Chapter 00226: Friends Walk Together for a Lifetime
# Friends Walk Together for a Lifetime
Chapter 226
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 226: Friends Walk Together for a Lifetime
In the midst of flames and thick smoke, the apprentices scattered in all directions, fleeing in a panic.
Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the reborn monster let out a piercing screech, voraciously devouring the twisted pollution that floated in the air, greedily seizing every life within reach.
Once again, it began to grow!
Yet, within those immense bloodshot eyes, a flicker of doubt momentarily passed...
Why did it seem like everything had changed in the blink of an eye?
It felt like the same workshop, yet it was not that workshop.
There seemed to be many people, but they were not the same faces.
It felt like it had just opened its eyes, but there was a nagging sense that something was missing.
Yes, yes, yes...
No, no, no...
Countless contradictions and conflicts surfaced within that non-existent little mind.
The newfound rationality it possessed may cause confusion, yet in that moment filled with disharmony and contradiction, it grew increasingly enraged and ferocious.
A ravenous thirst, rampant, growing!
Amidst the throng of fleeing apprentices, the only one who could barely move, a cripple, remained seated at his workbench, leaning back slightly.
Smiling, he scratched the head of the president's dog, watching the ‘old friend’ brimming with vitality.
Yes, it was that monstrosity he had encapsulated using solid alchemy back at the association's reclamation division...
It is said that meeting a friend from afar is equivalent to rain after a long drought...
In just a few short days, everyone had relocated from the association's reclamation division to the deep, dark garbage dump—work was still the same work, the environment was still the same environment, and you and I were still you and I.
Even if everything else had changed…
The vicissitudes and wonders of fate are truly unpredictable.
In the dark, there is always a sense of a cycle…
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Ji Jue stuffed the handle of the tool chest under the table into the president's dog’s mouth, finally giving its head a gentle rub as he watched it leave quietly. “Just find a hidden spot to put it.”
Boom!!!
The ceiling collapsed, flames spread.
The scattered apprentices cried out, and astonishingly, they returned once more.
There was simply no way to escape!
The moment the alarm sounded, the underground workshop was instantly sealed off, just as it should be done with every sewer.
Don’t let the stinking water flow back up.
With the outside cut off, disaster was locked away.
So the apprentices could only scream, frantically running about, trying to play hide-and-seek with the transformed creature.
Fortunately, the underground section was vast enough, coupled with plenty of edible items and waste materials, that aside from the initial supervisor and that apprentice who had no clue what was happening, not a single person had died.
In the chaos, there were some who contemplated fighting back or gathering together for self-defense.
Unfortunately, it was utterly useless.
Those sporadic attacks only served to infuriate the transformed creature, while the carefully plotted strikes, aside from shattering the outer layer of debris, had no effect whatsoever.
Instead, it began to take notice of these unappreciative ants, becoming increasingly vicious.
Metal limbs fashioned from waste parts flailed about as it charged recklessly through the workshop, destroying assembly lines and workstations, consuming containers, and voraciously swallowing pollution.
Then, one by one, it skewered the audacious little insects on its limbs.
Raising them up, it swept around, tearing apart and greedily sucking in blood and souls.
The screeches grew increasingly high-pitched.
“——▇！！！"
“Everyone, don’t be afraid! Let’s attack together!” A trembling manager shouted, raising his arms, but it was already too late; everyone had scattered, a disheveled mess.
The futile attacks continued as tiny bullets, beams, frost, and flames flew through the air.
But sadly, they were completely ineffective.
Beneath the cover of its metallic shell, nothing could penetrate it.
Even if some attacks found their way through cracks, they could not damage the core buried beneath layers of protection.
In the midst of this chaos, no one noticed the figure nearby, walking in circles with a cane.
Ji Jue occasionally bent down with some effort to pick up the scattered parts that had fallen to the ground.
He began to assemble them in his hands.
Twisted springs, rusted iron sheets, broken steel pipes… In his hands, they resembled toy parts, easily pieced together.
Through his refined techniques and modifications, an invisible furnace brought forth transformation and rebirth.
Repairing or cutting, as debris flew around, one piece after another shed iron filings and fit snugly together.
Striking pins, cartridge holders, hammers, launching bases, sleeves, grips…
Those dependable little partners gathered once more, gradually forming a rough yet exaggerated outline, feeling heavy in hand, so delightfully charming.
At last, as a bullet the size of a thumb was completed…
The task was accomplished.
Ji Jue let out a whistle.
Professor Ye had once told him that the Way of Embers and the Way of the White Deer, though stemming from self-harm, were actually equivalent.
The dominion and rule of the high over the low was absolute; one operated through theory and capability, while the other wielded violence and intimidation...
The Way of Embers is lofty beyond his reach, yet in the Way of the White Deer, having personally experienced the struggles at the forefront, he had gathered some small insights.
As the adage goes, every radish has its own pit; sometimes, if those above do not vacate their positions, how can those below have any room for advancement?
He smiled as he observed the panicked Sun Ci among the crowd.
—It’s your moment to shine, Manager Sun!
“Step aside, step aside!”
Sun Ci was in a flurry, attempting to initiate restraints and suppression, but suddenly, the workstation fizzled with sparks, filling him with despair.
A short circuit? At this moment?!
His vision darkened and, upon hearing nearby screams, chaos ensued.
In the howling wind, the apprentices spilled in every direction.
When he turned his head, he saw the transformed creature charging at him, its bloodshot eyes fixed on him, ravenous and clawing.
Fear struck him suddenly; he barely had time to react, instinctively drawing his gun and firing repeatedly, but it was no use—the bullets were all spent.
His face twisted in anguish as he threw away the empty handgun, grabbing whatever was nearby and hurling them.
Unfortunately, it was utterly ineffective.
In the panic, someone had shoved a gun into his hands.
Instinctively, he raised his hand, as if controlled by an invisible will, inspiring a moment of clarity to aim, and then, driven by instinct, he pulled the trigger.
In that instant…
—Boom!!!!
An unanticipated terrifying explosion erupted from his hands, resonating throughout the underground workshop and tormenting everyone’s eardrums.
Meanwhile, the hastily assembled handgun blew apart, its chamber exploding.
His arm throbbed painfully, nearly breaking.
But he couldn’t afford to scream.
For a piercing screech erupted right before him…
The rampaging, grotesque creature let out a chilling wail, its limbs giving way, toppling to the ground, sliding uncontrollably, spasming under the effects of inertia.
On its massive body, one sharp limb abruptly halted, hovering before Sun Ci’s pale face.
Just shy of connecting…
Then, a torrent of viscous liquid gushed from its chest like a deluge.
From its ruptured chest, the core seemed to fall out like entrails, manifesting a large crack.
That ghastly, large eye fixated intensely on Sun Ci, the crack appearing, but in the end, it locked onto a figure in the shadows behind him, among the apprentices.
Wails vanished, never to be heard again.
“D-d-dead?”
Sun Ci tumbled to the ground, scrambling backward using hands and feet, before finally processing what had happened, gazing blankly at the motionless creature, then turning back to see the equally stunned faces in front of him.
Shock, confusion, awe, fear, envy.
At last, he began to understand a bit.
He looked down at the remnants of the grip still clutched in his hand.
“Me?”
Sun Ci muttered in disbelief, his lips twitching as he struggled to suppress a grin: “Is it me?”
“Yes, it’s you.”
Ji Jue nodded affirmatively, stating, “I saw it with my own eyes; you shot Manager Sun, and that massive monstrosity dropped dead right away!”
“Yes, exactly!”
“It’s you!”
“Manager Sun is impressive!”
Cheers and exclamations erupted, filling the air.
The many apprentices who survived the ordeal breathed a sigh of relief, jubilantly surrounding Sun Ci and shouting in celebration.
It was a joyful scene.
As for the broken corpses in the corner and the gradually cooling blood, no one paid them any mind.
“Is this going to interfere with the work ahead?”
Three minutes later, a hasty upper-tier craftsman surveyed the chaotic scene, frowning and promptly asking the question.
After receiving reassuring confirmation, he let out a slight breath of relief.
The furnace had cracked; repairing it would suffice, and all other losses could be compensated.
As for casualties, it was hardly a concern.
“Please, take a seat, Lord Cunling.” The surviving managers hurriedly brought over a chair, inviting the arriving craftsman to sit.
Little did they know that such a high-ranking figure graced their presence.
The once relaxed spirits after surviving a calamity instantly tightened, every person trembling in fear of a slip-up.
Cunling, the second disciple of Jian Yuan, now the direct overseer of internal affairs and revered as ‘Cunling,’ paid no heed to their civility.
With hands clasped behind his back, he wandered around the workshop for a moment, quickly grasping the course of events and the underlying causes.
Upon hearing that the supervisor was dead, his expression darkened: “Waste, not worth mourning!”
After a brief inspection, he quickly understood the cause—a rush to finish work for merit and exploit resources had led to inadequate filtration and storage of aberrant spirit matter, and amid the disassembly and cleaning of waste materials, this massive transformed creature had been hatched in just a few days…
Fortunately, it lacked intelligence; otherwise, if it had concealed itself for a bit longer, some serious chaos might have ensued.
If it had stirred up the teacher to hold him accountable…
Just the thought of such repercussions made Cunling’s face turn livid.
So this waste just died? So easily? Damn, that’s far too cheap! Who the hell nominated him supervisor?
Watching Cunling’s sour expression, a craftsman who hurried over behind him changed countenance, instinctively taking several steps back, afraid to speak.
Cunling glanced at the crowd with a smile that did not reach his eyes, saying nothing further.
His steps paused slightly as he bent down and picked up a bullet embedded in the wreckage, his brows raised slightly.
Interesting.
(End of Chapter)