79 Leaps Over the Dome

Affected by the centrifugal force generated by the fortress's rotation, the thin atmosphere at higher levels rubs against the charged particle defense force field system 'Dome,' producing a pale purple halo. To the people on the surface of Valenkov, this looks more like the sky being painted purple.

This is the night in Valenkov, the purple sky tinged with a hint of crimson. If you look closely, you can also see the laser rain erupting from the Voroshitov Line, two light-years away. The scene of their defeat two years ago is only now being brought back to people's eyes.

Li Aoz and Nikita walked side by side down the road, heading straight for the main entrance.

A cold wind whipped up dust from the ground, and even near the most bustling area of Valenkov, the Murdock Tower district, presented a desolate scene of near-poverty. Even the Parades and Demonstrations signs had been looted, and wrecked police cars and automated artillery emplacements had been ransacked.

"Are you just going to walk in like that?" Li Aoz asked curiously.

"The Murdock Tower is divided into two parts: the inner part is where the leadership of the Supreme Legion resides, and the outer part is the public office space, but..."

Nikita explained, then led Li Aoz into the building. The lobby was filled with tents from various protesters, and the air was thick with the smell of excrement, food, and sweat—in short, the smell of poverty.

Women and children huddled together, scrambling for public warmth and electricity, with power strips and wires haphazardly strung together. Li Aoz and Nikita had almost nowhere to step; even the dampest trenches and battlefields covered in barbed wire had never been so difficult to navigate.

"If a fire breaks out here, one or two of them will be wiped out," Li Aoz commented.

"Unbelievable, isn't it?" Nikita said with a self-deprecating laugh. "Kalmetz adopted a patient and weak attitude towards the people, refusing to deploy the military, police and security to maintain order. He thought that doing so would win the support of the civilians. After all, he is the son of a doctor and a lawyer, and in some ways he was too idealistic."

"If morality is useful, then what's the point of laws?" Li Aoz scoffed. "Order has always been maintained by violence. Citizens' rights come from mutual help within the community. Unrestrained freedom will only breed a bunch of hooligans."

While they were talking, another robbery and fight broke out.

"Kalmetz is working hard to make the country better, we all know that."

Nikita's tone was complex. "But if kindness can override law and reason, isn't that itself a trampling on humanity?"

"Who knows? You should at least be thankful that I've seen planets that are just as disordered and chaotic—at least you still have your sun."

Li Aoz made a joke, but Nikita was far from relaxed.

They took a detour, and Nikita led him to the electrical room, where she secretly modified a section of the circuit layout. The two then took the elevator down to the sewage treatment tank on the ground floor. The previously shut-off circuits caused the static electricity leakage network in the pipes to stop working, and they successfully passed through the pipes, winding their way through the complex, and finally arrived inside the inner building.

To Nikita's surprise, Li Aoz didn't complain at all about taking such a detour, and even cooperated actively, using Space-time Ripple to help him retrieve some items and props that were separated by walls and doors.

Li Aoz's practiced movements prompted Nikita to remark:

"Why do I feel like you know this place better than I do? Do you really need me?"

"It would be too slow for me to do it myself, and the Space-time Ripple would be quite noticeable, and there's a chance they'd be detected by Gravity Wave detection equipment. With your help, the risk can be reduced by half."

"I see, insurance, right?"

Nikita chuckled. "You're not so boring after all, Lioz."

"I used to think that I could ignore some objective flaws with my own ability and experience, but it resulted in my teammates being killed in battle."

Li Aoz did not answer directly.

"Who hasn't made a mistake?" Nikita replied while operating the elevator. "Only gods don't make mistakes. Even if a god does make a mistake, it's only because he's not strong enough, which is why people all want to become gods."

"There are only so many spots available on the path to godhood. Among the hundreds of trillions of civilizations, only a few hundred million people are qualified to become gods. Believing in your chances of becoming a god is less likely than buying a lottery ticket."

Li Aoz and Nikita chatted casually, their operation was flawless, and they quickly infiltrated the inner layers of the building.

The scene here was not much better than the ground floor. The walls were so damaged that they didn't even bother to repair them. The guards on duty didn't look too good either. Nikita even saw the administrative staff who were forced to stay and work overtime secretly wiping away tears.

They moved stealthily, with Nikita leading the way, avoiding all surveillance cameras and escaping without any conflict.

"They're not having an easy time either," Nikita said, her voice softening. "Try not to get into conflict with them."

"Let's split up and search." Li Aoz handed the hacker-written program to Nikita: "Go and bring out our second daughter Melrie Kalmetz Shield Emblem. We'll meet on the top floor. The evacuation ship is just above us."

"Wait a moment!"

Nikita took the chip, glanced behind him, and turned to Li Aoz, saying, "If you're going to take action against Kalmetz, you'd better collect some bad words and actions and have a hacker maliciously edit and piece them together."

What's the point of this?

"Outsiders don't understand anything; all they know is that a ruthless mercenary killed an innocent man," Nikita said with a complicated expression. "By tarnishing his image, the people of Valenkov will find it easier to accept."

Li Aoz was speechless.

"Even if he accomplishes nothing and drags the country into the abyss?"

"A mediocre ruler and a foolish ruler are not the same."

[Quest Updated: Additional Branch - End-of-Life Care]

[Settlement conditions—Falsify egregious images of Kalmetz and distribute them in the future.]

[Reward: Skill [Frame Up]]

—That's why I came looking for you, Nikita.

For characters Primary Attribute "charm," the most important thing is to use three tricks: persuasion, seduction, and framing.

Lying also requires intelligence, but the non-combat skills in these three areas are purely based on charisma.

While early-game players can also frame others, they lack the skills and their efficiency is not very high.

Nikita can reliably obtain the skill "Frame Up" here. In addition, his son-in-law Julian will also provide a very good non-combat skill.

Of course, you can't say it out loud.

"Alright."

Li Aoz deliberately activated his optical invisibility and disappeared.

Instead of abducting the two children first, he headed towards Valenkov's office as the supreme leader.