Chapter 178: Intercepting the Six Powerhouses
After entering the hidden door, what greeted Huoshan’s eyes was an interlayer space, a dozen centimeters wide and less than a meter high.
This was a small, secret room that Huoshan had specially prepared for himself after moving into this apartment.
Ever since its completion, Huoshan had not used the small secret room even once.
The space within this secret room was also extremely small; it could only hide him in his teddy bear form.
But for that very reason, this small secret room was difficult to discover, and after entering it now, Huoshan felt a measure of peace in his heart, as well as an immense sense of gratitude for his decision to build it back then.
Next, Huoshan opened his phone and hurriedly sent a message to Song Xu, urging his believers to come and protect him quickly.
“Damn it, if they were in the city as usual, they would have arrived in no time.”
“This time, of all times, they are in the suburbs…”
Just then, Huoshan’s body tensed slightly; he heard some kind of commotion in the apartment.
Did someone come in?
Then, it seemed someone was rummaging through the room.
Huoshan quickly peered outside through a slit left in the interlayer and saw a stranger searching for something in the room.
A neighbor looting amidst the chaos?
Or is someone… looking for me?
After sending the message to Song Xu, Huoshan quickly silenced his phone, then dared not make any extraneous movements, lying quietly in the interlayer space just like a real toy, without making the slightest sound.
Meanwhile, inside Huoshan’s apartment.
Zhang Yu had taken on the appearance of a stranger and was wearing a hoodie, searching the room rapidly.
But the items in this room were simply too numerous and too disorderly; Zhang Yu felt that it would be impossible to search through everything without several hours.
Fu Ji said, “He must be hiding in this room.”
“But every evil god can manifest in a different form. It could be a toy, a piece of stationery, a pen, a glove, a necklace…”
“There’s definitely no time to search for him one by one now.”
“Smash it all! With your fastest speed, destroy everything in the room, and you’ll surely find him!”
Zhang Yu’s body abruptly erupted with layers of Formless Cloud-Astral Qi.
However, in order to conceal the signature of his attack, he had already activated the Great Sun Qi Sea before unleashing the Formless Cloud-Astral Qi.
As light was absorbed, the Formless Cloud-Astral Qi that Zhang Yu unleashed appeared pitch-black, like roiling storm clouds, as it blasted toward everything before him.
A series of sounds from things being smashed rang out consecutively.
However, this bit of commotion was considered quite commonplace in this old apartment building with its complex mix of residents, blending in with the sounds of arguments, music, and videos from other floors without attracting too much attention.
And within the interlayer, Huoshan watched through the slit as the scene of things being continuously destroyed unfolded outside, and his heart tightened.
He knew that a neighbor taking advantage of the chaos would not come into his home and smash everything randomly.
This act of destruction sent a chill through his heart. “So they really are looking for me?”
And the thought of all his electronic products, game consoles, computers, figurines, and models… being constantly destroyed made Huoshan feel as if his heart were bleeding.
Damn it… they came to wreck my home?
Are they bullying an evil god because I won’t call the authorities?!
Just you wait!
Huoshan quickly tapped his phone, once again urging Song Xu and the others to hurry and come to his rescue.
A short while ago.
Inside the abandoned building in the suburbs.
After using a flying sword to scout the area and finding nothing out of the ordinary.
Song Xu and the five other believers walked in from various different locations within the abandoned building.
“There’s nothing here.”
One believer frowned and said, “Was the intelligence wrong? Or was the timing off?”
Song Xu frowned and said, “Something feels off. Let’s pull back first.”
Just as Song Xu and the other five were leaving the abandoned building, they saw a beam of light suddenly shine upon them.
Two security guards looked at them and said, “You six! What are you doing? Here to steal things late at night?”
“Do you know this is company property?”
Song Xu glanced at the Wanli Group uniform on the security guards and thought to himself, This building belongs to the Wanli Group? Even an abandoned building has guards? They got here way too fast, didn’t they?
At this thought, the bad premonition in Song Xu’s heart grew even stronger.
As for assaulting the guards before them? Or making a direct break for it?
Song Xu and the other five dared not do so. After all, these security guards represented the company behind them, and they had cameras on them that were connected to the network at all times.
In the eyes of the six evil god believers, these two security guards were far more dangerous and much more troublesome than other evil gods.
After all, when fighting another evil god, even if the battle left them drenched in blood, neither side would dare to call the authorities; they would just settle it among themselves.
But if they were to strike the security guards before them, they would likely be unable to escape the company’s lawsuit, no matter where they fled.
Notably, among Song Xu’s group of six, there were two believers who worked as food delivery drivers and one who was a courier. The moment they saw the security guards, their courage had already failed them. Forget fighting, they simply lowered their heads, looking as if they didn’t even dare to talk back.
Song Xu sighed inwardly, knowing their professional instincts had kicked in, and could only step forward and say, “We didn’t steal anything. If you two don’t believe us, you can check.”
A security guard held up an electric baton and said, “We received a report that someone was stealing construction materials here. All of you, come with me to register your information first.”
The believer who was a construction worker pulled out a Dao heart buffer and handed it over with a grin.
“Big brothers, we were on a night run and accidentally wandered in. We really didn’t take anything…”
The security guard slapped his hand away and rebuked him angrily, “Who’s your big brother? Come with me to register!”
The six evil god believers were furious but dared not show it, only continuing to explain in a pleasant tone.
The lead security guard, on the other hand, grew increasingly arrogant; although the other side had six people, he had an entire corporation behind him. How could these six, who looked like paupers at a glance, possibly contend with him?
Especially with his decades of experience as a security guard, he could tell with one look that these fellows reeked of the courier, food delivery, and construction site life; it was only natural that they be suppressed by him.
As the two sides were entangled, Song Xu felt his phone vibrate several times, and finally took it out for a look. His expression changed abruptly.
Huoshan’s side got reported?
Pirated cultivation techniques?
Someone is looking for Huoshan?
Recalling the day’s events, it felt as if a bolt of lightning had exploded in Song Xu’s mind, followed by a flash of intense fury.
Evil god infighting, and they’re stooping to making reports? And involving the constables?!
The opposing evil god is utterly without honor!
Song Xu glared fiercely at the two security guards before him, knowing he could not be held up here any longer.
The other five believers at his side sensed the shift in Song Xu’s demeanor and all turned to look at him.
The six of them exchanged a look, and their bearing changed abruptly.
If they had been meek and submissive when facing the security guards just moments ago, now they suddenly stood tall and straight.
“We can’t delay any longer, which means the only way is…”
Song Xu’s figure flashed; one hand blocked the guard’s camera while the other reached out before him.
“Big brother, the company’s prosperity isn’t your prosperity. How about you cut us some slack.”
The security guard looked at the several thousand yuan stuffed in front of his face, and his attitude immediately softened.
Song Xu sneered inwardly, Hmph, a couple of mere corporate security guards. Just now, I was only unwilling to spend the money, which is why I tried to explain things properly to you.
Now I’m in a hurry, so why the hell would I keep explaining!
While Song Xu and the others were tied up with the security guards.
Bai Zhenzhen was watching the footage transmitted from the surveillance software on her phone.
Ever since Song Xu and the other five had entered the abandoned building, Bai Zhenzhen had been continuously watching the surveillance feed.
She thought to herself, It’s a good thing the surveillance camera I placed yesterday works. It just wasn’t cheap.
Considering the battery power, network connectivity, and clarity, the surveillance camera, battery, and network card that Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu had hidden in the abandoned building had cost them several thousand yuan altogether.
However, it was certainly worth the price. Looking at Song Xu’s appearance, Bai Zhenzhen recognized his identity immediately.
“It’s him!”
More than half a year ago, when Bai Zhenzhen had tried to investigate the leader of the Paupers’ Alliance, she had screened several suspected individuals from White Dragon High School.
And Song Xu was one of them; Bai Zhenzhen still had his photo and information saved on her phone.
Are they leaving?
Bai Zhenzhen saw the security guards confront Song Xu and the other five and let out a small sigh of relief.
The Wanli Group’s response is quick. They got here so fast?
It was Bai Zhenzhen who had made the call, reporting suspected theft of steel reinforcement bars in the abandoned building, which in turn had attracted the Wanli Group’s security guards.
However, Bai Zhenzhen knew that these two security guards were the kind of people who could be dealt with for a few thousand, or at most ten thousand, yuan, so she immediately sent a message to remind Zhang Yu.
Bai Zhenzhen: They’re about to leave the abandoned building. Speed up your actions.
Bai Zhenzhen: I recognized one of them is Song Xu. I’m sending his information to you.
A moment later, when Bai Zhenzhen looked at the surveillance feed again, Song Xu’s group of six had successfully shaken off the security guards and left the abandoned building.
However, Bai Zhenzhen was not too worried.
She opened a navigation app and looked at the route from the abandoned building to the evil god’s apartment, only to see that the roads were already a sea of red.
Hehe, Yu-boy and I didn’t just randomly pick this time and location.
Right now, it’s the peak of the midnight commute, and the traffic on the way here is congested.
This should be able to delay them for a while longer, right?
Inside the apartment room.
Zhang Yu read Bai Zhenzhen’s message and thought to himself, They’re coming back?
He glanced at Song Xu’s file, then lifted his head to look at the various pieces of furniture he had already smashed, his brow furrowing.
“Why is there so much stuff in this dump?”
Zhang Yu looked at all the miscellaneous clutter: what appeared to be clothes for pets, a massage pillow, rows of athletic shoes, detergents, figurines, models…
“It’s practically a garbage dump.”
And in the interlayer, after watching Zhang Yu smash things for another ten-plus minutes, Huoshan, while feeling a pang of heartache, also felt incredibly fortunate.
Who the hell said I buy too much junk? If I hadn’t bought so many things, how could I have stalled for this long?
Meanwhile, Fu Ji, seeing that Zhang Yu had smashed so many things without finding the evil god, offered a reminder, “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“In this rundown apartment, could there possibly be a secret room? Or a place like an interlayer?”
Zhang Yu frowned. “Does that mean I have to smash the walls?”
Fu Ji said, “Smashing walls will attract too much attention. It might lead the neighbors to call property management.”
Just then, Zhang Yu’s phone vibrated, signaling a message from Bai Zhenzhen.
Zhang Yu knew that Bai Zhenzhen had been keeping watch for him in the alley downstairs while also monitoring the surveillance from the abandoned building, so the message she sent was bound to be important. He immediately picked up his phone to read it.
Bai Zhenzhen: They’re here!
Bai Zhenzhen: Retreat, quickly!
Zhang Yu’s gaze hardened. “So soon?!”
Bai Zhenzhen: Hurry! They’re too fast! If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late.
Looking at the pile of junk before him, Zhang Yu let out a cold snort, seemingly tinged with a strong sense of unwillingness, and left the room.