The explosion was thunderous and violent. Nearly everyone who lived nearby was drawn out by it, watching curiously from a distance —
The front gate of the villa had been utterly destroyed. Yuri and Natasha lay sprawled across the red brick ground, surrounded by charred debris and blood.
Shen Mo released Bai Youwei and rushed over to check on them. A’da followed immediately.
Yuri had no heartbeat.
Natasha’s face was covered in blood. There was only the faintest trace of breathing.
A’da’s eyes were red. He clenched his teeth hard, shot to his feet, and made to charge outside —
Shen Mo grabbed him, voice low and firm: “He’s already gone. Call an ambulance first.”
……
Violence occasionally broke out in the competitive zone, but it was rarely this brutal.
In the areas outside the dungeons, puppet guards patrolled around the clock to maintain order. The moment any act of violence was detected, punishment was meted out on the spot.
Add to that the fact that almost everyone carried weapons on their person — so even when disputes or conflicts arose, most people thought carefully about the consequences before making any move.
Yet somehow, in broad daylight, someone had planted a bomb at their front gate…
……
The hospital was busy with people coming and going. Bai Youwei waited with Shen Mo and A’da outside the emergency room, watching the result. Puppet figures in white coats and nurse uniforms moved in and out, doing everything possible to save lives.
Yuri was already beyond saving. Now they could only hope that Natasha would make it through safely.
Bai Youwei sat in a chair in the corridor and stared at the red light above the emergency room for a while. Then she looked away and asked A’da beside her: “If the team leader dies, does the team dissolve?”
A’da kept his head down. The lines of his profile remained tightly drawn. When he heard Bai Youwei’s question, he replied quietly: “The title of team leader automatically transfers to whoever has been on the team the longest. Now that Yuri is dead… the leader should be Natasha.”
Bai Youwei asked: “What if Natasha doesn’t make it?”
A’da was silent for a moment, then replied: “If she doesn’t make it, the leader would be me.”
“What if something happened to you too?” Bai Youwei continued.
A’da finally lifted his head and looked at her. “If something happened to me too… the team would dissolve outright. Because to become team leader, you need to have been on the team for at least 30 days.”
Both Bai Youwei and Shen Mo had been on the team for less than 30 days.
She gave a light nod.
A’da couldn’t help but ask: “Why are you asking all this? Does it have anything to do with figuring out who did this?”
Bai Youwei said: “The package was addressed specifically to Natasha. That means whoever it was didn’t want to destroy our team — and didn’t want the leader to change hands. They just wanted to free up one spot.”
“You’re saying the person who sent that package was arranged by Jason?” A’da frowned. “He’s definitely suspicious. But why didn’t he target me? Why not you or Shen Mo?”
“Too obvious,” Shen Mo said evenly. “If Yuri were still alive, he’d never believe that an old teammate would do something like that to Natasha. After all, Jason and Natasha had no small amount of history between them.”
A’da gritted his teeth. His composure was fraying — he stood up, unable to sit still, and paced back and forth through the corridor.
After a few rounds, his fury still hadn’t cooled. He said, seething: “We have no proof…”
“This isn’t a court of law where you press charges and send someone to prison — what do you need proof for?” Bai Youwei said dismissively. “Connecting the dots yourself is plenty.”
“You’re not wrong. We don’t need proof to convict him.” A’da’s fists clenched hard. “A person like that can’t just walk away from this…”
The emergency room door suddenly swung open. Doctors and nurses began filing out.
One of the puppet nurses approached them with a warm smile. “The patient is no longer in critical condition. You may go in now — she should wake up shortly.”
—