Above Destiny

Chapter 620 He's a good person, just a little bit bad.

In the wilderness outside Tacheng, the mournful cries of fighter jets once again echoed as they swept across the sky.

Even the deafening roar of bombing.

The wilderness trembled, the mountains shook, and houses, fortifications, or suspected targets crumbled in the flames.

Soon, everything came to an abrupt end. After the routine, aimless bombing, the combat formation moved away and disappeared from sight.

A few minutes later, a raging wind swept through, carrying sand and stones that engulfed the entire world.

In this vast wilderness, there are ravines and weathered giant rocks everywhere.

Occasionally, the earth would rise up, and enormous worms would crawl out from underground, devouring lizards and hyenas, only to be preyed upon by other wild beasts. Before they could even be left to rot in the wilderness, they would be devoured by a large number of scavenging creatures that had come attracted by the smell.

It was like hell.

There is nothing but desolation.

After a line of armored vehicles reached the agreed location, they slowly came to a stop. During a brief lull in the storm, drones were deployed to scan the surrounding area.

After confirming there were no hidden dangers, the fully armed soldiers dismounted, the observers began to quickly map the terrain, and the others stood guard around the perimeter.

Smoking, stamping his feet, urinating, and getting some fresh air.

We've long been used to it.

"Damn it, I really can't take this kind of life anymore."

Liang Mo tilted his head back and gulped down the water in the pot. The few drops that remained spilled onto his body, and soon his lips, exposed to the scorching sun, became dry again.

When you breathe, the dust scrapes into your throat and lungs like tiny blades, bringing waves of a dull, astringent pain.

Behind them were jagged mountains that crisscrossed like sharp blades, and in the distance stretched endless deserts and ravines. And further still, the gloom had returned.

This signals the arrival of the storm and the end of the rest period.

"Everyone, get back to the car, quick, quick, quick!"

Liang Mo urged him on, shouting.

The time was short.

Soon, a massive storm engulfed everything.

Flying sand and flying rocks.

Inside the armored vehicle, only a series of crackling sounds could be heard as it swayed in the strong wind, occasionally accompanied by muffled thuds from collisions amidst the violent vibrations.

In this desolate wilderness where the celestial order has been disordered and disasters have raged for hundreds of years, this is nothing more than the most ordinary and unremarkable scene.

Unpredictable natural disasters and earthquakes that seem to happen as frequently as eating and drinking, coupled with constantly changing terrain and roads, make it impossible to move an inch without a local guide.

There are no resources, no value, nothing but trouble.

It is precisely because of this 'advantage' that the Restoration Front has been able to continue to this day...

Middle-earth is too big, ridiculously big. Even the White State region is comparable in size to the Federation, yet there are very few habitable places.

The Empire and the Federation's control and influence are limited to the periphery of the Central Plains and certain resource-rich areas, like putting gold on a lattice, making it difficult to completely cover the Central Plains.

It's not necessary either.

Why go through so much trouble and invest so much effort to occupy those barren lands that have no resources or value whatsoever?

There's no need to even claim resources yourself.

Divide, restrain, win over, control...

This is the classic route taken by the Federation and the Empire in Middle-earth, and it always works.

By exacerbating racial or class conflicts, supporting a puppet regime, and secretly fostering an anti-government armed force, the two sides can fight like dogs, and neither side can do without the mediator who has the biggest fist.

They seized sovereignty without bloodshed and without getting into any trouble.

Because both sides knew perfectly well that, from beginning to end, the real enemy was always the other.

This is precisely why there is fear and tension, endless probing and constant clashes. At the same time, they work together to divide up everything else, and without hesitation crush any troublemakers.

Now, under a common threat, after many years, all the forces of the Federation and the Empire in the White State have once again joined forces in a rare effort to eliminate the threat!

No matter how much I try to reason with you, you won't listen. Let's have a real fight!
In just a few days, both sides mobilized the vast majority of their forces, venturing deep into the wilderness. The shadow of airships loomed over the land, and armored vehicles roamed the desert.

The bombing, carried out in three shifts, has continued since the day before yesterday, with no effort spared in destroying any fortifications or strongholds that could potentially belong to the White Alliance.

A brand-new frontline base rose from the ground, while at the same time, countless strongholds of warlords, local armed forces, and the restoration front were burned to the ground.

It was a complete and utter victory, without any surprises.

At the same time, it is only natural that progress is extremely difficult...

Similarly, it can only be said that this was expected.

Unless the people of the White Bang Restoration Front are out of their minds, how could they possibly confront the iron torrent of Tianyuan head-on?

After receiving the first wave of information, they quickly dispersed into smaller groups, abandoning all their previous strongholds and hiding in secret. Taking advantage of the terrain of the mountains and wastelands, they began to skillfully roam and harass others.

They shoot in the shadows, plant landmines, build traps, and make bombs.

The drones kept harassing us, sneaking up on our backs when neither side was paying attention. They did whatever was disgusting and annoying, avoiding any direct confrontation. It was incredibly frustrating.

They often launch a blitzkrieg during lulls in the disaster, then retreat before the main force and fire support arrive, disappearing back into the storm.

They might even lead their pursuers directly into earthquake zones, swamps, or the pits of large monsters.

Furthermore, even natural disasters have been turned into weapons.

This caused the Federation and the Empire to suffer a setback as soon as they began their advance, after initially focusing their attacks and eliminating threats.

There's no way around it; even the fastest rapid response force can't outrun a natural disaster, and armored knights can't be on standby 24/7. Besides, the preparations before and after deploying powered armor take more than just an hour or two.

The commanders on both sides cursed a lot because of this.

Does cursing your mother help?

Before you start cursing, why don't you think about where all these disasters, so numerous and frequent they're astounding, actually come from?
Are they all local features of Middle-earth?

Natural disasters are so numerous, like the fog of war, and they're even moving. Satellites can't be used. Who can we blame?

You can't expect a place to be your garbage can, your backyard, your septic tank, and your dining table all at once.

They had brought this upon themselves, and could only grit their teeth and endure it, using the most rudimentary method to advance slowly, gradually closing in and encircling the enemy from both sides, compressing the Restoration Front's operational space, while relying on the mobility of the Armored Knights and the Chosen Ones to strike key units.

If it's inefficient, it's inefficient.

As long as it works!
The news was full of good news every day, about the White National Restoration Front's bad start, its series of blunders, and its obvious decline... In short, it was all about winning, winning, winning, and winning it all.

Ji Jue arrived at the Federation's front-line base under these circumstances.

As a special envoy of Haichao Military Industry, an after-sales engineer of Coastal Technology, a gold ribbon craftsman of Taiyi Ring, a collaborator of Huangji, the largest supplier of alchemical bullets for the Federation Armored Knights, and even the largest alchemical item recycler and middleman in the entire front-line base...

A man, carrying six or seven portions of money, arrived in an airship with his subordinates and henchmen. Enjoying a luxurious lunch prepared by the officers and chefs, sipping champagne and red wine, he sat opposite Tong Zhiwu. Amidst profuse thanks and countless expectant gazes, he leisurely descended from the sky.

Well, the juvenile plant is benefiting from his fame.

Otherwise, as a senior enforcer for the security bureau, he would either have to travel by car or walk, so how could he enjoy the escort of a fighter jet formation?

Tong Zhiwu had mixed feelings: "I always felt like you'd been here for two months and were doing better than me?"

"There's nothing we can do; that's just how we arms dealers are."

Ji Jue raised his hand to toast to friendship: "The more heated the fight, the more money we make!"

The dog is barking again.

Tong Shan sighed, helpless.

All I can say is that Ji Jue is good at everything except for one thing... Where else can other arms dealers get this kind of treatment? The senior sales staff from Huanyu Heavy Industry and Great Creation are still looking disheveled, driving around with their own food, eating dust in the back.

All I can say is that choice is more important than effort.

That bastard always manages to find the limits and boundaries that everyone can tolerate, then he squeezes through those loopholes, makes all the money, and then you still have to thank him.

Simply put, no matter how difficult or challenging things get, he can find you an even more difficult and challenging path, and then 'kindly' help you avoid it...

Either let me sit at the table, or we'll eat shit together. Choose!

So much so that countless people hate him to the core, yet they can't do anything about it.

As soon as the airship landed, amidst a deafening buzzing sound, a sparse gray-black color rose from the base and flew in all directions.

Drones, countless drones, swept across the wilderness after the storm in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, gunfire erupted.

The warning machine guns on the wall began to hiss and flash. After a loud bang, a large number of strange, scaly giant birds fell from the clouds like rain.

It continues uninterrupted.

In just the last two days, the drone identification system and anti-drone system have been upgraded to a special version to meet the specific needs of Baibang.

The upgraded identification system is now fully integrated with the other side. The system is no longer only monitoring drones, but also wild animals, large insects and venomous snakes roaming the wilderness, as well as various mutant species.

The system locks onto the target the moment it is detected, and then automatically fires to eliminate the threat.

The identification rate for targets most common in the wilderness, such as marching man-eating ants, mimicking monitor lizards, and burrowing worms, reached over 90%.

It received a 99% positive review rate on the same day. Apart from one idiot who was shirtless and had a 3D tattoo of a red-scaled man-eating python on his bare chest and was scared to death on the spot, there were no victims.

Now, thanks to this system, the entire frontline base has saved at least 60% of its patrol manpower.

When a convoy equipped with this system goes out, its safety is improved by more than 60%—within the patrol range, even the most concealed snipers and explosives can be eliminated immediately—the remaining 40% either happens when the driver drives into a rift valley and the convoy is buried by an earthquake or storm, or when they encounter the elite troops of the White Bang Restoration Front...

So much so that as soon as the airship's cabin opened, the head of the frontline base's armaments department rushed over like a grandson, his face full of enthusiasm: "Master Ji, is this Master Ji? This way please, Master Ji. Your workshop and area have been planned out, according to your requirements, right on the outskirts."

However, security and utilities are top-notch; everything is ready, everything is perfectly prepared!

"You flatter me, you flatter me, it's nothing." Ji Jue smiled and shook hands. Behind him, a series of mechanical behemoths, resembling oxen and horses, carried boxes of various sizes and filed out.

The entire 'horse caravan' marched through the front-line base in a grand manner and entered the newly installed prefabricated houses. Along the way, countless people lined the streets to welcome them, cheering and shouting.

Some of the smarter ones were already standing at the door, waiting in line to get a number from the riot police.

They're all customers.

To be more specific, they are all customers who have money in their hands and the desire to consume!
It was a lush green, just like chives.

The sight of people queuing up to give money was truly heartwarming.

As the saying goes, a generous reward will surely attract outsourcing.

The frontline base is short of everything except Chosen Ones, who are as numerous as stray dogs on the roadside.

After all, the military system is inherently incompatible with the Chosen Ones outside of large groups. In situations where large-scale centralized combat is not possible, wild Chosen Ones are more cost-effective.

What's more, who wouldn't like a tool that doesn't need to be paid, doesn't need to be provided with food and lodging, and will be eager to kill the Restoration Front for a little money?
Since ancient times, there has never been a shortage of people willing to do this kind of work that involves exchanging other people's lives for money. What's more, with Huangji pushing things along behind the scenes, countless people are rushing to Baibang, afraid of missing out on the limited-time event and the rare card pool.

Under these circumstances, Ji Jue, as the gold-striped craftsman who monopolized the supply of alchemical bullets for the entire front-line base, and also the only official supplier who could cooperate with the base under the guise of the military, was extremely sought after.

In a game, that's like a gold-medal daddy sitting in his base camp waiting for players to come and give him money. As soon as word got out, the line of people was already stretching from here to the command post.

Sweating profusely, Yan Fei stood at the front maintaining order, shouting through a megaphone, "Everyone, don't rush, don't rush, we'll be open for business soon."

In the blink of an eye, right before everyone's eyes, a brand-new workshop covered the original simple prefab house amidst the flowing silver light, rising from the ground. Then, the mechanical oxen and horses that lined up to enter lay down on the ground and transformed into shipping containers with a series of clicks.

As a result, a dazzling array of goods appeared before everyone's eyes.

Alchemical bullets of various grades, bulletproof plates treated with three-phase alchemy, and standard knives, guns, swords, halberds, firearms, and armor from various association catalogs.

The vast majority are alchemical creations that do not contain blessings.

As always, it targets the vast number of budget-conscious guys who value cost-effectiveness. After all, the newly minted Chosen Ones may not be able to afford a peerless sword, but they can certainly afford a 5G Silverscale Breastplate.

From selling basic alchemical artifacts to customizing blessed artifacts, as well as identifying, deciphering, and recycling loot, the entire business was launched in a makeshift manner.

The vast majority of the work was left to the Yan brothers, leaving Ji Jue with very little opportunity to do it.

After looking around and examining the bustling workshop, he felt something was missing. Then, when he saw the empty space by the door, he suddenly realized what it was.

A pat on the head.

"By the way, where's my security guard?!"

After a phone call, a large group of heavily armed guards were dragged out of the federal base's canteen and officially started their jobs.

Suddenly, amidst the hustle and bustle, the workshop, which didn't even have a registered name yet, seemed to be thriving.

After setting up the workshop's business, Ji Jue led the people from Coast Technology to set up the repair workshop.

After that, it stopped moving.

Like a normal craftsman, he lived a secluded life, only occasionally appearing to resolve orders that Yan Fei couldn't handle, and he didn't even bother with the wolves.

The White Kingdom Restoration Front is currently holed up in the mountains and deserts, while the Federation and the Empire are also making slow progress. In the short term, both sides are still probing each other and cannot achieve any decisive results.

How could someone like Ji Jue, who was deeply involved, sit in the base and waste time? He should seize the opportunity to transform his strength first!
For a whole week, he squatted in the workshop of the doomsday train, fiddling with 'himself'.

Besides converting all the large sums of money received from the Security Bureau and Huangji during this period into materials, and then further strengthening the reborn mechanical body, the rest was put into Zhanlu.

If Pan Ying wants to strengthen himself further, he'll need to gather a few more Six Heavenly Ghosts' Legacy Offerings to unlock the upper limit. Chun Jun doesn't need to worry about it; as his own rank increases, his power will naturally rise accordingly.

The one that will see the most immediate results from strengthening now is naturally Zhanlu, which has just undergone a transformation.

After repeated demonstrations, trials, and rehearsals, Ji Jue finally succeeded in adding the first blessing chain to his alienated heart.

Moreover, it is the most troublesome, difficult, and demanding blessing sequence among the blessing chains adapted to Zhanlu, requiring the most experience from the craftsmen.

—【A terrifying earthquake struck!】
Ji Jue had already mastered the processing of this blessing sequence during the worm extermination battle simulated in the Tower of Myriad Transformations. Now, he had put in so much effort just to minimize his own burden and to make corrections and adaptations for Zhanlu, which had been transformed into his heart.

Even so, it was still extremely dangerous.

Just as Ye Xian said, it was pure courting death.

On several occasions, if it weren't for Non-Aggression's control, he probably would have self-destructed.

While this could indeed be considered a trump card or a killer move to some extent, it's best to avoid using it in the first place...

And so, the final preparations were completed.

A week later, Ji Jue suddenly appeared in front of Tong Shan, enthusiastically extending an invitation:
"Plant Bro, let's go catch water... cough cough, let's catch natural disasters!"

【! 】

Right there in the temporary camp, Tong Shan was processing a report when he looked up and saw a strange figure, its body emitting black smoke, lightning, and sparks, grinning and smirking at him.

It was only because Tong Shan managed to stay calm that he managed to hold on. If it were anyone else, they would probably have been caught off guard and blasted away with a psychic attack.

Even so, he was stunned for a long time.

"you……"

Tong Shan hesitated for a long time, unable to be sure: "Did you take the wrong medicine again?"

"..."

Ji Jue fell silent for a moment, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

His eyes turned reproachful.

Brother Shan, I've treated you so well, why did you say "again"?

(End of this chapter)