Chapter 00193: Helping Out
# Helping Out
Chapter 193
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 193: Helping Out
Without a care for the consequences and with no intention of salvaging any parts for reuse, all that was needed was pure, unadulterated destruction!
After days of dismantling similar equipment, the structure and weak points were already deeply ingrained in his mind, leaving no secrets to uncover.
At this moment, as his fingers danced, spiritual energy flowed like a blade, penetrating every nook and cranny, swiftly sweeping across the connecting points at every level.
And then, a chain reaction of collapse and disintegration followed!
With just a casual forward push, a soul-shaking, piercing scream erupted.
The aberration trembled violently, cracks appearing one after another, and a torrent of aberration spiritual energy, resembling blood, gushed out.
When the core of the containment device was instantly destroyed, the aberration that had parasitized and fused with it also lost its heart and life.
Only a twisted soul, filled with an immeasurable amount of hatred and madness, contracted under the final curse and resentment, as if trying to break free from its shell.
It burst forth from the containment, making a desperate counterattack.
Right at Ji Jue, who was standing close by!
"Hey!"
Lou Feng's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Xiao—"
The moment the anomaly appeared, he had already sensed it.
After all, from the time he became a Chosen One until now, he had undergone countless training sessions centered around his ability to shape spiritual energy, making him naturally sensitive.
Ji Jue, who was also close by, could sense the impending explosive surge of energy, like a bomb about to go off.
But he seemed completely unfazed.
He even looked up and gave a grateful, reassuring smile.
At the last moment, his outstretched finger slightly lifted, and a thin, silvery curtain rose from the mercury, blocking the path in front of him.
Idiot!
Lou Feng was furious, almost cursing out loud again: Even with the physical enhancement of mercury combined with a full blessing, how could it possibly withstand such a spiritual energy impact and corruption erosion...
Wait, what?!
What the hell?!
What the f*** am I seeing?!
In that instant, Lou Feng felt like his eyes were playing tricks on him.
The crimson torrent of spiritual energy that had burst forth from the containment struck the mercury curtain head-on, and then, as if falling into a bottomless pit, it disappeared without a trace.
The moment it realized something was wrong, the writhing corrupted spiritual energy seemed to struggle to break free, but it was already too late.
Like a mouse caught on a sticky trap, it thrashed and rolled in desperation, but it was deeply mired, unable to escape the thin curtain of mercury.
As Ji Jue manipulated it, the mercury on the ground quickly rose, converging from all sides into a precise, millimeter-perfect cube.
Then, it rapidly contracted!
Inside the cube, something seemed to be struggling and thrashing violently, its surface bulging with writhing outlines, but it could never break free from the mercury's grasp.
In the end, the shrinking cube was no larger than a fist, pitch black with crimson veins crawling and writhing across its surface.
It fell from the mercury pillar's support and landed in Ji Jue's hand.
New material, GET!
Ji Jue grinned.
Using the physical properties to influence spiritual energy, using mundane forms and carriers to shackle the inner sublimation and transcendence, ultimately achieving the effect of [Mind Bound by Form]!
This was the art of solid-state alchemy, fundamentally opposed to and diverging from fluid-state alchemy in both concept and foundation!
Using this technique outside the workshop for the first time, Ji Jue hadn't expected it to work so well.
The more his proficiency in fluid-state alchemy improved, the more effective the reverse application of its core principles became when using solid-state alchemy.
Though the two were diametrically opposed, they complemented each other perfectly.
At their core, both were rooted in the interplay of matter and spirit, form and essence.
In that brief moment of reflection, Ji Jue gained new insights.
Turning back to Lou Feng, who had finally landed and was catching his breath, Ji Jue reached out and patted his shoulder.
"Thanks for the assist," Ji Jue said.
"Good job!"
But as he watched Ji Jue walk away as if nothing had happened, Lou Feng stood there, lost in thought, sweat pouring down his back.
Damn it!
His heart and his butt clenched simultaneously: Was that move just now aimed at my spiritual energy shaping?!
Lou Feng felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were covered in crawling ants.
—This bastard still hasn't let me off the hook!
As Ji Jue stepped out of the swirling dust, he was met with the eager faces of the apprentices waiting outside the workshop, full of hope but too afraid to speak, unsure of what to ask.
Until Ji Jue smiled and waved, "Don't worry, everyone. It's been taken care of. The damage isn't too bad. If we hurry, we can get back to work soon."
Cheers and shouts erupted, filling the air.
Each apprentice's face showed the relief and excitement of having narrowly escaped disaster.
They couldn't care less about propriety now, rushing forward to hug Ji Jue and the lagging Lou Feng.
They spared no praise or gratitude.
This was a genuine life-saving favor!
If the recycling department had been seriously damaged, everyone would likely have been held accountable.
Even the previously furious supervisor, who had been pulling at Ji Jue's hand, couldn't help but shed a few grateful tears.
"Don't worry, Mr. Ji. This is a major merit..."
"No need," Ji Jue suddenly said.
"Huh?" The supervisor was stunned.
"No, what I mean is, since there wasn't much damage and no irreversible consequences, at most, we lost a batch of storage equipment," Ji Jue said.
"This incident, it could just... not exist, right?"
The supervisor was dumbfounded.
"This..."
To be fair, for everyone involved, this was the best solution.
Turn a big problem into a small one, and a small problem into nothing.
A major aberration leak incident could be downgraded to a minor pollution error that triggered an alarm.
Minor pollution leaks were unavoidable in this work environment, and since no serious consequences occurred, it would at most result in a few reprimands, nothing major.
At worst, they'd dock some pay.
So what?
Who cared about a measly thousand or so bucks a month?
The only ones who stood to lose were Ji Jue and Lou Feng, who could have earned merit from this.
But Lou Feng glanced at Ji Jue and said nothing.
As for Ji Jue, he couldn't care less about the credit.
With his teacher around, he wasn't going to starve.
For a moment, not only the supervisor but even the apprentice who had been forcing a smile to hide his grief was left speechless.
"Wh-why..."
The injured apprentice stammered, unable to believe it, almost collapsing.
"Didn't you teach me the procedures when I first got here?" Ji Jue looked at him, puzzled.
"From protection to operation, you guided me step by step, worried I wouldn't understand, even wasting a lot of your time. If this were a factory assembly line, I'd have to offer you a cigarette and call you 'master.'"
With that, he casually smiled and patted the apprentice's shoulder.
"It was nothing. Don't worry about it."
The recycling management department was a place where people traded their lifespan for a future.
Those without talent, money, or the favor of their mentors, in order to gain even the slightest bit of merit, to hone skills others had long mastered, or simply unable to refuse the workshop's assignments, could only come here to toil like beasts of burden, grinding away for a better tomorrow.
That's why beasts of burden look out for each other.
Even when faced with a parachuted 'young master' like himself, there were those who tirelessly emphasized safety and protection, patiently guiding him through every step to ensure he wouldn't get hurt.
Times had changed, and Ji Jue had escaped the grind, but compared to the boastful young masters and misses in the break room, he still preferred those who worked alongside him in the workshop.
Even if he could afford to lose a bit, what was a small loss to him could mean a hopeful future for several others on the other side of the scale.
Since he had nothing to lose, why not?
"I... I..."
The apprentice was dumbstruck, wanting to speak but already choking up, tears welling in his eyes.
But Ji Jue didn't wait for him to speak.
"Hey! Did everyone hear that? Old Zhao's treating us to dinner!" He turned around, raising his voice.
"One dish per person, anything from the cafeteria."
"Wait, really?"
"That generous? Count me in!"
"Can we take it to go?"
Amid the relief and ease of having survived a disaster, many apprentices chimed in.
Zhao Yan choked back a sob, gave a grateful smile, wiped his face, and raised his voice.
"Everyone's invited! My treat!"
In the relaxed atmosphere, the repairs and cleanup in the workshop progressed quickly.
It was expected that they'd be back to normal operations in a few hours.
The only thing left to wait for was the delivery of a new batch of storage containers.
After most of the crowd had dispersed, a familiar voice sounded behind Ji Jue, carrying its usual seriousness.
"Concealing a major safety incident is a serious offense. You know that, right?"
Ji Jue turned around in surprise, frowning, but upon seeing Tong Shan's face, he smiled.
"Hey, Director Tong, long time no see. You're here too?"
"Safety bureaus from all over Haizhou have been arriving. I couldn't just sit in my office with the AC on," Tong Shan said, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have caught you red-handed concealing the situation, would I?"
"Incident? What incident?"
Ji Jue feigned ignorance.
"I didn't see anything."
"Even if you don't say anything, it won't stay hidden for long. The alarm went off, and the commotion was too big. It'll be easy to investigate," Tong Shan said, raising an eyebrow as if looking at the sky.
"Don't forget where we are."
Ji Jue sighed helplessly.
Under the watchful eyes of the heavens, lying wasn't easy.
Then, he heard Tong Shan's slow follow-up.
"But how the report is written, that's another matter."
"Huh?"
Ji Jue sensed something was off.
Tong Shan continued, "Facing a conspiracy attack by the Heretic Cult, the recycling management department, led by apprentices Ji Jue and Lou Feng, bravely fought against an A-class corrupted aberration. Not only did they successfully neutralize it, but they also defended the workshop and department, ensuring work progress and efficiency... How does that sound for an inspiring report?"
Ji Jue's eyes widened in shock, speechless.
Holy crap, is this the skill level of a federal official? No, is this the gap between a commoner and the assistant director of Yacheng's safety bureau?
This turns a disaster into a victory report!
At best, I thought of downplaying the incident, but with a single sentence, Tong Shan tossed the blame to heights Ji Jue couldn't see, and when it landed, it was squarely on the Heretic Cult's head!
He'd been at the outpost for so long and hadn't even seen a single live Heretic Cult member!
"Aberrations don't just appear out of nowhere. An investigation into the recycling team is necessary. Besides, stirring up some trouble will help tighten the lax atmosphere, so those guys don't get too full of themselves. Those lunatics holed up in Quancheng won't just sit back and wait. Who knows how they'll retaliate in a few days."
Tong Shan glanced at Ji Jue.
"I'll push this forward on behalf of Yacheng's safety bureau. Don't worry."
That was the most important part.
Sometimes, the same report, with or without a stamp, made all the difference.
In matters like this, Ji Jue, as a mere apprentice, had no weight.
But Tong Shan, representing Yacheng's safety bureau, spoke with authority.
Besides, a collective merit of at least second-class falling from the sky...
Who would refuse it?
"Ah, my dear Brother Shan!"
In the brief silence, Ji Jue slapped his thigh, his face lighting up.
"Come, sit, please sit, take the seat of honor! Old Lou, tea, hurry up and pour some tea! Bring out my treasured Da Hong Pao!"
Lou Feng, standing nearby, rolled his eyes, not wanting to say a word.
Your damn box has nothing but wrenches and screwdrivers! You don't even have proper tea—just toss whatever into a big pot, brew two liters at a time, and let it steep overnight.
Even the tea leaves are swiped from me!
"You little..."
Only after sitting on the chair Ji Jue had pulled out did Tong Shan's stern face show a hint of a smile.
He suddenly asked, "Do me a favor?"
"Who do you want dead?"
Ji Jue's eyes lit up.
After a whole afternoon of messing with that black monkey, from not being able to open it, to not being able to get in, to the flow not working, and the path being blocked...
Frustrated, I gave up.
Looks like fate isn't on my side.
(End of Chapter)