On the winter night, there were not many pedestrians on the streets. Walking through this massive city, which seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber, a rare sense of quietude inevitably arose in one's heart.
Xu Mo thoroughly enjoyed this feeling, and it was also the main reason why he rarely took the bus, often choosing to walk home instead.
However, for some reason, just as he left the business district not long ago, Xu Mo suddenly had the distinct feeling of being watched.
Xu Mo didn't doubt that this was his imagination, for after the two enhancements to his brain's processing capacity, his mental power had far surpassed that of an ordinary person. In addition to his sharp five senses, he could now feel a subtle sense beyond them—almost like a premonition of impending danger, or a sense of having control over everything within a radius of several dozen meters. Perhaps this was what people referred to as the sixth sense.
Though the sensation was vague, it was always there, constantly reminding him of any danger around him, like an all-weather warning radar.
Who could be tailing him at this time? Could it be members of the Northern Dao Gang, unwilling to let go, trying to gather their forces for revenge?
While this reason seemed to fit the situation, Xu Mo didn't believe that the bald man would be reckless enough to ignore the consequences. The actions he had just taken—destroying a wall with consecutive "Zero Explosions"—were meant to intimidate. Without a mortal feud, the Northern Dao Gang wouldn't risk everything just for face to hunt him down.
But if it wasn't the Northern Dao Gang, then who else could it be?
Xu Mo could vaguely sense someone watching and following him, but he couldn't pinpoint the number of people or their exact location, and he couldn't determine their intentions either. Thus, he didn't dare to make any rash moves.
Though his victory over nine people in the hotel earlier was enough to deter those with malicious intent, he knew best that his current situation was far from optimal. The orange shards within his body were now faint, and the remaining energy would barely support one more "Zero Explosion." His stamina had also been drained by the intense battle, leaving him with less than fifty percent of his full fighting strength. He was in no condition to engage in another high-intensity fight.
The only thing giving him some reassurance was that his mental power wasn't severely depleted, and he still had his yellow shards which transformed into a USP pistol, as well as the "Demon's Hand" that could be summoned at any time. These two things were enough to make up for the fighting power he was currently lacking.
If worse came to worst, he had one last trump card—"Fallen Raven."
However, unless absolutely necessary, Xu Mo didn't want to call upon that noisy little beast again. Last time, it was in a women's restroom—who knew where it might end up transporting him this time?
Though there weren't many pedestrians on the street, Xu Mo didn't want to attract any attention from the police. After checking his location, he decided to take a detour, making his way to the outer edge of Shangshan City People's Park. He then nimbly vaulted over the iron fence, which wasn't very difficult to climb.
As the largest public space in Shangshan City, the People's Park was open to the public 24 hours a day. However, due to the aging lighting facilities, most areas were shrouded in darkness at night. Moreover, the park had been the site of several robbery and assault cases, so it had become virtually deserted after dark, with even the night watchmen too lazy to patrol.
Xu Mo jumped down from the two-meter-high fence and swiftly hid in the shadow of a large bush. Green light flashed in his eyes, and a silver-white mask appeared on his face. The once blurry outlines of the surroundings became crystal clear under the mask's night vision function.
At that moment, two figures jumped down from the spot where Xu Mo had just scaled the wall.
Thanks to his night vision mask, Xu Mo could easily make out their features. The two individuals were a man and a woman, both in their early twenties—very young. The woman was slightly taller, with a well-toned physique. While her looks could only be described as average, there was a hint of determination in her eyes. The man, on the other hand, looked incredibly ordinary—neither handsome nor ugly. He was slightly shorter than the woman, with a small paunch, the type of average guy who would be hard to pick out in a crowd.
Both were dressed in typical streetwear, which didn't suggest that they were wealthy.
"Heh, Teng Teng, I told you we were spotted, didn't I? You didn't believe me," the man said as he glanced around but failed to spot Xu Mo's hiding place. He then chuckled at the woman beside him.
"Shut up! I told you not to call me by that name!" The woman angrily slapped the man on the back of his head. The man, though, wasn't offended and smiled sheepishly.
Their relationship seemed closer than that of normal friends, but it didn't quite seem like they were lovers either—an odd pair.
As Xu Mo pondered their identities, the man suddenly called out into the surrounding darkness, "Friend, come out. Let's talk, shall we?"
Xu Mo had never seen these two before, but since they didn't seem to have any malicious intent, he slowly emerged from his hiding spot behind the bush, keeping a wary eye on them. "Why are you two following me?"
"Wow~! That's one cool mask!" the man exclaimed in surprise, whistling. He took a step forward, but was stopped by Xu Mo's gesture. Laughing, he continued, "Don't worry, we mean no harm. We just want to confirm something with you."
Xu Mo didn't follow the man's line of questioning. Instead, he asked, "I don't think I know either of you."
The man smiled awkwardly. "Heh, actually, just not long ago, my girlfriend and I happened to be eating on the second floor of Yipin Pavilion."
"Go away! I haven't agreed to anything!" the woman interjected, slapping him again. The man apologized again, bowing his head and acting submissive.
The man's story didn't sound fabricated, and Xu Mo nodded, just about to ask why they had been following him, when suddenly, his mind spun and dizziness washed over him. The man's eyes, with deep black pupils, seemed to suddenly expand in front of him.
Crap! He had walked right into a trap!
Xu Mo quickly shook his head, and the "Demon's Hand," flashing with dazzling blue light, quickly materialized on his right hand. His body lunged forward at full speed, aiming directly at the man.
Clang!
Before Xu Mo could get close, a violent gust of wind slammed into him from behind. He quickly turned to defend himself, but before he could see what weapon his assailant had used, he was blasted backward, flying five or six meters.
Though he activated his "Unmovable as a Mountain" defense the moment he was attacked, his chest was still struck with tremendous force, causing his blood to surge violently. The impact felt as if he had been hit head-on by a speeding car.
After being knocked back, Xu Mo immediately dispelled the "Unmovable as a Mountain" state, and the "Demon's Hand" scraped along the ground, rapidly reducing the momentum of his body. He then looked up and was stunned by the sight in front of him.
The woman with the determined look in her eyes was now holding an ancient-looking, long-handled hammer in both hands, standing where Xu Mo had just been struck. But to his surprise, two identical women stood beside her, both holding the same large hammer!
What… is going on? Are they Apocalyptic shard wielder?
Xu Mo realized the true identity of the attackers almost immediately. No longer daring to underestimate them, he flashed yellow light in his hand and pulled out his USP pistol, aiming it for a three-round burst!
Though this action was extremely dangerous, given that the attackers were Doomsday Fragment users with unclear intentions, Xu Mo had no choice but to prioritize his safety and fire first!
"Watch out! They have a gun!" The man noticed the pistol the moment Xu Mo drew it, shouting at the women.
"Shut up! I can see it myself!"
The three identical women quickly split into a triangular formation and scattered in different directions. Xu Mo's gun followed them closely, and the bullets instantly pierced two of the women's bodies. But the third shot was deflected by the hammer the woman wielded.
Is this an illusion?
Xu Mo realized that the bullets had passed through the two women without resistance and hit a distant tree trunk. The two women didn't react as if they had been injured, clearly not real.
The three women's forms began to rapidly shift and overlap again, spinning around Xu Mo while brandishing their enormous hammers. They sealed off every possible escape route, and then suddenly struck in three different directions!