Chapter 4: Heavenly Track

Ever since he was almost hit head-on by a big truck yesterday, Ji Jue had been drowsy and absent-minded. After returning home from the hospital check-up, he fell into a deep sleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

Only after waking up now did he have some sense of relief and a little joy at having survived a great disaster.

Although there was no reincarnation in another world, no magic test blowing up the crystal ball, no tiger-body-shaking-and-harem-gathering, and other popular plots, but... at least he was still alive, right?

It's good to be alive, it's very good to be alive, it's damn good to be alive.

Since he was nine years old, Ji Jue hadn't lived enough. He felt that he should, could, maybe, possibly live for another forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty years.

Unlucky is unlucky, poor is poor.

It's not like life can't go on.

Long live life!

It's just... is the scar a bit lighter?

The old house left by his ancestors had weathered the storms, and the wooden floor creaked when stepped on, even though Ji Jue had carefully maintained it for the past few years, it was hard to hide the decay.

When Ji Jue was washing up in front of the mirror, he couldn't help but raise his head and carefully examine... the scar that extended from under his neck to his face.

It was like a snake coiled on his back.

The burn marks were so ugly and hideous, but now there were faint signs of fading.

More importantly, he seemed to be a little different.

To be precise, everything seemed to be a little different.

The whole world seemed to be subtly different.

To use an analogy, it was as if a patient who had undergone amputation suddenly felt the illusion of the limb's existence... Suddenly, he seemed to have an extra eye, an extra hand, an extra brand-new sense.

But when he tried to feel it carefully, everything became ambiguous.

The more carefully he felt, the more elusive such a feeling became, making him dizzy. It was as if something was stuck halfway, neither up nor down, extremely uncomfortable.

He finished washing his face and slumped on the sofa, reaching out to pick up the remote control, wanting to watch something else to divert his attention. But the TV screen just flickered, and the picture was intermittent.

"Broken again?"

Ji Jue scratched his head, bent down and pressed the switch, still the same.

After all, it was an old TV, and its age was indeed older than Ji Jue's. Even the screen was spherical. He had stitched and repaired it for so many years, but this time it didn't seem to be the old problem.

Just when he was bewildered, he heard a voice like a hallucination:

【Little brother, don't turn it on, my butt hurts.】

"What?"

Ji Jue subconsciously pressed it again, heard a groan, and couldn't help but stiffen in place, dumbfounded, struggling to raise his head and look at the source of the sound.

TV.

【My butt, hurts.】 The TV said.

"Damn it—"

Ji Jue was terrified and fell to the ground.

Corpse... no, the TV can talk?!

Then the TV stopped making a sound.

It seemed like he had almost killed it, which made Ji Jue panic and bewildered again, until he finally gathered the courage to go behind the TV and finally realized.

Didn't its butt hurt?

The power cord at the back was aging and cracking, and it was leaking electricity!

He rummaged in the cabinet for a long time and finally found electrical tape and pliers to repair the power cord. It wasn't as complicated as he expected; rather... it was surprisingly simple.

Then, he heard a groan of relief.

?co

【Much better.】

The TV said: 【The voltage has been unstable lately, don't turn it on often, the picture tube is almost done...】

The voice became smaller and smaller, gradually becoming unclear.

It was Ji Jue who was becoming more and more dizzy.

When he examined the TV, the invisible eyes opened again, able to see the internal structure and operation. When he listened, it was as if there were hallucinatory words reporting the main condition.

When he touched the TV, the invisible hand acted on it, feeling the aging degree and service life of each component, and even being able to interfere with its operation.

But all of this seemed to be based on his energy.

Once he used such power, he could feel his energy draining away rapidly. In just a few minutes, it felt like he hadn't slept for days and nights, so sleepy he was about to die.

He didn't doubt at all that if he didn't stop, sudden death would definitely not be a joke.

But reality.

Now, in the silence, Ji Jue lowered his head and looked at his wrist.

That clear vibration and perception, even when he was exhausted, didn't need any extra energy at all, as if it had become a part of his body.

That strange watch.

What surprised Ji Jue was that the numbers on the dial had fallen back from the original near-full value to the beginning, even less than at the start.

【01】

Besides that, what was even more eye-catching was the number on the dial—most of the original 0-point mark had turned gold, as if stuck on some progress.

The moment he injected his remaining energy into it again, it was as if a waterfall of information emerged before his eyes.

【Heavenly Choice Ceremony concluded, welcome to join the Heavenly Track Group】

【Error report 1789989 failed to send】

【Detected that the temporary employee is in danger... Calling the station in the surrounding area, no signal response, calling the headquarters support center, no signal response... Error! Error! Error!】

【Temporary worker emergency survival protocol activated—during the protocol's effective time, the talent will be forcibly activated as an ability—reserve spiritual quality exhausted—protocol ended—duration: 0.4 seconds.】

【Detected unknown error, error, error, error, lost signal response, unable to complete upload. The Human Resources Management Program reminds you, please become a Heavenly Chosen One as soon as possible, go to the Central Station, and complete the official entry.】

Ji Jue's eyes went black.

Not because of tiredness, but because of bewilderment.

Too many new words were stuffed in at once, making him unable to understand for a while: Heavenly Choice Ceremony, Heavenly Track Group, temporary worker, protocol, error, Heavenly Chosen One, Central Station, entry...

But by guessing, he seemed to understand something.

It seems that he had inexplicably bound himself to this watch through some Heavenly Choice Ceremony, and also submitted a resume to a company he had never heard of, and then, was automatically admitted?

But this broken company also seemed to be a grassroots team, with nothing, and no one had ever come to find him. He didn't know if it was still there.

When he was in danger, it activated something called a temporary worker survival protocol, forcibly activated his 'talent', turned it into a superpower, and as a result, burned out the oil.

Finally, it seemed to remind him to become a Heavenly Chosen One as soon as possible, and then go to a place called the Central Station to be an official ox and horse for the company?

"Hello?"

Ji Jue carefully raised his wrist and asked: "Are you there?"

No one responded.

In the silence, even the watch hands were too lazy to make a sound when turning.

It seemed like it didn't want to talk to him.

"Don't be silent." Ji Jue asked curiously, "May I ask how the company treats people? What is the scale? What is the main business? How are the salary and benefits? Are there annual leave and year-end bonuses?"

The watch was silent.

Ji Jue's heart gradually settled.

"Speaking of which, when did I become your temporary worker? Did you get my consent? Is there a signed confirmation?"

He lay on the broken sofa, found a relaxed posture: "I've been a temporary worker for so many years, although I haven't done any shit work, but this is not a reason for you not to pay me! Can you make it up? Are there any five insurances and one fund?

You didn't evade taxes, did you? Be careful, I'll call to report you..."

The silence continued, and only Ji Jue, who was talking to himself, was like a clown, but a clown was also good, at least it showed that there was really no strange thing like a ten-thousand-year-old ghost hidden in this thing.

Well, if it doesn't talk, then forget it.

He let himself work as a temp, didn't pay him, and he used the watch, seemingly without paying either. Everyone was taking advantage of each other, a win-win, WINWINWIN, it was simply a case of everyone being happy and winning all the way home.

Then there is no need to worry about someone suddenly falling from the sky, slapping him to death, and then recovering the company's assets.

Moreover, Heavenly Track, station... he had never heard of them at all. There are so many big cities in the Federation, and there are only a few railways coming and going, all managed and operated by the governments of various cities. He had never heard of any Heavenly Track Group.

This watch had been in his house since his grandfather's generation and hadn't moved. After so many years, no one had come to find it. Maybe, possibly, probably, mostly... the broken company was long gone.

Ji Jue breathed a sigh of relief and finally felt at ease.

When he closed his eyes and felt carefully, he could perceive that something was gradually emerging in his body, wisps, as thin and elusive as fog, but when gathered together, they trickled into a river.

Making him gradually full, dispelling some of the fatigue.

And in it, a trace that could almost be ignored flowed to the watch, stored in it, making the numbers on the dial rise again—【03】

Is this spiritual quality?

He had accumulated it for so many years before, and only reached ninety-something, but it was burned out by the survival protocol in less than a second... But after the talent was forcibly activated once, the speed of spiritual quality recovery seemed to be much faster, much faster than before.

It should be just a kick away from officially transforming into an ability.

So he... is this considered almost becoming a superpower?

Ji Jue's eyes lit up.

A long time ago, he read a comic that was said to have been passed down from before the disaster era. In it, there were several heroes, each one awesome, each one heroic.

Among them, the eldest had strength, was invulnerable, and his eyes could emit lasers; the second had money, wore a mask and black clothes, and took his godchildren to eliminate violence and bring peace; the third was a woman, holding a sword and a rope, full of sexiness; the fourth wore red clothes, ate fast, ran fast, everything was fast, and died fast every time...

Was it the eighth or ninth? The superpower was also particularly unusual!

He could talk to fish, and the fish would respond to him.

Just like himself.

When he talked to the phone, the phone would respond to him, and tell him the number was in arrears!

It's so amazing!

Although this is a bit annoying, it doesn't prevent Ji Jue from being really happy.

He seems to be really different from before now.

It seems that he doesn't have to roll anymore, and he doesn't have to live so hard, he can live a happy life simply and easily.

How good.

Even if he fails the exam, he doesn't have to be afraid, he doesn't have to worry about the thesis being rejected, it doesn't matter if he can't get a second-level engineer before graduation, he doesn't have to worry about not being able to pay off the student loan and starving to death or being destitute on the street.

Anyway, I am a superpower...

Boom!

A warning sound like a heavenly condemnation erupted from downstairs.

Ji Jue poked his head out from the stairs, bewildered, and saw a door being rolled open in the gale.

The sparse rain outside fell in.

And a line of muddy footprints winding into the depths of the living room...

An uninvited guest, arriving suddenly!

Thank you for your support and votes, thank you all!

I have to ask for it again tomorrow! ===== CHAPTER 5 =====