Chapter 192

Without the slightest regard for the consequences, and with no intention of preserving parts for recycling, all that was needed was the most pure and thorough destruction!

After dismantling so many similar pieces of equipment over the past few days, the structures and weak points were already etched into his mind; there were no secrets to speak of.

At this moment, as his five fingers danced, his spiritual quality became like a blade, infiltrating every nook and cranny, nimbly and swiftly sweeping across the connection points on every level, and then, a chain reaction of disintegration and collapse followed!

With just a light, understated push forward, a shrill, soul-shaking scream suddenly erupted.

The aberrant object shook violently, cracks appearing one after another, and a massive amount of aberrant spiritual quality, like blood, spewed out. When the core of the containment equipment was instantly destroyed, the aberrant object that had been parasitizing and fusing within it completely lost its heart and life.

Only the twisted soul, having gathered who knows how much hatred and madness, suddenly contracted under the final spite and curse, as if trying to break free from its shell.

It spewed out from the containment, launching a dying counterattack.

Toward Ji Jue, who was within arm's reach!

"Hey!"

Lou Feng's expression changed drastically, and he blurted out: "Little—"

The moment the anomaly appeared, he had been the first to notice; after all, since becoming a Chosen One, he had lost count of how many times he had trained around his own ability to shape spiritual quality, so he was naturally sensitive.

But Ji Jue, who was within arm's reach, could also sense that violent torrent, which was about to explode like a bomb.

Yet he seemed completely indifferent.

He even looked up and returned a smile of gratitude for the concern.

At the very last instant, his extended finger lifted slightly, and immediately, a silver-glittering thin curtain rose from the mercury, blocking his front.

Idiot!

Lou Feng was furious and almost cursed out loud again: How could the physical enhancement of mercury, even when maxed out with a blessing, possibly be of any... use against this kind of spiritual quality impact and sin-tainted erosion?!

What the hell?!

What the hell is this?

What the hell did I just see!

In that very instant, Lou Feng felt like something was wrong with his eyes.

The torrent of scarlet spiritual quality spewing from the containment hit the mercury curtain head-on, and then, as if it had fallen into a bottomless pit, it vanished.

The moment it realized something was wrong, the writhing sin-tainted spiritual quality seemed to struggle to break free, but it was already too late.

Just like a mouse that had stepped on a sticky trap, it struggled and rolled frantically, but it was stuck deep in the mud, unable to break free from that thin curtain of mercury no matter what.

And just as Ji Jue manipulated it, the mercury all over the floor rose rapidly, closing in from all four sides, turning into a cube precise to the millimeter.

Immediately following, it shrank rapidly!

Inside the cube, it seemed as if something was still struggling and colliding frantically, squeezing out writhing outlines on the surface, yet it could never break free from the mercury's restraint.

In the end, the gradually shrinking cube became the size of a fist, pitch-black all over, with scarlet patterns wandering and writhing on its surface.

It detached from the support of the mercury pillar and fell into Ji Jue's hand.

New material, GET!

Ji Jue grinned.

Using physical properties to inversely influence spiritual quality, using a mundane shape and carrier to shackle internal sublimation and transcendence, finally arriving at the effect of 【Heart Serving the Form】!

This is Solid Alchemy, which stands diametrically opposed to Fluid Alchemy in terms of concept and foundation!

It was his first time using this technique outside the workshop, and unexpectedly, it turned out better than Ji Jue had anticipated.

The more his attainments in Fluid Alchemy improved, the more outstanding the effects became when inversely applying its core to perform Solid Alchemy. The two were diametrically opposed, yet they could complement each other.

Ultimately, both were based on the foundation of matter and spirit, form and quality.

From his brief contemplation, Ji Jue gained further insight.

Turning back to look at Lou Feng, who had finally landed and was catching his breath, he reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks for the cooperation."

Ji Jue said, "Good fight!"

But as he watched Ji Jue leave as if nothing had happened, Lou Feng remained rooted to the spot, lost in thought, sweating profusely without realizing it.

Oh no!

His heart and his rear tightened simultaneously: Was that move just now aimed at my spiritual quality shaping?!

Young Master Lou felt a chill, feeling as if he were covered in "grind-dogs" from head to toe.

——This dog-thing still doesn't intend to let me off!

When Ji Jue walked out again amidst the rustling dust, what he saw were the anxious faces waiting outside the workshop, filled with expectation, yet afraid to speak, not knowing what exactly they should ask.

It wasn't until Ji Jue smiled and waved: "Everyone, don't worry, it's already been resolved. The damage isn't great; if we're quick, we can resume work in a little while."

Immediately, cheers and shouts erupted, ringing out endlessly. Every apprentice's face carried the relief and excitement of having escaped a disaster. Now, they didn't care about the occasion; one after another, they rushed up to hug Ji Jue, and the lagging Lou Feng behind him.

They no longer spared any praise or gratitude.

This was a genuine life-saving grace!

If the Recycling Department had really been devastated because of this, no one would have been able to escape the joint responsibility. Even the supervisor, who had been impotently furious earlier, couldn't help but shed a couple of grateful little pearls while clutching Ji Jue's small hand.

"Don't you worry, Mr. Ji, this is a major merit..."

"Is that necessary?" Ji Jue suddenly said.

"Huh?" The supervisor was stunned.

"No, I mean, since it didn't cause any real damage and didn't lead to any irreversible consequences, at most we just lost a batch of storage equipment."

Ji Jue suddenly said: "This matter, actually, it could also... not have happened, right?"

The supervisor froze in place.

"This..."

In all fairness, for everyone, this was the best solution.

Turn a big problem into a small one, and a small one into nothing.

A major aberrant leak accident becomes a small pollution error that triggered an alarm, and small pollution leaks are simply unavoidable in this kind of work environment. Since it didn't cause any bad consequences, at most they'd be reprimanded a few times, which was harmless.

At worst, they'd lose a bit of their salary.

So what?

Who cares about that measly salary of a thousand or eight hundred a month?

And the only ones who suffered a loss were Ji Jue and Lou Feng, who would have otherwise won merit. But Lou Feng glanced at Ji Jue and didn't say anything.

As for Ji Jue, he didn't care about that bit of credit at all.

With a teacher around, would he ever be afraid of going hungry?

For a moment, not just the supervisor, but even the apprentice who had been standing to the side, forcing a smile to hide his sorrow, was stunned.

"Wh-why..." the injured apprentice stammered, incredulous, almost unable to stand steady.

"When I first came here, wasn't it you who taught me the procedures?"

Ji Jue looked over, puzzled. "From protection to operation, you guided me for a long time, afraid I wouldn't understand, and wasted quite a bit of your time, right?

If this were a factory assembly line, I'd have to offer you a cigarette and call you Master."

As he spoke, he smiled indifferently and patted his shoulder:

"Just a small favor, don't take it to heart."

The Recycling Management Department is a place where you trade your lifespan for a future.

Apprentices without talent, money, or favor from their masters, in order to fight for that tiny bit of meager credit, to hone and improve operations others had already mastered, or because they couldn't refuse the workshop's assignments and designations, could only come here to be beasts of burden, burying their heads in the grindstone to gamble on tomorrow.

That is why beasts of burden cherish other beasts of burden.

Even when facing him, this "Young Master" who had been parachuted in, there were those who tirelessly emphasized safety and protection. Even if they were impatient, they would still carefully guide every step to avoid him suffering any harm.

Times are different now; Ji Jue had already escaped the sea of bitterness, but compared to the young masters and misses boasting in the lounge, he really preferred those who could bury their heads and work hard in the workshop with him.

Even if he had another bite to eat, that one bite which was insignificant to him might be the potential future that several others were hoping for on the other side of the scale.

Anyway, he didn't lose anything, so why not?

"I... I..."

The apprentice was dazed, wanting to speak, but couldn't help choking up, his eyes brimming with tears.

But Ji Jue didn't wait for him to speak.

"Hey! Did everyone hear that? Old Zhao says dinner is on him!" He turned back and raised his voice: "One dish per person, pick whatever you want from the cafeteria."

"Holy crap? For real?"

"So generous? Count me in!"

"Can we get takeout?"

Amidst the relief and ease of having escaped a disaster, many apprentices responded one after another. Zhao Yan choked up, smiled gratefully, wiped his face, and raised his voice:

"Everyone go! Everyone go! It's on me!"

In the relaxed atmosphere, the repairs and organization in the workshop also became rapid. It was expected that they would be able to resume work in a few hours.

The only thing left to wait for was the delivery of a new batch of storage containers.

And after the crowd had mostly dispersed, a familiar voice sounded behind Ji Jue, carrying its usual seriousness: "Concealing a major safety accident is a punishable offense, you should know that, right?"

Ji Jue turned back in surprise, frowned, and upon seeing Tong Shan's face, immediately smiled.

"Hey, Department Head Tong, long time no see, you came here too?"

"The Anquan Bureaus across Haizhou have basically arrived one after another; I can't just sit in the office blowing the air conditioning." The corners of Tong Shan's mouth seemed to curl up slightly. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have caught you in the act of concealing the situation, would I?"

"Accident? Where is there an accident?"

Ji Jue was puzzled. "How come I don't see one?"

"Even if you don't say it, it won't be hidden for long. After all, the alarm was triggered just now, and with such a big commotion, it'll be easy to investigate." As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows slightly, as if looking at the sky. "Don't forget where this is."

Ji Jue was immediately helpless and sighed softly.

The Eye of Heaven is above.

Under the eyelids of the Heavenly Human, it really isn't easy to tell a lie.

Only then did he hear the slow second half of his sentence: "It's just that how the report is written, that's another matter entirely."

"Hmm?"

Ji Jue sensed something was wrong.

And Tong Shan continued: "Facing a conspiratorial attack by the Ether Eye Sect, the Recycling Management Department, under the leadership of apprentices Ji Jue and Lou Feng, bravely fought the A-rank sin-tainted aberrant object. Not only did they successfully carry out harmless treatment, but they also defended the workshop and the department, ensuring the progress and efficiency of the work...

Do you think this report is inspiring enough?"

Ji Jue stared in shock, speechless.

Holy crap, is this the professional standard of a federal civil servant? No, is this the gap between a commoner and a Department Head of the Yacheng Anquan Bureau who is also an assistant to the Bureau Chief?

This is turning an accident into a victory report!

At most, he could only think of turning a big problem into a small one and keeping it quiet, but as soon as Tong "Plant" opened his mouth, he shifted the blame to a height Ji Jue couldn't see, and when it landed, it was already pinned on the Ether Eye Sect!

He had been at the outpost for so long and hadn't even seen a living Ether Eye Sect member yet, okay!

"Aberrant objects don't appear for no reason; an investigation of the recycling team is definitely necessary. Besides, making a bit of a commotion will help make the recent lax atmosphere more serious, so those guys don't all feel so self-important.

Those lunatics huddled in Quancheng won't just sit there and wait for death; who knows how they'll counterattack in a few days."

Tong Shan glanced at Ji Jue. "I will push this forward on behalf of the Yacheng Anquan Bureau, don't you worry."

This was the most important part.

Sometimes, for the same report, the effect is completely different with or without an extra stamp. In matters like this, Ji Jue, as an apprentice, was low-ranking and his words carried no weight, whereas Tong Shan, representing the Yacheng Anquan Bureau, spoke with authority.

Besides, a collective honor of at least second-class suddenly falling from the sky...

Would he really turn it down?

"Oh my, isn't this my Brother Shan?!"

In the brief silence, Ji Jue slapped his thigh, beaming: "Come, sit, please sit, take the seat of honor! That Old Lou, tea, pour the tea quickly!

Bring me that pack of Da Hong Pao I keep at the bottom of the box!"

Lou Feng, standing to the side, rolled his eyes, not wanting to speak at all.

Your broken box has nothing but wrenches and screwdrivers; what Da Hong Pao?! You just throw tea into a big pot and steep two liters of it for a whole night, and even the tea leaves are mooched off me!

"You kid..."

Not until he sat on the chair Ji Jue brought out did a hint of a smile appear on Tong Shan's stern face. He suddenly asked: "Need a favor?"

"Kill who?"

Ji Jue's eyes lit up.

He had been playing Black Monkey all afternoon, from not being able to open it to not being able to enter, to it not running smoothly and not working... he was furious and gave up.

It seems he has no fate with Heaven's Mandate.