Objectively speaking, nothing in this world was truly difficult to handle.
Supposedly, in the video recordings dating back before the Age of Chaos, there were two wise sages steeped in street smarts: one named Brother Crow, and the other named Brother Fly.
Brother Fly was cruel and violent, while Brother Crow was violent and cruel.
Brother Fly taught that wearing a suit and tie and holding a mobile phone didn't mean jack shit, urging people not to blindly revere authority. Brother Crow, meanwhile, taught people never to fear hardship and to face difficulty head-on:
"Difficult to handle? Then don't fucking do it!"
If they wouldn't let him build cars, then nobody would!
"A person has to learn to share!"
Plant Director Ji declared to Isis with ringing conviction, "Hardship shouldn't belong to me alone; it can belong to everyone. By the same token, hardship can't just defeat me—it can defeat all of them too.
"As long as we drag everyone down to our level, we can beat them with our vast wealth of experience. We don't even need a total victory. As long as everyone else dies out, we'll still be the ones laughing last."
Within her receptacle, Isis's starlight flickered.
She was processing the production allocation and coordination of the entire Haian Auto Works at high speed, while simultaneously taking her creator's words to heart—meaning, in this instance, creating a new document titled *Dog Barking IV*.
"Before you share your wicked techniques, I must remind you," Isis said, "though a short-term disruption is enough to slow our rivals' pace, it is not a long-term solution."
Deus Ex Machina was versatile, but its effects were by no means impossible to dispel, counter, or undo.
At the same time, the consumption was exorbitant, sustaining itself for barely twenty-four hours, making it difficult to keep up over a prolonged period.
Its essence lay in using the spiritus Ji Jue imparted, combining it with the records and traces inside the target creation, to temporarily forge a phantom soul. Under the effect of Calling—a blessing sequence of Non-Offensive—it could even achieve transmutation out of thin air, recreating the target and bestowing upon it a fleeting life.
Yet this trace of soul and life was likewise subject to the effects of other abilities and blessings.
A single Soul Strike from an Ascension adept would act like an EMP, directly shattering the soul's construct from within and reverting it to its original form. A Celestial Chosen of the Heart Pivot branch could even manipulate and control the soul Ji Jue created, turning it against him.
Embers adepts could effortlessly seek out the creation's weak points and strike to kill with a single blow. Before powerhouses of the Path of the Desolate Ruins, no variations could even be deployed before spirituality collapsed of its own accord. Under a Stasis Zone, just try transmuting anything.
Even in the worst-case scenario, leaving it alone was an option; once time ran out, spending a little time inspecting and overhauling, then clearing the faults, would naturally allow production to resume.
After all, Ji Jue had only done it in passing without exerting much effort. Two or three days later, it would dissipate anyway.
To this, Ji Jue merely smiled faintly. "Isis, running over dog shit without getting any on your tires requires real technique."
"Speak human, please."
"There's no need," he said. "To ruin things, once is enough."
That was precisely where the brilliance—and pure malice—of the scheme lay.
No one knew what traps Ji Jue had secretly buried in their machinery, or what imperceptible glitches and latent hazards he had left in their vehicle electronics and operating systems.
Or even whether he had planted any traps at all—
After all, automobile manufacturing involved far too many facets and required considering endless variables!
A single workpiece alone could fail in a hundred thousand different ways.
If Ji Jue threw a single rat dropping into a vat of rice, everyone would have to sift through it day and night without sleep, or even lick every grain until they tasted the rat dropping disguised as rice!
Or perhaps there wasn't anything in the rice vat at all; maybe the problem was the vat itself, or the ladle scooping the rice, the pot cooking it, or the bowl holding it...
The terrifying part was that you had no fucking clue what the problem was—you didn't even know if a problem truly existed.
All they could do was expend an insane amount of energy meticulously troubleshooting every component across every stage, from parts to final assembly to testing, over and over again...
No matter how tedious and nauseating, it was a headache they had to resolve.
Unless, like Haian, they chose to rebuild their factories and upgrade their equipment from scratch, mount every conceivable defense, lay an inescapable net, and wait out the days for Ji Jue to come sneaking around again...
As for Ji Jue? Ji Jue had already gone home!
Now, everyone was on the exact same starting line. Are you ready to taste my vast experience in muddy-water sandbagging?
In the quiet, excited shouts and cheers rolled in from outside the window like ocean tides.
When Ji Jue walked to the window and looked out, he saw a sight utterly transformed from days past.
In just a few short months, everything had changed completely.
The once desolate and deserted factory grounds had become bustling and boisterous. Crowds gathered around the newly erected workshops, shouting with excitement, as the massive crane arms carefully lowered the colossal die-casting equipment—finally cleared through customs—into its anchored positions. Under the guidance of signal lights and hand gestures, everyone held their breath.
Until a faint, dull thud reverberated, and a voice over the walkie-talkie reported that the placement was complete, at which point cheers and shouts rippled outward like tidal waves.
At the center of the jubilant crowd, Yan Jian—still in splints aboard his wheelchair—was hoisted into the air. He let out a terrified yell at first, but once he got used to it, he soon broke into triumphant laughter as the college students carried him on a parade.
Well, until they set him down atop a raised platform where his wheelchair couldn't roll down, leaving him shouting curses in annoyance.
"It appears the new workshops and equipment layout are complete, sir,"
Isis reported. "Connections are finished. We can begin calibration and test runs."
In just ten short days, after purging all contamination, and with the full backing of the Tong family to expand the grounds and install equipment, the once moribund Haian Auto Works was fully prepped once more.
Reborn anew.
Over those ten days, even while away, Ji Jue could still sense the non-stop turbulence across Yacheng through messages from Ye Chun and Tong Shan.
And not just Yacheng—from Yacheng to Chaocheng, and across all of Haizhou, spanning two central metropolises, five smaller cities, countless wilderness settlements, and coastal maritime shipping...
The storm was rapidly expanding.
Standing on the crater right now was the colossal entity soon to emerge from the merger and restructuring of both sides: Haichao Group.
By comparison, Haian Auto Works, once merely an offshoot of Haian Group, had faded into insignificance. It used the opportunity to slip behind the reefs, dodge the surging waves, and win vital breathing room.
Now, everything was ready.
"Then let's throw some more fuel on the fire, Isis."
Ji Jue glanced at a message on his phone and chuckled. "Prepare for the launch event."
And so, at the start of the year, amid industry-wide hesitation, competitors scrambling in disarray, and treacherous political undercurrents, Haian Auto Works—fresh off resuming operations after more than a decade of dormancy—unceremoniously announced a product launch event without warning.
Along with it came a post on their newly registered official account.
The post contained only a handful of words and a link to the livestream:
[January 7th, 6:00 PM!]
[We're going to do something big!]
Below was a half-obscured teaser image displaying the silhouettes of two vehicles, faintly recognizable as a minivan and a pickup truck—along with naming and copy that left everyone speechless and ready to roast:
[Radish or Cabbage, to Each Their Own!]
Hampered by limited influence, and having zero fame outside Haizhou other than pulling ridiculous stunts, it didn't stir up much buzz among the general public beyond the invited media.
Yet even a single glimpse of the silhouette was enough to instantly put countless industry rivals on high alert. No sooner had they clawed their way out of frantic overhauls and troubleshooting than they immediately sucked in a breath of cold air.
Motherfucker, you were waiting for us right here, weren't you?!
Shit!
This time, he's really gunning for us!
After so much groundwork, Haian Auto Works was finally unsheathing its butcher's knife against Haizhou's long-vacant intra-city and inter-city transport markets—
Recalling the insane pricing and absurd price-to-performance ratio this shoddy plant had displayed previously, a creeping chill ran down everyone's spine.
There was nothing they could do. Other manufacturers built plants and sold goods to make a living; no matter how steep their promotional discounts, they ultimately needed a profit margin. Otherwise, why not just run a charity? That was practically more lucrative. Suddenly running into a competitor who was happy to sell at a loss just to make noise and have fun sent shivers from their scalps to the soles of their feet.
He didn't want to make money, nor did he care about profits. He seemed to want nothing more than to be a shit-stirrer, turning the entire market upside down and drowning a couple of blind, unlucky bastards in the process...
For a time, hearts skipped beats across the board as everyone zeroed in on them.
In particular, car dealers and manufacturers with market share in Haizhou spent sleepless nights facing an opponent who didn't even bother pretending and was purely there to flip the table.
Just as everyone racked their brains and exhausted every channel trying to dig up intel and specs on this bullshit "Radish" and "Cabbage," they discovered... the information was already plastering the streets.
There was no attempt to hide or disguise it, nor did they care about the launch event's suspense.
Before the event even started, the day's specific models and trim levels had already been printed into pamphlets and handed out all over the streets.
They didn't give a damn about livestream hype; the answers had been slapped across the front of the riddle right from the start.
Ask, and they'd tell you. None of the staff involved in R&D or trial runs had even signed non-disclosure agreements. In fact, peddling rumors was treated like an employee benefit. If an employee spotted someone outside who looked like a reporter, they'd yank open their trench coat, reveal the pamphlets tucked inside, and just barely stop short of whispering, "Hey buddy, want some discs? Latest Empire stuff!"
To the point where anyone receiving the brochures went dark before the eyes while remaining completely baffled, harboring a one-in-a-million wishful hope: Could this be a smokescreen Haian put out to throw us off?
It's just fucking building cars. You wouldn't be this absurd, right?
Right?
There was no response.
Only a colossal poster outside the venue, where Plant Director Ji faced the camera with that deeply enigmatic smile of his. For a time, even the attending reporters and self-media bloggers were left dumbfounded. Bro, what are you doing? We've never covered an event this unhinged before.
If you've already handed out pamphlets, why even hold a launch event?
Even the venue itself had been set in the factory out in the desolate wilderness outside Yacheng. Shuttle transport was handled by the plant's own buses, and the presentation area was situated right inside a workshop that had only just begun operating—surrounded by machinery and reeking of engine oil.
A clear space had been hollowed out inside the cavernous workshop, with a few rows of chairs set up.
If not for the banners and deliberate decor outside, everyone would have thought the plant was screening an employee welfare movie night.
From inside out, top to bottom, it exuded a simple, minimalist rural flavor.
In plain terms: cheap and crude.
If you don't know how to host a launch event, you don't have to do it! No gift bags, no champagne, no wine—couldn't you at least spruce up the venue a little?
More than one reporter turned around and left on the spot upon witnessing this bizarre setup. Even those who stayed were just thinking: well, since we're already here... at least they'll feed us dinner after it wraps up, right?
Wait... you guys are feeding us, right?
The entire launch event didn't even have an upbeat song-and-dance routine or a warm-up act.
When the clock struck, the livestream went live. Ji Jue strolled onto the stage like an emcee hosting a village New Year's gala. Without uttering a single pleasantry, right in front of the baffled audience in the hall and online, he simply waved his hand.
Immediately, a pure white minivan came chugging onto the stage with a clattering chug-chug-chug.
That familiar model and iconic look instantly prompted countless former owners of knockoff minivans to reminisce about the good old days spent overloading and racking up traffic violations together. For a moment, their eyes welled up.
Only, for some reason... the jalopy seemed to lurch and wobble awkwardly as it drove. The gas pedal was floored, thick smoke belched out, and it staggered along like a drunken sot. When the brakes engaged, sparks flew right off the brake rotors.
Its two headlights blazed, beaming straight into the audience seating and the camera with blinding ferocity.
The searing glare lit the entire workshop as bright as high noon, whiting out the camera feed completely and leaving netizens waiting for shenanigans utterly stunned.
[Holy shit, high-beam asshole!], [My titanium dog eyes are blind!], [Who threw a flashbang?], [That's gotta be at least two thousand lumens, what the fuck?]
Countless comments cascaded across the screen alongside a low hum of commotion in the hall.
Until Ji Jue waved his hand, and the driver inside finally turned on the actual high beams—a cataract of light so blinding it triggered ear-splitting ringing erupted in an instant, submerging everything.
Even from outside the factory workshop, visible shafts of piercing light burst forth.
It flashed and was gone.
This was the real high beam!
[A true masterpiece starts by making everyone black out...]
[Say no more, I'm buying it. From now on, I am the Highway High-Beam Demon!]
[Does this fucking light sell separately?]
Amid the countless flying bullet comments, muffled curses could already be heard in the venue. The expressions of everyone in the audience grew extraordinarily complex. Nobody expected that right out of the gate, they would witness a feast of such sheer, unfiltered low taste.
Throughout it all, Ji Jue lingered on stage, pacing leisurely in front of the vehicle with a knowing smile.
Until the hall settled into a deep silence. Then he raised his hand again and waved toward the back. Immediately, a row of burly, muscle-bound workers filed into the hall and stepped onto the stage.
Just as everyone was wondering whether this was a launch event for cars or male models, and whether they were selling vans or male escorts, Ji Jue raised his hand and popped the tailgate of the vehicle, which had finished turning around to face the crowd.
Revealing the bare-bones interior: appallingly cheap trim and an utterly uninspired styling scheme.
Along with—
Solid alloy steel ingots, completely paving the interior floor and stacked several layers high!
Under various protective measures, the burly men gritted their teeth, untied the tie-downs, and dragged one of the ingots out. The metallic resonance of steel scraping and clanking together instantly made everyone's sphincters clench.
When the strongmen heaved in unison and dropped the ingot onto the floor scale, the rapidly skyrocketing number plunged the entire venue into dead silence.
[100 KG]!
Things had reached a point where there was no cold air left to gasp.
In the numb silence, everyone in the hall subconsciously began counting aloud along with the movement of the heavy lifters.
From 1 to 10, from 10 to 20, from 20 to 30—the pitch grew uncontrollably higher and higher, until at last, it was nearly hoarse and screeching.
"55! 56! 57! 58! 59!"
In the momentary breathless pause, as everyone watched Ji Jue lift the final steel ingot out of the van himself, they could no longer restrain the urge to roar: "—60!!!"
*Thud!*
The ingot slipped from his grip and hit the scale. The readout finally settled on a spine-chilling: [6,000 KG]!
"Apologies. It's our first time hosting a launch event, so we're lacking in experience. Our staff accidentally drove up a test vehicle that was still undergoing maximum load testing.
"Well, the test isn't even finished. Once the launch event wraps up, we'll continue testing. By our calculations, it should be able to haul up to nine—*cough cough*—I hope nobody attempts this in real life, of course. After all, our rated payload is only one ton.
"Cherish life, safety first."
Ji Jue smiled and waved toward the hall, the cameras, and the countless sweating competitors on the other side of the screens. "I think I can now introduce our new car to everyone."
Chapter 345