From the Abyss of Stars

28. Severed Tendons and Broken Bones (Part 4)

 

Li Aoz raised his arm and turned his elbow, seeing a dark flesh-like structure growing along the lower part of his radius, resembling a streamlined pea pod. It pulsated rhythmically with his heartbeat, emitting invisible free energy.

 

"It's this thing that's reduced my lifespan to less than five years."

 

Li Aoz maintained a good attitude.

 

In reality, energy abilities are more about quality than quantity because everyone’s energy is limited, and they cannot invest extensively in various aspects.

 

But the biggest issue with mutations is that they cannot be skipped; once they occur, you must decide to accept them.

 

It seems like this is a punishment from the gods for those who try to control their own fate.

 

"Shortened lifespan is acceptable. Once I break through to the Alpha tier, my lifespan can be extended significantly. With the right potions and supplements, I should be able to live up to 80 years."

 

It wasn't that he was particularly fond of the ability to store and release energy, but the other two drawbacks made him too cautious to gamble.

 

"Let's go with this then. I'll check the marketplace later. I remember there's a 'Gene Repair Kit' that can fix mutation effects."

 

NPCs have no solution for this and can only accept it reluctantly. With time passing, Li Aoz forgot if the "Gene Repair Kit" existed, but he vaguely recalled it being priced around 1988 in the player marketplace.

 

Although expensive, it's still manageable.

 

"I should be able to break through to the Alpha tier soon. Lifespan isn’t a major issue—no, this might actually be an opportunity."

 

He remembered a special NPC, an old man who sought out those with limited time left and gave them quests, training them as... apprentices.

 

That old man was likely in a nearby settlement of outsiders.

 

"That old man sells rare accessory equipment. My attributes are low, and accessory equipment usually has no wear requirements, making it perfect for me."

 

Li Aoz made up his mind. As a seasoned Starfall Master, there are always solutions.

 

"Adversity can also be an opportunity. Lifespan issues can be easily addressed later. However, this energy pod..."

 

This mutation path seemed to have a specific style. If properly developed, Li Aoz remembered a player creating a miracle with the "Mutator" class, fighting three equal-level opponents at once.

 

"It was called the Blood Demon flow... I need to think it over."

 

Li Aoz calmed his breathing and turned to look at the chaotic corridor.

 

"Hey, little beauty, are you rested?"

 

Nomi, holding a wrench, sat atop a pile of four or five corpses. Her face, wrapped in bandages, was completely stained with blood, dried brown stains making her look nauseating. Only her red and black-filled single eye was visible.

 

"Nomi has taken down all these guys. Too bad some of the cowards ran away too quickly for me to catch, hehe..."

 

Her condition seemed off, as if she was entirely immersed in the joy of slaughter. She slowly licked the blood on her wrist, her pupils contracting sharply, staring intently at Li Aoz.

 

"Little beauty, why are you still standing there dumbfounded?"

 

She swung her legs, her petite body exuding a chilling and creepy aura.

 

"Li Aoz."

 

Nomi opened her mouth, her shark-like teeth becoming sharper and longer, her skin taking on a keratinous sheen, her black eyes with red pupils staring at Li Aoz as she slowly stood up, murmuring:

 

"I feel like you're becoming more and more of a nuisance."

 

"Even this can trigger rejection reactions... troublesome."

 

Li Aoz sighed:

 

"I've had a bit of bad luck today with these low-probability events happening one after another."

 

He stepped forward, ready to deal with her when Nomi suddenly froze, blinking her eyes, her light purple pupils filled with confusion.

 

"Huh? What's this taste in my mouth... Damn it!"

 

She looked down at her blood-covered hands and immediately made a retching motion:

 

"Bleh—ugh, why did you make me eat this, Li Aoz?!"

 

Li Aoz didn't argue that she ate it herself. He stared at Nomi until she felt creeped out and was about to shout at him before he slowly spoke:

 

"Not bad, a bit of potential, but not much."

 

"You can shut up if you can't speak properly! What do you mean 'a bit of potential but not much'? Coach Taylor said I am a genius in the new generation guerrilla team."

 

Nomi, self-satisfied, patted her flat chest, drawing out the last syllable longer than the Nile River.

 

Li Aoz mercilessly kicked her, sending her flying to the ground.

 

"Ouch! Are you crazy?! Don't hit me—what are you doing?!"

 

"Stop hitting me, I haven’t eaten, and you're hitting me!"

 

"Hey, you can't hit my face just because it's bandaged—ow! Help, he’s hitting a beauty! Is there no justice—"

 

Nomi yelled loudly, but Li Aoz didn’t really beat her up. Most of the blood on her was from others, making her look more tragic than she was.

 

After tying her up securely, Li Aoz dragged the pathetic-looking Nomi into the office.

 

Although Li Aoz had experienced quite a bit, only two minutes had passed. Entering the professor's office, the first thing he saw was Assistant Physician Anna with her back turned to him.

 

"Assistant Physician Anna, are you alright?"

 

Li Aoz walked forward, his peripheral vision catching Anna’s drooping right hand, which should have been holding a scalpel or syringe, now gripping a PG15 handgun.

 

This was another product of the Four Nations... Li Aoz narrowed his eyes.

 

The relationship between the Abyss Humanitarian Relief Organization and the Four Nations, especially with the Frosted Republic, was murky and suspicious.

 

From Li Aoz’s experience, any organization connected to the Four Nations often ended up as their subsidiary.

 

He approached slowly, remaining cautious while displaying a friendly smile, explaining:

 

"Thank goodness, you seem unharmed. I just subdued these bandits and the infected from the ZX-101 ward—it took me a lot of effort."

 

The power of the state machine and the monopoly on energy are enough to make any group surrender.

 

His gaze wandered; the office lacked signs of a struggle but exuded an unsettling atmosphere. Li Aoz suddenly sensed something out of place.

 

"Assistant Physician Anna?"

 

Li Aoz stopped two meters behind her, his eyes cold but his voice filled with concern and confusion:

 

"Assistant Physician Anna, the professor should be with you. Why is she not..."

 

"The professor?"

 

Assistant Physician Anna's shoulders trembled. Li Aoz noticed a dripping sound. His gaze dropped, seeing blood trickling from her wrist.

 

"Blood." Nomi whispered to Li Aoz: "The smell of death."

 

Li Aoz’s expression remained unchanged, but his voice turned to shock and surprise:

 

"What happened... where’s the professor?"

 

"The professor..."

 

Assistant Physician Anna’s voice was dazed, filled with great shock and confusion. She said softly:

 

"The professor is here."

 

She turned around, her face splattered with blood, some white fluid slowly flowing down her neck, soaking into her white coat along with her sins.

 

Her black hair was unusually messy, her eyes filled with shock and fear. She looked at her bloody hands and gun, then at Li Aoz with despair and terror in her eyes.

 

"You..."

 

Her mind seemed on the verge of collapse, perhaps related to the professor slumped in the chair behind the desk.

 

Li Aoz and Nomi’s gazes shifted past Assistant Physician Anna to the professor.

 

She looked peaceful, eyes closed, lying quietly in the chair, one hand on her chest, the other as if holding something, a bloodstain blooming on her forehead.

 

Dead.

 

"Why?"

 

Assistant Physician Anna was lost. She held her head, pupils dilated, face contorted, repeatedly murmuring:

 

"Why? Why? Why why why why why?"

 

She suddenly went berserk, sweeping everything off the desk, holding her head. Unable to cry due to the intense sadness, she glanced sideways at Li Aoz.

 

Then, without warning, she raised the gun to Li Aoz’s head:

 

"It's all... your fault!"

 

"Why did you come to save us? Why a second too late? Or a second too early?"

 

"If not for you, the professor could have survived, or I could have died... it's all your fault! All your fault!"

 

Her will completely broke down. Li Aoz watched her, unmoved.

 

"Oh." Li Aoz glanced at the gun mechanism and said: "Then shoot."

 

Nomi's eyelid twitched: "Damn it, Li Aoz, are you crazy again—"

 

Anna's emotions were completely uncontrollable. She stared at Li Aoz, facing a patient, her hand trembling, her heart deeply conflicted.

 

If she pulled the trigger, she would be taking another person's life.

 

But... the professor.

 

With little hesitation, her thread of reason snapped.

 

She gave up thinking, facing Li Aoz, opening her mouth and nearly crying out as she pulled the trigger:

 

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

 

Click.

 

The trigger did not fire, and Assistant Physician Anna froze, then her eyes widened in shock as she saw a shadow approaching.

 

Bang!

 

The next moment, Li Aoz's fist struck her face hard.

 

Clang—

 

Anna was sent flying onto the desk by the punch, curling up in pain and losing her balance, falling to the floor.

 

"If I were you, I'd check if the gun's safety is on, you idiot, moron!"

 

Li Aoz said, grabbing her hair, his gray eyes devoid of emotion. He ruthlessly pulled her head up, forcing her to look at the professor's body:

 

"Look closely, you fired the gun."

 

"You killed her, don't try to deny it or play dumb!"

 

"No matter the reason, this is your sin. You, personally, killed the professor you admired."