Chapter 00046: Escape
# Escape
Chapter 46
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 46: Escape
Are you afraid?
In the brief moment of bewilderment, Ming Yan almost couldn’t hold back a sinister laugh: Too late!
Unfortunately, he was too pleased with himself too soon.
He had no idea what this pose from his enemy on the battlefield really meant...
Then he saw it, the silhouette revealed after Lu Feng had collapsed.
Ji Jue.
More importantly, the weapon in his hands was so exaggeratedly large it was almost unbelievable, standing a full height up to Ji Jue's shoulder.
It was less of a gun and more like... a cannon!
The Mammoth II Assault Rifle, a standard weapon module of the Federal Army's powered exoskeleton armor, bore the bloodstains of countless battles over decades in Middle Earth, and yet its muzzle still gleamed with a chilling light.
With his body as a support, Ji Jue rested the butt of the gun against the A-pillar of the vehicle.
He lightly tapped the body of the gun, a soft smile gracing his lips:
"Fire."
In that moment, it felt as if the entire building shook violently!
All the glass shattered 'silently,' for everyone's hearing was snatched away by the horrifying thunder that roared in.
Amidst the intense ear ringing, only a desolate silence remained.
The weapon of war, born from the brink of death, roared once more, spewing forth flames, ferocity, and destruction!
It was equipped with specially customized 22.4mm anchor-type armor-piercing rounds from the Warden Industries.
Although hardly effective at long range, its true purpose was never to bring death from miles away but to incite a binge of slaughter at point-blank range.
On the battlefield, when armored knights wielded such a weapon against equally tough opponents, they would press it against the enemy’s armor before pulling the trigger.
It was known as the 'Can Opener.'
No matter how difficult and thorny the can, once pierced by it, sweet and savory tomato sauce would flow out!
Now, after the thunder and tremors subsided, everyone looked up to see Lu Feng slowly rising from the ground.
Before him lay shattered debris.
The massive shield was nowhere to be found, the armor useless.
Cracks rapidly spread over the steel, crumbling and collapsing, revealing a pale, dazed face bereft of color.
In front of his chest, a terrifying large hole had appeared, as if it threatened to split him in two.
Through that hole, one could see the torn walls behind him, punctured, punctured again, until it flew out into the night sky, finally plunging into the ocean.
No one would probably ever find that remaining bullet.
And no one could save the fallen Ming Yan.
“Run! Boss, hurry up!”
Bai Yi's expression changed dramatically, even forgetting the pain of being beaten down by the shadow beast, as he pulled the limp Jiang Jin up.
Even a cunning character like Jiang Jin, with his shady background, should have felt the impending dread; after all, mercenaries from Middle Earth had witnessed such horrifying scenes countless times in their nightmares.
The moment the enemy pulled out such an outrageous weapon, their resistance lost all meaning.
No, they should have acted decisively when they charged in here!
This was not the prize catch they had hoped for but a bona fide double-headed shark!
He whistled again to summon the intangible shadow beast back, which hoisted both him and Jiang Jin on its back, then rushed out the door.
“Boss, you go first!”
He pushed Jiang Jin forward. “I’ll hold them off!”
Unfortunately, just after Jiang Jin rounded the corner, he couldn’t wait any longer and rode the shadow beast, soaring out the window, landing steadily below before sprinting away!
Hold the rear? Delay?
Right now?
That would be a joke!
All he wanted was to make money, not to toss his life away just to please someone.
How could he possibly not know which mattered more, his life or the boss's?
If the boss died, he was just gone, a simple goodbye, and he could find someone else who would listen!
But just as he sped ahead, the shadow beast suddenly stopped.
No matter how he yelled and commanded, it would not move forward.
It could not, or rather, it instinctively dared not, cross that invisible boundary.
In a seldom-used alley, a slender figure sat on the steps, completely engrossed in playing a handheld console.
The soft glow illuminated their shoulder-length hair, and their exquisitely beautiful face had an androgynous quality.
A cane leaned against the nearby wall, marking an invisible boundary.
“Please stay there, don’t move, wait for me to finish.”
The newcomer, who was clumsily trying to execute a Dragon Slash move on the screen, sounded slightly impatient. “One more step forward, and you’re done for…”
Bai Yi froze in place.
Frozen, unable to move.
At this moment, in the ruins of the office, Ji Jue finally emerged from the intense ear buzzing and dizziness, struggling to regain a bit of his senses.
He felt as if he had embraced a searing iron pillar, his fingers nearly burned.
Lowering his head, he took a breath and looked at the weapon in his arms: “Are you satisfied?”
“... Thank you.”
After a shot, countless cracks had appeared on the Mammoth's body, which could barely maintain its integrity through the engraved symbol of the upper virtue: Ruins.
But in this moment, the killing intent accumulated within the gun from countless deaths was finally released, almost relieved and satisfied in its destruction.
Like an old man who had won one last battle against his adversary before passing away.
It welcomed death and obsolescence peacefully, leaving behind no regrets.
Only wisps of ethereal essence flowed out from the gun, merging willingly into Ji Jue’s abilities, causing the Upper Virtue emblem to glow brighter and more intricate in his perception.
His experience points surged!
“Ha…”
Ji Jue gradually released his grip, carefully disassembling the weapon and returning it to his bag, as he had promised Laila it was borrowed and must be returned in its original condition.
Then he heard the sound of returning footsteps.
“Slow as always, Brother Feng,” he complained.
“Don’t blame me!”
Lu Feng dragged the limp Jiang Jin like a dead dog, panting heavily. “That old thing runs like the wind, as sprightly as an athlete! I almost couldn’t catch up.”
“What about the other one?” Ji Jue asked.
“Ran away, I guess?” Lu Feng replied nonchalantly. “Looking at his skin tone, he’s probably someone from Middle Earth. Seeing powered armor weapons must have terrified him. Ever since those from the Federation and the Empire arrived, the locals have stopped frightening kids with tales of demons in the night. They’ve seen too much on the battlefield, experienced enough to know when to run.”
“Very lucky.”
Ji Jue sighed softly, lowering his gaze toward the wreckage and the dead, landing on the weary, dust-covered face of Jiang Jin, suddenly smiling brightly: “Mr. Jiang Jin, indeed?”
Jiang Jin’s expression twitched, silver hair escaping his temple, stained with blood and looking quite disheveled.
“If you want to find me, just come at me directly. Why go through so much trouble?”
Ji Jue raised his hand and counted: “Look, how many people have died because of you... one, two, three, four... must be at least seventeen or eighteen, right?”
“You have no clue what you’re doing!” Jiang Jin grit his teeth, forcing out a voice from his throat. “You can’t escape, Ji Jue!”
“Why would I escape?”
Ji Jue laughed, asking with curiosity, “In Cliff City, I have a home, a family, teachers, and support. Why would I run? Besides, who should be fleeing here? Even if I don’t kill you, do you really think you’ll see the dawn tomorrow?”
For a moment, Jiang Jin's face turned pale.
Especially when he noticed Ji Jue holding his phone, carefully snapping pictures of him, his heart plummeting to the bottom.
All those years, doing countless unspeakable things, it's not an exaggeration to say he was hated by heaven and earth.
Once he fell from grace, even his backers might not lift a finger to help, and others in the same line of business would surely come to kick him while he was down, just like he once did to others…
He wouldn’t make it to morning.
This wasn’t an empty threat.
It was a true depiction of his fate.
“So run, Jiang Jin.”
Ji Jue smiled encouragingly, patting his shoulder earnestly: “Run, let’s see how far you can go.”
Jiang Jin’s expression changed, wanting to yell or curse.
But when Ji Jue pointed the gun at his face, he ultimately remained silent, gritting his teeth as he got up from the ground, scrambling clumsily toward the door.
Bang!
A sharp scream echoed through the air as the fleeing Jiang Jin fell to the ground, wailing and cursing as he clutched his shattered knee.
“Come on, Teacher Jiang!”
With a spark of joy, Ji Jue smiled even brighter, waving his pistol and enthusiastically encouraging, “A true warrior won’t be defeated by temporary setbacks. You’ve got to stand up bravely, hurry, faster… otherwise, you’ll be dead!”
Bang!
Another bullet struck beside him, shattering his eardrum.
Jiang Jin let out a howl, dragging his broken leg as he struggled to crawl forward.
But almost immediately afterwards, the gun fired again, sending him tumbling on the ground, rolling helplessly.
This time, it was his right leg.
Lu Feng whistled, dispersing the smoke from the gun: “How long do you think it’ll take for him to reach the door?”
“I don’t know,” Ji Jue shook his head, catching on to his thoughts: “Want to make a bet? Fifty bucks, I bet ten minutes.”
“I’m in!” Lu Feng grinned, raising his gun. “I bet he won’t even make it to the door.”
“Hey, Jiang Jin, do you hear me?” Ji Jue raised his voice, shouting. “You need to push yourself! Don’t be afraid, the cartoon says, effort + friendship = victory! Believe in yourself, you can do it!”
“Ahhhhhhh—”
Jiang Jin screamed in agony, cursing and threatening with every profanity he knew.
Bang!
Lu Feng pulled the trigger again, this time hitting his left hand, creating a blood hole and breaking his bones.
“I knew you would cheat.”
Ji Jue sighed, raising his hand to aim, shooting at Jiang Jin's right hand!
Alright, now he had no limbs left—bad news.
But the good news was, he could still squirm a bit, crawling forward in his own blood, wailing in despair.
Like a lost child seeking their mother.
“It seems you lost.”
Lu Feng shook his head, squeezing the trigger one last time.
He aimed for his head.
In that moment, the air filled with a cold snort.
So low and deep, yet suddenly exploding, erupting into undeniable… thunderous sound!
It left both of them nearly forgetting to breathe.
A blinding flash of lightning shot down from the night sky, sweeping down within moments, kicking up winds and roars.
And just amidst the tremors, a figure emerged from the thunder without warning, raising a hand.
With a casual flick, they grabbed the incoming bullet.
In an instant of electric light.
Copper melted and dripped slowly through their fingers, while the contracted five fingers remained completely unscathed.
--- Series of Entropy, Matrix: Awakening!
At this moment, the newcomer lifted their chilly, elongated gaze, surveying the area, finally landing on the two of them, a hint of understanding surfacing in their expression.
As soon as Jiang Jin saw the other party, he appeared to have found his lifeline, shrieking with excitement like a loyal dog meeting its master.
If he hadn’t lost his limbs, he might have lunged forward: “Team Leader Yu, save me… I… I…”
“Shut up.”
Yu Hanguang glanced at the pitiful sight on the ground before turning to Ji Jue, letting out a soft sigh: “Truly a little troublemaker who only stirs up chaos.”
Without any warning, without any gap.
He extended a finger.
Over ten meters away.
But the shattered space was already filled with boundless thunder, amidst the booming roars, boundless radiance converged and swept towards him, howling forward.
In an instant, it completely engulfed both of them!
Not a trace remained!
What a shame, though.
Ji Jue didn’t lose even a hair, and neither did Lu Feng.
He even yawned, rubbing his itchy nostrils.
And right above their collars, an inconspicuous crystal button shattered silently, its crystalline form expanding into beautiful, sharp petals.
Easily freezing and halting the chaotic thunder before them!
--- Path of Ruins: Stasis Zone!
At that moment, Ji Jue finally sighed in relief, his twitching leg muscles calming down.
Safe.
He looked towards the door: “Sister Wen, if you don’t hurry, we might really be done for.”
“Patience is the key to reeling in the big fish; isn’t that what you said?”
As her voice echoed, Wen Wen emerged from the swirling dust, looking at Yu Hanguang with a smirk: “Team Leader Yu, what a coincidence to run into you here?”
Yu Hanguang's expression shifted, but he didn’t speak.
“If I’m not mistaken, Beishan is my jurisdiction, right?” She tilted her head, curiously asking: “When did it become Li Hua District’s turn to intervene?”
Her slender fingers clenched tightly, the joints rubbing against each other, creating a crisp sound akin to crystal shattering.
She coldly asked:
“Don’t you plan to explain?”