Chapter 00016: The Last Survivor (Thanks to the Alliance Leader of Taisela)
# The Last Survivor (Thanks to the Alliance Leader of Taisela)
Chapter 16
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 16: The Last Survivor (Thanks to the Alliance Leader of Taisela)
In the deep night, at the northern district office of the Security Bureau.
Just as Wen Wen shut the office door, her phone started ringing.
It was a call from Su Zi.
"Hello? Sister Wen, I've found the files you wanted."
A weary voice came from the other end, still shaken from previous events.
"What did you find?"
"There’s a lot—way too much!" Su Zi's tone turned resentful, "It's simply terrifying! Where on earth did you dig up these two ghastly pieces? Each of them has impressive traits and secret skills... Please, no more surprises like this next time, alright?"
"Let’s talk about Lu Feng first."
Wen Wen leaned back in her chair, propping her legs up on the desk, swaying them playfully.
"He wasn’t just some average law-abiding citizen, was he?"
"Well... to some extent, he fits that description, but whether he's just a commoner, that depends on your perspective."
On Su Zi's side, the sound of flipping through pages could be heard.
"There are two files on him; one is from Yacheng. Everything looks normal—pretty dull, actually. A normal adoption story, with his adoptive parents being the owners of a car repair shop. He was a troublemaker, always getting into fights. He even lied about his age to join the army. After serving, he returned and just helped out at the repair shop but ended up getting a ton of bad reviews because of his temper and poor service... In short, he’s just been living a plain life."
"And the other file? Does it share the same fate?"
"Now, that one is genuinely frightening. It’s marked with a red seal, top secret, directly linked to the military headquarters in Central City. It has six confidentiality stamps on it—six!" Su Zi couldn’t help but curse, "I’ve been in the investigation department for years, and this is the first time I’ve seen so many stamps. Even just asking for access to it drew warnings from the military."
"That’s to be expected."
Wen Wen had already guessed it the moment she laid eyes on Lu Feng—his tattoo, aside from the typical decorations in the military, bore the emblem of a half-lion, half-skull.
From what she knew, the only people with such tattoos who had been in the Central Plains were those claiming to be part of the Airborne Battalion, which was no secret in the upper echelons of the federation.
Those people were involved in all sorts of shady dealings—assassinations, kidnappings, unethical weapons testing that violated human rights, and even terrorist activities.
Hence, it felt odd.
How did he survive retirement?
In the Central Plains, aside from the security forces protecting oil fields, anyone who joined the battles and operations didn’t usually make it to retirement.
Leaving the Airborne Battalion completely intact was nearly unheard of.
To have not died on the battlefield, not perished in a confidential mission, and not succumbed to a self-inflicted wound—it was almost as if he was backed by a powerful patron.
Whether he was exceedingly lucky or had a hefty support system, the Dragon Festival's lackeys getting on the bad side of such a person would only mean trouble with the military.
"It’s enough for us to know he has ties with the military. The Security Bureau's job is to prevent unusual crimes; even if he gets bored and decides to kill, that's for the military to deal with, not my problem."
Wen Wen asked directly, "What about the other file?"
"It gets even scarier."
Su Zi rubbed her forehead, "Sister Wen, you’ve only just returned these past two years; you should’ve heard of what happened ten years ago in Haizhou."
Wen Wen paused for a moment, thinking deeply before straightening up in her chair, "You mean… the Sea Burning Day? Is he connected to the Tide Flame Disaster?"
"Yes, he is one of the survivors."
Su Zi sighed, "To be precise, Ji Jue is the sole survivor of the Tide Flame Disaster."
In a dream that seemed to stretch endlessly, Ji Jue once again heard the familiar sound of train wheels clanging against the tracks.
He opened his eyes and leaned against the window, gazing at the blurry landscapes rushing past—mountains, wild fields, sparse lonely villages, and the fiery glow of the sunset on the horizon.
The evening glow reflected in the child's eyes, dancing in the crimson sky.
"Are you awake? Rest a while longer; we'll arrive in Yacheng shortly."
Someone gently ruffled his hair.
"How about I take you to see the sea when we get there?"
"…"
Ji Jue stayed silent for a long time before softly whispering, "Actually, I don't like the sea. If I see it too much, I'd get sick of it."
"You secretly saved up for a swimsuit when you heard we were moving to Yacheng," the person chuckled while pulling him into a warm embrace, playfully tousling his hair, "Don’t worry; you’ll make new friends at your new school, and everyone will play with you."
"They're right; you'll adapt. The past will feel far away, and you’ll embrace your new life."
"But new life is so hard, Mom, much harder than I imagined."
Ji Jue leaned against her shoulder, lowering his head, "Haizhou's food has a bland taste; I'm always unsatisfied. The dialect is complicated, and I can't understand a word. The hospital’s medicine tastes terrible, nurses can be scary, and the old house is prone to dampness. When it's the rainy season, it’s like there’s water everywhere; if we don’t deal with it promptly, mold will set in. Some classmates from school like to bully me, and the teachers always seem to give me a hard time..."
"That sounds so tough."
She softly sighed.
"Don't worry, I’ve got it all sorted out, Mom. They can’t overwhelm me. I’ve already gotten into university—just like you, Tianmen University. The scenery there is as beautiful as you described, but the braised pork rice is really hard to find."
He gently grasped his mother’s hand as if cradling a dream far too fragile.
"Mom likes to get angry, but she treats me well, like I'm her child. Professor Ye is strict, always saying he’d kick me out if I didn’t do a good job, yet he never looked down on me. When someone bullies me, Brother Feng will help me fight back. The senior sister takes good care of me; she’s never made things hard for me during our projects... They’re all really nice people, and they like me a lot."
"So don’t worry, Mom, I'm doing well."
Ji Jue smiled, assuring her, "I will definitely become someone of worth… no matter how hard it is."
"Then why do you seem so sad?" His mother tenderly caressed his cheek, her gentleness causing Ji Jue's nose to ache with unshed tears.
"I just... really miss you."
"I miss you too."
A soft arm embraced him, mirroring a sense of eternal protection that made the cruel world and all its hardships feel less terrifying.
Ji Jue shut his eyes, nestling against her warmth.
He stopped glancing outside.
The vibrant evening glow danced with its last light before being swallowed by dark clouds, which then vanished.
Within the chaos of heaven and earth, screams and shouts echoed like many previous nightmares.
The dark clouds were vanquished, showering down crimson rain.
As it fell to the ground, it ignited an unquenchable flame, which soared skyward.
As these flames converged, they resembled an endless tide.
People called it the Tide Flame Disaster.
It was the calamity crowned with the name of destruction.
When it emerged, even the oceans burned to a boil.
The invisible flames swept over everything, turning it all to ash.
Ten years ago, it manifested without warning in Haizhou, flowing southeastward, annihilating everything in its path, whether it be mountains, wastelands, villages, or even a train caught in the aftermath.
Just like that, it carelessly took everything from Ji Jue.
Four hours after the disaster struck, the rescue team from Yacheng was first to arrive at the scene.
Someone found the sole survivor among the wreckage of the train.
Severely burned and on the brink of death.
He lay cradled in the arms of his deceased mother, neither crying nor struggling, allowing the rescuers to carry him away.
Afterward, experts painstakingly detailed how lucky and coincidental this was.
People read the headlines in newspapers, celebrating it as a miracle and feeling joyful.
But sometimes, what’s called a miracle is hardly different from a curse.
And Ji Jue had never been the lucky one.
He couldn’t remember how many times he relived that dream, but the dream's conclusion had never changed due to his actions.
Every time he reached this part, the dream was supposed to end.
But this time, he did not wake up.
He lifted his head to the sky, which didn’t belong to this dream.
Within the shattered night, countless shining stars gradually emerged, twinkling, overlapping, intertwining, forming hazy outlines, like magnificent deities appearing among mortals.
One after another.
They were watching him.
Solemn and silent.
As always, waiting.
The office was quiet.
Only a thin wisp of smoke curled up from the ashtray.
Even amidst the federation's calamitous history, the Tide Flame Disaster ten years ago was an exceptionally rare catastrophe.
The collapse of a dimensional rift caused the disaster level to rise to alarming proportions, sending waves of fiery winds surging from the ruins of the Spring City, rampaging and setting the Western Sea to a boil.
No major city was destroyed, but the losses greatly impacted Haizhou's economy, nearly crippling it.
The tragedies that ensued were countless.
As the lone survivor of that incident...
Wen Wen also couldn’t tell whether Ji Jue’s fate was fortunate or unfortunate.
In the face of natural disasters, surviving does not equate to happiness but rather the beginning of misfortune—those who manage to survive disasters often receive another label: 'Cursed Ones.'
Ordinary people entangled with calamity are just unlucky.
Being a bit unlucky is good.
The odds of mutation are much higher than for regular folks, and almost no one finds peace.
For all these years, Ji Jue had not experienced self-ignition, which was already luck one couldn't imagine.
"Sister Wen, why are you suddenly investigating this?"
After a long silence, Su Zi’s voice came through with curiosity, "He hasn’t gotten himself mixed up in something, has he?"
"No, he hasn’t."
Wen Wen shook her head decisively, "I just came across him while fixing a motorcycle and was a little curious, that's all."
"…Eh?"
Su Zi drew out her tone in disbelief, clearly feigning surprise, "Then remember to treat me to dinner later. Don’t you dare use the Security Bureau cafeteria as an excuse."
"Fine, fine."
Wen Wen nodded and, after contemplating for a moment, suddenly asked, "Su Zi, you've been working in the investigation department for so long and have seen so many files. If, and I mean if, the cursed ones were ever chosen for something..."
"Are you serious?"
Su Zi sounded surprised, "The chances of that? Relying on one's own awakening without any external influence wouldn’t be called impossible, but you could say it’s just daydreaming. It’s more realistic to buy a lottery ticket. Ordinary people influenced by mutation are practically marked by the vortex. It’s like trying to walk on a tightrope with hundreds of pounds of iron balls strapped to your ankles. Moving forward even two steps is already impressive, let alone soaring into the sky."
"I see, thank you."
After hearing this, Wen Wen had nothing more to say.
When the call ended, silence enveloped the office once again, leaving only the ticking sound of the clock.
While staring at the empty report document on her computer screen, she once again became lost in thought, glancing out the window at the sky.
If someone who should have fallen into the abyss could someday soar through the skies...
Wouldn’t their wings be beautiful?
Wen Wen smiled.
The night sky was so clear, not a cloud in sight.
Stars sparkled gently, casting a soft light.
(End of Chapter)