147. The Techno God-King, Completely Insane
Faced with the titan's massive form and overwhelming power, Not Quite Rain and Featherfall were too stunned by the unfiltered visuals of the earlier scene to muster the courage to act.
In contrast, Smith and Wellington, who had lived through real bloodshed, quickly composed themselves. Although they couldn't comprehend the situation, they raised their weapons and began to retreat while firing.
"Such a massive target must be slow to move. If we're agile enough, we can dodge its attacks!"
Smith fired a burst of bullets toward the gaps in Li Aozi's armor and his eye sockets. The tracers streaked through the air, forming an almost unbroken line.
Tick, tick, tap-tap…
Crisp, faint sounds echoed across Li Aozi's armor as the high-velocity bullets struck the Armor of Mountains. Beyond pulverizing themselves, they accomplished nothing.
"Damn it! This isn't even a carbon-based lifeform anymore!" Smith cursed. He didn't bother reloading, throwing his weapon aside and running with all his strength.
"Get in the car!"
Wellington called for the support vehicles. Climbing into a pickup, several armed personnel equipped with anti-vehicle weapons aimed missile launchers and grenade cannons at Li Aozi and opened fire.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
Flames erupted, and thick smoke billowed.
"Ah…"
A sigh escaped as a gentle breath blew the smoke away, revealing an unshaken figure.
"Honestly, are you done?"
Li Aozi casually raised a finger and lightly tapped the ground.
Boom!
The cement ground shattered instantly. Li Aozi's fingertip triggered a shockwave that swept up the speeding convoy and an entire street. Under the titanic force, everything was crushed into a grotesque mix of flesh and electric motors, compressed into shattered asphalt like a discarded lump of clay.
No screams, no wails, no resistance.
Just like a human squashing a bug, the sheer disparity in power and size made any effort meaningless.
Only then did the Melva Kingdom's military arrive to begin clearing out the remaining terrorists. Even without their leader, Johann's carefully armed forces were still formidable, organizing counterattacks while retreating.
That was enough.
Li Aozi nodded slightly.
The rest was up to the people of Melva.
The menacing aura of demonic energy engulfed the skies like a black cloud, obscuring the Destruction Titan's figure within the red magical haze.
"What now?" Not Quite Rain mumbled numbly. "Is this account doomed?"
"I don't know. I've reported that guy several times, but the system keeps saying no violations were detected." Featherfall was equally dazed.
Clink.
"Hey, still here?"
The sudden male voice startled Not Quite Rain and Featherfall.
Turning around, they saw Li Aozi, now dressed in ordinary farm clothes, strolling toward them. He was unarmed, smiling warmly, and looked like a cheerful young man with a sturdy build.
The two players instinctively stepped back.
—This sunny, good-natured young man had just sprayed a living person into minced meat and crushed an entire street along with several people, both literally and figuratively.
"B-Big Bro…" Not Quite Rain stammered, his legs trembling as Li Aozi approached, tears welling in his eyes.
Even knowing it was just a game, the visceral intensity of what he had witnessed left a deep psychological scar.
Thud.
Not Quite Rain backed into a wall, cornered.
Gulp…
He swallowed hard as Li Aozi drew closer, still exuding the scent of gunpowder and cooked flesh.
At that moment, Not Quite Rain finally understood why the developers insisted on enabling visual filters.
It was genuinely to protect players' mental health…
"Hmm? Still calling me Big Bro?"
"B-Big Bro… Big Boss…" Not Quite Rain stuttered, sliding down the wall to sit on the ground.
"What's with that tone?"
Li Aozi smiled, folding his arms as if magnanimously forgiving their past transgressions:
"But I'm not a bad person. I wouldn't bully kids."
"Uh… yes, thank you for your generosity—"
Bang!
Li Aozi stomped on Not Quite Rain's skull, filling his legs with strength. As the player entered a near-death state, Li Aozi remarked casually: "At your age, you should focus on school instead of gaming. If I see you again, I'll kill you every time until you quit with this middle-school syndrome."
With that, he released a surge of energy into the player's skull.
Crack! Pop!
Like a watermelon bursting, the satisfying splatter of fluids filled the air. Soon, the scent of something both sweet and metallic lingered.
[You have killed a Descender. Reputation -10%. If reputation drops below 50%, your ID will appear red, and any unbound items will drop.]
Li Aozi withdrew his foot and turned to Featherfall: "Hmm, you're a lore enthusiast, right?"
"I'll log out now," Featherfall said decisively, preparing to shut down and escape.
Li Aozi dashed forward, grabbing her by the collar and forcing her into combat mode, preventing her from logging out:
"Whoa, don't rush."
Li Aozi chuckled:
"I'm not planning to bully you. Besides, if I tell Red Arrow NPCs about your involvement with Johann, you'll be banned from Red Arrow territories. Even Frost-Plated Federation citizenship will be hard to acquire. You'd have no choice but to play in the Outside World. I bet you haven't even completed your main job storyline yet…"
"Isn't this bullying?" Featherfall sighed in defeat:
"You win. What do you want?"
"Didn't you post a long report accusing me of cheating?" Li Aozi shrugged. "Keep posting. Go all out and expose me on the forums."
"...What do you mean?"
"I mean, let's welcome the wave of players proving that 'True,' the Destruction-tier player, cheats in "Star Abyss"."
Li Aozi transferred 100,000 Jaluns to her using his main account.
The idea was simple: use controversy for fame. If romantic drama wasn't an option, notoriety would suffice.
Without a suitable figure for fan-fiction pairings, Li Aozi opted for the easiest way to make a gaming persona viral—accusations of cheating.
The concept required no cost. Anyone could analyze gameplay with their understanding, leading to heated discussions.
Posts speculating about cheats would spark collective judgment, similar to a "witch hunt." People tended to distrust or suppress incomprehensible anomalies.
The strategy had clear phases.
Phase one: spread rumors about "True" being a cheater and exaggerate his feats.
Posts like:
"Shocking! First suspected cheat in game history?"
"The darkest day in gaming? Star Abyss's first suspected cheater: 'True'!"
"Cheating or not? 6-minute video analyzing "True's" 1v3 gameplay."
Under Li Aozi's coercion and incentives, Featherfall and Not Quite Rain spread these posts across forums and social media, rapidly drawing attention.
Keywords like "first," "cheat," and "unprecedented" quickly grabbed eyeballs, directing all focus onto "True."
During this time, Li Aozi stayed busy.
Having fought extensively in Red Arrow territories in a past life, he navigated quests, Easter eggs, and farming routes with ease.
Twenty-four hours after the first posts, Li Aozi accumulated one million experience points, leveling his [Martial Artist] class to lv.15 and documenting his progress.
The rapid level-up, combined with the cheating rumors, attracted widespread online attention. Angry players flooded the forums, but Li Aozi ignored them, focusing on his efficient leveling.
By the 48-hour mark, some players noticed the signs of a publicity stunt. However, under the deluge of rumors, reasoned voices were drowned out.
Seventy-two hours later in reality, Li Aozi monitored his dwindling viewership online.
Meanwhile, three months had passed on Azure Star.
Li Aozi's level reached the cap for the current version: lv.30 [Martial Artist].
"Now, the real show begins."