasing gravitational energy.

 

Gravity exploration.

 

Gravitational surveying was a common geological exploration method.

 

Since the planet wasn't a perfectly shaped sphere, with mountains and valleys, different geological structures had varying gravity. Using this principle, one could find natural oil and mineral deposits based on gravity differences.

 

Li Aozi didn't use gravitational compression but let his released gravity flow downward like water, carefully sensing the gravity differences in the underground cement, steel, and permafrost.

 

Suddenly, he felt a distinctly different gravity.

 

"This gravity includes metal... it's tracks, an empty space! It's the subway station!"

 

Li Aozi's eyes lit up. He looked up and saw a door to a passage right in front of him.

 

"This is it!"

 

Li Aozi immediately stood up, called Qiu Ran and Jane, and kicked the door in front of him.

 

Bang!

 

However, before he could kick it open, the door opened inward on its own. A young officer with black and white hair raised his hand, effortlessly blocking the kick.

 

"Rude."

 

The young officer, dissatisfied, pushed him back. Before Li Aozi could question him, he steadied himself, looked up, and was shocked:

 

"Damn, unlucky bastard!"

 

—Wasn't this the Kamen Rider Du Zexin?

 

Li Aozi was quite surprised.

 

Mainly, why was this loyal Davelin faction member here?

 

Curious about this unlucky character, Li Aozi couldn't help but ask:

 

"...Did you also escape to the outer regions?"