Vol-2: 074. Vasha Bahamut

074. Vasha Bahamut

Red and black lightning intertwined like a network, exchanging hundreds of quadrillions of streams of information per second. The complex cognitive data overlapped and compressed, gradually collapsing human history into a singularity.

Black hole.

The convergence of endless information ultimately forms a black hole, storing all the information it has consumed.

If the essence of everything is information, then is the universe merely a garden in a box?

If the entire universe remains unchanging, then what is death?

If the world is just a game, a few lines of code, a few lines of poetry and stories, does life and destruction even truly exist?

The universe has never lived.

"Yavanna... Yavanna..."

Daisy called out continuously, pulling Yavanna's thoughts from deep within a heavy dream. Her body was entangled in parachute cords, frozen stiff from the external cold winds. If she weren't a [Medium], with her strong resistance to cold, she would have already frozen to death here.

She struggled to lift her hand, drew out her paratrooper knife, and cut the cords. Slowly, she crawled up from the ground with her supply pack. Her standard rifle had been soaked through with ice and sand, and when Yavanna noticed it, a strange layer of rust immediately appeared on the carbon fiber gun case.

She pulled the trigger and attempted to rack the bolt.

Crack!

Half of the barrel snapped off cleanly, like a brittle pastry, and fell into the frost-covered white sand, gradually weathering away in the howling wind.

Yavanna suddenly felt an intense wave of discomfort. She discarded the broken standard rifle, dropped to her knees, and her lungs churned with a rotten, rusty stench. She dry-heaved and coughed violently:

"Ugh—cough, cough, cough!"

She repeatedly patted her chest, spitting out a mouthful of red-black liquid. Yavanna couldn't tell if it was blood or something else. Among the debris, she could see what seemed to be organ tissue.

She opened her military canteen, rinsed her mouth, and wiped the frost off her eyelashes with the back of her hand. Lifting her arm, she used the reflection of her tactical system to see that her once green eyes were now mottled with red-black blotches.

"Calamity..."

Yavanna murmured softly, then immediately fell silent.

She pulled out her customary dual pistols from her underarm holster, but the two weapons that had accompanied her for so long had been completely corroded and disintegrated by some invisible force. No matter how many times she pulled the trigger, the weapons would no longer function.

"Yavanna? What's wrong with you—since you got caught in that red and black cloud after the plane explosion, you've been acting strange."

Yavanna said nothing. She lowered her arms, ignored Daisy's comment, pressed her peaked cap down tightly, and slowly walked south.

"Hey—ugh, you're impossible. I guess I'll just have to walk with you."

She had already been infected. Next, she needed to find a professional as soon as possible.

Only then would she avoid becoming a deformed monster and be able to die as a human.

Buzz——————

The red and black clouds above churned, and Yavanna raised her head, where it seemed a conspicuous red meteor streaked through the sky.

Then, she lowered her head again and continued walking.

The red-black blotches spread across her eyes, reflecting the red and black sky, never fading.

Li Aozi's figure cut through the red and black skyline. This operation severely disrupted the Frost-Plated forces, but it was the reaction of the Frost-Plated Air Force that pleased him most.

Mai Dewei was different from David Lin. She wasn't a soldier; she was purely a politician. Her skill lay in deceiving voters, but in war, she was an idiot, with no respect among the military.

The people of the Four Kingdoms had a strong obsession with authority and leaders, believing that 'someone at that level must know more than I do.' However, as long as the leaders of the Four Kingdoms remained human, they would make the same mistakes humans do.

Sometimes, things would even become downright absurd.

For instance, Li Aozi had heard a true story: The leader of Zhengxu once decided to restore heavy industry because he dreamt that the Red Arrow Empire would abandon its trade cooperation with Zhengxu and create a free trade zone using the Garon currency. The president woke up in shock and immediately convened a meeting in the middle of the night to discuss the possibility. Economists gave a detailed analysis and assured the president that such a thing would never happen.

The result was absurd: within less than half a month, people were shocked to discover that the Red Arrow Empire had indeed created a free trade experimental zone for its vassal states. The reason? Crown Prince Rudolf felt that Garon's influence was waning.

No matter how absurd you think it is, reality is always more absurd.

"After this incident, both the Air Force and civilians are likely to lose even more faith in Mai Dewei."

This was a good sign because David Lin, being from the military, had significant prestige within the armed forces. Although Mai Dewei believed that the so-called 'invincible' Law III was absolutely loyal to her—in reality, Law III was only loyal to the Frost-Plated Republic.

Deploying agents from Law IV onto the battlefield was seen by the military as a sign that the president didn't trust them. Watching their Air Force comrades get obliterated, the military was already on the verge of rebellion.

If David Lin were released from prison, Li Aozi believed that he would quickly gain the support of the military. And once in power, David Lin would gain the loyalty of the entire Law III agency.

"Take it slow. At least for the next six months, we won't need to worry about Frost-Plated matters."

As for whether Mai Dewei would gnash her teeth in hatred and seek revenge—Li Aozi thought for a moment. If she wanted to take action against him, she'd likely rely on Law III's influence in Tianhuan for some assassination attempt.

That would amuse Li Aozi.

Only 50 military players had come from the Granter side to experience the battlefield, but from Tianhuan, there were as many as 2,809 professional players, clubs, and large guilds stationed!

Bring it on, who's afraid?

Everyone's on my side, so what are you going to fight me with?

Li Aozi looked forward to it.

He descended into the outer air-raid shelter of Sulut Palace. People hadn't had time to repair the country's highest administrative office. He directly landed in Xislong's office, who, looking bewildered, saw Li Aozi place two large crates of Omega Energy awakening potions on his desk.

"Mr. Li Aozi, this is..."

"Omega Energy awakening potions. They have a chance to awaken Omega Energy." Li Aozi explained, "The front-line troops are too outmatched by Law IV's combat personnel. Without increasing the number of Omega Energy users, it's impossible to boost our frontline combat power."

Xislong picked up one of the brown-yellow potions and frowned.

Even with limited knowledge of such things, he knew how terrifying the potential of Omega Energy was. But Xislong remained calm, putting down the potion and asking in a steady voice:

"These things... they must be worth millions of Derbis, right?"

"Not that much," Li Aozi replied honestly. "The production cost is around 7,000 to 9,000 Derbis. The retail price might be a bit steep, about 13,000. Besides, I don't really enforce quality control, so make do with what you have. Later, you can pay me back in special goods, food, or wine—no rush. Whenever you feel like it, pay me back then."

After all, his modified potions wouldn't kill people like the Abyss Humanitarian's Calamity experimental potions did—they were like opening blind boxes, using the vast information within Calamity to forcibly fuse with human genes.

Naturally, without precise targeting, the chance of awakening Omega Energy was akin to filling in the blanks. Most of the time, it would only produce deformed patients and monsters, or even lead to death, which was normal.

But Li Aozi's potions didn't have this problem. He used Calamity as a 'mutation inducer.' Simply put, without Calamity, using nuclear radiation to shatter genes would have a similar effect.

The main drawback was that Li Aozi hadn't studied 'pharmacokinetics,' so the activation speed was like a slow file download without premium membership. Also, the quality of awakened Omega Energy was relatively low. Even after injecting three successful doses, there was no chance of reaching Omega-level power.

Only Li Aozi's potions could create true [Mutants].

However, a country didn't actually need too many [Mutants]. The profession wasn't one that could be sustained by microtransactions. It primarily relied on individual effort and wise choices. The uncertainty of cultivating [Mutants] made it cost-ineffective. It was much more practical to invest in exam kings and [Warriors].

But Xislong didn't see it that way: now that the Frost-Plated forces had invaded, the Granter people realized that war wasn't just about strong firearms and advanced information technology—they were still lacking in individual soldier quality.

Awakening a few hundred Omega Energy users could help make up for the deficiencies in Granter's individual combat power. Most importantly, it could improve soldiers' survival rates and morale, preventing them from being massacred and losing the will to fight.

How much were these things worth? It didn't matter. Xislong knew they couldn't afford to pay for them. The Grand Duke's family's assets were all in Frost-Plated's hands, and the national treasury was empty. Just maintaining citizens' lives and the war effort was already stretching their resources to the limit.

A foreigner had come to help them regain their dignity and freedom. During the time of invasion by a powerful force, not only did he step forward, destroying the Frost-Plated Air Force and preventing civilians from being bombed by Frost-Plated forces, but now Li Aozi was also generously providing the Granter people with the ability to transcend the ordinary.

What was he after? Granter's wheat and farmland?

Or was it fame—willing to cut ties with his former homeland for a small nation?

Xislong had also heard that Li Aozi had crashed planes into valleys, helping local farmers dismantle them to make money.

Planes that could have been sold directly for cash—if preserved properly, they could have been traded with Frost-Plated. But Li Aozi, without hesitation, handed everything over to the civilians affected by the war.

These actions had not gone unnoticed by the Granter people, nor by Xislong and the warriors of Bermudes.

Li Aozi handed over two large crates of Omega Energy awakening potions, deeply moving Xislong.

"We Granter people will repay this debt sooner or later." Xislong said seriously, "We will definitely repay it, Lord Li Aozi. You are the savior of the Granter people—you are truly Bahamut."

[Granter Republic Favorability +307]

[Current Favorability: 874 (Respect)]

[You have earned a new title: Vasha Bahamut (Old Granter language: Hero of the Heavens)]

[Title Effect: You enjoy 100 years of tax exemption in the Granter region, and the Granter people, within the bounds of principle, will prioritize joining your organization.]

One hundred years of tax exemption was certainly enviable; this essentially meant that Li Aozi could become a true financial magnate in the region.

But Li Aozi wasn't after that.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, eyes gazing into the distance at the ruins bombed by Frost-Plated warplanes.

"The students no longer have a place to study."

Li Aozi remarked.

"There's nothing we can do. Right now, for the sake of our country, every Granter person—men, women, children, the elderly, and the disabled—must go to the battlefield. Educated students are the main force." Xislong said helplessly.

"I recall Granter doesn't have many universities." Li Aozi turned and suggested, "After this war, why not build a university?"

Xislong nodded. "Of course, we can. Shall we name it after you?"

"I'll pass on that." Li Aozi paused and said, "Qiu Ran."

"Hmm?"

"Let's call it Qiu Ran University."