From the Abyss of Stars

116. I Got Kill

 

"Your intelligence level needs improvement. Relying solely on intuition and empiricism is far too arrogant—have you considered going to college?"

 

As the overclocking ended, the [Beautiful Wishes] armor immediately shut down, the central computer overheating and emitting thick smoke.

 

The professor had accumulated too much experience in the field of [Biochemist], far beyond what he, a newly advanced Beta rank, could compare.

 

Du Zexin didn't feel discouraged; reaching this level at his age meant he had already outcompeted 90% of Frost-Plated's people.

 

He squatted beside the Vigorous One's corpse, dismantling its anti-gravity system. Without this, he and Li Aozi would have taken it down long ago.

 

—No wonder Li Aozi had such confidence, being able to die and come back to life. It's hard not to wonder how many Omega Energies he possesses.

 

Du Zexin removed his armor, donned his military cap, and walked towards Li Aozi:

 

"I understand that Omega Energy users usually haven't received much education, but the enemies you'll face in the future will only get more intelligent... Are you listening, Mr. Li Aozi?"

 

Li Aozi had his back to him. Du Zexin paused, noticing Li Aozi's slightly bowed head and hunched back. Li Aozi slowly raised his hand, pulling off his glove to reveal a wrinkled hand with age spots.

 

"What is this..."

 

"I almost forgot, I am human."

 

Li Aozi clenched his fist and turned his head, revealing a haggard, aged face.

 

He removed his hood, and his gray-white hair fell out in large clumps, revealing a bald, scarred scalp. His handsome features were marred by exhaustion and decay.

 

Li Aozi sheathed his sword, using the hilt as a crutch, slowly walking towards Du Zexin with a complex expression:

 

"Lend me this; let me see what I look like."

 

Du Zexin handed him his helmet, allowing Li Aozi to see his true appearance.

 

Li Aozi's eyes were no longer clear, but stained red and black. His facial muscles had slackened, giving him a decrepit appearance.

 

"So, the insufficient lifespan manifests as aging?"

 

Li Aozi realized.

 

In his previous life as a player, they never aged.

 

Even if they ran out of lifespan, it was just a matter of redeploying and changing an NPC body.

 

But now it was different—this body completely belonged to him.

 

He was human; he was Li Aozi, destined to age, decay, and die like any human.

 

"Can you revive because of a certain Omega Energy?" Du Zexin noticed the anomaly.

 

"Resurrection always comes at a cost." Li Aozi waved it off, pulling out a stimulant from his pocket and injecting himself to regain energy.

 

He wrapped a scarf around his face, put on his hood again to cover his aged appearance. The stimulant quickly took effect, rejuvenating him.

 

"Can you still fight like this?"

 

"Don't ask if I can, ask if I should."

 

Li Aozi injected himself with a large amount of drugs to restore his energy to normal.

 

After much thought, he spent 980 tokens in the [Game Store] to buy a [White Knight Serum], as a backup.

 

This was a gene mutation serum. Once used, at the next mutation, he would immediately get the mutation option [Gene Graft • Pale Knight].

 

This trait was special, covering his Dominator form with conspicuous white bone armor and increasing output by 80%—the downside being an increased genetic burden after each use.

 

This was just a backup plan... Li Aozi had underestimated the professor's power and the true meaning of the 【Intelligence】 attribute.

 

Whether it was Du Zexin or the professor, high 【Intelligence】 characters excelled in observation, combat awareness, learning, association, and logical thinking, far surpassing him.

 

Player strategies couldn't be fully trusted; reality was too variable.

 

In his past life, the "Unforgettable" never featured Eaters, Vigorous Ones, Decaying Ones, nor the professor's personal storyline. The final enemy was just a powerful biochemical war beast.

 

But the professor he faced now had prepared specifically to counter him and Du Zexin with the Vigorous and Decaying Ones.

 

What about next?

 

He and Du Zexin were human, heavily injured from the fierce battle, with machinery needing adjustment, and ammunition running low, requiring rest.

 

But if they didn't push forward, what would the professor develop next?

 

Short pain was better than long pain. Li Aozi was determined; if the professor wasn't killed here, future troubles would be endless.

 

Emotionally, if the professor didn't die, Nomi's revenge wouldn't be complete. Snow and many Abyss-infected were still trapped, suffering live experiments, and would ultimately become Calamity Armament. He couldn't let that happen.

 

Rationally, if the professor wasn't eliminated, she would only become more reckless. Moreover, without the "Unforgettable" mission rewards, his upgrade would be difficult. He urgently needed the experience to advance to Beta rank and extend his life.

 

For this, Li Aozi was willing to pay a painful price.

 

Using the 【White Knight】 serum would cause immense physical pain.

 

At worst, he would use a gene repair device to remove the mutation option later. Spending tokens to eliminate the professor was worth it for the experience rewards to quickly advance to Beta rank—it wasn't a loss.

 

Today, the professor must die.

 

Seeing his determination, Du Zexin hesitated briefly, then nodded:

 

"You're right, if we don't kill the professor, the consequences will be endless."

 

He set a program for his power reactor.

 

"If there's an emergency, I'll self-destruct my armor's reactor. It contains at least 780 grams of weapons-grade enriched uranium, but I must remind you, the self-destruction requires 5 seconds of preparation time to maintain the chain reaction."

 

He looked at Li Aozi:

 

"If there are those Abyss-infected people you mentioned, you take them and leave. I'll cover the retreat."

 

Li Aozi was surprised:

 

"Born in Frost-Plated... you have such awareness?"

 

He had briefly explained the situation of the Abyss-infected to Du Zexin, not expecting him to remember.

 

"Precisely because my homeland is Frost-Plated, it needs this kind of awareness even more."

 

Du Zexin countered:

 

"Frost-Plated men have endured exploitation and discrimination from women—therefore, we shouldn't let exploitation and discrimination spread to others. Otherwise, how are we different from those pests ruining the country?"

 

Li Aozi glanced at him:

 

"The professor may have more weapons. We might face something far more terrifying than the combined Vigorous and Decaying Ones, or countless biochemical soldiers, and more Calamity Armament. I'm warning you—this may not end with us coming out unscathed. Be prepared to sacrifice something."

 

"Don't ask if we can fight, ask if we should."

 

Du Zexin echoed his words back.

 

Li Aozi took a deep breath, stretched his neck. He gradually adjusted to the aged body, with the injected drugs taking full effect.

 

"We should fight."

 

"Then there's no need to explain. Let's fight, damn it!"

 

Li Aozi and Du Zexin exchanged a glance, raised their fists for a mutual bump, then turned, silently striding forward.