Chapter 00219: A Long Drought Finally Meets Rain
# A Long Drought Finally Meets Rain
Chapter 219
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 219: A Long Drought Finally Meets Rain
Boom!
In an instant, the entire building seemed to spin and shake violently!
The central hub, which served as the key support node, was constructed with no expense spared.
Given its importance to the grand plan of Quan City, no corners were cut.
It was essentially a scaled-down version of a workshop core.
To call it a fully intelligent system wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Air, temperature, water and electricity supply, internal environmental control, and external defenses—everything you could think of was there.
And even things you wouldn’t expect, like a self-destruct button, were included.
Once activated, it would immediately draw in the pervasive miasma pollution that filled Quan City, refine it, and then unleash it in a concentrated burst.
Combined with the explosion, no living being would be able to escape.
Faced with such formidable defenses, the team had to rely on Lou Feng’s lock-picking skills, Tong Shan’s suppression, Ji Xue’s speed, their teammates’ protection, and Ji Jue’s mechanical intervention and disintegration techniques.
And, of course, those crucial ten seconds.
If even one of these elements had been missing, they would have been walking into a death trap.
According to Ji Jue’s analysis, once the central hub’s alarm was triggered, at least four high-level authorities would immediately descend upon them remotely.
At that point, they would face the full force of the Evil Cult’s wrath.
Realizing this, Ji Jue quickly locked down all alarm-related functions and sequences.
He even manipulated mercury to infiltrate the system, using solid-state alchemy to literally freeze those functions.
[Everything is normal, everything is fine, there are no issues whatsoever.]
[The plan is proceeding smoothly!]
[Steady progress!]
While operating the central hub with one hand, Ji Jue multitasked by responding to the routine inquiries that came every ten minutes or so, using the tone and mannerisms of the craftsmen he had observed in previous records.
With his other hand, he manipulated the mercury…
—And relentlessly pursued the shadowy craftsman who was supposed to be in control of all this!
Boom!!!
A grenade Ji Jue casually tossed exploded with a deafening roar.
The force of the gunpowder burst was accompanied by the mercury he had injected into it, scattering into countless shimmering threads that filled the central hub like fireworks.
Another layer of light membrane appeared with the shockwave, and the craftsman stumbled back a step, unharmed but furious.
His green eyes glared at Ji Jue as he cursed in the Empire’s language, spewing a stream of obscenities.
Ji Jue didn’t hold back either, responding in kind with the Empire’s language.
He raised a middle finger.
Then, with that gesture, the mercury at his feet surged, forming a massive middle-finger-shaped iron wall that blocked the incoming bullets.
The explosion’s flames roared and spread, engulfing everything in fire.
These were alchemical bullets.
Their power was terrifying.
Even the massive middle finger made of iron showed signs of damage, with the [Iron Quality] beginning to falter.
“Catalysis?”
Ji Jue instantly understood.
This craftsman, hailing from the Empire, was at the sixth stage of his transformation.
His matrix was likely [Red Anvil], and his awakened ability was ‘Catalysis,’ which could fully activate any material reaction process.
His specialty was weapon forging and quality enhancement.
With sufficient preparation, his destructive power was on par with other types of chosen ones.
After all, any weapon that relied on physical reactions to increase its power would see its effectiveness at least double when catalyzed by his ability.
And yet, this was also his downfall.
Because they were near the central hub, this place was more important than his life.
He didn’t dare throw bombs around recklessly, as even if he survived, the consequences would be dire.
All he could do was pray for reinforcements to arrive quickly and try to buy time.
Relying on his defensive gear, he endured a barrage of attacks from Ji Jue, leaving him battered and bruised.
Gritting his teeth, he pulled out a small vial from his pocket, no bigger than a toothpick holder, and flicked out several thin iron needles.
As they fell through the air, the needles rapidly expanded, glowing red and icy blue, transforming into swords of various lengths and styles.
They soared into the air, slashing and stabbing in all directions.
The sound of slicing air filled the room as countless sword shadows descended.
It was as if an army of fearless, intangible swordsmen had appeared out of nowhere, launching a suicidal assault.
He wanted to see how long this scar-faced brat, who was only at the Awakening stage, could last!
But then, his expression changed drastically.
He watched as the silver light surged and rose, the previously unremarkable mercury dispersing into countless fine threads, tangling and wrapping around the swords.
One or two threads were insignificant, ten or a hundred were manageable, but thousands upon thousands were overwhelming.
Even after cutting through thousands, there were still more, layer upon layer, until the leading sword was completely immobilized, unable to move forward.
Realizing this, he sneered.
The Sword Vial was his masterpiece.
Even if one sword was entangled by the [Ultimate Toughness] blessing, he still had seventy-one more!
Could Ji Jue possibly have seventy-one [Ultimate Toughness] blessings?
Bang!
In that instant, all the remaining swords suddenly froze, as if they had been embedded in solid iron—[Iron Quality]!
Before the shadowy craftsman could infuse them with spiritual energy to break free, his sneer caught in his throat.
—Because the first sword, the one entangled by [Ultimate Toughness], had completely lost its connection!
It was as if it had vanished into thin air.
Through the cracks created by the other swords, he finally saw it—the sword, his painstaking creation, was now in Ji Jue’s hands, being casually examined!
“Mediocre.”
Ji Jue used his disintegration technique to strip away all the spiritual energy within the sword, turning it into a blank slate, and then tossed it into his toolbox.
The material was good; he could reforge it later.
The shadowy craftsman felt like he had seen a ghost.
What the hell was this?!
What had just happened?!
Before he could react, the [Iron Quality] suddenly collapsed, and the countless threads of mercury reappeared, entangling another sword.
And once again, it lost its connection!
It was gone!
Cold sweat poured from the shadowy craftsman’s forehead, unstoppable.
A bone-chilling fear gripped him.
He couldn’t understand, couldn’t see through it.
Even now, he couldn’t figure out how this brat was controlling the mercury.
Everything about it was bizarre and inexplicable.
If it weren’t for the dire situation, he would have called for a timeout just to ask: How the hell did you do that? How can [Ultimate Toughness] and [Iron Quality] coexist in something as ordinary as mercury?
Ji Jue’s smile grew more mocking and malicious.
A magic trick, if not exposed, becomes a miracle.
It’s like a magician mixing a cup of ice water and a cup of hot water, and somehow creating a cup of water that’s both hot and cold!
In reality, Ji Jue’s container had a hidden partition, keeping the two separate.
Two half-finished products combined are still two half-finished products.
They only appeared to be one seamless whole, but in truth, they were distinct and separate.
Within the seemingly unified silver light, there were actually two layers of mercury.
When toughness was needed, he activated [Ultimate Toughness]; when hardness was required, he switched to [Iron Quality].
The technique of shaping the mercury allowed him to keep the two separate, preventing interference.
It was just that, with the enhancements from [Non-Aggression] and [Divine Craftsmanship], the switching was so fast that it created the illusion of seamlessly combining hardness and softness, making it seem like he could switch between the two at will.
No wonder Lou Feng had been so shocked by this slapdash method.
It was ridiculously makeshift, but also ridiculously effective.
This was a solution that only worked for Ji Jue—as for the difficulty of the technique, well, that’s just how it is when you prioritize mental strength.
If you’re not good enough, just practice more.
In other words, if you practice enough, you’ll get better.
It’s just a matter of splitting your focus.
Simple, right?
Huh? You can’t do it?
Bang!
A dull thud erupted.
In that instant, the shadowy craftsman’s expression changed drastically.
His body suddenly dispersed into a phantom, shattering into streams of light that shot out in all directions, only to crash into the central hub’s封锁 and bounce back.
He reformed, stumbling and falling to the ground, his face pale.
A deep wound, blackened and unable to heal, had appeared on the back of his neck, blood pouring out.
If it had been just a bit deeper, it would have severed his head…
If it weren’t for the precious life-saving artifact he had prepared in advance, which self-destructed at the critical moment, he would have already been decapitated.
“Tsk!”
Two almost overlapping voices sounded.
Ji Jue sighed, thinking that as expected of someone from the Embers faction—they might lack in many things, but they never lacked in equipment.
With so many life-saving gadgets, killing them was truly difficult!
Meanwhile, Ji Xue, who had just recovered a bit of her strength by consuming spiritual energy supplements, looked down at the bloodstains on her short sword, filled with regret.
Unlike the difficulty of synchronizing with others’ time, manipulating her own time was much simpler.
As long as she focused, even a hundredfold acceleration was possible.
But now that the enemy was on guard, things would likely get more complicated.
Immediately, over fifty swords rose into the air, surrounding her.
Ji Jue’s pressure lessened, and he didn’t even have time to continue looting.
He pulled out a bell and started shaking it frantically.
In an instant, three chimes rang out in succession.
The shadowy craftsman’s hair stood on end once more.
From the bone knife’s howl, residual spirits gathered, forming a twisted, malevolent spirit that crawled out of the blood.
Its ten fingers were as sharp as blades, moving unpredictably, ignoring all physical interference.
It emerged from the walls and floors, attacking like a relentless plague.
Then, a hardened mercury bead from Ji Jue’s pocket fell into the mercury, and a hollow suit of armor rose, wielding four arms.
It charged forward, blocking the swords’ slashes.
Not only that, but Ji Jue’s hand kept reaching into his pocket, pulling out more beads and tossing them into the mercury.
One after another, crude mercury spiders crawled out, swarming toward the beleaguered shadowy craftsman.
It was an overwhelming tide!
In an instant, what had been a one-on-one fight turned into a gang-up, with the shadowy craftsman being the one ganged up on… Amid the life-threatening围攻, his储备 of alchemical bullets was visibly depleting.
He couldn’t hesitate any longer.
If this continued…
In the face of unprecedented危机感, the shadowy craftsman struggled to break free from the slow, agonizing torment.
He roared silently, all the flying swords around him surging with spiritual energy, condensing.
Like a hedgehog, they formed a defensive ring, fending off the围攻.
Then, they charged toward Ji Jue—or rather, toward the central hub behind him!
At this point, with no reinforcements arriving from outside the hub, this据点 was likely doomed.
In that case, he might as well destroy the central hub.
When the other side noticed the anomaly, their wrath would descend like thunder!
Ji Jue expressionlessly raised his pistol, its夸张的口径 aimed at the craftsman’s face, and pulled the trigger.
The bullets whistled through the air, one after another, bouncing off the defensive light膜.
At his feet, the mercury kept rising, precisely intercepting the craftsman’s bullets and blades, entangling them.
Thus, he stood in front of the central hub, refusing to retreat.
It was a duel with no way out.
The distance between them closed step by step, until they could almost see the怒火 and冷意 in each other’s eyes, the血丝 spreading silently.
In the轰鸣, another bullet bounced off the craftsman’s face.
He stared死死 at Ji Jue.
Ten meters? At this distance, you still dare to stand in my way?
Then die!
But in that instant, his body suddenly convulsed, a searing pain spreading from his back, accompanied by a chilling cold.
His back防御 had been breached!
—A sniper shot!
In that split second, guided by Ji Jue, he had focused all his防御 on the front.
When his back was at its most vulnerable, a bullet from outside the bank shot through, piercing six layers of障碍, breaking through the repulsion field, and striking him square in the back!
Lou Feng, with his expertise in craftsmanship and熔炉, had精心 crafted this alchemical bullet.
After赋予灵质塑形的质变, its power was undeniable.
The bullet hit its mark, and in an instant, a恶寒 spread, nearly freezing him solid.
Unfortunately, aside from the repulsion field, the shadowy craftsman also had a贴身防护软甲 covering his upper body, protecting his vitals.
It’s over!
The shadowy craftsman silently grinned.
It wasn’t just Ji Jue who could calculate—he could too.
At this distance, the catalyzed swords could break through the [Iron Quality] defense and damage the central hub.
No, they could even blow Ji Jue to pieces.
Die!
And his final thought before death was—what the hell just happened?
Without warning, all the alchemical swords flying in the air lost their power, clattering to the ground, falling into the pool of blood alongside their master.
Silence.
Even Ji Xue was stunned, standing there in disbelief,怀疑这是对方的诡计, staring at the gradually cooling body from a distance, unable to comprehend.
“What just happened?”
“Yeah, what just happened?”
Ji Jue sighed, looking down at the blood pooling at his feet, not planning to explain.
Behind the fallen corpse, the灵质之手 silently dissipated, as if it had never existed.
Craftsmen are hard to kill.
A prepared and cautious craftsman is even harder to kill.
With so much equipment, so many defenses, who knows how many life-saving gadgets he had on him.
But craftsmen are also easy to kill, because once their weakness is exposed, there’s no chance of recovery…
The moment the repulsion field was broken by Lou Feng’s bullet, along with the bullet, Ji Jue’s third灵质之手, which could聚散由心 and move无形, also penetrated the defense.
This灵质之手, possessing all the特性 of [Non-Aggression], instantly entered the wound Ji Xue had left on the craftsman’s neck.
Its食指 and中指合拢, pinching the craftsman’s carotid artery.
In that split second, a series of fluid actions followed:凝固血液,扰乱灵质,干扰赐福,创伤灵魂.
Then, at the moment of the craftsman’s greatest weakness, Ji Jue activated his disintegration technique!
Disintegrate the matrix!
Finally, with a burst of force at point-blank range, he shattered the craftsman’s brain into mush!
With this series of actions, even a craftsman at the Transformation stage would die thoroughly.
In the same situation, even if it were Tong Shan, he would be硬控住 and then stabbed by the慈悲骨刀, left at the mercy of others—provided, of course, that Ji Jue hadn’t already been crushed into a uniform paste by念动力.
Only now did Ji Jue finally relax.
He quickly started harvesting spiritual energy… processing materials!
Can’t let it go to waste…
In terms of skill, the craftsman wasn’t weak.
He was definitely several levels above someone like Du Deng, who was just sent away to avoid being a nuisance.
But unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough.
Because Ji Jue’s specialty was dealing with his own kind.
Craftsmen are best at dealing with other craftsmen.
Not to mention all the乱七八糟的造物 and works, or the sometimes reliable, sometimes unreliable变革之锋, just with his disintegration technique alone, he could easily handle opponents of the same level.
Even when facing someone a full stage above him, he was still a significant threat.
Moreover, with the [Non-Aggression] matrix, it was like having a随身工坊.
He could always adapt to the situation and target his opponent’s弱点.
From the moment he disintegrated the first sword, Ji Jue had already understood the craftsman’s skills, style, and techniques.
There were more稳妥 and方便 methods he could have used.
He could have even waited for reinforcements to arrive and then taken the craftsman down in one go.
But the situation had shifted.
Once the craftsman decided to go all out, Ji Jue had to prioritize protecting the central hub.
He couldn’t let the Evil Cult realize that the hub had been compromised.
Otherwise, they would be wiped out.
“Finally, I can relax.”
After finishing up, Ji Jue dragged over a chair and sat down.
Thick blood dripped from his fingertips, falling into the crimson pool at his feet.
The sound of dripping water in the quiet room contrasted with the chaos outside, making the silence even more profound.
But it didn’t last long before both he and Ji Xue’s expressions changed.
A狂暴的气息,毫不掩饰, appeared outside the central hub, rapidly approaching.
The door was smashed open.
“I fucking can’t believe it, where does the Evil Cult find these idiots?”
An irritated voice came from the swirling dust, filled with annoyance: “I was just taking a shit, and now they’re almost all dead? Craftsman! Are you still alive? Say something!”
No response.
“Fuck—”
The reinforcements, upon seeing the corpse inside, couldn’t help but curse.
Or, more accurately, upon seeing the intruder’s appearance…
In the brief silence, only Ji Jue’s eyebrow slowly raised as he looked over, his expression gradually turning古怪.
The intruding reinforcements also fell silent.
The two stared at each other, wordlessly.
“Smith!!!”
From the direction of the underground vault came an angry shout,催促.
It was the司铎, struggling under Tong Shan’s压制 and猛攻, barely holding on, roaring in愤怒: “Smith, you damn dog, what the hell are you doing?!”
‘Smith’ didn’t respond.
Ji Jue also remained silent.
He just looked at him.
In the drifting smoke and dust, the familiar face of ‘Smith.’
“Long time no see, Old Tang.”
Ji Jue greeted him, “Here in Quan City for another job?”
(End of Chapter)