Damn! I'm Surrounded by Peers?!

In the brief dead silence, everyone fell quiet. Ji Jue wore a smile, Old Bao took a sip of water, and Yu Shu was utterly bewildered. Yu Shu had no clue why the two of them weren't speaking. Something felt off, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. An inexplicable feeling crept over him: a dance for three really was hard to pull off. Whatever Bao Dachai was mulling over in his mind, Ji Jue's own feelings were exceedingly complicated—the sheer absurdity of two people sitting together, yet somehow managing to make three pairs of peers... It was goddamn bizarre. The tacit understanding between artisans went without saying. With the old man's abilities, there was no way he hadn't researched and explored the Profound and Stagnant Rot. After all, among an artisan's master crafts, those fit to see the light of day were decidedly in the minority. As for Nirvana... Fuck, that was the one brand of peer he wanted nothing to do with! It couldn't be helped. Everyone said artisans were sinister and that the moral baseline of the Embers was rock bottom, but there were still distinctions to be made. No matter what, the Ring of Taiyi was recognized on all sides as an upright organization. As for the Artisan Association, even if its members might defect to the Profound at the drop of a hat, men still had some dignity to maintain. But the folks in Nirvana were genuine lunatics! Their entire line of work was antisocial and anti-reality, dedicated to indiscriminate slaughter against the Empire and the Federation. The first thing they did every morning when they opened their eyes was strap their heads to their belt loops and stage terrorist attacks. If nothing else, in the little over a year since Ji Jue became a Celestial Chosen, they had bumped off a King of the Red States, an Imperial prince, a Federation minister, and two generals, plus sent the Empire's emperor to a luxury ICU suite for an extended stay... At any given moment, some shocking stroke of madness would pop up to surprise everyone. Though legendary stunts never died, wasn't this a bit too goddamn much? And yet, in a way, Ji Jue truly was tangled up with this bunch. Even setting aside his connection to Ye Xian, he was, after all, the personal disciple of Sage Quicksilver, the sole inheritor of Fluid Alchemy in the present age, and on top of that possessed the ancient Mohists' Non-Offensive matrix. As a terrorist organization founded by Mohist remnants, Nirvana's ties to the Mohists were infinitely tangled. No wonder internal gestures and cant terms came out the moment they met. After all, it was no secret that Ji Jue possessed Non-Offensive, not to mention that he was the hottest rising star of the Embers, having hand-crafted a Heavenly Craft with less than a year as a registered artisan under his belt. If not for his record being clean enough in a sense and his backing solid enough in every way, he likely wouldn't have avoided a trip to a Security Bureau black cell, designated as a high-priority person of interest. Were they not in a dream, Ji Jue would certainly have to ponder how to draw a clear line between them. As for right now... Forget it. They had both fallen to this state; the pot shouldn't call the kettle black. Once they got out, the old man could go be antisocial, and Ji Jue could go pick through scrap. Each walking his own path wouldn't stop them from huddling together for warmth now. "Mr. Ji, Old Bao is the logistics supervisor and artisan in the camp. When I first arrived, he looked after me a lot." Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward, Yu Shu began introducing them. "And Mr. Ji is..." "The artisan of the Heavenly Craft, of course," Old Bao said with a smile. "The founder of Haian Industries. Your name precedes you. I even bought one of your tricycles. As for within the Association, your renown reverberates like thunder." "You flatter me. Minor matters, not worth mentioning," Ji Jue replied with a genial, polite smile. After all, they had this layer of connection. Even though vigilance and suspicion were occupational hazards ingrained in artisans, as long as the old man didn't write a rebellious poem at the entrance of Haian Industries on a whim to drag him into Nirvana, Ji Jue was easy to talk to. "This wheelchair was previously used for injured members. In a rush, I only had time to adjust the dimensions." "Ah, don't worry about it. It's already a huge help." Ji Jue's smile carried a touch of genuine sincerity. After all, staying in the state of a limbless torso for too long was inconvenient, even if he didn't need to eat, drink, or use the restroom. "Something like this hardly counts as help." Bao Dachai set down his cup and suddenly offered an invitation. "Since we can't sleep anyway, why not sit over at the factory? There are more tools and equipment there. "After all, I imagine you wouldn't want to remain in this shape for long, Mr. Ji?" Inviting someone into your workshop on the very first meeting? Even if you were starving for a rare, uncut gem of talent, there was no need to be so blatant, was there? Ji Jue looked up at him. Bao Dachai merely smiled warmly, as if he had proposed nothing more than an evening stroll. Soon, Ji Jue smiled as well. Nodding, he said, "Sure." At that, Bao Dachai's smile grew even more pleased, the wrinkles on his face seemingly smoothing out. "It's a bit crude. I hope you won't mind." To call it crude was an understatement. Bao Dachai hadn't been humble in the slightest; it was crude to an extreme degree. A few minutes later, Yu Shu had wheeled the chair to the factory Bao Dachai spoke of. It truly was a factory—and one as primitive as a cottage handicraft workshop. At most, it had a few auxiliary circuits and spiritus insulation commonly used in workshops. By the entrance, several broken-down vehicles had been stripped down and left waiting for repairs. All right, mystery solved. So you're the old geezer who botched those vehicle repairs into that pathetic state, huh?! Inside the workshop were ordinary lathes, milling machines, stamping presses, and various other pieces of equipment. But if special requirements were needed, one would probably have to craft things by hand. Aside from those, there was a furnace, but it could only be described as passable. "The conditions are crude, so please forgive me," Bao Dachai said nonchalantly with a self-deprecating chuckle. "Inside here is different from reality after all. Many materials don't exist, and even if they do, their performance and properties differ drastically from the outside. "Alchemy isn't exactly common knowledge, after all. If people haven't heard of something, the vast majority naturally can't imagine it. Without even the foundation for its existence, not to mention having no Blessings... Aside from basic material property interference, one can only cram at the last minute and make do with trivial bits of mechanical engineering." The divide between inside and outside. In this world forged of illusions and dreams, no matter how real everything appeared, it remained fundamentally different from the outside. Vast seas of imagination and scattered thoughts overlapped and intertwined until the skeleton supporting the dream became "consensus." The sky was round and the earth flat; the vast ocean stretched without bound. The sun rose in the east and set in the west, apples fell from trees... Everything taken for granted was projected into this dream as a matter of course. Yet because of the cognitive hindrance, the Supreme Virtues and Great Sins remained virtually unknown to people, let alone finding any trace of them. Without Supreme Virtues and Great Sins, without Blessings, those who became Celestial Chosen through higher Beckoning—unless they had undergone an Autonomous Awakening—couldn't even retain their abilities. "You even have these?" Ji Jue's gaze fell on a corner of the factory, on a row of steel limbs—arms and legs of various sizes, and prosthetics embedded with various tools. "That is largely thanks to you, Mr. Ji, making Haian's prosthetic designs public. Otherwise, we probably would have had to start from scratch in this area. "Limited by their total spiritus and the strength of their consciousness, some people's severed limbs regenerate with extreme difficulty—too slowly. If it leaves psychological trauma, the limb might even be lost forever." He glanced at Ji Jue's current state, his eyes showing unmasked curiosity and confusion. "However, your problem seems different from everyone else's..." Depending on their spiritus reserve and the strength of their consciousness, the recovery speed varied, but recovery was possible in the end. It wasn't like Ji Jue, who had directly turned into a statue, completely petrified. Let alone recovering, without material property interference, he would shatter at the slightest touch. Generally speaking, in this dream, a person's appearance depended on self-perception and the subconscious. But even if someone were utterly brain-rotted by Huangxu, no one would genuinely consider themselves a rock, would they? Rather than an abnormality, it seemed more like... Rejection? Was this dream refusing to let him possess a vessel? It was too baffling. Even his original body had been warped into stone and inanimate matter by the collective imagination... It was as if he had been cursed. But by whom? Thoughts flashed through the old man's mind. "May I borrow your tools and equipment?" Ji Jue suddenly asked. "That was my intention all along. When it comes to prosthetics, the ones you make yourself are naturally the most comfortable to use, aren't they?" Bao Dachai smiled, having waited for this. "No need to be polite. Feel free to use whatever you like. I would also like to see the difference between my imitations and the genuine article." Why is it that not a single one of these old bastards can give a guy peace of mind? Ji Jue glanced at the pair of expectant eyes—rather than simply letting Ji Jue have free rein, the old man likely wanted to see what he was truly made of... Seeing through it, Ji Jue didn't mind in the least. Fine then. Since you put it that way... I won't hold back! He bluntly lifted his remaining arm and tapped the neighboring machinery. Soon, in the silence, one machine after another seemed endowed with life, indicator lights blinking on as they began to operate on their own. After directing Yu Shu to feed materials in his stead, harsh screeching sounds rose from the lathe in an unbroken din. Amid flying sparks, a mountain of parts piled up on the workbench in just a few minutes. Under Ji Jue's directions, Yu Shu assembled them while drenched in sweat. Even with prior experience on assembly lines, his speed had its limits. Fortunately, there were no complex cables and the structure was relatively simple. Soon, a crude, bizarre mechanical arm lay on the table. And then... Yu Shu was rendered obsolete by the very thing he had assembled. The crude mechanical arm took over Yu Shu's job, throwing itself back into production. Then, it produced a second mechanical arm—more refined, more complex, with fingers distinct from a normal human's. Next, operating in tandem, the two arms began modifying the structures of the lathe and milling machine... How many versions behind the times were these damn things? Primitive cottage-workshop junk like this had no business wasting his time. In just half an hour, having used the two mechanical arms to iterate through upgrades of the production tools, Ji Jue finally directed his focus to the most critical task. Before long, an alloy spine appeared on the table. Guided by the mechanical arms, it was pressed flush against Ji Jue's back. Once locked into place structurally, the mechanical arms were grafted onto Ji Jue's arms. As if born as one with him, they operated smoothly under his command, bolting on all sorts of intricate structures—shock absorption, armor plating, engines, electric motors... He even turned the tools back on himself without the slightest hesitation, carving and trimming his current form to fit the replacement limbs. In the end, save for his head, his entire body was thoroughly encased in steel. Clack— Amid a shrill grinding sound, the pitch-black chassis of steel slowly stood upright. What stood before the dumbfounded Yu Shu now was an unadulterated mechanical monstrosity. Turning steel into a body, infusing quicksilver to serve as blood, using his own consciousness and soul as the core, and drawing power from the flow of spiritus... It was as though he had transformed his soul into a crucible and treated his physical shell as mere raw material, altering and adding to it at will, yet achieving a seamless, natural unity. At last, as the quicksilver circulated, the metallic luster gradually receded, replaced by a texture indistinguishable from flesh and blood, devoid of any unnatural aura. It was like a monster donning a mask, once more vanishing into the sea of humanity. The fact that one could hardly tell the difference anymore only made it all the more chilling. "How does it look?" Ji Jue raised his steel hand and lightly clenched his fist, feeling the sparks struck between his fingertips and the tactile sensation. "As expected of Fluid Alchemy: the art of myriad changes, the peerless pinnacle of Purification." A glimmer lit up Bao Dachai's eyes, and he sighed softly. "Thank you for the demonstration. Even an old fool as dull as me has learned a great deal." Ji Jue smiled, projecting magnanimity. "Merely trivial details. Consider it payment for borrowing your tools." More than borrowing tools, this... Yu Shu wiped away cold sweat, looking around, his words caught in his throat. You've completely usurped the host's nest! In just a few short hours, mechanical arm after mechanical arm had extended from brand-new assemblies. The vast factory floor looked completely transformed. Amid flashing welding arcs and flying sparks, yet another brand-new piece of equipment had been assembled. It had been totally converted into a different place according to Ji Jue's personal habits and preferences. When dawn arrived and the workers came in for their shift, they would probably wonder if they had walked into the wrong building. Though, it had to be said, it looked... A lot more advanced? Ji Jue looked back at the old man. "Still, I took quite a few liberties. You're not angry, are you, Old Bao?" "A trifling matter, not worth mentioning." Bao Dachai waved it off casually. "You are the founder of Haian, after all; such skill is truly breathtaking. Had I known, I would have spent more time on engineering in the past. "In the end, when it comes to logistics and production, I was just picked because there was nobody better—forced to do what I wasn't cut out for. Now that you're here, Mr. Ji, I can finally take things easier." He surrendered his position and responsibilities without the slightest hesitation, showing not even a shred of desire to cling to power... No, perhaps from the very beginning, he had never cared about such things. "...Is this an 'exorcism wedge'?" Ji Jue retrieved an ordinary-looking wooden peg from a display shelf beside the factory. Palm-sized, it felt feather-light in his hand, and he could sense the faint circulation of spiritus within it. He looked back at the old man, who gave a calm nod, having no intention of stopping him from examining it. In that case, Ji Jue didn't hold back. Sending his spiritus inside, he unleashed a wave of the Dissociation Art... Instantly, like a CT scan, the internal spiritus structure revealed itself to his perception, vivid and clear. Stripped of Blessings and Supreme Virtues, relying purely on simple spiritus interaction and structural design, someone had actually created something so intricate. To think it could knock an angel down from the heavens and temporarily strip them of divine power... "I see. Is it 'healing'?" Perceiving the effect of the alchemical creation in his hand, Ji Jue let out an enlightened sigh. In this illusion of a dream, everything was manifested from consciousness and spiritus, and the effect of the exorcism wedge was more akin to therapeutic medicine than a weapon. It had only one effect: applying strong stimulation through an electric-current-like surge of spiritus to trigger the spirit body's "instinct," almost like a patellar reflex. Like a ladle of cold water splashed across the face in a state of stupor and exhaustion, it forced the spirit body to "wake up." To return to its original form. In this immortal dream, limbs would regenerate, flesh and blood would be restored. At the end of the day, instincts imprinted in the soul caused people to subconsciously want to revert to what they originally were. If used on an ordinary person, it would at most speed up their recovery. And during this process, any structure incompatible with or irrelevant to one's self-instinct and subconscious would be purged and erased... including the modifications and empowerments bestowed upon the angels! "Unfortunately, the Holy God's blessing has been imprinted into their souls through the Realm of Ultimate Bliss. Under massive, repeated stimulation, it has become deeply entrenched. All I can trigger is a conflict between two instincts, inducing temporary chaos, but in the end, it cannot last." "A brilliant idea." Ji Jue sighed softly, staring blankly at the exorcism wedge in his hand. He had simply had too little time; he hadn't imagined there could be such an ingenious, unconventional method. If that was the line of thought... A spark suddenly went off in his mind, inspiration striking. But just as he was pondering it closely, shouts and furious roars rose higher and higher outside the factory. Nonstop. A crowd seemed to be gathering, angrily railing against something. "Listen to me, everyone!" Under the dim light of dawn, someone was bellowing at the top of their lungs. "That woman Wen Wen has completely lost her mind! Think about it carefully, everyone—think! What has she actually accomplished since coming to this camp?! "Aside from perverse, reckless blunders, she has produced zero results! She's been doing nothing but goading everyone to their deaths! We're losing more and more people, while the angels' encirclement and pursuit grow tighter and harsher by the day... Now, we can barely even survive! "If this goes on, is there any future left for us?! "Things have reached the point where change is unavoidable! Are we really going to let a demented madwoman like her keep commanding us?!" Even more voices roared in righteous fury: "Get out!" "Make her get out!" "Step down!!!" "Have you lost your goddamn mind, Lu?!" a hoarse voice bellowed. "What the fuck are you talking about?! If not for Commander Wen, would your sorry ass even be alive today?!" Immediately after, a sneering voice piped up: "What did she give you to make you suck up to her like that?" "I'm just speaking the fucking truth!" "Oh, so you're allowed to talk, but no one else is? Ooh, what, you gonna throw hands?" "You motherfucker—" Amid the shrill shouting, clashes and curses erupted without end. A deafening tumult boiled over. "Tsk!" Ji Jue's expression gradually darkened. A rare train of thought had been cut short. Fortunately, he already had the core idea formed, so the flash of inspiration wouldn't be lost. Still... "Lively, isn't it?" He set down the wooden peg and looked outside. Beyond the dust-covered glass, flushed faces twisted in outrage, a surging crowd like a powder keg about to detonate. Infighting.