Chapter 367: Love Separated by Mountains and Seas

Regrettably, Huang Xu did not budge an inch this time. It took Ji Jue a great deal of effort to extract half of the Great Herd's primordial blood from his mouth.

He felt he could have squeezed out a bit more.

But Huang Xu's flame-shaped sword was creaking in his grip, and his expression was becoming increasingly unsightly.

He feared that if the price were slashed any further, this blade would end up cutting his own dog head first.

As for Old Tang, his transformation technique seemed to rely on luck and could not be performed fluidly, so he had to give up.

No, it still felt like a huge loss!

But since the negotiation was over and settled,

it was time to start carving up the materials...

Only, after coming to his senses, he realized that the Chosen ones from the Wilderness Market who had been watching the spectacle had collectively moved back a circle at some point.

"Hm, what's wrong?"

Ji Jue held Panying, looking around in confusion.

"No, no, nothing." The Golden-Haired Kid wiped cold sweat from his forehead: "Brother Ji, please continue, continue!"

In the silence, everyone moved outward a little more, subconsciously.

They couldn't even bring themselves to watch the show anymore; the gazes directed here were incomparably complex—shock, astonishment, and even a sense of wariness and awe.

Terrifying.

The Artisan is fucking terrifying.

Big Brother, just how many ways are you eating this one fish?!

It's not enough to grind the opponent's bones to dust after they die; you have to squeeze out every last drop of oil and residual value while they're still alive. After a round of eating from the east and sleeping in the west, you didn't waste a single bit!

It's a good thing Pacquiao's son died early, otherwise who knows... Oh right, Pacquiao's son died by your hand too, so never mind.

Everyone sees clearly now, right?

From now on, stay far away from Xinquan!

If you accidentally run into Ji Jue, you're done for...

Amidst the hair-raising sounds, Ji Jue and Huang Xu had already begun to strike while the iron was hot.

Processing Pacquiao wasn't the end of it; taking advantage of the fact that the other materials were still fresh and hot, he scrubbed his spoils of war with increasing diligence.

The surviving Water Ghosts who had names, identities, and abilities were photographed to see if they had any residual value; if not, they were sent to the workshop to be turned into fine jade. The nobodies who popped up from nowhere were gifted brand-new jobs, sent by the kind-hearted Factory Manager Ji to the newly opened underground drug rehabilitation workshop for re-education.

Although they were all a bunch of clowns, petty and insignificant, with limited levels and few blessings, and no hope of amounting to anything in this life, at least they still had their lives!

Moreover, having life and having a soul meant they all had spiritual quality.

With so many high-quality spiritual energy batteries, how could he not make ruthless use of them?

After touring Ji Jue's "re-education" workshop and the "turn over a new leaf" assembly line, even Huang Xu gave a thumbs up—the waves of the Yangtze River push the waves ahead; if we're talking about being a piece of work, it has to be you!

You have to know that most Chosen ones are unruly, and these Water Ghosts, whom even the Great Calamity wouldn't take, were already rotten to the core; they were simply a pile of trash.

But who told Factory Manager Ji that he loves "making people" the most?

After implanting an explosive chip into the brain, then implanting a punitive electrode into the spine, and after digging out the heart and activating a mechanical god on the spot to replace it, and then pouring in some vitality squeezed from the Great Calamity's scales, they were transformed—a brand-new person!

Especially since the specially designed heart contained solid-state alchemy, which could extract spiritual quality at any time. Through precise calculation, the modified individuals were maintained in a state where they couldn't die but couldn't live either, without delaying work and study.

The heart's power source used wireless charging, with a range limited to within Xinquan. Once they left Xinquan, they naturally couldn't maintain it, not to mention the chip in their foreheads that would self-destruct if it couldn't connect to Wi-Fi.

【Continued from above】

After recognizing reality, the new employees, under the "enthusiastic help" of the old employees, wept bitterly and threw themselves into the great cause of transforming their lives and changing the wilderness.

"I have sinned! I have harmed the world!"

"I have failed my parents!"

"I have let down the common people!"

Amidst the sounds of painful repentance and wailing, Coastal Industry was once again in operation.

The war, which had lasted only a short hour, had just ended, and the maintenance and reconstruction work of Xinquan had begun again—the vast majority of the collapsed houses were subsequent shacks or temporary residences, so the losses weren't significant. Besides, with the ten-billion subsidy from the Seven Cities, Ji Jue was already rubbing his hands, unable to wait.

Rebuild Xinquan!

The little bit that was lost had long since been recouped dozens or hundreds of times over from the Water Ghosts who delivered themselves to his door!

It's just a pity that such a cheap deal only happens once; in the future, those nobodies will have learned their lesson and might not dare to deliver goods to his door like this again.

But it doesn't matter; if the mountain won't come to me, can't I go to the mountain?

The so-called love separated by mountains and seas—mountains and seas can all be leveled.

The present world is so big, and there are so many people who need to be transformed; facing the call of his employees, how could Ji Jue turn around and leave?

The development of Coastal Industry is bound to flourish!

It can be expected that for the next period of time, even in the rainy season, the entire Xinquan will be busy to the point of exhaustion, not just with the reconstruction of buildings, but also with further expansion.

It can't not expand anymore; the production capacity that was once more than enough now looks stretched thin.

In addition to the newly opened wind power generation and water supply, Ji Jue intends to expand the business into shipbuilding and ship maintenance. After all, now that the Long River has been diverted back to the estuary, development can rely on shipping.

Not to mention, there are so many ships left behind by the Water Ghosts.

Regrettably, they all belong to the Chen family now.

The Wilderness Market can't work for free either; when everyone was splitting the spoils, it was already agreed upon. Besides that, it also requires Ji Jue's cooperation and conditions for providing future collaboration.

"Growing bigger and stronger, creating new brilliance" is a common obsession in the heart of every leader; the heart of metamorphosis exists in the essence of all sentient beings and can never be changed.

After sitting firmly in the position of the leader, Chen Xingzhou naturally isn't willing to be limited to a corner of Haizhou—the various departments of the Wilderness Market within the Federation are fighting each other, but the Qiandao outside the Federation can be considered a blue ocean.

He intends to unite with the leaders of other regions and take advantage of this chaotic opportunity to test his strength against his peers in the Qiandao.

Pacquiao had to die; if he didn't die, how could he leave a market open? Ling Liu is covetous, so why wouldn't he be?

This is just the first step. After these ships stranded in the Long River are modified, they will be registered under Chen Yubo's Yulou Trading and begin to enter the shipping and trade industry.

As for whether it succeeds or fails, that depends on how he tests his strength against Ling Liu, how he pulls more people into the game, and what kind of bridge he builds with the North through this relationship.

The reconstruction work is complex and multifaceted, and even Ji Jue was busy to the point of being overwhelmed, having no time to pay attention to Old Tang for a while.

Busy until dawn, An Neng, who had disappeared for the whole night, finally showed up.

Except for a lock of hair that was scorched, he was completely intact.

He was still in that coconut tree T-shirt and big floral shorts, hanging around with a cigarette in his mouth, carrying a plastic bag, appearing from behind like a ghost.

However, this time, Ji Jue was the first to sense it.

To be precise, what he sensed wasn't An Neng.

It was the big black plastic bag in his hand...

It was heavy, as if it contained something.

It actually made him subconsciously feel hungry and thirsty, his heart almost having the urge to accelerate, but before that, it was suppressed by the Mechanical God.

"How were the results?" Ji Jue turned back as if nothing had happened, asking with a smile.

"Not great."

An Neng curled his lips, "They ran."

"Entropy... those guys from You Shuang, that's the only good thing about them; after energy-fication, they can split themselves at any time. If half of them die, just roast them with a fire, and they can immediately grow back. It's too convenient when escaping."

The sin-tainted transformation of the Entropy-type Chosen is, in itself, an uncontrollable form of energy, including spontaneous combustion, freezing, gasification, or light-ification, among many other differences.

Those who turn to accept the Great Calamity, although they can luckily retain some consciousness amidst the distortion, are no longer considered human at all. Once they turn into this ghostly state, they naturally don't fear splitting. This set of tricks is used more skillfully and smoothly than by Chosen ones, and when pushed to the limit, they can even completely split their souls.

As long as a single spark remains, they can rise from the ashes.

Wanting to wipe them out completely is really troublesome.

"However, it wasn't a wasted trip."

An Neng shook the plastic bag in his hand: "At least this was left behind."

Ji Jue looked curiously and asked logically: "What is that?"

But An Neng fell silent.

As if pondering, he shook the plastic bag in his hand,

looked at Ji Jue, and then looked at the direction outside Xinquan—to be precise, the distant, ruined ruins of Quancheng.

It was as if he had a faint realization, and he couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

"I probably know."

He exhaled a smoke ring and sighed: "You brat... you really have dog luck."

Riddle-man, get out!

Ji Jue rolled his eyes, not wanting to ask anymore, but An Neng suddenly leaned in, hooking his shoulders without any sense of boundaries, intimate and enthusiastic:

"Hey, brat!"

"Hm?" Ji Jue wanted to retreat in disgust, trying to pull away.

Do you people in the An family all have a bit too much of a "get familiar quickly" attitude? Can't you maintain some social distance!

Pity, he couldn't pull away.

"Don't be so distant. As for your relationship with Ning, as an uncle, I don't mind; it all depends on you two." An Neng's smile became increasingly frivolous and strange: "However, when do you plan to have a little cub with my niece?"

Ji Jue was stunned for a long time, only feeling his whole body creeped out, eyes wide with shock.

Are you crazy!

Or am I crazy?!

Uncle, do you want to look at what kind of pig-talk you're saying!

Seeing Ji Jue's dumbfounded, enemy-at-the-gates appearance, An Neng looked up and laughed, not offering much explanation, "Uncle here is giving you a good thing as a contribution!

Don't be in a hurry to refuse; later you'll know how good your uncle is to you."

Saying this, he threw the plastic bag in his hand into Ji Jue's arms.

Ji Jue caught it subconsciously and felt a surge and disturbance of spiritual quality in his body, as if an extinguished flame had been reignited; his heartbeat, suppressed by the Mechanical God, actually had a faint frequency of acceleration.

In a word, it was as if...

Hungry and thirsty?!

In a trance, the darkness from his nightmares seemed to appear before his eyes again, along with that patch of flame-light burning silently like in the deep sea.

So familiar.

"What... is this?"

He maintained a look of confusion, lowered his head, and opened the plastic bag. Inside was only a broken arm, as if it had been crushed into mud by a sledgehammer, almost unrecognizable.

At this moment, encountering the air, it immediately emitted wisps of

electric light and flames, but immediately, it was suppressed by a sharp awl stuck into it.

Difficult to change.

An Neng took off his cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and grinned: "A limb freshly picked from a Calamity Demon, nothing more."

The familiar sin-tainted aura, but besides that, there was something else different.

Ji Jue frowned, examining it carefully.

So pure and clear; even the darkness was pure black, a pure Great Calamity aura, without a trace of "Supreme Good." Between the mixed and murky spiritual quality of those sin-tainted ones, there was an almost essential difference...

He was stunned for a moment, and a figure suddenly appeared in his mind.

Lu Changsheng.

To be precise, it was Lu Changsheng's appearance before he died.

"Calamity Demon?"

Ji Jue asked casually: "What is that?"

"Yeah, what is that? Probably something like a wolf, right?" An Neng shrugged: "I can only say this much; besides that, it's up to you to find the answer yourself."

He paused, as if he suddenly remembered Ji Jue's character, and hurriedly reminded him: "I know you Artisans like to study things the Association doesn't allow, but don't waste this!

If someone comes looking for this later, don't be ignorant of its value; remember to open your lion's mouth wide and sell it for a good price."

"This kind of thing?"

Ji Jue "sighed speechlessly": "Who would come to ask for it?"

Thus, An Neng's smile became increasingly happy, and finally, he gave a meaningful smile: "When someone comes to ask you voluntarily, you'll know."

A few hours later, when the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Ji Jue received a message from Lu Yingyue.

【Finished?】 ===== CHAPTER 368 =====