Above Destiny

Chapter 563 Thanks
"cheers!"

The bustling food stalls were a hive of activity, with people coming and going. The air was filled with the aroma of barbecue and lobster, and beer foam overflowed from the rims of the glasses.

In the slightly shabby tin-roofed private room, the air conditioner whirred and whirred. Under the dim yellow light, shrimp shells and leftover metal skewers were scattered haphazardly on the table, and the news was still playing on the television.

In comparison, it is indeed not high-class or classy, ​​but it makes people feel exceptionally relaxed and unrestrained.

When we raised our glasses again, though reluctant to part, our smiles were still radiant.

Amidst the crisp clinking sound, Ji Jue picked up his beer glass and took a sip, while Wen Wen, as always, tilted her head back and chugged it down in one gulp.

Tong Hua was already stuck to her, hugging her tightly and refusing to let go, tears and snot almost streaming down her face: "Waaah, Sister Wen, I really don't want to part with you."

Sister Wen, Sister Wen, please take me with you, how can I live without you…”

"alright."

Wen Wen grabbed her by the back of her collar and put her back in her seat for the umpteenth time: "It's just half a year of advanced study. If all goes well, you'll be back in three or four months. It's not like we're going to be separated by life and death."

The transfer order always came out of nowhere.

An order from the garrison transformed Wen Wen into a special representative of the Haizhou Security Bureau, transferring her to this rotation in the Void Abyss. Within the Security Bureau, this was a promotion path that many coveted, and also one of the most valued resumes by the Central City Headquarters.

Nominally it's a rotation system, but in reality it's training. It's a process, and upon returning, you get commendations and promotions. From then on, you're no longer at the local level and are included in the General Administration's promotion list.

Such a precious opportunity fell into the hands of a troublemaker who usually loves to beat up colleagues and flip tables, which must have shocked many people.

Wen Wen, who had never cared about such things in the past, actually accepted the transfer order this time.

We'll be setting off in two days.

Tong Hua was filled with anxiety: "I heard that the Void Abyss is directly connected to the Vortex, and it erupts and riots from time to time. Isn't that very dangerous?"

"Hey, everyone knows it's dangerous, so the defenses and security must be top-notch. Besides, even if the sky falls, there are celestial beings to hold it up. That lazybones Su Biluo has been lying low in the Void Abyss for so many years, what risks could she possibly face?"

Wen Wen comforted her, "Tong Zhizi passed away a few years ago, and you weren't this worried then."

"Plants are plants, and Sister Wen is Sister Wen. How can you confuse them? Besides, she's genuinely worried about you!"

Tong Hua's eyes started to redden again. Wen Wen was about to look up and laugh, asking who could kill her, when she heard her resentful words: "After all, Sister Wen, you like to buy things when you get excited. You max out your credit card every month and can barely support yourself. You often beat up your colleagues when you're drunk. You can't handle workplace relationships. You don't even know if someone has planted a landmine on you. What if you get ostracized?"
Besides, her life is a complete mess. She never takes care of her hair, never uses cosmetics, doesn't do skincare unless someone's watching her, the perfume I gave her is all gathering dust, and all her clothes are jackets and trousers; she never wears skirts. She's not feminine at all... umm... umm..."

Before he could finish speaking, the dog's mouth was pinched shut.

It's covered up tightly.

"That's enough, that's enough, there's no need to say anything more."

Wen Wen lowered her head, avoiding Ji Jue's gaze, picked up the wine glass on the table and poured it into Hanhan's mouth, gulping it down, almost choking him.

Ah, it seems a bit dead.

She quickly let go, and after a fit of coughing, Tong Hua, who was already three-tenths drunk, leaned in again, wiping away tears and sobbing, "How could you bear to abandon our whole family? What will happen if something happens in Beishan District that you can't handle after you leave?"

"The North District is such a small place, what can't it handle?" Wen Wen sighed, "Even if there are some scoundrels who don't know what's going on, Old Zhang can take care of everything while he goes out for a walk."

"Old Zhang is so old, Sister Wen, how can you be so heartless!"

"Ah, yes, yes."

The retired old man nodded frantically, fanning the flames and watching the spectacle: "Oh dear, I'm getting old lately, and my arms and legs always ache, and I'm not as strong as I used to be."

He looked like he was on his deathbed, completely ignoring the fact that the Vortex system had an unusually long health bar and physique. If he took good care of himself, he might still look like this even after Ji Jue had died of old age...

"If Lao Zhang is busy, go find him." Wen Wen helplessly pointed to Ji Jue, who was watching the commotion and eating edamame.

"Huh?" Ji Jue was stunned.

"What's wrong?" Wen Wen laughed, teasingly saying, "Mr. Ji, with millions of dollars in business every second these days, you haven't forgotten your brothers and sisters who work so hard, have you?"

"It's our duty, Sister Wen."

Without hesitation, Ji Jue patted his chest and smiled slightly: "I'll install a few surveillance cameras and two missile launchers in the North District, connect them to the Security Bureau's database, and if they find any wanted criminals, they can just press a button in the office and execute them directly. They don't even need to leave the office. It's convenient and simple!"

While there may be some playful banter and jokes, it's impossible to leave something unattended if anything goes wrong.

While it wouldn't warrant using weapons capable of widespread destruction within the city, even without Ji Jue taking action, a few simple instructions would easily bring down those lowly smugglers and contraband thugs.

"I don't want missiles, I want Sister Wen, waaaaaah..."

Tong Hua hugged Wen Wen and rubbed against her broad chest, unable to tell for a moment whether what she was drooling or crying was tears. Soon, she went back to the side with a bump on her forehead.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Xiao An remained well-behaved, constantly peeling crayfish for everyone, but ended up not getting to eat many herself.

Long time no see, you've grown quite a bit taller.

This immediately made Ji Jue sigh, lamenting how quickly time flies.

In the blink of an eye, it seems like everything has changed.

However, seeing the silly boy still lying on the table crying, I felt a sense of relief. He hadn't changed at all.

It's really comforting.

Although they cried and sobbed, it was simply because they were reluctant to part. Once they realized that Wenwen had made up her mind, could they really stop her from spending her whole life with them?

He fooled around a bit while drunk, but ended up getting drunk himself and went straight to sleep.

Before leaving, they stuffed a lot of things into my bag before I got in the car and drove away.

After seeing off the well-behaved Xiao An and Lao Zhang, who was strolling home with his hands behind his back, Wen Wen stood there, sighing. When she turned around and looked at the food stall that had almost become a regular late-night spot for the Beishan group, she felt a pang of sadness.

Leaving aside the anxieties and hardships after leaving home, after so many years in Yacheng, it feels like coming home, and I've gradually become accustomed to and familiar with it.

Now that she's going to be away for so long, she's the one who misses out the most.

She sighed softly and looked at Ji Jue beside her: "If there's anything that needs to be done in Beishan District, I'll leave it to you."

"Don't worry, don't worry."

Ji Jue nodded decisively, and was about to say something when he saw a pair of bright eyes looking at him under the scattered neon lights.

"I'm leaving in a couple of days, don't you have anything to say?"

"Uh... take care on your journey?"

"anything else?"

Wenwen moved closer, her smile becoming increasingly sly.

"If you have any more, this is for you."

Ji Jue took out the parting gift he had prepared from his pocket: a cat pendant the size of a finger, thoughtfully made in the shape of a keychain. Just as he was about to speak, Wen Wen took it from him.

After examining it closely, his smile grew even more delightful.

"It's rare that you can make something that people like." She fastened it to her belt. "It's pretty good, thanks."

No, that was actually for location tracking and vital sign monitoring... Now that things have come to this, I can't bring myself to say it.

Let's just pretend it's a decorative piece!
Ji Jue coughed twice and said solemnly, "Anyway, be careful."

"Then, I'll leave Beishan District to you." Wen Wen patted his shoulder one last time.

"I've repeated this many times, I know." Ji Jue sighed helplessly, "Nothing will happen, don't worry."

"No, I mean..."

Wen Wen paused for a moment, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and suddenly leaned closer to whisper goodbye in Ji Jue's ear: "I'll thank you when I get back."

"..."

Ji Jue stood there, stunned and frozen in place.

"Well then, goodbye, Ji Jue."

Wen Wen took a step back, scrutinizing his bewildered expression. Then, triumphantly, she twisted the accelerator... wait, why can't she twist the accelerator?!
No matter how many times it was switched on and off, the engine remained silent.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

This caused her body to stiffen abruptly.

broken……

"Actually, we don't need to wait for you to come back, Sister Wen."

That familiar face slowly peeked out from behind her shoulder, tilted its head, scrutinized her nervous expression, and suddenly grinned:
"How about we thank you in advance?"

Once again, I gazed into those bright, sparkling eyes.

Close at hand.

My gratitude is very sincere.

After ten minutes of reflection, Ji Jue had fully experienced it.

Unfortunately, the next time I can express my gratitude will be several months from now.

Therefore, to avoid causing trouble for Sister Wen, Ji Jue simply accepted all the thanks at once.

As the saying goes, a kind word warms the heart for three spring months, while a harsh word chills the heart for six summer months. A simple thank you is enough to make someone happy all day long.

It wasn't until the next day, when they returned to Xinquan and saw Lou Feng's bloodshot, resentful eyes after several sleepless nights, that they finally remembered...

Oh dear, it seems he skipped work yesterday by making an excuse to have dinner!
He can't be blamed for it.

It's not easy for someone to bear the burden, so shouldn't we be allowed to enjoy a peaceful life?
As for Lou Feng's harsh words, let him curse. It won't hurt him. Besides, he's not a petty person. Why would he make things difficult for him?
After enduring Lou Feng's attacks with his thick skin, Ji Jue smiled calmly, pondering how to add more work for him. Then, he saw the motherboard that Lou Feng had finally upgraded after staying up for several all-nighters.

Even though Ji Jue had been habitually frugal and pushed costs to the limit during the initial design phase, Lou Feng managed to reduce the cost by another quarter after improving the motherboard's technology and structure.

At the same time, the processing difficulty has been reduced by more than half.

In an instant, Ji Jue felt like he'd gone up two sizes in his mind's eye, utterly astonished: "How could it be so much cheaper?"

“Spiritualism, kid.”

Lou Feng sneered, "If the Fly King is just carrying a newly hatched Creation Spirit inside, there's no need for the motherboard to use Spirit Crystal."

"Purified mercury obtained through fluid alchemy is sufficient. As long as spiritual matter is incorporated during the purification process, the fusion can be completed. I've written down the relevant techniques on the table; you can look at them yourself later."

"Will he suffer from malnutrition?" Ji Jue asked with some caution.

"Nutrition? Your creations, made with your gas alchemy skills, will naturally absorb scattered spiritual matter from the environment to strengthen themselves. Why would you need to add anything more?"

Moreover, the growth of spiritual intelligence does not depend on the amount of spiritual matter, but rather on gradually experiencing external stimuli and feedback during the work process.

Lou Feng tossed the motherboard into Ji Jue's hands: "Go back and take another look. If there are no problems, we can officially start production after the production line is assembled."

The only problem is that once mass production begins, the amount of Creation Spirit consumed will be enormous.

Lou Feng paused for a moment, then frowned: "Although it is easy to expand the number of Fly Kings as long as there is enough spiritual energy, it is a real pity to waste such a mature creation spirit on ordinary creations."

"Huh? Waste? Why would it be wasteful?"

Ji Jue asked in bewilderment, "Can't we just buy them back after we've sold them all?"

【? ? ? 】

Lou Feng was taken aback and turned around to look.

"You see, from the larval stage to the mature stage, the Fly King's offspring intelligence completes its gestation, learning, and development within the motherboard, which takes about six to nine months, right?"

Ji Jue counted on his fingers: "We just need to add some minor gadgets and upgrades every now and then, launch a new model, and then buy back the old model at a discount, right?"

Then, we can establish another product line, implanting the mature Creation Spirits into more advanced and expensive equipment, and sell them again... Then, once they've been nurtured sufficiently, we can bring them back.

"Oh, right, besides that, we can launch a membership service by bundling products together from the beginning!"

Ji Jue's eyes suddenly lit up, and an idea struck him: "As long as you buy a membership, you can enjoy free system upgrades and parts repairs, as well as discounts on equipment replacements within one year of membership."

As for pricing, let's set it at one-third the price of a complete unit for now!
If it's a bulk purchase, ten units or more, the discount is negotiable... In that case, the customers won't complain, and they might even praise us as a conscientious company!

conscience?

Where the hell is your conscience?

I've insulted you completely!
It sounds fancy and cheap, but in reality, it makes others pay for your equipment, help you cultivate the spirit of creation, and then keep paying you rent, right?
For a client to encounter a scoundrel like you is truly a nightmare!
"If it works, then we'll do it this way. Then, we'll release a few more configuration versions and a few more colors later."

Then, for membership services, you can also offer several different types to differentiate them.

In this way, once we collect the depreciated equipment, we can clean it a bit and then rent it out to individual clients as membership benefits. We don't need to buy the equipment; we just need to pay a monthly rent!

For some reason, Ji Jue felt that inspiration was flowing endlessly.

The rich man's money is money, but isn't the poor man's money also money? Besides, some poor men might be richer than the rich men in the city.

Look at this dangerous wilderness, my family, who doesn't need safety?!
Even if the riot control mechanical cat can't carry any weapons, can't we just set up a location tracking system?
Emergency security and support services can be launched later. Once the service is purchased, the Coast Guard's support and firepower can be deployed from the sky at any time within Haizhou.

Just imagining that scene made Ji Jue's mouth water.

It's so dazzling.

"Alright, stop dreaming."

Having once again witnessed the vast differences in quality and morality among craftsmen, Lou Feng had given up all hope for Ji Jue's bottom line.

In fact, Lou Feng was already quite content that he hadn't even started the Ten Thousand Soul Banner Project yet.

Lou Feng also owns shares in Coastal Technology, and if it develops well, he naturally won't object.

Whether they are kind or not is another matter.

But the most crucial issue right now is...

"The product design and production are all done, so how do we sell it?"

Even the brightest future is just the future, and the most beautiful hope is just hope. No matter how promising the future may be, if you can't grasp it, it will remain just out of reach.

The market is right in front of us, so how do we kick open that door and deliver it to those who truly need it?

Ji Jue did not speak.

Just a smile.

(End of this chapter)