Vol-2: 094. Wage Recovery Plan

094. Wage Recovery Plan

The players exchanged glances, starting to use various pranks like elementary school boys to get Li Aozi's attention, but unsurprisingly, none of them succeeded in making him look their way.

Even worse, Li Aozi went so far as to make instant noodles right in front of them, adding two sausages, a poached egg, and some greens, and he even finished all the hot soup.

Damn it, they had been dragged here without time to bring any food. "Star Abyss" had both hunger and hydration systems, and while you could turn off pain, you couldn't disable taste, smell, or hunger.

What now? They couldn't just set the guy's lab on fire, could they?

It was infuriating, and worse still, even though they were upset, they couldn't find a reason to act on it.

Just when the players were feeling frustrated at being ignored by Li Aozi, he put down his chopsticks and said in a deep voice:

"Regarding the origins of your special species, I honestly don't care. You can resurrect after being killed, replace others' identities, and learn and progress quickly—species with these traits aren't uncommon in the universe, and I don't discriminate against you because of it."

The players were confused for a moment, unsure of what Li Aozi meant by this.

"Rather than discrimination, I'd say, in a way, we're kindred spirits."

Seeing the players' bewildered expressions, Li Aozi slowly stood up and calmly revealed the words he'd been preparing for a long time:

"To be honest with you all, I am not a native of Azure Star either."

What the hell?

The players were dumbfounded.

Then they heard an even more shocking statement from Li Aozi:

"My true identity is a special envoy from the thirteenth narrative, [Empire of Heroes]—Galactic Civilization—Finesse Federation, also known as 'The Echo.'"

"These secrets are too heavy for Azure Star's people, so I can't tell them, but now, I need help to act, to prevent the destruction of Azure Star."

At last, Li Aozi had the chance to reveal everything:

"The GTB organization of Azure Star is not merely a product of four nations dividing the world and balancing energy distribution. Its predecessor was the third-contact organization known as 'Cresta,' which specialized in receiving knowledge from extraterrestrial civilizations and translating it into something Azure Star people could understand, delivering it bit by bit to the public."

"Old-era superpowers like the Yamilak Federation, the Frost-Plated Kingdom, Tianhuan, and the Democratic Alliance of Zhengxu all had close ties with the Cresta organization. In fact, the rise of the Red Arrow Empire came from Sir Proto Von Eto'o discovering the legacies of [Armorer] and [Healer] from Cresta's ruins."

"However, with the emergence of the Calamity Crisis, Azure Star's external communication channels were cut off. Energy will eventually run out, knowledge will wither and fade, and civilization will be buried in the sands of time."

With the effect of [Charisma], Li Aozi's words were like a beacon in the night, immediately capturing everyone's attention.

"You weren't always confined to this planet. At least, in the past, when you called out to the stars, there was an echo."

Humanity's self-destruction, the wars between the four nations, the sorrow of small countries, the despair of the outside world—all of these were overshadowed by the gloom of the Calamity.

Have you ever heard the echoes above the blue sky?

The vast universe holds both kindness and malice, but someone will always say: yes, you are not alone.

Seeing that everyone's emotions were stirred, Li Aozi seized the moment and, using his current NPC template authority, directly issued a quest:

[Main Quest Triggered—"Unknown Space"]

[Type]: Breakthrough

[Time Limit]: Until destruction

[Difficulty]: Apocalypse

(Note: Apocalypse—At this difficulty level, the quest's outcome will greatly affect your planet's celestial and climate conditions. You will face greater challenges than an A-level quest and must unite all forces to overcome it, as if battling a natural disaster.)

[Description]:

"Our home planet should not be our prison!"

Out of consideration for your shared non-native origins, 'The Echo' Li Aozi confides in you: he is not from Azure Star but is a friendly alien with deep emotional ties to the planet. Despite this, he is still willing to save this world, which holds indelible memories for him as his second home.

You are new here, knowing nothing, like a fledgling eagle just hatched, but even a fledgling will one day spread its wings and leave the nest.

Now, it's time to take back our home, our sky, and our universe!

May you have the courage and conviction to never falter.

[Completion Criteria]:

A. "Brave Legion"—'Li Aozi' needs a powerful army of [Mutants] to help him achieve his goal. Transfer classes and complete your training to level up.

Reward: Main class—[Mutant], 50,000 experience;

B. "For Tomorrow"—The Beitiao Group has a hydrogen bomb buried underground. It's an important item for reaching space. Investigate the area.

Reward: 'Li Aozi' favorability +100, and you can rent Omega-grade Omega Energy [Gravity] for 35,000 experience points.

C. "Endless Star Abyss"—There are many mysteries in the universe. Don't you want to explore them together? Participate in the Triangle Town selection tournament, and the winner will go to space with Li Aozi!

Reward: 'Li Aozi' favorability +100, and you can spend 5,000 experience points to learn [Mutant] class knowledge [Omega Energy Refinement Theory] from 'Li Aozi.'

[Special Note]: Once you leave the mission planet area, the Apocalypse-level quest is considered abandoned.

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Class transfer!

50,000 experience!

Accumulated 200 favorability points!

And class knowledge!

The newly hooked players, who had been grinding and gathering materials, were completely stunned by such rich rewards. They stood dumbfounded, their minds momentarily overloaded.

But the next moment, someone immediately noticed the striking Apocalypse-level difficulty.

"That difficulty is higher than an A-level quest—has anyone here done an A-level quest?" Yan Wang scratched his head and asked those around him.

"I did a C-level quest." The leader of the Murloc Guild said, licking an ice cream.

"Great, give us the details."

"We formed a group, entered the dungeon, saw the white light, and wiped." He closed his eyes. "I didn't dare look at anything else."

The description was so simple and straightforward that everyone was left staring at each other in silence.

"It's a main quest; we can't just not accept it, right?" someone wondered aloud.

"Could Li Aozi be an NPC from the Frost-Plated region?"

"This is definitely a hidden main quest, you idiot."

"We couldn't even clear a C-level quest, so forget about this. Let's call it off and regroup later."

Li Aozi saw that the players were still hesitant, but it was within his expectations.

"Don't be in such a rush to leave."

He said, opening the biopool and revealing a variety of serums:

"I have some things here that might be useful to you."