Chapter 228: How Did Boss Su Know I Would Die at the Foot of the City Wall?
After hanging up the phone, Su Tao threw herself into constructing new houses.
Five two-bedroom apartments, three three-bedroom apartments…
Night fell quickly. After working non-stop for three more hours, Su Tao was so exhausted that she could barely keep her eyes open. She felt like she was on the verge of collapsing from overwork. Without hesitation, she went back to her room and fell asleep the moment she lay down.
Meanwhile, outside Wutai Base, two pitch-black crawling creatures darted through the moonlight.
As they approached the city walls, they burrowed underground and vanished.
Ding Heyu led his team on patrol, scanning the surroundings.
Gazing at the towering, solid city walls under the night sky, he couldn’t help but recall Su Tao’s words. Instinctively, he took a few steps back from the walls.
While patrolling, his communicator rang. He picked up the call, and his wife’s cheerful voice came through:
“Still on patrol? Be careful! Oh, I have something to tell you—my sister-in-law said that Dongyang’s maternity hospital is amazing now. The one managed by Taoyang—it has some kind of protective dome, making it feel like spring all year round. It’s perfect for pregnancy care. When I get pregnant, can you send me there when my belly gets bigger?”
“But we need to reserve a spot early. My sister-in-law said the maternity hospital’s admission slots are in high demand. Honey, you interact with Boss Su from Taoyang a lot. Can you…?”
Ding Heyu had been lost in thought, staring blankly at the city walls, not even realizing that he had been slowly stepping further away from them.
When he heard this, he snapped to attention.
“So it’s confirmed that Taoyang has taken over Dongyang’s maternity hospital?”
His wife replied, “Yeah! My sister-in-law said that on the first day of the takeover, they built a bunch of new bathing facilities and water rooms. They even have both hot and cold water, and it’s all free to use.”
Ding Heyu had heard rumors about it before, but he hadn’t expected the transition to happen so quickly.
If Taoyang could manage the maternity hospital, did that mean they would soon take over Dongyang’s commercial district, residential areas, or even its military and governmental forces?
With Boss Su’s capabilities, if she took over everything, Wutai wouldn’t be able to compete—not just in Qingpeng but likely the entire southern base.
“Honey, can you make it happen? Wutai is way too hot, and water is expensive. We spend a fortune on water alone every day. We might as well use that money to pay for a hospital stay.”
Ding Heyu came back to his senses and sighed. “I’ll find a chance to talk to Boss Su.”
It used to be that people from Dongyang, Shou’an, and Yun Cang flocked to Wutai.
Now, even he was thinking about sending his wife to Dongyang.
Mayor Ren was going to have a hard time swallowing this reality.
Just as he was thinking that, a sudden, piercing scream rang out—so close that it seemed to be less than twenty meters away.
A chill ran down his spine, and he instinctively backed away from the city wall, putting more distance between himself and the source of the scream.
When he felt he was at a safe distance, he looked toward the sound.
A massive black shadow shot past his field of vision!
And then—
He saw two of his subordinates, who had been patrolling right beside him, suddenly get severed at the waist. Their bodies were split in two, heads and torsos lying separately on the ground!
Screams erupted all around.
Ding Heyu’s face went pale.
If he hadn’t taken those steps back while on the phone, he would be dead right now.
But the city wall was intact—no damage, no breach—so how had something gotten inside and started attacking people?!
The screams continued, growing more frequent and chaotic.
There was no time to think. Ding Heyu immediately activated his ability, freezing everything around him in a temporary state of stasis.
But he was just one person—he couldn’t stop the monster in the darkness. He could only protect those nearby while the creature bypassed him and continued its slaughter.
By the time the bloodstained dawn broke, the unknown, monstrous black creature had vanished underground.
As the first rays of light touched the steadfast city walls, they revealed dried blood splattered across their surface.
Ding Heyu had exhausted his energy. His legs gave out, and he half-knelt on the ground. His subordinates rushed over, stepping over corpses to support him.
His face was deathly pale as he waved them off. “Forget me—go count the casualties.”
Wutai had been completely unprepared for this attack.
The devastation was catastrophic—two entire districts lost.
Wherever the creature had passed, the ground was littered with corpses, all gruesomely severed at the waist.
Mayor Ren was furious. He wanted to hold the city’s defensive soldiers accountable, but Ding Heyu quickly stopped him:
“Mayor, I don’t think this was an attack from regular zombies.”
Mayor Ren frowned. “Even if they were evolved zombies, they couldn’t have scaled our walls.”
Ding Heyu shook his head. “It wasn’t an evolved zombie. This thing burrows underground and moves at incredible speed. If it weren’t for Su… If I hadn’t been on alert, I would’ve died along with my men.”
Seeing Ding Heyu’s pale face, Mayor Ren let out a heavy sigh.
“Go rest. I’ll handle the cleanup. Xiao Qiu nearly lost her mind last night—I had to stop her from running out of the house.”
Ding Heyu thanked him and returned home, his head throbbing.
As soon as he opened the door, his wife threw herself into his arms, trembling uncontrollably and sobbing silently.
“A’Yu, I thought you weren’t coming back…”
Ding Heyu hugged her tightly.
If it weren’t for Su Tao’s warning, which had made him extra cautious, he really might not have come back.
Thinking of this, he comforted his wife briefly before heading to the balcony, pacing in deep thought.
Finally, he picked up his communicator and made a call to Taoyang.
Su Tao had just woken up and was surprised to see a call from Ding Heyu.
“Is something wrong, Mayor Ding? If you’re looking to purchase supplies, you can place an order on our official website.”
Ding Heyu rubbed his temples, struggling with his thoughts. He had so many questions but didn’t know how to ask them.
Seeing his hesitation, Su Tao frowned. “Mayor Ding?”
Ding Heyu took a deep breath.
“Boss Su, how did you know I would die at the foot of the city wall?”
Su Tao froze, then smoothly deflected, “Does it really matter how I knew? The important thing is that I warned you.”
Ding Heyu fell silent.
She had a point—because of her, he was still alive. His wife didn’t have to become a widow.
He sighed. “Thank you. Do you know what that creature was?”
Su Tao shook her head. “To be honest, Dongyang was attacked by them too. No one knows exactly what they are, but most people suspect they’re a new form of evolved zombies.”
Ding Heyu massaged his temples. “Alright… Regardless, I owe you one. If there’s ever a chance, I’ll repay this favor.”
Su Tao didn’t take it to heart and instead asked, “Are you still planning to purchase supplies?”
Ding Heyu replied, “Yes. We originally planned to visit Taoyang today, but after this attack, we need a few more days to recover from our losses.”
Then he hesitated before adding:
“Boss Su… about the maternity hospital slots…”
Su Tao immediately understood. “You have a pregnant family member?”
Ding Heyu quickly said, “Not yet, but my wife wants to go to Dongyang’s maternity hospital for prenatal care later this year or early next year. I was wondering… can we reserve a spot in advance? We’re willing to pay in Federation currency, contribution points, or crystal cores.”
Last night had made one thing clear—Wutai was far from safe.
If he could send his wife and child to Taoyang’s care, he would finally have some peace of mind.
