Chapter 00202: Upgraded Technology!
# Upgraded Technology!
Chapter 202
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 202 – Upgraded Technology!
It was as if an invisible whip was lashing the earth.
Where the sharp, pointed tip struck the ground, countless fractures suddenly spread and expanded.
In that moment of touch, an undeclared force poured into the land like a rampaging tide.
Above the sky, under the glow of a burning crimson great star, strange cracks began to appear one after another—as if reality itself could no longer bear the brewing power of this recurring record.
The force of nature’s calamity converged in one blow, sending shudders through the enormous being concealed deep beneath the Nine Lands, its roars and cries echoing.
A massive quantity of putrid, bloody stench burst out from the fissures in the earth, mixed with fragments of ruptured flesh.
Its life force was fading fast.
The soil seemed to writhe as if some slimy creature was desperately trying to flee, but unable to hold back the power spreading within, it barely emerged from the ground before exploding into a cloud of bloody mist.
As the monster died, the vast illusion that had once covered reality could no longer be sustained.
In the blink of an eye before everyone’s eyes, the once busy scene was shattered into tiny fragments.
The sturdy walls and barriers that had stood guard vanished without a trace.
Only broken ruins and billowing smoke remained, along with patches of crimson long seeped into the earth and countless scorched marks.
At the permanent investigation team’s base, there was nothing left but ruins.
Numerous crisscrossing, semi-transparent crystals still clung to the ground like shattered fragments of a weapon.
They had not disappeared even now, making Lou Feng’s face turn pale as he whispered hoarsely,
“That was my Aunt’s spiritual essence shaping…”
Even after losing control for so long, it still maintained its outline and its terrifying sharpness.
The broken fragments blown by the wind that fell onto the fissures were neatly cut into pieces with a swift strike.
The malicious intent and furious anger within the spiritual essence had solidified into form, showing no sign of dissipating even now.
More than that, Ji Jue was even more focused on the enormous area directly ahead—the very place “Old Tian” had intended to lead them into—where the ground had completely collapsed the moment the fissures appeared.
Countless runes and spiritual essence circuits spread out from the ground, rising and outlining vague shapes that, under the sacrifices and countless displays from all around, formed a complex and enormous lock.
A secret ritual prison.
Now, the prison had crumbled and collapsed under external pressure, dissipating rapidly.
Ji Jue’s eyelids twitched wildly—a mix of lingering fear and deep sorrow.
So many materials—damn, so many materials, all extremely versatile and luxuriously expensive.
Had there been time to salvage them, Ji Jue might have already rushed forward to grab them.
Unfortunately, that chance was completely lost.
In the very moment Tong Shan flipped the table, from the ruins in every direction and even beneath their feet, streaks of firelight shot up, innumerable fragments of steel and even bullets flying from the distance…
It was as if someone had spread an entire arsenal of explosives right under their feet, ready to launch them skyward at the slightest misstep, or when capture had failed.
But now, under Tong Shan’s mental suppression, all burns and explosions were completely blocked, suppressed, or even entirely negated in their very infancy.
All one could hear were muffled thuds and weak rises of white smoke, or the faint flickers of fire.
Even though Tong Shan’s array of displays showed that his attacks or defenses under the form of a burning star were not the strongest among his repertoire, they were the techniques he used the most adeptly and without any loopholes.
Not only did they enjoy the most outrageous regular enhancements, but they also had the strongest control effects.
Under that unimaginable gravitational shift, every assault within his domain was completely suppressed, repelled, or ejected away.
“Come out, now!”
Within the swinging banners, the pointed tip struck the empty void again, whipping up another storm that blew away all disguises and deceptions.
Tong Shan’s gaze then shifted to the distant ruins.
In the direction where “Old Tian” had been blasted outward.
“Heh, as expected of Haizhou Yajiao, a towering mountain…”
Amid a sneer, a barely visible figure slowly raised his body from beneath the piled-up ruins.
Completely indifferent to the dust and broken state he found himself in, his shattered limbs immediately mended and fused back together.
When the illusion vanished, a completely different face emerged—covered with tattoos, exuding a ferocious and malevolent aura that brimmed over.
He showed no hesitation in applauding the decisive offense and counterattack.
Normally, even if one sensed something amiss or wrong, they would start with probing, but he never expected Tong Shan to act without the slightest hesitation, showing not even a trace of holding back!
“Not at all bothered by accidentally hurting or damaging your own people? If your teammates knew, who knows how heartbroken they’d be.”
He mocked with a grin, “If teammates get hurt, just heal them; if something is damaged, simply repair it; if there’s loss, then compensate. For our own, everything is negotiable. For others, no need for further words.”
Tong Shan glanced coldly over.
With the arrogant manner befitting someone from an illustrious family, he sneered, “Among all you wretches, there are a few who stand out… tougher than those two who died by my hand before, but unfortunately, there aren’t many.”
The man’s expression remained unchanged as bloodlike flames surged around him.
His entire body seemed to expand bit by bit, the dark armor spreading inch by inch until it enveloped his face.
The vast spiritual essence of the group and the contamination of the slaughter surged forth from his soul, and in the air resounded the piercing wails and shrieks, almost like illusory sounds.
A blood-stained sword slowly grew out of his blood and flesh, as if assembled from untold fragments of blades.
Its barbs were fierce and ferocious, while the skull ornament on his gauntlet opened its mouth in a silent shriek.
In the midst of that, his spirit soared even higher!
A reborn level “Da Qun”!
That sword he drew…
Ji Jue squinted, trying to discern the details—when a destined one of the reborn level sheds his mortal body, many bizarre changes occur.
Changes in bone or flesh are simply external appearances; essentially, they are no longer like ordinary beings.
Just like the former Lawrence, who could recover so quickly that he could even withstand Minerva’s direct onslaught.
At this moment, the sword that his enemy drew was likely a transformation achieved after rebirth, carrying mysterious and strange effects and power that no one could tell.
Just by watching how it casually sliced through the repulsion of mental energy as if cutting through wax with a hot knife, one knew that it was exceptionally dangerous.
Moreover, on the other side of the base, under the frontal impact of the burning star display, that figure that had been flung soared up again.
Still hazy, cloaked in pure darkness, as if forged by shadows itself, its lost body and flesh already fully restored.
Ji Jue’s heart sank further.
Another rebirth…
And it was the white deer who stood toe-to-toe with Tianyuan!
Ji Jue’s heart grew heavier.
How unlucky could his fate be? Originally, his big brother had just led the team for a gold group run, and now not only had the permanent investigation team been robbed, but they’d even produced two ghostly beings!
What in the world was the Cult of Transformation and Evil doing?!
How many drinks had they downed? Not even a morsel of food, and they dared to play so big?!
“Xuezhu Yan Chong, Shadow Hand Ling Zhi?”
Tong Shan sneered coldly, “I was wondering who that might be. Two stray dogs who wouldn’t dare show their faces in the Federation—the moment they joined the Cult of Transformation and Evil, their spines certainly grew stronger.”
From within a spreading shadow that had gradually lost its human form came a cold voice, “Before we came here, someone told me that the twelfth spot on this generation’s Original Stone Rankings was lower for you—what a pity, but I didn’t believe it.”
“I feel the same,” Yan Chong grinned.
Suddenly, a blood-colored storm erupted from the ground!
It was a power many times greater than any of the reborn chosen ones Ji Jue had seen—a “Wind Sweeping Away the Clouds” effect!
Unlike the intricate and mysterious paths of other roads, the blessings of the Da Qun path were always straightforward and robust—with added offense, defense, vitality, and output…
There weren’t many complicated mechanisms at all; it was all about the numbers!
At this moment, as the numerical values corresponding to the reborn level expanded before Ji Jue’s eyes, he felt as if everything was enveloped by that brilliant crimson storm.
Just one charge was enough to create a tidal frenzy that made it hard for ordinary mortals to even stand!
On the other side, Ling Zhi’s figure had completely disappeared, dissolving into an indeterminate, elusive darkness that spread toward Tong Shan.
Two cultivated and corrupted reborn-level chosen ones, who had spent years immersed in this state and ranked at the top of the Federation’s most wanted list, launched a fierce attack on Tong Shan simultaneously!
And as if that wasn’t enough, everyone else seemed busy too…
Around the chaotic ruins of the base, one after another of hidden figures began to emerge, closing in to surround them!
Amidst the shaking heavens and howling winds, at least twenty or so corrupted, chosen ones charged in from all directions!
“Looks like they’ve really got us pinned down, huh.”
Ji Liu, acting as deputy team leader for the moment, smiled wryly.
He pulled two weapons out of his vehicle—each taller than he was.
One was akin to an axe, the other resembling a halberd.
“Get ready to retreat. I’ll cover the rear.”
He commanded, “Ah Xuan, Xiao Xue, protect Xu Guan and the Craftsman.”
No one needed to be told: the moment Yan Chong appeared, Ji Jue had already held Jiang Xuan close to his chest.
Now, as he tugged the dazed Lou Feng aside and spoke carefully, “Xuan Ge, please, you must protect me!”
“I… will do my best,” Jiang Xuan replied with a bitter smile.
His body transformed into a silvery hue as his qualities of gold and iron shifted and merged.
With a wave of his hand, an iron wall sprang up from the ground to block the bullets whistling in from afar aimed at his teammates behind him.
With his other hand, he drew a huge iron hammer from the ground—a tool temporarily transformed to shield those at the forefront.
Taking a deep breath,
He couldn’t help but feel that his scalp was numb…
Charging head-on wasn’t the issue; what was truly troublesome was having to protect teammates who had no combat ability in the middle of such chaos.
Could he really manage that?
“It’s alright. The Cult of Transformation and Evil in this version is just too strong—it’s definitely a problem,” Ji Jue peered out at the approaching enemies. “I can help cut them down a bit.”
Cut them down?
How do you cut someone down?
This isn’t some shopping app where you share a link and get a discount…
Jiang Xuan shook his head.
He was about to thank him for the help when he noticed that an odd armored off-road vehicle had somehow snuck out beyond the base ruins.
Moreover, he saw the rear bed of the vehicle slowly opening amid the tremors.
Next to the machine gun, another bizarre, odd object was slowly rising.
It was marked with welding scars and signs of processing, even lazy enough to forgo a fresh coat of paint…
It looked just like a dozen thick steel tubes, each a little over a meter long, crudely welded together in one place.
It clearly resembled a…
Almost instinctively, Jiang Xuan wanted to rub his eyes, doubting his sanity and vision: No, wait—where on earth did you get a rocket cluster launcher?!
Have I gone mad?
Or is it you…
“Don’t be afraid.”
Ji Jue patted his shoulder and said softly in his ear, “I’ve got technology!”
Now, technology was on our side!
Amidst a series of piercing, screeching sounds splitting the air, streams of fire burst forth like a string of fireworks, shooting out from the launcher and soaring into the sky.
In the midst of it all, the launcher seemed to laugh maniacally:
[I’m gonna blow ‘em to pieces!!!!]
A classic military industrial product under Huanyu Heavy Industries—the Lu Wu-style 70-millimeter rocket cluster launcher.
It has an effective range of 800 meters and a maximum payload of fourteen rounds.
With electronic control, the rocket’s warhead carries not only standard explosive material but also some mysterious little surprises crafted by a skilled artisan…
Even if a full salvo could give the extravagant Grand Governor’s Mansion a swift makeover, due to its age and lack of fire control or guidance, the military database only rated it a D.
But that didn’t matter!
No fire control? No guided rocket? No problem, I’ve got mechanical divination!
No CNC machine? I have “Fei Gong” (Non-attack)! No accuracy? I have “Miao Shou Tian Cheng” (Masterful Tact)!
If materials weren’t enough, just use wholesale steel pipes tempered through alchemy; if the fuel-rich explosive wasn’t sufficient, then follow Laila’s way of procuring raw materials and assembling it yourself.
Even after ignoring labor costs, the overall cost came in at only 42,900 “silver taels” (ancient currency).
And that was thanks to the raw material restrictions and skyrocketing smuggling prices of the fuel-rich explosive…
Otherwise, Ji Jue could get it down to just over 20,000!
A bargain product in every sense.
Now, the inexpensive flames were being launched en masse.
Amid the raging winds and tremors, they suddenly spread out and burst like scattered fireworks.
The trails of blazing tails and thick smoke intertwined in complex patterns, instantaneously sketching out intricate trajectories on the sky.
One rocket even took a detour, curving around before heading straight over Ji Jue’s head, leaving behind a series of cheers and shouts: [Woohoo, lift-off!]
Then, fiery flames covered the earth from above!
Technology was here!
“I’m so—”
The white deer, who had charged at the front, slammed on the brakes in alarm and looked up in shock.
But his eyes were already illuminated by an enlarging, pitch-black reflection and burning flames.
In the final instant, all he managed was an instinctive murmur of the latter half of a phrase, not quite clear who he was addressing:
“—you bitch!”
BOOM!!!
Flames surged upward, while a storm mixed with countless fragments spread in all directions.
Billowing smoke erupted directly onto Ji Liu’s face—he had been rushing to cover the rear—choking him so badly he staggered.
Glancing over his shoulder in confusion, he muttered, “What the heck? What is this thing?”
Wait, was it trying to take us all out too?!
Finally, you little brat have stopped pretending, huh!
“Unexpected, unexpected, Brother Da Liu!” Ji Jue waved his hand to warn, “Watch out, be careful behind you!”
Unexpected? What do you mean by careful?
Ji Liu’s eyes furrowed as he tried to figure out the lip movement, and then he turned around to see a series of rocket projectiles falling like a torrential rain.
In the exceptional dynamic vision possessed by a Da Qun chosen one, he could even clearly distinguish the hastily black-painted yellow warning sign on the rocket’s body—“Radiation Warning?!”
Damn it, Ji—seriously…
Without hesitating, Ji Liu activated his blessing “Wind Sweeping Away the Clouds” and sprinted away!
High above, an angry roar echoed across the heavens.
Yan Chong seethed with rage as he looked back.
Ling Zhi didn’t care about running solo, but these guys below were his subordinates.
They were the very capital he held in the Cult of Transformation and Evil!
At this moment, in a sudden flash, he sensed a rocket rising.
In response, the broken sword in his hand immediately changed direction mid-air, slicing towards the launcher from afar.
But the crimson sword light in mid-air seemed to lose its way—a sudden, unexpected deviation of three degrees—and barely grazed the edge of a little bovine creature before flying toward the dark Spring City, swallowed by the darkness until it disappeared completely.
“Where are you looking at?”
A sharp voice came by his ear.
Yan Chong’s pupils shrank instantly and he spun around in anger, only to see Tong Shan already nearly at his side.
Like a pointed rod wrapped in gravitational force a thousand times greater, Tong Shan hammered down right on his head!
In his fury, Yan Chong’s eyes burst with bloodshot veins, turning instantly crimson as he clashed head-on with a banner.
Subordinates and lackeys lurked everywhere.
The world was never short of those desperate enough to follow dangerous orders.
Damn, if I kill you, there’ll be plenty!
Above the heavens, shadowy darkness and blood-orange fire danced continuously.
Banners waved, stirring a tide of gravity that roared incessantly.
Brilliant light erupted in all directions as the storm raged chaotically.
And on the ground, deadly flames burst upward like fireworks.
There were no sounds of dying—only a series of booming explosions that rose repeatedly.
Due to the complexity of preparing the fuel-rich explosive, only half the rocket’s payload was standard explosive charge; the remaining half was Ji Jue’s carefully prepared “gift” that perfectly adhered to the craftsman’s bottom line and principles.
A sea of fire spread relentlessly as carefully calibrated thermite, high-concentration fuel-rich gasoline, and white phosphorus along with other reactive substances erupted like torrential rain.
Heart-wrenching screams were swallowed by the roaring sound, and one after another, charred and disfigured corpses struggled helplessly before finally collapsing into the flames and disappearing.
Under the double assault of impact from above and the rocket’s toxicity, the ruins were completely leveled by the surging shockwaves.
A scorched land.
After one full salvo, like a sieve, more than half of their opponents either succumbed due to weak defense, slow reaction speed, or simply because… they were too weak!
Over eleven called-upon chosen ones were all buried in the sea of fire.
Even among those who dodged the fatal impacts, many were left disheveled and dejected.
Like a scatter of bees, they scattered away, no longer daring to charge in dense groups as before, and lacking even a hint of that earlier all-encompassing momentum.
After nearly being wiped out by their foes, none could hide the shock, suspicion, and fear in their hearts.
What in the world was going on? Weren’t they supposed to be a support team for the Security Bureau?
This wasn’t a Security Bureau at all—it was like we had stabbed the core of the military!
Where did so many guided rockets come from?!
Wasn’t it said that precision electronic components couldn’t operate at all in a perverse, corrupted environment?!
Yet they clearly saw so many rockets twisting and turning, swaying wildly in the air.
Not only were their paths crazy beyond belief, but their hit rate was absurdly high!
Two rebirths, nine metamorphoses, over a dozen called-upon chosen ones, and even a level of death-bound bewildering illusionary lizard.
Everyone thought controlling a support team would be like playing a game, but before anyone could react, half the personnel had already died!
What the hell is this about?!
At that moment, as he looked up at the Cult of Transformation and Evil members in the sky, their hearts sank.
Within the cult, the rules were strict and severe.
No one dared mention “if two against one can’t beat them, are you even playing?” Imagine the consequences if losses were so heavy and the mission ultimately failed—everyone couldn’t help but swallow hard, feeling a chill in their hearts.
Even if they survived, life would be a misery.
They might even be sent off to serve as materials for that old ghost!
I’m definitely gonna fight you to the death!
“I am the embodiment of Transformation and Evil!”
With eyes blazing in frenzy, a fanatic roared the slogan as his body rapidly expanded, countless scales sprouting out, transforming him into a four- to five-meter-tall reptilian behemoth.
He charged straight toward Jiang Xuan, his eyes locked intently on him… and on the two dying embers behind him!
When a dog is cornered, it leaps over the wall!
No matter what it is, first grab a couple of easy targets, and then fight for the glory!
Right behind him, one after another, cult disciples—moving almost as fast as he—joined him.
They rushed through the sea of fire along the path he had created, their eyes bloodshot as they charged forward in hopes of snagging a kill first.
In that instant, Jiang Xuan suddenly realized that he had become the target of everyone.
Luckily, his face, now transformed into cold steel, betrayed no emotion.
Otherwise, it might have been far more horrifying.
Just as he was about to shout boldly that he’d fight these guys to the death, he felt someone poke him in the small of his back.
“Xuan Ge, use this…”
Ji Jue raised his hand and hoisted the heavy machine gun he had just dismantled from that little bovine off-road truck.
He skillfully drew a belt from a heap of bullets piled up at his feet and loaded it instantly.
“This thing packs a punch!”
In the brief moment of silence, Jiang Xuan looked down at the machine gun that had begun to spin, then raised his head to watch the expressions of his opponents—those who were still dazed, and even the terrified look on the face of the giant lizard at the front.
The beast stamped its four feet on the ground, carving deep grooves as if trying desperately to brake—but it was all too late.
“Ugh…”
At that moment, an unusually hearty smile spread across Jiang Xuan’s metallic face—a smile he had never shown before.
Jiang Xuan pulled the trigger.
(End of Chapter)