Ji Jue never expected that the first time he rode in an airship in this life, he would get to charter the entire vessel.
In the past, never mind chartering one—even the exorbitant price of a single airship seat was beyond his wildest dreams. Never mind international flights; even domestic routes between major cities within the Federation easily started at eight or nine thousand.
To say nothing of having an entire crew standing by, waiting on a single passenger to arrive and depart whenever they wished.
Ji Jue had not even gone through security. Guided all the way to the tarmac, he had driven his car straight onto the airship. From arrival to takeoff, the entire process had been as smooth as flagging down an unlicensed taxi on the street, leaving him genuinely fascinated by the novelty.
The Tong family, through and through.
Mm, though compared to my Celestial Rail... there's still a tiny gap.
Tea mug in hand, Ji Jue gazed out the window at the earth falling away below.
In the dark of night, the lights underneath shone brilliant and bright.
A gentle, fragrant breeze drifted past as an elegantly made-up stewardess offered him a warm towel and dinner menu. "Mr. Ji, taking weather conditions into account, our flight is expected to take around nine hours. Your bedroom has been prepared, so you may rest whenever you wish. Should you have any needs at all, simply ring the bell."
Compared to aircraft like airplanes or helicopters, airships were somewhat slower, but far more stable. Furthermore, their interior space was ridiculously vast; even an airship of this smaller, three-deck class had ample usable room beyond the cargo hold and cockpit.
Not only were there bedrooms, a galley, and washrooms, but Ji Jue had even spotted a gym.
It was practically like being on vacation.
These days, the wilderness outside the cities grew increasingly chaotic, and travel costs climbed steadily higher.
While large cargo airships existed, most logistics still relied on ground convoys and a handful of fixed intercity railway lines, yet even those were frequently disrupted by disasters.
Although developing technology had once spurred claims that large airplanes would replace airships as the mainstream of aviation, technological capability alone was still unable to stave off the perils of high-altitude environmental shifts. Beset by turbulent currents, extreme temperature fluctuations, and flocks of aberrant birds, long-term safe operations could never be guaranteed. A single stall meant a catastrophic crash with no survivors.
Even now, conventional planes were restricted to short-to-medium-range transport or military applications. In contrast, airships—capable of prolonged loitering and flexible adaptation to emerging conditions—were far more beloved and trusted.
After finishing dinner, Ji Jue read a few academic papers before turning in for the night, sleeping soundly without the slightest worry of mishaps en route.
After all, he had already used Deus Ex Machina before boarding. The entire flight was rock-steady—even the pilots marveled at how extraordinarily smooth it was.
Even if Echo completely lost their minds, tore off all pretense, and launched anti-aircraft missiles to blow him out of the sky, the wristwatch was still on his arm. With a single thought, the [Return Order] could send him right back to his respawn point.
When he awoke the next morning, the Celestial Rail system's popup displayed location records for several more major cities; a string of teleport points across the central Federation had been unlocked.
All the better for Ji Jue to quietly pay a 'visit' to his fellow industry peers in the future...
As they gradually descended below the gloomy cloud layer, the world beneath turned into an entirely different realm.
Boundless snow drifted down, blanketing the entire world in silvery white like a silent rainstorm.
Across the white snowfields, pitch-black mountain ridges and sharp sheets of ice snaked across the earth like the spines of giant serpents.
"Mr. Ji, we have entered Huangzhou. We are expected to reach Heihe in an hour," the stewardess reminded him as she served breakfast. "The surface temperature outside has dropped below zero. Please prepare proper cold protection."
Ji Jue was already snapping photo after photo on his phone like a country bumpkin.
Holy crap, snow!
So much snow!
In his childhood he had lived in Shuzhou, later moving to Haizhou. The former had cold, damp winters without a single snowflake in sight, while winter in the latter was a complete joke—there was no need for down jackets, and people walked the streets in flip-flops. When had he ever seen such a breathtaking sight?
Holding up an unsophisticated peace sign, he snapped a photo of the frozen, winding river below and posted it to his Moments.
Instantly, a long string of likes and comments flooded in.
[Tryhards Must Die]: All your life you tread on thin ice—I bet you won't make it to the other side!
[Wen]: The snow's still that heavy, huh? Remember to bring me back some Huangzhou liquor.
[Tong Shan] replied to [Wen]: .?? The meeting's started, where the hell are you?.
[Draw You a Little Turtle]: Botanical fury, lmao, rofl!
[Bell]: Big Bro's slacking, go get 'em Second Bro!
[Feng]: Heh heh, someone's gonna get beaten up. Won't say who.
[Zhang's Massage]: Great weather for a marathon. You young folks should get more exercise.
[Yubo]: Huangzhou! Long-haired cats are so cute!
Even though he had braced himself well in advance, stepping out of the cabin still felt like getting bowled over by the freezing gale blasting into his face; every breath stung with sharp pain.
In the sub-zero chill, the air was bone-dry. The slightest moisture seemed to freeze into tiny ice crystals that pierced into his nostrils and mouth, leaving behind a dull ache.
Ji Jue shivered and looked up at the sky. Whirling flurries drifted down beneath the silhouettes of airships, merging into the earth in patches of pure white—or freezing into the mire below.
"Is this Mr. Ji's first time in Huangzhou?" the middle-aged greeter asked warmly. "Would you like to try some local dishes later?"
"Sure, whatever you arrange works for me."
Ji Jue climbed into Little Niuma and, guided by the host, drove out of the small airfield.
Aside from the pitch-black road, boundless snowfields stretched out on both sides to the edge of the earth, nearly merging with the ash-gray vault of heaven.
"It really is beautiful."
He rolled up the car window and switched on the heater.
"It's really freezing, too," the greeter chuckled self-deprecatingly. He was bundled up like a ball, fully equipped with gloves, a face mask, a scarf, and goggles. "As for whether it's beautiful... locals would probably prefer it uglier and a whole lot sparser. The snow's actually eased up over the last couple of days. In past years during heavy blizzards, driving was impossible. Snow outside the city could pile six or seven meters high and fall continuously for months on end. You couldn't even leave your front door."
He continued his explanation: "Here in Huangzhou, half of every year is winter. Farther north, it's year-round frozen tundra and ice seas where not even penguins or bears can survive. Pardon me for speaking out of turn, but don't worry about carrying extra weight—prepare as much heating gear as possible. The wilderness isn't like the suburbs; once you drive out there, it'll only get colder. If you run into a blizzard, rescue won't make it in time. Every time the rally runs, people lose ears, noses, and fingers to frostbite. Not dying is already a stroke of luck."
"What about the locals?" Ji Jue asked, curious. "How do they heat their homes?"
"Phlogiston, of course."
The greeter grinned and raised a hand, pointing toward the distant scenery growing clearer. The outline of the small city of Heihe was faintly emerging, but far more conspicuous than the city itself was the pillar of smoke soaring straight into the sky above it.
Wisps of white smoke billowed upward, rising like a colossal stone pillar in the windless air, bridging heaven and earth.
Ji Jue stared, dumbfounded.
"Huangzhou has the largest phlogiston extraction zone in the entire Federation. At its wildest, dig a few feet into the ground and pitch-black crude comes bubbling right up. The small towns around here are essentially built around phlogiston extraction. Phlogiston is as abundant as water, and most of the urban area runs on central heating.
"Word has it the central crucible is a decommissioned, battleship-class volcano engine. The sheer firepower of that thing is something you'll remember for life once you see it. Basically, once you spot that pillar of smoke, it means you're close to town."
The closer they got to Heihe, the livelier the roadside became. He could even see vendors stationed along the road, hawking cold-weather gear and local specialties.
Traffic along this route gradually swelled as well, forming a bustling stream of vehicles.
"It's really lively."
"They're all visitors here for the rally's opening. People pin their hopes on this once-every-three-years windfall; on normal days, it's dead quiet around here. Turn right ahead and drive a bit farther, and we'll be there. It's right next to the starting venue. Pretty much all the camps for competing enterprises and manufacturers are gathered in that area."
Even before reaching the site, Ji Jue saw countless temporary corrugated-iron huts and motorhomes stretching out behind fences in an almost endless sprawl, dotted with numerous entrances and exits.
With so many racing teams gathered together, the city certainly couldn't accommodate them all. A dedicated plot had to be allocated in the near suburbs, and even then, each team received only a modest patch of land.
By mid-morning, the entire camp was a hive of commotion. Many teams were racing against the clock, making final tuning adjustments and test runs; several modified cars had already returned splattered head to toe in mud.
Though Haian Auto had made a comeback, it was still a minor player here. Its allotted site was the most out of the way and relatively cramped—aside from a few shacks and two motorhomes, there was barely enough room for a maintenance workshop.
Personnel, however, were plentiful. Beyond the seven or eight workers staying on-site, another team of engineers with equipment was stationed in the city, ready to provide reinforcement at any moment.
Parking Little Niuma and getting a brief rundown of the procedures, Ji Jue strolled casually around the camp as if out for a morning walk.
And while he was at it, he looked for a chance to sabotage his industry peers...
Unfortunately, most of their on-board systems seemed to possess spiritus shielding or interference. It wasn't that he couldn't breach them, but forcibly deploying Deus Ex Machina would make it impossible to conceal the phenomena, thereby alerting the enemy.
Furthermore, the various teams' defenses only looked strict from the outside, but were in fact ironclad; plenty of Celestial Chosen were lurking in secret. Ji Jue didn't even get the chance to brush his hand against a vehicle and crack it with Dissociation Art—only the maintenance crews were allowed to touch the cars.
Once the race began, unless they reached a maintenance station, no one besides the driver and navigator would be permitted to touch the vehicle at all—not even the maintenance crew.
"Hey buddy, just get in?"
Near an entrance, a scruffy-bearded man struck up a conversation. "Need earmuffs?"
"No thanks." Ji Jue waved his hand.
Yet the man pressed an unopened package of earmuffs into his hands anyway, slipped off his glove, extended a hand, and introduced himself: "Shi Ran, navigator for Chonghui. Just here to pad out the field."
"Oh, hello. Ji Jue, Haian Auto."
"I know, I watched your launch event!" Shi Ran grinned broadly. "That prosthetic system is really something. Any plans to roll it out beyond Haizhou?"
"For now we're still running tests and collecting feedback and data. I'm afraid we haven't had time to look into outside markets yet."
"There'll always be opportunities."
Shi Ran handed over a business card. "I carry a bit of sway over at Chonghui. If you ever look to expand into Yunzhou, be sure to keep us in mind first."
"Will do, will do."
Ji Jue accepted it with both hands, only to freeze when he read the title. It wasn't a racer at all, but the Deputy Director of the R&D Department at Yunzhou Chonghui Industry.
"Hobby's a hobby, work is work," Shi Ran said with a laugh. "A few years back when I went to Haizhou, I attended one of Professor Ye's public lectures at Tianmen. Regrettably, the distance was too great and we never had the chance to collaborate. You must've just arrived, right? Want me to show you around? I've been here for almost a month."
Ji Jue blinked in surprise. "Won't I be bothering you?"
"Aw, why stand on ceremony? Come on, let's go!"
Without the slightest reserve, Shi Ran waved him forward and led the way through the camp with practiced familiarity, introducing Ji Jue to people from time to time.
Across the Desert Sea Rally's sixteen categories spanning stock and modified divisions, there were over sixty teams. Competitors like Ji Jue who arrived just a day before the opening were exceedingly rare; the vast majority had begun preparations a month prior.
The lineup alone encompassed most of the Federation's auto manufacturers, with larger companies fielding contingents of over a hundred people. Yet wherever Shi Ran walked, he seemed to know someone, introducing Ji Jue along the way.
There was no shortage of Celestial Chosen among them, quite openly so. Within their ranks, Ji Jue even spotted resident craftsmen from several other major Federation workshops.
Over the course of the morning, he collected a thick stack of business cards.
Exchanging pleasantries, people crossing paths were more than happy to make another friend—especially with a rising young talent in the spotlight like Ji Jue, the current class's Master of Artisans.
There were also plenty who kept him at arm's length or stared with cold indifference, watching him from afar with frigid glares.
"See those over there? Well... you know who they are."
Shi Ran gave a slight shrug and didn't lead Ji Jue in their direction.
Echo, Tiancheng, Xinyuan, and Northern Realm—the camps of all four were clustered together. Northern Realm in particular, being Huangzhou's local military-industrial enterprise, occupied prime real estate.
After a distant glance, Shi Ran didn't drag him over to suffer cold shoulders. He sighed, hesitated, and seemed on the verge of speaking, but ultimately held his tongue.
Some matters weren't his place to meddle in.
What a shame. Such a promising young man—why get mixed up in these murky waters?
Shi Ran gave a silent sigh.
Soon, an urgent voice crackled over his walkie-talkie.
"Well, back to meetings for me," Shi Ran shrugged. "Don't forget to get registered soon. Let's grab a meal together when you have time!"
Ji Jue waved goodbye.
When Ji Jue returned to Haian's grounds, a busy crew member came over to greet him.
"You're back, Mr. Ji?" said the maintenance team lead. "Our navigator just arrived as well. Our crew needs to hurry up and get registered."
"The navigator?"
Hearing this, Ji Jue grew curious. "Where are they?"
According to the Desert Sea Rally's rules, competing teams were permitted to establish a maintenance crew waiting at designated service stations. Meanwhile, each competing vehicle could be crewed by a driver and an assisting navigator.
The driver's duties went without saying, while the navigator often wore multiple hats: serving as reserve driver to complete the race if the primary driver was incapacitated, and assisting with vehicle maintenance should issues arise in the wilderness. Some were even former lead drivers who had stepped back due to age, or bodyguards tasked with handling threats in the wild when necessary.
Two people, one vehicle—that was the roster stipulated by the organizing committee. Once the race began, unless they reached a service station, only those two individuals were permitted to touch the vehicle.
Anything else would be ruled a violation.
Though Haian Racing bore the name of a team, it was actually a logistical group cobbled together on short notice with Tong Shengnian's help, primarily responsible for providing support to Ji Jue.
With Ji Jue present, there was no need for anyone else to handle maintenance. With Deus Ex Machina, cars could drive themselves, let alone Little Niuma.
Ji Jue had originally planned to just grab anyone along for the ride, but during their earlier phone call, Lyu Yingyue had offered not only various forms of support, but also personnel to assist Ji Jue and protect his safety.
Except until now, Ji Jue had stayed holed up in his workshop without stepping out, meaning he hadn't even met this person face to face.
Since Lyu Yingyue made the recommendation, they were certainly reliable; he only hoped they would get along.
At worst, they could pinch their noses and tolerate each other. It was only half a month anyway—they could grit their teeth and get through it.
Yet the moment he laid eyes on the navigator, he let out a huge sigh of relief.
In the snow-draped camp, beside a massive empty oil drum, stood a petite figure wearing upgraded prosthetic limbs on their legs, exuding the demure demeanor of a young girl. When they turned around, a look of delighted surprise broke across that androgynous face.
"Brother Ji Jue!"
The youth waved excitedly.
"Xiao An?!"
In an instant of boundless joy and surprise, Ji Jue walked straight up, hoisted him up with both hands, spun him around several times, and laughed out loud. "Long time no see!"
Only, as he spun, the smile froze on his face.
"...Hm?"
Wait. This feel in his hands seemed... almost... maybe... not quite right?
Yet it was right! The weight and touch were identical, the spiritus aura was just as it used to be. Sniff, sniff—
Mm, even the body wash smelled the same. But why...
Why was his heart pounding in panic for no reason?
"What is it, Brother Ji Jue?"
Hanging in midair, Xiao An looked over blankly, utterly puzzled.
Yet the smile remained.
Brother Ji Jue was Brother Ji Jue; he always had his reasons for doing what he did.
Only, a momentary illusion made Ji Jue suck in a breath of cold air in spite of himself.
Once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of well-ropes—he was genuinely terrified.
"Xiao An?" he asked tentatively.
"Mm?" Xiao An tilted his head, the smile on his cheeks beneath his short hair turning ever gentler.
The hallucinatory sense of déjà vu surged even stronger!
It wasn't Xiao An!
No, wait, it really was Xiao An?
It is him, it is him, it is! No, it isn't, it isn't, it isn't—
Cold sweat beaded on Ji Jue's forehead.
He couldn't tell them apart at all!!!
Chapter 351