144. A Ship Flew Overhead
Li Aozi raised his hand as a rocket exploded behind him, shrapnel instantly gutting several players. This bloody scene, combined with Li Aozi's unwavering stance in the frame, immediately captured everyone's attention.
"Five hundred years ago, the people of the old era on Azure Star built a golden age. People lived in prosperity, free from war and poverty."
"Even they didn't reach space."
"A Calamity destroyed them all."
Addressing the confused viewers in the comments, Li Aozi said:
"I'm sure many of you have heard similar claims: that the universe and the sun are just things made up by the government. Even without the sun, we'd still survive just fine, just like the creatures living in the Outside world. There's no real sunshine or blue sky—those are just religious lies to deceive people. Darkness and cold are the true reality."
"Some people have been trapped in the long night for so long that they've forgotten there was once a glorious old era. They've forgotten that humanity was once united, living in harmony on one planet. They don't believe people can have a bright and promising future. You can't blame them—humans are short-sighted by nature, not believing in things they haven't seen for themselves."
"Because of the Calamity, it stole our sunlight and blue skies. It also stole the courage of men, the kindness of women, the ambition of politicians, the diligence of workers, the peaceful lives of farmers, and the unwavering faith of soldiers. It tries to reduce us back to primitive beasts, savages who know nothing of order, feeding on raw flesh and blood. It wants us to die in the womb of our mother planet, starving in the endless night."
"I could have endured the darkness if I had never seen the light. If we had never been young, who would fear aging and death? If you had never been educated, how would you know that you were being exploited by capitalists, deceived by politicians into hating others, made to fight wars for kings, and then die poor and lonely with a medal of conquest?"
Li Aozi's speech had no music, only the sound of artillery and snow serving as the nameless symphony for his words.
"We have decided to go to space."
Li Aozi turned to the camera, behind him, players were charging forward, resisting the onslaught of Tianhuan soldiers. He spoke earnestly:
"We have decided to go to space, not to escape from this planet plagued by war, hunger, disease, and death, but to solve war, hunger, disease, and death. We are going to space to find a new way forward."
"Azure Star now has 2.6 billion people, yet only a few hundred million can eat without worry. We must survive, we must live well. This is the common desire of all humanity. Not only that, but we want to live fully, vibrantly."
"For this purpose, Azure Star can no longer contain us. An Azure Star infected by the Calamity cannot support everyone, its energy is slowly depleting. It won't even allow Gamma-tier warriors to exist. But in the endless Star Abyss, we can pursue a better life. We can pursue a magnificent world!"
"People have been trapped on the ground for too long, they've forgotten that this sky belongs to us all."
Artillery shells tore through the sky. Sharp-eyed viewers spotted the advancing mechanized forces on the ground, forcing Li Aozi to raise his voice, shouting to the people:
"We have decided to go to space! We will blast open this endless obstruction and darkness with hydrogen bombs. The citizens of the nations have had enough of this false, cold sunlight, while the people of the Outside world have never even seen real rain or the sun. The ice beneath our feet will melt into vast oceans, sustaining an ecosystem that can feed the entire world!"
"We have decided to go to space! To prove that our home planet exists in the universe, that we are a part of this starry sky. The things that other cosmic civilizations have, we deserve to have as well. Everything the Calamity took from us, we will take back tenfold!"
"We have decided to go to space! To complete what the people of the golden age could not. I want to instill this powerful confidence in all of you, to let you know that even though our world is flawed in a thousand ways, we can achieve something greater than our predecessors. The tide of progress never stops, and with hope, we will never disappear!"
Li Aozi pointed the camera at the players in the biochem pool and edited a task, instructing the players to come forward and introduce themselves in disguise mode.
Starting from the left, the first was Caramel Snail, who had just arrived. He looked like a street punk from Tianhuan, not particularly handsome, and still a teenager under 20. Laughing into the camera, he said:
"I'm Saga Qi, from Nuliang City, Tianhuan. I'm 19, a street wanderer."
Then the camera shifted to Cumin Powder, a girl dressed in trendy punk fashion who casually said, "Asakusa kid, 22, apprentice electrician, Frost-Plated Republic descendant in Tianhuan."
Next was Gary Dunn, a simple-looking young man who scratched his head and said, "I'm Chen Zhengwei, 26, a cook from the Outside world."
"Colin Spladdon," said Yutian Xiao right after, "salesman."
Night Wielder nodded and said, "Ishin Weiha, 29, stateless, formerly a production line worker from the Outside world."
"Norma Linster, Outside world descendant, farmer."
"Alderlet von Glaedman, Red Arrow descendant, former programmer."
"Rowen Hao, Frost-Plated refugee, used to be a dishwasher."
"Abbas Ali Mohammed, Outside world, accountant."
"Nikola Springerovich Ohornek, Outside world, truck driver."
......
One by one, the bodies of the players revealed simple smiles, coming from farmers, workers, and common citizens.
Li Aozi finally turned the camera to himself and said:
"Li Aozi, Outside world descendant, 21, bank security guard and streamer."
"The astronauts you're looking at right now—none of us come from noble backgrounds. We all come from the grassroots of different nations, once ordinary workers."
"Watch closely, the first humans to enter space are us—ordinary people, laborers, just like you!"
"Li Aozi!" Du Zexin suddenly shouted, "Everything's ready! Get aboard now!"
Li Aozi immediately leaped into the biochem pool, raising his terminal with gravitational support over his head. All the astronaut players lifted their heads, looking at the camera, speaking passionately:
"No matter what, the stars will witness the path we forge for humanity. We are not heroes, just guides into space. From now on, you will never feel lost again."
"It's time to step into the Star Abyss, fledglings."
"Countdown!"
Du Zexin's voice boomed from the loudspeaker:
"Ten!"
The players' line was broken by mechanized armor, a Longfang unit casually swept through, scattering the players, then fired a shot that destroyed Du Zexin's drones. It raised its laser rifle, aiming at the launch platform, and pulled the trigger.
"Nine!"
Whoosh!
The purple laser beam had just fired when a massive figure descended from the sky, crossing hundreds of meters of battlefield. Gretorvo knelt down, holding his shield, blocking the beam.
[Life Shield]
Boom!
The scorching light liquefied the sand, and a nebula-like storm of life particles erupted from Gretorvo's body, making him shine brilliantly.
"You will not cross this line!"
Gretorvo Nighsong's eyes glowed red as his rapidly depleting life force was quickly regenerated. As a [Judicator] of the [Redemption] system, he had the strongest physique and strength. The shield slowly melted under the beam, but a faint protective glow continued to cover it thanks to his life energy.
"Eight!"
"Gretorvo, do you want to go against your country?!"
The pilot of the mechanized armor recognized Gretorvo and immediately shouted.
"Country..." Gretorvo grinned: "My country is the courageous, rigorous Tianhuan, the people's Tianhuan, not the Tianhuan owned by the Ring King!"
"Seven!"
The pilot, deeply admiring the Black Knight who had once fought for the people, couldn't help but shout:
"Get out of the way! You can't stop this!"
"Six!"
"What are you talking about?" Gretorvo braced the shield with his shoulder.
The beam rifle's power gradually increased, but Gretorvo's body didn't waver at all. He resisted the pressure of the beam with all his might, though his armor melted and caught fire, he still stood strong.
"Five!"
"Behind me is humanity's hope; I will not fall here!"
"Stop wasting time with him!"
The remaining two mechanized armors bypassed the front unit, ignoring the pilot's urgent protests. One Longfang unit pulled out an electromagnetic sword from its back, trampling the crowd while releasing an electronic smokescreen. The searing electric mist blocked the people from approaching as it raised its sword to strike the biochem pool!
"(Yamiriyoko) Public Prosecution!"
Shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh!
Thousands of golden swords rained from the sky, piercing the mechanized armor, halting its destruction. The chains that latched onto the ground stopped its movements, and Alexia, breaking the sound barrier, lifted her metal-encased warhammer, smashing it down on the pilot's cockpit!
"Four!"
The last mechanized armor dodged like a tango dancer, avoiding the players' anti-vehicle weapons while turning to fire a barrage of missiles, all aimed at the launch rig.
"Sayonara," the pilot whispered, "Li Aozi."
This time, no one could stop it.
Dozens of missiles closed in on the biochem pool. Inside, Li Aozi quickly raised his hand, his eyes glowing with golden rings.
[Threading the Needle]
Just then, a familiar yet slightly strange voice rang out.
The next moment, all the missiles froze in mid-air. In just a second, Li Aozi sensed that every missile had been threaded through by something fine, as if they were prey caught in a spider's web, hanging motionless.
"Three!"
Li Aozi instinctively turned his head. Right next to him, a mysterious woman with a cloak and long white hair appeared out of nowhere.
Somehow, Li Aozi immediately recognized the woman covering her face.
"Ya—"
"Shh." The woman raised her hand, resting it on Li Aozi's face. "You are the only one who confirms my existence. I'm going with you."
"Two!"
"But—"
Before Li Aozi could finish, the woman suddenly leaned in and kissed his lips. Then she rested her head on his shoulder, whispering in his ear:
"Aside from you, the world no longer has a place for me."
"One!"
Du Zexin operated the robot, slamming his fist onto the button, then turned, raising his Magnum rifle, aiming at the approaching Tianhuan soldiers as he shouted:
"—Ignition!"