Vol-2: 075. What mutant doesn't go mad? It's just holding on for dear life!

075. What mutant doesn't go mad? It's just holding on for dear life!

After leaving Xislong's office, Li Aozi wandered the streets, gazing at the factories, schools, and hospitals that had been heavily bombed by Frost-Plated forces. He looked at the ruins and the homeless huddled by the walls and houses, warming themselves by fires. For a moment, he felt quite emotional.

No matter what, the Granter people would inevitably have a hard time. The numerous embargo policies left them without sufficient goods, and unemployment and poverty would plague the Granter people for a long time.

Li Aozi was powerless to change that.

He went up and handed out some food to pregnant women and families with children, then headed to the field hospital to visit Alexia.

To his surprise, Alexia's room was surrounded by people, most of whom were current Granter officials and Bermudes members. When Li Aozi arrived, they were gathered outside the room, listening intently to Alexia's words:

"Granter's problem lies not in energy but in the lack of an industrial system. The people need to establish their own industry to prevent Frost-Plated's embargo from choking them. You're not lacking in food, and food can be used to make alcohol, fertilizer, sucrose, or even explosive filling materials. But in my view, the most important thing is to unite all the forces you can within Granter and abroad, to let the world know about your existence, and your just war..."

Alexia sat up in her hospital bed, her tall frame propped up by three pillows, with a writing board spread across her knees. One hand held a pen, scribbling notes, while the other gestured animatedly as she passionately and patiently explained.

People had already accepted her identity as an old-era Yamiryoko native. After some inquiries, they were surprised to discover that Alexia had been born on this land.

In the old era, the eastern region of Granter was an enclave of the Yamiryoko Federation. Later, when the Calamity disaster struck, the federation was destroyed, and the eastern region was abandoned. People stopped searching for the old lands, content to hold on to their livelihoods under Frost-Plated's exploitation.

From this perspective, Alexia could even be considered an ancestor of the Granter people...

Of course, bloodline was only the foundation of acceptance. What truly convinced people of Alexia's value was her eloquence and knowledge.

Granter's educational level was low, but Alexia had received the highest education of the old era's peak period, along with extensive legal experience. Most importantly, she spoke plainly, in words even a farmer could understand. People could comprehend her, enjoyed listening, and thirsted for knowledge.

Seeing Alexia so well-received and recovering nicely, Li Aozi felt relieved.

"She's a prosecutor. Her true duty is to judge crimes and uphold justice, not to hold a trigger."

In reality, this was the best outcome for Alexia.

Five hundred years later, she was back in a new homeland, doing what she loved and wanted to do. That was enough.

Just as Li Aozi was about to leave with his biochemical pool, the Dao Path system panel suddenly popped up:

[Notice: The first follower of the Dao Path has emerged.]

[You may influence them by implanting your genetic seed.]

"Finally... one of those three soldiers has awakened Omega Energy."

The Dao Path system for [Domination] allowed Li Aozi to grant an awakened Omega Energy slot to each new tier of followers on his path. This awakening slot could increase the probability of awakening Omega Energy by up to 60%.

Currently, there was only one low-tier follower, so only one Omega Energy could be slotted. To add another, he would have to wait for a new Alpha-tier [Mutant] to successfully ascend.

Upon checking, Li Aozi found that the Dao Path system's greatest advantage was the ability to influence the odds of awakening Omega Energy in players or Azure Star citizens who followed the [Domination] path.

With this, the reserve candidates for [Starfall Master] would be abundant, as any Azure Star player or resident would have a 60% chance of following the [Starfall Master] path.

Without hesitation, Li Aozi placed his own [Eye of Truth] into the priority awakening slot for Omega Energy.

[You have set "Eye of Truth" as the priority awakening Omega Energy.]

[Current awakening probability: 60%]

Although [Gravity] was undoubtedly the most powerful Omega Energy, Li Aozi knew it wasn't an easy ability to master. It required a strong imagination, knowledge of physics, and quick reflexes.

To say nothing of the fact that most people would likely just use [Gravity] to throw rocks and control movement. Those who managed to learn to fly or accelerate would already be among the elites.

Other Omega Energies... [Natural Ignition] had high destructive power but little impact on the battlefield.

[Soulforged Sword Saint] was only good for close combat, limiting its scope.

[Sever Vitality] was actually decent, but its utility was limited.

[Blood of Immortality] wasn't tempting enough for players since players weren't afraid of death.

[Armor of the Mountains] was mediocre at best; it was only Li Aozi's high [Charisma] that made this attribute seem better.

Considering that [Charisma] was a demanding attribute that couldn't be easily improved through training, Li Aozi planned to sell products that could generally boost it by 3-5 points, which would be a significant advantage for early-stage players.

Overall, [Eye of Truth] still seemed like the most cost-effective choice—low energy consumption, short cooldown, and high returns.

What was the concept behind it?

The last weapon that had all three of these advantages was the automatic rifle.

Players needed to identify more gear, and in the early stages, when equipment was inferior to that of NPCs, the ability to gather intelligence on the enemy was crucial.

After all, leveling up was all about picking the weakest targets to gain an advantage.

The key point was that with this skill, shapeshifters would suffer greatly. Unlike in the past, players' trust wouldn't be destroyed, and they could enjoy the game properly.

Li Aozi remembered a phrase that was popular among [Mutant] players back in the day:

"What mutant doesn't go mad? It's just holding on for dear life!"

If regular players played the way Li Aozi did, they would find Omega Energy's early output efficiency frustratingly low, as if they were stuck in a prison.

Their endurance couldn't compare to that of [Biomancers], their toughness wasn't on par with [Judicators], and while their burst damage was higher than that of [Warriors], could [Mutants] hit the lightly armored backline units like [Rangers] and [Assassins] could?

But with [Eye of Truth], the situation changed.

After all, [Medium] was the only early-stage class with powerful information-gathering abilities.

Now, [Mutants] had it too.

Mere technical skill wasn't enough—Li Aozi intended to use [Eye of Truth] to change people's perceptions of [Mutants].

"Now that someone has awakened Omega Energy, it's best to go check on them and offer some encouragement."

Li Aozi followed the beacon given by the Dao Path system and flew directly to the outskirts of Speya, landing at an abandoned factory. As soon as he landed, the military players became tense, raised their guns toward him, and shouted:

"This is a military facility, do not approach."

"Relax, I'm here to see the three young men pursuing Omega Energy."

Li Aozi was unfazed. The effects of his [Aura of Goodwill] applied to players as well. The most immediate change the military players noticed was that Li Aozi's name turned friendly green.

At the same time, each of their systems displayed a new notification:

[This entity is a friendly ally and cannot be attacked.]

The military players exchanged glances and, realizing what was happening, quickly activated [Disguise Mode], adopting NPC personalities and naturally interacting with Li Aozi. Soon, Li Aozi met the three poor souls who had come to work for him for free.

Among them, the young man named Walianko had shining runes in his eyes, and Li Aozi instantly knew he was the first [Mutant] player. Smiling, he extended his hand in congratulations:

"Well done. I can sense it—you've also mastered the power of Omega Energy."

As he spoke, he pointed to his own rune-inscribed eyes:

"It's the same Omega Energy as mine—this power is called [Eye of Truth], and it's an extremely useful Omega Energy."

Walianko quickly activated [Disguise Mode] and excitedly said, "Thanks to your help, I can now protect my homeland."

Li Aozi laughed heartily, then noticed that the military players had hung up a business license on the wall. Raising an eyebrow in feigned curiosity, he asked:

"Have you all started a mercenary company?"

"Yes." The response came from the squad leader, Liu Wenzhong, who stepped forward, saluted Li Aozi, and then said, "Mr. Li Aozi, thank you for your great contributions to resisting the Frost-Plated invaders."

"It's nothing," Li Aozi said indifferently.

"No, to be honest: I doubted your abilities before. But now, seeing Walianko's performance, I realize that Omega Energy is such a miraculous power. Without drones, radar, or atmospheric satellites, we can still gain incredibly valuable information."

Liu Wenzhong's attitude had not only changed but had become one of genuine respect for this newfound ability.

Walianko's [Eye of Truth] was equivalent to the best surveillance system and radar. In urban and indoor combat, it was far more useful than heartbeat sensors and echolocation.

It was widely known that the best way to fight in urban or indoor environments was not to fight at all—just use overwhelming firepower. But most of the time, covering with firepower only put a heavy burden on logistics. The brutal information disparity in such terrain meant that urban combat usually involved throwing bodies into the fray.

Until now, when Walianko had just awakened Omega Energy, they immediately conducted a short training simulation, and the results had left them dumbfounded.

In a simulated kill house within the abandoned factory, Walianko single-handedly took down 12 soldiers attacking him.

He was even running and gunning, relying on his incredible mobility and [Eye of Truth]'s x-ray vision. While others were slowly inching through rooms, avoiding fatal funnel areas and visual blind spots, using flashbangs and offensive grenades to clear rooms, Walianko just crashed through doors and windows, didn't even need to look, and with one burst, wiped out all his opponents.

Although the military players had used similar equipment in real life, within the game, player-controlled characters had their fears and restraints entirely lifted, charging forward without hesitation. They had never seen such absurdity.

One versus twelve, nineteen seconds, total annihilation.

With equal gear and similar shooting skills, it all came down to an information gap.

The soldiers were dumbfounded, and so was Liu Wenzhong. He quickly corrected his previous biases and immediately started discussing potential commercial cooperation with Li Aozi.

"We plan to purchase a large quantity of these potions, Mr. Li Aozi," Liu Wenzhong said earnestly. "If we can awaken this kind of Omega Energy in all of us, we'll surely defeat the Frost-Plated invaders."

"The activation speed of the DM-101 Omega Energy potions is rather slow, and we can't guarantee a specific Omega Energy will awaken. These issues… haven't been resolved yet."

Li Aozi regretfully shook his head, pointing out some flaws. But just as Liu Wenzhong began to feel disappointed, Li Aozi suddenly shifted gears.

"However—"

He raised his hand, and the flesh of his palm twisted, forming a spiraling bud with silver runes faintly glowing, illuminating Li Aozi's gentle and kind face:

"I can temporarily lend you my own Omega Energy."

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