Chapter 00182: It Was All Just an Act...
# It Was All Just an Act...
Chapter 182
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 182: It Was All Just an Act...
Seven days later, at noon, the military base in Cliff City was bustling with activity.
Trucks loaded to the brim roared down the dirt roads, kicking up clouds of dust as they disappeared into the distance.
Meanwhile, on the massive airfield, enormous airships took off and landed.
On the ground, a menacing shadow stretched forward, passing over Ji Jue before chasing after the airship, heading toward the horizon.
"Wow, what a grand spectacle," Ji Jue muttered to himself, carrying a suitcase as he showed his ID at the checkpoint in front of the gate.
Once inside, he saw a vast square filled with large vehicles waiting to be loaded.
Soldiers in off-road vehicles, wearing sunglasses and smoking cigarettes, were casually commenting on the scene before them.
It seemed the current governor of Haizhou was really trying to make a statement.
"Going all out in one battle?"
It sounded ambitious, but in reality, the difficulty was anything but ordinary.
The disaster in Spring City had plagued Haizhou for decades.
Before Spring City fell, it was the heart of Haizhou, the de facto capital of the region, long before Tide City rose to prominence.
After the calamity that caused Spring City to sink, the entire region seemed to have its backbone broken, struggling to recover for years.
Just as they were beginning to regain some footing through maritime trade, the Flame Tide disaster struck, making their fate seem cursed.
For years, the pollution from the underground caverns had been relentless.
It wasn’t as if no one had tried to clean up the mess in Spring City and eliminate the lingering threats, but every attempt ended up being more talk than action.
Without a strong leader, the major and minor cities bickered over trivial matters, and in the end, everyone went home empty-handed.
As an ordinary citizen, Ji Jue naturally couldn’t know all the details.
He didn’t understand Spring City, but he did understand the Federation.
As long as taxes were paid, quotas were met, and tasks were completed, the bigwigs in the Central City Council wouldn’t care about the lives of ordinary people.
Rather than hoping for their help, it was better to hope that the current governor of Haizhou would run for president and make the Federation great again.
But none of this had anything to do with Ji Jue.
He was just a sidekick, a helper.
If things went well, his resume would shine with another glorious entry, and his empty material reserves would get a boost.
If things didn’t work out, he could always follow his teacher and run away.
Let the tall ones deal with the falling sky.
Ji Jue was just here to fix cars.
After checking his ID, the soldier seemed puzzled by how someone so young had gotten in, but he didn’t say anything.
He just pointed the way and warned Ji Jue not to wander off before letting him through.
Just a few steps later, Ji Jue spotted a familiar face under a sunshade outside the fence.
Someone was waving vigorously, making sure he wouldn’t miss them.
Xiao An?
Ji Jue was slightly surprised.
When Xiao An noticed him looking over, she smiled and called out, "Be safe, Brother Ji Jue!"
"Sure, sure," Ji Jue replied with a warm smile.
"Be safe, 'Brother Ji Jue'!" Tong Hua mimicked Xiao An’s tone sarcastically.
Ji Jue forced a polite smile, his fist tightening.
He’d make sure to share some of her embarrassing moments later.
"Be safe, Brother Ji Jue!"
Behind Tong Hua, a tall figure also looked over, pushing up her polarized sunglasses with a teasing smile.
Ji Jue’s face twitched.
"Sister Wen, why are you joining in? And Old Zhang, don’t you dare!"
After stopping the old man behind them from joining the chorus, Ji Jue hurried over to the fence.
"What are you all doing here?"
"Security duty, the usual stuff," Wen Wen said, gesturing toward the city center.
"Tong Shan barks orders, and we run around like dogs. That kid’s getting better at putting on airs... Ah, we lowly workers can’t compare to Master Ji, who’s already soaring high. It’s been so long since you visited North Mountain District. I wonder if you’ll even remember your old friends in the future."
"Don’t tease me," Ji Jue said with a bitter smile.
"I’ve been busy... really busy, the kind that makes you want to vomit blood. I’ll treat you all to a meal later!"
He had only managed to sleep for a few hours at four in the morning the previous night, and the dark circles under his eyes were still evident.
After teasing Ji Jue a bit more, Wen Wen didn’t press further.
She just pointed at the suitcase in his hand.
"You’re heading out with just this? Is it enough? If you’re really broke, we can pool some resources and at least get you a decent set of gear."
"Don’t worry, I’ve got the important stuff with me. Besides..."
Ji Jue paused and whistled toward the back.
Suddenly, amidst the thick smoke, a series of sputtering sounds erupted.
In a cacophony of metal grinding, a bizarre vehicle with two massive exhaust pipes rolled in, drawing shocked and bewildered looks from everyone.
It parked next to Ji Jue with a screech, honking its horn proudly.
It looked like one of those illegal street vendors’ trucks commonly seen in Cliff City, but its body was covered in armor so thick that even military off-road vehicles would envy it.
Four huge wheels and a high suspension lifted the body nearly a meter off the ground.
Beneath the armor, intricate wiring snaked like vines.
A row of spotlights on the front, useless in broad daylight, and behind the cab, an oversized cargo box stretched to a height of two and a half meters, pushing the limits of road regulations.
At that moment, two diesel engines were sputtering away, belching black smoke into the air.
Wen Wen’s eye twitched uncontrollably as she took in the sight.
"What... is this?"
"Little Ox-Horse, haven’t you seen it before?" Ji Jue asked, puzzled.
"I even drove it to your place to register it once!"
"Is this the same one you registered?!"
Wen Wen felt like her brain was about to explode.
She remembered clearly—it had been a small-displacement scooter back then!
But after a few days, when Ji Jue returned from the Rift, it had turned into a tricycle.
Fine, he modified it, but now, what was this armored grandpa-cart PLUS edition, some kind of budget armored personnel carrier?!
This was just too wild!
"As everyone knows, I’m a vehicle maintenance engineer," Ji Jue said, pushing up an imaginary pair of glasses on his face.
"It’s perfectly normal for me to modify my own vehicle in my spare time."
In reality, with Lu Feng’s help and the supply channels from Sister Laila, Ji Jue could have made it even more outrageous...
He’d had his eye on that heavy-duty engineering vehicle chassis from Cosmos Heavy Industries for a long time!
But his wallet didn’t agree...
After a shopping spree over the past few days, his once-decent savings account was now empty, and he even owed Sister Laila a fair bit of money.
Though Sister Laila had waved it off, saying it was no big deal and to go wild, Ji Jue couldn’t bring himself to ask her if she could get him a second-hand Eagle-type aircraft cannon...
Alright, alright, that’s enough.
After some careful calculations and cutting corners, he still ended up exceeding the weight limit.
To lighten Little Ox-Horse’s load, he even added two extra diesel engines.
If he’d had more time, Ji Jue could have added even more gadgets.
But alas...
Now that Little Ox-Horse had been transformed like this, the advertisement for Lu Ling’s Continental Auto Repair Shop, which she had tearfully complained about, was finally gone.
In its place, Ji Jue had slapped on the logo of Lu Feng’s Expedition Security Company.
Lu Feng didn’t mind the trouble.
Consider it free advertising for them!
"But..."
Tong Hua circled Little Ox-Horse, eyeing it curiously.
"Can this thing really be driven on the road?"
"Yep," Ji Jue nodded.
"The traffic police said the same thing."
Tong Hua was stunned.
"They didn’t stop you?"
Ji Jue just smiled meaningfully.
"They couldn’t catch up."
"..."
Unlike Tong Hua, who often maintained a naive and innocent demeanor, Wen Wen, who was smoking nearby, chuckled and shook her head.
She had been about to warn Ji Jue not to be too reckless and to run fast if anything happened...
But now, it seemed like she didn’t need to worry about him at all.
"Alright, alright," she said, noticing the growing number of onlookers.
She couldn’t keep slacking off.
With a final wave, she said, "Have a safe trip, kid."
"Thanks."
Ji Jue grinned, then turned and stepped onto Little Ox-Horse’s footrest.
The armored grandpa-cart sputtered away in a cloud of smoke.
At the assembly point designated by the Security Bureau, a vehicle had just departed ahead of him.
When Ji Jue arrived, he saw Professor Ye, accompanied by a few people, sitting calmly in a chair reading a newspaper.
A familiar thermos sat on the table beside her.
She looked no different than usual, as if she were still in her workshop, calm and composed.
Unlike Ji Jue, who had brought his entire vehicle, she hadn’t brought anything at all—just her thermos, with a familiar ornament hanging from its handle.
Intricately carved layers nested within each other, silently rotating.
A Ghost Work Ball!
That single item alone was worth more than everything Ji Jue had brought, including his entire vehicle.
"Teacher, I’m here," Ji Jue greeted as he jumped out of the vehicle.
"Hey, Brother Ball, long time no see!"
The Ghost Work Ball spun slightly, as if acknowledging him, then ignored him.
Professor Ye finally looked up, glancing at Ji Jue and the Little Ox-Horse behind him, her expression complex.
"You’ve really come up with quite a lot, haven’t you?"
Though she had expected Ji Jue’s knack for improvisation, she was still... astounded.
Damn, it’s always you.
Every time you get your hands on something, you manage to come up with something that makes people’s eyes go dark.
She didn’t even need the Ghost Work Ball to scan it.
Just a slight brush of her spiritual sense revealed countless technological marvels and questionable modifications.
The handcrafted composite steel armor modeled after tank plating, the non-aggression-modified chassis and suspension, and the pile of miscellaneous items in the cargo box...
And what was worse...
"I won’t even ask what that launch rack and those suspicious-looking things are for, but why do you have so much phlogiston explosive?"
Her gaze fell on the corner of the cargo box, and she couldn’t help but marvel.
"Aren’t you afraid of blowing yourself up?"
When she had given him the credentials, she had a vague premonition of letting a tiger loose.
But now, with Ji Jue showing up with what looked like a demolition kit, she suddenly felt a sense of dread—'This kid cannot be allowed to stay, or I’ll never be able to hold my head high in the education world again.'
"Not much, just a little bit, a tiny bit," Ji Jue said, pinching his fingers together to emphasize how little it was.
"When I made it, it felt pretty stable. Low-temperature storage, double protection. As long as it doesn’t explode, it’s quite safe."
Yeah, yeah, as long as you’re not dead, you’re alive.
If it doesn’t kill you, keep pushing it.
Professor Ye suddenly felt the urge to say, "Once you’re out there, don’t tell anyone I taught you..."
But the roster was already finalized.
If this dog of a student caused some scene on-site, she’d be socially ruined.
Unless she acted decisively and expelled him.
"Don’t judge it by its rough exterior. The inside is quite comfortable. Teacher, would you like to give it a try?" Ji Jue patted his chest confidently.
"I’ll drive personally. You can rest, and if the thermos so much as wobbles, it’ll be a mark against my skills!"
"You can keep that luxury for yourself," Professor Ye said, unmoved.
She closed her newspaper, set it aside, and picked up her thermos to stand.
In the distance, someone seemed to notice her movement.
Soon, a large, unassuming yet luxuriously furnished RV pulled up in front of her.
The door opened, and a cool breeze carrying a faint scent of perfume wafted out.
The champagne and ice in the bucket clinked softly, a drop of condensation slowly falling.
"There was an earthquake yesterday, so the route has changed. It might take half an hour longer than planned," the attendant inside the RV said, taking the dust cover she handed over.
"You can rest once you’re inside, but the chef needs you to confirm the lunch menu first... Is this gentleman with you?"
"Teacher, teacher, take me with you!" Ji Jue’s eyes lit up as he caressed the RV’s body, forgetting the angry honking of Little Ox-Horse behind him.
He sounded like a country bumpkin who had never seen such luxury before.
"Take me with you!"
Professor Ye rubbed her temples and sighed silently.
"Go drive your own car!"
"Alright! Got it!" Ji Jue nodded obediently, following her instructions.
**[Beep—]**
Only Little Ox-Horse glared at its master, its headlights wide with indignation.
The horn wasn’t very polite.
After a brief wait, the convoy set off in a grand procession.
It was as if they had been waiting specifically for Professor Ye and her group.
Under military escort, they left Cliff City and followed the route previously cleared by the convoy, heading into the wilderness.
As they gradually left the traces of civilization behind, the scenery outside the windows became monotonous—endless plains or mountains.
The road conditions weren’t as good as in the city, but they were still passable.
With the convoy’s protection, Ji Jue, thanks to his teacher, followed behind the RV, securing the safest spot.
Though, these days, even the boldest bandits wouldn’t dare attack a military-escorted convoy.
What puzzled everyone, however, was the armored grandpa-cart in the middle of the convoy.
It seemed like its transmission was broken, constantly shaking and rattling, yet it maintained a strong momentum, showing no signs of breaking down.
No one knew what the driver was up to.
Inside the vehicle, Ji Jue was still trying to placate Little Ox-Horse.
"Hey, it’s all just an act outside! Socializing, you know? It’s all just socializing..."
"Of course, I like you the most!"
"Those other cars can’t compare to you. You know me, right? Those flashy cars are just trying to tempt me, but I’d never fall for it! An RV? An RV’s nothing special! Look at its suspension, its chassis—none of it’s as good as yours. No matter how big it is, it’s still just average!"
"Who’s the cutest little car in the world? Of course, it’s our Little Ox-Horse, right?"
Ji Jue talked until his lips were dry, finally managing to calm Little Ox-Horse down.
He took a few sips of water, realizing that having a vehicle with too much personality wasn’t always a good thing.
He’d have to be more careful in the future.
With so many dangerous items in the car, what if it got angry and decided to blow itself up along with him?
Just as he was about to lie down and catch some sleep during the long, monotonous journey, Little Ox-Horse suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Startled, Ji Jue thought it was throwing another tantrum.
But then, the radio crackled to life with a disaster alert.
Ji Jue instinctively looked up at the sky—clear and blue, not a cloud in sight.
But then, he felt it—the terrifying vibrations that even the suspension couldn’t absorb.
A loud boom.
From the distant mountains, a thick plume of smoke rose.
Gunfire rang out.
The airship accompanying the convoy began to descend, its massive shadow passing over the vehicles as it moved forward.
And then, echoing through the air, came an ear-splitting...
Screech!
(End of Chapter)