Then Let Me Ask You!

The short daylight of summer swiftly melted away with the turning of the hours. Following another sudden downpour, night crept across the firmament. Darkness surged forth like a rising spring, shrouding the mortal realm—and then, one by one, lights that did not belong to the wilderness flared to life. The town blazed with illumination. Unlike other settlements, Xinquan only grew busier and louder once darkness fell. Ever since the organized night market opened for business, people from quite a few neighboring settlements had been hurrying over to spend money. Under the sprawling canopies, the open-air food stalls were packed almost to capacity. Even more had only just received temporary residence permits from the municipal management crew, securing themselves a roost in the pigeon-coop boarding houses. Seeing the bustling excitement, they wandered the lanes with wide, curious eyes. They squatted beside roadside blankets, pointing at pots, pans, spices, and even illicit videotapes, haggling with the stallholders. Scrappers who had just collected their wages drove their empty little tricycles up to the food stalls to "squander a fortune." A plate of fried rice noodles with extra meat, extra pig liver, and the sheer audacity to tack on two eggs! Rising from the stalls—where good food at low prices was the supreme virtue—curls of fragrant smoke drifted into the air. Amid the clatter of spatulas, the steaming plates were served in an instant, accompanied by two glasses of watered-down draft beer, all for a single meal ticket from the Haian cafeteria. Yes, a meal ticket. Because testing placer gold was a nuisance and small-change transactions were a headache, some clever stallkeeper had slapped his forehead one day and offered to settle bills with the meal tickets and scrip Haian issued to internal staff. The practice spread like wildfire overnight... completely unstoppable. After all, placer gold could be adulterated, and if you took counterfeit dust, you had only your own bad eyesight to blame. But if someone dared to counterfeit Haian's tickets... heh, they were in for a world of hurt! Besides, who else on earth was extravagant enough to print internal vouchers with spiritus alchemical watermarks that couldn't even be found on small-denomination banknotes, if not Ji Jue? This phenomenon, which had technically broken quite a few laws, quickly spread far and wide. When Ji Jue caught wind of it, he couldn't help spending half the night flipping through Lu Ling's economics textbooks, hatching a great deal of completely unhinged ideas... Regrettably, there was very little fat on the scrappers; not much could be squeezed out of them. He had no choice but to drop it. Still, that didn't stop Ji Jue from accommodating the requests of certain suppliers. When settling invoices, he conveniently opened a small exchange window across the way for cafeteria meal tickets. Haian's millet rice really was nourishing! With a viable "currency" circulating, the scale of both the morning and night markets expanded dramatically, looking ever more prosperous. Practically every day was a country fair. "Heh, it's barely any different from the suburbs back in the city." In a room behind the windows, an onlooker lifted the curtain, gazing down at a corner of the noisy, bustling market with a mix of envy and spite. "Haian must be making a killing, right?" "A corner stall fee is only twenty-five bucks a day, plus a five-dollar management fee. Center spots cost a bit more, but not by much, and they don't take a rake... It's like the guy's missing half his brain." Sitting by the dining table, smoking, Wan Wu let out a cold sneer. "Hoping to buy people's hearts with petty favors like that? Dreaming." "Oh? Really?" The onlooker blinked in surprise. "Doesn't that make him a living saint?" "That's where his brilliance lies..." Overhearing their chatter, the man dozing in the armchair cracked an eye and scoffed. "At least half the goods down there—whether daily necessities, vegetables, or meat—come straight out of Haian's distribution channels. Near-expiry leftovers and unsold junk from the city get flipped through a couple of hands, and by the time they hit the stalls here, the price has marked up several times over. "And other than here, there's nowhere else to spend a dime... Every last one of them is working for that guy surnamed Ji! "The wages Haian hands down don't even last two days before they're sucked right back into his pocket. He doesn't even have to pay out of pocket for labor, yet people fall over themselves with gratitude, sweating their guts out for him, terrified that one day he might just pack up and quit. "He takes all the cash and walks away with the moral high ground. Your boss could stand to learn a thing or two from moves like that!" For a moment, silence descended upon the room, making the bustling uproar outside the window seem all the louder. The Xinquan Hotel. The premier grand dining establishment and inn in all of Xinquan, having won glowing reviews from traveling guests for accommodations that compared unfavorably to a doghouse in the city and service that was practically nonexistent. Every single scrapper who spent coin here invariably remarked—*If I'd fucking known, I would've slept on the street.* Yet it was the only lodging open to outsiders, and it also served as the local reception for Haian. Suppliers and distributors had no choice but to pinch their noses and endure a night before clearing out as fast as possible. The entire hotel had been refurbished from the original site of the Diao Mao Grand Hotel. Two floors, over forty guest rooms, and more than eighty nests of snakes, bugs, mice, and ants—each endowed with unique talents, each ready to put on a breathtaking show, not to mention the secret weapons tucked inside the mattresses: twin-tailed pretty roaches ready to offer unexpected delights. No one would ever have imagined that the Celestial Chosen, who had worked covertly during the day to fan the flames of unrest, would be staying right here out in the open under the guise of traveling distributors. They had arrived days in advance, and during the daytime, they had even entered Haian's factory grounds under the pretext of pressing for shipments. Amidst the clamor of the night market, a knock sounded at the door. There was no agreed-upon secret code or sophisticated contact method. The moment the visitor started up the stairs, the men inside had already detected him. Disheveled hair, reeking of the pungent body odor and unkempt grime typical of a scrapper, the man walked in carrying a few cartons of fried rice noodles and a jug of water, his expression sullen. "You'd better be careful. They're checking hard out there," the bribed local warned. "They've already arrested a bunch of people." "Don't worry. We're only here to pick up goods. We're not going anywhere, haven't even stepped out the door." The spy by the window smiled soothingly. "Trivial matter, nothing to fret over. Relax, relax." *Relax your fucking mother!* The jittery local had intended to snap back, but as he met those eyes carrying a faint trace of amusement, he couldn't help loosening up. A flicker of daze washed over his expression, followed by total calm. "All right, head back," the smiling spy said, patting his shoulder gently. "Don't worry. All the problems will be sorted out—as long as you keep the secret." "Keep the secret," the man murmured in a trance. "When you get back, just stay quiet and carry on as normal. In a couple of days, find an empty spot and hang yourself. Life is so painful; there's no need to keep suffering, right?" "Painful, suffering... release?" "Yes. Release." Instruction written. Wearing a sleepwalker's smile, the local stepped lightly out the door and vanished. "When it comes to dirty tricks, you Heart Pivot bastards really take the cake, 'Wisdom Tooth,'" Wan Wu sneered, curling his lip. "Even when us inhuman pirates hire someone to do a job, we at least pay them." "Pay them and then murder them afterward to take the money back?" Wisdom Tooth glanced sideways. "Is that why fewer and fewer people are willing to work with you lot?" "Enough, stop bickering." The true leader dozing in the chair, Tie Bo, lifted his eyes and cut them off. "Wan Wu, stay in the hotel for the next two days. Don't show your face. And you, Wisdom Tooth... you went over there during the day, didn't you?" Tie Bo took off his hat, his gaze turning dangerous. "I don't care how you mess around, but don't drag your feet. Next time, don't lift a finger without asking me first, understood?" Being looked at by those eyes felt like having a wolf's paw resting on one's shoulder in the dead of night, sending an involuntary, bone-chilling shiver down the spine. Wisdom Tooth said nothing. He raised his hands in submission, not daring to pull any more tricks. "Very good." Tie Bo nodded. "Tomor—" *Snap!* A sound like a trivial fracture rang out, as though a lightbulb had shattered somewhere. It echoed in everyone's ears before they could even register what it was. Only Tie Bo sprang out of his chair as if electrocuted, diving toward the window without warning. Sensing murderous intent, heightening intuition... This was the White Stag blessing—Cicada's Intuition! Yet the instant that sudden, bone-piercing chill surfaced in his heart, it was already too late... A streak of silver light emerged without warning from the far end of the long street, hurtling toward them. The alchemical bullet leaping from the sniper rifle spun in silence, effortlessly whistling between railings and power lines. It tore across the entire night market, piercing the flickering yellow lamplight and kitchen smoke, before punching a pinky-sized hole through the wall as if ripping through tissue paper! Flint and steel, a mere split second. Tie Bo, leaping from his chair, erupted into a cloud of bloody mist. Though he had spared his head from being blown apart, one of his arms was blasted into shredded mush under the tearing silver light. Immediately after, a thunderous roar rolled across the sky. In the pitch-black night, a streak of blazing light suddenly flared. Like a star of steel... Out upon the waters beyond Quancheng, the star had launched from the catapult rails of the *Prosperity* amidst the rolling waves, ascending into the celestial sphere to look down upon all creation. And then, dragging a searing plume of exhaust from its thrusters, it plunged! Like a falling meteorite. In a breath, it broke the sound barrier—Mach 1, Mach 2, Mach 3— Until the alarms on the experimental frame shrieked under the violent acceleration. "*Whew—*" Amidst long-lost exhilaration and wild laughter, the phantom sound of bursting capillaries seemed to ring out. Blood trickled from his nose, filling his lungs with the familiar taste of rust. The corners of his mouth hooked upward beneath the oxygen mask. Ignoring the stall-warning pop-ups, he looked down at the rapidly expanding earth, calculating the critical distance by pure instinct. Five kilometers: reverse thrusters engaged, decelerating. Three kilometers: steering thrusters two, four, and five ignited, attitude balanced. One kilometer: main reverse thrusters cut, auxiliary steering shut down, booster engines one, three, and six redlined— In that fleeting span of an eye-blink that ordinary men could scarcely perceive, the power armor, echoing with wild laughter, dove out of the sky. Leaving a brilliant silver burn trail across the night sky, it executed a casual, sweeping turn just before smashing into the earth... Assisted by the quicksilver buffer fluid, it shrugged off a monstrous G-force that would have caused immediate cerebral hemorrhaging in an ordinary human, banking from the flank at a forty-five-degree angle and slamming diagonally into the hotel. A savage tempest kicked up, crushing countless bricks and stones. Breach! An iron boot lifted, stomping down onto Wan Wu's stunned face, smashing through the floorboards, plunging into the ground floor, tearing through to the basement, and driving onward into the dirt below. *Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!* Amidst plumes of billowing dust, a hurricane erupted. Shrapnel sprayed outward. Before Wisdom Tooth could even let out a scream, he was blown completely off his feet. "—Fuck yeah!" Ignoring the armor's blaring alarms, the ferocious knight—glowing red from atmospheric friction—cast his eyes down at the mangled Celestial Chosen beneath his boot. Those from the Desolate Ruins sure were tough to kill! At the moment of impact, spiritus had instinctively mounted a defense, transmuting flesh. His chest was caved in, yet his body remained in one piece. Back in the day, many high-threat targets would have burst into paste on the spot like the local 'twin-tailed beauties' after taking a kick like that! No matter, though... "Excuse me, would you prefer this electromagnetic charge cudgel, this anchor armor-piercing gun, or this thermal-blade kinetic axe?" Lu Feng casually reached behind his back, drawing out various pieces of ordnance and presenting them one by one before those terror-stricken, shrinking pupils... Sadly, Wan Wu couldn't hear a word; his eardrums had ruptured long ago. He struggled in vain, trying to pry away the massive foot planted on his chest. His fingers hissed and sizzled from the scorching heat. He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but could only produce choked rattles. "What? You like them all?" Lu Feng looked shocked, then shook his head helplessly, breaking into an affectionate smile. "What a greedy little kitten..." Since that's the case, you can have them all! ... Hysterical screams seemed to echo out. Reeling from the impact and tremors, the dazed Wisdom Tooth crawled forward with difficulty. Looking around, he saw only collapsed walls and shattered flooring. Amidst the residual rumble, familiar sounds faintly carried over. Like screams and wails, weeping, choked sobs, and desperate pleas. Mingled with merry, exhilarated laughter. Coming from beneath the cracked floor... Wisdom Tooth could feel Wan Wu's consciousness trembling violently, wavering like a candle in the wind. Agony and terror surged out like geysers, dyeing the entire world crimson. Yet at the source of that crimson, a deeper shade of blood slowly rose, surpassing all else. It was not burning furiously; it was merely a spark or two reigniting after a prolonged silence, yet it whipped up a violent tide that made Wisdom Tooth's hair stand on end. *What the fuck, what the fuck is that thing?!* Even though an undefended consciousness and soul lay right before his senses, ripe for manipulation... an instinctual terror rose up, suffocating him. *Don't touch it! Don't touch it! Don't touch it!* His instincts screamed that the moment he touched it, a fate far worse than death awaited him! *Where did this monster come from?!* Convulsing, Wisdom Tooth mustered every scrap of strength to push himself up, desperate to flee. Alas, it was already too late. Someone seemed to glance his way. With utter nonchalance, a hand rose. Then, the gemstone set into a ring on their finger flared with faint light... and an artificial wraith materialized from thin air, opening its maw. A murky torrent, far surpassing that crimson tide, swept forward like a tsunami, blotting out the sky! Malice, resentment, hatred, agony, torment, and despair. He froze in place. Inside his skull, a final bursting sound echoed. *Pop!* Bleeding from every orifice, he collapsed in silence. Before his soul dissolved entirely, the final realization that emerged from the depths of despair was a strange clarity. —*So the real monster was over there...* In an instant, two of the original three—Wan Wu and Wisdom Tooth—had completely lost the ability to resist. Only Tie Bo, who had sensed something amiss at the very first instant, had chosen flight without a second thought... In a flash, he had burst through the window, tumbled, hit the ground, and sprinted away. Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw the spectacle of the steel star descending from the heavens. That terrifying radiance and trail instantly dragged up the deepest nightmare lurking in the minds of the Thousand Islands people... the Meteor tactical maneuver of the Federation Iron Cavalry! *The Federation military is attacking?! Are they insane? No, that's not right...* *Where did an Honored Iron Cavalry come from?!* Countless frantic thoughts tumbled through his empty mind until an instinctual warning slammed his brakes on. He looked ahead, on high alert. Under a flickering streetlight on the desolate road, a lone figure stood waiting. Amidst the faint hum vibrating from afar, he seemed to be looking down, playing on his phone. He looked up casually, casting a glance over. "Yeah, got it. Remind Brother Feng to keep one alive, don't get too carried away... Also, repair costs come out of his dividend share." The newcomer spoke slowly. "Factor in my labor fee too, according to the quote he gave the Navy before." That face... the face seen countless times in photographs, the burn scar across his skin, those eyes glowing like smoldering embers... Ji Jue!!! Following the instinctual shock and dread, what welled up was an unexpected spark of delight. A craftsman, standing before him barehanded! At such close range! Tie Bo pursed his lips, his eyes gleaming—the path ahead might be unknown, and countless traps might be waiting for him, but there was still a chance! Tie Bo bent low, his sole remaining hand gripping the hilt of the blade behind his waist. He drew it slowly. Calm the mind, focus, endure. Just one strike... One strike! Yet amidst that lingering, delicate humming sound, the look Ji Jue cast his way seemed full of admiration, half-smiling. "Say, do you feel like your head's gotten a bit pointy?" *Head? Pointy?* Tie Bo was confused, unable to comprehend. Yet in the muggy night wind blowing against his face, an inexplicable chill settled over his brow. A thick liquid wound its way down, dripping into the corner of his eye and tinting the dim world a garish crimson. He instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt, only to notice a subtle discrepancy in the weight. It was far too light. And when he finally looked down, he saw that the blade had been sheared down to a stump. Even across his fingers, left arm, chest, abdomen, legs, and neck, fine red lines crisscrossed in dense patterns. Thousands of strands, interwoven. Like... Blade marks? *Plop!* The first patch of scalp dropped to the ground. In that moment of realization, he saw it: his own body, like frozen meat fed into a deli slicer, disintegrating inch by inch... The faint cohesion between cells and the vacuum adhesion of the smooth cuts gave way. And so, he fell apart. Reduced to character shards scattered all over the ground. Just like that, amidst the humming drone that sounded like vibrating lute strings, he met his end. "A lapse of attention for one second... and it shattered all over the floor." Ji Jue frowned slightly. "Now I can only burn it to ash before using it." Material value, severely compromised. Have to be more careful next time. With a quiet sigh, he waved his hand. Countless threads of silver light converged from every direction, coiling layer upon layer like spider silk drifting on the wind, settling into his grasp. Immediately after, they hardened rapidly, taking the shape of a silver-gleaming walking stick. [Metallic Quality] and [Form of Utmost Resilience]! After patching these two piecemeal blessings together for so long, Ji Jue had finally managed to integrate them over the past few days. At last, no longer equipment shards. The fused blessings harmonized seamlessly, as if born this way. He could freely adjust the quicksilver's elasticity and hardness, operating it with finer precision and transforming it at will. Long before the strike began, thousands of quicksilver threads had already enclosed the hotel, concealing themselves within the flickering streetlights and blind spots. For so long, with people coming and going, no one had noticed those quicksilver threads that were indistinguishable from cobwebs. An accidental brush produced no effect whatsoever. Until the true prey delivered himself to the door, triggering the sudden transformation. And so, throughout his desperate sprint, the oblivious White Stag Celestial Chosen had literally sharpened his head and charged straight into the blades, slicing himself into thousands of pieces. "Mediocre quality." Ji Jue looked down at the few shattered blessings lingering in the soul, slowly shaking his head. With a snap of his fingers, the dissolution was complete, leaving only pure spiritus preserved through Solid Alchemy. Only then did Blondie, who had been waiting quietly further away, finally summon the courage to step forward. He bowed his head and said, "Brother Ji, the people are here. Everything's ready." "Let's go have a look, then." Ji Jue smiled. "I'd like to find out what this is all about, too." Within that smile lay a chill far deeper than the evening dew.