Chapter 00012: The Only Way
# The Only Way
Chapter 12
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 12 The Only Way
After a brief exchange, the two brothers in misfortune were finally able to grasp the situation and accept each other's newly established roles.
The lazy big brother, who spent his days idly picking at his toes and scrolling through short videos, was actually a special forces elite who crawled out of a muddy pit in the central land, an unmatched killer; while the little brother, who spent every night dreaming about testing his limits, silently transformed into a superhuman with the ability to speak on the phone.
Looking at it this way, it truly was a place of fortune for a small auto repair shop to have gathered these two brothers of extraordinary talent.
“Is it her?” Lu Feng asked, as he organized his ammunition.
“Yes, she’s at least one of the leaders,” Ji Jue replied with a nod. “Be careful; these guys are no longer human.”
“I know.”
Lu Feng nodded slowly as he loaded his shotgun.
Even if he hadn’t realized it at first, after killing a few, he began to understand.
“I’ve seen plenty of these freaks in the central land. No matter how strange they are, a single shot from a coastal defense cannon would take them all down without a fight.”
As he pulled back the gun’s bolt, Lu Feng suddenly asked, “Are you afraid?”
“Of course.”
Ji Jue nodded without hesitation, then countered, “Does being afraid really help?”
“If you’re scared, you should go out first and wait in the car for me. If I mess up, at least you’ll have a chance to escape.”
Lu Feng turned back to look at him, “These monsters hold power and influence. If we don’t take them out, we’ll probably never have peace in Cliff City. Do you understand?”
Ji Jue did not respond.
He suddenly felt that from this morning, no, since yesterday afternoon, when that old man turned into a monster and charged at him on a three-wheeled cart, his life had likely changed forever.
It was just that he hadn’t realized it until now.
Red eyes, hunger, deformation, beast-like appearances, blood, guts, and those things that were indistinguishable from human—that once they set their sights on you, there would be no peace!
If he didn’t clear these stumbling blocks, he would have no future!
But if there was a chance...
In that brief moment of daze, Ji Jue looked up at Lu Feng.
Through their masks, both pairs of eyes reflected a calm clarity, as if they were looking in a mirror:
— They must kill them all!
But hold on...
Ji Jue’s lips moved as he hesitated for a moment.
A voice echoed in his heart, he was unsure if it was ‘conscience’ or ‘weakness.’ It urged him, telling him: You can’t do this, Ji Jue, don’t be impulsive, stay calm.
Just killing won’t solve the problem...
You at least need to set a fire!
If machines can speak and reveal the truth, then corpses might have something to say too.
What about souls? Do they really exist? Will they turn into ghosts? Will they linger on?
For safety’s sake, he thought, kill them all, drain the spiritual energy with the watch, burn the bodies to ashes, scatter the bones, dump them into the sewers, set the scene on fire, disperse the crowd, and after that, blow this cursed nightclub sky high with gas.
Finally, wash out all the surveillance footage on the way back.
He and Brother Feng could find a place to drink, stir up some trouble, and it'd be best to change the timestamp under the police station or some gang's entrance to create an alibi.
Only then could they return home peacefully and sleep, speaking of having tomorrow.
But whatever path he chose, there was one prerequisite.
Those monsters, all of them, must die!
“There are fourteen people inside, and four in the small room next to them. One at the door, one in the car, and one in the trunk," Ji Jue stated.
"The woman on the left side of the door, the one next to her, and the one in the car, they are all monsters. Shooting the heart won’t help; blowing their heads off might still leave them struggling. Can we handle this?”
“It might be troublesome, but let’s give it a shot.”
Under the mask, Lu Feng grinned, resembling a beast sharpening its claws after becoming a mere pet, rummaging through his gear bag, and telling him, “Wait a moment, help me pull the switch.”
“When?”
Ji Jue reached for the outlet nearby.
Lu Feng fastened a somewhat old night vision device to his face, adjusting it carefully, “Starting the countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2…”
In the stillness, the soft numbers echoed in the dark stairway and hallway, carried by the scent of blood toward the distance.
A crimson light lit up from the indicator, awakening like a beast.
And thus, the final countdown came to an end.
“—1!”
Snap!
At that moment, a blinding spark burst out from the outlet.
It was as if it had sent all souls into flames, igniting them!
In an unprecedented surge of power, Ji Jue felt his spirit flow out, racing along his fingertips, never to return.
His consciousness seemed to detach from his body, traversing the circuit, entering a massive shell unlike anything before, filling everything.
In an instant, he felt himself expand into a giant, one that controlled everything.
He could sense the electric current speeding through countless cables, coursing through the grand building like blood through veins.
Speakers roared, neon lights flickered, massive ventilation fans spun silently in the darkness, and innumerable cables tangled in the control room, data rushing like an ocean.
But in a moment, everything vanished.
As Ji Jue clenched his fingers, the heartbeat of the giant suddenly halted!
Boom!!!
The electric equipment atop the building exploded with a roar, thick smoke rising, and all backup power systems failed entirely.
All music and dancing came to a sudden stop, and in the momentary silence, light faded away.
Darkness surged, swallowing everything!
In that stillness, Ji Jue fell to the ground, breathing heavily.
Thick, sticky blood trickled down beneath the mask.
Everything turned opaque.
He could only sense that in the mild breeze, the figure beside him had vanished without a trace.
Amidst the gradually spreading noise from the garage, a sharp scream suddenly pierced through.
“What’s happening?!” Zhu Hong shouted furiously, instinctively looking at the man next to her who wore a silly grin.
In the dim light, she found him frozen in place, confused.
Someone attempted to take out their phone to turn on the flashlight, but just as the phone was raised, there was a sound as something heavy hit the ground.
The only source of light remained the figure that had previously been beside them, now fallen to the ground after dropping the box, a stream of red pouring from its neck.
The dying figure, convulsing violently, reached out to grab the trousers of a companion.
But the only thing visible was a slowly emerging figure behind the light, like a true monster.
A dagger slid across the neck of the phone’s owner.
In an instant, the pale light was drenched in crimson.
The phone dropped, drowned in the spreading pool of blood.
“Watch out, there’s a problem.”
Those with quick reflexes began to retreat, some yelling, others screaming, “Turn on the lights! Turn on the lights!”
But those fumbling in the dark, following the wall, couldn’t find the switch.
The only face they could touch was covered beneath the night vision device.
Then came a sudden crack.
A head twisted.
In the unexpected chaos, the entire underground garage turned into a boiling pot of oil, the stench of blood mixing with the sewer, combined with the rotten smell from the drainage system, was enough to make one nauseous.
So clear.
Ji Jue could smell it—this was the scent of death.
Now he finally understood how Lu Feng had managed to kill so many before.
He had never talked about his specific experiences in the military.
He’d only occasionally mention over drinks or during casual chats: he had done many unkind deeds, taking on jobs that would give nightmares.
This was what he had learned in the nameless airborne regiment; this was the role he had played while moving through the central land.
His job was slaughter.
Even just a few seconds of darkness, fleeting chaos, was enough for him to kill all six people in his path without breaking his stride, without even firing a shot.
What a hell of a skill!
Ji Jue couldn't help but nod; both he and Brother Feng were killing machines!
“Car! Car!!!”
Amid the chaos, someone shouted sharply, “Turn on the headlights!”
The dazed driver seemed to finally react, panicking as he started the engine, and finally, bright light burst forth from the headlights, illuminating the bloody figure.
Standing right before the headlights, turning back, like an insect, the night vision device gazed upon the pale face beyond the car window, the handgun raised, and the trigger pulled.
A cloud of blood mist exploded from behind the shattered window.
Then, the gun turned, pulling the trigger over and over again towards those scrambling towards the exit.
“Go get a gun, kill him!!!”
The man beside Zhu Hong shouted angrily, and immediately, someone in the shadow by the truck dashed forward.
Lu Feng casually adjusted the gun and pulled the trigger.
The bullet flew out, embedding itself in the enemy's chest.
Yet, the opponent’s body began to swell uncontrollably.
It was like inflating a balloon, the distorted flesh and blood grew rapidly, and in an instant, returned to its original state, even accelerating in speed.
And next, aimed at him, was the dark muzzle of a shotgun.
Under the mask, Lu Feng remained expressionless, squeezing the trigger.
The man flew back, blood and flesh exploding from his chest, revealing shattered bones and entrails, the stench expanding, but he suddenly began to revert back again, opening his mouth to vomit.
Strange tendrils extended from his lips, actually wrapping around the gun's barrel, tightening it.
Lu Feng continuously pulled the trigger until the man below was reduced to a pile of bloody meat.
Then he suddenly sensed a chill behind him.
Right behind, in the shadow of the truck, someone crawled out on all fours like a crazed dog, moving at an unbelievable speed, bouncing between walls and ceilings to seize the critical moment, sharp fangs bared, lunging towards his neck.
Bang!
A muffled explosion erupted, and that distorted face suddenly exploded in a shower of blood, the left eye bursting from the bullet's impact.
In the following moment, surprisingly, the right eye also detonated.
In the blink of an eye, three bullets almost simultaneously surged forward, the final result being the monster’s skull shattering, blood splattering everywhere!
The grotesque corpse fell from the air.
A sniper? No...
Amid the sudden coldness, Lu Feng suppressed the urge to roll and find cover, quickly turned his gaze to the source of the bullets, only to see an unexpected figure.
Ji Jue!
At the stairway exit, hidden in the dark corner, the young man had raised his weapon without him even realizing it.
Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger!
(End of Chapter)