Chapter 324: Dust

Above the red carpet, a multitude of flashing lights flickered one after another.

It was practically like some sort of press conference, only even more chaotic. The quadrennial Wasteland Rally was naturally a massive waterfall of traffic, and there was no telling how many people wanted to come and skim a bit of exposure from it. However, unlike the traffic-driven celebrities who would walk a single meter of red carpet for half an hour, Ji Jue simply strolled past. At most, he waved toward the press section, too lazy to pay any mind to those calls.

"At least pretend a little."

Ye Chun, standing beside him, sighed. "Offending reporters is troublesome; you'll have to shell out money for PR to get articles deleted... These bloodsuckers have an extraordinary talent for sticking their needles in wherever there's a gap."

"It doesn't matter. I don't plan on doing this anyway once these things are settled."

Ji Jue smiled, completely unconcerned.

How much ability did they have, running to his doorstep to stir up trouble?

Did they think he wasn't a fine piece of jade?

After the flashes, the reporters who had been drafting their mental scripts suddenly felt a chill run through their bodies. They felt that pair of eyes, intentional or otherwise, glance over—half-smiling, half-mocking.

It carried a certain sense of looking down from above, a hint of disdain.

Yet, unexpectedly, they weren't able to fly into a rage; instead... they were chilled to the bone.

"Delete it." An old reporter smoking nearby glanced at the rookie's camera. "This draft won't get published."

"With this much heat, isn't it a pity not to have some friction?" the rookie asked, puzzled. "Hype it up a bit, who knows how much traffic it could bring."

"Fine, then you post it yourself."

The old reporter laughed, as kindly as if watching a child touch an electric socket. "And you won't even have to share the bonus with me when the time comes. Isn't that great?"

"..."

Amidst the hesitation, the rookie finally came to his senses. As if smelling something ominous, he wavered for a long time before finally, obediently, deleting the photo.

This topic was never brought up again.

And when he raised his lens to find that figure, he discovered they had already disappeared at the end of the red carpet. Amidst the cheers and shouts of fans or spectators, another celebrity stepped out of a car, drawing everyone's attention.

"Take a few more shots of this one."

The old reporter nearby pointed out gleefully. "Shoot inside the car first, see if that little boy toy she's been keeping lately is in there... That's the kind of traffic that's truly fat!"

The commotion outside continued, but after walking into the venue, Ji Jue was instantly surrounded by the crowd.

People he knew and didn't know, faces he had seen and hadn't seen—countless smiling faces were like a tidal wave, nearly drowning Ji Jue.

"Congratulations, congratulations!"

"Mr. Ji, you truly didn't make a sound until you made a stunning impact this time."

"Young and promising, young and promising!"

"I'll have to trouble you for more support regarding the sales channels in the Wasteland region in the future."

Ji Jue was momentarily flustered. As it happened, Ye Chun had already slipped away to the side, watching his overwhelmed state with schadenfreude, standing by with folded arms, not showing the slightest intention of lending a hand...

It's about time you got a taste of my bitterness!

It wasn't in vain that I put so much effort into dressing you up...

After a bout of chaos, Tong Shengnian finally walked over, grabbed Ji Jue's hand, and led him into a social stratum that those suppliers and attendees could hardly reach.

"You've worked hard, you did well."

Tong Shengnian smiled like an old peony, patting Ji Jue's shoulder without the slightest formality. After the praise, he pointed directly to the guests waiting nearby: "Let me introduce you. This is the 'Little Niu Ma' of this generation of the Lou family, Lou Guan. You can just call him Uncle Guan."

"Damn you—"

The refined, scholarly middle-aged man spat out profanities at Tong Shengnian without restraint. After turning back, he put on a different smiling face. As the current public helmsman and figurehead of the Lou family, he took the initiative to extend his hand: "That kid A-Feng, I'll have to trouble you to look after him."

Ji Jue smiled: "We're all friends, it's easy to say. It's actually me who has been looked after."

"It's just that the child Yanyue is a bit unhappy; she looked for you several times, but you weren't home... The little girl has been spoiled since she was young, her temper is a bit explosive. If there's anything, you tell me, and I'll help you talk to her." Lou Guan said, joking: "However, from the time she was small until now, I've never seen her take such an interest in a young man. Little Ji, are you interested in considering it?"

"Ah, this... next time for sure."

Ji Jue was instantly embarrassed, his smile twitching.

After the joke, Lou Guan didn't mind. Together with Tong Shengnian, he brought Ji Jue along and introduced him to the distinguished guests from Yacheng, Chaocheng, the ship city Jiangcheng, or from the Wasteland, Youzhou, and even the four cities of Dongnanxibei and the Central City. There was no lack of many faces that often appeared in the news in the past.

It was just like taking care of his own juniors and nephews; he didn't stint on praise and compliments to his face, and behind his back, he would explain the background and origins in detail, covering everything from industry to finance, credit banks, and maritime shipping.

Even if it was just a fleeting encounter at such a cocktail party, if utilized properly, it wouldn't be impossible to seize this opportunity to open up a path.

A business card was an opportunity, and now, opportunities were jumping into his pockets in droves. If others were here, they might have already fainted from excitement.

And when it was the turn of the man not far away, before the two could speak, he was already beaming.

"Ha, I finally caught you. Have a drink!" Shi Ran, the Deputy Director of R&D at Chonghui, shoved a glass of champagne over without formality and hammered Ji Jue's shoulder: "I didn't expect you, kid, to be so spirited. You really brought back a first-place finish."

Tong Shengnian was slightly surprised: "You two know each other?"

"We had dealings at the opening of the rally before. He still owes me a bowl of noodles."

Shi Ran didn't stand on ceremony. After clinking glasses with Ji Jue, he asked: "We're holding a young entrepreneur evaluation recently. Any interest in getting a nomination? Yunzhou can cooperate on this side."

He paused for a moment, his smile meaningful: "If you put in the effort and push hard, ranking at the top won't be a problem. It's a great opportunity to reach the sky in one step."

"Forget it."

Ji Jue gave a self-deprecating smile and shook his head: "Being forced into the position of factory manager has already left me exhausted. Any higher, and I'm afraid I won't reach the sky in one step, but only expose my true colors and become a laughingstock."

"You kid..."

Shi Ran smiled and didn't try to persuade him further. After drinking a glass, he waved his hand, signaling him to do as he pleased, only reminding him: "Don't forget about the prosthetic limb matter. Don't be in a hurry to quit yet. My project team is all ready. We'll sign the authorization later."

"Definitely."

Ji Jue nodded, agreeing decisively.

Just amidst the warm atmosphere, a staff member from the race organizing committee walked over with his head down and whispered a reminder: "Mr. Ji, the awards ceremony is about to begin. Do you need us to prepare a teleprompter for the speech later?"

"No need."

Ji Jue shook his head. He caught the subtext and glanced at the nervous eyes cast by the race organizers not far away, smiling slightly: "Rest assured, I won't make things difficult for you."

The staff member was as if granted amnesty and let out a sigh of relief: "Then I'll trouble you."

"Not at all, you've worked hard."

Ji Jue's smile remained. After bidding farewell to Tong Shengnian and Lou Guan, he walked toward the backstage.

Unlike the relaxation and ease of the cocktail party in front, the backstage was bustling. The performers preparing for the warm-up had already changed their clothes. Amidst the coming and going, Ji Jue sat in a corner, propping up his chin, curiously gazing at the scene before him.

Until a crisp bell rang from the front stage. After a series of energetic songs, dances, and celebrity performances, the chairman of the race organizing committee enthusiastically announced that the Wasteland Rally had officially ended, and with the cooperation of many sponsors and participants, it had come to a perfect conclusion, and so on.

Amidst the alternating speeches, Ji Jue leaned calmly against his chair, watching the scene of people coming and going.

Until, amidst round after round of applause, the host enthusiastically announced: "Next, let's invite the spokesperson for Haichao Industry, the champion of this Wasteland Rally, the driver of the Coast Racing Team, Mr. Ji Jue, to deliver a speech—"

In an instant, the bustling and noisy backstage fell into silence.

Everyone looked over subconsciously toward Ji Jue in the corner. The young man who had been waiting for a long time slowly stood up. After waving his hand at the staff member who walked over, he didn't tidy up his appearance.

After stretching his body, he instead unbuttoned his suit jacket.

As if taking off shackles.

He walked lightly toward the outside of the curtain, toward that dazzling flash of light. Stepping on the light and applause cast by the spotlight, he walked onto the stage.

The host was stunned for a moment, not having reacted, and subconsciously took a step back, having already yielded the central position.

"Thank you."

Ji Jue smiled and looked at the audience below: "Thank you to the organizers for the invitation, and thank you to the Wasteland Rally for the opportunity, allowing small factories like ours to stand out before everyone and luckily achieve some results."

"Here, please allow me to thank my colleagues and friends beside me, thank the consumers for their support, and likewise, even more so, thank the many kind people who have provided me with help along the way...

Without you, there would be no Coast today, and there would be no me today."

He paused for a moment, nodded solemnly, and said gravely: "Please allow me here, to express my deep gratitude to everyone—"

In that instant, below the stage, enthusiastic applause erupted once again.

It echoed back and forth, as if like thunder.

Boom!

Outside the layers of soundproofing, on the bustling street, a deafening loud noise suddenly came.

"Faster, faster..."

On the main road of Chaocheng, inside a speeding luxury car, the middle-aged man in the back seat looked nervously out the window, sweating profusely, constantly trying to make a call, but it was either a busy signal or directly hung up.

In the end, there was no color left on his pale face. Gathering his courage, he dialed the last number: "Lou, Mr. Lou, I..."

"What I want to hear is not this." On the other end of the phone, Lou Guan's voice was cold.

The man was already about to cry: "I was forced, I was..."

Until on the other end, a regretful sigh came: "It hasn't been easy for so many years, you've worked hard."

The man was as if granted amnesty, pleasantly surprised, and was just about to speak... but the last thing he heard was the ear-piercing sound of a horn from the opposite lane! And then, the pitch-black front of a car rushed toward him!

Amidst the roaring, thick smoke rose, and the crushed vehicle rolled, fell off the overpass, and plunged into the river, never to be seen again.

In the venue, Lou Guan hung up the phone, smiling, and joined everyone in offering applause.

Clap!

In the Central City, Fengshui District, on the bustling square, ear-piercing screams rang out.

Above the headquarters building of Xinyuan Power, a thin figure standing on the rooftop swallowed, closed his eyes, and took the final step.

Just like a rotten tomato being stepped on, after falling onto the square, the unrecognizable corpse splattered red pulp.

The passing crowd scattered in terror, looking at the corpse that had fallen from the rooftop, shocked and watching. The pooled blood spread from beneath the twisted fallen body, staining red the face that often appeared in the news.

Ten minutes later, the media in the Central City released an emergency news report: Gao Yue, Executive Director of Xinyuan Power Group, committed suicide in fear of crime when facing arrest.

Died by falling from a building.

Amidst the wind and snow in the Northern Territory, in a vast expanse of white, inside a luxurious office, the voice of the news anchor came, and the reporter on the scene broadcast the bloody scene on the screen.

Scarlet spread, stinging the silence.

The viewer closed his eyes.

"The time has come, A-Hao, drink it."

The middle-aged woman opposite sighed softly and slowly pushed a glass of wine toward him: "Don't blame the family, the family had no choice... If you want to blame someone, blame fate for not being in one's own hands."

Lü Tianhao was silent, lowered his head, and stared at the light in the glass. His pupils seemed to be illuminated. Several times, he seemed to want to say something, his expression changing, anger or pleading, but from beginning to end, the middle-aged woman's expression didn't change at all, just watching him.

Until he finally gathered his courage and picked up the glass of wine.

"I knew it."

He whispered, "There would be such a day."

No one responded.

Lü Tianhao gave a self-deprecating smile, finally looked up, and drank it in one gulp.

Swallowing the bitter fruit of failure.

"Go, let me be quiet for a while."

He said.

The visitor stood up, took one last look at him, and pushed the door out.

In the silence, Lü Tianhao closed his eyes, and gradually, there was no more breathing.

Ten minutes later, when the arresting officers broke into the office, all they saw was a corpse without temperature in the wind and snow blowing outside the window.

"Alright, delivered here, that's about it."

Under the scorching sun of Haizhou, the hood covering the face of the passenger in the front seat was pulled off, revealing a pale face that hadn't seen sunlight for who knows how long.

Trembling in terror, twitching, waiting for the result.

But there was no gun barrel pointed at him, only an empty road, and not far away, a car that had been prepared long ago.

Just like the agreement reached in the past.

Freedom had arrived.

"Alright, go, Mr. Yin, it's already done." In the driver's seat, Lu Feng was smoking, his other hand lazily picking at his foot, waving his hand: "After getting off the plane, when you arrive at the place, don't forget to make a call. The old brothers really miss you."

"You... you..."

Yin Zhaoyang turned back sluggishly, almost forgetting the old wounds and torture all over his body, unbelievable, but looking at that half-smiling face, it was still unbelievable.

"What? Reluctant to leave?" Lu Feng grinned: "You can stay a few more days, we still have many games we haven't played yet."

Clap!

The car door was pushed open, Yin Zhaoyang fell to the ground, and then, crawled up using both hands and feet.

His eyes, which hadn't seen sunlight for a long time, were shed tears by the scorching sun, and he couldn't see anything, but he didn't dare to hesitate, staggering forward, constantly turning back, looking at Lu Feng in the car.

From beginning to end, no gun barrel was raised, only a burnt-out cigarette was thrown out the window.

Until Yin Zhaoyang opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, and looked at the familiar furnishings, he realized... this was originally his car, and his documents and personal belongings were scattered on the passenger seat.

He couldn't help it anymore, his eyes filled with hot tears.

Amidst the many tortures and hospitality, Yin Zhaoyang, who had become gaunt and completely out of shape, started the car in a fluster, stepped on the accelerator, and ran away without looking back.

Disappearing.

Not a single word of content is missed!

Until after turning back and no longer being able to see Lu Feng, he finally sobered up, opened the car window, and felt the sea breeze blowing in his face.

He couldn't help but hammer the steering wheel, roaring and screaming.

He was free! He was finally free... he...

Tick—

In that instant, it seemed like a crisp sound came from the glove box, making him freeze in place, sluggish, raising his hand, and after opening the glove box, he saw that bundle of strange things, and even the countdown on it that was gradually returning to zero.

In the final moment, from the end of his astonishment and realization, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"I f*ck your..."

Boom!!!

Scarlet flame light and thick smoke suddenly erupted, rising from the deserted road!

A burnt and twisted car shell fell from the sky, rolling, and gradually, burned out.

"Wow, at least thirty meters, broke the record."

Lu Feng wore sunglasses and raised his phone to film the precious scene: "Earth-made planes really fly high!"

And on the other side of Yacheng, at a desolate port, in front of a large flying boat loaded with fuel, a man carrying large and small bags was intercepted.

"Uncle Wang, in such a hurry, where are you going?"

Brother Jin Mao chewed gum, sitting on a wooden pile, half-smiling: "Don't be in a hurry to go out, the Dragon Head wants to talk to you."

Clap!

The package fell to the ground, the man collapsed, falling to the ground.

"I'm innocent, I'm innocent... I... I didn't betray my brothers..."

"Don't be in a hurry, whatever you have to say, tell the Dragon Head."

Jin Mao politely helped him up, waved his hand, signaling his men to pick up the package on the ground: "Don't panic, don't be busy, I'll carry the things for you. After seeing the Dragon Head, it doesn't matter where you want to go."

A hood was put over his face, and then, he was thrown into the back of a van, and the back door was closed.

Just like that, he went away in a cloud of dust.

Leaving only the empty speedboat drifting with the waves, swaying silently.

At this moment, in Yacheng, in Chaocheng, and even beyond the entire Haizhou... in the timber processing plant, the wailing sound disappeared, and a tidal wave of scarlet gushed out from the shredder. Above the magnificent ocean, oil drums filled with cement mortar disappeared without a trace amidst the dull sound of falling into the water.

In the howling wind and snow or the scorching desert, the fallen corpses merged between the desolate white and the yellow sand, leaving no trace.

The cruel liquidation spread silently.

Outside the Tiancheng headquarters, in an ancient courtyard, Li Yucheng pushed the door out expressionlessly, looked at the person who had been waiting at the door for a long time, and threw the bag in his hand: "Get lost."

"Sorry for the disturbance, but due to duty, please forgive me."

The waiter still smiled, bent down to pick up the bloody cloth bag on the ground, and actually opened it in front of him, carefully counting "One, two, three, four..."

Ten fingers, all here.

The cloth bag was closed, and the waiter still smiled: "Alright, then I'll go now. However, Protector Lü also has a word he entrusted me to pass on to you..."

He paused for a moment, looked at Li Yucheng's cold face, and said slowly: "The child is still soft-hearted after all, constrained by feelings, and wronged himself to preserve the overall situation, only asking for ten fingers. But next time, when the elders of the family really come out to preside over justice... it won't be so cheap."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Behind him, the gate slowly closed.

In the building of Huisheng Science and Industry, there was a sound of crying.

Under arrest, one after another, the high-level executives or managers who had been powerful in the past were handcuffed, led like cattle and horses, walked out of the hall, and were sent into prison cars.

More cruel investigations were still continuing, and sounds of resistance kept ringing out, only to end in gunfire.

Only the office where Shang Tongwen was located was dead silent.

It was precisely in this silence where a pin drop could be heard that those crying sounds seemed so clear... and even, the cruel comedy gradually being staged outside the window.

Between the towering buildings, on many rooftops, one figure after another trembled, crossed the railing, tears and snot flowing or expressions numb, just like walking corpses, stumbling, forward, step by step...

Among the many strange faces, there seemed to be a few that were so familiar. And there were more that he hadn't even seen.

Those faces that had appeared in the video of the chemical plant explosion, those thugs who had escaped from Yacheng, the leaders who had arranged all this behind the scenes, the middlemen, and even the subordinates who had planned all this under Shang Tongwen...

One, after another.

Amidst roaring, screaming, and begging, they crossed the final step, unfolded invisible wings, embraced the sky, and even... the earth.

Across a long distance, their shouts and the crisp echo when they hit the ground could not be heard clearly.

But every piece of blooming blood made Shang Tongwen's face and the corners of his eyes twitch involuntarily.

"Limited by insufficient time, I could only gather this many."

A sigh came from the speakers, full of indifference and regret, "Actually, there could have been more performances, but time is limited, and most of them had to be purified and processed on the spot, please forgive me."

Clap!

The wine glass smashed onto the screen, cracks spread, splitting the blurred silhouette that didn't exist here.

"Enough!"

Shang Tongwen's eyes were bloodshot, sneering: "It really wasn't easy to rack my brains to arrange this big show... That mad dog Lü Yingyue, even now, still wants to toss people around!

If you want to kill, just kill, where does all this nonsense come from!"

"You seem to have some misunderstanding, but it doesn't matter."

Isis's voice was still cold: "This is not Protector Lü's arrangement. If you have to say it, this is one of the necessary conditions proposed by my master when the reconciliation agreement between the two sides was signed.

No compromise is accepted, no exchange is accepted.

If not for this, it cannot be done!

In other words, Mr. Shang... everything you see is the fireworks performance before the final curtain of this slaughter and struggle."

The broken screen, the flickering light of the stars formed an arc that seemed to be smiling, so happy:

"—Including yourself."

Bang!

The sound of an angry gunshot suddenly rang out.

Shang Tongwen pulled the trigger repeatedly, cursing, shooting at the already broken screen and speakers, until the screen completely shattered amidst the thick smoke, and a faint echo came from the empty magazine.

Amidst the lingering echoes, only heavy panting remained.

In the distance, on the rooftop, the last figure wailed and fell, disappearing.

No, there was one more...

There was one last one!

Now, the time had come.

In the distance, the bell for timekeeping rang.

"My master asked me to pass on to you: this has nothing to do with justice or victory or defeat, it is purely a personal grievance."

In the speaker flashing with electric sparks, a fragmented voice came, so cruel: "No matter what happens, you must die."

Only if you die can it prove the necessity of the rules.

Only by paying the price can it verify the consequences of not following order.

Only when all you unscrupulous scum die out will all the fools understand—the consequences of violating the rules in front of me!

"So, please, Mr. Shang."

She said: "If your death can awaken the awe in the hearts of those ignorant people, then this is the final contribution you can make to this world."

"You f*cking dream!"

Shang Tongwen could no longer restrain himself, kicked and smashed the smoking speaker, threw the empty pistol in his hand, roared, cursed, screamed, and scolded wildly about something, but could not dispel the flash that was like a nightmare.

On the television screen full of cracks, Isis's eyes reappeared.

Watching coldly from the sidelines.

Letting the beast in the cage scream in despair, cursing endlessly.

After not knowing how long, in the corridor outside the door, distant footsteps came.

He froze in place.

Bending down, his palms trembling, he picked up the pistol on the ground, didn't hold it steady, it fell, and then he reached out like an electric shock, grabbed it tight, as if grabbing a burning hot branding iron.

The pale face raised its head, looking at the cruel stars flickering on the screen.

A miserable laugh came out.

In his hand, the empty pistol was loaded with the last bullet, and the trembling muzzle was raised, aimed at himself.

That pair of bloodshot eyes raised, full of ferocity:

"I'll wait for him below!"

"Is that so?"

That pair of eyes looked down contemptuously, not caring at all, "If there really is a hell, then raise your head and look up well."

Amidst eternal torture and despair, witness how the magnificent brilliance that you rotten grass and fireflies can hardly reach ascends to the sky step by step!

Bang!

Shang Tongwen closed his eyes.

Blood mist sprayed, and the final corpse fell backward.

Sparks jumped out from the screen, landing on the carpet, a wisp of fire jumped silently, spread, and thick smoke swallowed everything.

In the fire of hell, all miscellaneous sounds finally returned to nothingness.

Only the applause rang out once again.

From the screen.

In the venue thousands of miles away, the applause that rang out again echoed, mixed with cheers and applause, full of enthusiasm.

"... Finally, please allow me to express my gratitude again to the friends who are present and those who cannot be present."

At the end of the speech of just a few minutes, Ji Jue finally said slowly: "Today, what the Wasteland Rally has ended is just a short journey in everyone's life."

"But I hope that in the near future, everyone will be able to meet again on another path."

"I also hope that by then, you will still remember me."

The low voice echoed inside and outside the venue, Ji Jue raised his head, smiled slightly at them, and nodded to say goodbye.

Just like that, he walked off the stage amidst the tidal applause and returned to the crowd.

The impassioned music rang out, and amidst the clinking of glasses, the awards ceremony continued.

Outside the window, under the spring sunshine, everything in the garden was brilliant, and everything seemed to be reborn. In the breeze, a wisp of faint dust danced silently in the air, gradually falling, returning to the soil.

Settled here.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 325 =====