84 Overlords, Dictatorship, and the Stars Depend on Them

The sky in the distance was just beginning to lighten. Some time had passed, and a few rays of sunlight had already pierced through the gray night. The scattered sunlight, like scissors, haphazardly tore apart the sky.

"When I became the best trainee in boot camp, everyone looked down on me. They isolated me, ostracized me, and thought I was too competitive and too flamboyant."

"I used to feel sad and confused, but I remembered my father's motto—"

Li Aoz said, "'It's not a matter of whether I should or shouldn't; I could do it, so I did it.'"

Nikita glanced at Li Aoz.

If the other person has a brain, he's certain they'd also be grinning from ear to ear.

"Although they weren't very nice to me, on the battlefield, I dragged my brother with a blown-off leg back from the trench. I silently covered for those who usually ostracized and were indifferent to me, and did my best to save the lives of every comrade."

"Because I could, I did it."

"Afterwards, I saved 138 comrades, eliminated 71 enemies, and successfully delayed the operation of an opposing brigade. I was awarded the Fearless Medal. The people called me the Valenkov Variant Hero, and my rank was Amethyst Combat Mercenary. Supreme Leader Kalmetz personally awarded me the medal."

Nikita remarked with emotion:

"Throughout my life, I have followed my father's belief: whatever I can do, I will do. It may be just a small thing for me, but I can help more people by my own will, not by being asked to do things."

"They call me a hero—but I just did what I could. It's not that I didn't want anything in return; what I wanted was to always follow my own will."

"I don't know what you're thinking, young man. In my opinion, there's no one in the world more capable than me, so I did this even more pretentious thing."

Li Aoz fell silent.

He turned to the side, gazing at the distant clouds.

His hands gripped the front of his shirt tightly, as dawn, with its golden glow like that of a thousand armies, swept over him.

The long night collapsed.

A dazzling golden light pierced through the heavy night, surging forth and roaring silently at the earth. His skin was warmed and heated, his blood surged and churned, and an indescribable, intense emotion rose from his feet and ran straight to the top of his head.

Tomorrow has arrived; please make your choice.

Option A – Leave and go home; (There will be no benefit)

Option B – Stay and fight; (There will be no benefit)

Nomi, Qiu Ran, Du Zexin, Alexia —the portraits of all the people he had encountered so far flashed before his eyes.

From a bank in Frostplate border town to the vast universe, his journey was not without its flaws, but every action he took brought about different changes to the world.

Some people died because of it, and some people lived because of it.

He reached out, trying to grasp something.

He once tried his best but couldn't get through a train door, which led to Qiu Ran's death in battle.

At that time, Li Aoz didn't understand why he felt so resentful towards a stranger who was ordinary-looking and with whom he had little emotional connection.

Now he understands.

"I don't want to break down that door—I want to grab fate by the neck."

Li Aoz clenched his fist.

He simply hated himself from the bottom of his heart, hated his inability to control everything.

The question isn't whether or not to save Qiu Ran, but whether or not it's possible to save her.

Upon closer examination, this concept is like God. No one dictates what God must do, so God's code of conduct is reduced to "whether or not."

"If there's something I can do, then I must do it."

Li Aoz's body floated to the ground. Nikita on the ground was astonished:

"You figured it out so quickly?"

"Go back and pack your bags," Li Aoz said. "I'll pick up your son-in-law. In a few days, I'll send you to a safe planet where you can receive treatment, free of charge."

Nikita blinked.

"Are you kidding me? Only Narrative-level Civilization can save my daughter's illness—"

"If it's just about suppressing the curse," Li Aoz smiled and said, "Any Magic Civilization can do that."

Nikita stood frozen in place.

"You just now, uh, let me catch my breath— Lioz, no, Lord Lioz, why is that? My answer is hardly worthy of such a reward!"

[Dictator Form Activated]

"Because I can."

As Li Aoz spoke, the flesh and blood on his head rapidly regenerated, attracting meteorites and metals from the void, which, along with a blue halo, merged and coalesced into a sharply angled helmet. Aoneng light flowed and merged, condensing into stable silver-white armor plates on his body, and bright yellow bands of light shone on his azure porcelain skin.

Never Disobedience

Buzz————

The helmet's crystalline eyes instantly glowed with golden light, and the next moment, Li Aoz's figure vanished, leaving behind a series of dozens of Mach rings in the air.

Settlement conditions have been met.

C. Tomorrow is in doubt – Tomorrow has arrived, make your choice.

Rewards: Random rewards (based on task evaluation; higher evaluation yields better rewards). Task rating calculation in progress...

No teammates died in this mission (√)

' Sorenf·Nikita ' confided his past to you (√)

Witnessed the sunrise (√) Hide: You made a decision that belongs only to you.

[The Choice] – Stay in Valenkov, get rid of Verrazzi! This choice will not bring you any benefits or rewards, but it is a unique choice that belongs only to you.

History and the stars will bear witness to this.

[Calculation complete. This task is rated as: Outstanding and Superior]

[Do you want to enable random rewards?]

[Rewards being distributed...]

You have acquired knowledge from the [Dominion]/[Craftsmanship] system: The Law of Conservation of Energy.

[Item Name]: The Law of Conservation of Energy

[Type]: Information carrier / Advanced extraordinary knowledge

[Quality]: Ordinary and Durable. [Attribute]: An information carrier that records cutting-edge knowledge.

Prerequisites: Limited to [Dominator] type / [Craftsman] type, etc.

[Introduction]: The medium itself is not important; what is important is that it contains research on the nature and transformation laws of energy, from which you can benefit greatly.

"The total amount of energy is constant, the universe is expanding infinitely, and so is Aoneng. What was once inconceivable can actually be explained by science. The natives used to call extraordinary abilities magic. Let me reiterate, advanced science is all magic."

By learning this knowledge, you will gain a new skill – "Energy Refining Art," which allows you to periodically extract energy from the space and randomly enhance your physical attributes.

[Learning Effect]: General Effect: Mass-Energy Effect - When you use any potion, you will always recover 1.3% of your maximum Mana.

[Aoneng] Exclusive Effect: Mystic Deconstruction - You can accumulate relevant knowledge to continuously uncover the origin of your Aoneng, enhance the versatility of Aoneng, and develop the source of each Aoneng - ' Sequence Aura '.

After learning, immediately designate one non- Core Aura to increase its development level by one level.

"Warning! Unidentified flying target. You have intruded into Verrazzi Company's controlled airspace. Please slow down and leave immediately, or we will shoot you down! Warning, to reiterate, you have intruded into controlled airspace—"

*Snap! Li Aoz casually crushed an anti-aircraft missile. Flames and shrapnel grazed past him as he rapidly shifted his position in the air. Lasers and anti-aircraft spells kept coming at him, but they were either distorted by gravity or evaded by his skillful and effortless flight.

Li Aoz was in an extremely cheerful mood.

Jannia flew out of the void and rode alongside him, muttering:

'Are you sure you want to do this? Go against Narrative-level Civilization ...'

"The United Company has many companies under its umbrella."

'I have a feeling that you think more than just that?'

"I know where Julian is."

'—Hey, hey, it's not there, is it?'

"Yes, it's in Verrazzi."

Li Aoz said:

"I knew it from the beginning, but I'm only now preparing to do it."

Jannia gave Li Aoz a deep look.

"Actually, you're quite interesting in some ways, buddy."

She grinned, transforming herself into a sword and, accompanied by Li Aoz's high-speed flight, pierced through the clouds, charging towards the ever-approaching Verrazzi Building on the ground: 'Since that's the case, let's turn the world upside down!'

[You have gained the artifact's initial approval; the artifact's skills are temporarily unlocked.]

[Power Unleashed - Armed Empire]

[Power Unleashed - The Vivid Demon Iron Monarch]

"Come on, Lioz, go and give these Red King followers a demonstration of 'blacksmithing' skills!"