126 "Home" (Part 2)

"It was those two who saved us..."

The successive deaths of Bio-Kongou and the professor brought cheers from the surrounding crowd. Some people immediately noticed the figures of Li Aoz and Du Zexin and approached them, discussing among themselves.

"I recognize him—the professor just said that he is Mr. Li Aoz, Level 5 Infected."

Someone recognized him and said admiringly:

"Li Aoz, it's such an old man—I remember he saved us from the White Fang Gang before."

"You saved us! Mr. Li Aoz! You defeated the Nethermark Humanity!"

"He's a hero from the Outland!" the infected from the Outland cheered. "Now it's our turn to help you!"

Li Aoz was speechless. He let the infected lift him up and drag Du Zexin out of the armor, and under Du Zexin's command, they moved him outside.

The burden on his genes was too heavy; he didn't even have the strength to understand how far Nomio could evolve. His eyelids drooped, and he felt drowsy.

No, there's one more thing!

"Xue Nuo ..." Li Aoz's teeth clenched, he shook his head and said, "Baby... don't forget the baby..."

"Baby?"

"Is it 626? I don't think I've seen her here."

People quickly called out to each other to confirm, and finally a blonde girl shouted, "Here! I have a baby here!"

The people surrounding Li Aoz quickly made way, allowing the girl, wrapped in a doctor's or nurse's uniform like a baby, to come closer.

The girl carefully handed the girl in her arms to Li Aoz. The girl had a thin face, a ring of sutures around her head, unsightly wrinkles on her skin, and a yellowish complexion. She looked like a little old man and was not pretty at all.

Yet, on that haggard and thin face stood a pair of large, bright eyes that shimmered with a ghostly, ever-shifting blue light.

The baby girl smiled as soon as she saw Li Aoz.

Thank you, Lioz.

The spiritual energy resonated, and such a sound rang directly in my mind.

Li Aoz managed a weak smile:

"You've got it wrong, Xue Nuo. It's not Lioz, it's Li Aoz."

'That's right, I should thank you.'

Xue Nuo blinked:

Thank you, Li Aoz.

Your actions have made the other party extremely grateful. Xue Nuo's Favorability +301.

[Current Favorability]: 501 (Respect) "You, hurry up and go to the third floor, to the Krasnaya Platform, there is a subway there."

"Subway?" The girl and the infected people around her were momentarily confused. "What does 'subway' mean?"

"It means that the Subway Brotherhood willing to give you a ride, at least to Central Station, where they will at least provide you with work, food, and clothing."

Li Aoz smiled and said:

"You should go home now."

go home.

This word, like a bomb sunk to the bottom of a lake, after a brief silence, immediately erupted into a cacophony of noise and ripples.

"Go home..."

Someone murmured:

"I actually still have a chance to leave the underworld."

"I miss my mom. I shouldn't have run away from home... Does she still remember me? I hope she doesn't!"

"My family members have already frozen to death Outland, so it's better to join the Subway Brotherhood."

The specific manifestations of those infected by Outland People and those infected by the Frostplate Citizen differ greatly, but they maintain a striking consistency in one aspect: freedom.

Li Aoz's limbs and senses were filled with exhaustion, his pupils were unfocused, and he could only manage to open the system panel by sheer force of his strength:

The giant has fallen, the Vajra has perished, and the traces of the underworld are no longer remembered.

[Main Quest: "Remember Them" - Initial settlement conditions have been met]

[Reward Settlement]: A. "Remove Evil No Matter How Small" - Slaughter all remaining members of the Nethermark Humanitarian Rescue Organization. The more brutal the methods, the richer the reward.

Current progress: 109/109 Reward: Title [Cataclysm]

Title effect: There is a 10% chance to deal a critical hit to humanoid enemies (triple damage, weak point attack, high probability of death).

Reputation in the Outland +500 (Honored).

Note: The Frostplate Republic will issue a permanent arrest warrant for you and revoke your citizenship.

B. * Give a Person Death * – Completely kill "Nethermark Professor". Each destroyed bio-avatar rewards you with a perfect reset of mutation options.

Current progress:

'The Vigorous': 1/1 'The Decaying': 1/1 'Bio-Kongou': 1/1 ' Nethermark Professor's Body: 1/1 Reward: Perfect Mutation Option Reset *4 (Guaranteed to refresh with a mutation item of rare quality or higher)

2 million experience points;

Please select two of the following expertise as your reward:

[Perpetual: Arbitrary]—You possess powerful personal charisma and formidable ambition. When you are the team leader, the Favorability Favorability others will be tied to yours. Your team members are absolutely not allowed to question your decisions, and even if they are wrong, they will believe them without hesitation.

Perpetual effect: When your Primary Attribute is [Charm], all your attribute assessments will rely solely on [Charm].

[Absolute Rationality] – Even machines seem human compared to you. You are immune to all mind-reading and charm effects, and your [Intelligence] bonus is increased by 20%. [Flesh Affinity] – To carbon-based and silicon-based lifeforms, you are like an angel, easily loved by them. This unique talent allows you to use armor and genetic weapons more easily.

I should choose [autocratic] and [Absolute Rationality].

Li Aoz thought to himself, "[Autocratic] is the specialty I must choose, and it is also the most important part of the reward for the 'Unremembered' mission."

There are no weak skills in sustainable expertise, only those that are suitable for you and those that are not. And the more of these you have, the better.

This expertise is essential for any team leader, ruler, and tyrant.

However, the most suitable are the [Dominator] class, because [Charm] is their Primary Attribute, and the perpetual effect can be triggered continuously.

The perpetual effect of [Autocratic] is so perfectly suited to his style and professional system. In particular, with [Persona Deduction], he doesn't need to improve [Intelligence] to cultivate the [Biochemist] secondary profession.

As for [Absolute Rationality] - this feat grants immunity to all mind-reading and charm effects, and is extremely useful in the mid-game when facing the [Missionary]'s mental probing, and can even be said to be quite cost-effective.

Of course, this expertise has one Negative Effect Negative Effect that isn't exactly a negative one—the loss of humanity.

Just like Nethermark Professor.

Without principles and empathy, one may eventually lose even basic desires.

How terrible it would be to have no desires.

They don't care about their gender or race, they have no faith, no pleasure, no goals to strive for, they don't care about ugliness, so naturally they can't even distinguish beauty—what else is there to care about? Players certainly don't care about these Negative Effect; it's just a loss of humanity. Are players even human?

From the players' perspective, all they're dealing with is a set of data. If they're in a bad mood, they might drive recklessly on the sidewalk, pick up a weapon, and spray bullets at office workers who have just finished get off work and pedestrians picking up their children from school.

There is no pressure.

Li Aoz himself has done this before, and most players probably have too, releasing the pressure accumulated in real life into the game.

It's not like he hasn't blown up planets before, or even witnessed the destruction of an entire planet—yet he doesn't feel any guilt about it.

But now...

Li Aoz closed his eyes, feeling the wound slowly healing, cells proliferating, and blood flowing through his heart.

It feels warm, and a little itchy.

Even though he closed his eyes, he felt someone raise their hand and place it on the back of his hand to comfort him.

"If I were inhuman, I doubt Nomi would have been willing to save me, given my behavior."

Even with his eyes closed, the world still came toward Li Aoz.

He was surrounded by infected people from Outland People and those from the Frostplate Citizen, who called him by name and hailed him as a hero.

Xue Nuo was sincerely grateful to himself.

Du Mouldy Crotch also gave him a thumbs up as they passed each other.

—This guy was quite aloof in his past life.

Although they had nothing and Aoneng, Li Aoz seemed to have gained something that could not be measured by money or value as he leaned against the support built by the people.

Li Aoz a deep breath.

You chose between [autocracy] and [Flesh Affinity]

He didn't want to become like that disgusting professor; Nomi definitely wouldn't like that.

More importantly, Li Aoz felt that he would really dislike that shameless attitude.

After doing all this, Li Aoz collapsed completely.

People shouted, "We're going home! We're going home!" Strangers hugged and kissed each other, their pale skin contrasting with their healthy complexions, making it impossible to tell that they came from two different worlds.

"It's hard to imagine..."

Du Zexin was dragged onto the train. After taking the special medicine, he was finally able to speak normally, but it would take a long time before he could move his body again.

He looked with emotion at the harmonious atmosphere in the carriage. Under the guidance of Seria and Zhou Lie Feng, a total of 121 surviving infected people were orderly placed in the cargo compartment at the back.

They sat quietly on the boxes, planks, and ground without making a fuss. The young men offered to spread comfortable straw and clothes on the ground for the weak and wounded. Seria, who had some medical knowledge, ran back and forth, taking out food and distributing it to everyone.

Although these infected people have lost their Aoneng, their eyes are full of hope.

Seria and Zhou Lie Feng whispered to each other from time to time, seemingly discussing how to proceed with so many people. Jane Nelia of the Rose Army glanced thoughtfully at the carriage behind them.

Du Zexin couldn't help but say:

"Outland People, Four Nations, are actually here to communicate and cooperate."

"Like people at the bottom of society and capital, they have no country."

Li Aoz's hospital bed was next to Du Zexin's, both converted from car seats.

With an IV drip in his hand, Li Aoz was so exhausted that he didn't even have the strength to open the system panel to check his status. One eyelid drooped, and he forced himself to open the status bar through the dense data:

[Gene Overload] - Enters a weakened state, all attributes decrease by 50%, unable to move, and unable to use Aoneng.

"You're right, Li Aoz."

Upon hearing this, Du Zexin smiled knowingly, "Mr. Dai Weilin thinks so too. If he can come out and lead the Frostplate People, sooner or later we will be able to let Outland People and Frostplate Citizen share the glory of the Artificial Sun equally..."

"It's not man-made—"

Li Aoz tried to look up and say something, but his facial muscles and neck twitched, and he immediately fainted.

Exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave. He hadn't fallen in the battle against the Bio-Kongou, but a single, sarcastic remark finally broke him down.

"Let him rest."

Qiu Ran sat down by Li Aoz's bedside. She reached out and smoothed out Li Aoz's wrinkles. Her gaze was slightly somber as she softly said, "He has already sacrificed too much. He deserves a rest."

Driven by electric motors, the "Youth" Armored Train retracted its running boards and drove out of the subway station. The fierce steel vehicle burst out of the ground, braving the cold wind and snow, tearing through the darkness and forging ahead.