218. Never retreat.
Thump.
Li Aozi knelt on one knee, his skin cracking, muscles spasming, and red-black patterns spreading across his blood vessels.
"If this continues, the genes are going to overload..."
He wasn't a complete Zeta-tier being but was using Zeta-tier power with four consecutive Omega Energy sequences—gene failure was inevitable.
「Leoz!」
Jania rushed over, raising her hand to support him, but her hand passed right through Li Aozi's body.
「...Ah!」
Jania bit her lower lip, her gaze filled with resentment and guilt:
「If only...if I had some materials, I could return to my former strength...」
"It's not your fault, Jania."
Li Aozi gasped heavily, his pupils dilating and contracting repeatedly. He was forced to shut down all his Omega Energy, gritting his teeth as he stood up with difficulty. He turned to look at the flattened and crushed Coulomb Torque.
「...Leoz, run away!」
Jania pleaded again:
「Back then, Liedevins escaped. You're not an Omega-tier powerhouse, not a god, not even a resident of this planet—let's go. At worst, we'll seek revenge later!」
"No."
Li Aozi's tone was resolute:
"I absolutely cannot leave. Right now, I'm the only one who can solve this problem."
If he left now, everything they had built would be wasted, and the players would be forced back to Azure Star.
Then, all their efforts would be for nothing.
Not to mention the refugees they had taken in from the village, including Nikita's family.
They had just begun to settle down; he couldn't let them continue wandering.
"I won't leave, and I shouldn't leave."
Li Aozi straightened his back, his muscles twitching violently. Every cell rebelled against his will, celebrating and recklessly dividing and merging, throwing his internal ecosystem into chaos.
[Warning: Gene load nearing overload. Cease Omega Energy usage immediately...]
He truly didn't have the strength to completely eliminate the Zeta-tier councilor anymore.
Trembling, Li Aozi crawled forward and issued a mission for a few players to come and pick him up. Soon, a group of colony troopers rushed over to escort him away.
After instructing them to blow up the cave entrance, Li Aozi collapsed onto a stretcher, carried to a hidden location by the players.
Once there, the players removed their colony gear, collapsing onto the ground like molting lizards, crying out in exhaustion.
"Damn it, too many enemies! We need a break."
Dragon Ground sat heavily, while a [Doctor] quickly removed shrapnel from his chest to prevent infection and save a revival chance.
"Tired from mowing down enemies? That's some weak stamina. I grind "Star Abyss" daily and make 150 coupons a day, earning 5,000 coupons a month—that's 5,000 credits in real life, at least 30,000 yuan equivalent. At 24 years old, I'm already surpassing most in Yanxia. That's my pride from "Star Abyss"." Xiouxi, still energetic, added, "Learn from me. I grind five anime gacha events simultaneously, practically achieving peak life already."
"Are you kidding? There's no bad land, only overworked cattle!" The Warhammer Guy collapsed, baffled by grind enthusiasts. Looking around bored, he asked curiously:
"Speaking of cattle—where's Caramel Snail? Isn't he Li Aozi's ultimate simp with 450 favorability? The main quest's already in its second phase, and he's still missing."
"They're on the way. Without colony gear, it'll take another four hours."
"What kind of mission were they on anyway? They were the ones who brought everyone together for this!"
Waves of players retreated, setting up a temporary respawn point and regrouping. Someone soon noticed Li Aozi's condition.
"Holy crap, my waifu's head's gone again!"
"Don't worry. That's the feature of the [Domination] path's second-tier class, [Echoer]. They don't have heads."
"That's awesome! No worries about sniper headshots, right?!"
"I've got a bold idea..."
"Shut it! This is an all-ages healing game!"
Li Aozi trembled as red-black patterns spread wildly across his skin. Someone handed him food and water. Without a word, he summoned his main body's head, devoured everything, chugged a barrel of beer, and then dismissed his head, saying wearily:
"I need rest. Be careful."
The players exchanged glances. Dragon Ground tentatively asked:
"How long?"
"At least three hours," Li Aozi glanced at his interface. "My Omega Energy is too powerful, but my body can't keep up... The genetic burden of sequence Omega Energy, or rather, the authority's impact on the soul and existence, is overwhelming. Only at Omega-tier will it dissipate."
Bearing four sequence Omega Energies at the Abyss-layer phase was indeed excessive for both players and NPCs.
Three hours...
"That shouldn't be a problem."
Dragon Ground checked with players setting up defenses. A [Medium] from Azure Star gave him an item that deployed numerous spirit units for scouting.
[Mechanical Society] could be avoided with quick relocation if detected.
"We can probably hold for... over an hour, right?"
This was overly optimistic. Without Li Aozi drawing fire, these Delta-tier colony troopers would quickly be picked off.
Li Aozi knew this. His heart sank as he checked the task members' list.
Caramel Snail, Night Swordplay, Cumin Powder, Yu Tianxiao, Garyden—they hadn't arrived at Austro Mountain yet.
Expecting twenty people to hold for an hour or three was too hopeful.
But Li Aozi had no choice.
The current environment didn't support reinforcements. The bigwigs of White Candle Star showed no understanding of the [Mechanical Society] invasion. Even when he barely managed gravitational wave echoes, the messages vanished without a trace.
[If Remaining Moon is tied to the Night Butterfly Federation, then there must be Kappa-tier powerhouses among the Night Butterflies. Only that explains the echo blockage.]
To win a war by colluding with [Society] was rare, but as long as it wasn't exposed, it didn't matter.
"From here on, it's up to you."
Li Aozi's voice was hoarse as he deactivated his colony gear for maximum repair efficiency and recovery.
The moment Li Aozi went offline, a shocking rift tore through the sky.
"Look at the sky—what is that?!"
Interlocking gears formed a circular mechanical gate protruding slowly from the rift. Though its descent was gradual, full arrival wouldn't take long.
The players stared blankly at the spectacle until a system message popped up:
[[Mechanical Society] Mashgegang—approaching this planet.]
[Special Notice: If players die from [Society] consumption, their characters will be permanently erased, losing all professions, levels, skills, and items.]
["Pathetic carbon-based lifeforms, come sing praises to the soul of steel!" —Mashgegang.]
[You heard Mashgegang's whispers—perform a [Worldview] check. If the result aligns with idealism, you will permanently lose 20% of your maximum [Willpower] attribute.]
["Your civilization treats you as labor and livestock—join [Society]! I will grant you true liberation! Become noble citizens, free from toil and fear of exploitation!"]
["Come, children. It's time to turn to the light! Choose whom you will serve!"]
All players felt their hearts sink, a stifling sensation rising as blood rushed to their heads.
"Cough, cough..."
A player, overcome by the whispers, began muttering with glowing violet eyes:
「Mashgegang, that bloated maggot's still alive...」
"Hey, Are, are you okay?"
Another player tapped his shoulder, only to receive a sharp glare:
「Mortal, I am not—ah, I zoned out for a moment. Sorry."
The players' oppressive feelings lingered until the lack of [Mediums] among White Candle Star players and no idealistic worldviews helped them stabilize.
"So this is [Mechanical Society]... Such a terrifying enemy! Just a few words forced worldview checks."
"If we die to [Society] consumption or are corrupted into citizens, our levels reset, and items are gone forever—damn, the developers are insane!"
"Plot kill! This is definitely plot kill. The devs couldn't stand us dominating alien planets, so they're punishing us with plot!"
"Damn KP—cough, I mean, damn developers! Qiqiao Network, I'll get you for this!"
The players erupted in complaints.
These professional players weren't like casuals. Their accounts were managed by guilds or clubs. Character specialization and skills took extensive effort.
If their characters were destroyed, all progress would be lost, and the costs would fall on them.
"Should we log out now?"
"No use. Our respawn points are on White Candle Star. If consumed, even respawning will happen inside [Mechanical Society]—game over."
"Is there no other choice?"
"In our current situation, even leaving White Candle Star won't help. We're too weak at Alpha-tier, like cosmic ants. Only with Li Aozi's protection did we get this far."
"There's no way out..."
After a group discussion, Dragon Ground summarized their decision:
"We have no other choice. Logging out means death. Fighting to protect Li Aozi until he recovers is our only chance."
He turned to the group, speaking solemnly:
"Start the livestream."
"This is the first encounter with [Society] enemies in Yanxia District—or in the entire "Star Abyss". These creatures are designed specifically to counter players."
"We might lose everything in this battle. But if we're going to die, let's leave something for future players. Once they level up, they can kill more [Society] enemies and avenge us."
"In simple terms, we're just Alpha-tier. In the universe, we're like goblins or rats."
"So..."
Perhaps it was his role as the tabletop club leader, but he fell into character, raising his arm and rallying the group:
"Let these damn [Society] monsters witness the backbone of Azure Star!"
"Even if we're just a bunch of Alpha-tier cosmic rats, we'll bite Mashgegang before we die and tear a chunk of flesh from it!"
"For the vast Star Abyss, we'll fight to the end!"