Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

“Ah, it’s for him.” Ji Chaoge’s tongue traced across her slightly dry lips. “It has always been for him.”

"...No, wait, brother, wait...I know you must have your own plans and ideas, but this won't do, absolutely won't do, how can you arrange it like this?"

"Ah. Indeed, I also feel it's somewhat inappropriate." Ji Chaoge shrugged, circling a point between the City of Truth and the aircraft location 8,000 kilometers away. "The tomb of Marquis Mingxuan is here. If nothing unexpected happens, Wang Qiushui is probably here now. After this apocalypse, she will definitely see it. With the speed of the apocalypse, without knowing there's an aircraft there, she wouldn't have enough time to rescue Ying Qin Guan. The problem is, after the apocalypse explodes, she will definitely rush there. Who knows what might happen then? What if Ying Qin Guan isn't dead, but is on the verge of death, and she manages to save him? That wouldn't be very pleasant..."

Yes, this is the point Ji Chaoge mentioned earlier. With three points in a line, Wang Qiushui, sandwiched in the middle, will definitely see the trajectory of that apocalyptic cannon. And given her current state, she's clearly not afraid of death; she'll probably venture deep into the apocalyptic attack zone, and who knows, she might actually find the dying one. Logically speaking, it would be terrible to extend the life of Ying Qin Guan, who was supposed to die.

"Yes...yes!" Ji Fenming didn't actually fully understand the relationship between Wang Qiushui, Ji Chaoge, and Ying Qinguan. But now that Ji Chaoge had offered a way out, he was sure to take it. He hurriedly said, "This Doomsday spell could have been used on Fengsan Province or the military's main base. There's no reason to use it on him; it would be such a waste."

"A waste?" Ji Chaoge shook his head and said, "Brother... you don't understand at all. As long as it's to deal with him, no amount of sacrifice is a waste. What I'm really afraid of is that this apocalypse attack won't kill him. He might even retain his fighting strength, and then Wang Qiushui will be lured there, directly bringing him to the City of Truth..."

"The chances of that happening are extremely slim..."

The thought crossed Ji Fenming's mind, and he believed it was almost impossible. But these words were in line with Ji Fenming's thinking, so he naturally did not refute them, and immediately said, "In that case, we should not use this shot on him."

"No!"

Ji Chaoge's voice suddenly rose, his expression cold and tyrannical as he spoke, each word distinct and forceful:

"That's precisely why this shot should be used on him."

Chapter 41 I'm Waiting for You

The hardest thing for people to do is to understand each other. Even when you know that the other person is far superior to you in every way, from logical thinking to overall perspective, from decision-making ability to action, it is still hard to believe the decisions they make.

Ji Fenming felt exactly that way right now.

Before the apocalypse is unleashed, it maintains an unparalleled nuclear deterrent and a global strike range. Even a single, incompletely charged strike is enough to destroy a giant city. Holding such a weapon in one's hand would bring immense peace of mind.

Even if it were to be used, it should at least be for achieving certain strategic objectives. In any case, using a single doomsday missile against a person or an aircraft is simply too much...

Moreover, this attack might not even be enough to take down Ying Qin Guan. In the worst-case scenario, it could even lure Wang Qiu Shui away, and Ying Qin Guan, still alive and capable of fighting, could be directly brought into the battlefield by Wang Qiu Shui.

No matter how you look at it, using Doomsday on Ying Qin Pass is an extremely low-cost-performance option.

This doomsday weapon, whether kept to establish a deterrent or to inflict pain on the Fengsan Province, is certainly not meant to be used specifically against Ying Qin Pass.

Ji Fenming was quite puzzled.

“You don’t understand.” Ji Chaoge shook her head, taking advantage of the time to recharge during the apocalypse to have a chat with Ji Fenming.

"I can roughly guess what you're thinking... Think about it carefully. No, let me sort it out for you, in the worst-case scenario."

"First, Ying Qin Guan has to survive the direct hit of the apocalypse... In fact, very few creatures in the world could do that. And he wasn't even on the ground, but eight thousand meters in the air, being hit by the apocalypse at that altitude. Then he would undergo an eight-thousand-meter free fall... What do you think are the chances that he would survive?"

"...It's so small that even the height of it would be enough to kill you, let alone be hit by the apocalypse."

"That's the first point... The second point is about Wang Qiushui." Ji Chaoge pointed to the large map. "This is the tomb of Marquis Mingxuan. She should be here now. The apocalypse is huge, and she will definitely see this amazing cannon shot. But given the speed of the apocalypse, she can't stop it. The problem is that afterwards, she might find Ying Qin Pass. But think about it carefully, how low is that probability?"

"This apocalypse attack won't be fully charged, but it can still cover an area of ​​5,000 square kilometers. What does that mean? The capital of Ice Lemon City only covers 3,000 square kilometers. She doesn't even know where Ying Qin Pass is. Why would she give up the last and most precious period of her life to inexplicably venture into this area full of strong radiation to search for someone she doesn't even know is still alive? Even if she wanted to, do you think the probability of her finding her is high?"

The answer is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Ji Chaoge paused slightly, then continued, "Of course, if her logical abilities are up to par and she dares to guess, she should be able to figure out that the Nameless Swordsman of Southern Qin was on that plane... because she knows that the end of the world is in my hands. And apart from the Nameless Swordsman of Southern Qin, no one is worthy of making me fire this shot. But even if she guesses it, she may not be able to find him, and even if she does, Ying Qin Guan may not be alive, and even if he is alive, he may not be able to retain much of his fighting strength."

"But what if... Wang Qiushui's mind suddenly cleared up at the last moment of her life? And then she had a stroke of incredible luck, found Ying Qin Guan, who was actually still alive, not only alive but also retaining a huge amount of fighting power, and was actually brought here by Wang Qiushui? If this series of low-probability events all happened to coincide, then..."

Ji Chaoge looked at the large map expressionlessly.

"I can only conclude that this is fate. A battle between him and me is inevitable; there's no escaping it, it's bound to happen, and only I can truly end it. If this battle is destined to erupt, then regardless of whether I use this apocalyptic weapon or not, Ying Qin Guan will come here. Even without Wang Qiu Shui, some other inexplicable beings—ancestors, goddesses, mythical creatures, whatever—will suddenly jump down from the sky, choose to enter the fray, and deliver Ying Qin Guan to me..."

“Can you understand, Ji Fenming? The cause and effect involved here is not as simple as you think. Wang Qiushui is not the key. If she can bring Ying Qin Guan to me, then even if she dies, Ying Qin Guan will be brought to me by someone else. If he is destined to come, then even if I don’t use this doomsday spell, he will definitely come.”

"It's not that I pulled the trigger and killed someone. It's that this person was destined to die, but fate chose me to pull the trigger. Even if it weren't for me, someone else would have pulled the trigger, do you understand? Right now, Wang Qiushui is the most likely person to pull the trigger, but she's definitely not the only one who can pull it."

Ji Fenming was confused. He said blankly, "Brother... I don't understand."

"Don't you understand? Well, there's nothing I can do about it. Let me explain it in the simplest way possible. Whether Ying Qin Guan comes or not cannot be affected by any external variables. No matter what I do, he will come if he's supposed to, and he won't come if he's supposed to. Even if I hide it on his face, I can't take him away. This cause and effect is already predetermined. Under this premise, if I assume he's going to come, then I have to reduce his condition as much as possible. The best way... is this."

"...I still don't understand, but brother, if this is your choice, I won't say anything more."

"Still don't understand..." Ji Chaoge shook her head, ultimately not forcing the issue. It was too difficult to make others understand her. With Ji Chaoge's wisdom, she naturally understood what Ji Fenming was thinking. He must think that she had been traumatized by Ying Qin Guan and was therefore afraid of him, leading her to act irrationally.

To say that she has no inner demons and isn't afraid at all would be a lie. But to say that she would act irrationally because of this, or deliberately change her overall strategy for him... no way. Ji Chaoge has never had such weak emotions, nor would she make such a choice.

He was absolutely certain that Ying Qin Pass would be his biggest obstacle... perhaps this was destined the moment the anti-force field appeared.

Ji Chaoge looked up and saw the words "Charging complete" displayed on the screen above.

"Let me see, Ying Qin Guan... If you die there silently, then I'm wrong. Even if I might win everything because of this, I've actually lost completely. It's a real dilemma. Do I want to win or lose? In the end, the choice isn't really on my side... Come on, Ying Qin Guan."

His gaze was deep and his expression was as firm as iron. Ji Chaoge always encountered various incomprehensible, inescapable, and inexplicable adversities in his life, but his fighting spirit never waned because of them.

Life, in essence, is an endless struggle.

"Come on... I'm waiting for you."

Chapter Forty-Two: Flowing Light

A tremendous roar resounded, and a terrifying shockwave swept through, causing Himura Tanzakura and the four people fighting him to stop and look westward with slightly dazed eyes.

The astonishing noise, the enormous roar... even those who had never witnessed the apocalypse and knew nothing about its parameters, upon hearing this terrifying sound and feeling the horrific shockwave sweep across the land, causing the earth to tremble, all realized that the apocalypse had been activated.

Only the end of the world, only the end of the world.

"Am I destined to miss out...?"

Mu Nandong was shaken. Gazing into the distance, he and Ed had both participated in the design of the apocalypse. They knew all too well what this scene symbolized... The anti-force field was indeed controllable. They just hadn't expected the apocalypse's security gate to be breached so quickly... At this moment, there was no resistance whatsoever. It was destroyed with overwhelming force.

Amidst a deafening roar, the earth trembled violently, and a massive beam of light shot into the sky, like a cascading Milky Way, hurtling into the distance.

-

Wang Qiushui stumbled and staggered into a cemetery... Just as Ji Chaoge had guessed, she finally arrived here.

Before arriving here, she had taken several steps to seek further assistance. However, Wang Qiushui had reaped what she sowed. She was elusive and unpredictable; she was always the one contacting others, never the other way around. There was no stable communication channel between them. Furthermore, Cain's actions, coupled with Wang Qiushui's repeated moves, left her with no opportunity to resolve the issue. Overwhelmed by rage, she felt her life was nearing its end, and even if she had any methods, they would be useless. Even if an ancestral destiny were immediately presented to her, she feared she wouldn't live to enjoy it.

So, in the last period of her life, she came here... to the cemetery where Marquis Mingxuan is buried.

"We've all been deceived by Wenren Geshi..."

Wang Qiushui's mind was still in turmoil, unable to truly understand Ji Chaoge's reason for attacking her. She knew Ji Chaoge was using the alien race. So what if she saw those red eyes? Those eyes weren't on Ji Chaoge's body.

Ji Chaoge actually acted because Ji Fenming was about to call out "Big Brother," but Wang Qiushui was unaware of this. In her view, Ji Fenming's appearance was normal, perhaps just to distract her, while Ji Chaoge's attack was premeditated.

—Here's a joke: The legendary schemer Ji Chaoge wanted to deal with the God-Sealing Magician, and she had a premeditated plan. Her specific plan was to... sneak up on her when she wasn't paying attention.

If Wang Qiushui could think of this, she would realize that Ji Chaoge's decision was impulsive. Thinking further, why would it be impulsive? Clearly, it's because of Ji Fenming. But she knows he has connections with the alien races, so what if Ji Fenming appears? If she had a wilder imagination, she might be able to guess that Ji Fenming would reveal the truth that caused the rift between them. Considering that Ji Fenming wouldn't self-destruct without a reason, the truth that caused the rift would naturally be something like... "addressing."

If one can grasp this point, the rest becomes much simpler. But this is clearly not easy for Wang Qiushui; she is still completely bewildered, not knowing why Ji Chaoge suddenly made his move... even though her days are numbered.

Not to mention Ji Chaoge's strength... how could it have improved so rapidly?

There are so many things I can't understand, and in the end, all I can say is a powerless "I've been deceived."

"Is it the destiny of the Earth Mother Goddess...? He used it himself, so it's probably true..."

Wang Qiushui finally understood some things, but then she shook her head, trying to put them aside. If she could, she would certainly want to die knowing why. But there are hardly any perfect endings in this world. It's common to die with unresolved questions and doubts. Take Ji Qiuming, for example. He actually had many unfinished business, but he passed away peacefully.

"It's over... It's exhausting, but there's nothing we can do..."

"I'm so unwilling to accept this... What exactly happened from beginning to end? What's the story with Cain? If anyone knows the answers to all of this in the future, could you please burn them for me?"

【“..”】

He gazed at the autumn waters and sighed softly before closing his eyes.

She had resigned herself to her fate. To this day, everything about Ji Chaoge was still shrouded in mystery. Even now, Wang Qiushui didn't know Ji Chaoge's real name; the two were not on the same level.

【"..etc."】

"Was his attack on me really premeditated?"

Despite having already decided to give up completely and stop thinking about Ji Chaoge, Wang Qiushui couldn't help but have the same thought when she closed her eyes.

Ji Chaoge, a master schemer, completely manipulated Cain, Wang Qiushui, and Kui. Shenxin, the hazy figure, and Xunjiang, knowing they were being used, could only grit their teeth and swallow their anger. If someone like that wanted to scheme against someone… would they just come at him like that?

This is completely unlike Ji Chaoge's style. If he had really planned this for a long time, it would have been a series of interconnected attacks. Even if he did make a move, how could it be him personally?

[“Wait… something’s not right here. So, this doesn’t mean he planned this all along, but rather it was a spur-of-the-moment decision?!”]

Wang Qiushui's mind became even more confused, and she did not become clear-headed as she got closer to the truth.

"If it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, was it because of that rebellious ghost? No, I know he's cooperating with the alien races... Could it be that he thinks I'm no longer of any use, so he wants to kill me? That doesn't make sense either. He knows my current state; I wouldn't even need him to lift a finger, I'd die on my own..."

Why exactly...?

Wang Qiushui's current state is like that of a high school senior tackling the last question on the final, most challenging problem of their college entrance exam in mathematics. No matter how confident you are, no matter how strong your foundation, sometimes you inexplicably get stuck, needing that sudden burst of inspiration—a reward for persistent, courageous thinkers, like a rainbow piercing through thick barriers, penetrating the fog in your heart, and making everything clear. But unfortunately, Wang Qiushui hasn't found that inspiration, and in her current state, she's probably powerless to even attempt to capture it.

She was destined to die with unanswered questions.

If... that beam of light symbolizing destruction hadn't streaked across the sky.

Chapter Forty-Three Temporary Retreat

【"end..?"】

A dazzling shooting star streaked across the sky, tearing through the clouds and transforming the heavens into a radiant spectacle... It was a breathtakingly beautiful scene, as if the sky itself had turned into a magical kaleidoscope of colors, covering an area of ​​dozens of miles, like a AAA game with a bug causing the sky to change color. Though somewhat illogical, it possessed a power that struck right to the heart.

"This is... the end of the world!"

Wang Qiushui wasn't a participant in the Black Dragon's extermination, nor did she know what the apocalypse would truly look like when it was activated. However, when this scene actually appeared before her eyes, and when the terrifying magical fluctuations emanated from above, she was absolutely certain... this was the apocalypse.

No weapon can reach this level; the unleashed power seems capable of shattering the entire world, sinking continents, melting glaciers, causing seawater to overflow, and submerging tectonic plates... It can do anything. Just like its name suggests, it is the ultimate weapon that can cleanse the entire surface of the earth: Doomsday.

"It was Wenren; he used Doomsday..."

Ji Chaoge's purpose in attacking the City of Truth was so obvious that Wang Qiushui could understand it too. He had been dealt a blow by the apocalypse before, and now, by conquering the City of Truth, he could avoid a repeat of the past, and secondly, he could use the apocalypse against Ji Chaoge—a satisfying revenge scenario. It was a win-win situation, a huge advantage that no other city could match. But Wang Qiushui hadn't expected that Ji Chaoge would immediately use the apocalypse...

This can be considered as being bound by traditional ideas, believing that the use of weapons like the apocalypse weapon must be extremely cautious, requiring proposals, meetings, and votes, as well as the implementation of safety measures before use. But who is Ji Chaoge? He is an executor with full action capabilities, a dictator who has the final say, and he never doubts any of the choices he makes. If he wants to take action, how could he possibly drag his feet, do all that, and slow down his progress?

"Why would he use this...? Who is he going to use it against? Looking at this direction, there aren't any important cities or buildings further on. No matter how you look at it, he should be targeting Fengsan Province..."

—It was obvious that it should have been used to attack Fengsan Province. Even Ji Fenming, who knew nothing about military affairs, and Wang Qiushui, whose mind was already in a state of confusion, could understand this. This shows the importance of Fengsan Province as a military fortress. But Ji Chaoge ultimately made such a surprising decision.

"What exactly is going on? Who does he want to attack? Is that more important than Fengsan Province?"

-

On the eastern battlefield of the Doomsday Base, after a moment of stunned silence, the five resumed their battle stance. Mu Nandong and Iris chose to keep their distance. However, they did not leave. With their combined strength, infiltrating the Doomsday Base would likely result in a near-certain death, a complete waste of time. So, despite the foolishness of it, they had to stay and wait for the battle to end and for the victor to be decided.

The battle resumed, but everyone's mindset underwent subtle changes. For Himura Tan's side, the scales of their hearts tipped back towards Hime Chaoge... The apocalypse falling into his hands would inevitably have a huge impact on the world's situation. Combined with Cain—the former to intimidate the populace, the latter to intimidate the higher-ups—these two alone would be enough to flatten the world.