Above Destiny

Chapter 848 Storm in My Heart
A genin who doesn't want to become Hokage isn't a good ninja, just as an apprentice who doesn't want to become a master craftsman isn't a good craftsman.

Similarly, a gangster who doesn't want to be the boss isn't a good gangster... Although it's strange to put "good" before "gangster," wanting to be the boss isn't something to be ashamed of.

Within the desolate settlement, this could almost be considered politically correct.

It is precisely because of this undisguised ambition that the beasts of the Wilderness Gathering throw themselves into it without hesitation, and find joy in the fierce battles and eliminations.

Go fight, go rob, go seize, go kill, go eat!
I was eating and eating and eating, jumping on the table and spinning around while I ate.

There is no seniority or order in the hierarchy; it's all about the survival of the fittest. If someone wants to rise to the top, then the person above must be able to suppress them. If they can't, they'll fall into the dust and be trampled underfoot as stepping stones.

Ling Shuo wants to become the leader.

I think about it in my dreams, I think about it while I'm doing things, and I even think about it while I'm having sex!
I think about it all the time.

From a beggar in the Grey Harbor to a key member of the triad, then to the godchild of the triad leader Ling Liu, and even to where she is today...

From the moment Ling Shuo actively entered this dog-eat-dog world, he understood that if he didn't trample others underfoot, he would be trampled underfoot by others.

If you can't stand on it, you'll just become a corpse of a futures trader.

The position of the leader is already so high and unattainable, but the position of the dragon's head, even if one exerts all one's strength throughout one's lifetime, is it really impossible to reach?

Even the slightest possibility!

That's why he came to the Seventh City.

It was because he had personally witnessed the potential that Ji Jue could bring that he was willing to take a gamble, abandon everything, and devote himself to Luo Island.

The result was that he went mad.

They're making a killing!
Making money like crazy, winning so much you can't sleep, laughing until you pee blood.

Who would have thought that Ji Jue could actually take over the entire Seven Cities in such a short time?
He didn't even need to do anything. All he had to do was follow Mr. Ji around, cheer him on, and make sure he didn't fall behind. The territory and business were practically handed to him for free!
Even if he could only take half of the territory he conquered, he didn't care at all.

Because the golden retriever was truly no threat at all, and it was precisely his presence that helped him avoid at least half of the trouble. Moreover, the other party really didn't care about anything other than what Mr. Ji had instructed him to do.

He was able to sit in that position simply because of Mr. Ji's trust.

You can have trust yourself!

Just like now, he understood Ji Jue's meaning and comprehended Ji Jue's words.

He accepted the olive branch that Ji Jue had thrown his way without hesitation, even at the cost of risking everything. As for his insignificant dignity, it was merely a byproduct and didn't matter to him!
This was the idea Chen Xingzhou came up with for Ji Jue.

His hand couldn't reach that far, but Ji Jue's hand always rested here, didn't it?

If Chen Xingzhou is too far away to be of any use, Ling Liu's appetite is too big, and Ji Jue doesn't want to deal with him at all, then why not cultivate a leader ourselves?

The conflict between the seven cities and the wasteland was transformed into an internal struggle between the wasteland itself, thus controlling its scale and isolating it from external factors.

Given the size of the seven cities, a wasteland should have been established there long ago. However, each of the seven cities controlled its own territory too tightly, and Tianyuan and Bailu did not let go of either side. They closed their doors and created their own mess, resulting in a fragmented situation that could not be regarded as a unified whole.

Now, the seven cities have been truly unified under Ji Jue's leadership. The seven different regions combined are more than enough to support a branch of the Wilderness Settlement, and they are rolling in wealth!
I don't need anyone else to support me, I'll do it myself!

New Seven Cities Wasteland!
Even if he wasn't a registered member of Huangji and didn't want to put on another persona, he had plenty of people he could use.

With so many cattle and horses available these days, choosing one is still a choice, isn't it?

The key point is... whoever wants to choose, needs Ji Jue to let them choose.

Ling Shuo understood what Ji Jue meant.

Without hesitation, he bowed down.

“You know my bottom line,” Ji Jue said.

"Yes!"

Ling Shuo firmly assured him: "What happens behind the scenes will absolutely not be leaked to the public, and it will absolutely not have any impact on ordinary people. All smuggling activities will also be completely unrelated to you."

As long as I live, no one who can stand the light of day shall disturb you, and I will take care of all the shady dealings myself!

I'll take all the blame and do all the dirty work.

All they want is to rise in rank.

Ji Jue paused for a moment, then shook his head slightly, realizing that he had underestimated the allure of the leader position to the members of the Wilderness Gathering.

But seeing his humble appearance, I couldn't help but sigh with pity.

"What's the point of doing something with such a frustrating business leader?"

"No matter how frustrated a leading company is, it's still a leading company!"

Ling Shuo lowered his head and said, "Borrowing the tiger's power to achieve one's own success is also a matter of principle for Bai Lu. Besides, being your dog is not shameful."

"Then let's give it a try."

Ji Jue nodded. "You need to make sure to talk to Minkler properly. He's been quite busy lately, so don't put any more pressure on him."

For a moment, Ling Shuo was stunned, stiffly raising his head, overjoyed.

"You...you support me?"

Ji Jue remained noncommittal, simply patting his knees as he stood up and beckoned, "Since you're here, come in and have some tea."

"Yes!"

A minute later, he sat in a chair at Ji Jue Restaurant, his trembling hands holding a teacup, ignoring the scalding temperature.

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp without hesitation.

I couldn't tell if it was good or bad, nor could I taste the flavor, yet it seemed as if I had never tasted such good tea before.

It's so sweet.

It was so sweet it brought tears to my eyes.

"Oh no, Golden Retriever!"

In the smoky private room, the door was suddenly pushed open, and the underling who was playing basketball outside rushed in, disregarding etiquette, and stammered, "Someone just saw that guy surnamed Ling, he, he just went back to Guili Tower!"

"..."

The blond-haired guy, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, turned around and frowned. "Gui Li's place. If he doesn't go back one day, are you out of your mind?"

No, it's not.

The younger brother was out of breath and looked anxious: "He...he was riding in Mr. Ji's private car!"
"WTF?"

Everyone playing cards was stunned for a moment, and someone couldn't help but interject, "Hey, Snake, you're not seeing things, are you?"

"Absolutely true, crystal clear!"

Snake held up his phone, revealing Ling Shuo's triumphant image and the car's license plate. The entire card table fell silent; everyone stared at each other, bewildered and confused.

It's not that I doubt that the man surnamed Ling knows the rules. Just kidding, the rules in Seven Cities haven't changed yet! Even if he had eight hundred times the courage, would he dare to touch that car without Mr. Ji's permission?
The only possibility is that Mr. Ji specially sent his own car to take him?
No, are you giving him special treatment?

Soon, his underlings brought back new information: "We found out that last night, that guy Ling Shuo went straight to Mr. Ji's door and knelt there all night!"

"Holy crap, is this for real?"

"What kind of mess have we made? Please, Mr. Ji, have mercy!"

While the others were discussing the matter, the blond-haired man smoked a cigarette and shook his head nonchalantly: "Impossible. He was fine during the meeting last night. If he really made a mistake that Mr. Ji can't tolerate, kneeling for a long time won't help. You all keep an eye on things and make sure the people below don't talk nonsense."

"Wait a minute, Golden Retriever, I have a feeling that Mr. Ji is giving you some pointers."

The younger brother sitting next to him listened to what happened last night, paused for a moment, and then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Didn't he say that people have to rely on themselves?"

When it really matters, your own people are the most useful!
That bald guy in Iron Hook District dared to go against Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji must be unhappy. Is this a hint that we should take him out and make a name for ourselves?

As soon as he said that, everyone at the card table froze, looking at each other in bewilderment. But in the silence, a hint of excitement crept into their eyes.

"Yes, it's possible."

"If we were more proactive..."

The so-called subordinates of Bailu are all lawless bastards at heart. They will stop at nothing to rise to power, so why would they care about murder and arson?
Even a bald guy is still human, no matter how tough he is. If you can find an opportunity, just shoot him...

"Mobi?"

The blond-haired boy frowned, instinctively blurting out the Yacheng dialect, and shook his head decisively: "Don't be ridiculous, it's impossible!"

He slammed his two kings on the table with a bang, then glanced at the subordinate who had just made the suggestion: "Hey, let me ask you, you owed four hundred at Lao Ling's gambling den last month. What did you say when you came to me to settle things?"

The subordinate was immediately stunned and embarrassed, "Brother Golden Retriever, please help me?"

"Of course! If you're going to be like Old Ling, sitting there with your teacup, rambling on and on about everything from the weather to the almanac for an hour, I wouldn't know what you're trying to say!"

The golden retriever spat and angrily retorted, "Damn it, in the end, they tore up the IOU right in front of me. I was so embarrassed when I realized what had happened!"

I almost actually thought he liked to consult the Chinese almanac!

"Golden Retriever Bro is awesome!"

The subordinate's praise and flattery only enraged the blond-haired man further, who slammed the remaining cards on the table, yelling, "You old fool, do you think I'm being scared? You idiot!"

They're only doing this out of respect for Mr. Ji, and they can't be bothered to argue with bastards like you, understand?!

"Even you all know that my mind isn't working properly, so how could Mr. Ji not know?"

Golden Hairy Boy warned in the end: "Mr. Ji must have his reasons for arranging people to do things. Can you even guess what they are?"
I'll pretend I didn't hear this time, but if anyone dares to try anything like this again, don't even ask me, I'll personally send them on their way, understand?

Immediately, sounds broke out in the deathly silent private room. Under the cold gaze of the blond-haired man, the subordinates who had been laughing and joking nodded and fell silent as if frozen in fear.

Until the knife that had somehow pierced the card table was pulled out by the blond-haired guy, which had been shattered in his rage, and then thrown into the trash can.

"Alright, get back to work."

The blond-haired boy waved goodbye, dispersing his subordinates.

The game of cards was going well, but it was all ruined and the fun was completely lost.

"What a load of nonsense." He shook his head, annoyed.

"Golden Retriever, it's not good to always be so soft-hearted, is it?"

A hoarse voice rang out, and Xin Shu, who looked like an old fisherman, lowered his head and focused intently on stringing the catkins.

He sat in the corner the whole time, but very few people noticed.

After observing the whole process, as an external brain, he had to give a reminder: "If you treat your subordinates like hungry beasts and are always reluctant to use the stick, in the long run, the little beasts below will not listen to you."

The newcomers are so desperate for advancement that they're practically blinded by greed. No matter how well you try to persuade them, you might not be able to change their minds.

"I know."

Golden Hairy Boy rarely showed a hint of worry. After thinking for a long time, he finally made a decision: "Uncle Yu, you have someone keep an eye on things. If they don't listen after you've said all the nice things... I'll take action myself!"

We absolutely cannot let these scumbags ruin Mr. Ji's plans.

"So what are you worried about?"

The old fisherman sighed and reminded him, "You're right. If you don't have the brains, don't overthink things. This is the best way for you to live."

"It's not that I'm worried about those things, how should I put it, I just have this inexplicable premonition..."

The golden retriever scratched his chin, organizing his thoughts:
"Mr. Ji is probably going to make some big moves next."

The old fisherman paused for a moment, then finally looked up as if scrutinizing him:
"How to say?"

"do not know!"

The golden retriever shrugged, looking as bewildered as ever, as if drooling: "I can't explain it, it's just a feeling, you know, a feeling."

The old fisherman was speechless for a moment, unable to utter a word.

I don't know whether to admire or feel helpless.

This kid isn't exactly stupid. He's just uneducated and doesn't know how to use his brain, but his instincts, like those of a wild beast, are frighteningly sharp.

They can always inexplicably find clues that others can't even notice, and then after a bunch of random deductions, they arrive at a messy but inexplicably truthful conclusion.

It seems he guessed right this time!

And it's not just him, is it?

Last night, when I was sitting in the car outside, waiting for the golden retriever to come back from the meeting, didn't I feel the same way?

After the meeting ended, the figure that he gradually dared not look directly at was still there as usual, personally seeing the golden retriever out the door with a warm expression and a gentle smile.

In that brief moment when their eyes met by chance, the old fisherman glimpsed a chilling, surging tide that seemed like a hallucination.

Malice, cruelty, and cold-bloodedness, fleeting like a silent, brewing tsunami in the long night, about to engulf everything.

He stopped talking.

In the silence, the phone suddenly rang, and the caller ID showed only one name.

The golden retriever was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

[Big Brother]

(End of this chapter)