142 Has a Brat

Having settled his career arrangements, Li Aoz back to his main body and submitted two more research reports, bringing him one step closer to zero Credits.

Lucite came over and gave them some small toys he had made in the Alchemy Workshops. Hobbes was working hard on Potionology and was happy to see Li Aoz's progress.

However, things don't seem to be going smoothly for White Candle Star.

"I saw the Recruitment Office people come to Trivella," Hobbes said anxiously. "Is the situation at the front really that serious? Are we going to be defeated by those idealistic barbarians from the Night Butterfly Federation?"

"How could that be? Countless victories throughout history have proven that our materialist ideology is invincible." Lucite was unconcerned. "This is not merely a war over territorial disputes, but a battle of beliefs over the superiority of materialism versus idealism. Regardless, we must win this war, destroy their temples, and spread magic and technology to every Night Butterfly slave!"

Lately, these two have been arguing a lot in the group chat, Li Aoz has been busy studying and hasn't participated in the arguments. But he also has a vague feeling that the conflict is escalating.

For Azure Planet, the night passed quickly.

In the early hours of the morning, a thick fog blanketed the area.

An artificial rainstorm yesterday evening brought a lot of moisture to the area. There were no tourists around the White Obelisk at this moment. All was quiet except for the calls of wild cats in the fields, the dripping of dew, the rustling of leaves in the forest, the gentle breeze and drizzle, and the slight chill in the air.

Li Aoz restored his appearance, put on a jacket, checked his equipment, and after confirming that everything was in order, he slowly made his way through the facility to an inflatable archway.

There were already two people waiting here.

"Oh my, a new face."

A young Red Arrow People was sitting on a high platform nearby, swinging his legs. Seeing Li Aoz, a hint of confusion flashed across his delicate face, and he randomly asked his companion:

"Ye Zi, are you familiar with this person?"

"Have no idea."

His companion was a tall, slender woman with prominent cheekbones, wearing a high-necked bodysuit. At that moment, she was holding a pipe with a jade-like mouthpiece, her eyes unfocused and her attitude nonchalant.

"We're all players, no need to use Disguise Mode." Li Aoz said, revealing some of his attributes. "I contacted you guys on the forum about forming a team, do you remember?"

"Now that you mention it, it must be someone summoned by 'Phantom Blade'."

"I suppose so, since they just told me I could join not long ago." Li Aoz nodded.

"Then you've joined."

The boy jumped off the platform and realized that he was not even as tall as Li Aoz's chest, so he immediately poked the other's abs in dissatisfaction.

Li Aoz raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"The character's build is quite sturdy, but the face looks too much like an old man's." The boy grinned and teased, "Doesn't the game ' Star Abyss ' subtly modify the character's appearance, making the character more and more like a real person? Does that mean you're an old man in real life?"

"This doesn't seem to concern you," Li Aoz said indifferently.

"Hehe, Uncle really has no sense of humor." The boy spread his hands, revealing his game information panel, and pointed to himself. "My name is ' Not Enough Wind and Rain ', level 16 [Mutant]. That mean-spirited sister is ' Seeking Feather Fall ', level 17 [Ranger]. She is our team's damage dealer."

"There's another Phantom Blade, isn't he your captain?" Li Aoz asked.

"Wow, uncle, you have a really strong focus. I thought you were just a nobody."

Not Enough Wind and Rain's pout, what was clearly a compliment looked utterly irritating on his face.

"With the level 19 ' Feather Flow Phantom Blade ' and two NPC teammates, Smith Roland and Wellington Scarlett, this is our ' Xu Yu Tower ' team."

As he spoke, he sent Li Aoz an invitation to join the team.

"You should thank us quickly. Bringing you a level 5 [Martial Artist] is practically charity."

Li Aoz glanced at the internal information and immediately frowned:

"Don't you have a voice channel?"

"Do we even need that? We can just talk to each other directly."

"I suggest we turn it on," Li Aoz said. "There are always things the NPCs shouldn't hear."

"Huh? Uncle, that's ridiculous. You probably can't guess how we got our two NPC teammates."

Not Enough Wind and Rain tilted his head and said, "Our team focuses on immersive gameplay. As a new member, it would be better if you learned about the team's style and gameplay. If you don't adapt, you can leave in time, so as not to waste any time."

Is this kid really that arrogant? I wonder which middle school he's in in real life.

[It's one thing to keep calling me "uncle," but to show off his superiority while playing a game—I really want to teach this brat a lesson.]

Li Aoz blinked, a gentle and kind smile naturally appearing on his face, "That's true. If we can't get along, at least we shouldn't hurt our friendship, right?"

"Hehe, uncle, you're quite reasonable, much more normal than the strangers I encountered the previous two times." Not Enough Wind and Rain stuck out his tongue, still with a provocative tone.

"Hmm, hmm..." Li Aoz squinted his eyes and smiled kindly, "Then I'd like to trouble you to explain to me what this so-called 'immersion flow' means?"

I'll find a chance to give you a punch to the stomach later.

"It's very simple. As long as three conditions are met, it's easy to handle."

Not Enough Wind and Rain:

"First, keep the Disguise Mode on as much as possible throughout the entire process and interact with NPCs naturally."

"Secondly, turn off the game's UI Interface and prompts, and rely solely on your own understanding to determine the course of the mission."

"Thirdly, disable in-team communication and properly play the role you were drafted for."

"Could I understand this as..." Li Aoz hesitated for a moment, "... a kind of cosplay? Role-playing?"

"Superficial." [Ranger] Seeking Feather Fall said coldly, "A fully immersive game like Star Abyss is designed to let you actually experience this real world, the process of working, living, fighting, and leveling up as a citizen of Azure Planet."

"Uh..." Before Li Aoz could finish his sentence, the woman's tone immediately became intense. "Is ' Star Abyss ' just a game? Without a doubt—it's more than that!"

Seeking Feather Fall patted her flat chest and said with great enthusiasm:

"It should be called the ninth art, the pinnacle of the electronic industry of the Federation civilization, a model of cultural export, and a timeless Timeless Masterpiece that ushers in a new era of the Second World! It is a love letter from the game developer to the players!"

After she finished speaking, she cast a mischievous and contemptuous glance at Li Aoz:

"You call our immersive gaming experience, uncovering every cleverly placed Easter egg by the developers, a large-scale role-playing scenario? That just shows your understanding is limited to a vocational school diploma level. You can't comprehend the emotional expression of true fans like us who love games and the ninth art. Do you understand the good intentions behind Qiqiao Network? You think others are highly engaged, you think they're obsessed, you think they can cry over this. I just feel sorry for you. You can't even be moved anymore, you can't feel genuine emotions, you're as numb as a corpse..."

Li Aoz looked at Not Enough Wind and Rain and found that the kid also had a look of deep agreement.

"However, I understand you. After all, there will always be creatures on earth who dare to face the might of the Qiqiao Network."