Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'

He deliberately choked the other person's neck to enter battle status.

Upon hearing his words, the underlings beside Snakehead were all stunned, showing hesitation on their faces.

With that, he could see the other party's panel information.

-------------------------------------

[Entering battle status, judging…]

[Based on your level, you will see the following information about the enemy:]

[Name]: Pei Li

[Total Level]: lv.1 Civilian

[Health Points]: 50/50 (Healthy)

[Attributes]:

Strength —— 3

Dexterity —— 3

Constitution —— 4

Charm —— 2

Will —— 2

-------------------------------------

Looking thin and small, her attributes indeed fell far short of his own.

Seeing this, he immediately activated the [Security Guard]'s occupational skill [Bullying the Weak].

[Bullying the Weak]: Intimidate, threaten, and verbally bully others with words and scolding, conducting an attribute check. If your main attribute is higher than the opponent's, the check is successful.

Li Aozi's main attribute was [Charm], which stood at 13 points, allowing for an instant success in the check.

Although his strength was only 4 points, he could still easily lift a thin woman on the spot.

Snakehead's pupils shrank, and realizing something upon seeing Li Aozi's pale skin, he quickly forced a smile:

"So it turns out to be a boss from the Resistance Army—misunderstanding! This is surely a misunderstanding! If you'd said so earlier… We ordinary folks scraping by owe even our livelihoods to you folks in the Resistance Army. I swear on my grandmother's name, I've no intention to slight you."

Li Aozi glanced at the four middle-aged men and snorted coldly. In truth, if it had come to a fight, his combat skills would be enough to deal with them.

But that would be far too costly. If someone tipped off the Fourth Rule, he'd be taken down before even reaching the border.

Dispatching one or two special agents barehanded was manageable for Li Aozi, but he was no [Martial Artist]. Besides, law enforcement officers were certainly armed with guns, and if it came down to a real fight, being shot on the spot would be considered lucky.

The fear was in experiencing the 'Ultimate Humiliation' of Fourth Rule—Li Aozi muttered to himself.

He paraded the famous name of the resistance guerrilla team 'Rose Army' from the Frost Plated Border, and combined with his naturally pale skin and a fierce demeanor, along with the unconventional smuggling destination, it was easy to be taken seriously.

Li Aozi released his grip, and Snakehead Pei Li fell to the ground with a thud, rubbing her backside with a bitter expression and not yet standing up when Li Aozi tossed her two thousand bucks.

"Keep quiet. I've got classified information on me. Hurry up and arrange for me to leave the city. Should anything happen to me, well… Delina just took the Corps north last month. Weigh your options!"

The latter half of his statement was made up on the fly. According to the timeline, Commander Delina of the Rose Army wouldn't be moving north to launch an attack until next March, and Radiant Light City wasn't even within the range of the assault.

It was a complete lie, but when a lie is told at the right time by the right person, it gains a certain credibility.

The public image of the Rose Army had always been that of 'ruthless', 'heartless', and 'anti-Frost Plated crazies'. Its members were mostly natives from the Outer World, that is, Stateless.

Unluckily for him, the pale skin of outsiders, who seldom saw the sun, bore a slight resemblance to his own.

With this thought, Snakehead felt a chill run through him.

'Even if it's not true, I'll accept it. Better safe than sorry. If we actually hinder the Rose Army and invite retaliation, their methods are far crueler than those of Fourth Rule... Besides, the man even added some extra cash, which shows he's really in a rush - willing to pay to ward off disaster,' Snakehead thought.

With the carrot and stick approach, Snakehead nodded promptly, took the money, and went inside to discuss with her subordinates. They didn't dare to drive any hard bargains anymore, only wanting to send this plague off as quickly as possible.

Li Aozi didn't make any more fuss either. He closed his eyes, rested while thinking about what to do after entering the Outer World.

Frost Plated was one of the countries officially marked by the game as "least recommended for beginners to start in."

Aside from infamous products like Fourth Rule, gender discrimination, and the Rose Army, Frost Plated had various events that pushed human limits, scarce resources, terribly poor gaming experiences, and despicable civilians.

As a noble citizen of the Red Arrow Empire, Li Aozi's understanding of Frost Plated was limited to the Baidu Encyclopedia and what he heard from female colleagues on live streaming platforms.

"The Sky Ring Four Nations, each with its own merits. The Red Arrow's dictatorial autocracy provides a good life for the populace with its currency hegemony and strong martial force, creating intense competition. But as long as one is willing to serve the Empire, rewards are assured. It's best suited for players with a strong competitive spirit and a pure heart."

"Sky Ring is more extreme - military dictatorship, constant wars against small countries to raid their resources due to the lack of domestic supplies. But it's an environment where the majority of players find the narrative easy to follow, easy to blend into, and it's a place one can grow and advance."

"Zhengxu has good welfare, attracts investment, and draws major companies to develop in the nation. The pace of society is laid back, treatments are generous, perfect for older players looking for a quiet retirement. However, in the event of war, the nation entirely lacks the capacity for a direct confrontation."

"Frost Plated, though universally disdained for its paucity of resources and severe conflicts, offers players one advantage not available in other countries."

Remembering that information, Li Aozi's eyes brightened, and he began planning his future as a [Meteor Fall Master] in his mind.

Soon, a truck transporting hazardous chemicals slowly left Jianlin County. The driver, numbly clinging to his cigarette without lighting it, hands resting on the wheel, watched as the boisterous cityscape reflected in his eyes gradually faded away. Conglomerates of steel and concrete gave way to lush forests and mountain ranges, with large, automated robots meticulously tending to the dense farmland, effortlessly moving about, embodying both the might of a fierce tiger and the delicate scent of roses, showcasing the seamless integration of machinery and nature.

Under the leadership of technology, everything was so beautiful.

The hemisphere barrier generator in the sky emitted sunlight at a fixed frequency, and as the truck got farther away from the county town, the sunlight gradually dimmed.

The driver suddenly shouted to his co-driver:

"Take out the cotton-padded jacket."

After a turn, the enticing green abruptly ended, and snowflakes began to drift in the sky. The rich, humus-filled black soil seamlessly transitioned into desert.

Cold, ghostly, desolate.

In the air, one could vaguely make out the great barrier descending, atop the boundless desert, an 80-meter-tall cement wall stood, connecting with the transparent barrier in the sky. The ferocious automatic machine guns aimed at both the inside and outside, ready to tear apart any suspicious individuals trying to cross the wire fences and the Dragon Tooth Roadblock.

Right beneath this curtain-like high wall, a solitary checkpoint blocked the truck's path.

"Stop!"

The guard bellowed a low growl, marched forward with his rifle, and harshly banged the window with the back of his mechanical prosthetic hand before spreading his chromed palm open. The synthetic muscles and nerve links were intact and responsive, allowing him to rub his fingers together precisely:

"Hand over your documents and money, or else I'll consider your load overweight."

The driver was prepared and took out the ready documents, 2000 Derby in cash, and a pack of cigarettes, and respectfully handed them to the guard.

The corruption at the Frost Plated border checkpoint was always blatant; the serving guards, predominantly male, did not cut the long-haul drivers any slack just because they were also men.

After taking the money, the guard could hardly contain his delight upon seeing the cigarette pack, glanced at the documents, then flung them back, casually asking:

"What's the cargo?" The guard asked absentmindedly and fiddled with his personal computer.

"Chemicals. Dibutyl phthalate. It's toxic and flammable."

The driver explained carefully.

"What, got plans to make a bomb?" The guard's eyes drooped lazily.

"No, no, just a common plasticizer," the driver quickly clarified.

"Oh?" The guard raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the tank of the truck. The life detection chip implanted beneath his skin activated, circling around the tank.

He looked up and down the tank, twelve meters long, with a three-meter diameter. The chip's calculations showed: if someone was hiding inside with an oxygen tank and protective suit, at most, 27 people could fit.

The life detection scanned but found no signals.

Yet, for some reason, the guard felt something was amiss.

"Boss Guard, this stuff is toxic," the driver reminded him.

The guard glanced at the co-driver, who had wrapped himself tightly in a coat, and asked off-handedly:

"That afraid of the cold?"

Before the co-driver could speak, the driver interjected:

"He has a weak kidney. He went crazy drinking once and was 'privately interrogated' for two days by the female commanders of Fourth Rule. He can't handle the cold near the barrier."

"I see." The guard seemed to understand, and he didn't suspect further.

Given what that bunch of crazy women did, it wouldn't surprise him. If it had been for any other reason, he might have been skeptical.

The driver noticed the roadblock wasn't being lowered and grew both puzzled and nervous.

"What's gone wrong here?"

Who knew that prosthetic hand would reach into the truck again.

The underlying message was clear: more money was needed.

Just as the truck driver was about to ask his co-driver to take out more cash, a QR code popped up on the back of the guard's hand.

"Use less cash, go digital with the payment."

The guard whispered:

"The Rose Army seems to have taken over a printing press; there'll be a flood of counterfeit in circulation for a while, cash isn't too safe these days."

The truck driver had an epiphany, quickly grabbed his terminal to pay, the guard accepted the money, waved his hand, and the high wall slowly warped, revealing a deep cavern.

The driver turned on the headlights and slowly drove inside. After some time, a thick layer of white frost formed on both sides of the car windows. The heavy fog sealed off the space, and under the yellow light, the road ahead began to glow faintly.

About several minutes later, the driver suddenly stopped the truck, turned to the man in the co-driver's seat, and said:

"We're here, give me back my jacket."

"All this fuss over a jacket?"

"Cut the crap. There's no sun in the Outer World, don't you see?" The driver said impatiently, "This place will freeze you to death. I suggest you find a hole to bury yourself in as soon as you get out, but don't rush towards any fire you see; it's likely to be bandits."

"Alright, alright."

Li Aozi rubbed his disguised face, took off the cotton jacket, picked up his luggage from under his feet, and, after a thought, took out his terminal from his pocket and handed it to the driver.

"Bro, I'll trade you this for a cigarette, okay?"

"With that thing? Your trash terminal is only worth a pack at best!"

"No, no, no, you got it wrong, I just want the box, you keep the cigarettes."