Assault Horizon

  "terattack the Abyss Humanitarian Relief anization headquarters?"

  In the underground ic of the Sikkim settlement, Dr. Siqi, with an aluminum pipe in her mouth, looked at Li Aozi in astonishment.

  "I thought you were just a madman, but you're also an idiot."

  "Your cultural literacy is on par with Naomi's."

  Li Aozi retorted, spreading his hands.

  "Don't worry about anything else. I want to know how to access the sed and third yers of the shelter from you."

  "Aren't you familiar with the terrain?" Dr. Siqi looked at him uedly. "I've never been to the sed yer. As a doctor, I'm only allowed to move between the first and third yers—the third yer houses the reactor, the produ line and experimental field for the products Abyss sells to the outside world, and a secret passage to the Frost-Pted Republic."

  "Wait, a passage to the Frost-Pted Republic?" Qiu Ran, who was g for the boy with a broken leg, was shocked and immediately squeezed past Li Aozi, leaning oable. "Is it really a passage to the Frost-Pted Republic? Where does it end?"

  "No mistake, it's defihe Frost-Pted Republic. I've seen people from Law Three (Frost-Pted Republiational Security Guard) several times. Unlike Law Four, Law Three handles fn affairs, responsible for supp warlords and pradimes beneficial to the Frost-Pted Republic."

  Dr. shrugged.

  "As for the endpoint, you'd have to ask the Subway Brotherhood."

  "Subway Brotherhood..." Li Aozi pondered. "So they bought the rights to use parts of the old subway from the Subway Brotherhood. No wonder Law Three operates this way..."

  No wonder pyers cshed with Law Three agents worldwide in his previous life. You could find Law Three agents in every er of Blue Star.

  The Frost-Pted Republic's 'Law' spy system was meticulously categorized.

  Law One: Defend the republi stitution firmly. It was ter restructured into the presidential guard, only obeying the president's orders, with the best equipment and intelligence support.

  Law Two: Strictly protect the national ey, responsible for w enfort and iigation of fn capital and eic cases, uhe Frost-Pted Republic gover.

  Law Three: Eliminate all external threats, uhe military's jurisdi, with retively indepe armed forces. At its peak, 13,000 agents were deployed globally, mainly monit and managing the Frost-Pted Republic's vassal states, ies, and outer settlements.

  Law Four: Always maintain women's rights, an indepe intelligend w enfort agency with seard enfort powers, essentially to maintain presidential power. The lower ranks were mixed, but the higher-ups were all elites.

  Unlike Law Four, who handled internal iigations, Law Three agents were pure vilins and killers. They were fewer in number but itted heinous acts, from overthrowing govers to instigating warlords to grow 'crops,' turning many thriving tries into hell oh.

  Li Aozi wasn't surprised by the presence of Law Three agents. Backed by the Frost-Pted Republic military, it was clear Abyss Humanitarian Relief could obtain military ons, indig military support.

  What surprised him was that the Subway Brotherhood, known for its high moral standards, was in tact with the Frost-Pted Republic.

  Sgers, the Green Base, and the Subway Brotherhood were the three infamous outer nd anizations, with the Subway Brotherhood being the most popur.

  Sgers only dug through garbage, g to protect relics of the old era, without g where these relics came from.

  The Green Base was areme ecological preservationist group, dedicated to greening the sunless outer nds. Anyone who dared to touch their painstakingly grown trees would be chopped up and turned into fertilizer—though one could guess how those trees were grown.

  In trast, the Subway Brotherhood was an anization filled with allure. They emphasized pragmatism, avoiding flict, valuing teology, knowledge, education, unity, and developmeablishiral transit stations in the developed underground railways of the old era.

  Each subway station was a shelter, providing refuge and survival for the outer nd people, though not for free.

  As an outer nd anization, the Subway Brotherhood naturally loathed the four nations and warlords. They were collectivists, with every bullet and tooth ated for by the Brotherhood's headquarters ittee.

  Uedly, the Subway Brotherhood also traded with the Frost-Pted Republic. Should it be said they were truly pragmatic?

  "If I use that passage, I go back to see my family..."

  Qiu Ran was momentarily tempted, but then realized the passage was at the bottom of the Abyss Humanitarian Relief anization. To cross it, she would have to do as Li Aozi suggested.

  "Just fight all the way through."

  Li Aozi said calmly.

  Although he had cleverly killed the Beta-level (β, the sed Greek letter) ibal using the storm disaster earlier, Li Aozi felt it was enough.

  Whether it ha-tier strength or the psionic ability 【Sever Life】 that greatly restrained healing abilities, Li Aozi was fident in dealing with the Professor.

  "But..." Qiu Raated.

  She wasn't good at fighting, and she didn't even have a main profession.

  "Qiu Ran, I get you into the passage, even onto the subway—I have es with the Subway Brotherhood."

  Qiu Ran's eyes lit up.

  "Really? Thank you so much—"

  Li Aozi raised his hand.

  "But, your psionic ability belongs to me."

  Li Aozi didn't make deals at a loss. Unless it involved principle issues, he usually didn't bother sidering others.

  As a pyer in his past life, he didn't resort to killing and looting, out of respect for Qiu Ran's character and her help in repairing vehicles along the way.

  After all, his psionic pod could extract psionic abilities from freshly deceased bodies.

  To put it bluntly, if not for this psionic ability, who would want to take a powerless person on the road?

  "No way."

  Qiu Ran firmly refused.

  "Without this ability, I 't survive."

  "Then stay here with Dr. ."

  Li Aozi turo Dr. Siqi.

  "What have you decided?"

  "Holy, I'd be happier than anyone if you attack Abyss... but I really 't help. The sed and third yers of the Abyss Humanitarian Relief anization require permissions from Dr. Anna and Head Nurse Nordley. Without permissions, you 't access the elevator."

  Dr. Siqi tapped the table.

  "As foing down through other means, I only tell you it's impossible—why do you think it's called a shelter? Abyss Heavy Industries was an industrial group in the old era specializing in nuclear war shelters. Even nuclear bombs couldn't destroy it, and you think manpower ? That's uimating nuclear ons."

  "Moreover, the sed yer of the shelter is already 110 meters below the surface. Due to the low temperature, this is permafrost requiring diamond drill bits to excavate."

  Dr. Siqi cluded.

  "Apart from the tral elevator, you have no other way to ehe lower two yers."

  "No stairs or emergency passages?"

  "There are, but they're well hidden. I couldn't find them. You'd have to ask the designers of these perma shelters from the old era."

  Li Aozi frowned.

  The situation wasn't optimistic, but he nodded.

  "Still doable, not difficult. Defeat Head Nurse Nordley and Dr. Anna, and we get to the bottom yer."

  "Your arrogance will get you killed." Dr. sneered. "Head Nurse Nordley and Assistant Dr. Anna are not simple. They might be hiding their strength, waiting for the Professor to fall and seize power..."

  Li Aozi was nonittal.

  He had seen Nordley's panel; she was just an Alpha-tier warrior with no impnts or prosthetiot a threat.

  But Dr. Anna was always low-key, rising quickly after the Professor's fake death, managing everything effitly—it was hard not to suspect she had prepared for this.

  However, Li Aozi was still fident.

  "This information is enough."

  Li Aozi tossed two military bullets and turo leave.

  "Hey," Dr. called after him. "Weren't you going to get the cure for the disease from the Abyss Humanitarian Relief anization? Why suddenly turn against them?"

  Li Aozi didn't stop, speaking without looking back.

  "Because of the babies, that's enough."

  Dr. was stunned. She g the boy with the broken leg on the bed and nodded.

  "Ihat's enough."

  Qiu Ran was still flicted. Dr. sighed.

  "Living ier nds for so long, I've almost lost my humanity. It's ridiculous... humans now have to go to a pce like the Frost-Pted Republiaintain their humanity."

  Qiu Ran's eyes glimmered. She looked at Dr. .

  "Li Aozi seems to like children. He had a good retionship with Dimitri's grandson before..."

  "Babies are pure, knowing who is kind to them and who harbors mal

  ice, unlike adults. Adults don't uand anything, stubborn and hypocritical, utterly useless."

  Dr. Siqi smirked.

  "For the babies, for the children—humans should be this way. I'm a doctor who saves lives and heals the wounded, a I was taught a lesson by a sger. It's embarrassing, it's clearly my duty... Hey, silly girl, what's with that expression?"

  "I..." Qiu Raated. "I don't know what to do. I want to go bad see my family. My brothers are probably taking the college entrance exam. I want to settle them well. For me—family is everything. But..."

  "But what?"

  "I 't fight at all. I also don't want to lose my psionic ability. Without it, I'm just a regur girl fixing cars, dismantling parts, and ing them up to sell at the junkyard."

  Qiu Ran hung her head dejectedly.

  "I know the Abyss Humanitarian Relief anization has done a lot of bad things... but they've helped me a lot too. I 't go against them, and I don't want to hurt anyone."

  "Then what do you want to do?"

  "I want to go home, but—"

  "Then why are you dilly-dallying here?"

  Dr. rudely put her feet on the desk.

  "You're an adult, you don't need anyone's permission to do what you want! If you want to go home, the sger has offered a deal, give up your psionic ability."

  "But without my psionic ability, I'll—"

  "Which is more important?"

  Dr. coldly asked.

  "To get something, you must be prepared to exge something. There's no free lunch. If it es to it, sleeping with that man is better than being so hesitant now."

  Qiu Ran's face turned red with embarrassment, angrily refuting.

  "I would never do that. I'm poor, weak, and have no bat ability, but I have dignity."

  "Since you won't sell ynity and don't want to give up your assets, if you're a woman, figure it out yourself. Even if you have to crawl, crawl out of the outer nds!"

  Dr. raised her middle finger, cursing.

  "You just want to use your status as a woman to gain sympathy and hitch a ride—damn, stop thinking men will help you. You're a person, a woman with hands a, not much worse than a man. Seriously, damn it!"

  Qiu Ran's face was flushed, trembling not with anger, but because Dr. 's words deeply touched her.

  —Women of the Frost-Pted Republic always cimed they were better than me zily relied on men's strength.

  Selling her body or psionic ability to get Li Aozi's help—if she did that, what difference would she have from those zy women of the Frost-Pted Republic?

  "Thank you, doctor."

  Qiu Ran's chest heaved violently. She bowed deeply and quickly left.

  I 't rely on others... others are not obliged to help me.

  "Mr. Li Aozi!"

  Qiu Ran ran, traversing the ship's corridor.

  She kept asking for Li Aozi's whereabouts, finally reag Dimitri's house.

  "Li Aozi? He took some books from me a."

  Old Dimitri puffed on his pipe. He didn't light it because of the children. Thinking for a moment, he said.

  "He bought some gunpowder and chemicals, probably preparing for a big fight. He hasn't gone far."

  Before he finished, Qiu Ran had already run off.

  "Wait for me!"

  Her eyes grew more determined.

  She had no bat ability, but Li Aozi bought a lot of gunpowder. Her psionic ability would surely be useful.

  She had to seize this opportunity herself. Since Li Aozi was going to break into the Abyss Humanitarian Relief anization, fighting to the end, she had to prove her worth in fighting alongside and sharing the burden.

  Running fast, her headscarf came loose, revealing her dignified face. Many wanderers showed i, but no one dared to act.

  This was also thanks to Li Aozi... Qiu Ran knew.

  It was Li Aozi's as and impressive feats st night that allowed her, a powerless woman, to enjoy prote because of her panion's status.

  Without Li Aozi's skills, she would have been captured by Law Four long ago... and possibly faced treason charges, affeg her siblings' future.

  She remembered when they first arrived at the camp, and Li Aozi instantly killed three ibalistiderers.

  Without his decisive a, she would have been divided like a cake, with someone probably even critiquioes and ans.

  She had unknowingly... received many favors.

  "Huff... huff..."

  She reached the surface, her speed making her breathless. Looking around, she couldn't see the familiar off-road vehicle.

  Snow mixed with fine rain rendered everything bleak and covered all traces.

  They were gone.

  Thud.

  Qiu Ra, exhausted, on the snow, looking at the vast snowfield, uo see any light in the red-bck Evil Camity clouds.

  She missed the ce...

  This missed ce might never e again.

  It was because she was too weak aant.

  Qiu Ran held her head, missing the ce to return home and repay the favors. From now on, in Li Aozi's eyes, she might be seen as an ungrateful person.

  How could I be so foolish?

  She k in the snow, head down, not knowing what to do.

  She might stay ier nds for the rest of her life, hoping... her siblings could live well.

  Qiuyu and Qiu Ping were smart kids. They would surely get into college and bee upper-css people able to afford a D2000 Snow Wolf hover car.

  Qiuyun, though not studious, was beautiful, articute, and diligent in housekeeping. She would find a good match.

  "Qiuyu, Ping'er, Yun'er, all of you must live well—fly over the Frost-Pted Republic's sky with dignity. It's spacious there, and you won't smell the rust of steel."

  Qiu Ran prayed early.

  "Do well in the college entrance exam. Even if I'm not with you, eat well, drink water daily, and wear more clothes in the cold..."

  As she spoke, her vision blurred.

  She would never see them again.

  "Wah..."

  Her ingled, about to cry out loud.

  Thud!

  The headlights suddenly lit up, illuminating her figure in the dark night.

  "Hey—"

  Naomi, sitting on the car roof, looked ied.

  "Keep g, silly girl. Why did you stop?"

  Qiu Ran stared at her dumbfounded.

  "You, didn't you leave?"

  "No. Just finished shopping for food, all syik. Why is the outer nd so different from the Rose Army?"

  Naomi swung her legs, and through the strong light, Qiu Ran vaguely saw Li Aozi reading in the front passenger seat.

  "But Li Aozi, this fool, insisted on turning on the lights while watg the show—hey, one of the few good things about the outer nds is visibility less than 10 meters for ordinary people."

  Naomi's teasing made Qiu Ran realize the truth.

  "Naomi, Li Aozi..."

  Qiu Ran covered her face.

  "Why tease me—so embarrassing..."

  "Because I told a certain Mr. Li, who prefers anonymity: silly girl is strong, give her a ce."

  Naomi jumped off the car, leaned down, patted Qiu Ran's face, and teased.

  "Don't cry, smile. You look dumb when you cry, and with frozen tears, you look even dumber."

  "I wasn't g!"

  Qiu Ran hurriedly wiped her face, making it messier. The ade her cry more.

  "I—"

  Thud.

  Before she could finish, Naomi suddenly hugged her tightly.

  "Alright, alright..." Naomi whispered. "I 't stand people like you, dumb and clumsy, yet strong and hardw—so stupid."

  Qiu Ran's eyes widened, feeling the warmth from a stranger, finding it... unbelievable.

  Naomi patted her shoulder, f.

  "Don't cry, the outer nds don't believe in tears. But if you're sad and hurt, I give you a hug—just this ono exceptions."

  She buried Qiu Ran's head in her arms, then whispered in her ear.

  "My family is all dead. You must protect yours."

  Then, she let go and climbed bato the car.

  Qiu Ra iill sav Naomi's words.

  So it was Naomi who helped her get this ce.

  Her nose reddened again, tears welling up.

  Honk, honk—

  "Hey, you idiot—why are you still dawdling?"

  Naomi's cursing came from the car, followed by a casual tone.

  "Get in, silly girl."

  Qiu Ran quickly wiped her face, stood from the snow, her frozen legs firmly on the ground. She lifted her head, walking steadily to the car.

  As she passed Li Aozi in the passenger seat, she felt light and easily opehe car door, sitting in the back.

  "Where are we going now?"

  Qiu Ran shivered, hugging herself.

  "Do we have enough fuel?"

  "Don't ask where we're going, ask where the fight is."

  Naomi pulled the handbrake, shifted gears, and smiled.

  "rades, the real battle is just beginning!"

  FAL