Urban Powers After the Apocalypse

The plan was quite perfect and feasible, but Xu Mo still couldn't make up his mind. After all, there was someone else here besides him—a real "hostage." If Xu Mo chose to escape alone, the kidnappers might fear that he would expose their identity and whereabouts to the police. In a desperate move, they might decide to kill him prematurely.

Thus, the choice between escaping or staying became a moral dilemma.

"Sigh... I really can't do it..."

After struggling with himself for a while, Xu Mo finally let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. He walked over to the large burlap sack and untied the rope securing the opening. At the very least, he wanted to know who the "hostage" he was risking his life to save really was.

"Hmm?"

Inside the sack lay a young girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, judging by her underdeveloped figure. Her head was wrapped in the black cloth, so Xu Mo couldn't see her face, but from the exposed parts of her neck and hands, it was clear that her skin was flawless—fair with a hint of rosy color, and the creases around her joints barely visible. She must have been well taken care of.

What surprised Xu Mo most was the girl's white school uniform, which had a mink fur collar. He recognized it instantly—it was the winter outfit featured in the Saint Feng Girls' Academy admissions brochure. In other words, this girl was a student from Saint Feng Girls' Academy!

But upon reflection, Xu Mo wasn't so surprised. If someone were to kidnap a victim, they would surely target someone with a higher ransom value. Students from prestigious schools were perfect targets. If they kidnapped someone like him, demanding a ransom might not even cover the cost of the gasoline for the trip.

Though the girl was lying down, she was still conscious. When she felt someone open the sack, she immediately began struggling fiercely, which startled Xu Mo. He was afraid the commotion would attract the attention of the kidnappers. Fortunately, her hands and feet were tied, and her mouth seemed to be covered inside the sack, preventing her from making much noise.

"Calm down. I'm not one of those kidnappers. The people who kidnapped you are just outside. I'll get you out of here. If you don't want to die, don't make any noise..."

Xu Mo deliberately spoke sternly. This wasn't the time for gentle coaxing. If things went wrong, they might not survive to talk again.

His words seemed to have an effect. The girl trembled slightly, then nodded silently.

Just then, the sound of the factory gate opening reached their ears. A tall, muscular young man with long hair entered. "Monkey," who was on lookout duty, immediately went to greet him, his tone respectful but somewhat obsequious.

"Black Wolf, you're here!"

"Yeah, I ran into my archrival, Wang Biao from the Northern Dao Gang, on the road. Dealt with him, so it took a little more time." The long-haired man took the cigarette that "Monkey" handed him, lit it, and casually placed it between his lips, a rebellious look on his face.

"Northern Dao Gang again? A few days ago at Baiyun Square KTV, the Northern Dao Gang injured several of our brothers from the Southern City Gang. Who wouldn't know what they're up to? Wang Biao is the top thug of Northern Dao Gang's White Tiger Hall. It's good that you managed to put him in his place. Let the Northern Dao Gang know that our Southern City Gang is no pushover, that we're not some soft target!" Monkey said excitedly, his cigarette bobbing in the air as he asked, "How many bones did Wang Biao break this time? Or has he pretty much said goodbye to riding a bike for the rest of his life?"

"He's dead."

"Ah?" Monkey could hardly believe his ears.

"Some unexpected things happened, so I had to go overboard. I'll explain it to the boss personally. You guys should prepare yourselves. We might soon have a full-scale confrontation with the Northern Dao Gang." Black Wolf seemed slightly impatient, cutting off Monkey's further questions. He then turned and asked, "Did you bring the girl?"

"Yeah, Old Stick did it himself, clean and thorough, no loose ends left." Monkey instinctively glanced at the wooden shack and grinned. "She may be young, but she's a real beauty, and definitely still a virgin. Black Wolf, how about you get a taste first?"

"Get a taste? Are you saying you can't control yourself, you little brat?" Black Wolf scolded with a laugh, giving Monkey a light slap on the back of the head before becoming serious. "If it was anyone else, fine, but the boss gave explicit orders. This girl can't be touched. We have to make sure she's safe until the client calls. We'll send her back once the deal is done."

"Sigh... What a waste." Monkey rubbed his hands together, seeming somewhat reluctant.

"Stop showing that pathetic face! Once this job's done, the bonuses we get will be more than enough for you to play around with. Just make sure you don't end up dead because of some woman!" Black Wolf kicked Monkey's rear with a smile.

"I've only got so much in me. Dying in a woman's arms is better than dying under someone else's knife," Monkey replied, dodging the second kick and laughing. "By the way, Black Wolf, on the way back, I accidentally hit someone. Old Stick brought him back, and now that guy's locked up with the girl!"

"Someone else?" Black Wolf's face immediately darkened. After a moment of thought, he pulled a butterfly knife from his waist and threw it to Monkey, coldly saying, "This can't leak to anyone. The client and that girl's father are not people we, a small gang like us, can afford to offend. You know what to do, right?"

"Got it." Monkey's lips curled into a cruel smile as he made a slashing motion with his hand across his neck.

Though Xu Mo was too far to hear their conversation clearly, the brutal expression on Monkey's face and the gesture he made were enough to fill Xu Mo with intense fear.

They were planning to kill him and silence him!

As Monkey's tall figure drew closer to the shack, Xu Mo's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. What should he do? Even if he tried to escape with the girl, the approaching kidnapper wouldn't give him enough time to fully activate his half-functional ability.

Instinctively, Xu Mo began to search his body, hoping to find something useful to use as a weapon. Even if he couldn't escape, at least he could try to fight back.

Suddenly, he felt something soft at his fingertips. He immediately remembered the mysterious yellow bead that He Shang had given him. Quickly, he pulled it out, praying it might have some special ability like the blue light.

This was his last hope. Faced with the uncertain choice between escaping and dying, he had no other option.

Xu Mo didn't know how to use the yellow bead but could only make an educated guess. Clenching his teeth, he grabbed a shard of broken glass from the ground and cut his arm, then pressed the yellow bead directly onto the wound.

To his surprise, the moment the yellow bead touched the wound, it began to lose its round shape, much like an ice cube melting in hot water, and slowly fused into the blood flowing from his arm. At the same time, the wound rapidly healed and scabbed over.

Seeing this, Xu Mo quickly shut his eyes, forcing himself to concentrate. He entered a mysterious state akin to "internal vision," often mentioned in martial arts novels.

In the vast, dark space, the blue light point had already settled in one spot and began rotating slowly, while the newly arrived yellow light point floated like a ghost, moving around the space. Xu Mo immediately focused all his consciousness on the yellow light point, bracing himself for the painful sensations that might follow.

However, to his astonishment, after his consciousness made contact with the yellow light point, it did not send a flood of information to his brain like the blue light had. Instead, the yellow light point began to change shape freely within the space.

"Eh? What's this?"

Xu Mo's eyes snapped open, and in an instant, yellow light flashed in his hand. A strange, black-glowing pistol materialized out of thin air in his palm!