CHAPTER 721: CHAPTER 721: REFINING THE AWAKENING FRUIT

"I can’t believe someone actually dared to make a move." On the way back to the hospital, Ghost glanced at the several Hidden Guards in the rearview mirror of the car, his words carrying a tone of reprimand. Clearly, he was dissatisfied with the Hidden Guards’ negligence just now. In fact, it wasn’t their fault; the woman in black moved very swiftly, with agile and light steps. In the blink of an eye, she appeared before everyone. Not to mention, would an average person easily knock out Soul Destroyer, one of the four generals of the Netherworld Palace?

But one thing made Ghost even more curious—since the woman had snatched the thermal box, why did she knock out Soul Destroyer instead of killing him?

"Regardless, it’s good that the awakening fruit hasn’t been stolen." Soul Destroyer rubbed his head in the back seat and slowly spoke.

"I’ve already placed Hidden Guards along this road to protect us and ensure a quick and direct route to the hospital. There shouldn’t be any accidents." Ghost spoke indifferently, glancing at his watch. It was already late at night; Ye Shikai and Ji Qian should be boarding their plane by now.

Hospital.

The hospital today was even more heavily guarded than usual. Scores of Hidden Guards protected a single awakening fruit, with the hospital guards from the Netherworld Palace included, amassing to over a hundred people. No wonder Tianjing always nagged about how the hospital’s guards outnumbered the nurses and doctors combined. In the end, it was because of Tianjing’s aversion to foreign underground forces. Even though he had a personal relationship with Ye Shikai, he certainly didn’t offer any courtesies to Ghost and the others.

"Boss and Lord Moon God will arrive tomorrow. Before that, we need to protect the awakening fruit and sister-in-law," Ghost instructed everyone. The four generals of the Netherworld Palace, all sitting inside the patient room, truly formed the most luxurious bodyguard lineup in the world.

Ghost linked Soul Destroyer’s assassination attempt at the B country airport with today’s incident at Yanjing airport, confirming that these people were indeed targeting the awakening fruit. Their motive was clear—they didn’t want Su Qingyu to wake up, which directly challenged Ye Shikai, his critical weak spot. In the past, these assassins even rushed into the hospital for an assassination attempt.

"These people really have quite the nerve." Soul Destroyer suddenly exploded in anger. No one has ever dared to provoke the Netherworld Palace like this; time and again, they’ve really gone too far.

"We are exposed while our enemies hide in the shadows; we’ve never had the initiative from the start," Nightmare commented indifferently.

"Our enemy’s nose is too keen, isn’t it?" Ghost leaned tiredly against the chair. The police had previously come up empty-handed, now Soul Destroyer and Demoness were attacked at the airport, and even the route he had set up for reinforcements was intercepted by the enemy. This was too coincidental; could the enemy be gods, capable of perfect foresight?

"Could it be that we have a mole amongst us?" Illusion Fox’s voice had just fallen when she realized that she might have spoken out of turn and quickly covered her mouth.

Everyone present was part of the Netherworld Palace’s "upper echelons," and the Hidden Guards were among its elite. They were, without a doubt, trusted confidants. Ghost didn’t believe that there were undercover agents here; raising suspicions among one’s own people without clear evidence would not only fail to resolve the external threat but also throw the internal ranks into chaos.

"Perhaps, we are already under their surveillance; each of us here could be under their control."

"Here in Yanjing, they have methods even more covert and forceful than ours. Even if Worm is investigating, he won’t have much control, and the enemy will quickly notice our secret inquiries," Ghost said to everyone. In plain terms, they were being led by the nose. To turn the tables, the only option was to strike back.

"What should we do?"

"Accumulate strength discreetly and strike at the right moment. What we need to do now is protect sister-in-law and wait for Boss to return." Ghost finished speaking and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "I’ll take a quick nap; wake me in two hours."

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Yanjing airport.

"Lord Netherworld King, Lord Moon God, Lord Ghost is waiting for you at the hospital," two Hidden Guards greeted them just as they arrived at the airport, putting Ye Shikai’s mind at ease. Now, all that remained was for them to arrive, and they could revive Su Qingyu.

"What’s that? Someone came after the awakening fruit yesterday?" In the car, a Hidden Guard recounted yesterday’s events to the two, prompting Ye Shikai to exclaim in surprise.

"Yes, fortunately, Lord Soul Destroyer was prepared in advance." The Hidden Guard seemed to remember failing to protect the awakening fruit and immediately apologized, "I didn’t protect it well, I deserve death."

"Never mind that, as long as there’s no harm done." Ye Shikai waved his hand, his mind flashing with the image of the veiled, black-clad woman, like a shadow or specter. On the day of his wedding, it was this woman who kidnapped Luo Shiqi, accompanied by two Mothmen. Indeed, her power was formidable; even Ye Shikai almost couldn’t defeat her.

"These people must be assassins sent by Boss Xing," Ji Qian murmured beside him. Ye Shikai agreed. They engaged in a surprise attack in the rainforest while Ghost had to fight an "espionage war" here.

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Hospital.

When Ye Shikai stepped back into the patient room and saw Su Qingyu lying quietly on the bed, his eyes reddened slightly. How wonderful it would be if they were just an ordinary couple.

"Boss, welcome back," Ghost said with a faint smile, glancing at Soul Destroyer and the others behind him, all of them sporting dark circles below their eyes. They exchanged smiles at the sight.

"Boss, go save sister-in-law," Demoness said with a smile. Ye Shikai nodded and turned to look at Ji Qian.

"I’ll leave it to you."

"Leave it to me," Ji Qian replied with a slight smile.

"I’ll get the doctors and nurses to help you," Ghost was about to exit the room when Ji Qian stopped him, "No need, I can manage alone."

Ji Qian had everyone take three steps back and gently placed the awakening fruit on Su Qingyu’s forehead. She waved her Magic Wand and a beam of silver light shot out from the gemstone, shining on the awakening fruit. As everyone watched, the fruit gradually began to float, and waves of red aura descended, vanishing as soon as they touched Su Qingyu’s forehead.

Everyone was shocked by what they saw. As the aura slowly settled, the awakening fruit began to fade. Ye Shikai looked at Ji Qian, who had beads of sweat on her forehead. Refining the awakening fruit required a great deal of Inner Strength. He quickly stepped behind Ji Qian, placed his hand on her shoulder, and channeled a stream of Inner Strength into her body to ease the pressure.

"Are you alright?" Ye Shikai asked quietly.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine," Ji Qian replied, increasing the output of her Inner Strength. The silver light grew brighter as the awakening fruit was half refined. Su Qingyu’s pale face started to regain its color, and her body trembled slightly, showing signs of waking.