Above Destiny

Chapter 690 Speaking frankly is my way of the ninja!
We've been waiting with bated breath.

Urge, urge, and urge again.

Minkler endured day after day, wandering around the coastal park like a modified employee who had slipped out of Workshop Zero. After being bailed out of the security team by Lu Feng while cursing all the way, he finally received the news that Ji Jue could set off.

Then, Minkler's world collapsed.

"What is this?"

Outside of Xinquan, in a hidden port and smuggling dock, Minkler stared in disbelief at the rusty, creaking thing that looked like it was about to fall apart in a gust of wind.

Ji Jue calmly replied, "The boat."

"You call this a boat?"

Minkler was nearly driven mad. He raised his hand and tapped the hull, and rust fell off like rain.

Look at how easily it crumbles and falls apart with just one kick. Forget about strong winds and waves, it would probably fall apart if it made even a slight turn!

Even if you came in a big plane, I would consider it a matter of speed.

He reached out and tapped the hull, easily peeling off a large patch of paint. His face grew even paler: "Don't let the ship sink before we even reach the Seventh City!"

"How dare you! These are our elite coastal troops, with strong ships and powerful cannons!"

Ji Jue was furious: "Don't be so ungrateful! I've brought out all my best stuff!"

No matter how much Mingkele pleaded, Ji Jue remained unmoved. He only had this one boat, he was all alone, and the reinforcements were limited. He said it was take it or leave it, there was nothing else!

If that doesn't work, here's a broken sampan and two oars; row back yourself!

Minkler, utterly dejected, stared at the enormous objects being hoisted into the ship's hold, utterly bewildered: "...What are all these?"

Ji Jue answered matter-of-factly, "The furnace."

"Is this what a furnace looks like?" Minkler was even more alarmed. "It has several cracks on top. It must be older than me!"

"The older the stove, the more spirited it becomes. What do you know? New for three years, old for three years, patched up for another three years. Even broken ones have their advantages: cheap, useful, and not wasteful. That's good enough!"

"That's all?"

Minkler watched as the ship's cabin closed after the hoisting was completed, waiting and waiting, but the real highlight still hadn't arrived: "Where's the missile?"

"Didn't you say you didn't want any?" Ji Jue shook his head: "We're out of stock. Brothers, take a few rhinos to make do. I'll give you a 20% discount, at the purchase price."

A used Rhino submachine gun only costs 800 yuan at wholesale prices in Qiandao, and it even comes with two full magazines. Your purchase order is 19,000 yuan per gun, not including accessories, and you have to buy bullets separately. Are you really treating me like a sucker?

Minkler felt a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat, and after panting for a while, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "Fine, fine, consider it a supplementary shipment... Do you have any torpedoes?"

"What do we need torpedoes for? Aren't we supposed to be fighting the monsters?"

Ji Jue asked doubtfully, "I prepared twenty fishing rods, that should be enough, right?"

Minkler remained silent.

not talking.

I looked quietly at the mooring ropes that held the boats on the dock, and suddenly felt an urge to hang myself on them.

Since I'm going to die anyway, I might as well change into red clothes and die in front of Ji Jue. Maybe I can even become a vengeful ghost and take revenge on him!
But the thought that Ji Jue was a craftsman made him even more uneasy.

Even if he really turned into a ghost and went to find him, that bastard would probably be grinning from ear to ear.

My goodness, the materials have been delivered right to my door!

Why not just jump into the sea and die now? At least it'll end it all easily and simply.

And so, a rusty, creaking old ship, carrying a craftsman who seemed to be on a picnic with nothing, a heartbroken and tearful cannon fodder, and a warehouse full of cheap, secondhand furnaces, set off with a clattering sound.

Amidst the tremors of the hull, the ship, like a tractor, violently rocked and sputtered, belching black smoke. It was an old relic, unearthed from some obscure corner of the shipyard, sailing against the wind and waves towards the gloom at the edge of the sea.

Gradually, the land disappeared.

All that remained was the deep blue and iron-gray seawater. In the silence, only the deafening roar of the engine, as if it were overloaded and struggling to keep up, the creaking and groaning of the ship as it was deformed by the impact of the seawater, and the gurgling sound of water taking in from the cabins...

Thinking about it again, isn't my bleak future just like this broken ship?

Minkler couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears!

"This is worse than death!"

He pointed at Ji Jue, choking back tears as he questioned him with grief and indignation: "Old Ji, I've never shortchanged you a single penny. I always bought your stuff at double the price, never caring about the cost. You should at least... even if you're not a human being, at least a craftsman should have some conscience... even if you have no conscience... I... I..."

The accusations, which started out of righteous indignation, became increasingly difficult to continue, and eventually could not be contained at all.

When faced with a notoriously uncivilized, immoral, and heartless craftsman, no amount of accusations would be of any use. He only regretted that he had been so foolish as to come to the coast for help and end up in such a predicament, being toyed with by Ji Jue.

"Hey, Lao Ming, what are you thinking? You can't judge a book by its cover!"

Ji Jue sighed and earnestly advised, "That's because you don't appreciate kindness. Don't you know what it means to conceal one's true nature or to keep one's essence hidden? Let me tell you, if you don't know the technological sophistication of this ship, I'll just consider you ignorant. But if you understand even a tiny bit, it'll be like a mayfly seeing the blue sky..."

"See my ass!"

Minkler completely broke down and couldn't help but stomp his foot. With each stomp, a crack appeared in the plank beneath his feet, and the creaking sound echoed as both of them fell silent.

"With just this junk, I'm afraid people will laugh me to death."

Minkler roared, "Look at this piece of trash! Look at this idiot! You're telling me it can fight the Disaster Beast? Forget the Disaster Beast, I could wash it down with my pee!"

“You can’t say that!” Ji Jue’s expression turned serious: “My family’s ship has its own pride too.”

"That's fucking ridiculous!"

Minkler grew increasingly indignant, but dared not curse Ji Jue, nor did he dare curse the wrecked ship. Just as he opened his mouth to point at the ship, a deafening roar was heard.

A terrifying sonic boom, like a raging storm, swept over us.

At the highest point of the cargo ship, the seemingly decorative steam whistle suddenly spewed out plumes of white smoke, and a roaring sound arose amidst the surging hot steam.

A deafening roar suddenly erupted, causing Minkler's vision to go black and him to almost lose his footing, while the steam whistle, like an instrument, played a wild and unrestrained melody.

—Suo! Mi! Fa!

“…” Minkler was stunned.

"..." Ji Jue remained silent.

"..."

Minkler's expression twitched, a look of bewilderment crossing his face: "Is it swearing?"

"Huh? No!"

Ji Jue looked at him with confusion and said, "It's just your imagination, Lao Ming. Don't keep fantasizing that you're being persecuted. How could a ship possibly curse you?"

Before he could finish speaking, another loud bang rang out.

So! Mi! Fa! Beep!
"It's still cursing!"

"Sigh, what's with all this scolding? The child is still young and doesn't understand these things. It's just playful scolding."

Ji Jue, looking like he was making a fuss over nothing, waved his hand and said, "Look at how good-tempered I am, I haven't even sworn at anyone, how could the boat possibly swore at anyone? You're just overthinking it."

Minkler hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is...is that so?"

"Of course!"

Ji Jue nodded decisively, and then the whistle sounded again.

This time, Minkler remained silent, staring at him quietly.

Ji Jue awkwardly looked away at the sea, and then couldn't help but let out a soft "pfft."

"why are you laughing!"

"I'm not laughing."

You were clearly smiling happily!

Minkler's tears flowed silently inside him; he couldn't utter a word.

There is nothing to say.

What else can I say?

At the very least, a ship that can swear is better than a truly dilapidated and scrapped ship, right?
What can a dependent, someone seeking help, do besides make empty promises?

Just scold me.

It's better than that bastard Ji Jue really turning against us.

Even though they had dealt with each other a lot over the years, Minkler always understood that the other party was not someone to be trifled with, much less a kind and compassionate philanthropist.

Just look at how the other side deals with those unlucky guys in the Bloodbath Fleet and you'll know.

Just a few days ago, an unlucky guy was released from prison in the park and was presented as a case study!
The Fubao Park on the coast is now a horror story even on the endless sea...

Besides, the things this bastard has been up to in the Central Plains are not difficult to investigate at all. If you really push him too far, he'll throw around accusations of being a heretic or evil cult, and who could stand that!
At this critical juncture, no matter what Ji Jue does, all that's left for him is to believe.

Believe first, then believe!
Just send a letter and that's it.

If you don't believe it, you're just waiting to die!
He was too lazy to go into those cabins where the lights kept flashing and the ship was leaking, so he simply moved a broken chair and sat down on the deck.

As a result, when I plopped down, the chair broke on its own, and I was almost pierced by the broken wooden stick!

Enraged, he simply lay down on his back.

Not moving anymore.

Whatever, I'm tired!

Actually, you can't really blame Ji Jue for this!
It should be noted that this ship was brand new before it departed from Punabantu, and the materials used in its hull and the specifications of its equipment were in no way inferior to those of military vessels; even its composite armor was of the highest standard.

how...

But that little bull-horse eats way too much!
The gathering of desolate ruins and the attraction of their properties to each other is an ironclad rule of the flow of matter.

Smaller substances naturally tend to converge towards larger substances. The stronger the material properties, the more astonishing this gravitational force becomes. So much so that when this gravitational and repulsive force originating from dragon blood becomes strong enough, and also has the effect of triadic alchemy, a single dragon bone will continuously draw out the essence of all surrounding matter.

It's like a black hole.

Moreover, Ji Jue's wicked version of the concept of "forgiving the world" is all about taking from the poor to give to the rich!

Outwardly, everything that comes into contact with the Prosperity, no, everything that comes into contact with the Giant Dragon Bone, will rapidly lose durability, becoming brittle, decaying, and aging! This is not even under the control of the little bull and horse; it is simply the instinct of the dragon blood to repair itself.

Ji Jue's method of reducing quantity and increasing quality did indeed greatly improve the purity and characteristics of the dragon blood, but the cost was that he needed to consume more resources to repair the dragon blood.

This gravitational pull will not stop until the durability of the Giant Dragon Bone is truly restored to 100%.

Unfortunately……

According to Ji Jue's calculations, after feeding it a large amount of various ores and materials, the durability of the Giant Dragon Bone only increased by less than 3%, leaving a shortfall of more than 70%!

Having a health bar that's too long can sometimes be a problem.

We can't get enough to eat!
If Ji Jue hadn't used alchemy to maintain the key equipment, the entire ship would probably have been eaten away, leaving only a keel, after sailing a few nautical miles.

At that point, the two of them will have no choice but to pick up their oars and row to Qicheng to beg for money.

Fortunately, the route between the Federation and the Seven Cities is not too far, and there are occasional ocean currents to help it. In addition, the cargo ships are very light, so even at such a slow and laborious speed, it only takes two days if the route is reasonable.

In fact, the Prosperity's speed was even more exaggerated than that.

Without any reference points on the sea, it was impossible to tell. With slow acceleration, the entire cargo ship had already reached a terrifying speed of seventy knots, which even a slightly slower large aircraft could not catch up with.

In just two hours, they had left the Federation's territorial waters and entered the high seas.

Upon seeing the buoys on the high seas, Minkler was stunned for a moment, speechless. He glanced at Ji Jue, and when he realized that Ji Jue had no intention of explaining, he fell silent.

Finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He picked up the instant noodles and started eating.

With a sputtering sound, the Prosperity continued its rapid journey, nimbly cutting through the wind, its whistle sounding incessantly, like a song, beeping and blaring.

From a distance, a fishing boat engaged in net-hauling operations at sea was so frightened that it fled in a panic, much to Minkler's amusement.

It's like a desperate fugitive pretending to be a wild boar in the grass to scare people.

All I can say is that people need some fun to keep living.

Ji Jue shook his head and sighed.

"Still laughing? Here comes your money."

"what?"

Minkler was sluggish.

"It is indeed the fishing season now, but the fishing boats operating in this area all replenish and disperse in Xinquan. The problem is that that boat has never appeared in Xinquan. The identification signal is definitely a fishing boat, but this boat number was still wandering around Chaocheng the day before yesterday."

“This…this isn’t right?” Minkler asked, puzzled.

"The federal government has annual quotas and requirements for high seas fishing licenses, and only the really big fishing companies can get them. Although ordinary fishermen don't care about these, it's still a shady business that can't be done openly."

Ji Jue asked again, "Whose approval do you have to give to businesses that can't be brought into the open?"

"Uh, Abandoned Village?"

"He's not so stupid as to be beyond redemption."

Ji Jue sighed, "The rules in Huangji are few, but they are strict. They are so strict that you can't even touch them, or your whole family will be wiped out. Some smuggling ships, even if they dock in the wrong port or go to the wrong place, the ship owner will chop off their hands and feet."

Even if the fishing boats earn meager wages and the higher-ups look down on them, the rules are the rules—this area is generally considered to belong to Yacheng. If boats from Chaocheng don't pay homage to the docks or offer tribute to the dragon head, and instead come here to work, that's considered overstepping boundaries.

The yellow-lipped goby crop season here is already short and the yield is low, so why the hell are you trying to cast a net to kill them? If the ships from Yacheng see this, they'll report it to the guild and hunt you down to the death!
So, you still think that this ship just happened to come here and you happened to run into it, all for a few fish?

Minkler froze, rooted to the spot.

While the two were talking, a misty fog had begun to rise from the sea ahead, gradually thickening in wisps.

In just a few minutes, it was as if a tall, gray-white wall had appeared out of nowhere in front of us.

The sea fog surged in like a tide, roaring in!

"Hey……"

Ji Jue was amused and sighed softly: "Why do you people from the Thousand Islands always like to create unusual weather before you make a move at sea?"

They're quite rule-abiding, huh?

Some things can only be done with the lights off, in the sea fog and clouds, in places where no satellites can find you. After you've done it, you can just leave without leaving a trace.

Pay attention!

"hiss!"

Minkler gasped, his face turning deathly pale. He finally seemed to realize something, then frantically shook his head: "No, something's not right... what happened to me..."

You should know that he has been traveling to the Federation through absolutely trustworthy secret channels, and he has also disguised his face so that no one would recognize him unless they are acquaintances. He doesn't even know his departure time, place, or route, so how could the news have leaked out?
"Oh, your whereabouts."

Ji Jue said calmly, "I leaked it."

"What--"

Minkler was shocked and speechless. He sprang up from the deck in a panic, barely managing to step on the deck and fall into the cabin. It was unbelievable.

Tears were really about to fall; I was filled with grief and indignation.

"No, bro, what are you after...?"

Just say you want money!

I'll pay any price, why would you sell me?

No one else can afford the price I can offer!

"What 'map' or 'map'? Watch your words."

Ji Jue calmly sipped his tea and retorted, "Don't you usually bait the fishing spot before you go fishing? You want me to see how much fish you can catch, right?"

He snapped his fingers, and Minkler's phone lit up, displaying an image on the screen.

Screenshot of the Huangji APP.

Minkler's intelligence report.

It was packaged into the Seven Cities section by Huangji, made into a package deal, and could also be purchased separately; it was sold a total of seventeen times. Further detailed information and specific whereabouts were sold separately seven times.

"In other words, this wave might just be cannon fodder used to scout ahead."

Ji Jue slowly said, "Along the way, at least four or five groups of people wanted you dead, but here's the problem."

He paused, the smile on his face gradually disappearing, and looked at Minkler with a blank expression: "I just can't figure it out, old Minkler, why are so many people eyeing a sacrifice like you who's going to die sooner or later?"

Do you have any clues?

I'm a bit confused about this situation. Could you please explain to me what exactly the situation is like right now?
Minkler stood stiffly, his face pale, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

Several times, he opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped abruptly.

He could certainly explain it, he could give a hundred thousand reasons, even a fool could come up with hundreds of different excuses and guesses.

But when he was stared at by those calm eyes, the less than two-pound piece of tissue in Minkler's skull, his brain, his instincts told him—this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He can say whatever he wants.

But if you say the wrong thing, you will die.

So, explain, Minkler, explain.

—It was supposed to be a C-rank escort mission, and you're just a foul-mouthed old man who only knows how to fix bridges. Why are there so many ninjas who want you dead?

Is it because you're exceptionally good at building bridges and drink a lot of alcohol?

Minkler's face was deathly pale, and his lips parted slightly.

In the silence, no sound could be uttered.

"If you have something to say, it's best to say it now, Lao Ming, it's better for both of us."

Ji Jue sat in a chair, holding a teacup, looking down at his phone, and told him, "You only have one minute, oh, there are fifty seconds left now."

"..."

Minkler's expression twitched, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Ji Jue calmly reminded him again:
"Less than half a minute."

"..."

Minkler was breathing heavily, his pupils were unfocused, and he was struggling violently inside. His face flushed red and then turned ashen, and all he could hear was the cold countdown.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

He suddenly looked up, his eyes pleading as he looked at Ji Jue, but Ji Jue didn't move. He glanced at the scene on the screen, his expression as indifferent as ever, and simply counted down: "Five, four, three, two..."

Ji Jue sighed, turned off the screen, and shook his head regretfully.

"I said!"

At that moment, Minkler finally couldn't hold back any longer and screamed in despair, "I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"

boom!
Just as Ji Jue reached out, the deafening sound of something tearing through the air arrived belatedly.

Amidst the spreading, piercing screams, a glint of iron light silently appeared at Ji Jue's fingertips.

The extremely thin, handleless blade came to a stop in mid-air in front of Minkler's forehead.

It burst through the air, then abruptly stopped.

Only the tip of the knife, inches from her eyes, faintly glowed a chilling, scorching red...

A bead of cold sweat silently seeped from his forehead, landing on the tip of the knife with a hissing sound.

There was a snap.

The blade fell to the ground.

"Now, you can say it."

Ji Jue withdrew his finger, picked up the teacup again, and took a sip, completely ignoring the chilling killing intent emanating from the mist, and told him:
"You have a maximum of thirty seconds left."

(End of this chapter)