Chapter 00011: A Surprising Encounter (Thanks to the Alliance Leader, Master Liu Yue)
# A Surprising Encounter (Thanks to the Alliance Leader, Master Liu Yue)
Chapter 11
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 11: A Surprising Encounter (Thanks to the Alliance Leader, Master Liu Yue)
"Damn it."
In an unexpected place and under strange circumstances, both Ji Jue and Lu Feng widened their eyes, and after a moment of silence, they cursed in unison.
As they stared at each other's faces, they couldn’t help but question one another: "How did you end up here?"
Their voices overlapped, leading them back into silence.
It could only be said that fate is mysterious and unpredictable.
But sometimes, it’s too unpredictable…
In an instant, the two realized that neither of them knew how to explain their sudden presence here or how they had gotten into this complicated mess.
"Sorry."
Lu Feng noticed the blood dripping from his face.
He raised his hand to wipe it off, but instead, it only smeared, so he looked around at the chaos of bodies nearby, giving up on any pretense and simply shrugged, saying, "It was an accident."
Was it an accident that you used your god-given strength to kill over thirty members of the Qi family? Why didn’t you just say you tripped while trying to flirt with a girl when the police raided?
"Who asked you that?"
Ji Jue rolled his eyes, staring at Lu Feng’s hand.
"I meant the gun."
This was an outright illegal item.
Though the Federation was somewhat lenient, owning fully automatic firearms was strictly prohibited, and even getting a permit for a handgun could cost a fortune.
Yet, lying at Lu Feng's feet were repair kits overflowing with various firearms.
Ji Jue’s envy grew; he had never even touched such impressive gear.
Lu Feng was momentarily stunned before breaking into a grin.
"I borrowed a bit from my comrades."
He said, "And I’ve got extra."
With that, he pulled out a pistol from the holster at his waist, offering the barrel to Ji Jue.
It was a classic product from the Huanyu Heavy Industries' Sentinel Group, a model that had been in military service for over forty years, the "Hunter," chambering twelve rounds and measuring 197 mm…
The moment Ji Jue took it into his hands, a flood of information filled his mind.
The gun seemed to become almost transparent, and without needing to focus, he saw all its inner mechanics in his mind.
"Be careful not to break it."
Lu Feng cautioned, "That’s a prized possession of our airborne unit, passed down through generations. I’ve taken down several planes with it during my service. If I break or lose it, I’ll never be able to face my comrades again!"
"It’s that old?"
"It’s older than I am, what do you think?"
"Hello?"
Ji Jue called out instinctively, but received no response.
Yet the feeling of connection was so profound, more so than any machine he had encountered.
It was as if a steadfast companion was right beside him, quietly listening to his needs; he commanded, and it obeyed, remaining silent as stone otherwise.
What a fine item—undoubtedly a fine item!
Ji Jue's eyes brightened as he tucked away the screwdriver, giving the leader a couple of more whacks on the head with a crowbar before finally lifting his gaze to survey their surroundings.
But the smile slowly faded.
After admiring the good things, the bad things came into view.
It was like a… dissection room.
On the operating table in the center lay a corpse that had not yet completely cooled.
Its fingers twitched from residual nerve activity, its chest ripped open with its organs entirely missing.
Nearby, an insulated container was only half-packed, revealing carefully boxed items, waiting for urgent delivery into the buyer's hands.
Too bad the courier had died at the store's entrance.
Useless to even start the journey.
There was more…
Blood.
It spread from behind a massive curtain, no matter how many times it was mopped up, those thick red stains clung to the tiles.
Ji Jue reached out to pull back the curtain but heard Lu Feng calling his name from behind, telling him to stop.
But he didn’t stop.
He pulled back a small corner of hell.
A machine resembling a saw cut through the air, its funnel aimed at a bathtub big enough for an extravagant feast… but instead of champagne and bubbles, it held only red.
Too glaring a crimson, seeping from an unknown number of shredded corpses, rippling under the light.
The basement felt like a production line.
An endless supply of materials flowed in, stripping organs, earning money, drawing blood to feed the gluttony.
The remaining worthless scraps were tossed aside to face annihilation.
Pieces of these bodies were piled together, with a hollow eye peeking out from the gaps, staring through the blood at Ji Jue, making him stumble in dizziness and step back.
He was steadied.
Lu Feng quickly pulled the curtain shut and patted his shoulder.
"These bastards have secretly been kidnapping homeless folk and solitary individuals—the missing won't even be noticed after coming here. It’s been going on for quite some time now."
"I know."
Ji Jue repressed the urge to vomit.
He had anticipated this, and had even prepared for it, but he never imagined... there would be so many.
Dozens? Hundreds? It was impossible to estimate.
So many lives extinguished silently, being killed, cut up, dissected, ultimately becoming chunks disposed of… and it wasn’t just starving monsters that were at work here.
There were more people, just like the deceased, picking up knives against their own kind.
Perhaps if someone got lucky and managed to flee, a few lives could be spared.
But if Ji Jue and his friends were unlucky, the number of dead might just increase slightly.
Living or dying, they were all mere weeds trampled underfoot.
"It's a shame that these folks are just a bunch of small fries."
Lu Feng sighed, lowering his gaze to pick up a bloodstained backpack filled with weapons, not even bothering to wipe it off.
"Let’s go. We should see if the leader is around."
"Wait!"
Ji Jue hurriedly stopped him, assessing his appearance.
"You’re just gonna go out like that?"
"What else can I do?"
Lu Feng rolled his eyes and replied, "What, should I stuff a few red packets and go out to greet them for the New Year?"
"This is why your mom always says you lack brains."
Ji Jue sighed again, rummaging through the toolbox hanging on him, pulling out a couple of hoods.
"Good thing I prepared an extra while making these. If we leave a survivor behind who can recognize us, it’ll be a mess."
"Hey, you, kid, you’re quite well-prepared."
Lu Feng grinned as he put on a rough, elastic hood with two holes cut into it, adjusting it, taking a deep breath, finally resembling a bandit: "Just this color…"
He frowned.
"Why does it look just like your long johns?"
"…To be honest, it was still on my legs half an hour ago."
Ji Jue sighed.
"So, don’t sniff it, brother; I’m scared."
"Ji, you—"
Lu Feng was about to curse when suddenly, he paused, staring wide-eyed as he watched Ji Jue skillfully pop the disrupted surveillance line into his mouth.
"Hold on, let me get you a little something—holy crap, it’s live!"
With electrical sparks flashing between his teeth, Ji Jue’s eyes glazed as countless images flooded in!
Then, from the jumbled memories, familiar figures emerged.
"I found it!"
In the secret garage on the fourth underground level, chaos reigned.
The trucks were nearly loaded to capacity, and the frenzy of labor showed no sign of slowing.
By the truck, a woman who had almost devoured both Master Ji and Young Master Ji in the past monitored the entire process.
But the moment she removed her sunglasses, her allure evaporated, replaced by a terrifying shade of red in her eyes.
A man, all smiles, approached with a folding chair.
"Miss Zhu, please take a break; we're almost finished—would you like some water? I’ll have Xiao Li get some for you. He just started today—"
"Enough with the chatter. Is the third floor cleaned up?"
Zhu Hong glanced over, her expression void of warmth.
"Be quick about it. After this shipment, move all the other goods to the southern slopes. Clear out the people inside too; we can’t leave witnesses here."
"So soon?"
The sycophant hesitated for a moment, his grin stiffening.
"Some of the equipment just came in; moving the folks in the cages…"
"Too troublesome? If it’s a hassle, forget it."
Zhu Hong let out a cold laugh.
"That mad dog from the Safety Bureau wiped out both the Yiqing and Quancheng gangs this afternoon! Old Hu’s pleas fell on deaf ears—he killed families like it was nothing! If you think the Wang guy is solid, closer than father and son, absolutely won’t give you up, then you can sit here and wait, or—"
She paused, a chilling smile blooming on her face.
"If you’re afraid of pain, I can help you go peacefully."
"…"
The man instinctively took a step back, his expression twitching.
"I'll order them to speed up right away."
Bang!
In the hustle, a box toppled during their handling, spilling blood as a dead infant dropped out.
In an instant, an oppressive silence descended.
Zhu Hong stared blankly at the scene, her expression unchanging.
The man quickly waved his hand, and people standing at the door rushed in, dragging down the bewildered workers as muted sounds ensued.
Under the cold gaze, the cleaning continued, and the work resumed.
"What’s the use in raising so many useless folks? They just bring shame."
Zhu Hong shifted her gaze away.
"If they can work, let them; if not, dispose of them to the dogs and save the 'food.'"
"Yes, yes."
The man, drenched in sweat, protested, "The old woman at the garage was definitely unexpected; please understand… as for the young man with the scar, we've already tracked him down. I’ll bring people to get him right away; I promise to have him here tonight."
And just outside the garage, in a quiet stairwell, two masked figures stared at each other…
Mr. Ji, who had a scar on his face, was already sweating profusely: Damn it, you bastards, how are you opening the boxes?!
Wait, today… damn it, so that old guy from yesterday was in cahoots with you?!
Ji Jue’s eyes widened.
"Pfft."
Beside him, Lu Feng couldn’t contain his laughter, delighting in the misfortune.
Just as he was about to speak, the accompanying man in the garage continued, "But I remember there was an older man in the store, looking buff, just a bit tanned…"
"Tanned like a frog—who's going to want to bring that back?"
Zhu Hong shot him a cold glance.
"Take the blood and dispose of the rest in the sea, keep it clean, and don’t stir up more trouble."
"Pfft."
This time, Ji Jue couldn’t help but laugh, while Lu Feng shot him a furious glare: Are you laughing at a cow demon?!
This chapter's title, heh… since my first day here, it’s been the example title in the newly built chapter section.
I guess the creators never imagined someone would genuinely use this title, right?
(End of chapter)