Above Destiny

Chapter 531 Price
"Great Lord of the Borderlands..."

"God's enemy! God's enemy!"

"Homage and praise to the merciful and holy Lord! King of Hell!"

The cacophony gradually became clearer.

Simply by opening the window, one can hear the gradually growing sound waves, and even the figures rising and falling in worship, like waves crashing on the shore.

A dark mass.

Like refugees, the pilgrims, having endured countless hardships, traversed vast distances, evaded the Order's pursuit, and passed through the ever-growing eerie realms within their dreams. Finally, they leaped from their scars and plunged into the gates of hell.

They didn't care at all about being dressed in rags, and being physically incomplete was commonplace...

After turning their backs on God, they did not hesitate to worship the devil.

A cunning and depraved individual who craves no wealth and asks for no conditions.

wanna die.

I don't want anything.

I just want to die... I want to end it all completely, to die a final, thorough death.

Upon realizing the true existence of death, one becomes overwhelmed with emotion, and from the parched and shattered self, the last tears fall, mingling with blood, onto the ground.

Despite having attained immortality, they so desperately crave an end.

Not only the pilgrims, but also most of the sinners who had suffered torture and burning prostrated themselves on the ground, begging for the mercy and cruelty of the Lord of the Hell.

He only wanted to die.

Ji Jue remained silent, gazing at everything.

He remained silent for a long time.

Having been so resolute all along, why then does one crave death? Couldn't such determination be applied to other areas?
Why can't we stand up and fight back?

At this point, spouting such nonsense is the act of a fool who doesn't know the value of food.

What doesn't kill may not make a person stronger, but it will inevitably leave scars, one after another, like a net covering the face, just like limbs, gradually becoming incomplete.

When everything has changed beyond recognition, how can one climb out of the mire?
What's wrong with seeking relief from a nightmare from which you can't wake up?

When those who have died open their eyes again and are reborn, they are filled with unparalleled gratitude and joy. But when they discover the true nature of faith and prayer, they are met with inescapable despair.

The proliferation of the Fallen Holy Seal and the rise of the Border Prison merely accelerated the entire process.

Watching the devout people around me who pray day and night gradually lose themselves, becoming empty shells without a face, or being arrested and disappearing for spreading heretical doctrines.

Either bow your head and pray, enduring the constant loss of self, gradually becoming an empty shell devoid of even joy and anger, or become like those madmen, immersing yourself in the temptation of ecstasy, going completely insane, and turning into a fanatical insect.

Or perhaps, they would give up prayer, have their limbs cut off, be hung up to be humiliated, or even be thrown into a remote prison as sinners.

After decades of burning and torture, even if the limbs can be regenerated and the soul can still be considered intact, the consciousness and self-nature have long since fallen apart.

In the end, the so-called immortality and rebirth are nothing more than a more terrifying despair.

For so many years, under the authority of the Holy Spirit, the believers, powerless to resist, have been like cattle and sheep, obediently bowing their heads and repeatedly reaping endless harvests.

They didn't even have a chance to resist.

After falling to the bottom time and time again, and experiencing despair time and time again, all that people crave is liberation.

Therefore, they turned their backs on heaven and thus voluntarily went to hell.

I want to die, I want to die.

Please, let me die.

I'll do anything, as long as I can die...

So they prayed with devotion, and once again.

Towards another 'god'.

Ji Jue watched quietly, unmoved and without any response.

He simply turned his gaze away indifferently.

The gods are not generous, and neither are the devils.

Where in this world can you find salvation and liberation for free?

The scene was so familiar, it felt like I'd seen it before.

In her hazy, drunken state, Wenwen stared at the figures prostrate on the ground, kowtowing and praying. In a moment of daze, she finally remembered.

Where have I seen such a scene?

Among those younger brothers and sisters who were previously eliminated...

It's not just because of insufficient progress, not just because of a lack of talent, or perhaps because of secretly slacking off and failing to become an obedient child.

I failed to meet your expectations, and therefore, I lost love.

He has become a bad example for everyone.

"Kill me...kill me..."

In the mud, the writhing boy sobbed and wailed, "Please...please..."

"It broke after just a couple of touches, how pathetic." Wen Sheng looked down, kicked the empty shell at his feet that looked like a walking corpse, and grinned mockingly: "Look, it's just like an insect..."

Wen Wen remained silent, her face expressionless.

Watching him lift his foot and crush that tearful face into dust.

"What's wrong? Are you angry?"

Wen Sheng looked at him with a puzzled expression, tilting his head and asking suspiciously, "Have you been acting stranger lately?"

Wen Wen remained silent, ignoring her brother's mockery.

Turn around and leave.

It's like an escape.

Until the little girl following behind her mustered up her courage and tugged at her sleeve: "Sister, if one day, will you kill me too?"

Wen Wen remained silent.

When she looked down at that young face that couldn't hide its panic, she realized that she couldn't answer.

I just inexplicably recalled once again the child who was thrown into the incinerator.

His expression.

Tears and smiles that seemed like a release.

That was the first time in her life she had felt envy...

The moment the thought of exchanging ideas with him crossed her mind, she realized that she could no longer be a good child to her father.

I can't understand the fear I feel every time I see my father's gentle smile. Why, when I love and respect him so much, has hatred gradually taken root in my heart?

It wasn't until later, when she saw the same piety and expectation in the faces of the believers as she had in the past, that she realized that what she had worshipped and believed in in the past was nothing more than an idol and a bubble in her own imagination.

What difference is there between them?
"..."

She remained silent, walking through the crowd, no longer looking at the humble, praying expressions of those who could not fulfill their wishes.

No, even if it could be achieved...

Wenwen, can you really do this?

As she asked herself this question, a mocking laugh echoed in her heart.

Laughing at oneself.

When I came to my senses, I found myself standing in front of the workshop's door, still in a knocking posture, not knowing how much time had passed.

His palm, however, failed to strike.

She sighed silently, took a step back, and turned to leave, but then heard the sound of the door opening behind her.

"Sister Wen? What are you doing standing here?" Ji Jue peeked out, pointing to the security camera by the door. "I've called you so many times to come in, but you didn't respond..."

"I...no, I'm fine."

Wen Wen shook her head and gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I was drunk and spaced out, and I took the wrong turn."

"..."

Ji Jue was speechless. He looked at her with the kind of look that suggested she was lying to a fool, until she was about to burst out with anger. Only then did he open the door and invite her in.

"Excuse me, I don't have any wine or tea here. Just have some hot water; it's better for your health." Ji Jue put down the cup he had prepared earlier and suddenly asked, "Did you come because of that group of people?"

"Ah? No..."

Wen Wen instinctively wanted to shake her head, but then she saw the look on Ji Jue's face as if he were an idiot, and she couldn't help but grit her teeth...

This bastard always makes me so angry!
"Let me guess, you want to ask me how to solve this, but you find yourself unable to bring yourself to say it."

Ji Jue ignored the familiar glare, picked up his water glass, took a sip, and said calmly, "When we got to the door and the problem was on the tip of our tongues, we realized that no matter how we tried to solve it, it was a dilemma."

"If we show mercy, we'll have to kill these innocent people; if we turn a deaf ear, we can't bear those sounds and tears, can we?"

"..."

Wen Wen didn't say anything, but stared at him.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Ji Jue asked, puzzled.

"You've said everything, what am I supposed to say?" Wen Wen picked up her water glass, using it to avoid his gaze, but she couldn't help but wonder: Had that bastard Ji Jue secretly learned mind-reading? Or had he created some kind of equipment? It was absurd, but if he was a craftsman…

"By the way, I don't have mind-reading abilities, and I don't need to acquire any equipment."

Ji Jue sighed, "It's simply because Sister Wen, you're so single-minded and easy to understand. Everything is written all over your face... Wait, don't hit me in the face!"

A strong wind rushed towards him, and the iron fist stopped a fraction of an inch in front of Ji Jue's nose.

Close at hand.

That was close! I almost got the reward again!

"While I appreciate your witty remark to comfort me, if you continue to deliberately provoke me, I still won't be able to resist punching you."

Wen Wen sighed helplessly, "So, since Mr. Ji is so insightful, could you please answer my question now?"

"What do you think, Sister Wen?" Ji Jue asked in return.

Wen Wen fell silent immediately.

After a long while, just as she was about to speak, she heard Ji Jue's voice.

"Of course we should agree to their request."

He said calmly, "The plan has been drafted and the batches have been determined. At this moment, Yu Shu should already be organizing manpower and making arrangements."

After all, they themselves said... they'd do anything you asked, right?

After a brief pause, to Wen Wen's surprise, he pulled out a newly printed notice and pushed it in front of her.

A contract, an agreement, and another...

Wen Wen's eye twitched, and she began to doubt her own eyes: "What is this 'job application form'?"

"It's just a job application in the literal sense." Ji Jue spread his hands: "What era are we living in? Are we going to make a makeshift operation like the cult?"
"Our Border Prison is a legitimate corporation; of course, we need to sign a contract and put our fingerprints on it!"

He calmly picked up his water glass, took a sip, and slowly said, "They want to die, of course, no problem. After all, hell welcomes all comers."

However, everything must be done according to procedure, right? It's not that I don't want to kill, but that I must kill in an orderly manner, in a procedural way, and with a clear order and priority.

Otherwise, everyone will be in a chaotic mess, not knowing who goes first or last, how can they possibly compete with skill and flair?

The dog is barking!

That dog bark sounds so familiar!

Wen Wen frowned, flipping through the employee contract below the job application form. The more she looked, the more she couldn't help but frown, grit her teeth, and gasp for breath.

How can such heinous contracts and agreements still exist in this world? Compared to this, even slave contracts seem tender!

Anyone with a shred of conscience wouldn't have written such despicable terms and requirements.

Isn't the profession of craftsmanship a bit too distorted in terms of human nature?!
"Everything is equal, you reap what you sow, there is no free lunch in the world, what you cannot get from the Holy Spirit, I will not give away for free here."

Ji Jue said calmly, "If they really want to die, they should sign a contract and work on an assembly line, screwing in screws. They need to meet a fixed KPI and an additional quota every month. The sooner they meet the quota, the sooner they can be released from this slumber..."

Well, the conditions are actually quite lenient. After all, you won't die here no matter how hard you work. If you put in the effort, working 24 hours a day, you could actually make it in a year.

The price is clearly marked, so no one can be deceived.

If you work for me, I'll kill you.

It's that simple.

Even death was used as a reward...

Then, Wenwen realized that she had been overthinking things: there was no moral dilemma at all, because Ji Jue didn't have any concept of morality!

"But..." she hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "If they really finish..."

Therefore, the people of the Wasteland are all single-minded and inflexible; they can't think outside the box.

Ji Jue sighed.

He put down the water glass and raised a finger.

"Sister Wen, first of all, you need to understand that there are two prerequisites for reaching a contract. The first prerequisite is that at least one year is required. But if we can't handle the Holy God in six months, I think we can just delete the account and start over."

Thus, arrogantly and self-righteously, they regarded overthrowing the Kingdom of God within six months as an easy task, without even the slightest doubt about it.

But ironically, when Wen Wen heard it with her own ears, she actually felt that what he said made some sense, which immediately filled her with mixed feelings.

"Secondly, the second premise is that they still want to die at that time."

Ji Jue raised his second finger and solemnly said, "If a person works so hard, getting up early and working late, spending twenty-four hours a day on the assembly line making screws spark, working day and night without eating or sleeping, yet wants nothing but death..."

So, his death must have been due to his own efforts! To be honest, if someone has the determination and perseverance to seek death, it makes no difference whether I contribute or not.

Faced with such a hero, the only thing I can do is send him on his way and remember him for the rest of my life.

Wen Wen had no response to this.

From the very beginning, Ji Jue never considered this a problem.

The problem is only a problem if it lies within yourself. If the problem lies with someone else, why should you worry about it?

So, there are no problems, only materials delivered to our door.

Want to die?

How can you die by kneeling and praying? Do you think that seeking death doesn't require determination and perseverance? You have to rely on your own efforts to embark on this deadly path; you have to rely on your own hands to create a better future!
Get in the factory! All of you, get in the factory!

If you're willing to kowtow and pray, then tightening a screw must be a piece of cake, right?
If you regret embarking on this long road to the factory, then everything will be fine. But if you remain unrepentant, then Ji Jue can only give you a thumbs up and say, "Good riddance!"

Before this, they all served me like beasts of burden.

"only……"

Wen Wen pondered for a moment, feeling that something was amiss. After a long while, she finally realized: "Aren't you afraid they'll slack off? Besides, even if they don't die, people aren't made of iron. They can't keep up with so much high-intensity work for that long, can they?"

"So, I gave them another option."

Ji Jue smiled and said, "Even those who regretted it after reading the contract, there is another way to achieve their goals more easily and happily."

I was just worried about not finding an experiment... cough cough, where are the test subjects?

As he spoke, he spread his arms to show the work behind him—at best, it was just a framework, a half-finished product that was not yet fully completed.

It was like a cabinet the size of a coffin, filled with spiritual circuits, with a transparent glass lid and unfinished cables.

It looks like a...

...Life support pod?

(End of this chapter)