World 92

Li Aoz waited several days before the money from the Narrative-level Civilization was deposited into his account, for which Constan apologized.

After deducting some transaction fees and expenses for getting through interstellar customs, I still have 2.5 million Ammonium Gold left.

Money is secondary; the main issue is that it took a lot of time.

When Li Aoz stepped out of the star gate, it was already one day after the start of the open beta. Fortunately, he had already discussed it with Ya Wen beforehand, and the players' tasks were on the agenda. Ya Wen seemed to be doing a good job as the quest guide.

He spent several hours in the well-organized ruins, while the other players were busy hunting and building camps. The ruins were deserted, and no one seemed to be returning.

He did not see Ya Wen's figure.

"Miss Ya Wen — Ya Wen— "

Li Aoz tried calling out to them several times using Gravity Wave, but received no response.

[It must be something urgent.]

Li Aoz walked to Ya Wen's tent. Ya Wen left him a note saying that she had to go out and that he should not worry if Li Aoz returned.

—She probably never imagined that after becoming a [Astral Echoer], she would possess powerful inter-universe communication capabilities, and if she so desired, she could force the entire Abyss to listen to her stand-up comedy.

Such an obvious excuse... Does she not want to see me? Or is there something she can't say?

Li Aoz touched his non-existent chin, his gaze sweeping over the messy footprints on the ground.

No, she's just avoiding me.

He recalled Ya Wen's strange, withered white hair and her eerie, Terror pupils that resembled a spider web—features that easily reminded him of the "White Knight" Yuhelai, whom he had met not long ago.

In addition, he had previously noticed the phenomenon of celestial weeping— the White Candle Star had also been invaded by [society].

With so many pieces of information piled up together, it's hard not to make connections.

Will Ya Wen be a citizen of this Hidden Society?

Li Aoz pondered for a moment, but said nothing.

Society is the cancer of the universe, and every citizen is a cancer cell. No matter how well they behave normally, as soon as the entity of society descends, they will immediately merge into the consciousness of society and no longer have a self. In other words, they will be themselves everywhere.

Well, what else can I say?

If Ya Wen were truly a citizen of society, he would calmly kill her with his own hands.

[Society] cannot coexist with the Star Abyss Civilization. The two are in a hunter-prey relationship, a fact learned through countless painful lessons. Many civilizations have been devoured and destroyed, becoming individual parts of [Society].

Li Aoz didn't want to lose to "Society." He didn't want his consciousness and body to be used to support the "Society" that killed him after he died, or for his characteristics to be impersonated by citizens and used as weapons and equipment at will.

That would be too tragic.

However, before that, Li Aoz felt it would be better to observe Ya Wen more closely.

He already possesses the extraordinary knowledge to seize talents, so no matter what, he can guarantee that the talent [Objective Resonance] will fall into his hands.

But he always had an indescribable feeling towards Ya Wen.

This girl has been chasing him all the way to the present, from Frostplate to the Outland, and from the Outland to other planets. Now she has even built a simple and cozy base for him.

But why is she avoiding me now?

—Let's kill them all then.

A sudden whim crossed Li Aoz's mind, but he quickly suppressed the thought.

It was that guy... who planted a psychological suggestion in my mind.

Li Aoz quickly fed the Truth Drug to his head, and after a while, the sudden surge of resonance subsided.

call...

Li Aoz breathed a sigh of relief; the situation was back in his hands.

If Ya Wen is truly a citizen of "society," then it means the real Ya Wen died long ago, and what is alive now is merely a spore that has inherited her will and memories.

Just like Imitation Human.

Li Aoz sat on Ya Wen's bed, the air still carrying the scent of the girl. He looked at the table, where there was a half-finished trench coat being made, which made Li Aoz slightly distracted.

After finishing her work, Ya Wen usually sits here and, using a homemade animal fat lamp, meticulously and quickly creates a piece of fashionable clothing.

This is quite a lot of work; even among girls with Frostplate, not many are willing to go to this level.

Li Aoz glanced at Ya Wen's bed and realized that Ya Wen was very thoughtful. Although the room was simple, she had made some cute decorations and dolls, adding a touch of life to the otherwise plain room.

He picked up a rag doll with a butterfly design, turned it around, and discovered that Ya Wen had written her own words on the wings:

'I don't want to become a spider. I want to fly past him, fluttering like a butterfly. He certainly wouldn't hate that.'

Ya Wen didn't have the habit of keeping a diary. He searched through the other person's room but didn't find anything suspicious. Even when he used the [Eye of Truth] to search, he couldn't find any clues—he did find a lot of spider silk, but nothing of value.

Li Aoz remained silent for a few minutes, then put everything back in its place. He lay down on Ya Wen's bed, headless, staring at the tent above his head, unsure of what to say or how he felt.

He lay there for a while, when suddenly ripples appeared in the air. Jannia slowly walked up to him, plopped down on his lap, poked his stomach, and chuckled, "Oh~ you pretty little beauty, what's wrong with you? Why are you unhappy today? We just won a super, super awesome battle! Jannia really got you a lot of face, didn't you?"

Li Aoz did not answer.

He picked up a spider silk thread and examined it under the Eye of Truth.

The target has been hidden, and its true information cannot be detected.

Ya Wen can dodge it, but she can't hide forever.

"Tch! You're ignoring me, huh? I'm not letting you play anymore. Humph, even when others beg me to unleash the power of the divine sword, I still won't give it to them. Take it or leave it."

Jannia pouted and crossed her arms:

"From now on, I'm ignoring you for ten minutes. Countdown begins: 9 minutes 59, 9 minutes 58, 9 minutes 57—"

"It's like I had a dream I shouldn't have had."

Li Aoz suddenly reached out his hand, muttering self-deprecatingly:

"I am the sun, giving people heat and warmth, but those who get close to me will only be burned to ashes. One by one, those who approached me and liked me, none of them had a good ending. Some gave their lives for me, and some are about to be killed by my own hands."

There were some things he didn't say explicitly.

I actually think... Ya Wen will have a good ending.

[Heh... She's a citizen, and Secrecy's Citizen.]

[Society must be eliminated; a dead society is a good society.]

But this is Ya Wen. Someone who makes no attempt to hide her closeness, dependence, or admiration for me.

Since his conversation with Nikita, Li Aoz has been reflecting on his actions and behavior.

' Lioz is Li Aoz, Li Aoz is Lioz '

Granny Atamasha's words echoed in my ears.

Is the self who took the Truth Drug the true self, or the self who is Li Aoz?

Is he Li Aoz, Li Si, or the Lioz he's playing now? There are some things he could do rationally, without any emotion, and he would achieve much more than he has now, but would such actions truly be in line with his true nature?

Taking action now to kill Ya Wen is undoubtedly the wisest choice, eliminating any future trouble.

But then, how is he any different from that subconsciously cold and ruthless old fogey? "Lioz is Li Aoz, Li Aoz is Lioz..."

Valenkov's task was an isolated case; he didn't have the opportunity to make such a choice every time.

Li Aoz chose to return to campus life in order to soothe her emotions and find her true self.

"I think if you were a bus, you'd consume the fuel of a teammate every 100 kilometers."

"Hey— Jannia, you said: the whole world loves me so much, giving me a beautiful appearance and power. Why doesn't it give me any friends or care?"

"Are you brain-dead?" Jannia glanced at him and said disdainfully, "Then why can't you skip over friends and just love the whole world?"

"Love the world?" Li Aoz, puzzled.

"Once, ' Sharp Tooth Peak ' told me: People will only fall in love with those who love them. No matter how deep your love is, it is all for yourself. It's like mithril and copper and iron are only fused together to forge objects."

Jannia thought for a moment and said, "Since you say the world loves you so much, giving you such a beautiful appearance and Aoneng —why don't you go and love the world that has truly given you more?"

"What is the world?" Li Aoz asked. "What is the world in the eyes of the deity, Sharp Tooth Peak?"

"Hmm, I remember He said this: The world is water, air, earth, sunlight and motherly love, everything you touch, and the sum of everything that touches you."

Jannia rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a while, and finally managed to squeeze out the second half of her sentence: "The only way to love the world is to strive to achieve and reach goals so that you can truly exist in this universe and in social relationships... It's very abstract, isn't it? Actually, I don't understand his purpose in saying this either. In reality, civilization always tends to love people, but the gods tend to love the world more."

Li Aoz remained silent for a moment.

"What is the choice Sharp Tooth Peak people and the world?"

"Hehe, that's why I love Sharp Tooth Peak so much. He's the most talkative blacksmith in the universe."

Jannia said proudly:

He said, "My world is the world of people."

"Mortals need not question God's choices. God is infallible. God's only mistake is that He is not powerful enough."

God's only mistake was that He wasn't powerful enough...

"Although you are not a god yet, if you are willing to play with Jannia, I can grant you godlike power, and all you need to do is maintain your divinity..."

"—It's decided."

Li Aoz stood up.

"Huh? Are you even listening to me?!"

"Miss Ya Wen, did you hear that?"

Li Aoz clenched his fist, used Gravity Wave to transmit a message, and said calmly, "I know you have some unspeakable difficulties right now. You're avoiding me and don't trust me. It's okay, I understand you."

What I want to say is—please rest assured, I will always believe in you.

"If anything happens to you, Yawen·Hesksin, I Li Aoz, will be responsible for cleaning up your house. No one but me can kill you."

"It's not a matter of whether I should or shouldn't do it; I can do it, so I did it—as long as you believe in me, I will continue to believe in you."

"No matter what, please remember this: Yawen·Hesksin, you mean a lot to me."

When a person's intelligence is high, they will feel all kinds of pain. The clearer they see the world, the more disappointed and disgusted they become with it. Then they will be corrupted and degenerate by society, becoming part of it.

But Li Aoz didn't want to let it go.

He has the ability to hunt down society; he did it in his previous life, and this time will be no exception.

He intended to trust Ya Wen, and if anything unexpected happened, even if there was only the slightest possibility, he would kill Ya Wen to prevent the disaster from happening.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, let Ya Wen live out her life peacefully and happily, passing away peacefully and quietly.