Chapter 98 - Sudden Surge of Murderous Intent in the Dead of Night

Gina gazed at Di Ping's sleeping posture, smiling gently. She carefully removed his shoes, tucked him in with a blanket, and then stood by the bed, gazing intently at his face.

After a few moments, a thought seemed to cross her mind, and her face turned red. Quickly, she turned around, returning to her meditation position on the bed. She closed her eyes to meditate but her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her eyelids twitched, indicating that she had not truly entered a meditative state.

Unaware of these events, Di Ping was deeply asleep, exhausted. With Gina by his side, he felt at ease, a stark contrast to the nights when he could not sleep soundly. He had grown accustomed to being overly cautious, always reluctant to fall into a deep sleep alone. However, with Gina present, he felt secure; it was a natural human tendency to find comfort in the presence of others.

The night passed in silence. The underground mall was engulfed in darkness. After a satisfying meal, everyone fell into a deep slumber, with only three or four guards posted near the entrance, ensuring that no mutated animals would break through the barriers.

The warmth from the mutated dog meat they had consumed made everyone feel drowsy, and soon, the guards began to nod off, their eyelids growing heavy.

At this moment, five dark figures emerged from a room. They peered around cautiously, then stealthily crouched, heading toward the corridor. Each person was carrying a large, dark bag whose contents remained a mystery.

They moved silently, stepping lightly as they crept down the corridor, while the people in the surrounding stores remained deep in sleep, with occasional snoring or murmurs breaking the silence.

The five figures proceeded toward a specific store. After exchanging glances and confirming their target, they began to remove items from their bags.

It was too dark in the underground mall to see what they were handling, but no one was watching anyway. Had someone been able to see, they would have been shocked. The store they had entered was Di Ping's sleeping quarters. What were they planning to do here?

Inside the room, Di Ping was peacefully asleep, his light snoring echoing in the quiet space. He was in deep sleep. Meanwhile, Gina had already calmed herself, her eyes closed in a meditative posture, seemingly in a deep state of cultivation.

Suddenly, Gina's eyes snapped open, her gaze like a flash of lightning in the night sky.

She listened carefully, and soon confirmed her suspicion: there were indeed people outside the door. She gently uncrossed her legs, slipped off the bed, and stealthily approached Di Ping's bedside. She nudged him softly.

Di Ping's eyes shot open instantly. Despite being in deep sleep, he had developed the habit of waking up at the slightest noise. Upon seeing Gina, his tense expression relaxed, and his eyes inquired.

Gina placed a finger to her lips, signaling for silence, and then pointed toward the door. Di Ping understood immediately. He rose slowly and listened attentively. The sounds outside the door were now unmistakable.

He silently reproached himself for having slept too deeply; had he been more alert, he would have heard them approaching earlier.

Outside the door, the five figures were now opening their bags and placing items near Di Ping's door. They began to pull out a wire, and at that moment, the door suddenly creaked open. Two shadowy figures appeared in the doorway, one of them holding a torch, illuminating the space outside the door.

The five intruders were startled and jumped back with a cry. Their items fell to the floor, and in the stillness of the night, the scream echoed like a thunderclap, waking the entire underground mall. Some of the guards, especially those posted at the entrance, immediately sprang into action, fearing the presence of mutated creatures.

The five intruders were startled by the sudden appearance of Di Ping and Gina. But as they saw the two figures clearly in the torchlight, their faces twisted into fierce expressions. They drew firearms from their clothes and aimed at Di Ping without hesitation.

Di Ping, seeing the five men reaching for their weapons, immediately sprang into action. His body moved faster than lightning.

Crack, crack...

The sound of bones breaking rang out, chilling in the quiet night.

"Aaah!"

Five anguished screams followed, even louder than the previous cries. The sounds were so piercing that everyone in the underground mall was startled. Only a few people, who were in an especially deep sleep, remained unaware. Everyone else scrambled to their feet, fearing a mutated animal attack.

People began shouting for their loved ones, preparing to flee, but after a moment of waiting, they only heard the agonized groans of the five intruders. No one was shouting in panic, and those who had gathered around to investigate were puzzled.

Di Ping returned to his position, having quickly disarmed the intruders, breaking their arms in the process. The guns they had aimed at him fell to the ground. The scene left everyone in the corridor confused and uncertain about what had just transpired.

"Speak! Who sent you?" Di Ping demanded, his gaze cold as he glanced at the items near the door. His anger surged as he realized that the bags contained five bundles of explosive hand grenades, each with two grenades inside. Ten grenades in total. Had these detonated, the entire underground mall could have been obliterated. Given the circumstances, survival would have been nearly impossible for him.

Fortunately, Gina had been quick-witted, or he would have likely met his end tonight. At this moment, his murderous intent surged, and the air around him seemed to crackle with the intensity of his fury.