Free Web NovelChapter 2: Survive a Great Disaster, Expect a Follow-Up Blow
Even though physics was irrelevant in all kinds of fictional works, that did not mean that everyone stopped living in a very physics-driven world.
As a second-year and soon-to-be third-year student in the Mechanical Engineering Department of Tianmen University, Ji Jue naturally would not question the foundation he would rely on to make a living in the future. But this watch was simply far too strange.
There were too many things about it he could not figure out. Every single detail revealed something strange about its craftsmanship and design.
Yet he did not dare take it apart, so he could only set the idea aside and wait for the right moment. Unfortunately, after all these years, that moment had never come. Instead, he had simply grown used to wearing it.
So it’s weird. Big deal. What am I supposed to do? Just throw it away?
The boy leaned back in his chair and stretched, only then noticing that, at some point, a plate of watermelon had appeared beside the desk. Turning his head, he saw that everyone else had already finished eating and was chatting idly. Only the youngest kid, still doing homework, poked his head out from behind the counter and stared fiercely at his portion.
“Thanks, Mrs. Lu!” Ji Jue said with a smile. He beckoned the child over and split his portion of the watermelon, giving him half.
“Jue, that...” Mrs. Lu recalled the term and smacked her forehead. “That emergency... responder exam. How did it go?”
“I just signed up.”
“That’s not right,” Lu Feng countered. “Didn’t you already take it last year?”
“What I took last year was the first aid test.” Ji Jue smiled. “This year I helped out for a while with the extreme sports club at school, so I figured I’d also complete the certified rescue training programme. That way I count as a Level Two lifeguard now.”
“Is that even useful?”
Lu Feng did not get it. To him, being a lifeguard meant sunshine, beaches, lounge chairs, big shorts, lazing around in the sun, enjoying the sea breeze and checking out girls in bikinis. If you were lucky, you could even help them apply sunscreen, then if things went smoothly, score a busy night with them. But that had absolutely nothing to do with someone like Ji Jue, a hardcore hustler who wished every single day had forty-eight hours.
“You’re already coming here to help out on top of going to college, and you’re busy with your thesis... Why bother taking this exam? Feels pretty useless,” Lu Feng remarked.
Mrs. Lu activated her signature move: Mom’s Furious Glare.
To Mrs. Lu, a diehard believer in learning-above-all, a good student could do no wrong. Someone like Lu Feng, who had failed to get into college, gone to the army, come back and now loitered around at home doing nothing, was bad enough for lacking ambition.
How dare he question a good kid like Jue? Has my slap lost its edge?
“Can’t help it. I’m just extra unlucky.” Ji Jue laughed self-mockingly and showed the cut on his hand, sliced open by A4 paper earlier that morning.
Mrs. Lu fell silent. She stared at the scar that crept up from Ji Jue’s neck, and after a long while, let out a quiet sigh without saying another word.
“The computer! The computer!” the second girl suddenly exclaimed in shock, pointing behind Ji Jue. “The computer’s smoking!”
“Wait, holy shit...”
Ji Jue turned pale with fright and spun around to look at the files on the desk. Before he could do anything, the computer went black and became completely unresponsive.
It was totally dead. It seemed that the power supply had burned out. After checking it over, Ji Jue could only arrive at a helpless conclusion.
Well, it’s an old computer, after all.
In truth, calling it an old computer was generous. It was more accurate to say it was a battle-hardened, stitched-together, epic-tier frankenputer that Ji Jue had assembled from all kinds of fourth- and fifth-hand parts. After years of patching and replacing pieces, the only thing that maybe still counted as part of the original computer was the frame.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time his computer had crashed halfway through working on his thesis. The fortunate part was that Ji Jue had developed a compulsive saving habit because of it. He always saved important files in three copies: on the hard drive, in the cloud, and on his phone. And every time he paused, he would habitually hit the save button.
If he was lucky, he would only lose a few hundred words. He could just rewrite those later. The real problem was the computer itself.
Ji Jue scratched his head. All he could do was later head over to the “junk heap” of the secondhand repair shop across the street and see if he could dig up a power supply that still worked.
As for buying a new computer?
Saving up was not an issue. The problem was that if he spent several months of savings to buy a new one, he might accidentally spill a cup of water on it the very next day.
At that point, aside from raging helplessly and crying a few pitiful tears, what else could he do? He had absolutely no confidence in his cursed luck.
As far back as he could remember, his luck had never been good. It was normal for him to open up a pack of instant noodles only to find that it came without a seasoning packet, and practically expected that he’d rip a whole strip of skin off his hand just trying to pull off a hangnail.
In elementary school, the whole class went on a spring outing, and he nearly got abducted by human traffickers. In middle school, he ended up homeless, tried to work to earn tuition, and instead dove headfirst into a pyramid scheme. Thankfully, he reacted fast enough to run away in time.
Later, when he came to the Mainland Auto Shop looking for work, he accidentally entered through the back door. He was mistaken for a thief by Lu Feng, who had just returned from military service, and immediately sent flying with a kick.
There were so many bloody, tear-filled moments in his life that it was hard to even put into words.
After all these years, the fact that he was still alive and had even made it into college could only be described as incredible fortune and a tough life[1]. He thought things might finally turn around, but on the very first day of school, after getting a bowl of Tianmen University’s most famous braised pork rice, he found himself a victim of a large-scale food poisoning incident. By the time it was his turn to be rushed into the emergency room, he was reportedly on the brink of death.
Lu Feng was truly blown away. He had spent years in the mud pits of the Central Lands[2] as a soldier, guarding oil fields and fighting one disastrous battle after another, barely surviving time and again. In all those years, he had never seen anyone as ridiculously unlucky yet freakishly hard to kill as Ji Jue. Even in Cliff City, where all kinds of monsters ran rampant, Ji Jue was a rare specimen.
After the computer broke, Ji Jue did not bother with it anymore. Since he had nothing better to do, he figured he might as well hang around and help the third child and the youngest with their summer homework.
He also enthusiastically and kindly recommended several sets of exercise books he had used back in the day to Mrs. Lu. They didn’t even need to buy new ones, as he still had his old set at home. He could just take an eraser to the answers, and they could keep using them. No need to waste money at all.
Ji Jue chuckled internally as he thought, Hey, no need to be polite, we’re all neighbors. Don’t stand on ceremony. I’ve even got a brand-new set of King of Exams: Thirty Sets at home!
He successfully incited Lu Feng’s awe, the second daughter’s shock, the third son’s terror, and the youngest’s sorrow.[3]
Being helpful really was great.
Ji Jue happily ate the melon that Auntie had cut. The youngest kid, who now knew his days were numbered, started crying and screaming for snacks.
“I’ll go buy some.” The instigator, Ji Jue, wiped his hands on his pants, basked in the resentful stares behind him, and said, “Perfect timing, too. I’ll swing by and snag a free power supply too.”
“Bring me a bottle of cola.” The second daughter, who had narrowly escaped disaster by getting into college, needed to calm her nerves.
Mrs. Lu, who was now wearing reading glasses and wrestling with the account book, did not even look up. “Get me a pack of cigarettes. Tell Zhang Min to put everything on my tab.”
“Got it. Thanks, Mrs. Lu.” Ji Jue did not stand on ceremony, and he started humming a tune as he headed out the door.
It was the height of summer, with the sun blazing bright, and a warm sea breeze drifted in from afar. Even the stray dogs that usually tore through the streets were sprawled out in the shade, soaking up the laziness of the day.
The teahouses on both sides of the street were packed. Electric fans whirred at full blast while old men in tank tops sat around, scratching their feet, sipping tea, and slapping down cards. It was lively and easygoing, just like always.
Whistling, Ji Jue walked ten meters or so to the convenience store on the corner, where he bought everything he needed. After a moment’s thought, he even paid out of his own pocket to grab a few ice pops for everyone.
He tore open his ice pop and, standing right under the cold blast of the air conditioner, took a hard, greedy slurp. Right away, he couldn’t help letting out a satisfied sigh as the sweetness and icy coolness spread through his mouth.
With this, even the blazing sun outside no longer felt as intimidating. Ice pops were the best.
Humming, he stepped back outside, ready to return to the shop, when he heard a shrill noise from behind him.
On the street, a tricycle piled high with waste cardboard suddenly veered off its path like a headless fly, swinging through a huge arc. Amid the screams of the crowd, it scraped past a street-side stall stacked with bamboo steamers. The counter toppled, the steamers slid off, and hot water splashed everywhere. Like a rampaging hippo, it charged straight at Ji Jue.
“Holy f—”
Ji Jue instinctively bit down and snapped the ice pop in his mouth. There was no time to dodge. By reflex, he grabbed the handlebars with both hands and looked up at the old man pedaling the tricycle.
The old man’s eyes had rolled white and were bloodshot all over, and white foam was spilling from his mouth. It looked like he was having a sudden epileptic seizure, and his body convulsed violently. Yet he still pedaled like his life depended on it!
Ji Jue felt like he was about to lose it.
Come on, old man, why do this to yourself? You’re already in this bad of shape... You’re really set on scamming me today, huh?
In that split second of stalemate, the mountain of waste cardboard piled in the tricycle tilted under inertia, broke free of the plastic ropes, and collapsed. It dragged the entire tricycle over onto its side, burying both of them underneath.
The pile of cardboard shook violently. At last, a hand weakly reached out from inside, pushing away the trash pressing down. Panting hard, Ji Jue popped his head out, and found that he was covered in dust and grime.
At least this time, his bad luck had not turned out too troublesome. Thank god it was just a crappy tricycle. If this had been a truck, then he would have been...
But then, he heard screams all around him.
The crowd that had gathered scattered in a panic. In their place came the piercing roar of a horn, so shrill it felt like it could shake a person’s very soul.
“What the hell is that noise?” Ji Jue turned his head slowly, and only then did he feel the gale-force wind rushing straight at him.
On the street, a massive thing came howling toward them. Its steel face, savage as some giant beast, was spattered with mud. The terrifying monstrosity was laden with sand and gravel, and it seemed to have no clue what “approved load limits” were.
It was a Nanfeng semi-trailer that stretched a full sixteen-and-a-half meters from end to end by two-and-a-half meters across, and it was racing straight toward him.
Ji Jue was dumbfounded. “You’ve got to be kidding...”
In that seemingly frozen moment of despair, he could already see the driver’s face in the cab, twisted with even more despair than his own.
He forgot how to breathe, and his hair stood on end. He wanted to scream, to shout, but there was no time left for sound to come out. There was no way to dodge.
Yet what surfaced in his mind was not curses, but an indescribable confusion, blankness, and even calm. Thoughts raced through his mind in rapid succession.
Holy crap, this is such a classic setup. Did all my good deeds finally pay off and I actually got approved for reincarnation today?! Wait, hang on. If I transmigrated, do I at least get a cheat ability?
Which platform am I even on? Does it at least come with a system? I’ve heard some shameless authors don’t even hand out cheats, just toss you straight into hell mode and still have the nerve to call it a feel-good power fantasy. They even swear up and down that the protagonist doesn’t suffer. Freakin’ scam. And who knows, they might even drop the story halfway through...
No, wait, hold on.
Ji Jue spotted a plot hole.
I’m not alone here, am I? Maybe the one reincarnating isn’t me, but that old geezer on the ground. Then wouldn’t I be completely screwed?
Later, when that old geezer transmigrates to another world, builds a harem, collects beauties, and beats the Demon King, will he remember that years before, when he was having a seizure and scamming people, there was an unlucky kid named Ji Jue somewhere? Will he take it as a lesson and do more good deeds after that?
At least don’t let my death be for nothing.
But it looked like he really was going to die for nothing. In that instant of realization, Ji Jue finally understood what the boundless darkness rushing toward him truly meant. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
He was going to die.
Die.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
A crisp sound, like an auditory hallucination, rang in his ears. It was rhythmic and unhurried, like the footsteps of death drawing near.
There was no escaping it.
92... 97... 98...
Ji Jue stared blankly at the enormous truck closing in bit by bit. He saw the locked tires grinding against the ground, as well as the gravel jolting loose and billowing up from the truck bed.
The engine roared, and flames blasted within the cylinders. The pistons hammered away with a thunderous roar, and as the brake pads ground against the discs, sparks burst out in a shower.
99...
Stop.
He wanted to shout it out.
Please, stop. Stop, stop, stop...
Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop...
He finally said, “Stop!”
Click.
The numbers on the watch face reached the logical limit and abruptly reset to zero.
The piercing screech cut off mid-note, and the gale vanished. A massive surge of sand and dirt burst out of the shattered truck bed, sweeping across the street like a mudslide before finally washing over the front of the truck and spraying into the air.
Then, like fine rain, it fell, covering Ji Jue’s stunned face.
Beneath the sand and dust, his eyes blinked as he stared at the truck’s front, now almost pressed against the tip of his nose. The hood trembled with cracks spreading across it, as if letting out a mournful cry.
Then came the sound of the chassis collapsing. The entire truck seemed to fall apart, rapidly caving in, splitting, breaking into pieces. A transmission shaft, glowing red-hot, burst out from beneath the chassis and pierced through sand and dirt, jutting diagonally toward the sky.
Ji Jue collapsed onto the ground. In a dazed haze of shock and confusion, he slowly raised a hand and wiped his damp mouth and nose, only to find his palm slick with blood. A nosebleed...
Around him, screams and angry shouts erupted. Belatedly, chaos ensued.
There were children crying and calling for their mothers. A bewildered woman rushed out of a shop, and upon seeing the scene, went berserk like a mother bear. She furiously yanked open the truck door and slapped the driver across the face over and over without aim.
Someone who looked like Lu Feng kicked the old man away, shoved his way over, and urgently grabbed Ji Jue by the shoulders before shouting something at him.
But Ji Jue no longer paid attention to any of it. The only thing echoing in his mind was the sharp sound that had come from the truck in that final instant.
It reverberated through his brain and instincts, like thunder shaking heaven and earth. It was the roar of machinery answering his command.
“Understood.”
1. Refer to Translator’s Thoughts for extra info. ☜
2. 中土 literally means “Middle Earth.” ☜
3. As you can see, the daughter is called “second daughter” because she is the second child and a girl. This is the norm, and it does not imply the existence of a “first daughter.” ☜
