Vol-2: 116. Escape from Qionganjing
116. Escape from Qionganjing
At Hōjō Tower, everything was calm and peaceful.
The Kowloon gathering proceeded as usual, with the staff continuing their work. Everyone here carried an important task and a sense of national mission. From their first day on the job, they were instilled with the belief that "You are the future of the nation! The light of our people! You must never fall!"
Even though chaos reigned outside, with explosions echoing in the air, the staff of Hōjō Group remained composed. Executives sat together, sipping coffee imported from Zhengxu, discussing the future using Red Arrow's technical jargon. Some even had Frost-Plated beauties sitting in their floating cars.
Although everyone was technically equal under the law as Tianhuan citizens, the company's rhetoric claimed: While human rights are equal, some people are more equal than others.
"I heard that Red Arrow agent caused a scene at the gathering and attracted the attention of the military."
Someone, spotting black smoke swirling in the distant sky, couldn't help but express concern:
"Is he really just a Beta-level? I heard he's already killed two Gamma-tiers. We only have four Gamma-tiers here, and we're still working. Shouldn't we be evacuating?"
"Kato-san, your thinking doesn't align with the company's principles. Working overtime is the fighting spirit we Hōjō people should have. Only useless societal trash ask to leave on time. We, the elite, enjoy the benefits and favors of His Majesty, the King of the Ring, and naturally, we must bear more responsibility. Besides…"
The superior joked without noticing that his subordinate's face, staring out the window, was growing paler by the second. He confidently added:
"—We're in Hōjō Tower, the safest place in the world."
Boom!
A red Magnum laser instantly tore through the rooftop defense system, and the high-temperature shockwave shattered the floor-to-ceiling glass. A massive pale mobile armor smashed through the steel-reinforced concrete wall. Du Zexin casually raised the Vulcan cannon on the mech's monitor, sweeping the area for a few seconds before coldly shouting over the broadcast:
"Everyone, if you don't want to die, clock out now!"
Though the percentage of extraordinary beings in Hōjō Group was high, no one dared to face a mobile armor head-on.
Especially when this thing was more than twice the size of a normal mobile armor.
Du Zexin's threat was very effective. Most people fled in panic, rushing to clock out. The crowd at the punch-out machine became so large it overloaded.
Li Aozi slid and crouched at Du Zexin's feet, for the first time understanding what it felt like to borrow a tiger's might.
Hōjō Group's security was good, but as soon as they saw a mech of that size, they dropped their weapons and surrendered on the spot—Hōjō doesn't pay enough to make them risk their lives against a mobile armor.
On the way, Li Aozi picked up many advanced Hōjō Group weapons, marveling at their quality. Using gravity to suspend them in the air, he thought of selling them to players back home.
He felt he had really worked hard, dedicating himself to the "pig farming" business. After just five days since the server opened, players had already been equipped with his benefits, turning into street brawlers. Once these military weapons were delivered, they'd probably be dragons among men.
Having Du Zexin clear the way felt amazing. Li Aozi had never had such a useful tool—er, partner. With no one blocking their path, they progressed unimpeded. If there was an obstacle, Du Zexin crushed it with a single stomp. Li Aozi rode in Du Zexin's hand, floating midair with gravity pulling along suspended guns. The sight of this mix of fantasy and sci-fi scenes left onlookers too stunned to resist.
"This is the elevator."
Li Aozi poked the elevator button, only to find it required a keycard swipe. He glanced at Du Zexin:
"Go, mate, hack the system."
"Hacking would take three minutes, too much trouble. I'll use social engineering."
Without hesitation, Du Zexin raised the mech's fist, and the thruster on his elbow ignited as he punched the elevator shaft.
Boom!
The steel twisted, instantly crushed. Two of the mech's fingers split, sparks flying as it ripped the elevator apart.
Li Aozi asked Du Zexin, "Where'd you learn social engineering?"
"Seven-day crash course at Twin Star City Martial Arts Academy."
"Good school."
Li Aozi chuckled, immediately jumping down the elevator shaft.
After a long descent, gravity allowed him to land smoothly at the bottom. He pulled open the steel door, looking up to see a whale swimming overhead, meandering through the blue mist.
He had no time to admire the scenery. The underground area was vast, and he had to explore it quickly. Activating the Pegasus Wings, he sped through the mist. Creatures in his path were shattered upon collision; a dolphin was torn in half by his wings, but its body shimmered before reassembling, with the scar rippling like mosaic until it healed, allowing it to swim freely through the simulated sea.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Li Aozi's speed reached Mach 6. Activating [True Sight], he scanned the entire area, with his omnipotent cells quickly analyzing and calculating all the hidden materials and information.
Hōjō had hidden many things here, including ancient-era monuments and records, but Li Aozi already knew about them from his previous life.
For instance, the 'Law System' Beccaria, a super artificial intelligence created by humanity in the old era, was capable of utilizing machines buried deep in the Earth's core to provide power to enforcers across the atmosphere, making it easier to arrest and judge criminals.
There were four similar 'systems' created by the old era:
Law System—Beccaria
Energy System—Fermi
Knowledge System—Pythagoras
Military System—Bonaparte
By modern standards, these old-era systems were almost godlike. Buried near the Earth's core, they followed old-era protocols, remotely sensing humans through radio waves, guiding human civilization, correcting mistakes, reallocating resources, avoiding disasters, and repelling external threats.
Alexia was the [Inquisitor] who signed a contract with Beccaria—likely the last Inquisitor and possibly the last system contractor.
Li Aozi knew that the other three systems had already sacrificed themselves in the fight against Lord Entropy.
He carefully documented the stone tablets and records. Each of the Four Nations preserved some of this information, but most of it was controlled by the predecessor of GTB—the Cresta Organization.
GTB inherited most of the alien civilization's knowledge and technology, giving them the authority to mediate disputes among the Four Nations, which had lost the old era's inheritance. But GTB, in order to maintain its power, never disclosed these ancient secrets. Otherwise, small nations around the world would go crazy searching for Cresta relics—who would care about their allocated energy quotas then?
Yes, by this point, most people could guess the truth.
"Litterlord was founded by the descendants of a branch of the Cresta Organization."
GTB monopolized the knowledge passed down from extraterrestrial civilizations, while Litterlord sought to preserve and collect that knowledge along with old-era technologies, ultimately restoring civilization's technological glory.
The Subway Brotherhood operated using the old-era's advanced subway system, moving unseen. They also possessed some old-era knowledge, and they aimed to restore the more tolerant humanistic environment of the past.
The Green Base was founded by old-era [Biochemists], eco-activists who simply wanted to restore the grass and trees of the old world.
From this perspective, Cresta's collapse birthed both the greedy GTB and the fanatical humanists of Litterlord—a bit ironic.
"But none of you seem to be on the right path."
Li Aozi's figure came to a stop as he gently descended before a cold storage facility. Using gravity, he ripped open the door to reveal a hydrogen bomb, no bigger than a small car. Aside from some labels in Tianhuan script, there was a phrase written in Yamiryoko language on its surface:
'Reservoir Development Project Hydrogen Bomb'
This was it—Guangzaki Arisa, a 140-megaton explosive. If detonated here, a radius of 700 kilometers would become a barren wasteland.
But, as the Yamiryoko language markings indicated, this most terrifying weapon of mass destruction was not designed to harm humans.
"Power isn't the problem; it's how power is used that matters."
Li Aozi gently brushed his hand over the frozen surface of the hydrogen bomb:
"The people of the old era used you to benefit humanity. With me, it'll be much the same—you've met your lucky break."
With that, he grabbed the nuclear bomb and quickly flew out of the area.
As he rose to the surface and stepped onto the tile floor, a mortar shell came flying straight at him.
Boom!
A massive mobile armor sprinted forward, raising its hand to shield Li Aozi's head, catching the shell on its palm. The mech's monitor slowly lifted, and its sixteen green eyes glowed with demonic danger.
"If you're not afraid to die, come at me."
Du Zexin pushed the control stick, and the mobile armor's broadcast echoed across all of Tianhuan's frequencies:
"(He's holding a nuclear bomb) Let's see who dares touch him!"
Li Aozi rolled his eyes at Du Zexin: "Could you be any clearer? That phrasing is way too ambiguous."
However, the Tianhuan forces clearly understood the hydrogen bomb better.
"That amount of firepower won't trigger the bomb—blast him!"
Du Zexin's face darkened. As a Frost-Plated man, he didn't quite understand Tianhuan's madness. Faced with dozens of incoming missiles, he pushed the control stick aggressively, and the mobile armor's monitors locked onto the incoming warheads. He raised his arms, and the 80mm 'Hellfire' autocannons on the back of his hands deployed.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each autocannon shot hit its mark, exploding the missiles in mid-air. Du Zexin crossed his arms like a conductor leading an orchestra, orchestrating a symphony of fireworks and metal fragments.
The scene nearly made the face of the frontline Tianhuan commander turn black with fury:
"Autocannons shooting down missiles—damn it, this isn't just any ordinary mobile armor! Get our bombers in the air!"
"But Commander, that's Hōjō Group's building…"
"Ugh—Hey, where's the mobile armor squad? Get them in the air and protect our corporate assets!"
While the ground forces were still arguing, Li Aozi and Du Zexin had already slipped out the back. Li Aozi jumped into the mobile armor's palm, with Du Zexin holding him in his hand as they sped down the highway, weaving against the flow of traffic.
"Mate, they've turned the power on that barrier way too high. If we try to fly out, we'll get roasted."
"Be more confident, Li Aozi. We'll be turned to ash."
Du Zexin was forced to take the land route. His mech had been smuggled in through the Subway Brotherhood by Frost-Plated military and Law III. Getting in was easy, but getting out was another story—they'd have to smash through the checkpoints.
Li Aozi sat in the mech's palm, the cool breeze refreshing him, making him feel at ease.
"Mate, you've been a real man today."
"Wasn't I before?"
"You were a man before."
"What a nonsensical joke."
Li Aozi laughed heartily, letting the tanks and mobile armors chase them from behind. But against such a large mobile armor, it was no big deal—Du Zexin dispatched a few drones, blowing them up with ease.
"Cool, this is awesome! Piloting this Gundam is incredible!" Li Aozi, finally rid of his earlier gloom, stood proudly, one hand on his hip, surrounded by the nuclear bomb and civilian traffic. Even Tianhuan didn't dare bomb them directly.
"This is a mobile armor," Du Zexin corrected stiffly. "Would you like to try it?"
"No thanks, I didn't go to college—I don't know how to pilot."
"I'm a correspondence course graduate."
"I didn't even do correspondence."
Standing in the mech's palm, Li Aozi gripped its pinky finger as the wind blew his hair. He patted his shoulder thoughtfully.
Speaking of college, he thought of two certain people.
"Though I didn't attend, in the future, everyone will be able to pursue higher education."
Li Aozi said, glancing up at the cockpit:
"Du Zexin, have you ever wanted to go to space?"
"Space," Du Zexin mused, "I don't know—I've never thought about it."
"For me, it's like home. I have no reason not to go."
Li Aozi brushed the messy hair from his forehead. The fake sunlight illuminated his face, and in Du Zexin's eyes, that beauty seemed even more unreal, like a goldfish slipping through his fingers if he wasn't careful.
"But you should see it too," Li Aozi said. "There's nothing wrong with checking out space."
Du Zexin looked perplexed: "…Your home?"
"Well, you could think of it that way." Li Aozi glanced at the cockpit. He couldn't see Du Zexin's face, but he could guess what kind of expression he wore.
"Everyone will go to space eventually," he raised his hand, reaching toward the sky. "You have to go there. You must go. The homeworld is beautiful, but the future is even more beautiful. That future belongs to you, to all beings in the universe, and to every civilization."
"What is space like?" Du Zexin, slightly intrigued, recalled words he had only ever seen in textbooks:
"Blue skies, white clouds, oceans, springtime, green trees, autumn leaves, stars, the moon, the sun…"
"The galaxy, star systems, nebulae, star clusters, supernovas, black holes…"
Li Aozi continued, his mood lifted. Du Zexin's presence, along with his simple feelings, reminded him of the excitement he'd felt when first stepping into the "Star Abyss" and ascending into space.