Above Destiny

Chapter 566
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

One month later, in the Northwest Region of the Endless Sea, the Seven Cities Federation.

Under the blazing sun, the calm sea rippled with light, and the sounds of salutes, drums, and firecrackers filled the air.

Beneath the water spouting from the fireboats at sea, the Prosperity slowly sailed away from the harbor, heading along the waterway towards the Central Plains.

Amidst cheerful music blaring from the loudspeakers, the mixed fleet of the Seven Cities Joint Defense Navy circled the Prosperity, bidding it farewell all the way.

They were driven all the way to the edge of the sea area of ​​Qicheng.

I still long to go.

"Father, please take good care of yourself on your journey!"

On the deck of the Prosperity, the wealthy landlord, Ming Kele, was reluctant to part ways. Holding Ji Jue's hand, they gazed at each other with tearful eyes, filled with a thousand regrets and ten thousand longings, a heartfelt plea for him to stay.
"It's only a few days anyway, why not stay in Qicheng a few more days so that I can fulfill my duty as a host and show my filial piety?"

Although he had anticipated Minkler's true colors, Ji Jue still felt dizzy and overwhelmed by the barrage of "godfather" remarks. He couldn't take this bastard's attitude anymore.

Want to hit someone.

You can't hit him. Although Minkler is a bit of a dog, he's also a real sycophant.

You can't hit someone who's smiling, especially a client who's eager to hand over money.

"...It's rare to see such a kind gesture from you."

Ji Jue hesitated for a moment, but finally made up his mind: "How about I take you with me?"

"Ah this..."

Minkler's smile froze on his face, his expression twitched, and he seemed to want to let go, but his hand was being held by Ji Jue and he couldn't pull it away.

What kind of cesspool is Central Earth? What's the current situation there?
Making a living among the islands, the seven cities, as trade hubs, are all too familiar with the situation... So why are you heading to the Central Plains with your fleet now?
Ji Jue, that's because you're highly skilled and daring, but you really don't know what's good for you!

"Don't do this, Godfather, please don't do this." Minkler quickly shook his head and pleaded, "I still have family!"

"It's ok!"

Ji Jue waved his hand calmly: "Family members can come too! Let's travel together, all together!"

"No, no, I'll definitely do it next time, I promise!"

With great effort, Minkler finally managed to pull his hand free from the craftsman's grasp. Wiping away his sweat, he still couldn't bear to leave. He leaned closer and whispered, "That's right, we agreed..."

"Don't worry, it's all agreed, there's no going back on my word." Ji Jue promised decisively, "The production line is already up and running. Once the military's order is completed, the next batch will be delivered to you!"

They underestimated the popularity of Riot Cat.

When Coast Technology officially released the news, Ji Jue's phone was already ringing off the hook—admittedly, the Thousand Islands were in chaos, with varying conditions; the poor areas were truly poor, while the rich areas were truly rich.

Especially during this time of impending doom, almost everyone is working hard to prepare for war and famine, spending money like crazy to improve their own safety.

Whether it's lethal or not is secondary, but this thing is really useful for maintaining order!

Especially in places like the Seven Cities, where the gap between rich and poor is so huge that patrol officers can be shot at while walking on the street, equipping each vehicle or team with one of these would immediately and effectively improve control at the grassroots level!

360-degree all-around monitoring and crisis detection with infrared detection, scanning all gun-like objects and automatically issuing alarms and taking action. It detects all channels of signals and identifies any suspected bomb detonation signals. It also features a built-in crisis mode to protect the user's life in the event of a close-range explosion or being struck by a dump truck…

It connects directly to the command center and hospital emergency systems with one click, triggers alarm mode with one click, and uploads information at any time.

It's a bit pricey, but it's really useful after you buy it!

If you allocate the same budget, those scoundrels will embezzle 99% of it, leaving you with barely enough money to buy a secondhand bulletproof vest.

The key point is that the purpose of a bodyguard is not to protect the employer, but to make the employer believe that they can be protected.

This applies to both the police and civilians in the seven cities.

Such an order might be an astronomical figure for ordinary people, but for Seven Cities, no, even for the family behind Minkler, it's just a tiny bit of money.

Over the years, we've all been ripped off, and we're grateful if we get even a fraction of the benefit from our money. Now that a seller is willing to sell to you at the original price and is guaranteed to be 100% effective, and we've been working closely together for years, making them absolutely reliable, we should definitely grab this opportunity!

Even members bought twenty years' worth of memberships in one go!
besides……

"It's my godfather, you know..."

Minkler stammered, seemingly wanting to say something but stopping short, only his large, expressive eyes blinking rapidly: "You see, our Seventh City is also planning to expand the urban area recently, and the industrial demand is very strong. Don't worry, the exoskeleton you sent us before wasn't taken for free; we're willing to pay the price."

He casually moved closer, revealing five fingers from his sleeve.

It's not 55500, it's five times!
At this critical juncture, production capacity in all regions is almost fully utilized.

There are long queues everywhere; you can't even buy a tractor in stock!
As long as the coast can ship, regardless of whether shipping is included or not, people from all seven cities would line up outside Xinquan overnight and carry the goods back in sampans!

"Oh dear, look at me, I almost forgot."

Ji Jue slapped his forehead, looking troubled: "We're all old friends. If the industry has needs, we at Coastal are naturally willing to help. However, we are, after all, a private enterprise. Recently, some industrial exoskeletons have been appearing in the Thousand Islands army. If word gets out, it will have a really bad impact!"

"What are you saying!"

Minkler, his beard bristling and eyes wide, declared in a booming voice, "Those reporters these days have lost all conscience! They'll say anything for the sake of sensationalism. Those are things we picked up at sea; they don't even have logos or markings. How can they be considered coastal?"

"Since it was found, there's nothing we can do about it."

Ji Jue sighed regretfully: "The sea has been quite rough lately. Let me check for you. Hmm, here, and here, we might find quite a few."

As they spoke, the two exchanged coordinates and delivery times, shook hands one last time, and both beamed with joy.

The reluctance is gone, the attachment is gone.

All they have is a heart full of anticipation and longing for the future.

Goodbye, my friend, how sweet is the sadness of parting.

Finally, just before the diving board, Minkler grabbed Ji Jue's hand again, bidding him a reluctant farewell, and silently slipped another bank card into his palm.

"Please take good care of yourself on your journey, Godfather. This is just a small token of our appreciation; we bought you some nutritional supplements to help you recover. Please don't refuse!"

"Oh, oh, oh dear, oh..."

Ji Jue couldn't suppress the smile that curved his lips into a warmer one: "I'm sorry about that."

After a trip to Seven Cities, the Prosperity's cargo hold was filled with a massive amount of scrapped alchemical products delivered by Minkler, and the account kept receiving large sums of money.

My mouth is full of oil after eating.

The only ones who suffered were those thrown into Xinquan, where they were forced to work around the clock, supplying goods with blood and sweat, to maintain a makeshift operation.

There's no other way; it's a special time, and Xinquan also needs to develop.

The building was sealed off after a long and arduous journey, and Ji Jue will bear the infamy!

Our business is booming, Lao Lou! The faster you turn the millstone, the more money our family makes! At this crucial juncture, if we don't work hard to the death, are we going to wait until the market is saturated before we start competing with others?

In just one month, from the announcement of the riot cat to its mass production, Ji Jue has been so busy that he has barely slept eight hours a night. Meanwhile, other similar products have already been successfully developed from scratch and are starting to compete for orders!
Putting aside the level of completion and the effectiveness of the products, the fact that so many new products were produced in just one month suggests that countless engineers and designers have gone bald from exhaustion.

There's no way around it; going bald is inevitable. The opportunity is right in front of us, everyone wants it, everyone's scrambling for it. Chonghui Industrial has launched a new type of explosion-proof armored vehicle, Dongcheng's Echo, after its reorganization, was the first to launch a bomb-detecting robot dog, Tiancheng launched an emergency rescue robot and protective armor, and the drone industry is constantly innovating, with a dazzling array of models...

Everyone is fighting tooth and nail, resorting to any means necessary, to win contracts with the military and to grab market share from outside.

If it weren't for the strong suppression from Midtown this time, it might have turned into another rally.

Ordinary people may not have noticed yet, but the top executives of many of the companies involved can clearly feel that... the entire Federation has actually begun to gradually shift to war preparedness!
The big one is coming.

But how big is it exactly? When will it arrive? Nobody knows, not even the senators in the Midtown Senate who are arguing so fiercely they're practically fighting.

Amidst the fog of the unknown and the allure of potential profits, wave after wave of open and covert struggles engulf even the coastline...

In just one month, the special investigation team from Midtown came three times and investigated seven times!

They'd even peel open the soles of the shoes to examine them closely!
If Ji Jue hadn't already moved all the risky production lines to Punabantu, and instead produced and shipped overseas, he might have been arrested and made an example of this.

At this critical juncture, it is really not a good time for HaiChao Military Industry to go to the Central Plains.

Even though the market is huge, countless big players are lurking in the muddy waters, waiting for an opportunity to fight and kill. If you jump in rashly, you might end up with nothing but bones.

Besides, there are precedents to learn from...

At this moment, just as at that moment.

Lu Yingyue's move led many to believe that she was preparing to repeat her old tricks, hoping to seize the opportunity to open up the Central Plains market and have Ji Jue once again act as a cannon fodder, leading the way for the king.

Unexpectedly, Ji Jue was merely a decoy with his own provisions, serving no purpose other than attracting attention, hatred, and firepower.

All I can say is that Lü Yingyue is throwing the child around for fun again!

Meanwhile, in the desolate region, Ji Jue's bounty once again soared to a new high.

Even Chen Xingzhou made a roundabout phone call to Ji Jue, bringing a warning that the Central Plains is not the same as the Federation, and even different from the Thousand Islands.

That was the true world of the White Deer!
Putting aside other things, the local leaders of the thirty-one branches of the wilderness have an average tenure of less than five years. The rate of elimination is frighteningly fast, and very few can complete their terms peacefully.

If the hatred gets too intense, you won't even know how you died.

Without needing any reminders, Ji Jue had already taken precautions.

Since setting out, he has never left the Prosperity Ship, and he has never stepped out of his workshop, even when invited to banquets and events in the seven cities.

He appeared cautious and meticulous, taking things one step at a time.

They've started acting!

During the journey, the ship only stopped briefly in the seven cities to replenish some fresh water and phlogiston, and then unloaded some equipment and inventory. After that, the Prosperity, fully loaded with the riot cats that were about to be delivered to Middle-earth, sailed straight toward Middle-earth.

Traveling through the night.

He even deliberately bypassed most of the transfer stations, his speed varying from fast to slow, making it impossible for anyone to know his progress or location.

In just three days, they have almost reached the sea area close to the Central Plains. If they keep up the pace, they will be able to reach the Central Plains Federation military base by noon tomorrow. It is also one of the largest cities in the Central Plains in the past.

Once a shining pearl of the Central Plains, now the most chaotic region in southern Central Plains, and the capital of the White Kingdom before its collapse—[Taiwo].

Taiwo, in the language of Middle-earth, means tower.

Before the collapse of the White Kingdom, this place held more than a third of the wealth of Middle-earth. Countless gold pieces adorned the White Tower, earning it the name "City of a Thousand Towers." Now, the White Kingdom is gone, the gold is gone, and after the tower collapsed and shattered, only a barren land ravaged by years of war remains, along with refugee slums stretching as far as the eye can see.

But to the Federation, even the slums on the ruins are an absolute golden city.

Every day, massive amounts of phlogiston are loaded onto ships here and continuously transported to the Federation, supplying the insatiable consumption and greed.

With the massive flow of funds, the magnificent city rose from the ruins and was rebuilt, but unfortunately, it had nothing to do with the people of the Central Plains anymore.

Arms dealers, energy companies, luxury goods merchants, brokers, middlemen, spies, assassins, Imperial Security Service, Federal Security Service, Federal Military, Imperial Seven Star Tower... If you don't have something to do, you'd be embarrassed to come here!
The ingredients are truly fascinating and eye-opening!

Ji Jue scrolled through information about Taiwo on his phone, selecting seeds, and habitually instructed, "Isis, help me with these—"

He paused for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

A monotonous reply sounded, indicating that the notices had been updated.

Unfortunately, it was no longer Isis, but a replacement that Ji Jue casually created using the Lou family's investment during the brief gap in Isis's reconstruction.

The functions are sufficient, but the details and thoughtfulness are far inferior.

There's no one left to argue with me.

Oh no, he's actually starting to miss his workshop spirit, which always likes to rebel and deceive its master. No, he must be wary of the spirit of creation manipulating the craftsman!

Lost in thought, I found myself laughing.

Ji Jue shook his head, put down his phone, and was about to continue his modification work when he suddenly paused for a moment.

got windy?
Under a clear, cloudless night sky, a ripple appeared on the sea, and then, at the edge of the sky, a dark cloud silently emerged.

The calm sea gradually became turbulent, and the waves grew increasingly violent in the gale.

The collision of steel and ocean waves produced a deafening roar.
The vast expanse between the sea and sky, so wide it was almost eerie, gradually narrowed under the cover and pressure of dark clouds, like a box being shaken wildly.

Inside the box, on the turbulent waters, the Prosperity, like a leaf, rose and fell rapidly in the waves.

It was just like riding a roller coaster!
A violent storm suddenly struck without warning!

Ji Jue turned around and looked at the screen in front of him—the weather forecast clearly showed "Sunny".

boom! ! !
Amidst a deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth, a violent bolt of lightning pierced the sky and sea, narrowly missing the Prosperity. The electromagnetic shock caused numerous devices to sound alarms, and the lights flickered erratically.

Immediately afterwards, the dutiful sonar issued a warning.

[Numerous unidentified objects approach]

"storm?"

Inside the headquarters of the Central Earth Security Bureau in Taiwo, Tong Shan frowned and looked at his subordinates: "When?"

"Just now, the satellite department detected a newly formed gas cloud without any warning." The monitoring staff member wiped his sweat, staring intently at the refreshed messages on the screen, including a brand new red-framed alert.

My throat felt dry, so I swallowed.

"A large number of danger signals are gathering, suspected to be a riot by a group of calamity beasts... Spiritual signal analysis: [Sea Locust]!"

"Tsk..."

Tong Shan's expression gradually darkened as he looked at the screen.

Beneath the massive, pale cloud of gas, specks of crimson blood appear, and even a lone boat, oblivious and unaware, sails headlong towards its death…

The Prosperity's location was flickering, swallowed up by the clouds.

Disappear.

(End of this chapter)