Above Destiny

Chapter 653 Fire and Sea (Thanks to Wuyiwuyi, the Alliance Leader)

The fire in Tacheng burned for seven days.

Every little thing was destroyed by the flames, treasures were buried in scorched earth, and thick black smoke rose into the sky like giant pillars. As soon as one was suppressed, another rose.

Looking out from the federal base, the scene of being overwhelmed and retreating step by step is truly breathtaking!
The flames of war were everywhere—at Gem Plaza, Federal Road, Imperial Street, and Ronghua Commercial District—and continued to spread.

Even the provisional government was burned to the ground.

On the second day, the provisional government was overwhelmed by the rioting crowd, and on the afternoon of the third day, the fleeing provisional president was hijacked on his private plane.

As the announcement was broadcast over the radio, they rushed towards the Imperial military base...

Then, the plane and the president were both sent flying again by an anti-aircraft missile.

From then on, the curtain of chaos was completely lifted.

Some say it's about protecting the country and ensuring peace, others say it's about paying for blood debts, still others say it's about the White King appearing in a dream, or even that officials are forcing the people to rebel... In just a few days, thirty-six rebel kings and seventy-two plumes of dust surged and spread from all over the White Kingdom, even extending to other areas of the Central Plains.

No one would believe this without someone fanning the flames, but even without someone fanning the flames, wouldn't the current chaos have occurred?

Having reached a dead end, the Bai Bang people had nowhere else to go. Now that they had weapons in hand, their murderous intent naturally arose.

The first to erupt were the submissive, humble, and ever-responsive slaves and servants.

Throughout the tower city, the servants, maids, and even slaves, who were as inconspicuous as weeds, were so used to their flattery and humility that many people failed to see the flames burning in their empty eyes.

Yes, sir. No problem, sir. At your service, sir.

So, which do you prefer, the rope, the knife, or the gun, sir?

All those petrol bombs dropped to completely eliminate the threat of the White King, all those gun barrels raised countless times to eliminate potential dangers... Is it a bit too wishful thinking to pretend they didn't exist?
Even if the gap is still huge and one is so humble, once a person has the ability to fight to the death, how can they still endure the shackles and chains on their body?
Thus, the empty pupils turned blood red, the fawning smile turned ferocious, and hysterical bitterness and madness sprouted from the submissive posture.

You son of a bitch, let's all die together.

boom! ! !
Outside of Tacheng, from the direction of the port, another loud bang was heard.

Following the previous 'Sheikhi' incident, the oil pipeline exploded again, and amidst the rising thick smoke, the hollow alarm sounded repeatedly.

The airship changed direction and, under the cover of the fighter squadron, set off again.

I've come here countless times these past few days.

The once bustling and lively federal military base is still crowded with people, but it has a more desolate and dilapidated feel. There are no smiles on the faces of passersby, and apart from the training chants, everyone speaks in hushed tones.

I felt the dark clouds pressing down on my head.

"It's so deserted."

On the terrace of a seaside restaurant, under the same parasols, Fan Yun stared indifferently at the dilapidated scene, gave a mocking smile, and laughed at everything he had done.

All schemes and calculations...

The old man sitting opposite him was eating his steak with his head down, clicking his tongue in amazement as he devoured it: "I heard that the transfer order just came from Central City, and you've been promoted to the Naval Staff."
"When you leave later, could you leave the cook for me? It's really not easy to get a decent meal in the Middle-earth."

"As you like."

Fan Yun glanced at Lin Shouyi, who was engrossed in eating, and sneered, "You're quite clever, doing less and making fewer mistakes, unlike me... after being promoted in name only, I'm now waiting to be the scapegoat."

In less than half a month, the Passatella story repeated itself on him, and the outcome was even more dismal.

After the subsequent liquidation of Midtown, it's uncertain whether there will ever be a day when it can make a comeback.

"Hey, when you're out in the game, you're all in it for the life of the party. It's all about winning and losing, isn't that how it is?"

Lin Shouyi glanced at him, completely unconcerned: "If you become successful, you might be a completely different person. Why are you here complaining like a woman?"

Of my five supervisors, you betrayed three of them, killed one, and seriously injured two others. What did I say? Did I ever curse you?

Oh, now they're cursing.

"You didn't think about the consequences when you did it, and now that karma's coming your way, you're lamenting the coldness of the world? Old Fan, after all these years, haven't you bunch of idiots from Tianyuan learned to take responsibility for your own messes?"

"Who said the Wasteland is inflexible?"

Fan Yun sneered, no longer concealing his gloomy expression: "I think you, Lin Shouyi, are more shrewd than anyone else?"

"What's the use of being shrewd?"

Lin Shouyi glanced at him, "No matter how shrewd you are, you're not meant to stay and clean up your mess. You've ruined Baibang, lost Tacheng, and squandered a great opportunity. Who's to blame? Lu Changsheng? Or Huangji? Blame yourself!"

Fan Yun didn't respond, but simply picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp: "Finished cursing? If you're done, then get lost."

"Over the years, we've had our ups and downs, but we've come to a good end. For the sake of this last bit of kinship, I'll give you one last reminder."

Lin Shouyi wiped his mouth and told him, "Things are worse than you think. Don't even think about sacrificing the pawn to save the king or taking things easy. It's useless."

"You'd better start thinking about how to atone for your crimes."

Fan Yun's expression froze.

"The Fourth Void Abyss has been opened, just seven days ago, at the same time as the White Deer Slaying the Wolf. It's still top secret. I just received the news from Minister Pang before I came here."

Lin Shouyi glanced at him and didn't keep him in suspense: "The remnants of Shabang, having renounced the world, offered the legacy of the Grey King to the Great Evil Vortex, and turned to the Sower..."

"impossible!"

Fan Yun frowned: "The entire Central Plains..." "Because it's not in the Central Plains!"

Lin Shouyi interrupted him: "You bunch of Heavenly Saints in Zhongcheng have been completely fooled by the Guide from beginning to end. The information they sold you was only half true and half false."

While Middle-earth is the foundation for the sowers' moves, there's no need to be fixated on it if you want to make the most of it. The things Sheikhi created were just smokescreens to attract everyone's attention, serving as icing on the cake. If they lost, they only lost some junk.

The Federation and the Empire have both been played by the Seeders!

"..."

Fan Yun remained silent for a long time, then asked in a hoarse voice, "Where?"

"maritime."

Lin Shouyi grabbed the tablecloth to wipe his hands, gave him one last glance, and turned to leave.

However, at the restaurant entrance, they saw an unexpected visitor.

Ji Jue.

He paused for a moment, as if surprised, but ultimately said nothing.

Patted him on the shoulder.

gone.

Seven days ago, beyond the Central Plains, in the northern part of the Endless Sea.

In the bitter cold, ice floes meandered from afar, drifting with the current towards the distance. Those pale specks swirled on the black ocean with the ocean currents, colliding with the hull of the ship and making sharp sounds.

One wave after another.

A weak cry rang out. In the damp, cold sea breeze, numbness and bewilderment were etched on every face.

One dilapidated boat after another, pieced together from scratch, was already crammed with refugees who had nowhere else to go.

Having abandoned their last cattle and sheep, their homeland, their traditional songs, and their long-lost hometown, the destitute people of Shabang threw themselves into the ocean, using their last remaining strength to climb into the thirsty and hungry depths.

Gale-force winds, raging tsunamis, ferocious beasts and plagues, and the ever-growing mutations that have intensified since leaving the Central Plains, have claimed one-fifth of the lives in just three days.

The rest were on their last legs.

In the dark, enclosed cabin, a stench lingered, and dim light flickered, illuminating faces covered in cracks, like parched earth, where flesh and blood turned into grayish-white sand, gradually peeling away and crumbling.

Some people were already unable to move, with the flesh and blood of all ten fingers completely detached, and beneath the remaining sand, blood vessels spasmingly wrapped around the bones.

A silent wail.

But the mutation continued to spread, and the curse etched into their bones clung on relentlessly, unleashing cruel devastation the moment they betrayed the covenant of their ancestors.

In the dead silence, a desperate roar suddenly rang out.

On the deck, the deformed one used all his strength to shout to the sky, but it was unclear whether it was a curse or a plea. The sharp voice came to an abrupt end.

Those empty eyes lost their last sparkle, and the disintegrating body turned completely to dust.

What followed was a series of wails. The dying survivors could no longer hold back their tears and grief, and they prayed, protested, and even mutinied.

"Go home! Go home!"

The hunched woman, clutching her child's ashes, tears streaming down her sand-covered face, knelt and pleaded, "Let us go home, Elder Salah al-Din, at least we can die in our homeland."

"go home?"

Salahuddin remained silent, every wrinkle on his cracked face convulsing in pain, his lips twitching spasmodically.

“We have no home for a long time. Our home has long been taken away... Not an inch of land in the Central Plains will be left for us, ashes. Don’t you understand?”

There's no turning back.

There was no way forward.

He stopped speaking and silently watched the hunched woman sobbing uncontrollably. Looking around, he saw the mournful cries and wails of ghosts echoing from the dilapidated boats.

Above the gloomy sky, the vast ocean is as black as iron. The narrow space between the sea and sky is deathly silent, like a prison, where no matter where you go, it's a dead end.

There is nowhere to escape, no matter where you flee.

“Come out!!!”

He roared in fury, "Come out, Sower!!! You want the legacy of us remnants, don't you? Then come out and face me!"

"I'm here."

In that instant, he heard a voice beside him, and a blurry figure looked at him quietly: "I've always been here, Salahuddin."

Salahuddin stood frozen, bewildered.

“From the day you set out, I have been with you. We have embarked on the same dead end, and we have never turned our backs on each other. It’s just that... you have never wanted to see me, that’s all.”

The sower bent down, scooped up handfuls of dust from the ground, and carefully placed them into the box, not missing a single grain, until he placed the small box in Salahuddin's hands and told him, "From beginning to end, you never wanted to see me."

He said, "You simply have no other choice."

(End of this chapter)