Above Destiny

Chapter 701 How could you be so mean!

An epic victory naturally calls for a reward for the army.

Even though the Seven Cities Joint Defense was merely playing a supporting role from top to bottom, acting as a mood-maker, after Ji Jue captured Renut, he ultimately launched a full-scale attack, completely crushing the remaining remnants of the Venom Fleet and completing the cleanup.

Even so, the casualties were still heavy.

After all, there are very few chosen ones, and even those who are chosen are at the bottom. Anyone with a bit of potential would not come to the Seven Cities Joint Defense to just coast along.

And today, the future has arrived, hope has arrived, and money has arrived!

From precious metals to weapons and even alchemical creations, Minkler distributed all the spoils of war without taking a single penny.

Officers ate meat, cannon fodder drank soup, and the entire fleet was more festive than during the New Year. Even the pensions were paid in full, and Minkler even paid double out of his own pocket.

Even after nightfall, they would drink and sing wildly, and even bring boatloads of prostitutes to the base. Their debauchery was truly eye-opening.

It even makes one suspect that this group of people are aiming to eat, drink, and have a good time until they die, living for today and not thinking about tomorrow.

Ji Jue watched all this with a cold eye, calmly carrying out the finishing work in the workshop he had chosen, classifying and processing the materials and storing them in the warehouse, before turning back to rebuild the Giant Sword.

Amidst this sea of ​​joy, angry shouts and rebukes emanated from the workshop's sound system, coming from the conference room.

No one knows how much anger they had been holding back along the way, but the elders and clan leaders of the Chopra family marched straight into the base, found Minkler, and started attacking him with zero frames per second.

"Minkler, what exactly are you doing?"

"Do you know that because of you, the Chopra family is about to go to war with the Sukarno family! There was almost a full-scale war between Luo City and Xiangzhou!"

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Having just returned from Pucheng, Mattik pointed at Minkler and angrily shouted, "You have to give the family an explanation today! What exactly do you want?!"

"Explain?"

Throughout, Minkler had been listening quietly, chin in hand. Upon hearing this, he was almost amused, glancing at Mattik and asking in return:
"What explanation should I give? If you want an explanation, why don't you go ask the Sukarno family? You can't possibly come here and bully me after you've kowtowed outside, can you?"

"presumptuous!!!"

Mattik's face was ashen. Putting aside the pressure he was under in the council, the fact that Minkler, who used to be so obsequious, was now putting on this face was enough to infuriate him: "Have you forgotten what you really are?"
Don't think that making a fuss is anything special; without Chopra's family...

Bang!
"So what if there's no Chopra family?!"

Minkler slammed his hand on the table, interrupting him. He calmly straightened his chest, adjusted his tie and epaulets, tapped his fingers on the table, and asked indifferently, "I'd like to ask you this: without the Chopra family, I am still me, but without me, is the Chopra family still Chopra?"

A crisp sound rang out as fingers tapped repeatedly on the table, the echoes reverberating.

A faint light shone from the family certificate on his finger, stinging everyone's eyes. It finally reminded them of Minkler's true identity: the once-despised good-for-nothing and filler had risen to become the successor chosen by the previous family head, a candidate for family head recognized by the family gods!

Even though everyone understands what this candidate really means.

A clay and wooden sculpture destined to be burned to ashes for the family actually stepped down from the altar prepared for him and presumptuously tried to resist... In the past, in the deep, seemingly endless depths of the Chopra family mansion, such a ridiculous struggle would not have even made a ripple.

But now, this is not in Xiangzhou, and things are no longer the same as before.

Right there at the fleet base of the seven-city joint defense, Minkler, who has now made another great contribution, is temporarily beyond the reach of everyone, whether openly or secretly...

He disobeyed the orders of the Chopra family, ignored the orders of the Seven Cities Council, disregarded admonitions, and disregarded threats, displaying the demeanor of a complete scoundrel.

I don't care whether there's a tomorrow or not, I've already done everything today.

In the brief silence, everyone looked at Minkler's calm demeanor and began to wonder... who exactly had he hooked up with to transform a former good-for-nothing into what he is today, and how he could still have such confidence in the face of his family and the Seven Cities?
But seeing that Minkler remained silent, everyone became a little anxious.

No, if you have powerful connections, why don't you show them off?

How could you be so selfish?!
After all, this is one of the reasons why everyone is here today... If you have a powerful and influential backer, and your support is reliable and long-lasting, then everyone will readily bow down to you!

These days, relying on yourself is truly impressive, and having powerful connections is nothing to be ashamed of. Just like the Sukarno family, who have now colluded with a tyrant, how powerful and glorious they are, needless to say.

On the contrary, although the Chopra family has many external supporters and extensive connections, their former celestial being died more than ten years ago, and they only have the protection of their household gods. Now that something has happened, they are struggling to move forward and urgently need the love and care from their godfather and adoptive father.

Minkler, you have good stuff, why don't you take it out?
Don't you treat us like family?
Oh, it seems he really hasn't taken the job...

How could you be so mean!

Seeing everyone waiting and waiting, Minkler picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and suddenly changed the subject, saying, "The Venom Fleet is insane! They dared to bombard Elephant Continent! This is intolerable!"

"As a member of the Chopra family, I must defend the dignity of the Chopra family. Am I wrong?! Elders of the clan, if you think it's wrong for me to defend the family, why not spread the word far and wide and expel me from the Chopra family, so that I have nothing to do with the family from now on? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

These words caused everyone's vision to go black, then black again, and then black still.

Venom Fleet? Bombarding Elephant Continent?
Wait a minute, was that Venom Fleet bombarding Xiangzhou? It was clearly you, you bastard!
Can……

But seeing Minkler's piercing gaze, it was Mattick, who had just been furious, who reacted first and slammed his fist on the table in anger: "Yes, the Venom Fleet has some nerve, actually bombarding Elephant Continent. We must make them give us an explanation!"

"Yes, yes, this really infuriates me!"

"Me too!"

"We, the Chopra family, are mortal enemies of evil!"

Amidst the righteous rebukes and expressions of agreement, Minkler chuckled, gripping the handle of his teacup with a half-smile. He suddenly turned to the middle-aged woman who had remained silent throughout: "Sixth Sister? Why aren't you saying anything? Sixth Sister, do you support me in avenging the family?"

"..."

Sixth Sister's expression twitched. In the brief silence, under everyone's gaze, she forced a smile: "Support, of course I support! Sixth Sister definitely supports you!"

"I knew it, my sixth sister took the best care of me."

Minkler laughed, full of delight, as if the chosen ones who came to kill on the high seas weren't sent by her, and didn't care about such a trivial matter. Then she turned around and looked at the other end of the long table... the true core of everyone who came this time, the current true head of the family.

His fourth brother, Bogio.

"Where is Fourth Brother?"

Minkler sighed, "Fourth Brother, I'm a little scared when you don't say anything."

"What are you thinking, child? Of course your fourth brother supports you." Bogio shook his head and smiled, seemingly helpless: "The elders in the family are also anxious, afraid that you will go astray, and want you to keep trying."

We're all family. Your fourth brother watched you grow up since you were little. Now that you've achieved something, it's more important to your fourth brother than anything else.

You're the child of this family; if you want to achieve something, how could your family not support you?

As he spoke, he pulled a form from his pocket and said earnestly, "The reason your family came this time is to see if you've been blinded by success, and we hope that you can remain humble and persistent, and continue to work hard."

Even if the family is poor, we won't be stingy with these things. I took quite a few things from the armory; they're all here. Take a look, and if you need anything, just tell Fourth Brother.

Minkler was slightly taken aback, not expecting him to act this way. When he looked down at the list, he realized that Bogio had brought enough supplies for the seven-city joint defense to last for several months, as well as enough shells and weapons to fight several tough battles.

“Besides, now that you are the commander of an army, you can’t do without capable people under your command.” Bogio looked at his assistant, who immediately lifted the box, placed it on the table, and opened it.

"The Hydra Matrix of the Large Group and Vortex System, this is the most suitable large group matrix for naval warfare in my collection. There are only eight of them, not many. You can take it and use it."

Minkler remained silent, looking over with a puzzled expression.

"No matter what, we are family. Blood is thicker than water. Do you really think that at this critical juncture, I, as your older brother, would go to any lengths to suppress you?"
I originally thought that since you're used to a leisurely life, it would be best for you to live a life of wealth and leisure after this crisis. But I never expected you to have such ambition; I, as your older brother, misjudged you."

Bogio sighed and smiled slightly: "You are, after all, a member of the Chopra family, Minkler. Go ahead and do as you please. At this time, the Chopra family won't hold you back."

Minkler fell silent, saying nothing more. He stared at the things on the table in front of him for a long time, then chuckled softly.

He suddenly exclaimed, "I want holy oil!"

While the others were stunned, without any hesitation, Bogio nodded without thinking: "Okay, but I only have one copy on me."

As she spoke, she took off a necklace from her neck. Instead of gemstones or jewels, the necklace held a small amber bottle that resembled an antique perfume bottle. It was only about the thickness of a pinky finger, and light shimmered inside. Just looking at it, one could almost smell the ancient fragrance of incense.

Without hesitation, he took off the chain, put it in the box, and pushed it in front of Minkler.

"As your older brother, this is all I can do to help you."

Minkler's expression was indifferent: "Only now have I finally felt a little warmth from my family. Shouldn't I be grateful to the point of tears?"

"If you could become the head of the family, the house would be warm and cozy, much better than it is now."

Bogio laughed, slowly stood up, and patted him on the shoulder: "You're a member of the Chopra family, you have the right to. If you want to fight for it, if you want to grab it, I'll wait for you."

We'll settle the score between us brothers then."

And so, he calmly put on his hat, said goodbye, and left.

The meeting room went from being bustling and noisy to being completely empty in an instant.

Even after boarding the ship, Boggio didn't say a word, just silently smoking his cigar, staring at the night outside the window with a gloomy expression.

“Bogio, have you really thought this through?” Matic asked first. “Hydra is a family heirloom, I won’t say much about that, but the Holy Oil is of utmost importance… Do you want to raise a tiger that will eventually threaten your own life?”

"Raising tigers?"

Bogio was amused, but then became so angry that he crushed his cigar to dust, his face turning ashen: "Idiot! Is Minkler the most urgent matter?!"

Things have already come to this.

What else can be said?!

Blaming and venting are pointless and unhelpful. Threats and bribes won't solve the problem either.

The most urgent and important task is to stabilize Minkler!
Don't worry about whether he has any powerful backers or support, or whether he's gone mad or is up to something!
Saying nice things doesn't cost money.

We can talk to everyone, and everyone can love their family!

If Minkler truly has some powerful backer who wants to make a triumphant return and take control of the family, then there will naturally be a struggle. But if he just got lucky or became arrogant and courted his own death, then it's good that he can continue to be arrogant and domineering... and then, as the instigator, he can take the brunt of the Sukarno family's counterattack in place of Chopra!
The Sukarno family has suffered such a huge loss, they will definitely not let it go.

The Venom Fleet is formidable and infamous, but its fearsome reputation is merely a facade. The real power lies not in the Venom Fleet, but in the Luo City that supports them!
Ultimately, they're just a bunch of underlings doing the dirty work. What truly powerful person would clock in and out with the family from nine to five? Even if they had real ambition, who would still depend on others for work? They'd have already started their own business!
In terms of sheer prestige, he's not even as good as that old dog Pacquiao from the Bloodbath Fleet! At least his reputation was earned through his own hard work and fighting.

The Sukarno family may look disheveled now, but in reality, they've only suffered minor damage, like tripping on the street and falling flat on their face.

But once he got up... he was going to teach that guy who dared to stick his leg out a lesson!

Things are beyond our control.

It was neither Chopra's choice nor Sukarno's!

Therefore, they must retaliate! They must act quickly! They must act ruthlessly!

We must first make everyone else hesitant and fearful before they can unite!

The strange atmosphere in Parliament today—is it not a sign of observation and probing to see what's going on?
Minkler's move turned the tables on the Chopras, forcing them to support his decision to launch a group. The Chopras could then go along with it and launch a group... but not now!

This is Minkler's most important role.

You created this mess, so clean it up yourself!
If you can't handle it, you'll die!

He risked his life to buy time for everyone!
Time, the most important thing is time.

The family must be reorganized and completely rid of its current state of disarray; we must act quickly…

"Uncle Mattik, please arrange a meeting with some of my elders."

Bogio crushed the last bit of tobacco from his cigar, making up his mind:
"I want to start the selection process for the household deity ahead of schedule!"

In the empty conference room, Minkler silently smoked, glancing at the table in front of him.

Suddenly, a soft sigh escaped.

"How heartwarming."

He sighed softly, then suddenly said, "You've seen it yourself, my fourth brother is a strong supporter of me."

"Yeah yeah."

Ji Jue's voice of approval came from the conference room's speakers.

Does he really support me?

"Um, really?"

"No, he won't..."

Minkler gave a cold laugh.

Family ties? Being one family? Blood is thicker than water?
If he had said anything even more offensive today, I would have believed him!

Before today, if I had met this fourth brother at home, even if I bowed and scraped and greeted him from afar, would he have remembered my name as his younger brother?

Putting everything else aside, why don't you tell us how your eldest, second, and third brothers died?
Why don't I explain it to everyone in detail!
"He wanted me to buy him time so he could consolidate the family."

Minkler stared at the flickering cigarette butt in his hand and said decisively, "Once the integration is complete, you can come back and slowly settle scores with me, this sinner."

They even sold me to the Sukarno family, and then, under the guise of avenging me, they came out again..."

"Holy crap, how could Bogio be so wicked!"

Ji Jue seemed shocked: "What should we do, Minkler?"

"Yes, what should we do then?"

Minkler murmured softly, sighed, and stubbed out his cigarette on Bogio's list.

The firelight was extinguished in the darkness.

Only scattered specks remain, spreading silently.

"fortunately……"

He said, "I sold them earlier."

boom! ! !
A deafening roar, like thunder, suddenly erupted from the long night.

A thunderous roar seemed to sweep across the sea where family members had just departed.

A dazzling, intense light flashed and disappeared in an instant...

Then, the heavens and earth shook!
(End of this chapter)