Chapter 225: Only After Losing an Old Friend Can You Make a New One

“Who fired the shot?” Cun Ling asked.

Overjoyed, Sun Ci immediately stepped forward. Cun Ling merely nodded before glancing away again, leaving Sun Ci standing there awkwardly, unsure of what he was supposed to do next.

Cun Ling lightly tossed the bullet into the air before catching it. He already understood what had happened. It’s just pure, dumb luck.

The shot had pierced the aberration’s outer shell and struck the parasitic core directly. Unfortunately for the creature, the core itself wasn’t particularly durable, and the bullet had shattered it. It had been a fully formed aberrant, yet it had died in such a pathetic fashion.

Still, this bullet...

After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Who made it?”

Sun Ci almost raised a hand. Only now did he realize he had no idea who had handed him the gun. Turning around, he spotted Ji Jue standing there, leaning on his crutches.

Ji Jue lowered his head and replied softly, “I-it was me.”

Cun Ling rolled the bullet between his fingers, feeling the traces of craftsmanship left behind in its construction. Casually, he asked, “Where did you learn this Red Anvil spirit-matter catalysis technique?”

“I... I...” Ji Jue lowered his head further. His gaze darted away as he struggled to suppress his unease.

Cun Ling immediately understood what was going on. He merely smiled, unconcerned.

The workmanship alone told him everything. It was far too crude. There was some cleverness in how he had applied it, but the structure itself was flawed. Ji Jue’s fundamentals were clearly solid, yet his theoretical knowledge was lacking.

There was only one explanation. He’d stolen it.

Among craftsmen and apprentices, though, stealing techniques was hardly unusual. If you weren’t one of your master’s favored disciples, what choice did you have besides memorizing every move your teacher made, then going home to try figuring it out night after night?

One of the people beside Cun Ling flipped through the records and murmured something to him. Realization immediately dawned on Cun Ling. “So you’re Hu An’s apprentice?”

Hu An must have been the name of the craftsman from the Depths whom Ji Jue had met at the bank.

Cun Ling patted Ji Jue on the shoulder. “You’re a lucky one. And you’ve got decent talent, too. Looks like even a garbage dump can produce an occasional gem. Keep it up, kid. You’ve got a bright future ahead of you.”

“Y-yes...” Ji Jue nodded frantically as he felt the envious and resentful gazes of the others around him. After this, the cripple had actually managed to catch Lord Cun Ling’s attention. This could very well be his ticket to the top!

Finally, Cun Ling flipped through the underground workshop’s production records. His gaze moved across the production figures for each team, pausing briefly when he saw the number one hundred and fifty-nine.

“Sun Ci.” He looked toward the fortunate man who had, through sheer luck, killed the aberration. Perfect. That saved him the trouble of handing out a separate reward.

Sun Ci hurried forward and nodded.

“Are you familiar with the procedures?” Cun Ling asked.

Sun Ci froze, not understanding at first. Then realization hit him, and he nodded eagerly.

“Good. Every department’s been overwhelmed lately. So you’ll be in charge here for the next two days, Supervisor Sun,” Cun Ling said, emphasizing the title. “Don’t disappoint me.”

With that, he turned and left. The crowd accompanying him hurried after him, leaving the silent workshop behind. Everyone simply stood there, staring blankly.

A long while passed.

Eventually, Sun Ci snapped out of his daze. He turned to the man beside him and asked, “Supervisor?”

One of the team leaders immediately plastered a fawning smile on his face. “That’s right. Congratulations, Supervisor Sun.”

“Supervisor?” Sun Ci asked again, looking around as though he were sleepwalking.

This time, everyone nodded frantically. His breathing grew heavy, and he could barely stop himself from jumping for joy. Supervisor! Supervisor! I’m actually a supervisor now?!

Sure, the position didn’t amount to much in the eyes of the higher-ups, but a supervisor of a junkyard was still a damn supervisor! Besides, a place like this was perfect for lining his pockets.

Now that he’d been given this opportunity, all he had to do was scrape together enough cash and a few valuable materials as gifts for the higher-ups. After putting in his time, there was every chance he could leverage this promotion into a far more lucrative post.

His eyes grew brighter by the second as thoughts raced through his mind. The smile tugging at his lips became wider and wider, and even the pain in his arm seemed to vanish. He was so elated that he felt weightless.

I’ve made it. I’ve finally made it! I’ve finally made it!

And so Sun Ci smiled, basking in the looks of awe and flattery, as well as the admiring smiles and respectful gazes directed his way. He laughed heartily, intoxicated by his triumph, exchanging pleasantries with everyone around him. He made promises to some, graciously let things slide for others, and quietly added a few names to his grudge list.

Only after he had sent everyone away did he finally turn to the man beside him—his lucky star, his indispensable right-hand man, Ji Jue. Did he want to share his joy? Show off a little? Make a few grand promises and get the kid to work hard for him? Maybe it was all of those things. Maybe there was something more.

But for some reason, the moment he looked into that scarred face half-hidden in the shadows, it was as though two severed threads had suddenly found each other within a hopeless tangle. All the scattered clues fell into place, and everything became clear. As if enlightenment struck out of nowhere, he suddenly understood something.

Who showed up for their first day only for a disaster to break out immediately? How can the timing possibly be that perfect? A gun lands in my hand, and somehow I just happen to kill an aberration that enormous? Since when do people like me, someone who’s spent most of his life as nothing more than a drudge, ever stumble into that kind of fortune? Unless...

Sun Ci trembled. A bone-deep chill swept through him, as though he had been plunged into an icy pit. His eyes slowly widened as he stared at Ji Jue.

Ji Jue simply looked back at him. He smiled, happy for him from the bottom of his heart. “Congratulations, Supervisor Sun.”

But Sun Ci had gone rigid, unable to hide the fear and unease on his face.

“Y-You... I...” He stammered, struggling to get the words out. A vicious glint appeared in his eyes. “Don’t—”

Ji Jue cut him off, seemingly oblivious to everything. “Come to think of it, you were the one who fired the shot that killed the aberration, weren’t you? What incredible aim. You killed it in one shot. Truly impressive.”

Sun Ci stood there, petrified.

“Oh, I haven’t even thanked you yet.” Ji Jue sighed with heartfelt gratitude. “You helped me gather so many materials. And you were the one who submitted the things beside the furnace earlier too.”

Sun Ci couldn’t force a single word out. The color slowly drained from his face.

“This is wonderful. Really, congratulations on finally getting your big break.” Ji Jue paused, then sighed as though he knew exactly how Sun Ci felt. “Otherwise, who knew how many more years you would’ve had to wait?”

Sun Ci didn’t respond. His lips trembled, but no sound came out. Suddenly, he realized that something was terribly wrong.

When the furnace ‌exploded, the materials he had submitted had been right beside it. He was the one who collected all of Ji Jue’s materials, and he had even signed his name on the list. When the aberrant had awakened, the first person it had killed was the supervisor.

In the end, through what looked like sheer coincidence, it had died by his hand. Then he was promoted and became the new supervisor. He had escaped the mire he’d been trapped in for half his life.

Everything had fallen into place way too neatly. If anyone investigated afterward and worked backward from the person who had benefited most, every last bit of suspicion would point straight at him.

Dizziness washed over him, and darkness swam across his vision. Yet somehow, that scarred, smiling face only grew clearer before his eyes. Ji Jue watched as the workers cleaned up the mess in the underground. “I never expected the infighting in the Recycling and Processing Department to be so vicious. It’s truly impressive. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret. But I did you such a huge favor. You’ll help me too, won’t you?”

Sun Ci remained silent. After a long while, he swallowed dryly and nodded. An ugly smile flashed across his face. “Of course. W-we’re in this together now, for better or worse, right?”

Ji Jue smiled.

“So from today onward, that makes us friends, right?” He extended his hand. “Come on, my good friend. Let’s shake on it.”

Sun Ci stared at him, then at the hand extended toward him. His expression twitched once, twice. After a long silence, and under Ji Jue’s gentle encouragement, he finally reached out.

Ji Jue smiled warmly as he clasped Sun Ci’s hand, giving it a firm shake. “That’s right. Give me your hand. Good... good boy. From this day forward, we’re the best of friends.”

Man’s best friend wasn’t always a dog. Sometimes, it was a lapdog.

***

To everyone else, the cripple who had arrived that very day had become somewhat of a legend.

On his very first day in the Recycling and Processing Department, he had seized his chance just before Sun Ci’s rise to power, latched onto the right person, and became his trusted aide. No longer working to the bone like a common drudge, he had been promoted to assistant supervisor, gained free access to the underground workshop, and even started appearing before the higher-ups.

To everyone’s relief, he was a vast improvement over the last idiot who only knew how to sleep his way to the top. Not only was Ji Jue lenient about quotas and never raised them, but whenever the other apprentices fell behind, he would kindly step in to help.

In just a day, he had become everyone’s friend. No matter how bitter or cynical someone was, they couldn’t help but smile when they saw him and thanked him with utterly sincere gratitude. They swore to the heavens, made solemn vows, and praised Supervisor Sun with complete sincerity.

Mr. Sun is the best!

He’s so damn amazing!

Now that Mr. Sun’s here, justice has finally come to the workshop.

Now that Mr. Sun’s here, maybe our workload will finally get lighter!

Hell, even the benefits had improved. As Ji Jue pushed a cart around, personally handing out protective equipment to every apprentice, nearly all of them were moved to tears. Some looked ready to drop to their knees and kowtow to Mr. Sun on the spot.

For some reason, however, Supervisor Sun’s smile always looked a little strained. Everyone assumed it was because he’d called in an enormous number of favors to secure so much protective gear for them. The thought only made everyone admire him even more.

***

After becoming the assistant supervisor, Ji Jue naturally began taking over more and more duties. That included delivering the cleaned parts and sorted materials each day. Leaning on his crutches, he hobbled after one of the department’s senior supervisors, familiarizing himself with the workshop.

The supervisor in charge of internal affairs glanced at his crippled leg. She couldn’t even be bothered to comment on it, nor did she slow her pace to accommodate him. She was only showing him around because it was part of her job.

“The workshop has four levels,” the bald woman walking ahead said coldly. “The bottommost level doesn’t count. The first and second floors are where the other craftsmen work. Just deliver everything according to the assigned numbers. On the third floor, aside from the workrooms used by Master Jian Yuan’s apprentices, the rest of the space is used to store and transport materials and finished pieces. Don’t wander around without authorization and a signed permit. If you get yourself killed, you’ll only make someone else waste time writing the report.”

“What about the fourth floor?” Ji Jue asked curiously.

The bald woman turned and gave him an indifferent look without answering.

She didn’t need to say anything. There was only one possible answer. The fourth floor was Master Jian Yuan’s private domain. Forget going inside, even asking about it was taboo.

Ji Jue seemed to “realize” his mistake. He hurriedly slapped himself across the face and pleaded with a fawning smile, “Please forgive me. That was a stupid question. I’m terribly sorry.”

As he spoke, he caught her hand as though begging for mercy. With a straight face, the bald woman tried to pull free, but through the fabric of her sleeve, she suddenly felt something small and heavy slip into her palm.

The little pouch was filled with something like fine sand. It was at least four hundred grams’ worth of refined gold. Her stern expression softened at once, and she even managed a faint smile.

“Well, ignorance isn’t a crime,” she said, her tone noticeably gentler. “Newcomers don’t know the rules. That’s why it’s our job to teach them.”

“Exactly, exactly.” Ji Jue nodded vigorously, withdrawing his hand at just the right moment. “I’ll be counting on your guidance.”

“Mr. Sun sure got lucky. He ended up with such a sensible subordinate,” the bald woman said knowingly. She pushed open the door to the materials storage room and pointed at the empty shelves, with no intention of helping. “Just put everything there.”

“I’ll get it done right away.” Ji Jue wiped the sweat and the lingering streaks of blood from his face before hurriedly sorting the materials onto the shelves one by one.

As he worked, his gaze swept over a large door farther inside before moving away. It was the precious materials storage room. Inside his pocket, the spirit-matter fragment Lou Feng had left him gave the faintest tremor.

Ji Jue let out a slow breath of relief.

At last, I’ve found her.