Above Destiny

Chapter 583 Aftershocks

asphyxia.

Even though a typhoon is clearly approaching, what I feel right now is a stifling atmosphere that makes it hard to even breathe.

The air was filled with an excessive amount of moisture, making each breath feel heavy and sticky, difficult to inhale and even more difficult to exhale.

But when the first large raindrop fell from the sky, the coolness did not arrive as expected. The thick curtain of rain was so dense that it covered everything in an instant.

It was as if the whole world had been submerged by a flood.

Everything is distorted.

Amidst the rumble of thunder, a sudden gust of wind arose, whipping up countless raindrops, dust, and even insignificant withered branches, fallen leaves, and rubble... The already suffocating air was now being forced into our lungs.

Just being in the pouring rain gave me a sense of fear that I was going to drown in the deep sea.

The raging winds and torrential rain swallowed everything.

With the wind gradually increasing in strength, everything swayed and trembled.

Even the buildings rooted in the earth swayed slightly, vibrating and making creaking sounds.

In a brightly lit urban area, the lights of the coastal industrial park are dim.

The power had long been cut off. Unlike other companies, Caotai was now just a lighter factory with no business at all. After starting the generator, the air conditioning and lights were kept running, and the few cats and kittens gathered around the desk to have hot pot.

Outside the reinforced tempered glass, a constant crackling sound echoed as raindrops and debris pelted down in the swirling wind.

Amidst the turbulent airflow, the entire building swayed slightly, creating a sense of unpredictability.

Unlike the others who remained calm, Yan Fei was restless, his gaze constantly drifting to the window... He was responsible for the entire building's renovation and maintenance, as well as its material reinforcement and waterproofing. If anything went wrong, he would face severe consequences.

With delicious food in front of me, I can't bring myself to eat.

"Just blanch them for a few seconds, everyone hurry up and take them out."

Ji Jue casually stretched out his chopsticks: "Eat more, Afei, we'll be busy later."

"Ah! Ah!"

Yan Fei stared blankly, then seemed to understand what he meant. Sweating profusely, he shakily stretched out his chopsticks: Oh no, it seems we've been caught cutting corners.

"but……"

Yan Chang remained obediently seated, taking a small sip of ice water before gracefully changing the subject for her brother.

"...Why is it called White Deer?"

He looked curiously at the raging wind and rain outside: "Could it be a coincidence?"

"not necessarily."

Ji Jue shook his head and sighed: "I don't know the details either, but... since this typhoon is called 'benevolent,' the water behind it is probably not ordinary."

Snapped.

With a muffled thud, a vulture was blown away by the gale and crashed into the window, as if it had hit Yan Fei's heart, making the young man's heart pound.

Fortunately, the window wasn't broken; it only left a bloody mark before falling. If it had created two cracks, given Mr. Ji's habits, he probably would have hung himself outside to fix the leaks...

But it was still just embers.

Immediately, he noticed something strange.

Something is wrong!
The bloodstains quickly disappeared under the typhoon and torrential rain, leaving only a patch of grime and dirt.

But in this kind of weather, how could a vulture come out? In a typhoon? And even if it smashed into the glass, broken its bones and was on the verge of death, it would still be clutching half a wriggling snake in its claws.

prey?

Are you that hungry? Why did you have to pick this time?
He instinctively looked at his mentor.

"gentlemen……"

"Hmm, something's not right."

Ji Jue nodded, turned around, and looked at the little bull and horse in the corner of the office, squatting in its metal doghouse, drooling and fast asleep. Its body was coiled up like a wolf, and through the gaps, streaks of blood light flickered and pulsated, so active.

Panying.

The sound of the bell resounded.

At this very moment, the aura of a large group of people is subtly rising throughout the entire city of Tacheng, no, throughout the entire Central Plains.

At the same time, as the storm approached, his heart began to beat slightly faster. Zhan Lu was excited, sensing the impending disaster.

In such abnormal weather, the activity of entropy is to be expected and obvious, but what about the large groups?
Even the embers seemed to come alive and change. Ji Jue lowered his eyes, and the workshop inside the Doomsday Express started operating slightly, collecting data.

By comparing with Punabantu and Newspring, the activity level of the Embers in Middle-earth indirectly led to an increase in the yield of alchemical creations. After measuring and comparing two batches of creations, the conclusion was drawn that the yield increased by approximately 0.07 per ten thousand.

And what about Bai Lu...?
At this moment, in the wilderness of Middle-earth, perhaps the wild beasts are also beginning to stir with activity and excitement? Instinctively, they yearn to hunt, to grow, to mate, and to reproduce…

Could it be that a change has occurred among those who are of the highest good?

Given Ji Jue's level and understanding, it was truly difficult for him to perceive that this could not even be considered a reign of supreme power, but merely the aftershocks caused by the transformation of that colossal entity.

It's like observing the changes in the stars in outer space.

Perhaps there were collisions and intersections between those magnificent and solemn brocades, and when a few glimmers of light crossed the vast distance and reached the world, what remained was nothing more than a wisp of light amidst the ripples.

Without a doubt, the aura of the white deer appeared in this storm.

It was practically like a riot!
If judged by human standards, it's more like the aftershock of anger, a faint and distant snort...

What happened?
I don't understand.

Ji Jue's mind raced. While picking up the meat and dipping it in the sauce, he had already gone through everything that had happened in the past few days. He was certain that the source of the turmoil was not in Tacheng.

Perhaps what's truly involved is the entire Central Plains?

So who is the mastermind behind this... the Empire or the Federation?
Could it be that these two have done something terrible again?!

It's not fair to blame Ji Jue for having a stereotype; after all, there are very few people in the world with such a scale, and the number of people or organizations capable of doing so is extremely limited.

If the Heavenly Furnace were to intervene, the phenomenon of the stars descending like firewood would be impossible to conceal.

While the corrupting aura in Tower City is currently exceeding the limit, it's never been below it. It hasn't reached its breaking point yet, so it's certain that the Holy Fool isn't behind it. So, besides the Federation and the Empire, who else could it be?
There was simply too little information; I couldn't figure it out.

Time to eat! Time to eat!
Before I knew it, Lao Gou had secretly scooped up almost all the meat!
That bastard is still eating with his head down...

Bang!
The tempered glass shuddered again, and in the strong wind, the entire unfinished building shook violently, then again, and then once more…

The lights began to flicker violently.

Oh no, that bastard surnamed Du, did he give me something that's just for show? Is he already on the verge of collapse? Just how much did that bastard embezzle from the project?!

Soon, Ji Jue realized that he had misunderstood.

It wasn't Dugu Ming who embezzled...

As the building swayed, a thunderous roar came from the end of the downpour, shaking the earth and making the entire city of Tacheng seem to tremble.

"earthquake?!"

Yan Fei instinctively picked up her younger brother's wheelchair, ready to run away.

"It's not an earthquake."

Ji Jue's expression gradually turned cold. The bad news he had expected arrived:

"...The dikes outside the city have breached."

As the typhoon and torrential rains caused the water level to rise continuously, the dike north of Tacheng, which was once jointly funded by the Federation and the Empire and built by the New White Alliance government, predictably collapsed.

It's just that nobody knows how much residue the specialists left over after they took it all, and nobody cares about that anymore.

Amidst the thunderous roar, a massive torrent of turbid water surged forth, raging and rushing along the long-dried riverbed, sweeping down from the mountainside.

They lunged towards the pitch-black slum below...

Ji Jue's phone vibrated slightly as several messages came in at the same time.

The Tacheng government issued a statement saying that due to the impact of a once-in-a-century flood, the dam collapsed, and citizens should not worry as the flood would not affect the urban area.

Then there's an advertisement for the city hall's emergency rescue team: "Floods are merciless, but people are compassionate. We are at your service 24/7 to ensure your property suffers no loss. Fees are as follows..."

This was followed by reminders from insurance companies such as Imperial Glory and Federal Heart, stating that damage from natural disasters was not covered by insurance...

Finally, a warning from the military base: the city will soon be under military control; please do not carry weapons or move around freely.

The vast majority of people who receive the message will curse out loud, then put down their phones and snort coldly.

Anyway, the urban area of ​​Tacheng is located on high ground, so no matter how much the floodwaters rise, they won't be able to reach it, so there's nothing to worry about... Unfortunately, the urban area referred to here is just this one area where businesses are clustered together and it's incredibly prosperous, but it's less than one-tenth the size of the entire urban area of ​​Tacheng.

The remaining nine-tenths of the shacks and slums, as well as the camps gathered in the wilderness outside the city, are not included.

The Federation might say that everyone is equal, and the Empire might write a couple of sentences about protecting its borders and ensuring the safety of its people.

In the Middle Kingdom...

Don't be shy, just say it directly: beggars are like cockroaches, they're nothing but an eyesore and serve no purpose.

The lowest class of people are not considered human.

So what if I die? It doesn't matter.

Amidst the raging winds and torrential rain, Tacheng remained as stable as Mount Tai, unshaken.

In the central urban area, at key entrances and exits and checkpoints, armored vehicles, shimmering in the torrential rain, coldly surveyed the dirty faces trying to slip into the city amidst the chaos.

There was a click.

The sound of bullets being chambered came from the car.

In the distance, the roaring torrents and thunder from the sky mingled together in the rising floodwaters, making it impossible to distinguish between them.

"Mr. Ji..."

When Ji Jue picked up the phone again, a tired, hoarse voice came from the other end, faintly mixed with the cries and noise of a child, "I think... I need your help."

"No need to stand on ceremony, Elder Long."

Ji Jue answered decisively, "Time is of the essence. What is needed? Organize evacuation or relocate the victims?"

"Yes, we have everything. Could you please open the factory area temporarily?"

The elder of Chongguang Church, sitting in a wheelchair, struggled through the rising muddy water: "The church has taken in some homeless children and unfortunate people with disabilities. I promise I won't cause you any further trouble, I just hope..."

"no problem."

Ji Jue replied decisively, "The location tells me. Besides that, what else do you need? Medicine? Emergency supplies? I have prepared a little bit of everything, but I don't know if it will be enough."

"I still have quite a few here, but I'll need to trouble you with the delivery."

Long paused for a moment, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief: "I still have some people here who can help with the relocation."

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. I'll arrange it. Just organize your people and prepare to evacuate." Ji Jue hung up the phone, stood up, and looked at the bewildered Yan Fei.

"Are you full?"

"Huh?" Yan Fei subconsciously put down her chopsticks, stood up, and said, "I'm... I'm full."

"Eat your fill and get to work. It's extremely urgent. You're a Chosen One, after all. If there's anything to do, do what you can..." Ji Jue pointed to his phone, and the data transfer was completed immediately: "What are you standing there for? Go!"

At the same time, his phone screen flickered.

Amidst the raging wind and rain, the factory, situated high above the city, was instantly illuminated.

In the quiet workshop, forklifts started up on their own, scooped up the production equipment that was no longer of much use, and piled it in the corner.

Meanwhile, in the factory area, a line of trucks with their lights on started up on their own and roared into the raging storm.

More than a dozen trucks with their air intake pipes installed directly on the top of their front end plunged into the mud and water that was more than a meter deep without any regard for the mud. They drove wildly and swerved forward through the mud.

They honked their horns recklessly, weaving through streets and alleys, pushing aside rooftops and tables floating in the mud and water, and rumbling over crocodiles and snakes underwater.

In just over ten minutes, they arrived at the church on the outskirts of the slum.

The church was already overcrowded.

(End of this chapter)