Chapter 00141: Falling Rain and Thunder
# Falling Rain and Thunder
Chapter 141
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 141: Falling Rain and Thunder
Not only Ji Jue, but everyone present fell into silence, including Lei Yaoxing, who was staring over.
For a moment, his expression twitched, as if he had sensed something.
But he didn’t even have time to think, because the second car had already stopped at the entrance.
A luxury car, the kind that Lou Dashao would ride in, top-tier Guangyuan!
The man who stepped out of it looked rather ordinary, slightly plump, and aside from his high-end branded clothes and the expensive watch on his wrist, there was nothing particularly remarkable about him.
Yet, his presence made the atmosphere in the room grow even more tense.
Even more so than before.
"Long time no see, Mr. Tong," Lei Yaoxing shook hands with the newcomer, who was the current CEO of the Tong Group.
The man nodded slightly and had someone present a wreath.
"My father said that he and Old Master Lei had known each other for many years, so he sent me to pay his respects."
Lei Yaoxing fell silent for a brief moment before stepping aside.
"... Please."
With that, Tong Shengnian walked in, took two sticks of incense, lit them, and clasped his hands together in silent prayer.
Afterward, he ignored the usher's invitation and instead walked to the very back of the venue.
Right under Ji Jue's twitching eyelids, he sat down next to the elder of the Chongguang Church.
And then there was the Tong family!
Next to arrive was a low-key yet luxurious Imperial Yaoying.
From the car, a middle-aged woman with short hair and a serious demeanor stepped out.
Ji Jue had seen this woman before.
In Professor Ye's workshop...
Back then, when Professor Ye introduced her to him, Ji Jue had smiled brighter than a kindergarten child... because she was the manager of the Taiyi Ring of the All-Region Artisans Association in Yancheng, the full representative!
Now, after offering incense, she didn’t leave.
Instead, she walked to the back, sat next to the elder, exchanged a few brief words, nodded at Ji Jue, and then fell silent.
Ji Jue's scalp was tingling more and more.
The subsequent arrivals were all heavyweight figures...
The local branch head of the Star Core Association, the confidential secretary of the city hall, the special representative of the governor's office, the business manager of Yongji Bank, and the heads of Universal Heavy Industries and Boundless Communications.
And finally, a car that completely ignored all the rules and stopped right at the entrance of the farewell hall.
Well, it wasn’t a particularly good car, but it wasn’t bad either.
However, whether it was good or bad didn’t matter, because it bore the emblem of the Yancheng Security Bureau.
A young man stepped out, straightened his sleeves, and strode in.
He ignored Lei Yaoxing, didn’t care about Lei Wuye, and didn’t even bother to offer incense.
He didn’t even glance at the coffin.
From start to finish, his face remained expressionless, his once handsome features now cold and distant, as if he couldn’t care less about anything.
Thus, under the gaze of many angry eyes, he walked to the very back, greeted Tong Shengnian, and then straightforwardly sat down next to Ji Jue.
Ji Jue's expression twitched once, then again.
At this moment, he just wanted to shrink his head like Chen Yubo.
Before he could decide to change seats, he heard a voice beside him.
The cold man turned to look at him, his expression surprisingly gentle.
"Ji Jue?"
"Uh... hello?"
Ji Jue nodded, scrutinizing the unfamiliar face.
"And you are?"
"No need for formalities. Tong, Tong Shan."
The man introduced himself as the acting head of the Yancheng Security Bureau's first division and shook Ji Jue's hand.
"Before coming here, Director Wen specifically asked me to look out for you. But now, it seems I don’t need to do much."
"Uh..."
In an instant, Ji Jue felt a wave of relief, as if all the pressure had vanished.
Holy cow, with such a big shot sitting right next to him, even if Lei Yaoxing pulled out a knife, Ji Jue wouldn’t lose a single hair!
Now that’s what you call security!
Just as Ji Jue was about to climb up the ladder and say "we’re on the same side," he heard Tong Shan speak again.
"Not just Director Wen, my silly sister often talks about you too."
"Huh?"
Ji Jue instinctively felt a sense of foreboding.
"What does she say about me?"
Tong Shan paused for a moment, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"The matter of Brother Mingyan, do I need to repeat it?"
Ji Jue's expression twitched uncontrollably.
I knew it! I freaking knew it!
Nineteen years of clean living, and now one misstep has turned into an eternal regret!
Can’t we just skip over this topic?! Why does it feel like this is going to haunt me for the rest of my life?!
"Ahem, sorry about that."
"I don’t find it funny."
To Ji Jue's surprise, Tong Shan shook his head seriously, so seriously that Ji Jue wondered if he was being sarcastic.
"I think you spoke well and acted well. These days, there are too few people who dare to speak their minds and actually follow through with their actions."
He suddenly asked, "Are you interested in joining the Security Bureau?"
"Uh..."
Ji Jue's expression twitched again.
He wanted to say that he was already an informant, but in the eyes of someone like Tong Shan, being an informant probably didn’t even count as being on the fringes.
Tong Shan continued, "I know the second division is a mess, but don’t worry, the first division is always open to you. No, with your abilities, you could probably go straight to the third division, right?"
The Yancheng Security Bureau, aside from its logistics and financial departments, had three main divisions, commonly referred to as the first, second, and third divisions.
The second division, which most people interacted with, was the largest and most complex, responsible for maintaining order in various districts of Yancheng.
This was why Wen Wen jokingly referred to herself as a "beat cop."
The first division, which Tong Shan now headed, was directly under the bureau chief and was considered the elite of the federal civil service, responsible for Yancheng's defense and the safety of important figures.
The dominant force within the first division was the Tianyuan faction, whose internal management and discipline were far stricter than the second division's, and whose benefits and treatment were shockingly generous.
Wild Tianyuan followers dreamed of passing the civil service exam to join, as it meant a stable career.
Only members of the first division had access to the federal Tianyuan matrix and various inherited techniques...
After all, the Empire and the Federation were the only two major strongholds of Tianyuan in the world!
As for the third division Tong Shan mentioned, it was the smallest and most mysterious, responsible for maintaining Yancheng's critical facilities, including but not limited to large-scale war structures, alchemical items... even Tianyuan artifacts and forbidden creations.
Backed by federal supplies, they didn’t bat an eye at the consumption of rare materials.
If this offer had come half a year earlier, Ji Jue would have been over the moon.
But now, unfortunately, he couldn’t care less.
The Tide Sound Workshop is my home, and in my heart, there’s only one sun—Professor Ye!
Without hesitation, Ji Jue shook his head.
"I’m focusing on my studies for now, sorry."
Tong Shan nodded slightly, not surprised, and handed Ji Jue a business card with both hands, solemnly saying, "If you’re ever interested, feel free to contact me."
"Definitely."
Ji Jue carefully put the card away, only then noticing the increasingly heavy and oppressive atmosphere in the farewell hall.
Unknowingly, the seats around him had filled up!
And looking around, there were people from all walks of life, high and low, but not a single one from the wasteland.
First, there was the elder of the Chongguang Church, then Tong Shengnian from the Tong family, followed by the Taiyi Ring representative, and then Tong Shan, the acting head of the Security Bureau.
It was like boulders being thrown into a pond, stirring up waves and undercurrents.
When all of them were seated here, this funeral was no longer just an internal affair of the wasteland.
It felt more like...
...a trial?
Ji Jue suddenly had a vague suspicion, but perhaps only this could explain everything that was happening.
The shadow war that had lasted half a month was simply too long.
And as the conflict spiraled out of control, it affected more than just the wasteland.
The Chongguang Church's hospitals and aid, the Tong family's business and operations, the Taiyi Ring's material transport and contraband control, the Star Core Association's neutrality and unity, the city hall's operations, the governor's office's security, and most importantly...
Yancheng's order and stability.
Admittedly, as long as human nature exists, there will always be chaos and disorder in the wilderness.
But now, the bloodshed in the wilderness had spilled over into the world beyond, flowing to everyone's doorstep.
By the time the next guest arrived, offered incense, and took a seat, the entire farewell hall had fallen into a deathly silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
A middle-aged man who bore some resemblance to Tong Shan walked in leisurely, dressed in casual business attire, his demeanor handsome and unrestrained, exuding a certain charm.
After nodding to Tong Shengnian, he affectionately patted Tong Shan's shoulder and sat down beside him.
"Long time no see, Ah Shan."
"Hello, Fourth Uncle."
Tong Shan nodded respectfully.
"Ah, relax a bit. I was even considering whether to address you by your title. Wouldn’t that be more interesting?"
Fourth Uncle waved his hand carelessly, showing no sign of solemnity.
"Ah Hua was so angry after coming home last time that she ate several extra bowls of rice. Your sibling relationship is quite amusing."
Beside them, Ji Jue and Old Tang sat upright, not daring to breathe, keeping their heads down.
The moment Fourth Uncle appeared, Ji Jue had already noticed the badge on his chest...
The pin of the Haizhou Book Club.
It looked like a harmless club, but who would have thought that this place was the largest gathering of Ether Chosen in Haizhou, serving as an intelligence exchange hub?
And the man Tong Shan called Fourth Uncle was none other than Tong Ting, the Ether Chosen of the Tong family and the current head of the Haizhou Book Club.
His presence here represented all the Ether Chosen in Yancheng.
Among the many visitors, the Tong family alone had representatives from industry, the Security Bureau, and the Ether faction, giving a glimpse of the usually low-profile Tong family's terrifying influence...
But surprisingly, unlike the bold and fierce Tong Hua, Tong Ting never activated his Ether Eye or looked around.
After exchanging formal greetings with Ji Jue and complimenting the young man, he said nothing more.
As more and more guests arrived, paid their respects, and either sat down or left, the once somewhat spacious farewell hall had become so crowded that there were no seats left.
The busy staff were about to bring in more chairs, but Lei Yaoxing, who had been silent all along, raised his hand and waved them off.
There would be no more guests.
Or rather, the last guest had already arrived.
"Sorry for the delay, I was held up on the way."
A pale-faced man in a wheelchair coughed twice and instructed the usher beside him, "I had someone bring some flowers earlier. Please help me arrange them."
Behind him, an elderly man with one arm closed his umbrella, and a sparse stream of rainwater dripped from the tip, tinged with a faint red.
"Brother!"
Chen Yubo, who had been shrinking in the back, finally looked up.
When he saw the newcomer, his eyes lit up, and he almost burst into tears.
But aside from him, no one else spoke.
Only the faint sound of the wheelchair rolling across the floor echoed through the hall.
The hall was silent, the sound of rain falling softly.
"Long time no see."
At the altar, Chen Xingzhou calmly looked up and greeted Lei Yaoxing.
"Young Master Xing, how have you been?"
At this moment, it was just like that time.
From the long, sultry sea breeze, a flash of lightning crossed the distant dark clouds.
The thunder of heaven rumbled.
(End of Chapter)