Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'

Nature is only minimally affected by technology and generally not swayed by human will, but civilization is different. Under the dominion of the two, civilization undergoes monumental changes.

Traditional human ethics collapse and change rapidly under the transformative effects of technology. The duet of human consciousness and the rapid advancement of technology pushes civilization into the unknown.

Li Aozi walked across the frost-plated desert, with the glory of old buried to his left. Statues of past leaders, with their left hands raised, physically accomplished a halfway burial in the earth, their marble faces pitted with bullet holes and erosion.

To his right, things were not so dire, though sandstorms raged and mixed with ice pellets. They clung to the body, swiftly stealing warmth and vitality. Without adopting a low-center-of-gravity, crawling stance, even a man weighing two hundred pounds could be knocked down by the ferocious ice storm.

It might be hard to imagine, but Li Aozi was less than 30 kilometers away from human settlements, yet within a 30-kilometer radius, the term "not a blade of grass grows" could be used to describe the landscape.

A black and red smoky cloud drifted lazily overhead. Li Aozi raised his hand, wiping the snowy muck from his wristwatch to check the time.

9:11 a.m.

"Huff..."

Through his scarf, he exhaled a cloud of white mist, his grey eyes narrowing into slits.

It's hard to put into words the environment of the Outer World. It was not exactly bright, yet calling it dark would be an exaggeration.

The black and red twilight, like blood on the battlefield, presses down with sorrowful clouds, oppressively grim. No one could utter the word 'relaxed' in such a time.

Heavy and chaotic—these were the first descriptions that came to Li Aozi's mind.

He did not activate any lighting tools. In the Outer World, exposing a light source was akin to courting death—the seemingly quiet and desolate no man's land was actually brimming with hunters.

Although Li Aozi was confident he could take down one or two unguarded, low-level Fourth Rule agents with his bare hands, that would just be bullying the ordinary folk. The outskirts of the county wouldn't have many Transcendents.

But those who survive in the Outer World are fierce, blood-edged criminals.

Even the long-haul truck driver who had just helped him leave Frost Plated, if one observed carefully, would notice the thick layers of bulletproof glass and the indelible scars on the inseparable doors. Drivers from the Four Nations dared to turn on their fog lamps only when heavy fog set in, and not a glimmer of light could be risked at any other time.

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

Li Aozi was somewhat frustrated, but he couldn't blame the driver. Under normal circumstances, drivers from the Four Nations would not dare to stop, so mistaking the location was understandable.

He was wearing a thick coat. Even though clothes in Frost Plated, a northern country, were already substantial, they still seemed thin compared to the cold of the Outer World. Sweat and clothing froze together, stiff as chunks of ice, making every movement sluggish.

Li Aozi didn't bring any specialized expedition detection equipment, but according to his experience, it was only about minus forty degrees Celsius, which wasn't considered cold. Deeper into the Outer World, such as in Purgatory Valley, temperatures could plummet to minus two hundred and seventy degrees, a climate no high-quality protective gear could withstand for more than thirty seconds.

Groping around, he felt the surrounding environment was somewhat familiar. He then adopted a half-kneeling and half-crawling position to move slowly forward. As he searched through the frost-sand, he knew the shelter was buried underground with only a thick metal shell visible on the outside. As long as he found the metal shell, he could find the entrance.

Hisss.

The cold made the metal brittle and, even with protective gloves on, his fingertips were pricked by some of the brittle steel. Faced with a wound that would soon solidify, Li Aozi was instead overjoyed.

He had found it.

He moved carefully forward, digging with his bare hands. His gloves wore through, and sand and frost quickly clogged his bleeding fingertips, but Li Aozi didn't care.

As long as he could get inside, based on the timing, becoming a Mutant and acquiring that incredibly rare Specialty was a certainty!

Seconds ticked by, and finally, just as his hand was torn open by a narrow wound and the negative status "Infection" popped up on his display—saying his Constitution would drop a point every four hours—he touched a solid barricade.

With a clear, low chime, Li Aozi's heart leapt, and he hurriedly scraped away the surrounding sand to reveal a heavy alloy hatch underneath. His fingers traced the etched brand, making out the rusty characters:

'Mingji' Humanitarian Rescue Passage—P-205 Shelter

"Found it."

Li Aozi put forth his strength, veins bulging in his hands, as he struggled to turn the wheel on the hatch.

After the final war, this entrance was abandoned. Too long without activation or maintenance, and compounded by erosion from ice and sand, the bolts were almost entirely rusted, and the wet wheel was slippery, severely affecting his leverage.

"Uh—"

Li Aozi's face was stiff with tension, his knuckles white from gripping too tightly. He sat down to rest for a moment, and after realizing he was no longer a player, he removed the headscarf from atop his head, wrapping it around his hand and palm to increase the contact area for a tighter grip.

Hiss…

After a long while, dust rose as the door's roll-handle was slowly turned. Li Aozi continued to exert force, overcoming the negative effect of "Frozen Stiff" and forcefully turned it three times. With a 'bang,' the hinges finally gave way, revealing a section of the ladder's handrail within.

"Ha... huff huff huff!"

Li Aozi blew on his hands, stomped his feet repeatedly, and, shivering, turned around to carefully descend the ladder step by step.

Creak, creak—

With every step he took, the dilapidated ladder groaned in protest. He brought the hatch down with him, pulling the scarf away from his mouth and nose, only for an intense rust smell to hit him. He shook his head slightly, feeling nauseous, then resumed his descent with a frown.

The passageway inside the shelter was extremely dark, and parts of it had collapsed. He cautiously tested each step before descending, and it took him five minutes to finally reach the ground safely.

Thump.

The suitcase was thrown down first. Li Aozi lifted his wrist to check the time on his electronic watch.

10:12 AM.

"I thought a whole day had passed."

Li Aozi shook his head; time in pain always seemed unending. He didn't rush to explore the shelter right away but recalled the mission process and context first.

"Shelter P-205 is part of a long series of tasks, but it is also the only pathway within the Frost Plated Faction to advance into the Dominator System, practically considered the main quest. Therefore, its difficulty and rewards are on par with the main quest."

Li Aozi wasn't sure if, after being transported to the game, there would still be any player presence... but preparing for Descend ensured at least he wouldn't be at a disadvantage. Besides, if players indeed arrived, it would be intriguing—perhaps he could exploit his NPC identity to coerce players into handling some tricky issues for him.

Strategizing in advance, even if players didn't Descend, he could just view it as grinding a few extra tasks, right? As long as he wasn't cutting corners, no effort would be wasted.

"However, I have no intention of making Frost Plated my base for future developments. For truly showcasing the Dominator System's abilities, Red Arrow is the first choice, followed by Sky Ring. In order to attract—and cough, coax—more players onto the 'Meteor Fall Master' path later, the tasks of Shelter P-205 are not something I can cede to newcomers."

The series of tasks in Shelter P-205 had rich rewards, fully capable of declaring a 'graduation' for a player in the Dominator System. However, if Frost Plated's Dominator System players were able to be self-sufficient, Li Aozi would miss an excellent opportunity for promotion by choosing to develop in Red Arrow or Sky Ring.

"I am confident I can make the Dominator System's Occupation shine early on, drawing many players to join the Dominator System. Red Arrow and Sky Ring lack main quests for the Dominator System, but their leveling and experience environments are well-established—the most important thing is, I know what resources Dominator System players need the most in their early stages. This way, after players have finished battling monsters, they can come spend at my place."

With his tailored consumer services specifically crafted for Dominator System players, he could significantly reduce their 'jail time' experiences, and if effective, even entice other players to switch and train in the Dominator System.

Li Aozi was utterly confident in his ability to attract players.

In his previous life, he was the sole person who had advanced the furthest, earliest, and commanded the most popularity and influence on the 'Meteor Fall Master' path across the entire network.

If he had been a few years younger, he might have entered the professional gaming scene to compete in esports, shining the spotlight on the 'Meteor Fall Master' on the world stage.

In other words, claiming to be the founder of the 'Meteor Fall Master' would not be an exaggeration for the players.

Therefore, for the series of tasks in Shelter P-205, Li Aozi aimed not only to complete them but to bring a definitive end to the mission, disallowing anyone else from undertaking it.

Monopolizing opportunities easily draws criticism, but with Li Aozi's understanding of players, he knew they were straightforward folks.

They'd express their frustrations candidly, play when it was time to play, and after ranting, they'd still remember to buy, and continue their griping post-purchase.

Very principled.

Once he rolled out his market, all Dominator System players would undoubtedly be itching to exchange their virtual currency for his props.

For this goal, Li Aozi decided not to bandage his wounds.

Not only that, but he pulled a camping knife from his bag, balanced the knife, and then without hesitation, he plunged it backward into his own thigh!