Good Riddance!

Chen Xingzhou was on the verge of drawing his last breath. That was the news that broke that night, spreading rapidly like a storm without wings. Countless curious netizens frantically checked every possible channel for information, but aside from ambiguous statements that sounded like parrot-like repeats, the only answers they got were infuriating non-answers like "the editor doesn't know either." Chen Xingzhou was dying; Chen Xingzhou was on his last legs; Chen Xingzhou had survived; Chen Xingzhou had punched a bullet and made it explode on the spot... Rumors swirled wildly, yet not a shred of hard evidence surfaced. These days, the truth was often a luxury; most people could only sift through a vast sea of lies to find whatever tiny scrap of value they could. Soon, an even more explosive piece of news seized everyone's attention. Among Lei Wuye's adopted sons and daughters, Fourth Brother—who controlled all the smuggling business in Nanlu District—was also dead. Right after finishing a last meal hosted by Lei Yaoxing. Having parted on bitter terms, Old Fourth had been the first to flip the table, pointing at Lei Yaoxing and cursing that he couldn't even afford a pineapple bomb. But the moment he climbed into his car, he was blown sky-high, turned into character shards in a gacha pool and distributed free of charge to every lucky bystander present. Everyone on the scene was silenced like cicadas in winter, heads lowered, not daring to speak a word. None even dared look up at the figure standing at the very front. From start to finish, Lei Yaoxing remained silent. His expression was livid. They all stared down at the spreading blood, as if they could see reflected in it the pitch-black sky... and even the approaching thunder and lightning. A new storm had emerged. Pity there was no alien descending from the heavens to save the day, while the beasts on the ground had descended into absolute madness. Inside the restaurant, the operatives of the Beishan Section ate late-night snacks and drank beer, watching a gang carrying watermelon knives hurry down the street into a dark alleyway. Amid the distant shouts of slaughter, they savored a rare moment of peace and quiet. "Was it really Lei Yaoxing who did it?" Ji Jue frowned, instinctively sensing something was off. Even if he wanted to eliminate his rivals and nuisance younger siblings, why get so filthy himself? True, he was the biggest beneficiary, but at the same time, his own supporters had suffered countless casualties. And those uncles and elders who had stood up to speak for him had all stormed out with livid faces, not saying a single word in response to polite pleas to stay, refusing to take even a single red envelope. After all, having a lifetime of reputation trampled on and popped like a pig's bladder for fun, not grabbing watermelon knives right then and there to fight to the death was already a sign of great restraint built over years of self-cultivation. By now, they had probably bought airship tickets and left, determined never to touch Yacheng's cursed affairs with a ten-foot pole again. The big financial backers supporting him behind the scenes would have to reconsider as well, wouldn't they? People had invested in and backed him to become the shot-caller to make money, not so he could wage a goddamn war, sending heads rolling and throwing everything into chaos... Even though he was now the strongest contender with no one left to rival him, looked at from another angle, the signs of everyone abandoning him were already appearing. He was being pushed toward the edge of a cliff. "Didn't he say it? It wasn't him, he didn't do it... Who believes that?" Wen Wen, who had nearly been played by that bastard, pinched an edamame pod and sneered. "Even if it wasn't him, it is now! "Chen Xingzhou was lured out by you to negotiate, and now he's in the ICU. Your brother was tricked into coming as a witness, and now he's blown to smithereens without even his bones left. "The uncles backed you up and gathered people for dinner, and before the meal was even over, almost everyone was dead. The Security Bureau came to ask if it was you, and you said it had nothing to do with you, and then right under the Security Bureau's noses, a guy suffered corruption. "You say it has nothing to do with you? Tell that to your mother! "If it wasn't you, was it me?" Hearing this, Ji Jue sighed and couldn't help shaking his head. "No need to waste sorrow on a bunch of trash who deserve to die. If you're in a bad mood, just wait until they finish tearing each other apart like dogs, then go over and kick them a couple of times, right?" Wen Wen cracked open edamame pods and tilted her head back to chug strong liquor, glug glug glug. It wasn't like only the White Stag people held grudges; did Tianyuan have a good temper? Ignoring them now was just to prevent the situation from deteriorating further and getting more complicated. Once this storm passed, was there really going to be no reckoning? Wen Wen had already drawn up a mental list. A very long list. The quota for accidental casualties from this year through next year was completely full—not a single slot left! Besides, Tianyuan wasn't the only organized faction. With Yacheng in such a mess, would the Ring of Taiyi just keep quiet when their profits shrank? So many materials were rotting in warehouses across the sea because shipments couldn't get through; even Ji Jue's deliveries had been delayed. The Church of Chongguang's charity hospital was nearly run ragged, unable to treat all the bystanders injured each day. If they were pushed too far, would those lunatics of Ascension really care about the consequences? Above board and in the shadows, the normal operations of every major organization were gradually being disrupted by this civil war. The situation in the Wild Gathering was beginning to spiral out of control... "Even if every piece of scum drops dead, what does it have to do with me? Good riddance, meow!" Ji Jue chewed on the ice crystals in his slushie, then paused slightly. "I'm just worried about a friend." Chen Yubo. The helpful Boss Chen, the loyal pink-loving Young Master Chen. Even though Chen Xingzhou and Chen Yubo had nominally had nothing to do with each other for years, who didn't actually know about the two brothers' relationship? The moment Chen Xingzhou stumbled and fell, Chen Yubo's situation became precarious. These days, expecting those law-of-the-jungle White Stag followers to lend a hand in times of need was utterly impossible; fair-weather support depended entirely on personal character, but kicking someone while they were down was something they never tired of. Besides, the returns were immense, there was zero risk, and it took hardly any effort at all. When the lion fell, the hyenas would swarm. His situation right now was probably dire. Ji Jue glanced at his blank phone screen. He had called earlier, but no one answered. He was probably in no position to check his phone right now, was he? A shame; he hadn't even gone over to his place to see his cat do a backflip yet. Ji Jue shook his head. Before he could speak, Wen Wen shoved a glass of beer into his hand. "What are you dawdling for with an empty glass? Drink!" He gave a wry smile. After experiencing late-night food-and-drink sessions every time he dealt with the Beishan Section, he realized that he, who had never touched a drop of alcohol before, had actually started getting used to it. "Drinking ruins lives," Ji Jue sighed with feeling, then tilted his head back and drained it in one gulp. After finishing the late-night snack and packing up, Ji Jue returned to the workshop. He seized the opportunity to "process materials," destroy the corpse, and eliminate all traces of evidence. Whether through good luck or because the temporary quicksilver containment was unexpectedly effective, with the puzzle ball's assistance, he actually managed to extract an intact blessing. It was none other than Herbert's prized blessing, Anticipate the Enemy, which had allowed him to block all of Ji Jue's bullets even with his eyes closed. The only blemish was that this blessing, having undergone multiple qualitative shifts in its past, had now regressed to its basic form. Even so, selling just this single blessing would fetch a tidy fortune. But why not keep it for himself? Although the difficulty of processing such a powerful blessing was still beyond his current level, he could at least save it for future use! Once he mastered it, Ji Jue wouldn't have to worry about being strung up and beaten senseless the moment a close-quarters combat specialist got near him. At least he could put up a futile struggle or two. From the perspective of harvesting blessings alone, working for the Security Bureau didn't seem as troublesome as he had expected. Even though Tianyuan's exploitation of the rank-and-file was as ruthless as ever, the foot-soldier operatives in the Second Division braved the wind and rain every day to handle all the nasty chores, internal factional strife was somewhat severe, and the web of factions was slightly beyond ridiculous... at least the pickings were generous! If one was willing to lose a bit more conscience, one could reap even more! As the saying went, no man got rich without windfall gains. The more of this kind of freelance subcontracting in the future, the better. If lucrative gigs like this came up a few more times, Ji Jue wouldn't even have to worry about funding his own workshop once he completed his apprenticeship! At the very least, having more blessings meant he could secure larger collateralized loans at the Everlasting Bank. Looking across the lifetime of anyone on the Embers path, it was almost an entire existence spent dealing with loans: from entry to the grave, from apprentice to artisan, earning money like flowing water and spending it faster than a torrent. Without one or two pairs of golden thighs and investors backing them, survival was truly precarious, and risk tolerance was practically nonexistent. Life was tough, money was hard to earn, and shit tasted foul. Right now, under Professor Ye's protection, even if he worked himself to the bone, at most he only needed to worry about money. He didn't have to worry about bowing his head for anything, nor about selling his dignity and forcing a smile to beg others to show mercy. In the future, when Ji Jue's wings were fully fledged—or when Professor Ye decided his wings were fledged and he'd learned enough, time to taste a beatdown from society, kicking him out to fend for himself—if he had made zero preparations by then, he'd surely end up falling flat on his face. One had to prepare for a rainy day. Even if having Non-Offensive made him less reliant on a physical workshop, he couldn't do without one entirely, could he? How would that be any different from feeling warm in winter and deciding to streak naked? Yep, another day of striving toward his future workshop—current progress: [1/9999999999]. On his auto-navigating little tricycle, Ji Jue pondered the future, sighing and lamenting as he arrived back at his door. Just as he pulled out the courtyard key and prepared to unlock it, he heard a faint, subtle call coming from the long night behind him. "Ji... Jue..." He froze in place and whipped around. In the pitch-black night, within the murky gloom, shadows seemed to dance like ghosts... His hair stood on end. He wondered if he had just hallucinated it, but the voice sounded again—wailing like a lament, growing clearer and clearer. "Ji Jue... Ji Jue..." Instantly, his skin crawled. By reflex, he had already drawn his gun, racked the slide, and aimed into the darkness. "Who's there?! Get the hell out!" "Brother Ji? Me! It's me..." From a foul-smelling trash can, a disheveled face slowly rose, pushing up the trash can lid. He looked at Ji Jue with tear-blurred eyes, choked with emotion. Like a vengeful ghost demanding a life. Having waited who knew how long in the cold night, wearing only a T-shirt, Chen Yubo was curled into a ball, shivering violently. The moment he clearly saw that face, Ji Jue's vision went black. Good news: Chen Yubo wasn't dead. Bad news: Chen Yubo had run right to his doorstep... I'm gonna die!