Chosen: Beyond Fate

Seven days later, at noon, the Cliff City garrison base was bustling with activity.

Fully loaded trucks thundered down the dirt roads one after another, kicking up clouds of dust as they disappeared over the horizon. Enormous airships rose and descended at the sprawling airfield. Their immense shadows crawled across the ground, sweeping over Ji Jue before gliding off into the distance in pursuit of the departing vessels.

“Wow. This is one hell of an operation.” Ji Jue clicked his tongue in amazement. Carrying a suitcase, he presented his identification and passed through the security checkpoint at the entrance.

Beyond it lay a vast plaza. Rows of heavy vehicles waited to be loaded, while soldiers in full combat gear lounged on off-road transports, wearing sunglasses and smoking cigarettes as they commented on the scene unfolding before them.

The governor of Haizhou really intended to stir things up. It sounded like he wanted to accomplish everything in one decisive campaign. A bold move, certainly. Actually pulling it off, however, would be another matter entirely.

The calamity in Spring City had haunted all of Haizhou for decades.

Before Spring City fell, it had been the very heart of Haizhou, effectively the province’s capital. Tide City had been nowhere near its current prominence, but after the great collapse that swallowed Spring City, the entire Haizhou had been dealt a crippling blow and had remained in decline for many years. It had only just begun to recover through maritime trade when it was struck by the Tidefire Calamity. One could only say its fate had been exceptionally cruel.

Throughout those years, the pollution spilling from the underground caverns had never ceased. It wasn’t as if no one had tried to eliminate the threat at its source. Time and again, people had proposed wiping out the disaster beneath Spring City once and for all, yet every attempt had ended with much fanfare and little result.

There was never a sufficiently powerful leader. The major cities and minor towns bickered endlessly over their own petty interests, and before long the meetings would adjourn with everyone heading home empty-handed.

As an ordinary nobody, Ji Jue had no access to the real inside story. But while he didn’t know much about Spring City, he certainly understood the Federation. As long as taxes kept flowing in, assigned tasks were completed, and quotas were met, why would the big shots in the Central City council care about the lives of common people? Rather than pinning his hopes on that, he could very well hope the governor of Haizhou planned to run for president and make the Federation great again.

In any case, none of it had anything to do with Ji Jue. He was just there to lend a hand and support the real experts. If the operation succeeded, he’d earn a shiny new accomplishment for his résumé and, hopefully, add a wealth of valuable materials to his embarrassingly empty inventory.

And if it failed? Well, he’d just run for it behind his teacher. As the saying went, “When the sky falls, there will always be someone taller to hold it up[1].”

I’m just here to fix vehicles.

***

After checking his credentials, the soldier seemed a little puzzled that someone so young had been granted access. Still, he didn’t question it. He simply pointed Ji Jue in the right direction, warned him not to wander around, and let him through.

Ji Jue had barely taken a few steps when he spotted some familiar faces beneath a sunshade outside the security fence. Someone was waving both arms energetically, as if afraid he might not notice.

Ji Jue blinked in surprise. “An Ran?”

Seeing that he’d noticed him, An Ran beamed. “Stay safe, Mr. Ji!”

“Will do, will do.” Ji Jue couldn’t help smiling. The simple farewell warmed his heart.

“Stay safe, Mr. Ji!” a mocking voice immediately echoed the exact same words. Tong Hua was standing beside An Ran, deliberately imitating him in an exaggerated, singsong tone.

Ji Jue chuckled politely in her direction, though his fist was itching. Just you wait. I’ll definitely share some of your embarrassing stories with everyone when I get back.

“Stay safe, Mr. Ji!” another voice joined in. Behind Tong Hua, a tall woman looked over, pushing her polarized sunglasses up the bridge of her nose with a teasing grin.

Ji Jue’s face twitched. “Ms. Wen, why are you joining in too? And Mr. Zhang, don’t you dare!”

Fortunately, he managed to stop the old man lounging behind her before he could parrot the line too. No longer bothering to keep up appearances, Ji Jue hurried over to the guardrail. “What are you all doing here?”

“Site security,” Wen Wen replied with a shrug. She jerked her chin toward the city center. “Same old stuff as always. Tong Shan just has to say the right words and the people below run their legs off. That brat’s getting better and better at putting on airs.”

She sighed dramatically before flashing Ji Jue a teasing smile. “Unlike us poor grunts on the front lines, Mr. Ji’s already made it big. It’s been so long since you last visited the North Mount District. Makes me wonder whether you even remember your old friends.”

Ji Jue smiled wryly. “Come on, don’t make fun of me. I’ve just been busy. Really busy. I've been so busy it's been killing me. I’ll treat everyone to a meal when I get back, I promise.”

He’d only managed to get a little sleep at four in the morning, and the dark circles under his eyes were still painfully obvious.

After teasing him for a bit, Wen Wen let the matter drop. She pointed at the suitcase in his hand.

“You’re an Ember Chosen One, yet that’s all you’re bringing? Just this little case?” She frowned. “Is it enough? If you’re really that broke, we can all chip in and put together a decent travel kit for you.”

“Don’t worry. The important stuff’s already with me.” Ji Jue paused, then turned around and gave a sharp whistle.

Thick black smoke rolled in from behind. The steady putt-putt-putt of diesel engines grew louder and louder, accompanied by the screech of grinding metal.

To everyone’s astonishment, a bizarre-looking vehicle drove in as if it owned the place. As it pulled up beside Ji Jue, it flicked its tail in a sharp turn, and gave two triumphant blasts of its horn.

Beep! Beep!

At first glance, it looked like one of the countless illegally operated mini cargo trucks that roamed Cliff City’s streets. The entire vehicle was wrapped in armor so thick that even the military off-road vehicles nearby looked underprotected by comparison.

Its four oversized wheels and towering suspension lifted the chassis nearly a full meter off the ground. Beneath the armor plating, dense bundles of cables snaked across the vehicle like tangled vines. Mounted above the front was a row of spotlights, though they had no use in broad daylight. Behind the cab loomed an enormous cargo bed that had been raised to two and a half meters high, practically pushing the limits of what the traffic authorities would tolerate.

Its twin diesel engines continued to roar, belching thick black smoke into the air with complete disregard for the environment.

Watching this mechanical monstrosity roll in, Wen Wen could only stare. The corner of her eye twitched uncontrollably. “What... is that?”

“It’s Horsey, of course. Haven’t you guys seen it before?” Ji Jue asked innocently. “I even drove it over to your place to register it back then!”

“You're seriously telling me this is the same vehicle you registered?!”

Wen Wen felt like a blood vessel in her brain was about to burst. She remembered Horsey perfectly. Back then, it had clearly been a tiny, low-powered scooter. Then, after Ji Jue came back from the rift realm, it had somehow turned into a three-wheeler.

Fine, she could live with a few modifications, but what the hell was this? Some kind of armored senior mobility vehicle[2] Plus Edition crossed with a budget, lower-spec armored personnel carrier? It was so ridiculously over the top that she didn’t even know what to say.

“As everyone knows,” Ji Jue said calmly, pushing up an imaginary pair of glasses, “I’m a vehicle maintenance engineer. So I just did a little tinkering on my own vehicle in my spare time. Perfectly normal.”

The truth was, with Lu Feng helping out and Layla supplying parts through her connections, he could have made it even more outrageous. He’d been eyeing one of Universal Heavy Industries’ heavy-duty construction truck chassis for ages. Unfortunately, his wallet had vetoed the idea.

Over the past few days, he’d filled his shopping list with parts until his once-healthy bank balance had vanished completely. Not only had he spent every last cent, he now owed Layla quite a bit of money as well.

She had simply waved it off, telling him not to worry about it and to build whatever he needed. Even so, looking at her cheerful smile, Ji Jue just couldn’t bring himself to ask, “Any chance you could also get me a secondhand Vulture aircraft autocannon?”

Alright, alright. Better not push it.

After recalculating everything over and over, trimming every kilogram he could, the vehicle was still overweight. To ease the burden on Horsey, he’d even installed two extra diesel engines.

If he’d had just a little more time, Ji Jue could have added even more new toys to it.

Now that Horsey had been transformed into this, the old advertisement for Mainland Auto Shop, which Lu Ling had once tearfully denounced, was finally gone. In its place, Ji Jue had plastered the logo of Lu Feng’s Expedition Security Company.

Not that Lu Feng minded. As far as he was concerned, this was free advertising.

1. The saying "When the sky falls, there will always be someone taller to hold it up" is a Chinese idiom. When used to describe a person's character, it carries a positive connotation. It refers to someone who is optimistic and open-minded, who remains calm in the face of danger and does not worry unnecessarily. Even in adversity, they do not complain about fate or blame others, but instead maintain a positive outlook and face reality with composure and equanimity. ☜

2. 老头乐 ("old folks' runabout") is a colloquial term for low-speed electric three- or four-wheeled vehicles, also known as senior mobility vehicles. They are typically battery-powered and often resemble miniature cars. Because they are inexpensive and easy to use, they became especially popular among middle-aged and elderly people, mainly for short-distance travel or for picking up and dropping off children. Here is a picture for your reference. ☜