Integration

"You don't remember me?"

Qiu Ran smiled.

Anna was punched to the ground, and the burning pain on her face brought her back to her senses.

"ZX-140..."

She murmured, her hand trembling as she reached out and touched her burned cheek.

Even the accident during the ZX-102 test did not destroy half of his face.

"My face—you bitch, how dare you touch my face—"

She lunged at Qiu Ran like a madwoman, baring her teeth and brandishing her claws.

Slap! Qiu Ran delivered a heavy slap to half of her face once again.

"You can't even remember my name... and you've detained me for three years."

Qiu Ran's eyes were filled with red and black, her palms were tinged with red, the air was distorted, but her heart was ice-cold.

Three years!

She raised her hand, grabbed the other person's disheveled hair, and set it on fire. The scalp was burned, causing Doctor Anna to scream wildly.

"You bastard! You beast! You scum! You piece of trash! Go to hell!"

This simple, cheerful, and gentle countrywoman, who had never fought before, was now as ferocious and violent as a lioness. She pinned the other person down and punched him hard in the face.

"This punch was for Nomi, that lovely and kind child, who was killed by your Esha Armed!"

Thud! Doctor Anna's head hit the ground, and she saw stars.

"This punch was for Xue Nuo. She was just a baby, and you dragged her here to experiment on her, and even took away her body!"

Bang! Qiu Ran tore off a piece of the other person's clothes, held it in her palm, set it on fire, and punched the other person hard in the face with a fist full of angry flames. The skin was torn open and the scorching, foul-smelling pus flowed freely.

"This punch is for my younger brother and sister. At the most crucial moment of their lives, their lives were stolen because of your mistakes!"

Thump! Qiu Ran raised her fist, but felt no pain from the burning on her palm. Compared to the sorrow in her heart, what did this physical pain matter?

Flame's fist landed again, striking Doctor Anna's chin and charring and burning the remaining half of her face. Just as her head tilted to the side and she was about to faint, Li Aoz suddenly raised his hand, took out an adrenaline injection from his pocket, flicked out the narrow needle, and injected it into her neck.

"Ugh—"

The intense pain instantly brought Doctor Anna back to her senses. Her pupils dilated and contracted violently, and Li Aoz seized the opportunity to raise his long knife, choose a spot, and plunge it into her right eye socket.

laugh! "Ahhhhhhh-ah-ahhhhh-"

While in a state of extreme lucidity, Doctor Anna's eyeballs were completely removed by Li Aoz.

Qiu Ran stood up, unable to control her emotions. Fortunately, she had already vented once when facing Nordly. She squatted on the spot, unable to calm down for a long time.

Her three years are not important; what is important is that her younger siblings' lives may be ruined.

In the future, whenever they see other college students with respectable jobs, they will remember those three years in high school, when they were most helpless and needed companionship the most, but their older sister, the pillar of the family, left without saying goodbye and ran away to live a carefree life.

They will be alone in and out of the examination room, with no one to pick them up or drop them off. On the eve of the exam, while other candidates are studying and doing practice questions, they are still working, otherwise they won't be able to afford food the next day.

"I don't care what happens to me... If my life is ruined, so be it, but my younger siblings are all good people, and they shouldn't have to suffer like me."

Qiu Ran held her head in her hands. For a moment, she knew that even if she went back...

Three years apart is a long time in today's fast-paced society, and everything has changed.

If they meet again, will they still remember me? Or rather, will they be able to forgive me?

Qiu Ran's crying made Li Aoz lower his head and look gloomy.

He found it hard to imagine that there were people like this in the world—even at this moment, Qiu Ran was still thinking of others.

This optimistic, naive, simple, and kind-hearted woman was under far more pressure than she realized.

Or perhaps it is precisely because she has always lived for others that she is able to feel indifferent about her own deep-rooted circumstances.

She maintained hope for the future only because she had long since lost all hope in the country and society of Frostplate.

despair.

Li Aoz clutched his chest, and he seemed to hear Nomi's unwavering vow echoing in his ears again:

"Me? I'm just a stupid idiot. Even the instructors say I'm mostly useless and just a wildcat who knows how to fight."

"Even a stray cat like me can't tolerate the world becoming like this."

"I don't know if others will have better options, or if there will be tyrants, new officials, and the world will get worse—but I would rather make hundreds of mistakes than maintain the status quo."

And this body, the memories of "Li Aoz" before his death.

In early September, his mother from the countryside called him after a long absence and gave him orders: the family is poor, finish vocational school, work to pay off the debts, and then support his younger sister to go to high school.

He left his hometown with less than 200 derbies in cash and came to the county town to work as a security guard to earn money, dreaming that once he saved enough money, he would get a prosthetic body implanted and become a GTB Bounty Hunter.

Ironically, even though he was already at such a low level, he wasn't even allowed to harbor resentment, which ultimately led to the summoning of Spirit Wraith and brought about his own demise.

When poor people complain about their poverty, they are often met with the retort, "Then why don't you work harder? Your poverty is because you're not working hard enough."

Life is a marathon. Some people Frostplate Citizen at the finish line. They don't need to run along the way. They just drive a D2000 hovercar, dance and drink wine inside, and casually throw away greenhouse fruits worth thousands of dollars on the ground after taking a couple of bites.

But for Qiu Ran and the original ' Li Aoz ', they were already running at full speed while coughing up blood, carrying their families on their backs.

This is no longer a game.

Nomi is dead, Xue Nuo has been tormented for years, and Qiu Ran may never be able to return home. Someone is suffering...

This is not some virtual data; blood flows through it, anger and sorrow fill its pulse, and blood surges like fire.

"Whether I admit it or not, I can no longer regard this place as a virtual world. Everything I see, the emotional turmoil it brings me, and the tragic circumstances of this era—if this is all fake, then what is real?"

For the first time, Li Aoz truly realized this fact.

"Nomi, thank you."

Nomi, and Frostplate, which many people tried their best to overthrow, were just a dispensable part of the story for former players.

But only by truly immersing oneself in it can one experience the silent roars and deafening cries of those at the bottom of society, soaked in blood and tears.

Nomi, Qiu Ran, Xue Nuo, Doctor Chen Siqi, the Dimitri family, many Outland People... and ' Li Aoz '.

They all suffered exploitation and torment from the Frostplate and the Four Nations.

I am neither a savior nor a kind person, but precisely because of this, I should do something to make the world seem more pleasing to the eye and to make myself more comfortable.

Qiu Ran didn't dare to think too much about it, but there were just too many examples around her to tell what reality was like.

My younger brother may not have been able to afford the financial burden of further education, so he went to work on a construction site, took out a loan to pay for his studies, worked in a factory for a few months, and finally had his job taken away by artificial intelligence.

Then they become sorting workers, real estate salesmen, and when they are destitute, they can only become GTB Bounty Hunter, risking their lives for money. In order to earn more money, they borrow money and replace their own organs and limbs with weapons.

They engage in heinous crimes like murder and robbery, risking their lives at any moment, simply to make a living.

There was also a lovely and beautiful younger sister who, for work and life, became Dancer and a hostess, or even a prostitute. She contracted diseases, worked hard and was exhausted, and eventually died in bed.

They shouldn't have done that.

They should become respectable civil servants, doctors who save lives, teachers who educate and nurture, engineers who build the future, and lawyers who seek justice for others. They should be people who can contribute to society and live happy lives, rather than becoming bloodthirsty desperados, exploited laborers, and prostitutes.

"It's all my fault... If I had been by their side, this would never have happened..."

Qiu Ran buried her head and wept silently.

Just then, she heard a calm judgment:

"Doctor Anna, I thought you were quite capable, but look at you! Compared to the professor, you're nowhere near as good."

"You're always thinking about yourself, and that's why you lost a finger and couldn't take a few punches—look at Qiu Ran! She took so many hits for others; she's worked so hard."

Qiu Ran was startled, and she looked up.

Li Aoz removed Anna's eyeballs, then raised his long knife high, like a judge raising his gavel, and said in a deep voice, "This strike is for Qiu Ran."

Anna could no longer utter a word; flames were burning her head and vocal cords, and she could only stare with her single eye as the blade fell.

[Main Quest Triggered - "White Frost Gold Bones"]

[Type]: Destruction [Duration]: Never-ending [Difficulty]: Splendid Story (Note: Splendid Story— Splendid Story. At this difficulty, regardless of success or failure, reaching 30% or more progress will profoundly impact the civilizational progress of a nation, ethnic group, and region. People will react strongly and undergo transformation, even experiencing spiritual awakening, because of your actions.) (This type of mission is irreversible; once chosen, it's a never-ending struggle. You will permanently break with the opposing faction, who will relentlessly hunt you down and persecute you day and night, using the internet, public opinion, and other means to psychologically persecute you. This will affect how those around you perceive you. For your mental health, please choose carefully.) [Introduction]: "Gods and Buddhas only protect the rich, while white frost only coats the bones of the poor."

The Frostplate is utterly rotten and disgusting; it could even thoroughly enrage you, a narrow-minded and sophisticated egoist.

Anyone with basic cognitive abilities should stand up and destroy this evil kingdom.

First comes the farmers' land, then the women's wealth, then the men's power, followed by the lives of infants and children, and finally, everyone's soul will be taken away.

You won't regret it, even if it means fighting against Four Nations; on the contrary, you should be proud of it.

You die, you fail, but you become a dead legend.

If you win and succeed, then you will be an epic hero whose achievements will be remembered for generations to come.

Go quickly and light a fire to drive away the black crows; they are eroding the souls of the people along with cockroaches and maggots.

May your courage and faith never fade.

[Settlement Conditions]: A. "Historical Progress" - Eliminate the current government of the Frostplate Republic.

Reward: [Stratum Advancement Ticket] *1 - Ignores conditions and level restrictions, forcibly advancing one tier.

B. "Desire to Change" - Reconstructing the cultural and social structure of the Frostplate Ethnicity Frostplate People, enabling them to return to a normal life.

Reward: [Omega-class Aura Amplifier] *1 - Evolve one of your Aoneng stats to Omega-class.

C. "The Terminate the Evil Consequences" - Permanently eradicate the problems of Frostplate and the Outland, and ensure that the Frostplate People will not overcorrect.

Reward: Omega-class Aoneng [Electromagnetic Force · Induction] [Special Note]: Once this quest is started, it cannot be stopped. Please choose carefully.

You have chosen to accept this task.

The future is open; may your military prowess continue.