Chapter 1292: Work Plan

In a relatively spacious room, faint gasps echoed softly.

Di Shu, covered in wounds, leaned against the door, barely able to move. A strangely shaped wooden sword was lodged in his abdomen, his intestines spilled out onto the floor.

Behind him, the door rattled continuously with pounding sounds.

"Smack!"

"Smack!"

Di Shu struggled to lift his head and looked at Tian Shu, who sat in a chair across from him. A faint smile crossed his lips as he whispered, "Leader... Where's that usual flair you have for toying with us? In our era, we retired at fifty-five... What about you? Deciding to retire today?"

Tian Shu was also drenched in blood, the two of them having clearly endured a fierce battle. However, Di Shu's injuries were far more fatal, while Tian Shu seemed merely exhausted from overexertion.

"I really don't get it..." Tian Shu forced a bitter laugh and said, "I caught a whiff of your killing intent from the start... All these years, even with the collar around your neck, you've never directed that kind of killing intent at me..."

"So, does that mean you finally understand my struggles, Leader?" Di Shu chuckled lightly. "Trying not to feel murderous toward a great leader like you is tougher than climbing to the heavens. You're just so dazzling, so deserving of death in front of me. Every day, I suppress my true desires... just so you won't hold it against a lowly underling like me."

Tian Shu realized that Di Shu had hidden a significant portion of his strength to pull off this kill. Although Di Shu lacked Hui Xiang and any powerful combat abilities, he possessed an unyielding determination to fight to the death.

Meanwhile, Tian Shu's own Xian Fa consisted of Ling Xiu, Qiao Wu, and Zuo Wu—none of which could help him survive in this situation.

If they ignored their Xian Fa and only considered physical enhancements, Tian Shu was just a frail old man, while Di Shu was a robust young fighter with nothing left to lose.

Even if they were evenly matched in combat skills, Tian Shu still carried old injuries from Qing Long.

A series of coincidences had led to this standoff, leaving both of them sprawled on the ground, unable to move.

"You could have killed me from the beginning..." Tian Shu coughed a few times. "So why wait until now to strike?"

"Come on, Leader..." Di Shu propped himself up with his hands and painfully stood, his intestines dangling outside his body. "You don't seriously think I was afraid of you, do you? I've always had the ability to kill you, but I'd have died right after. What I feared wasn't your shaky, trembling bones—it's the retaliation that would follow."

He pulled the wooden sword from his abdomen and tossed it aside, fresh blood staining the floor.

"But can you even survive now...?" Tian Shu looked up at the battered Di Shu. "If we keep fighting... it's not clear who'll die first..."

"That's hard to say." Di Shu stepped closer to Tian Shu. "Leader... may I ask boldly, have you heard the knocking at the door since earlier?"

Tian Shu had indeed heard the persistent smacking sounds, but he couldn't understand why the hallway was so chaotic. On a normal night... did the Sheng Xiao really knock like that endlessly?

"Today, I heard an interesting plan," Di Shu said as he bent down beside Tian Shu. "They say they're going to liberate all the Luo Yi here... Leader, you've seen so much in life, with one foot already in the grave. Could you give this young man some advice—what does this plan really mean?"

Tian Shu's eyes widened at the words. He sniffed the air and detected faint killing intent seeping from outside the door.

Would ordinary Sheng Xiao knock relentlessly on an unassuming door with such murderous aura?

"Luo Yi... have they boarded the Lie Che?!" Tian Shu asked in disbelief. "That's impossible... The Luo Yi have Tian Niu... and a Men that can't be opened from the inside. They can't hear or see anything. Theoretically, it's not possible... Even if they rebelled, you'd definitely die before me..."

Seizing the moment, Di Shu quickly reached out with both hands, cupping Tian Shu's face. His bloodstained thumbs pressed against Tian Shu's eyeballs.

Tian Shu shut his eyes in terror, his hands flailing nervously.

"Leader..." Di Shu said with a weak, smiling face, "As soon as I open that door, they'll tear you apart. And here you are, still worrying about whether I'll die? You truly keep my life in your thoughts every second—who else could find such a caring leader?"

"Di Shu... wait a minute..." Tian Shu swallowed hard, looking disheveled. "Listen to me. If you kill me, Qing Long and Tian Long won't let you off... You're already gutted open. If I plead for you and get you emergency treatment, you might..."

"Hold on, Leader..." Di Shu interrupted. "It seems like you've misunderstood something."

With that, he slowly applied pressure with his thumbs.

Tian Shu sensed the danger and let out a scream, grabbing at Di Shu's exposed intestines and yanking hard. But Di Shu showed no sign of letting go.

Di Shu, still smiling, thrust his thumbs deep into Tian Shu's eyes.

It felt like bursting two water-filled orbs; his hands were instantly slick and sticky.

"Ah!!!!!!!"

"Leader..." Di Shu said slowly with a laugh, "Please allow me to report on the work plan ahead. First, I'll torture you to death bit by bit. No matter what happens to me, my top priority will be your demise, faithfully carrying out the ruthless principles you've followed for years."

"You beast... You're insane... You've really lost it..." Tian Shu flailed, striking at Di Shu's wounds. He could feel Di Shu bleeding profusely, yet those thumbs remained embedded in his eyes.

"Leader, if the torture plan goes wrong, don't worry about surviving afterward—there are Luo Yi waiting outside the door for your guidance. The moment you meet them, you'll experience the full enthusiasm of the rank-and-file workers."

"You wait a second..." Tian Shu realized then that he was truly done for today.

Regardless of whether he could kill Di Shu, opening the door would mean his end.

No... he thought he was overthinking it. Was there even a way to open the door now?

Perhaps he'd be dead before that happened.

His eyes throbbed with pain as Di Shu slowly withdrew his fingers, seemingly out of strength.

Then, those sticky hands gripped his neck, trying to end Tian Shu's life.

But Di Shu's cold hands were too weak to exert force—it felt like a gentle caress.

Tian Shu knew his chance had come... Di Shu was putting on a brave front, but his life force was fading fast.