Above Destiny

Chapter 561 A Bright Future
After lying in bed for a full week, Young Master Lou was still quite unwilling. He dragged his feet and came back with a long face. After pointing at Ji Jue and performing the Federal Oral Artistic Gymnastics for thirty minutes, he finally pinched his nose, closed his eyes, and signed his name on the workshop's joint agreement.

It's like signing a contract to sell oneself into servitude.

It took an immense amount of determination.

After signing, I closed my eyes and didn't want to look at it at all.

This life is over!
The moment he signed the agreement, Ji Jue put it away with a big smile and then sent it to the Star Core Association for approval, but in reality, it was just a formality.

If no one interferes, there will be no surprises. But if someone does interfere... then he'll have to have a good talk with Ji Jue, who has been cultivating his character for a long time.

Moreover, even the agreement is just one part of the process.

Given Lou Dashao's personality and thick skin, he wouldn't deny what he'd signed.

A promise is a promise; a loss is a loss, no matter how bizarre or harsh the agreement may be. The fundamental principle is to accept the consequences of one's bet.

For the five years of the agreement, he will abide by the agreement, keep pace with Ji Jue, and act in concert with Ji Jue in all matters within the association. At the same time, as the second-in-command, he will follow Ji Jue's decisions and execute the plans agreed upon by both parties in this alliance.

From then on, he became the number two figure in the non-existent 'Ji Jue faction', as well as the direct resource supplier for the Fly King development project and the legal representative of a technology company that had just been registered in Yacheng.

If we ignore the fact that this company is essentially a shell company, the faction is shoddy, and even Ji Jue's moral character and daily conduct, then it can be considered a pleasant job.

And now, it's an absolute inferno express, a ticket to hell.

Who knows what other trouble this bastard might cause? Lou Feng just hopes that when he's implicated, he'll die quickly...

No amount of oral exercises can bring back the lost freedom and independence.

Lou Feng, having just signed the contract, crossed his arms, glanced sideways at Ji Jue's憨厚 (honest and simple) dog-like expression, raised his hand, and pinched the dog's mouth from a distance:

"Alright, stop talking nonsense. We're all craftsmen, stop with the fancy stuff. How far have you gotten in the development and work on the Lord of the Flies?"

"Ah this..."

Ji Jue stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said seriously, "There is still a lot of room for improvement."

There's absolutely no translation in plain language!
Lou Feng's vision went black.

Then I realized it was too early.

When he discovered the information this bastard had handed him, including the daily spiritual energy shortage and consumption, the scale of the two future expansion plans, and the materials and investments required, he was utterly devastated.

He just wanted to detonate his own soul and perish together with the bastard in front of him.

"Are you burning newspapers for your dad?!"

Lou Feng roared, throwing back the plan that was outrageously expensive, a pipe dream, and an investment that could wipe out most of the Lou family: "Even Xu Chaoxian wouldn't sign this thing you wrote! Are you crazy?!"

"Ahem, isn't this about focusing on the present and looking to the future? There's nothing wrong with dreaming a little; everyone needs a dream, right?"

Ji Jue looked around awkwardly, and after being scolded mercilessly, he pulled out another proposal from under the table: "Then take a look at this one..."

Sure enough, after the absurd plans laid the groundwork, this plan finally looked much more reasonable, making Lou Feng laugh.

Angry.

He almost had a brain hemorrhage.

"So you're using the 'open the window' trick on me now, huh?" Lou Feng's face turned ashen as he glared at them. "I'm a partner, not a sucker. If you bring me this kind of thing again, believe me, I'll turn around and leave. I'd rather endure five years than play with you anymore!"

"Okay, okay, young people have too much of a temper, sigh, so rude."

After hesitating for a while, Ji Jue, looking aggrieved, finally took out the last, more reliable proposal. "Don't be fierce, I'm so scared."

Lou Feng was itching to see that humble look on his face, which showed he had taken advantage of the situation and was now crying tears of joy.

What Ji Jue handed over this time finally brought him back to his senses, bringing him back to his senses from the brink of rage.

In front of Ji Jue, they began to argue meticulously about the possibility of every investment and budget. In the end, they staked most of their current wealth and, with the help of the Lou family's almost rock-bottom price supply of spiritual materials, they barely managed to meet the required investment.

And this is only the initial stage!

Once the Fly King's scale restrictions are completely lifted, the basic equipment and spiritual energy that Ji Jue has invested so far will be nothing more than a drop in the ocean. Even with Lou Feng's investment and the Lou family's support, it will still be extremely difficult and embarrassing.

Ultimately, there is a difference between Lou Feng and the Lou family.

If Ji Jue had spoken directly with the Lou family, the situation wouldn't have been so difficult. Perhaps with the entire Lou family exerting their strength, the initial predicament wouldn't have been a problem at all, and they could have made a giant leap into the later stages.

However, the cost is an imbalance between primary and secondary priorities. In the end, the investment will be enormous, and the Lou family, who control the supply of spiritual matter, will completely seize control, while Ji Jue will be reduced to a lowly laborer.

This is something Ji Jue could never accept.

After all, the nature of the messenger logistics was different before, and he did not intend to completely control it. He relinquished some control, and everyone got along fairly well.

When it comes to the autonomy and fundamental interests of their own workshop, no craftsman can easily back down.

Moreover, even if the Lou family did this, there's nothing wrong with it. After all, they've invested so much to support their entire family, and they only get a few scraps as a token gesture. Don't they have other projects to start or other channels to invest in?

Nobody does charity.

In comparison, Lou Dashao, who is well-known and capable, is the most suitable candidate.

However, Ji Jue, who maintained his dominant position, had to confront the terrifying costs required by the Fly King, as well as Lou Feng's resentment and injustice, and make concessions in other areas.

Compared to other craftsmen and partners, Lou Feng was the best choice to talk to. Ji Jue genuinely hoped for a long-term partnership. Otherwise, if he forced Lou Feng to slack off for five years and then leave, they would truly become irreconcilable enemies.

At this moment, with Lou Feng signing his name on the document and the subsequent investment about to arrive, Ji Jue no longer tried to hide anything.

They took him directly aboard the Prosperity.

This cargo ship now anchored outside Xinquan is Ji Jue's workshop in name only. As for the Doomsday Express and Punabantu, let's keep some privacy and secrets to ourselves.

There's no way around it; I have too many shady things on my hands.

The development and cultivation of the Fly King is a bottomless pit. You keep investing in it, and if you don't get any harvest or output, no one would be foolish enough to be a sucker.

Moreover, Ji Jue has high hopes for its future prospects.

It might just become the flagship product and the signature product of the joint workshop.

At this moment, inside the workshop, what appears on the building facade are the initial results and outputs of Project Fly, the real products after ignoring those PowerPoint presentations that are merely used to paint a rosy picture.

In the workshop's display area, a mechanical product the size of a single-door refrigerator was activated from the control panel and began to move with its short legs.

Its square head with a display screen, the tail-like charging cable at its rear, the two triangular cat-ear antennas on its head, and even two huge mechanical arms give it a strangely cute feel. The armor plates covering its entire body and the detailed data of the internal motors that come with the model itself already demonstrate the terrifying defensive capabilities and output of this device.

This is essentially a super-powered exoskeleton that can't be worn—no, its internal space is large enough to even fit a person if necessary…

After circling the building and touching it a couple of times, Lou Feng had already grasped the product's performance and structure pretty much.

"This is the main output of the first phase of Project Fly, the flagship product of Future Coast Technology Company - Type I Riot Control Cat. All of Xinquan's security cats are its early products and prototypes. Based on this, I made adjustments to the design and upgraded it."

Ji Jue slowly explained, "In addition to 360-degree all-around surveillance and infrared night vision, it is equipped with a mature intelligence cultivated by the Fly King, which can detect any external threats at any time and protect the target, just like this..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly pulled a pistol from his pocket and repeatedly pulled the trigger at Lou Feng.

Just as Lou Feng instinctively went to defend himself, he heard a deafening roar right next to him.

The mechanical cat, which had been sitting there with its short legs folded, suddenly sprang up. The armor covering its body unfolded like scales, and amidst the crackling of lightning, a heavy shield popped out from its giant hand, blocking Lou Feng's path.

Amidst the sirens, all the bullets failed to hit their target.

Just after Ji Jue emptied a magazine, he turned around without warning and suddenly tackled Lou Feng to the ground. At the same time, the structure in his chest opened and swallowed Lou Feng whole.

Immediately afterwards, a roar could be heard coming from the end of the workshop.

The machine gun fires.

With a deafening roar, the armor-piercing shell scooped the entire mechanical cat off the ground. Sparks flew as it tumbled and crashed into the wall, tearing through its original camouflage, before landing in the prepared experimental area.

Then, the crisp sound of steel scraping against steel rang out, and machine gun turrets rose from the ground.

Under the pre-prepared barrage of fire, deafening explosions followed one after another, and the outer armor of the guardian mechanical cat rapidly twisted and shattered. Its internal structure also deformed rapidly.

Ji Jue still wasn't satisfied, so he personally picked up a flamethrower and pulled the trigger on the mechanical cat.

Don't blame me, Lao Lou, this is a necessary test!
It has absolutely nothing to do with the time you pointed your finger at me and berated me. Do you think I'm such a petty person?

But I have to say, it felt amazing!
Under the scorching flames, the test model was completely incinerated into a blazing red wreckage, and in the silence, violent coughing sounds rang out.

Lou Feng crawled out of the twisted, living coffin, covered in dust and panting heavily, still wearing the emergency-grade thermal insulation foam injected into his body...

After coughing and gasping for breath, the first thing he did upon realizing what was happening was to point his finger at Ji Jue and hurl insults. But after fifteen minutes of this, he finally calmed down.

When I looked at the wreckage behind me, my eyes couldn't help but light up again.

After people's likes and dislikes gave way, the craftsman's qualities took over, and Lou Feng, who came from a prominent family, began to instinctively consider its commercial value.

Especially considering that it only costs the same as five or six top-of-the-line tricycles...

I couldn't help but start gasping for air.

Damn it, how come I never get to have such a good thing!
You really did find a treasure trove, you scoundrel!
Imagine a guard who is never complacent, a bodyguard who is on guard against assassination and attacks 24 hours a day, always on duty, never numbed by alcohol, and without personal likes or dislikes. He does not need to consume spiritual energy and can react instantly to an attack. He can protect the user's life in the event of machine gun fire, explosions, or even flames!
Moreover, a monster that, with the slightest modification, could be transformed into a killing machine...

In the blink of an eye, he grabbed Ji Jue by the collar and demanded, "What were you thinking? Why aren't you armed?!"

"Why equip them with weapons?" Ji Jue asked rhetorically, leaving Lou Feng stunned.

In a moment of shock and disbelief, I suddenly realized what had happened.

That's right, not equipping it with weapons, or even deliberately restricting its use, is its optimal solution!

The coast is not the ocean tide and does not have any military qualifications... What they do in private is another matter. What happens after the lights are off cannot be done openly.

Besides, aren't there enough weapons for killing already?
Forget about high-tech and advanced models; with guns so rampant, even a small child with a gun could pose a deadly threat to anyone.

This is precisely why safety is so important!

No one with security needs wants a machine they cannot control to be equipped with weapons that could threaten their life.

Under these circumstances, the fact that it is not equipped with weapons and lacks lethality is precisely its greatest advantage. At the same time, it also avoids them the greatest trouble.

For the buyer, even if it doesn't work, it's just spending a little money to buy a piece of junk.

Those who truly need security don't care about this small investment.

Moreover, its real applications and fields are definitely not limited to private security. Its true brilliance lies in maintaining order in high-risk areas!
As a genuine young master, he was enlightened after just one sentence from Ji Jue.

It is unarmed, and for that reason, it poses no threat, whether to its employer, its enemy, or... its ally.

As a machine, it is inherently limited. Due to the battery limitations that can be imposed by its design, it can only maintain normal operation for three to four hours after being disconnected from the power source. Therefore, it cannot stand alone.

Even if the battery can be replaced to maintain battery life, it can only be used as an auxiliary function.

But support is the best.

Support roles can never replace anyone!

No one will reject it, whether it's upper-level leaders who need local budgets to earn kickbacks, or those who truly need to patrol the front lines to face risks and threats.

Not enemies, but friends.

Friends of everyone...

It can withstand all attacks, both overt and covert, and is always reliable as long as it has sufficient power. Meanwhile, its internal and external attachments can carry enough heavy firepower and supplies, reducing its carrying burden. Its superior observation capabilities, surpassing even the naked eye, allow it to detect hidden gun muzzles and drones overhead instantly, issuing warnings and taking appropriate action.

Compared to the rigid robot dogs currently in service, its application range is far too wide.

It was practically a vast, untouched blue ocean.

Relying on the Creation Spirit produced by the Fly King, they turned decay into magic, transforming machines that could only rigidly respond according to pre-programmed rules into true partners capable of fighting side by side and dealing with threats.

What Ji Jue did was simply upgrade the existing industrial exoskeleton technology on the coast, adding many mature technologies and equipping it with organs such as eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

If mass-produced and with better procurement practices, its cost could even make the low-spec armored off-road vehicles previously produced on the coast feel inferior...

The moment he figured out the accounts, Lou Feng started humming softly.

But then his expression gradually turned serious.

I thought of the rope and restrictions tied around the necks of every craftsman... The biggest problem that must be solved first if we want to truly occupy this promising blue ocean!
"How do you resolve the association's control over alchemical items?"

"Then the question comes..."

Ji Jue shrugged, stood beside the wreckage, spread his hands, and asked jokingly, "Where is the alchemy component in my product?"

(End of this chapter)