Chapter 00246: The Final Stop
# The Final Stop
Chapter 246
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 246: The Final Stop
In the long haze of unconsciousness and deep sleep, it seemed that the endless dream was finally coming to an end.
Tong Shan’s eyelids fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes.
Outside the window, the afternoon sunlight poured in.
Inside the outpost, the noise of people talking filled the air.
“Hey, the plant’s awake?”
A scarred face wrapped in bandages poked in, grinning widely.
It was Ji Liu, winking playfully. “Actually, you’ve been in a coma for twenty years. Now it’s already twenty years later. What do you think, Xiao Xue?”
“Ah, right, right!” Ji Xue in the wheelchair nodded furiously, her face beaming with joy. “The doctor said some parts of you were too badly damaged to save, so they had to cut them off… Shan Ge, you’ve become a beautiful young lady now!”
Tong Shan’s lips moved with great difficulty, voice barely a whisper: “You…”
“Hm?”
Ji Liu froze, then waved Ji Xue off to find the doctor.
He leaned closer, concerned: “What’s wrong? Don’t feel well?”
Tong Shan's voice barely audible: “You… you're on my oxygen tube…”
Ji Liu looked down in horror, only to find nothing beneath his rear.
Turning back to Tong Shan, he suddenly caught the mischievous smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Unable to hold back, he burst into laughter.
“Welcome back, Shan Ge!”
He bent down and embraced him tightly.
After a brief moment of chaos, visits from colleagues and doctors’ checks coming to an end, Tong Shan finally relaxed.
A crisp knocking sound came at the door.
“Sorry, we were just in a meeting; a bit late coming,” a woman said as she entered, holding fresh flowers she’d grabbed from the conference room.
She casually tossed them into a vase and took a seat. “Didn’t expect you’d wake up after just two days. How’s your condition?”
“A bit weak. Can’t use much strength.”
“The matrix was damaged, and the contamination from the corrupted energy… that’s normal.”
Lü Yingyue sighed. “If Madam Lou hadn’t arrived so early, you’d probably be dead by now… You should’ve heard what she said to Tong Ting back then—your fourth uncle turned so green he couldn’t say a word. Haha, I’ve never seen him so helpless.”
Tong Shan forced a smile but couldn’t help but ask:
“How’s Quan City?”
“Calm again. Tao Gong’s lifelong wish is finally fulfilled. In the past few days, traces of corruption have mostly disappeared. I heard scavengers have started showing up nearby; the braver ones are already scheming to climb over the quarantine fence for some quick cash.“Soon, after the safety bureau's guards withdraw, many survivors who escaped Quan City back then will probably move back.
“Fellowship groups from all over Haizhou are mobilizing people to provide support. But remnants of corruption still exist. The past is not far behind, so real results are hard to see.“Give it another decade or two, once everyone forgets the past, new settlements will form.
After a few decades more, the old prosperity might return, at least partially.”Lü Yingyue paused and let out a deep sigh.“But by then, it might not even be called Quan City anymore.”“And what about the past?”Tong Shan asked softly.“What of Tao Gong’s sacrifice? Will it be forgotten?”“Tao Gong doesn’t care.”Lü Yingyue patted his shoulder gently.“The world is full of suffering; that’s why people need to forget.
Otherwise, buried under unbearable burdens from the past, they can’t move forward.”Tong Shan remained silent for a long moment.“Many things could have been avoided,”he said.“If only… if only the Federation had acted earlier… No, if only Central City had acted sooner… Since they had control over the Heavenly Overseer, why didn’t they make the decision earlier?”“A decision?”Lü Yingyue shook her head again.“Sometimes, making a tough choice needs just the courage of one person, but at other times, it requires the whole people’s heart.
“Besides…”
She paused, then couldn’t help but sneer with contempt: “If those old guys really handled the Heavenly Overseer, why has the Federation fallen apart like this?”
The Federation has existed for four hundred years, enduring storms and flourishing brilliance beyond the past, yet internal divisions and unrest never ceased.
Round after round of reshuffling, one struggle after another, presidents replaced repeatedly, factions pushed onto the stage.
By now, it has lost its original face.
For over a hundred years, no one has truly won the supreme authority of the Federation—the Heavenly Overseer’s recognition.
If you cannot unite the states of Beilu and reorganize the Federation, you’ll never earn the Overseer’s reply.
But without its recognition and support, you can never reorganize the Federation or unify the states.
This is a vicious cycle tangled by countless knots.
Just like the Empire’s Earth Guardian.
Those two sacred matrices once tools of supreme goodness now stand empty and sealed in the armory, used only for show or deterrence when necessary.
That brief flash of hope once came at an unknown great cost.
When the fire isn’t at your doorstep, how could the old masters of Central City risk so much on these uncouth borderlands?
“People often say recently, the Heavenly Origin White Deer itself represents the world’s eternal cycle and reincarnation. After the four centuries of the Heavenly Origin era pass, maybe the era of the White Deer Wilderness is coming.”
She sighed deeply. “Rest well, Secretary Tong. Everything in Cliff City is hectic; a whole heap of troubles are waiting ahead.”
Lu Changsheng is dead.
But Lu Changsheng’s death was only the beginning.
Sometimes, a tragic warning deters snakes and vermin.
Other times, the bloody price only awakens more ambitious souls.
One Lu Changsheng falls, who can say a hundred or thousands of him won’t rise?
He has shown with his own body that right and wrong can be reversed, and the current world order is not unshakable.
From now on, who knows how many schemers lurking in shadows or self-righteous rebels will flood onto the stage?
These troubled times stretch endlessly, burning slowly like a pile of dry firewood.
Yet sparks fly out in plenty.
One day, when the blaze flares, countless wars will cloud the sky.
The Federation, the Empire, Central Land, the Thousand Islands... they are all eager, impatient.
“Oh, one last piece of good news before I go.”
Before leaving, sensing Tong Shan’s lingering gloom, Lü Yingyue turned back, telling him, “Ji Jue has been found.”
Tong Shan blinked in shock.
He instinctively tried to sit up, but failed and collapsed back onto the bed, ignoring his awkward state as he hurriedly asked, “Where is he? Is he alright? What’s his condition?”
“Right next door,” Lü Yingyue said, shaking her head with regret. “But his condition is not optimistic. Nobody knows how long he was tortured in Jian Yuan’s workshop before escaping by a miracle. His spiritual energy is drained, body severely injured, soul close to shattering.“When the search and rescue team found him in the ruins, he was on the brink of death from blood loss.
They’ve been trying to save him for a long time; he just left the danger zone, but he hasn’t woken up yet.”She reached out to gently press Tong Shan back down on the bed and patted his shoulder reassuringly.“When you’re feeling better, go see him.”The door quietly closed. In the silence, Tong Shan turned his gaze to the sunlight outside the window. After a long while, he let out a soft chuckle. The weight was lifted. Clack, clack, clack, clack... Throughout the long journey, the sound of wheels striking the rails could always be heard. Strangely, it never annoyed him. After a while, he grew used to it, even finding comfort. It was like stepping forward on a path, moving steadily toward the distant horizon. Afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a golden edge over everything with its scattered ripples and dust particles, pure and crystal clear. Everything seemed immersed in memories, bathed in that eternal, amber-like gentle light. Unchanged.“So? Then what? What happened next?”She propped her chin on her hand, smiling softly.“How did it go from there?”“Well then, it got fierce!”Ji Jue snapped out of his daze and continued,“I immediately stood up and pointed right at him, cursing, saying the old man was shameless.
I represented the Embers, represented Tian Yuan.
Today, I would take out this big threat!
“That guy Jian Yuan got scared and sat on the ground crying right away, started kowtowing and begging for mercy, saying his purine levels were high and he hadn’t served the dish yet, asking me to adopt him as a godfather. Shameless. I kicked him aside.“Too bad he ran too fast, couldn’t chop off his dog’s head with one swing…
“Also, the cults and big evils were all just small fry—I kicked them a couple of times, and they all ran away easily, no challenge at all!”
“Awesome!”
She clapped with admiration, full of joy and delight.
No matter how absurd or wild the stories from Ji Jue’s mouth were, she trusted them unhesitatingly.
Tenderly, she stroked his hair: “You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s nothing big, really. Not hard at all,” Ji Jue grinned. “Besides, I had a lot of help.”
“Made lots of good friends, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Though there seemed to be a lot of pretty girls…”
“Plenty of guys, too.”
“Better not too many, right?”
“Mom…”
She laughed again.
Holding him close, her long hair like flowing water gleamed beautifully under the sunlight.
For a long time after that, the sound of rails finally stopped.
The city in the distance grew near.
What had once been a vast wild plain gradually turned into houses, tall buildings standing like a forest on the horizon.
The broadcast announced: “Next stop, final stop, Cliff City. Passengers, please prepare to disembark...”
“Wear more clothes.”
“Mhmm.”
“Take care of yourself. Don’t get into too much trouble again.”
“Mhmm.”
“Study hard. Though your grades are already good, so take some time off for yourself.”
“Okay.”
“Find a girlfriend soon?” She leaned closer affectionately, brushing his cheek. “Being together means you won’t be lonely. No matter how big the trouble, you won’t be afraid.”
“Mhmm.”
Ji Jue lowered his head, quietly listening.
Ignoring the approaching platform and the repeated sounds of the departure bell.
After a while, he finally gathered courage and looked up to meet her eyes.
She was watching him, as if she had been waiting for a long time, full of hope and encouragement.
Ji Jue said: “Mom, I’m leaving.”
“I know.”
She lifted her palm, gently stroking his face, fingertips softly tracing every scar, feeling the changing contours.
A mixture of fondness and release.
“Have you decided where to go?”
“Not yet,” Ji Jue hesitated, looking at her. “Do you think I can keep moving forward?”
“Of course.”
She nodded firmly, without hesitation.
“This is what travel is like, right? You’ll get tired sometimes. When you’re lost or can’t find direction, just sit down, and rest.”
She reached out one last time for a light embrace. “When you’re ready, keep walking the new path, summon your courage to go ahead, no need to worry or be afraid.”
Ji Jue closed his eyes, hugging her tightly.
Until she let go of his hand and stepped back.
Smiling, watching him.
Ji Jue froze for a moment, instinctively reaching out to touch her, but she stood still, holding her own hands, so gentle.
“It’s time to depart, Ji Jue.”
She said, “Don’t let your train wait too long.”
From afar came the sound of a whistle.
Ji Jue stood at the door, looking back at the figure in the carriage waving to him.
She watched him with unwavering hope.
For a moment, he almost couldn’t resist the urge to turn and run back, to embrace her, to tell her it was okay not to leave; he could stay here forever.
But she kept watching him.
Shaking her head slowly.
So solemn.
So resolute.
Until finally, he stepped forward.
Amid her blessing and smile.
Outside the carriage, sunlight poured like a waterfall, roaring in.
Swallowing everything.
Ji Jue opened his eyes.
(The End of this chapter)