Chosen: Beyond Fate

Chapter 45: Escape

Afraid? In a fleeting moment of shock, Ming Yan almost let out a cruel laugh. It’s too late!

But he was celebrating far too early. He didn’t understand that on a battlefield, when an enemy assumed this stance, it meant something entirely different.

After Lu Feng went prone, he saw Ji Jue appear from behind. In his hands was an absurdly massive weapon, as tall as Ji Jue’s shoulder. It was hardly a gun; it was more like a cannon.

The Mammoth II assault rifle was a standard-issue weapon module for the Federation military’s powered exoskeleton armor. Decades of battles across Central Lands had stained its muzzle with countless bloodstains, yet it still radiated a chilling aura.

Using his body as a brace, Ji Jue pressed the rear of the gun against the A-pillar of the vehicle frame. His fingers tapped the gun as a gentle smile braced his face.

“Fire.”

The entire building shuddered. The glass made no sound as it shattered, because everyone’s hearing was stolen by the terrifying, roaring thunder that followed. Amid the ringing in their ears, only a skin-crawling silence remained.

The pure weapon of war roared again and spewed fire, radiating power and destruction despite being on the verge of death! It was loaded with 22.4mm high-velocity, anchor-type armor-piercing rounds custom-made by the Sentinel Armaments. While nearly ineffective at extreme distances, its purpose was never to kill from thousands of meters away; it was meant for carnage at point-blank range.

On the battlefield, armored knights wielding this weapon against similarly armored foes would press it against the enemy’s armor and pull the trigger. It was called the Can Opener. No matter how tough or stubborn the target, once pierced by it, a flood of rich, sweet “tomato sauce” would gush out.

Now, after the thunderous sound and tremors, everyone raised their heads to see Lu Feng slowly rising from the ground. Before him were the shattered remains of the target. The giant shield was gone, and the armor was now useless. Cracks spread rapidly across the steel, which collapsed and fell away, revealing a pale, blank face.

Right in the center of his chest, a terrifying hole had opened up, so large it had nearly torn him clean in two. Through it, you could see the wall behind him ripped apart, punched through, then through again, and again, until it tore out of the building altogether. It vanished into the vast night sky, and finally plunged into the sea.

No one would ever find that remaining bullet again, and no one could save Ming Yan as he fell backward.

“Move! Boss, we have to go now!”

Bai Yi frowned, worried. He didn’t even have time to mourn the shadow beast that had been beaten into the ground. Grabbing the limp Jiang Jin, he hauled him up and ran.

Perhaps even someone like Jiang Jin, a local snake who thrived in the shadows, didn’t realize what was happening, but mercenaries from Central Lands had seen countless scenes like this in their nightmares. The moment the enemy pulled out something this absurd, resistance was futile.

No, long before those two had even stormed in here, they should have made a decisive call. This wasn’t the trophy fish they thought they were baiting, it was an unmistakable double-headed man-eating shark. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

He whistled again. The invisible shadow beast returned and lifted both him and Jiang Jin before barreling toward the exit from behind.

Bai Yi shoved Jiang Jin ahead. “Boss, you go first! I’ll hold them off!”

Unfortunately, as soon as Jiang Jin rounded the corner, Bai Yi, impatient as ever, mounted the shadow beast and charged out the window. They landed safely from the upper floor and sprinted away at full speed.

Cover them? Hold them off? At a moment like this? Yeah, right.

He was just here to make money, not to throw his life away for someone else’s amusement. How could he not know whose life mattered more between himself and his boss? If the boss died, so be it. Bye-bye. He could just find another boss.

Mid-sprint, the shadow beast abruptly stopped. No matter how much Bai Yi shouted or ordered, it refused to move forward. It couldn’t, or rather, instinctively wouldn’t cross that invisible boundary.

In a deserted alley, a slender figure sat on the steps, completely absorbed in playing on a handheld console. The soft glow illuminated short, shoulder-length hair and a delicate, almost androgynous face.

A cane rested diagonally against the wall, marking an invisible line.

“Stay there, don’t move. Wait until I finish.”

The player, focused but clumsy, repeatedly tried to execute a dragon-slaying strike on the on-screen monster, each time failing and missing. A hint of impatience crept into their voice. “One more step forward, and you’re done for...”

Bai Yi froze in place, not daring to move a single muscle.

***

Amid the ruins of the office, Ji Jue finally came back to himself from the intense ringing in his ears and dizziness, barely regaining a bit of awareness. It felt like he was clutching a red-hot iron pole, his fingers nearly getting burned.

Lowering his head, he exhaled and looked at the weapon in his arms. “Satisfied?”

“...Thank you.”

After a single blast, cracks had appeared along the Mammoth’s body. Its integrity was barely held together by the engraved Supreme Benevolence emblem, Ruins. Within the gun, the murderous intent accumulated over countless kills finally dissipated after being fulfilled. Like an old warrior who died victorious in one last fight, it welcomed its end and decommissioned without regret.

Thin streams of spirit matter seeped from the gun, merging effortlessly with Ji Jue’s own power. Instantly, from what he could tell, the Supreme Benevolence emblem grew brighter and more intricate, and his experience points surged!

“Phew...”

Ji Jue slowly released the gun and carefully dismantled it before returning it to the bag. Since he had promised Layla he was only borrowing it, he had to return it intact.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Someone was coming.

“You’re so slow, Feng,” he complained.

“Don’t blame me.” Lu Feng dragged Jiang Jin along like a dead weight, gasping for air. “This old bastard runs like a fucking professional athlete. I almost didn’t catch him.”

“What about the other one?” Ji Jue asked.

“He ran off, probably,” Lu Feng replied casually. “Judging by his complexion, he’s from the Central Lands. He saw the powered armor and weapons and completely freaked out. Ever since the people of the Federation and the Empire showed up, the locals don’t even scare kids with tales of monsters anymore. They’ve seen too much on the battlefield. When someone as experienced as him runs away, you can’t stop him.”

“Lucky guy.” Ji Jue sighed, lowering his gaze to the ruins and corpses. His face brightened with a sudden smile, and he asked the man on the ground, “You must be Mr. Jiang Jin, right?”

Jiang Jin’s face twitched. White hair streaked with blood hung over his forehead, and he looked utterly miserable.

“If you want to capture me, just come for me. Why make all this fuss?” Ji Jue held out a hand, counting silently. “Look at this... so many people died because of you... one, two, three, four... at least seventeen or eighteen, right?”

“You have no idea what you’re doing!” Jiang Jin gritted his teeth, forcing the words out through his throat. “You’re not getting away, Ji Jue!”

“Why would I get away?” Ji Jue smiled, curious. “I have a home, a family, teachers, and backing here in Cliff City. Why would I run? Shouldn’t the one running be you? Even if I don’t kill you, do you really think you’ll live until tomorrow morning?”

Jiang Jin went pale, especially when he realized Ji Jue was holding his phone and meticulously taking photos of him. His heart sank.

All these years, he had done all sorts of shady dealings. It was no exaggeration to say he’d incited the wrath of the heavens and men alike. If his influence waned, none of his backers would lift a finger to save him. His peers would certainly seize the chance to kick him while he’s down, just like he would have done in the past.

He wouldn’t live to see tomorrow morning. This wasn’t an empty warning. It was the unvarnished truth of his fate.

“So run, Jiang Jin,” Ji Jue encouraged with a smile, patting his shoulder earnestly. “Run. Let us see how far you can go.”

Jiang Jin’s face twisted in rage, and he wanted to shout or curse. But when Ji Jue aimed the gun at him, he fell silent. Gritting his teeth, he pulled himself up and sprinted toward the door with all his might.

Bang!

A piercing scream rang out. Jiang Jin stumbled and fell, clutching his shattered knee while howling and cursing.

The culprit, Ji Jue, grinned brightly while waving his pistol with enthusiasm. “Come on, Mr. Jiang! A true warrior isn’t brought down by a momentary setback. Standup, quickly. You’ve gotta be faster... or else, you die!”

Bang!

Another shot shattered the side of his head, tearing his ear apart.

Jiang Jin screamed and crawled forward with effort, dragging his broken leg behind him. But another gunshot rang out and knocked him down again, making him roll in agony. This time, it was the right leg that got shot.

Lu Feng whistled and cleared the gun smoke. “How long do you think it’ll take him to reach the door?”

“I don’t know.” Ji Jue shook his head, playing along. “Wanna bet? I’ll bet fifty Fedra that he’ll take ten minutes.”

“Deal!” Lu Feng grinned, raising his gun. “I bet he won’t make it.”

Ji Jue shouted, “Hey, Jiang Jin, you hear me? Keep going! Don’t be afraid! All the comics say effort plus friendship equals victory! Believe in yourself, you can do it!”

“Aaaaaah!” Jiang Jin screamed in the pool of blood, crying and wailing. He cursed, exhausting every filthy word and threat he could think of.

Bang!

Lu Feng pulled the trigger again, this time aiming at Jiang Jin’s left hand. He blasted a bloody hole through Jiang Jin’s palm, shattering his bones and severing his tendons.

“Knew you’d try to cheat.” Ji Jue sighed and raised his hand. Taking aim, he shot Jiang Jin’s right hand.

Alright. Bad news was, his limbs were all gone. But the good news was he could still squirm a couple of times. He writhed and rolled forward in his own blood, like a lost child searching desperately for his mother.

“Looks like you lost.”

Lu Feng shook his head and, for the last time, pulled the trigger as he aimed at the man’s head.

Suddenly, a low, cold snort echoed through the air. It sounded soft and menacing at first, and then it erupted, exploding into a thunderous roar that nearly took their breath away.

A blinding bolt of lightning tore across the night sky, slamming down in an instant, whipping up wind and shattering sound. Amid the chaos, a figure appeared out of nowhere from the lightning and raised a hand.

Casually and effortlessly, he pinched the bullet hurtling through the air. As lightning flashed, molten copper dripped slowly through his fingers. And yet, the fingers around the bullet remained unscathed. This was the Awakening of Insects[1] Matrix of Series One of Entropy.

The visitor’s long, cold eyes swept over the scene slowly and deliberately. When they finally landed on the two young men, a look of realisation dawned on his face.

Seeing the figure appear, Jiang Jin seemed to grow a backbone. He shrieked in ecstatic relief like a loyal dog greeting its master. If he still had limbs, he probably would have lunged forward. “Mr. Yu, save me... I, I—”

“Shut up.” Yu Hanguang[2] glanced at the pitiful, disgraceful wreck on the ground, then looked at Ji Jue before sighing softly. “Just as I thought... you’re a bastard who only knows to stir up trouble.”

Without warning or delay, he extended a hand, and the shattered area over ten meters away filled with infinite lightning. Within the raging storm, countless beams of blazing light converged and surged toward them through the air. It would have completely swallowed the two young men and reduced them to nothing. But nothing happened.

Ji Jue didn’t lose a single hair, and neither did Lu Feng. He even yawned and scratched his nose lazily.

At the collar of their jackets, an unremarkable crystal button shattered without a sound. Crystal growth erupted, forming gorgeous, razor-sharp petals. With ease, they halted the raging lightning before them, freezing it in place.

Ruins Path: Static Zone!

Ji Jue finally exhaled, and the spasming muscles in his calves relaxed. They were safe. He looked toward the door. “Ms. Wen, if you didn’t show up soon, we would have been done for.”

“Patience is how you catch big fish. Didn’t you say that?” Wen Wen stepped out of the swirling dust, smiling faintly at Yu Hanguang, whose face darkened. “Mr. Yu, fancy meeting you here.”

Yu Hanguang frowned, but he said nothing.

“If I remember correctly, North Mount is my jurisdiction, right?” She tilted her head, curious. “Since when did Gracefield District get involved?”

Her long fingers clenched, and her knuckles scraped together, producing a sharp, crystalline snap. She asked coldly, “Not planning to explain yourself?”

1. “Awakening of Insects” is the third solar term in the traditional Chinese calendar (falling each year on March 5th or 6th). It signifies the first peals of spring thunder and rising temperatures, waking the animals and insects that have been hibernating in the soil, marking the start of mid-spring. This solar term symbolizes the revival of all living things and the surge of vitality, heralding the beginning of the busy farming season in China. ☜

2. Yu (余) is a typical name in the southern area of China. It means "surplus" in Chinese. Han 含 literally means “to contain” or “to hold,” while Guang 光 means “light” or “radiance.”

To me, it conveys an image of someone who carries light within them, or a quiet brilliance or inner strength that may not be immediately flashy but is deeply present. ☜