145. Although the Abyss Professor Died Early, Her Legacy Continues to Be Consumed
Melva Kingdom, Castillo Station, Waiting Hall.
Ding-dong.
The elevator slowly ascended to the third floor. Johan looked up at the heavily armed group inside and smiled faintly: "Remember, no Frost-Plated."
The next moment, the elevator doors opened. Johan immediately pulled down his Red Arrow military bulletproof mask, raised his machine gun, and aimed at the crowd.
"The party's starting!"
The Outside World knew no distinction between day and night. The waiting crowd stared blankly at Johan and his heavily armored, gun-toting group. It was as if their brains had been struck by a heavy blow, freezing them in place. Even the night-shift security guards stood dumbfounded, unsure of how to react.
The corners of Johan's mouth curled under his mask, his eyes gradually filling with madness. His finger gently rested on the trigger, ready to pull.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, the deafening soundwaves rippling visibly through the station's air.
Johan was holding his machine gun, the trigger untouched.
A bullet was deeply embedded in the 20mm ceramic steel armor on his back. The polished armor caused the bullet to spin for a second or two before it slowed and stopped.
Clink.
The searing bullet fell to the ground, gradually cooling in the cold wind before exploding into powder with a faint pop.
Johan slowly turned his head toward the source of the rogue shot.
He locked eyes with a pair of calm purple irises. The person behind them seemed entirely unapologetic about jamming the rifle barrel against the leader's back.
"Isaac, sir?"
"Apologies. Truly sorry about that," Li Aozi said with a touch of regret. "I should have aimed for the head. I got distracted leaving the squad and forgot how to handle a gun. My mistake."
[I originally planned to wait a little longer to reel in a bigger fish.]
Li Aozi's gaze flickered, scanning the frightened passengers. Among them was a single father tightly shielding a baby stroller, his expression filled with fear yet resolute.
[Even someone as scummy as me can't tolerate this.]
"Hey, old man," Not Quite Rain timidly said, "You're making this really awkward for us."
"You've completely ruined the immersive vibe," Featherfall said darkly. "You pig—"
The two NPCs reacted quickly, drawing their guns to aim at Li Aozi. Johan waved them off, signaling to lower their weapons. He turned, his stature towering over the burly 'Isaac.' As a [Shaman], Johan's heavily armored, muscular frame made him as imposing as a wall. Despite his size, his footsteps were eerily silent.
Standing before Li Aozi, Johan looked down at him:
"Care to explain your intentions? I thought I treated you well enough?"
Johan poked at Li Aozi's Kevlar jacket and ceramic steel vest, then tapped his rifle. He appeared puzzled:
"Why would you shoot me, my friend? This gear and the Jaluns in your bank account should've let you live comfortably for quite some time. Are you still dissatisfied?"
"You're absolutely right."
Li Aozi chuckled softly.
"Then perhaps you can tell me—what exactly do you want?" Johan asked.
"Johan, why are you wasting time talking to him?" Smith shouted.
"Shut up!" Johan immediately drew his pistol and fired a shot past Smith's head. The latter froze and fell silent.
The station's passengers were visibly uneasy. Security guards quietly contacted reinforcements. Everyone remained in place, too scared to move.
Johan turned back to Li Aozi:
"My friend, Isaac, or should I say, True—what do you truly want?"
Johan's team spread out strategically to form a firing circle, ensuring no friendly fire while keeping their rifles trained on Li Aozi, ready to fire at the slightest provocation.
Li Aozi shrugged, slinging his rifle to the ground and summoning the Omega Energy he needed from the pathway structure.
Due to his low [Charisma], some Omega Energies reliant on attributes were less effective, so he chose ones with minimal dependency on stats.
Johan circled him, observing his actions: "Money?"
[Armor of the Mountains]
He asked again: "Power?"
[Castling Authority]
As Johan continued probing, he subtly applied amplification buffs, speculating: "Fame?"
[Body Reinforcement: Alpha]
[Body Reinforcement: Beta]
[Body Reinforcement: Kappa]
[Body Reinforcement: Pi]
...
"Surely, you don't want to be a savior?"
Li Aozi muttered, "Something like that…"
He clenched his fists lightly. The summoned Omega Energies operated at 80% efficiency, falling short of their full potential.
"Something like that?"
Johan spread his hands, as if hearing a ridiculous joke. He glanced at his companions.
"He says he wants to be a savior?"
"Pfft."
Not Quite Rain burst out laughing.
"Old man, you're so naive. What a loser~ loser~"
[Huh, turns out I absorbed quite a lot of Omega Energy during my time at the Abyss Relief Organization…]
"No immersion at all. You're unworthy of playing "Star Abyss"…" Featherfall said despondently.
[Filtering is such a hassle. Might as well just…]
Johan, hoisting his rifle, noticed his subordinates' mocking expressions and joined in the laughter:
"Heheheh-hahahah—"
[Activate them all.]
"Ah, this should do it."
Li Aozi raised his hands and slowly removed his bulletproof armor and Kevlar jacket. In front of everyone, he carefully folded his clothes.
Johan and the others laughed, only to gradually sense something amiss. Li Aozi's abrupt actions clashed with the current situation.
"You…?"
"This outfit was bought by Old Man Isaac during his first trip to the city. It was expensive."
Li Aozi folded the clothes and handed them to a bewildered passenger. Now clad in tight-fitting garments, his veiny, muscular physique was exposed. Rolling his wrists, he looked at Johan:
"Are you done asking?"
Johan instinctively answered:
"Done."
[Body Reinforcement: Upsilon]
[Body Reinforcement: Omega]
[Sequence Eighty-Two: Bloodline]
All twenty-four types of [Body Reinforcement], combined with their origin authority—[Bloodline].
At that moment, everything activated and erupted.
Li Aozi inhaled deeply. Every pore on his body seemed to expand. The people in the station felt suffocated and dizzy. The temperature plummeted, and frost spread across the ground.
Johan suddenly realized something and shouted:
"Fi—"
Li Aozi exhaled toward the taller, more imposing, armored Johan:
"Huff…"
Like a massive steam engine roaring to life, violent, searing smoke erupted. The immense pressure condensed the airflow, blasting Johan's body.
[You have slain the player 'Feather Blade.' As a special unit, no reputation penalty applies.]
The remaining members reacted quickly, retreating the moment Li Aozi acted.
"No need to rush."
Li Aozi's voice rumbled like thunder. Concrete cracked, glass shattered, and the ground trembled with ear-splitting reverberations.
Boom… boom… boom…
Not Quite Rain and the others smashed through windows, rolling on the ground before scrambling for cover. As they collected themselves, they began processing the shocking scene.
"Damn it! What the hell just happened?" Featherfall abandoned all sense of immersion and shouted into the team chat, "Was that a pay-to-win item? Is he a GM? No, this has to be cheating!"
"I don't know! How would I know?" Not Quite Rain was trembling, his earlier arrogance gone.
For the first time in his life, he'd seen someone blown to pieces by a single breath.
And because they had disabled all safety filters, they witnessed Johan's pink, shredded remains boil and evaporate like dumpling filling…
"—Ugh!"
The memory of the smell made Not Quite Rain retch.
"This is insane. Johan's actually dead…"
Smith and Wellington were incredulous. They turned to Not Quite Rain:
"That's Johan. He's supposed to be immortal, like you two. How did he die so fast?"
"I don't know! I know nothing! Why are you asking me!?"
Not Quite Rain was on the verge of collapse, realizing that their previous battles had been child's play.
This time, they'd hit a steel wall.
"Featherfall—no, Leaf, what do we do now?" Not Quite Rain desperately asked his teammate, who had been staring blankly since the chaos began.
Featherfall calmly replied:
"I've already reported this cheating bastard to the forum! I'm drafting a complaint to the developers. Cheat users will never be tolerated by Qiqiao Network!"
"Really?" someone asked. "I doubt Qiqiao Network can handle this. Not that this game even allows cheats."
"What did you say? Don't you dare insult Qiqiao Network—it's my lifeline!"
Featherfall retorted angrily:
"Qiqiao Network owns the world now! No game can compete with "Star Abyss"! With operations in 160 nations and annual revenues of 75 trillion, if not for industry suppression, Qiqiao Network would already be an essential part of daily life!"
As she finished, she noticed Not Quite Rain and the NPCs' blank stares.
"You're right."
A voice echoed directly in her mind.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground shook violently. Artificial sunlight poured down but was completely obscured by the hulking figure.
With a slight flick of his pinky, a storm erupted, ripping away the warehouse's roof.
Not Quite Rain and the others looked up, and despair washed over them.
A towering fifty-meter giant clad in shattered rock and concrete armor stood before them. His body radiated a demonic crimson energy, enveloping him in a blood-red haze. Without fire, his bulging muscles generated heat, stirring up fierce winds. His overwhelming presence and primal pheromones filled the air.
An indescribable sensation weighed on everyone's hearts, akin to prey before a predator or slaves before a ruler—an instinctive dread rooted deep in their bloodlines, forbidding them from even looking directly at Li Aozi's form.
This was the true essence of the Armor of the Mountains.
"What… what are you?" Not Quite Rain cried, tears streaming. The kid had never witnessed anything like this.
They had just planned to massacre a station… Did it really warrant fighting a giant god?
"Me?"
Li Aozi stroked his hardened, scorching jaw.
Though he'd stacked so many Omega Energies out of irritation, it also spoke to Isaac's impressive foundation. Had it been his main body's base stats, five or six [Body Reinforcements] would've been enough to kill him.
Thinking about it, his current form bore some resemblance to the Abyss Professor's biochemical titan.
In that case…
"Just call me… Doom King Kong, Destroyer Titan."