Above Destiny

Chapter 655 Mocking (Bonus chapter for the Silver Alliance of the legendary Orange Cat!)

"I'm preparing to retire."

Several days later, Ji Jue saw Liang Mo again at the Federation base.

Hearing his words, I was momentarily stunned.

Although the Federation has suffered some losses in the White State, its fundamental interests remain unshaken. Even with the loss of some personnel, it will inevitably have to invest more in order to maintain its influence or continue to protect its interests.

It's such a pity that he chose to retire at this critical juncture.

"There's nothing to regret."

Liang Mo slumped in a folding chair, smoking a cigarette, completely unconcerned: "I've finally figured it out. In this world, even if you're alive to make money, you might not be alive to spend it... What future is there in risking your life as cannon fodder?"

"You could die inexplicably if you're not careful, and they might not even give you any compensation. If it weren't for good luck this time, I probably would have died too. I have to thank you for sponsoring this iron hand; otherwise, I would really be disabled."

"..."

Ji Jue looked at his iron arm, which was now unrecognizable, and hesitated before speaking. "Um, our product doesn't seem to have a lighter function, does it?"

"Ah, this..." Liang Mo coughed awkwardly, "By the way, it was just a coincidence, so I added him. He did it all!"

As he spoke, he directly passed the buck to the technical sergeant next to him. The technical sergeant was happily drinking his soda when suddenly a pot was thrown at him. He immediately flew into a rage and pointed at Liang Mo, unleashing a barrage of highly profanity-laden insults.

"In short, the brothers saw that they couldn't make ends meet, so they decided to go back to their hometown and try to make a living together."

Liang Mo offered Mr. Ji both soft drinks and chilled beer, and even tried to light his cigarette with his modified Iron Hand, but was politely refused. After rubbing his hands together for a while, he finally revealed his true intentions and grinned, "It's just that these days it's hard for everyone to find a job, and no one has a new job yet."

"Hey, you've been waiting for me here, haven't you?"

Ji Jue immediately laughed and nodded without hesitation: "No problem, we all know each other well, and we at Coastal Technology are actually making a profit, so what's there to be embarrassed about? It just so happens that there's a bit of a shortage of security personnel lately, so the compensation is negotiable. Besides, even if I were to retire... I don't necessarily have to go back to the Federation, right?"

"Sure, you're the boss, I'll do whatever you say!"

Liang Mo slapped his knee, immediately making a decision, and then, after stammering for a while, cautiously asked, "It's this, after retirement, this..."

The atmosphere shifted slightly, and everyone seemed to tense up, glancing over discreetly without saying a word.

In the end, Liang Mo stopped hiding it and looked at the riot control cat sunbathing in the corner: "Dog, can we still bring it along?"

"..."

Ji Jue was stunned. He didn't expect that when he turned around in surprise, he would find that everyone was looking at him.

It was as if this was something extremely important.

For a moment he was taken aback, then he couldn't help but laugh: "Well, that depends on what 'Dog' thinks."

"How's that, dog!"

Liang Mo turned around with delight, "Do you agree?"

[Chao Li, what do you call your dad?!]

The riot cat beeped, and the Creator Spirit showed no mercy, saying, "Without your father, you bunch of stupid orphans probably wouldn't even get a bite to eat!"

"..."

Liang Mo looked bewildered and turned to look at Ji Jue.

Ji Jue tried very hard to maintain a serious expression and keep it in check:

"It... probably agreed."

"I knew it! Hahahaha!!!"

Liang Mo burst into laughter, and amidst the cheers, he stopped the riot cat who looked disgusted: "Dog and I are of one heart, this is the bond between us—pfft!"

Without any hesitation, 'Dog' punched him in the stomach.

You bastard, I've put up with you for so long!

Immediately, after a moment of silence, the laughter and cheers grew even louder.

Only Liang Mo was caught off guard, almost breathless, staring blankly at Ji Jue, incredulous: "Didn't you say... you wouldn't hit people...?"

So Ji Jue smiled and said, "You'll naturally learn it after you retire."

After drinking a can of ice-cold beer and politely declining his poor friend's offer of hospitality, Ji Jue got up to say goodbye.

After passing through the now somewhat deserted military base, I walked straight ahead, familiar with the way, heading inwards and upwards towards the restaurant where I had made a reservation.

He brushed past Lin Shouyi.

Lin Shouyi glanced at him as if surprised, raising his eyebrows slightly.

But said nothing.

And so, we sat down across from each other at the dining table once again.

It seems to be the same old spot as last time.

The sky was clear and cloudless, and the ocean, shimmering in the azure blue, seemed to glow with golden light.

The sea is still the same sea, the place is still the same place, and the people are still the same people.

Unfortunately, everything has changed.

He smiled.

Fan Yun waved to the side, and someone cleared the table, served drinks, and then left again.

In the silence, only the sound of distant waves could be heard.

"I never expected that someone would come to visit me before I left."

Fan Yun calmly picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and casually asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Mr. Ji?" "I heard that the general is leaving, so I came to see you off."

Fan Yun shook his head slightly, completely unconcerned, treating him as just another one trying to sabotage someone else's efforts. After all, he was one of Lü Yingyue's cunning people, always putting effort into these flashy and frivolous things...

Then, Ji Jue's voice was heard, so cold:
"After all, we'll never see each other again."

"..."

He paused for a moment, then finally looked up and saw the undisguised mockery in the smile.

"If I'm not mistaken, you've probably messed things up, haven't you?"

Hmm, it seems you've made a pretty big mess... there's not even a chance to make amends... Ah, please don't misunderstand, I'm just expressing my regret for you.

Ji Jue also picked up his wine glass, casually downed it in one gulp, and shook his head with a sigh: "It's such a pity that I'm about to retire."

Fan Yun's gaze gradually turned cold.

Ji Jue beckoned over to the waiter, then took the wine bottle, dismissed the waiter, poured himself a drink, and savored Fan Yun's treasured wine.

Completely unconcerned about the overwhelming chill and oppression.

"But, having said that..."

Ji Jue looked up and suddenly asked, "From the first day I came to Tacheng, I've heard you keep talking about retiring, retiring, retiring, but do you really want to retire?"

All I can say is that anyone who believes that is a fool.

People who truly want to retire don't think like that.

A typical example is Lin Shouyi.

Fishing is something to be done as long as possible; unless absolutely necessary, no work is done.

One should take what one can get, even if the credit is right in front of one's eyes and waiting to be claimed, one should still consider whether it is convenient to do so.

The hands-off manager acts as a figurehead, doing absolutely nothing beyond maintaining order, simply counting down the days until his retirement pension arrives...

But Fan Yun, who stood before him, was completely different.

In the silence, Fan Yun looked at him and asked in a cold voice, "Ji Jue, what exactly do you mean?"

"It's nothing. To be honest, I just have some doubts and want to find an answer from you."

Ji Jue poured himself another glass, ignoring Fan Yun's empty glass, and suddenly grinned: "For example... General, you actually intend to escalate the situation, right?"

Fan Yun remained silent, showing no sign of speaking.

"Upon careful consideration, although the situation in Baibang is complex, it is not unsolvable if we really make up our minds. In fact, there are far too many ways to solve it."

Ji Jue continued, talking to himself, "They're nothing but a bunch of poor bastards. A little concession would be enough to feed them. Even if we wanted to get rid of the White King, there are countless ways. Unfortunately, out of a hundred thousand solutions, we had to choose the worst one by chance."

As a result, the originally planned swift and decisive decapitation operation gradually expanded in scale and eventually spiraled out of control.

"Alas, it's all the fault of those two scoundrels, Lu Changsheng and Xie Heli, who stirred things up and fanned the flames... Otherwise, how could the general have suffered such a calamity!"

At this point, Ji Jue's tone became increasingly emotional, as if he were beating his chest and stamping his feet, genuinely feeling sorry for Fan Yun.

But from beginning to end, his eyes were fixed on Fan Yun.

"But did the general deserve any credit for this?"

Fan Yun remained indifferent, coldly warning, "I don't understand what you're talking about, Ji Jue. I think you can get out of here now."

"Ah, I'm sorry, I misspoke."

Ji Jue gave a self-deprecating laugh, as if he hadn't heard the words of dismissal, and shook his head with a sigh: "If you ask me, that's the problem with Tianyuan. Some people just like to seek danger and make things bigger in order to advance further and show off their abilities."

He thought he was in complete control, but he was actually acting like an idiot, completely oblivious to being played.

Ah, of course, I'm not talking about you... but perhaps what annoys Central City the most is the problem with execution, rather than the flaws in the plan?
For the slightest bit of credit, you arbitrarily expanded the scale; you even let a cooked duck go…

boom! ! !
Thunder suddenly erupted in the empty sky.

The air was almost frozen, and the chill was so intense that it locked onto Ji Jue. Fan Yun's eyes were icy, and the wine glass in his hand turned to ashes inch by inch.

"That's enough."

He no longer concealed his contempt and disdain, "What kind of Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to act wildly in front of me... Who do you think you are? Even Lü Yingyue wouldn't dare..."

"Please don't misunderstand, General, I'm just here to mock you."

Ji Jue was amused and picked up his wine glass again: "But even if I say that, you won't believe me, will you?"

That's the downside of Tengen; he always likes to calculate and overthink, seeing things in every little detail, constantly pondering this and that, always feeling that everyone's words have hidden meanings, and that everyone's actions are a test or have some deeper purpose...

All your scheming has come to nothing, hey, clown!

Snapped!
The empty wine glass was tapped on the table, the sudden sound drowning out the lingering thunderous roar.

Ji Jue slowly got up, ignoring the heavy pressure from the celestial beings and the biting cold, and casually patted the wrinkles and dust off his sleeves.

Between the blazing sun and the azure sea, the shadow of an airship silently meanders across the terrace.

It slowly descended upon the base.

"It seems you'll be setting off soon too..."

Ji Jue sighed, bent down slightly, and studied that gloomy and indifferent face, finally breaking into a bright smile:
"May the general rest in peace."

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(End of this chapter)