Chapter 323

Rarely, Ji Jue suffered from insomnia.

The high-quality sleep where he would immediately fall unconscious upon closing his eyes suddenly vanished, and he had several dreams intermittently throughout the night, all of which were scenes of beasts hunting in the animal world.

Wolves, bears, tigers, leopards, giant pythons—they suddenly appeared before him, opened their bloody maws, bit down, and refined him in an instant.

Where had the little white rabbit Ji Jue ever seen such a cruel scene? He was scared awake on the spot.

After being scared awake several times, he simply got angry and stopped sleeping.

He climbed out of the hotel bed and turned on the desk lamp.

He found paper and a pen and immediately began writing the paper for which he had already prepared the draft along the way—"A Brief Discussion on Six Methods for Processing Impurities and Contamination in the Spiritual Quality Purification Stage of Blood Sacrifice Weapons"!

Anyway, he couldn't sleep, so he might as well "roll" others more.

At least make others unable to sleep too!

Besides, these were all stepping stones on his academic path. Which master didn't have a body of work as tall as themselves?

Before becoming an artisan, an apprentice only needed to figure out how to out-roll other apprentices to get a human rights certificate, but after becoming an artisan, the ones being rolled together were all the artisans in the world.

Let the world feel the pain!

First, sprinkle two bags of salt on a certain senior sister who is still flopping around like a salted fish, heh heh heh!

Just thinking about Ye Chun rolling on the sofa and crying, Ji Jue couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Until, at seven o'clock, the doorbell rang with a ding-dong.

After opening the door, Ji Jue finally couldn't laugh anymore.

Shocked and speechless:

"Why are you here?"

Outside the door was none other than a resentful-looking Ye Chun.

Overnight, she had traveled from Yacheng to Chaocheng, arriving before Ji Jue.

For a moment, Ji Jue couldn't help but feel a chill—it was bad, could it be that after being rolled by him for so long, Ye Chun had developed a "salted fish" intuition?

What is this? The cicada knows the autumn wind before it arrives?

At this moment, hearing Ji Jue's words, Ye Chun's gaze became even more dangerous.

"Did you forget that I am still the general manager's secretary who is taking the fall for someone?"

She raised her hand and expressionlessly took off the flat glasses on her face, revealing two dark circles that were almost impossible to hide: "And, before a certain general manager ran off to drive and disappeared, he dumped all his work on me...

And then?

After being busy day and night for so long, he actually has the face to ask me: Ye Chun, why are you here?

Ji Jue, if you still had a shred of humanity, you wouldn't be able to bark so loudly, okay!"

"Ah, this..."

Ji Jue's cold sweat instantly poured down, and he fawned: "No, no, isn't this because you've worked hard? Running all the way here, my fault, my fault!"

"This is Haizhou, not Huangzhou; even by car, Chaocheng and Yacheng are only four or five hours apart, what's so hard about that?"

Ye Chun sat down, glanced suspiciously at his fawning appearance, and suddenly asked: "Are you okay?"

"Ah, nothing, right?"

Ji Jue widened his eyes, appearing innocent.

Consequently, Ye Chun's brow furrowed even tighter: "Then why do you keep wiping your mouth?"

"... Dry mouth, dry mouth!" Ji Jue raised his hand, pretended to wipe the corner of his mouth, looking completely innocent, and while Ye Chun wasn't paying attention, he used the excuse of pouring water to try and hide the paper he was secretly using to "roll" others on the table.

Then, he heard a sound behind him that made him shudder.

"Strange..."

Ye Chun stared at his tense back, full of suspicion: "I always feel like you're not right."

"Hmm?"

Ji Jue turned his head with difficulty, his smile strained: "What's strange?"

"I've been sitting here for five minutes... and you haven't told me about your glorious experience and great achievements of fighting four people alone, breaking out of the encirclement, and winning the championship."

Detective Ye Chun adjusted her flat glasses, a cold light flashing on the lenses, as she keenly discovered the key point: "What are you hiding?"

"No, no!"

Ji Jue laughed awkwardly, changing the subject.

Secretly, he was sweating profusely.

He quietly manipulated the mercury to stuff the manuscript into the seam of his suitcase, pushing it deeper.

Bad! I was too busy being heartless...

If she found out that while she was working herself to death, he was secretly writing a paper behind her back to roll her, would he be fired tomorrow for stepping into Chaocheng with his left foot?

However, Ye Chun's sharp gaze fell on him, scanning him up and down, and after a long while, she suddenly asked: "You wouldn't be planning to attend the awards ceremony looking like this, would you?"

"Ah?"

Ji Jue scratched his head, dazed: "Is it not good?"

Ye Chun didn't speak, took out her phone, took a photo, and then displayed the screen—messy hair, stubble, a pair of work pants that hadn't been washed and were covered in mud spots, and a T-shirt that had been washed until it was white...

"I knew it."

Ye Chun sighed, helpless: "You're a factory manager for the coast now, at least pay attention to your image, right?"

Saying this, she threw the big box she was carrying into his arms.

"I brought it specifically for you, try it on."

"What is it, so mysterious?"

Ji Jue was puzzled; he opened the box and saw a full set of formal wear neatly folded and encased in a dust bag, paired with custom-made cufflinks and a tie clip. Besides two shirts, it also came with four extra ties and a pair of leather shoes.

With Ji Jue's rough aesthetic and "country bumpkin" habits, he had never really studied the difference in thread counts and fabrics, but just holding the leather shoes and feeling the craftsmanship, he knew they were expensive. From the shirts to the formal wear, the fabric was as smooth as if it were natural, and the sewing was extremely precise; even when Ji Jue touched it with his hands, he couldn't detect the subtle differences between the stitches—the craftsmanship was simply superb.

Moreover, having been folded in the box for so long, there wasn't a single wrinkle when unfolded.

Instantly, from the surprise, there sprouted a rare sense of guilt.

"Thank you, Senior Sister!"

Ji Jue curiously picked it up to look: "When did you buy this?"

"Didn't you say last time that you didn't have formal wear? Anyway, you'll need it sooner or later, so I used the data from when you ordered your protective suit and had someone custom-make a set for you."

Ye Chun picked up the tea that her little brother had respectfully offered, waved her hand indifferently: "It's a pity the production time was a bit long, and you rolled so outrageously that it didn't arrive in time for you to become an artisan; just consider it a celebration of your championship.

If you really want to thank me, roll me a few less times when you're with Auntie; that would count as you having a conscience."

"Hey, how could I!"

Ji Jue shook his head decisively, his voice solemn: "I am a person who values gratitude above all else! How could I do such an unconscionable thing?"

"Heh heh—"

Ye Chun glanced at his feigned innocent appearance, not believing it in the slightest.

Just consider it listening to a dog bark.

Ten minutes later, when Ji Jue walked out of the suite after changing his clothes, it was as if he had become a completely different person.

When he was twisting and turning in front of the mirror, he never thought that one day he could have such a "beast in clothing, refined scumbag" look; even he felt it was novel.

"How is it?" he turned back to ask for her opinion.

"Hmm, wait a minute..."

Ye Chun held her chin, pondered for a moment, then dug another tie out of the box and threw it to him: "Try this."

"Wine red? Does it match?"

Ji Jue was puzzled: "Won't it be a bit flashy?"

"For this kind of occasion, the person receiving the award and speaking should be a bit flashy to be normal. If a young person isn't a bit lively, they will appear lifeless; do you expect to dress like an old man one day and go to a cocktail party holding champagne with people?"

Ye Chun waved her hand to urge him: "Just go with this, hurry up."

After Ji Jue clumsily re-tied his tie, he was directed by Ye Chun to change the cufflinks, and then remove the tie clip...

Changing back and forth, he tried three different ways to tie the tie, and he was even forced to comb his messy hair.

"It's a pity I didn't bring hair wax, and it's not easy to buy it for a while, so just use your physical property interference to fix it yourself."

After working for a long time, Ye Chun finally let go, examined Ji Jue's appearance in the mirror, and slowly nodded: "That's about right."

She sighed softly: "Finally looks a bit like a young person."

After leaving Quancheng for a long time, the hair that had been mottled and pale under the torture and cramming at Jianyuan had gradually returned to pitch black, with only a few strands of gray left.

Before, even though he was handsome, when paired with his calm expression, there was always a coldness and detachment that kept people away.

But now, when he smiled, it finally became bright.

Carrying a reassuring peace.

"You've grown, Ji Jue."

Ye Chun examined the appearance of the young man in the mirror and whispered softly.

"Have I?" Ji Jue was puzzled and gave a self-deprecating smile: "It feels just like a dream."

"Of course."

Ye Chun nodded decisively, pulled his face from both sides, rubbed it unceremoniously, appreciated the comical appearance in the reflection, and smiled softly.

It was completely different from the suffering or confusion of the past, gradually opening his eyes from a confused dream...

Hadn't he already achieved something long ago?

"Things have reached this point, there is nothing more to be done."

In the deathly silent office, the visiting elder sighed: "The conclusion has already been reached in the Central City, there is no other choice for the family, A-Wen."

He looked at Shang Tongwen behind the desk: "I can only wrong you."

"What do you mean by wronging me?"

Shang Tongwen asked back indifferently; after not resting for a long time, his eyes were bloodshot, as if he were a beast choosing someone to devour, and he squeezed the sound out through his teeth: "Fourth Uncle, please speak more clearly!"

"After such a big mess has been made these days, someone has to take responsibility."

Fourth Uncle shook his head with regret and advised: "Don't be stubborn anymore, A-Wen, this is the joint decision of all the elders of the second and fourth branches... The mess your first branch started, you have to give an explanation, right?"

"Explanation? Me?"

Shang Tongwen could no longer restrain his rage and stood up abruptly: "Who was it that said when flipping the table that 'if you retreat one step, you retreat every step, it's either you die or I live'?! What? Now that Shang Jiu, who married into the family, is dead, and Lu Yingyue's blade is at your necks, you know fear? What the fuck were you doing before!

From childhood to adulthood, I've never understood—why do you old things take all the good things, and dump all the trouble and shit for me to eat?!

Didn't you collect the money? Didn't you take the positions! Didn't you take the lion's share of the benefits?!

Your idiot son, going out to pick up sugar daddies, taking people to do drugs, and he killed the daughter of the deputy director of the Dongcheng Energy Bureau—who the fuck went to grovel to wipe your ass!

You have the face to come and tell me, 'I've wronged you, A-Wen'?"

Fourth Uncle opened his mouth to speak, but the furious Shang Tongwen threw the ashtray from the table at him, hitting him in the face and instantly causing him to bleed from the head.

The old man was furious and screamed: "Shang Tongwen, you're crazy!"

"Am I the one who's crazy? You are the ones who are crazy!"

Shang Tongwen roared hoarsely: "Damn it, don't forget who let Echo develop to its current level—it was me, not you wastes who only know how to shit on the necks of the younger generation!

For so many years, I've given money when asked, given whatever was wanted, and tried every way to please you, and yet just because I lost one round, you want to use me as a scapegoat?!

Do you think that by saying a few nice words, Lu Yingyue will let you go? Don't dream, she's tolerant now because she's full and wants to keep you wastes to kill slowly later!

Do you think that by selling me out, giving up a little assets and market, you can pretend nothing happened and continue to be your 'people above people'?!

Go have your mother's dream!"

"Stop it, A-Wen, it's already over!"

The bleeding elder's face was livid, and he stood up to rebuke: "It's not just the Central City, the Saints have already reached an agreement! If you keep doing this, we can't protect you..."

Bang!

A dull sound rang out.

Shang Tongwen pulled the trigger without hesitation; the moment the gunshot rang out, the old thing across the desk fell backward, landing on the chair.

From the blood hole in his forehead, blood sprayed out.

Finally, it was quiet.

"Pah!"

Shang Tongwen held the gun, expressionlessly overlooking that face that was terrified until death, and spat unceremoniously.

"Protect me?"

He sneered: "After going to court and carrying all the evidence of the crimes, how will you protect me? Protect me so I can never open my mouth again and die with my eyes open?"

Working diligently for a lifetime, being a slave day and night, and after offending everyone who could be offended, he was just like a broken night pot, unceremoniously thrown into the latrine...

He had long seen through the true faces of these old things, and after learning of Shang Jiu's death, he had never placed a shred of expectation in them.

Want to stop the war? Wishful thinking!

At this point, his only path to survival was "you die or I live"!

Otherwise, even if he changed his name and went far away, he would sooner or later be found, carry more infamy and guilt, and die without a burial place.

Who could have imagined that the ones who most wanted him to die now, the ones who most wanted him to bear all the sins, were none other than the Shang family that had propped him up?

To keep their positions, to overcome the current difficulties, they had to tear up the truce agreement and let the stopped struggle continue.

Only by making both sides completely irreconcilable, "you die or I live"... only then would the Central City, Dongcheng, and those who had no other choice in other families see the consequences and support him!

If he couldn't succeed... then even better!

Let's all go on the road together!

At this moment, kicking Fourth Uncle's corpse off the chair, Shang Tongwen turned back expressionlessly, walked behind the desk, and put down the gun.

In the corpse's arms, a phone rang.

But no one responded.

One could imagine how much the person calling was looking forward to him, this sacrifice, climbing onto the altar himself.

Even now, that group of people was still having unrealistic dreams, harboring delusions of a comeback, longing to continue to linger on, to have wealth and glory...

But it doesn't matter, the dream won't last long.

They should wake up!

"Start the operation."

Shang Tongwen opened the screen in front of him, and the scene of the distant Haizhou Chaocheng appeared on the screen—a few kilometers away from the awards venue of the Wild Sea Rally, the sniper on the rooftop was already prepared.

In the magnification of the sniper scope, passing through layers of buildings, he locked onto the figure who was lazily sunbathing at the outdoor seating area of the coffee shop outside the venue.

With a soft click, the bullet was loaded.

The prototype of the ultra-long-range sniper weapon meticulously crafted in Echo's laboratory was ready, and the electronic sight faithfully transmitted the scene from the distant distance to Shang Tongwen.

He picked up his wine glass and waited indifferently.

"Interference appeared," the operative on the scene reported.

In the coffee shop, Ye Chun, who had walked out carrying a donut and a latte, sat next to Ji Jue; the two were chatting and laughing, saying something, her long hair floating in the breeze, blocking the crosshairs.

Shang Tongwen urged coldly: "Don't dawdle, kill them all!"

In that instant, the sound of the trigger being pulled rang out.

Crossing several kilometers, descending from the sky, in an instant, after piercing through the body of the person in the way, it entered Ji Jue's skull, and blood sprayed out, splashing, spreading, and landing on the red carpet.

It was like fire.

Screaming sounds rang out, the panic and chaos at the scene came from the screen, perhaps mixed with the soft sound of all truce agreements being torn up, and even the sound of peaceful dreams shattering, with the flames of war reigniting, covering everything.

It's just a pity that none of the expected scenes happened.

No bullet flew out of the barrel, as if it had misfired, but there was indeed blood spreading from the screen, like rain, drizzling, covering everything.

A sharp knife passed lightly across the lens, slitting a throat.

Amidst eerie gurgling sounds, blood sprayed from the operative's throat, landed on the scope, and dyed everything Shang Tongwen could see scarlet.

And in that scarlet, he finally saw it clearly.

Under the parasol, the young man who was chatting and laughing suddenly looked back, raised his head, smiled slightly in the direction of the lens, his lips opened and closed silently, and he raised the teacup in his hand.

Just like a greeting upon first meeting.

"Nice to meet you."

Bang!

Instantly, a bone-chilling cold engulfed Shang Tongwen; he stood up without thinking, knocking over his chair, and staggered backward. The moment he reacted, he instinctively rushed toward the office door.

Click-clack sounds rang out, but no matter how hard he tried to twist the handle, it was useless.

The door was locked.

When he rushed to the window in a panic, trying hard to open it, he saw that downstairs at the Echo Science and Industry headquarters, black vehicles were driving onto the street one after another, stopping at the entrance. The people who got out skillfully blocked all exits, the security guards were roughly pushed aside, and the leader showed his credentials, so no one dared to block them anymore.

During the questioning, someone raised their hand and pointed toward the direction of Shang Tongwen's office, and the expressionless searchers immediately filed in from downstairs.

Shang Tongwen retreated as if electrocuted, avoiding the gaze looking over from below.

His face was pale, and he was breathing heavily.

Then, he saw that the screen he had knocked over had actually lit up again...

Countless starlike points of light flickered, gathered, and emerged into a blurry figure, just like a lady slightly bowing in a skirt-lifting curtsy.

Like the bell tolling before destruction arrives.

She said, 【Isis says hello to you】.