Chapter 412: Fast Tracking

Gone?

Ji Jue was stunned when he received the news, dumbfounded.

He almost doubted his ears.

But if one looked back from now to the past, Wen Wen’s resignation and departure seemed to have been a foregone conclusion long ago—whether it was the violent alcoholism and depression of these days, the mess caused by the Dream-Loss Syndrome a few days ago, or the "family members" who came knocking...

With her personality, it was impossible for her to continue staying in Yacheng, ignoring those things so naturally and living her own life.

The moment she determined that she had become a source of trouble, she had already made her decision.

Clearly, when she came to find him to drink, Ji Jue already had a premonition, but he didn't expect it to be so fast.

Decisive, without hesitation.

This kind of resolution...

No, the quality seen by others, perhaps for a big sister like Wen Wen who was used to being irritable, was probably just that her fists were hard and she couldn't take it anymore?

Just like leaving without saying goodbye now.

Even knowing that Ji Jue couldn't possibly leave it alone, even understanding that this was no longer just her own business...

"In the end, she’s just acting tough!"

Tong Hua, with red eyes, couldn't help but complain: "She’s such a big person, still acting like a child... She could have told me anything, but she didn't say a word.

Did she watch too many hard-boiled movies? She completely ignored what others might think! Too childish."

"The Wilderness is like that, stubborn. Maybe she’ll come back after she’s done with things; no need to act like it’s a permanent separation."

Old Zhang handed over tissues, soothing her emotions, and sighed with emotion: "Compared to seeking help, she actually hates being treated as trouble and a burden more, right?"

Xiao An was silent, sitting on the sofa, randomly pressing the game console, not knowing what he was doing.

He wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Several times, he wanted to speak but stopped, unable to say anything.

Seeing Ji Jue walk in, his eyes lit up, as if he had found a savior. "Brother Ji Jue!"

"I’ve heard enough about the specific situation."

Ji Jue rubbed his face; he had driven like crazy after waking up, and his head was still hurting like hell. "Don't worry, she still owes me a drink... where is there anyone who runs away after defaulting on a debt?"

Where is there such a thing?

Look at the bleak North Mountain group now: the helpless old man, the heartbroken little sister, the child who couldn't do anything, and the backbone who ran away after owing a mountain of debt... and she even took the only motorcycle in the house!

This family is falling apart!

Simply heartless, Wen Wen, how could you bear it?

No matter what, she must be caught back! Otherwise... this sister, you wouldn't want your sister to fall into my hands, would you?

"When was it discovered?" Ji Jue asked, feeling his head go bald. How did he get forced into being a master detective?

Aether, do something useful!

Oh, Aether is still dropping little pearls...

Xiao An raised his hand.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Xiao An came to the North Mountain District office, preparing to wait for the new game to open for exploration, and then found that Sister Wen’s office door was open.

As the most sensible child in the group, he carried a broom, wanting to clean her office and empty the ashtray, only to find the ashtray empty.

A resignation letter was pressed under the ashtray.

Three lines, concise and to the point.

[Respected Garrison Commander Lu: I quit, sorry. ————Wen Wen]

She didn't use standard font, the handwriting was done after drinking, she even wrote the word "Garrison" wrong and crossed it out to rewrite it, and she didn't even write the date!

Ji Jue felt terrible looking at it.

No, Sister, with this kind of thing, the ghost would approve it!

The first moment he finished reading, he subconsciously wanted to tear it up, but then paused and closed it again. He looked at Tong Hua: "Can you see anything?"

Tong Hua’s eyes turned redder instantly, no hope.

On one hand, aside from Sister Wen being drunk, she couldn't see anything, her ability was insufficient. On the other hand... Wen Wen knew her too well, was prepared, didn't leave any clues for her to use, and definitely carried a Mirror-series blessing artifact specifically for isolating Aether tracing.

It was one thing for her sister to leave her behind without a word, but she had actually premeditatedly blocked her.

Who could take this?

"Alright, I probably understand."

Ji Jue sighed and finally looked at Old Zhang, shaking the resignation letter in his hand: "Who else knows about this?"

Old Zhang seemed to understand something and replied knowingly: "No one will make a fuss; for now, it’s only within the North Mountain group."

Ji Jue didn't count as an outsider.

He was still an external cooperative craftsman for the North Mountain group, registered in the Security Bureau.

Ji Jue pressed: "In other words, in the system, Sister Wen is still on the job, right?"

"That’s right, and she’s on vacation status."

Old Zhang said: "Sick leave is one week."

"Then, as long as I can snatch her back within a week..."

Old Zhang nodded. "Then this matter never happened."

*Snap!*

Ji Jue closed the resignation letter and put it in his pocket.

"Fine, then let’s do it!"

He promised decisively, "You guys stabilize the North Mountain District affairs, leave Sister Wen to me!"

In Haizhou, if Wen Wen wanted to run away behind his back, she was looking down on him a bit.

If she were taking an airship or finding the Star Core Association, he might be powerless, but looking at Wen Wen’s wallet content, which was so bleak that even a mouse would cry, and her financial situation with credit cards constantly on the verge of overdue, it was a bit unrealistic.

Besides, for an Overcomer like Wen Wen, entry and exit would be strictly monitored. Taking the open route would first trigger the Security Bureau’s abnormal situation alarm.

And if she took the underground channels... now, seven out of ten "big flying" boats carrying pigs outside Haizhou were using coastal motors!

Not to mention the shipyard cooperating with Chen Hangzhou and Xinquan’s influence.

Even if he couldn't find her through the Wilderness Market channels, as long as he could determine the direction she left and the ship she took, wouldn't there be plenty of ways?

As for how to persuade the Wilderness Overcomer, who was so stubborn that nine cows couldn't pull her back, to return... that could only rely on effort and passion.

Otherwise, he couldn't just knock her out and lock her up, right?

Ji Jue let out a long sigh, feeling his head start to hurt again.

"Isis, help me search for Sister Wen’s signal."

"Already started."

A few seconds later, Isis’s voice sounded in his headset: "Phone unresponsive, powered off. Searching Yacheng surveillance, searching, no features found, suspecting the target has disguised herself. Searching Yacheng public transport, no traces of using public transport found.

Shall I conduct a further thorough search? I need your authorization to unlock [Crisis Protocol]."

"No, that’s too much."

Ji Jue shook his head. The Crisis Protocol had been set when Ji Jue designed it; unless it was to achieve a goal by any means necessary, it could not be used.

Once unlocked and activated, Isis would use her own capabilities and the server cluster prepared by Ji Jue’s mechanical descent, through pre-set jump points, to forcibly take over the Haizhou Supercomputing Center and begin comprehensive control of all public facilities, even including the computer equipment and satellite systems of the Haizhou garrison base... and even connect to the Security Bureau’s system to issue a bounty.

If necessary, it could even directly cause the entire Haizhou to crash and fall into chaos.

Sister Wen hadn't been found yet, and Haizhou would be blown up—what kind of sense would that make?

Good things should be kept hidden.

But it didn't mean he was helpless...

Sister Wen knew him too well; there wasn't even any positioning equipment installed on the motorcycle. Unfortunately, she didn't know him well enough... and she didn't know herself well enough either.

Didn't she think about what kind of high-end stealth she could pull off with her bleak financial situation?!

"Isis, help me search her gas card."

Ji Jue crossed his arms and sneered: "I want to see how far she can run."

"Okay."

Isis’s search results appeared in less than two minutes.

At 7:10 in the morning, about an hour before Xiao An discovered it, according to the gas station records, Wen Wen’s gas card was used at a gas station on the very edge of the North Mountain District in Yacheng.

Surveillance showed that she finally swiped her card to fill up the motorcycle, didn't ask about the gas price at all, and luxuriously used up all the stored balance at once, plus the fourteen hundred she snatched in the morning, filling four portable fuel tanks.

She rode away.

All the way until she was out of surveillance...

But at the very end, when she left, she seemed helpless, turning back to wave at the gas station—or more accurately, at the gas station’s surveillance camera.

As if saying goodbye silently.

Disappeared.

"Tsk..."

Ji Jue’s expression became serious.

He suddenly felt that his interception plan might fall through.

"Where did she go? Outside the city?" Tong Hua identified the direction, feeling lost. That gas station was incredibly far from leaving the city, completely in the opposite direction.

"Why go such a long way around?"

"The answer is she didn't go around."

Ji Jue covered his face and sighed: "Damn it, Wilderness!"

Indeed, that place was incredibly far from leaving the city and the wilderness outside, but looking at the map and coordinates, one could see.

Although it wasn't near the road, it was... near the sea!

What road did she need?

Just fill the motorcycle with gas, and once the Wilderness’s stasis zone was opened, it was enough to pave a road on the sea for the motorcycle to gallop freely.

No speed limit, no surveillance, not even traffic lights!

Just twist the throttle to the end and drive like hell!

It just so happened that the sea fog was thick in the morning, and it was drizzling at noon... her destination was a mystery, and now she couldn't be found anymore. If she was fast, she might have already left the Federation waters by now.

If he had known, he should have used the excuse of free maintenance to detain her motorcycle first!

"Is Grandpa free?" Ji Jue looked back at Tong Hua.

Tong Hua was stunned for a moment, then frustrated. "Grandpa went to the Middle City, he just left yesterday... but Uncle Ting is still here, I..."

"No need."

Ji Jue waved his hand.

Tong Yuan’s destination already explained the Tong family’s attitude, so even if he went to find Tong Ting, there wouldn't be any results.

If Aether didn't want to get involved in something, you couldn't find him even if you went to his door. If he really didn't want to see you, you might even get hit by a car on the way.

The Tong family was too cautious.

They even strictly forbade the family’s Chosen Ones from using Aether eyes under any non-essential circumstances. They could be said to be the Aether that was least like Aether, or rather, it was precisely because of this caution that people could feel reassured.

If the Tong family didn't care, didn't want to care, or couldn't care, it didn't matter.

It didn't matter if he didn't know which road she took; he could just go to the destination and block her!

Ji Jue thought for a moment, turned back, and looked at the anxious fool.

His smile became mysterious.

The fool was stunned, as if she understood something, and retreated in horror, but then, as if she had made up her mind, she gathered her courage and stepped forward again.

Like a heroic sacrifice.

"You... what kind of dirty tricks do you have... just bring them on!" She wiped the little pearls that hadn't dried yet and puffed out her chest: "For Sister Wen, I... I’ll go all out!"

No, you guys, one after another, what the hell do you think I am!

Ji Jue only felt his fists harden.

A mere fool...

Without any politeness, he struck her crown, his knuckles drilling and drilling, "Since you’ve gone all out, then obediently take out your little treasury for me!"

"Ah?"

Tong Hua was stunned, not reacting for a while.

Is the plot like this?

"Otherwise? I could throw you into the furnace to refine you, want to endure it?" Ji Jue’s face fell. "Materials, take them all out, immediately! This fool, you wouldn't want..."

Who are you calling a fool!

Tong Hua was furious, her face flushed red, and she clenched her fists: "I, I’ll go with you... I’ll get them right away, it’ll be quick, wait a moment."

Even her kneeling was so smooth.

Ji Jue shook his head.

An hour later, Ji Jue had already brought a pile of materials he snatched from Tong Hua, along with a pile of things confiscated from smuggling in the North Mountain District, back to his workshop.

All equipment had been preheated, and at the same time, two blessings just sent from the Balance Chamber of Commerce were placed on the table.

Aether’s [All-Sensing Response] and Heart Pivot’s [Mindfulness].

In two fist-sized ambers, the light of the blessings surged.

It could be seen that the Craftsmen of the Balance Chamber of Commerce had handled them well; the structures of the blessings were complete, and they had all undergone one qualitative change, and they were all specialized in perception and pointing.

Among them, the effect of All-Sensing Response was to amplify the user’s perception, making it easier for the user to break through limits, perceive small clues and even hidden situations, observe the flow of spiritual essence, and even detect the entanglement of lingering hatred and remnants.

It could be said to be a magnifying glass tool for the Aether series.

And Mindfulness allowed the user to generate a vague sense of a person they were thinking about through the collective subconscious. If the power was sufficient and the attainment in the Heart Pivot path was deep enough, one could even perceive the specific situation of the other end—whether they were alive or dead, and whether they were in good condition.

Combining the two blessings was the most common blessing chain used by Craftsmen when making search-type items.

At the same time, because it was simple and convenient, it was well-received.

Unfortunately, Aether and Heart Pivot—the two blessings were exactly the types Ji Jue was least good at.

But it didn't matter, he had to try.

On the way, he had already crammed by reading many relevant papers from the Association, and his confidence had increased a bit. Now there was no time for bathing, fasting, and calming his mind.

Start refining!

An hour later, after temporarily making four prototypes without error, Ji Jue finally felt relieved and invested the blessings, focusing entirely on them.

The process was not complicated; mainly, to enhance the effect, Ji Jue also carried out partial Great Calamity infection, using the breath of Weiyang and Filth to forcibly twist the power of the two blessings and catalyze them to the limit.

The effect was more than twice as strong as the original.

And the disadvantage was... hmm, it seemed he had created a consumable.

After it came out of the furnace, holding it in his hand, he felt the anomaly of the spiritual circuit in the palm-sized creation, which was like a compass.

The efficiency and speed were improved by more than a notch, but the engine was still the same engine; adding more nitrogen couldn't change the essence. It was fast,

but it couldn't last many times.

But it didn't matter, it was enough.

Ji Jue unsealed the solid mercury in his hand without hesitation and invested the spiritual essence he had plundered into it. First, he located the "female brat" Wen Su who had run into his workshop to act wild.

The pointer condensed from faint light spun wildly, and Ji Jue only felt spiritual essence constantly being invested into it, disappearing.

But in the end, it only determined the general direction through the swaying of the pointer, unable to lock on.

After initially determining the general direction through a surprise attack, the pointer quickly lost its target and spun wildly.

It was Heart Pivot after all; she probably already reacted to being locked on by his Mindfulness.

Ji Jue immediately interrupted the operation.

Don't go to the opponent’s track to overtake; it’s easy to capsize. Especially in the Heart Pivot circle of shady people, she was seventeen, a minor; he might really not be able to play against her.

The next one was probably Wen Wen’s target of hatred.

The culprit who pushed the waves behind the scenes and spread the Spirit Plague everywhere... Wen, Wen what’s-her-name... it didn't matter...

Ji Jue invested the spiritual essence from the solid mercury again, relying on the resonance between spiritual essence and the soul itself to search for all the traces left by the other party.

*Snap!*

The pointer compass vibrated slightly, and the spiritual circuit was overloaded and unbearable, as if it would collapse in the next second. The entire compass was heating up rapidly, and in just a few seconds, it started to burn his hand.

Faintly glowing red.

But this time, the faint light pointer vibrated violently, but could only spin in vain, completely unable to lock onto the other party’s position. Ji Jue’s expression gradually turned gloomy. He could perceive that the obstruction of Filth was like a dense fog, blocking

between them, and he couldn't search for the target at all.

In the violent loss of spiritual essence, a distant illusion seemed to appear before Ji Jue’s eyes. In the mist, the ferocious outline of the three-headed great serpent faintly appeared, and one of the heads turned back to look at him with contempt.

Silently grinning and sneering.

Mockery.

The interference of Abyss to Weiyang, the counterattack of Filth to Filth.

It was destined that Ji Jue was just in vain.

Even, the other party turned around and, through Filth and Abyss, applied pressure and backlash to Ji Jue’s creation, wanting Ji Jue to taste the feeling of suffering from his own actions...

But in that instant, Ji Jue couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Finally, I’ve waited for you!"

If it were against Wen Su, he wouldn't want the other party to perceive it, but against the guy in front of him... he was afraid the other party wouldn't perceive it!

If they couldn't perceive it, how could they turn around and apply interference to his side?

And how... could he take advantage of the opportunity?!

*Snap!*

Ji Jue decisively clenched his five fingers and invested a wisp of spiritual essence into the compass again... his own spiritual essence!

Grandson, did you forget?

When your avatar came to Xinquan last time, you still left a little souvenir in your brain!

Without any regret, he detonated the spiritual essence that had remained in the other party’s consciousness and backlashed along with the avatar!

Ji Jue wasn't looking for the other party’s position, but the wisp of spiritual essence that remained in the wound he had caused in the other party’s soul!

The instantaneous spiritual essence explosion was like the wound cracking open again.

The three-headed great serpent in the mist convulsed for a moment, and fury rolled

toward him, and at the very moment the other party lost control, the compass pointer had already determined the range and direction.

Instantly, the compass’s sensing was cut off!

Pull the network cable, not playing with you anymore!

The scorching compass was still buzzing, as if unbearable, and the blessing inside had already shown cracks, and it couldn't be used many more times.

But in that instant, under Ji Jue’s push, it keenly captured the other party’s direction and general position.

It was actually within Wen Su’s general direction... which meant, there was a high possibility that the two of them were together now!

"Isis, map."

Instantly, in the silver light, a map of the world was constructed in the workshop space in front of Ji Jue. Where Ji Jue stood was Xinquan’s position.

Following the direction pointed by the pointer, a straight line was drawn, crookedly piercing through the Endless Sea, sweeping across the Middle Earth, and disappearing beyond the southern sea boundary.

Ji Jue followed the specific information remaining in the compass, crossed the map, and strode forward.

Finally, his feet stood firm.

His eyes lowered, looking at the map that was rapidly enlarging under his feet, and even that string of desolate islands with few people, in the southeast of the Endless Sea, between Middle Earth and the Federation

That was where the Dream-Loss Syndrome first lost control and broke out, spreading across the world, and now the Jedi and forbidden zone formed under the alienation of large-scale spiritual essence overflow and collapse effects.

A sea demon domain that no longer had a single living person...

"Why is it you again?"

Ji Jue bent down, reached out, and knocked on that sea area shrouded in mist and heavy rain.

Where everything began.

——Punabantu Islands!

——The Punabantu Archipelago!