Above Destiny

Chapter 619 Coincidence
Snapped!
A wisp of spiritual energy trembled insignificantly for a fleeting moment, and then...

Bang.

A gun barrel whistled through the air, flew from Ji Jue's hand, slammed against the wall, and landed with a clatter, piling up into a small mountain along with other wrecked gun barrels.

"What the hell -"

Ji Jue's face was ashen. He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to swear. He pulled at his hair, panting, looking around but unable to find anyone to vent his anger on.

The calves and horses had already smelled the aroma and run away, not daring to show their faces at all.

Then I'll have to apologize to Yan Fei.

After grading the homework in a venting manner, I gave him even more extra work. His basic skills are terrible. He should go back and practice some more!

As a result, my mood improved a little.

Looking back at the gun barrels being delivered one by one to the lathe, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger again.

Basic skills, why is it basic skills again?

And how could my basic skills be so terrible?!
The reason why basic skills are called basic is because there is no end to learning. You can never finish practicing them in your lifetime. There is no possibility of reaching the end of your practice, only that you cannot improve them.

And now, Ji Jue has also run headfirst into the ceiling.

That's absolutely outrageous! They're trying to kill their customers!
What kind of ridiculous request is this?

Precision?

Let alone absolutes, Ji Jue had never even considered that such a basic, absurd requirement would one day be so difficult for him... Learning has no end, practice has no end, and the pursuit of precision is also endless.

Its meaning is to represent zero error in the workpiece, zero wear during assembly, perfect control and processing, and even the maximum realization of the theoretical upper limit.

If everything were based on theory, it would be too simplistic.

Theoretically speaking, given Ji Jue's current skill level, if given enough time, he could even use molecular tweezers to pinch out the excess molecules from the mercury one by one and turn the mercury into gold.

If only it were that simple.

In theory, if you calculate the trajectory of the bullet correctly, you can shoot from one side of the Empire to the other side with a single shot!
But over all these years, only White Owl has ever accomplished such an ultra-long-range sniping maneuver that spans the entire empire.

She truly grasped the theory and turned it into reality.

Now, with precise requirements placed before him, Ji Jue began to sweat.

The machining and correction of just the inner bore of a gun barrel was enough to drive him crazy. Not to mention his hands were shaking, on the isolated control panel, his spiritual hands only drifted slightly and insignificantly under the microscope, and all his previous efforts were in vain.

Parallelism, perpendicularity, coaxiality, symmetry, center of gravity... size, shape, position... material, density, stress, and physical properties...

In just a few hours, the failed products had piled up like a mountain.

Even the failed product only had a tiny flaw that couldn't be seen under a regular microscope; he could easily have used it to make up the numbers. But the problem was...

Even if you don't sign your name on it, as a craftsman, can you honestly say you have a clear conscience and deceive yourself?

The minor details like the handguard, stock, and grip are easy to handle; it's simply a matter of replacing missing pieces and reinforcing the overall design. However, the bolt and barrel require such high precision that even Ji Jue's advanced lathes are insufficient. He has to select high-quality barrels from a vast selection and then manually adjust the tolerances himself.

Holding his breath and concentrating intently, little by little, he carefully adjusted the Chun Jun spiritual sword from the inside out with his non-aggressive spiritual hands.

But even a moment of relaxation or distraction can ruin all your previous efforts!

Not to mention the subsequent rough assembly, debugging, reprocessing and break-in. If any part of the process goes wrong, it has to be started all over again.

Can you hand-craft nano- or even picometer-level precision workpieces using only your own two hands?

How could I have such an outrageous dream?!
This order is even expedited; it needs to be completed tonight and the goods need to be picked up tomorrow!

are you crazy!
Ji Jue had been working late into the night, but very few of the pieces were actually usable as workpieces; he couldn't even assemble a complete gun.

Now he finally understood why an ordinary order that didn't involve blessing or alchemy could be rated A by Professor Ye.

It's purely about taking a childish toy and elevating it to an absurd level in terms of precision.

To the point that Ji Jue began to wonder if his hands were just naturally gifted with magical healing abilities. He needed a help!

I felt tense, lost, and sweaty, but finally, under the teacher's guidance, I felt my own limits.

Snapped--

Even the slightest error can lead to disaster.

"I'm going to kill you!!!"

Ji Jue roared to the sky, his face flushed red, and pulled out the gun on the table. He pointed it at the picture of Qi Tan Lao Deng on the screen and pulled the trigger, emptying two magazines. He regained his composure and turned back to continue.

Amidst the ticking of the clock, once again, we embark on a climb towards the peak between theory and reality.

Gradually becoming manic, gradually lost, gradually numb.

I'm gradually getting used to it.

Once he shed his arrogance and self-importance, and turned back to face the most ordinary materials and orders, he rediscovered the fear and excitement he felt as an apprentice, sweating profusely and trembling with trepidation.

So, I calmed down.

As an apprentice, Ji Jue embarked on a brand new journey.

After a long, long night, Ji Jue, his steps unsteady, finally pushed open the workshop door, carrying his work with him. He then saw a mountain of sunflower seed shells and fruit peels piled on the table, which fell to the ground.

Old Deng was sprawled on the sofa with his legs crossed, fast asleep, making one want to kick him off the stairs.

Meanwhile, Aunt Bai Xiao remained seated in her place, a velvet cloth spread out on the table in front of her, holding tools and carefully tending to the parts in her hands.

That was a pistol.

After being maintained, the many parts on the velvet fabric shimmered in the morning sun.

Ji Jue paused involuntarily, unable to look away.

At best, it can only be described as skillful and meticulous. Ji Jue could also do that kind of maintenance, but he would never have the same feeling.

It's as gentle as petting a pet, as meticulous as caring for a baby, and as attentive as trimming nails, maintaining a part of your own body.

Partners, kindred spirits, even lovers.

Without any mechanical intervention, Ji Jue could hear a soft, joyful song emanating from the gradually assembling parts, filled with love and trust, showing how deeply it loved its master.

Ji Jue never imagined that one day he would be able to perceive such pure love and trust in other tools.

"It's like raising a child with your own hands."

Ji Jue sighed softly.

"Hmm?" Bai Xiao laughed: "A-Xian also said something similar, but I didn't really feel it. He said so many wonderful things, but I just like them. They're not that profound."

"That's what makes it so precious."

Ji Jue answered, without saying the last sentence... because that's what makes it so terrifying!
In that instant, what Ji Jue sensed from the other party's aura was the pinnacle of [Ascension]!
To imbue a handgun with such wondrous qualities solely through personal love and hate, to elevate an ordinary object to a miracle simply through liking and dedication—otherwise, how could such extraordinary achievements be accomplished across such a vast distance?
"Did you notice?" Bai Xiao laughed, saying nothing, and looked at the box in his hand: "Where's the stuff? Is it ready?"

"It's good, but among the weapons, I can't really pick out a good one or a bad one."

Ji Jue put down his suitcase and said slowly, "As a customer, why don't you choose one according to your preferences? That way, whichever one you choose will at least be pleasing to the eye, right?"

The box was opened, and three cleaned rifles came into view.

To be fair, it's just a weapon; ignoring the absolute precision requirements and manufacturing accuracy, there's nothing magical about it.

Just looking at it is enough to make your heart flutter.

The instinctive feeling tells everyone who sees it what perfection truly means!

Initial processing, fine processing, break-in, balancing, integration, and then nurturing with the spiritual essence of fluid alchemy—even the final anti-rust coating has achieved a surface smoothness at the nanometer level.

flawless.

He has done everything in his power—no, beyond the limits—to ensure precision and perfectly meet the client's requirements.

The only drawback is that... out of the three, only one is a truly finished product.

The remaining two games each had some flaws, more or less.

The difference is, can you really tell the difference?
"Challenge?"

Bai Xiao's smile grew even wider as he grinned, "As expected of A-Xian's student... Back then, your teacher played the same game as me."

Ji Jue was momentarily taken aback, then saw her reach out and run her fingers over the three rifles: "Hmm, this one shows the most effort put into it, it must be the first finished product, right? But unfortunately, there are still quite a few flaws. The second one, hmm, not bad, but unfortunately there are some issues with the integration. So is this the third one? Unfortunately, no, the third one is the most balanced, nothing special, but still not it."

so--"

With a crisp click, Bai Xiao casually disassembled the three rifles into pieces, and then pieced them back together from scratch.

In the end, the only finished product among the three appeared in front of Ji Jue, perfectly flawless!

Ling Jijue fell silent for a moment.

Nothing to say.

"How did you get it?"

If Ji Jue weren't the maker, he probably wouldn't be able to tell in an instant which weapon and which part is the real masterpiece.

"Feelings, these kinds of things, you just go by feeling, haha, you craftsmen probably wouldn't understand, would you?"

Bai Xiao chuckled, stroking the weapon in his hand, captivated: "What a beautiful little guy... He's a bit temperamental and hungry, but what's rare is that he's so docile and obedient. Overall, he completely meets the requirements. Not bad, not bad at all. He has exceeded my original expectations."

"Just meeting the requirements?" Ji Jue asked rhetorically.

"It depends on the reference point, right?"

Bai Xiao put the weapon back into the box. "Although I really want to praise you, compared to A-Xian, there is still a lot of room for improvement."

She thought for a moment and said decisively, "At your pace, in ten, no, five years, I'm afraid I won't be able to tell the difference at all."

Ji Jue nodded calmly.

His calm demeanor surprised Bai Xiao slightly.
"Aren't you dissatisfied?"

Ji Jue countered, "As a student, isn't being compared to a teacher the greatest honor and praise?"

"..." Bai Xiao was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "This is the only thing that doesn't seem like A-Xian."

"Even between teachers and students, there's no need for them to be exactly the same, is there?"

"Hmm, that's true." Bai Xiao patted the box in his hand, his smile suddenly becoming mischievous. "However, since you know who I am and still gave me this, it means you were somewhat prepared, right?"

"As a craftsman, all I need to do is fulfill the customer's orders and requirements; everything else is none of my business."

Ji Jue picked up a cup of cold, strong tea, drank it all in one gulp, and didn't care at all.

Those who are allowed to enter the workshop are the customers that Ji Jue acknowledges.

The customer wants a gun, so he makes a gun; as for who that gun is meant to kill, it doesn't matter.

Anyone can die!

Looking across Baibang today, Ji Jue would want to set off firecrackers and pop champagne whenever any of the guys who deserved to be aimed at by this gun died.

His only regret was that the gun was only a semi-automatic weapon, and its output was really not enough. If possible, he would have liked to include a water-cooled machine gun as well!

Anyway, from the Federation to the Empire to the Wasteland, they're all a bunch of damned bastards, they should all die, die, die!

"As expected, they are Mohists."

Bai Xiao grinned, hoisted the box onto his shoulder, and kicked the snoring Old Deng awake. "Let's go."

However, as she pushed open the door, she came to her senses, slapped her forehead, and turned to look at Ji Jue: "As a craftsman, at the very least, you should give your work a name."

While it may not be considered an alchemical creation, it was still a labor of love, wasn't it?

"..."

Ji Jue remained silent, scratched his head, and gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I'm really not good at this kind of thing, so let's just forget about it."

"Just pick one, anything is fine!" Bai Xiao urged, "It'll give you a sense of participation."

Let's skip this kind of participation, shall we?
Ji Jue sighed, thought for a long time, and said, "Then let's call him 'Chekhov'."

Bai Xiao looked puzzled, then surprised: "I didn't expect you to be a theater enthusiast."

"The designer of the B87 style is named after that." Ji Jue laughed. "Isn't that a coincidence?"

"really."

Bai Xiao nodded, pushed open the door, and left.

In dramatic theory, if a gun appears at the beginning of a story, it will definitely go off before the end.

This is Chekhov's Spear.

Even more coincidentally, in dramatic theory, if this gun that determines the ending hadn't appeared at the beginning of the story... then its name would be: Deus Ex!
No matter which one it was, there were gunshots.

Because someone is going to die.

"That's fucking good."

Ji Jue put down his empty teacup and looked out the window at the sky. Amidst the sonic boom, fighter jets sped past, stretching endlessly.

Carrying the winds of war, it went to a distant place.

boom! ! !
In the distance, amidst the deafening roar of the explosion and the swirling sandstorm, the thick smoke and flames of hell rose once more.

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(End of this chapter)