Unusual Fate Records

Chapter 291 021. The Heavy Burden on My Shoulders Cannot Break Me

Jin Junlai walked along the commercial street, pondered for a long time, and then dialed his cell phone.

"Hello?" came the impatient shout from the other end of the phone.

"Brother Zhang, it's me."

"Thud." The sound of a man falling off the bed came from the other end of the phone. He then stood up with a thud and said, "Brother Jin, it's you! I haven't heard from you in so long. Where are you? Come to Hangzhou and catch up with me sometime."

"No, there's something urgent here. I'd like to borrow some people from the heads of your major halls. I need elites, a few more stewards and elders, and it would be best to invite all the people from the Eight Great Masters' hall."

"What's the matter that requires you to mobilize so many people?" He was clearly surprised and smiled tactfully, "As you know, the Fate Masters all do their own thing. The hall is full of free spirits. Those truly enlightened hermits and elders rarely show their faces anymore. If you don't explain the situation clearly, it will be difficult for me to handle this."

Jin Junlai felt contempt. Those who controlled fate were all opportunists; they wouldn't actually make a move unless they gathered some useful information.

"I can't say exactly what it is, but I have a feeling that there will be a major upheaval in Linghai City, involving the nation's history, and I'm afraid a catastrophe is coming."

The other party's attitude had clearly changed considerably, and he asked solemnly, "Brother, you must have evidence for what you're saying. Besides, I can't make a decision on such a big matter. You know the Elder Council holds the dominant power. This kind of thing has to be reported to the Elder Council and verified by the elders before anyone can be appointed. Our Eight Great Halls are just there to maintain appearances; we don't have much say... But don't worry, brother, our Azure Dragon Hall has always relied on your side..."

Jin Junlai felt inexplicably agitated and abruptly ended the call.

Even the Azure Dragon Hall, with whom they have personal ties, is making excuses like this; the other seven halls are even less likely to do so. They can only contact a few close brothers privately.

In his early years, Jin Junlai roamed the south, killing ruthless bandits, eliminating drug lords, and capturing notorious thieves. Countless otherworldly ghosts fell beneath his feet.

He's just used to taking unorthodox methods, and over time, he's lost the grand vision and ambition his grandfather had for reviving the Jin family. He's too lazy to get involved in the elders' council's messy affairs. Otherwise, if he were an elder now, he might be able to provide this brat with more security.

No, that's not right either. If you get involved in that mess, you'll end up arguing with those old folks who're practically half-buried. People just get more and more stagnant as they get older.

Jin Junlai felt frustrated but it was no use. He still contacted a few trusted brothers, all of whom were comrades-in-arms he had made during various bounty missions in the past, and had a life-or-death friendship with them.

Whether in the realm of Fate Control or Ghost Hunting, the name "Jin Junlai" is a powerful brand. Every line of battle records, each bright red number, is stained with a touch of bloodlust.

With green halberds and erected cloud platforms, a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses arrive in one army.

In ancient times, he would have been a brave and fierce general capable of taking on a thousand men single-handedly.

Whether they were out on the streets or involved in both legitimate and criminal activities, they had all vaguely heard of the name "Jin Qianjun".

But now the valiant general is a bit worried. Even a hero can be brought down by a lack of money. His meager savings are only enough to support his wife and children, maintain the armory, and cover some social obligations. He's really struggling to come up with any more.

"I need to go back and check my old buddies," Jin Jun thought as he arrived downstairs at the department store.

It's hard to imagine that there's a secret passage leading to the very center of this super shopping mall from one of its unassuming storefronts.

When it was first built, the walls were used as cover to gradually plan the layout and create a private armory.

"Pupil verification successful, fingerprint successful, please enter your password."

Jin Junlai skillfully typed in a string of numbers, and as the door opened, he slowly walked in.

……

At midday, the sun was shining brightly.

"Ding dong."

The store doors opened, and customers began to come in to buy fresh produce or daily necessities.

"welcome."

Fu Qin, dressed as a sales clerk, stood in front of the bar and nodded slightly.

She was only 16 years old, but she rarely showed any signs of being a naive student. Her smile was appropriate, her tone was sincere, and she was very skilled at her job. After changing into a teller's uniform and putting on a baseball cap, she didn't look like a minor at all.

The store manager's name is Xu Shuwen. He remembers that he first met her at eight o'clock every night when the unsold fresh produce would be sold off at a 30% discount.

At eight o'clock sharp, the girl would appear in the store and buy the bread, vegetables, chicken bones, and other items that hadn't sold that day. If she was lucky, she might even have some lean meat left over.

Later, during their conversation, he discovered that the girl was actually a student at Yanhe School. Xu Shuwen remembers being quite surprised at the time. Yanhe was a top-tier public school in the city, but it was a boarding school, at least an hour's drive away.

Moreover, it's quite rare to see someone still in school not only taking care of their studies but also being responsible for household chores like grocery shopping.

The girl said she was a day student because she needed to take care of her younger brother.

Later, after learning about the girl's background, the shop manager looked at Fu Qin's calm expression and remained silent for a long time.

The next day, he would find a way to secretly save some meat for her.

As we got to know each other better, I invited her to do some part-time work on weekends so she could take the leftover fresh bread home after get off work, which was a perk for the store employees.

The store manager clearly remembers that when the girl heard the news that day, her eyes lit up for once, and she showed a genuine smile. It was like a handful of clear water, but it made people feel that she had tasted bitterness.

The girl looked great in the baseball cap, with playful strands of hair framing her face and slipping down her sides. The cap also cleverly concealed the cool indifference in her eyes. Her voice, like a babbling brook, was incredibly pleasant to hear.

Many young people even pretend to buy a few items every weekend just to talk to her.

The store is busy on weekends with a large flow of customers.

At the counter, a long line of people were waiting to pay. The young man in front of him had his elbows on the glass, pretending that he couldn't scan the QR code to pay, but in reality, he kept glancing at Fu Qin's face out of the corner of his eye.

Several other people were also staring at the cashier. With the guys in front of them holding them back, they became even more brazen in their glances.

Fu Qin felt disgusted, but she couldn't show it. The shop manager had been kind to her, and she couldn't ruin his business.

It's a pity he went upstairs for a rest; otherwise, dealing with this situation might have been easier for him.

An elderly man behind him had a gloomy expression. He ignored everyone else, walked around the young man in front of him, picked up the vegetables from the plastic bag, and wanted to pay the bill.

The other people in line cast disdainful glances, but no one dared to step forward and stop them.

The general public's level of civility is such that they all have the mentality of "it's better to avoid trouble."

However, because Fu Qin was not good at socializing when she was young, she was surprisingly straightforward in some ways.

"Excuse me, please don't cut in line." She was a little overwhelmed, scanning product codes and checking the payment on the screen, and casually mentioned it.

The old man's face was as dark as a storm cloud. Some things are better left unsaid; otherwise, people will feel humiliated and may even develop violent tendencies.

Without saying a word, he suddenly threw a bag of vegetables at Fu Qin's face, then turned and walked away.

Before Fu Qin could react, she was drenched in vegetable leaves and dew.

She flinched instinctively after being attacked, and was momentarily stunned.

The sweetness will return in the next chapter.

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(End of this chapter)