Four hundred years after the collapse of civilization, the world has rebuilt itself into fragile city-states haunted by disasters, plagues, and things far worse than either.
Ji Jue is just a mechanic.
By day, he fixes cars in a rundown shop. By night, he struggles through college as a mechanical engineering student. Orphaned young and cursed with absurdly bad luck, he has survived life by keeping his head down, working hard, and expecting the worst.
Until the day he should have died.
In a split second before being crushed by a runaway truck, the mysterious watch left behind by his parents activates. Time stops, and the machinery answers his command. And Ji Jue survives the impossible.
That moment changes everything.
Now marked as a “Chosen One,” Ji Jue discovers he can perceive, control, and even awaken machines, turning cold steel into living extensions of his will. However, his newfound power comes at a cost: a hidden world begins to reveal itself. A world of parasitic plagues, human-harvesting syndicates, and monstrous transformations lurking beneath the surface of everyday life.
As he is drawn deeper into conspiracies and blood-soaked conflicts, Ji Jue must fight alongside unlikely allies, uncover the truth behind his past, and master abilities that blur the line between technology and the supernatural.
From repairing engines to commanding them in battle, from scraping by to standing at the center of a rising storm, Ji Jue’s journey is only just beginning.
Because in a world where disasters never truly end…
Surviving the first one was just the start.
Hello again, everyone! I’m Wey, formerly known as pandapear98. Thank you to those of you who have been reading my novel since Unintended Immortality and Just a Daoist Who Occasionally Kicks Ass! That said, I hope you’ll enjoy this novel, Chosen: Beyond Fate. It’s quite different from my previous two works; it’s a very funny action-packed novel set in a modern world. Tho, no xianxia this time, but I promise you you won’t be disappointed! ^^
Let me explain my style of translation. For this novel specifically, it contains a lot of puns/jokes/sexual euphemism. I try my best to come up with an English equivalent (which is really not as easy as it sounds lol), though that also means that I have to be very creative with the jokes/puns instead of a direct translation. For certain Chinese sayings, I found that a majority of the readers prefer them to be translated literally with a footnote to explain them (as per a poll done by Deathblade previously), so if there’s no direct English equivalent I’ll translate them literally.
I generally avoid localizing/Westernizing things like names or terms that are generally specific to Chinese culture. Different from my other novels, this novel is set in the modern era, so I do localize/translate location/organization names to fit the modern setting. Do note that there are certain names that sound foreign in Chinese, and hence I translate those into foreign-sounding names instead of transliterating them.
Names aside, I don’t prefer literal translations as they often sound awkward or unnatural in English. Translation is about conveying the meaning into English, so I will tweak or amend sentences as necessary to read better in English while preserving its meaning as much as possible.
Besides, I will also provide commentary and explanation for the names of major characters from the perspective of a native Chinese to the best of my abilities. Since most names will be a transliteration instead of a localized one, I would like to provide better context and understanding to you readers as you read the novel. However, these are all my own subjective opinions, and should not be taken as objective fact (unless stated otherwise).
Chinese authors also tend to repeat things unnecessarily, so I will condense and cut out redundant content that adds nothing to the story whatsoever to enhance your reading experience. Of course, my job here isn’t just to translate, but also make sure that you have an enjoyable time reading.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on my discord @Wey if you have any questions! And follow me on ig @wctan_translations for a sneak peek into my work process, translation tips, or novel updates!
