Chapter 00055: Trouble at the Door
# Trouble at the Door
Chapter 55
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 55: Trouble at the Door
Within the expansive training ground, traces of bullets could be seen everywhere.
The floor, covered with elastic mats, lay scattered with many spent shells, and one could easily slip walking over them.
Once he confirmed that Ji Jue was ready, Old Zhang stood twenty meters away, his frail frame still giving off an innocent vibe, though he had a short stick secured at his waist as a weapon.
Thankfully, it was just a simulated training; otherwise, this seemingly harmless old man could easily turn Ji Jue into dried meat in less than ten seconds, complete with drying, vacuum sealing, and packaging!
"Are you ready?"
Old Zhang stood with his hands behind his back, slightly bent forward, casually asking.
As Ji Jue nodded, he stepped toward him.
They approached each other, step by step.
Ji Jue’s breaths grew quicker, repeating to himself that it was just a mock battle, and the opponent before him was merely a leisurely old man.
Yet, he couldn’t shake off the shadows of defeat he had faced the entire afternoon.
“Keep your breath steady, shoulders relaxed, open your stance. Only when you’re relaxed can you make the fastest reactions—”
While slowly moving forward, Old Zhang continued to mutter training tips.
In a moment, as the distance between them closed to three steps, he would launch his attack—just as they had trained.
Yet, before he could finish his sentence, his right hand, which had been resting behind him, seemed to flicker, and the moment was upon them.
A horrifying shriek rang out.
Like a cannonball suddenly exploding in the near distance.
The short stick at his waist was casually hurled out, spinning through the air, much like a storm descending upon Ji Jue!
This was not what had been promised!
Was it a sneak attack?!
In this unexpected turn of events, Ji Jue’s pupils dilated, his body stiffened, paralyzed by shock, unable to react.
Should he drop to the ground? Lie back? Duck? Avoid left or right? A whirlwind of chaotic thoughts rushed into his mind, an overwhelming flood that buried him, leaving him unable to choose.
Yet, amidst all this turmoil, it was his own body that responded first—instincts forged from an afternoon of brutal beatings!
He didn’t even have time to draw his pistol from its holster.
Instead, he clutched the holster and lifted it.
He commanded—
“—Fire!”
Boom!
The front end of the plastic holster exploded as the bullet shot forth, striking the short stick right in the center, causing it to explode.
However, the remaining bits of debris spread out, blocking his line of sight, and a piece of the stick struck his forehead, making his vision go dark.
“Response: Six out of ten.”
Though his reaction was timely, his choice of action was flawed.
His control over the shooting was insufficient, resulting in collateral damage.
The correct response would have been to curl up and roll away, creating distance…
Ji Jue felt like he had been struck by lightning as that calm voice echoed in front of him.
So close!
“Hey—”
Old Zhang exhaled, his palm swelling suddenly, transforming into a crimson seal of sorts, radiating heated energy, and it descended upon Ji Jue's chest!
In the rushing wind, Ji Jue felt phantom pains in his ribs.
Throughout the afternoon of training, he had been knocked out by this move countless times; if it struck true, he would surely fly back against the wall and be unable to get back up!
He barely managed to raise his left arm to shield his chest when it was as if a truck was coming at him, effortlessly breaking through his spirit-enhanced defenses and pushing him back.
But in that crucial moment, when he sacrificed his arm, the white deer insignia on his bone finally came into fruition!
The mats beneath him deformed with a dull thud as a faint iridescent glow appeared around his ankles.
Bolstered by the enhancements of the highest virtue emblem, his spirit shields surged again.
In an instant, he felt propelled backward, flying several meters away, at the price of his left ankle going completely numb.
But at least his right foot was still functional, and he retreated again.
In mid-air, his weapon spit fire as if it were a waterfall, uninterrupted.
The thunderous, soaring sounds echoed through the training ground.
In less than half a second, thirteen bullets had poured out.
“Not bad.”
Old Zhang grinned as he desperately pursued him; his palm embedded with five bullets while others flew toward his face, throat, heart, and legs.
If this were a real fight, even if the opponent survived, they would undoubtedly have lost their ability to move!
But what if the opponent were more skilled?
For instance, something like this!
In an instant, countless afterimages appeared before Ji Jue’s eyes as all the bullets fired at him were blocked by Old Zhang’s swaying right arm.
Bullets embedded in flesh made sizzling sounds, lodged between muscle and skin.
With a casual drop of his hand to his waist, he said:
“Right arm is done for.”
Old Zhang raised his left arm, “But I still have this? What will you do?”
Cornered, Ji Jue paused for a moment, throwing away his holster and weapon.
He took a deep breath, adopted a flawed combat stance, and gestured at Old Zhang:
“Come!”
Old Zhang chuckled silently, thinking, he was still too green… At this moment, he should be trying to break away from his enemy's blind spot.
He should have been harsher; only then would Ji Jue understand.
Boom!
At the moment he prepared to charge in, a loud bang erupted from a previously unnoticed corner.
Old Zhang’s head jerked.
Out of nowhere, a bullet had lodged itself in his temple!
From the weapon Ji Jue had tossed beside him…
A lethal hit!
“Master Zhang, the modified guard’s magazine holds fifteen rounds,” Ji Jue finally let out a breath. “Did you forget to count the bullets?”
In the ensuing silence, Old Zhang remained quiet, lifting his hand and prying the bullet from his head, examining it closely before bursting into laughter.
“Pass!”
He shook his hand as those bullets, trapped in muscle, fell like scattered raindrops.
Then, he patted Ji Jue on the shoulder enthusiastically.
“Very good, very good! You’ve finished your second defense lesson, little Ji. Don’t slack off in your future training; keep up this practice.”
He offered praise with a bit of admiration. “A young man like you, clever and crafty, will surely have a bright future!”
Ji Jue’s expression twitched.
Though flattery was nice, couldn’t he throw in some better words?
“All thanks to you, Old Zhang.”
“Hey, why be so serious? Just call me Old Zhang! Come by for tea sometime!”
The old man waved his hands nonchalantly, humming a tune as he walked away.
Before he knew it, time had flown by, and he was going to miss the evening awards!
However, as he exited, he spotted Wen Wen leaning against the corridor.
“How did it go?” she asked curiously.
“Decent grasp, good adaptability. Mostly, he learns quickly; there’s not much left to teach in the basics,” Old Zhang sighed. “The younger generation is impressive. If I had been as alert back in the day, I might’ve made it to the world bodybuilding championships and fought for a title!”
Wen Wen pondered for a moment before asking, “How do I compare?”
“Hmm…”
The old man rubbed his chin, shrugged slightly, “With more effort, it seems you could give it a shot.”
Wen Wen raised her eyebrows slightly but remained silent.
When Ji Jue finally pushed the door open, he was met with her smile.
Bathed in the setting sun, her smile shone amid the strands of hair, so gentle, almost like a fleeting crystal flower, causing his heart to skip a beat.
“What’s wrong?”
Wen Wen looked back, seeing him dazed, waved her hand, “Let’s go! We’re having a celebratory dinner tonight!”
“Maybe not…”
Ji Jue snapped back to reality, feeling the corners of his eyes twitch.
Thinking back to the dreadful outcomes from previous experiences had him feeling uneasy.
However, before he could run or excuse himself, fate had already seized him by the scruff of his neck, leaving him with no escape.
When a mug of frothy beer crashed down on the table, preparing to whet his appetite, it was already too late to even shed a tear.
“Here, drink!”
A pint of draft beer was thrust into his hands, and with a clink of glasses, Wen Wen raised her cup to her lips, drinking it all in one go before Ji Jue could even lift his.
At this point, he could no longer deny that he was someone who couldn’t hold his liquor.
Two hours later, when the third bottle of liquor was opened, an alcohol-poisoned Ji Jue lay sprawled on the table, thoroughly unconscious, peacefully closing his eyes.
An eventful day finally came to an end.
Sadly, during this unconsciousness, he seemed to lose all sense of time, merely feeling as if he had blinked and suddenly found himself spinning… from the drinking table back to his bedroom.
In terrible disarray after drinking, Ji Jue discovered only his legs were on the bed while his upper body had slid off onto the floor…
The fiery sunlight broke through the window, shining down on his face.
Another fulfilling day had begun!
There was no break, not even a moment to rest!
What kind of villainous invention was this cursed alcohol?!
Fortuitously, after freshening up and speeding along the road to the workshop, the time was still before ten o’clock.
Professor Ye’s class didn’t start until eleven, so he still had time for breakfast.
But just as he settled down at a roadside noodle stall, an unexpected voice reached his ears.
“You still have the energy to eat breakfast?”
Ye Chun appeared out of nowhere, looking troubled. “Trouble is already knocking at the door.”
“Huh?”
Ji Jue stood there, dazed. “I haven’t done anything!”
What had gone wrong again?
Ah, he was so close to achieving his goal.
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(End of chapter)