From the Abyss of Stars

8. P-205 Shelter

 

Nature is only slightly affected by technological heroes and generally not swayed by human will, but civilization is.

 

Traditional human ethics collapse and change rapidly with the advent of technology.

 

Li Aozhi walked on the frost-covered sand sea. To his left, the remnants of past glories lay buried, with statues of former leaders raising their left hands, physically halfway into the ground, their marble faces riddled with bullet holes and erosion.

 

On his right, things were relatively better. The raging sandstorms mixed with ice particles would quickly drain energy and warmth from a person. If one didn't adopt a low center of gravity and crawl, even a 200-pound man would be knocked down by the violent icy sandstorm.

 

It’s hard to imagine, but the place Li Aozhi was in was less than 30 kilometers from a human settlement, yet within this 30-kilometer radius, it was completely barren.

 

The black and red smoky clouds drifted slowly overhead. Li Aozhi raised his hand, wiped the snowy mud off the back of his hand, and checked his electronic watch.

 

9:11 AM.

 

"Phew..."

 

Through his mask, he exhaled a breath of white mist, his gray eyes narrowing into slits.

 

It's hard to describe the environment of the outside world. It’s not bright, but calling it dark would be an exaggeration.

 

The black-red twilight resembled blood-stained battlefields, oppressive clouds making it hard to breathe. No one could use the word 'relaxed' here.

 

Dim, chaotic—this was the most direct description Li Aozhi could think of.

 

He didn’t use any lighting tools. In the outside world, exposing a light source was like inviting death. This seemingly deserted life-forbidden zone was teeming with hidden hunters.

 

While Li Aozhi was confident he could take down one or two unarmed low-level Rule Four agents, that was only because they were ordinary people; there were hardly any extraordinary beings at the county border.

 

But those who survived in the outside world were ruthless bloodthirsty killers.

 

Even the truck driver who had just taken him out of Frost, accustomed to long-haul transport, had thick layers of bulletproof glass and indestructible doors covered in scars. Drivers from all four countries only dared to use fog lights in heavy fog, never daring to emit a single light otherwise.

 

"That guy dropped me off in the wrong place; the shelter entrance is to the west."

 

Li Aozhi was a bit frustrated but didn’t blame the driver. Under normal circumstances, drivers from the four countries wouldn’t dare to stop, so misidentifying the location was normal.

 

He wore a thick coat, even though Frost, as a northern country, had thick daily clothing. It still seemed thin compared to the cold of the outside world. His sweat and clothes froze together, stiff like an ice block, making every move slow.

 

Li Aozhi didn’t carry any special exploration equipment, but based on his experience, it was about minus forty degrees, not too cold. In the depths of the outside world, like Hell Valley, temperatures could reach minus two hundred seventy degrees, where even the best protective suits couldn’t last 30 seconds.

 

He groped around, feeling that the environment was somewhat familiar, then switched to a half-kneeling, half-crawling posture to move slowly. Li Aozhi kept searching between the snow and sand; the shelter was buried underground, with only a thick metal shell on the outside. Once he found the metal shell, he could find the entrance.

 

Sss.

 

The low temperature made the metal brittle. Even with protective gloves, his fingertips were pierced by some brittle steel. Faced with the soon-to-be frozen wound, Li Aozhi felt a surge of joy.

 

He had found it.

 

He cautiously moved forward, digging with his bare hands. His gloves wore out, and his fingertips were soon clogged with frost and sand, but Li Aozhi didn’t care.

 

As long as he could get in, he would definitely become a [Mutant] and obtain that rare specialty at this time!

 

As time passed, when his hand was finally cut, and the panel displayed [Infected Wound], reducing his constitution by one point every 4 hours, his fingers touched a solid obstacle.

 

Ding—

 

A clear low hum sounded. Li Aozhi felt delighted and quickly cleared the nearby sand, revealing a heavy alloy door. Li Aozhi's fingers brushed over the etched imprint, recognizing the rusty characters:

 

'Requiem’ Humanitarian Rescue Passage—P-205 Shelter

 

"Found it."

 

Li Aozhi exerted all his strength, veins bulging, struggling to turn the door wheel.

 

After the final war, this entrance was abandoned, unused and unmaintained for a long time. The icy sand had corroded the door bolts, and the wheel, wet with snow, was hard to grip, greatly affecting his strength.

 

"Ugh—"

 

Li Aozhi’s face stiffened, his finger joints turning white from exertion. He sat down to rest, realizing he was no longer a player. He wrapped his headscarf around the wheel and his palm to increase contact and grip.

 

Sss...

 

After a long time, a puff of dust rose, the wheel slowly turned, and Li Aozhi continued to exert force. Despite the [Frozen] debuff, he managed three full turns. With a bang, the hinge finally released, revealing part of a ladder.

 

"Ha... hoo hoo hoo!"

 

Li Aozhi blew on his hands, stomped his feet, and trembling, turned around, carefully descending the ladder.

 

Creak, creak—

 

Each step down the dilapidated ladder made a grating sound. He closed the top door, pulled the scarf from his face, and was hit by the strong smell of rust, making him dizzy and nauseous. He frowned and continued down.

 

The shelter's passage was very dark, with some parts broken. He cautiously descended, taking five minutes to reach the bottom safely.

 

Thud.

 

He dropped his suitcase first, then raised his wrist to check the time on his electronic watch.

 

10:12 AM.

 

"I thought a whole day had passed."

 

Li Aozhi shook his head. Painful times always felt long. He didn’t immediately explore the shelter, instead recalling the task flow and background.

 

"P-205 Shelter is a long series of tasks, but it’s the only way to advance to the Sovereign class within the Frost faction, essentially a main quest. Its difficulty and rewards match those of a main quest."

 

"However, I don’t plan to make Frost my base of operations. The best places for the Sovereign class to shine are Red Arrow first and Tianhuan second. To attract more players to the [Starfall Master] path, I can’t let others complete the P-205 Shelter tasks."

 

The rewards from the P-205 Shelter series were enough for a Sovereign class player to 'graduate'—but if Frost’s Sovereign class players became self-sufficient, Li Aozhi would miss a great opportunity to promote himself in Red Arrow or Tianhuan.

 

"I’m confident that the Sovereign class can shine early on, attracting many players. Red Arrow and Tianhuan don’t have Sovereign class main quests, but their experience and leveling environments are mature. Most importantly, I know exactly what resources Sovereign class players need early on. After players finish fighting monsters, they can come to me for supplies."

 

With services tailored to Sovereign class players, he could significantly reduce their 'prison experience,' and if it worked well, it could even encourage other players to switch to the Sovereign class.

 

Li Aozhi was absolutely confident in attracting players.

 

In his previous life, he was the most advanced, earliest, most popular, and influential [Starfall Master] player online.

 

If he were a few years younger, he might have entered professional esports, making the [Starfall Master] shine on the world stage.

 

In other words, he could rightfully call himself the 'founding master' of [Starfall Master] players.

 

Therefore, Li Aozhi planned not only to complete the P-205 Shelter tasks but to end them entirely, preventing others from taking them.

 

Hoarding quests might attract criticism, but Li Aozhi knew players well—they were the most pragmatic people.

 

They’d complain, play, complain again, and still buy from him.

 

Very principled.

 

Once his market was established, every Sovereign class player would practically sell their virtual kidneys for his items.

 

To achieve this, Li Aozhi decided not to bandage his wounds.

 

Not only that, he took out a camping knife from his bag, weighed it, and without hesitation, stabbed it into his thigh!