Chapter 231: Always Have a Backup Plan

Boom!

The moment the tremor reached them, it abruptly froze. Countless fragments hung suspended in the underground workshop. A moment later, they flowed backward as though time itself had reversed, returning to their original positions. Everything was restored to perfect condition, without the slightest trace of damage.

Only the mercury spiders were crushed flat by an invisible pressure. Their remnant spirits were extinguished, vanishing without a trace. Then, an unseen force rushed downward and spread out. Following the remaining traces, it pursued its target and swept the area again and again, but it didn’t find anything. There was only a trail of footprints deliberately left to confuse the searchers and a swarm of spiders that had dragged shoes around through the tunnels.

“Where did you hide her?” Jian Yuan asked with a straight face.

Ji Jue grinned, completely unconcerned. “Hide who? I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re a distinguished Master Craftsman. You can’t just throw accusations around. Otherwise, I’ll report you to Maelstrom for slander. Besides, weren’t you the one who just said it? One must always be prepared for the unexpected.”

There should always be a backup plan. Better yet, there should always be a backup plan for the backup plan.

In a situation like this, no amount of trouble or extra preparation was excessive. Deus Ex Machina was capable of almost anything, but under Jian Yuan’s watchful eye, it amounted to little more than a parlor trick.

A craftsman who came prepared was truly capable of anything. And a prepared craftsman inside his own workshop could accomplish the impossible.

Ji Jue couldn’t be certain where his plan could go wrong or what flaw could give him away. More importantly, he couldn’t afford to let Tong Shan and the others end up as seven new additions to Jian Yuan’s collection because of his mistake. All he could do was prepare as many contingencies as possible.

Jian Yuan’s fingers twitched slightly. A projection appeared, displaying the list of materials and items withdrawn from the underground Recycling and Processing Department over the past two days, along with the records of the completed works that had been submitted.

The moment he compared the two, every discrepancy and missing item became apparent beneath the Master Craftsman’s discerning gaze. He tapped one finger against the armrest as realization dawned on him.

After a brief moment of astonishment and bewilderment, he could no longer restrain himself. He clapped his hands and burst into laughter, rocking back and forth in his seat.

***

Several minutes earlier, outside the workshop...

Within the dark ruins of Spring City, heavy pieces of steel were dragged out of the sewers. Mercury spiders crawled over them, tightening bolts and hauling welding torches behind them as they completed the final assembly.

A mercury puppet lifted Lou Yanyue and placed her into a specially prepared recess before relaying its creator’s message: “Give my regards to Mr. No-Fun, and see you never, motherfucker!”

Clang!

The cover slammed shut. Welding torches swept across the seams, sealing them perfectly without leaving the slightest gap. The puppet then took a step back and looked at the launch platform before it and at the missile assembled from numerous pieces of scrap and discarded components. It carried out its next command, planting its hands on its hips and declaring, “I’m fucking incredible!”

Ceremoniously, it slammed its palm down on the enormous red button.

As an explosion thundered from the distant workshop, flames burst from the tail of the improvised missile on the launch frame. The wind roared as the missile shot away with a deafening blast, soaring into the night sky in the blink of an eye. It was like a distant star suddenly flaring to life.

Beneath the eerie night sky, where bands of iridescent light drifted and shifted, it flashed once before vanishing. Its tail section broke away and exploded with a deafening blast.

Concealed by the brilliant fireworks, the remaining rocket had driven past the speed of sound through the crude but brutally effective method of simply adding more fuel. It hurtled unsteadily toward its chosen destination, or rather, toward its crash site. Either way, it was heading for freedom.

Boom!

The ruins shook beneath the tremendous impact as a storm of dust and wind engulfed the place. Horsey, who had been waiting in the shadows for a very long time, raced forward the moment the rocket crashed. With telekinesis rapidly excavating the wreckage, it didn’t take long to uncover the battered remains of the missile.

Within the leaking mercury that had served as cushioning lay the Death Lock crystal. After enduring violent acceleration, an explosion, supersonic flight, and a crash landing, cracks had spread across its surface.

Lou Feng was the first to rush over. Scrambling forward on all fours and with a pale face, he tore away the twisted metal plating. When he saw Lou Yanyue coughing within the cracked crystal, a trace of color returned to his face. Relief and emotion washed over him at once.

His lips moved, but no words came out. Overwhelmed by equal parts joy and shock, he no longer knew what to say. “Ji Jue, you bastard, thanks a lot! I ought to fucking thank eight generations of your damned ancestors—”

But when Lou Feng saw the horrific injuries covering his aunt’s body, his eyes reddened despite himself. With a yelp, he clutched his stomach and rolled aside.

“What are you crying for?” Lou Yanyue snapped. “Are you asking for another beating?”

Lou Yanyue withdrew her fist with an irritated huff, then tilted her head slightly, turning her empty and black eye sockets toward Tong Shan. “You’re Tong Shan, aren’t you? Thank you. If Xu Chaoxian ever gets on your nerves, come find me.”

“Are you the only one who made it out?” Tong Shan asked grimly as he searched through the wreckage.

“That guy...” Lou Yanyue coughed and sighed. “He’s probably in danger now.”

Without a word, Tong Shan bent down and picked up a surviving shard of metal from the missile. A message had been carved into its surface. Plans changed. They’re onto me. I’ve got a backup plan. Don’t come after me.

Crack!

The metal twisted under the force of his fury, collapsing into a crumpled lump before being crushed to powder. “Should we double back and strike again?”

Despite having only just escaped danger, Lou Yanyue showed no intention of retreating to safety. Blood seeped from the cracks across her face as she smiled coldly with hatred. “You can leave that old bastard Jian Yuan to me.”

Tong Shan shook his head expressionlessly. He glanced at the eerie, iridescent light drifting across the sky, then quickly looked away. “We leave first.”

He removed his coat, draped it over Lou Yanyue, and lifted her onto his back. Without another word, they vanished into the darkness without a trace.

***

Inside the workshop, no one dared to break the long, oppressive silence. Ji Jue stood with his hands at his sides, maintaining eye contact with Jian Yuan.

“All right. Everyone else, leave,” Jian Yuan said with a wave, dismissing the frightened and grim-faced crowd. “I’d like to have a word with our young hero here.”

The crowd scattered at once. The last few people even grabbed Sun Ci by the legs and dragged him away, leaving behind neither scraps nor garbage.

Ji Jue clicked his tongue in admiration. Craftsmen truly were a highly disciplined bunch!

At this point, all he could do was distract himself with a few pointless jokes. There was nothing else he could do. As he glanced around, his gaze briefly passed over President in the corner. His expression remained calm, but he signaled for it not to approach.

“What’s wrong?” Jian Yuan asked, walking ahead. “Where did all that confidence from earlier go? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“As expected of the Master Craftsman. Even after someone blew up your latrine, you’re still perfectly calm. I’m genuinely impressed.” Ji Jue followed closely behind him, scanning everything around them. He could find no weakness to exploit, nor any route left open for escape. With a sigh, he added, “To be honest, I still don’t know how you saw through me. Could you show a little mercy and enlighten me? At least let me die knowing what gave me away.”

Without looking back, Jian Yuan asked, “Do you think a craftsman cannot possibly recognize the materials he’s working with?”

Of course. No one wanted a fellow craftsman dead more than another craftsman. Apparently, Jian Yuan had already regarded him as material from the very first day he entered the workshop.

Ji Jue sighed mournfully. Craftsmen these days truly had appalling professional ethics.

“There are more than three hundred people in this workshop, including over two hundred apprentices. I know perfectly well who’s useful and who’s a hopeless failure,” Jian Yuan said slowly. “No matter how blind I am, I would never mistake fine timber and precious jade right beneath my nose for broken bricks and rubble. Only a fool like Cun Ling, who couldn’t see what someone is capable of in the present, would prattle on about someone having a ‘promising future.’”

Ji Jue glanced at him. “So you were taking a jab at me even then?”

“At him too.” Jian Yuan pushed open the door to his private workshop and sighed. “Unfortunately, neither of you understood.”

Ji Jue followed behind him, head held high and chest out as he strode inside. Since he was going to die anyway, he might as well die with as much swagger and confidence as he could muster.

Without the slightest restraint, he looked around and touched all objects he passed, like some country bumpkin who had never seen anything impressive before. Unfortunately, not a single damned item responded to him.

Jian Yuan merely stood nearby with his hands clasped behind his back, watching him with an amused half-smile. Go on. Keep touching. If you can make even one of them respond, I’ll take your surname.

He had even seen through Deus Ex Machina. Ji Jue released the object in his hand with a regretful sigh. “You seem to think rather highly of me, Master Craftsman.”

Jian Yuan smiled.

“Why wouldn’t I? You dared to play tricks right under my nose. You infiltrated my workshop for the sake of someone you’ve never even met, not out of foolish overconfidence, nor because greed clouded your judgment. Every step was methodical and carefully planned. Even afterward, you dared return to my very doorstep to prepare for what might come next. Talent, ability, quick thinking, courage, you have it all.” Jian Yuan gave him a good look. “Why shouldn’t I admire you?”

Ji Jue burst out laughing. “You’re making me admire myself.”

His laughter died abruptly. An invisible force froze him in place and lifted him into the air, scanning him from the tips of his hair to the backs of his heels, leaving no part unchecked, even his soul.

A monocle appeared in Jian Yuan’s hand. Threads of spirit matter light intertwined across its lens, laying all of Ji Jue’s secrets bare. “You call that praise? Compared with what makes you truly exceptional, none of those qualities are worth mentioning. Putrefaction, White Hall, Rampant Slaughter, Absolute Abyss... You’re also one of the Cursed Ones of the Ruins Path, aren’t you? Hmm, and there’s even a tower on the verge of being born and a wolf yet unborn, but soon to emerge.

“Four of the manifested Abominations have already marked you, while all three of the unborn ones have become entangled with your aura. And that’s not even counting the marks left on you by nine of the Supreme Benevolences. There’s Onyx too, and Pacifier?”

Jian Yuan clicked his tongue in amazement. “To gather so many assorted things alone, you truly are... quite the distinguished collection. What a remarkably promising future you have.”

What the hell?

Ji Jue’s heart lurched, and he was rendered speechless. It felt as though he had spent his entire life walking naked through the streets, only to suddenly discover that his bare ass had been covered in official certification stamps all along. He was a stamp album now!

So he was personally selected by the Supreme Benevolences and expertly nurtured by the Great Abominations? Putrefaction and White Hall made sense, but when had Rampant Slaughter... oh. That must have happened when he used the Swarm’s corpses to cultivate the aberration toxin.

But what about Absolute Abyss? Right. The Heretic Cult had generously sent it his way!

Ji Jue barely managed to keep his expression composed. “You flatter me, Master Craftsman.”

Once Jian Yuan had finished examining him, he waved a hand, and Ji Jue immediately dropped to the floor. Pain contorted his face, and he lay there for quite some time before he could even begin to get up. His mercury exoskeleton had been stripped away, and his legs were still broken.

Watching him writhe in agony, Jian Yuan broke into what appeared to be an amused grin. “Who is your teacher?”

Ji Jue sneered. “You already know so much. Why not take another guess?”

“Do I even need to? Of all the people from the Association waiting outside, only a handful are capable of teaching someone like you. Duan Mu is a stubborn fool who has given up on himself. He could have never trained someone as crafty as you. Zhou Zhong does nothing but work his apprentices to the bone, and he would never let such a useful tool wander around freely. Kong Qingyan may have some nerve, but with her need for control, she could never keep your rebellious streak in check.

“The rest are all mediocrities. Not one of them deserves material as fine as you, much less possesses the ability to teach you. That leaves only one person. Besides, your method of disabling the alarm sequence bears a signature found nowhere else. Your teacher is Ye Xian, isn’t she?” Jian Yuan declared with absolute certainty.