Chapter 270: TNT Explosives (Third Update)

Zhetian? With so few people, they really thought they could blow up Xishan and rob Qian Duo Duo? They probably wouldn’t even make it through the front gate before getting shot to death. Sure enough, Zhetian didn’t target Xishan back then; instead, they bombed an oil refinery.

Later, they turned their attention to Jing Shu’s family, even going as far as bombing her villa, but Jing Shu had intervened and managed to take them down. So, when Zhetian had initially bragged about blowing up Xishan and robbing Qian Duo Duo, Jing Shu hadn’t taken it seriously. She had quickly forgotten the incident, up until today. Lin Yi’s appearance and his meticulously laid plans made her question his true intentions.

After all, Lin Yi was none other than the notorious "Zero"—the leader of more than a hundred factions across China.

So, if *Zero* himself was planning to blow up Qian Duo Duo’s estate, could that mean Zhetian's local leader, *Zero Seven*, was also involved?

When the rumbling explosions had echoed outside, Jing Shu became even more convinced: these people really did intend to blow up the entirety of Xishan!

Why was she so sure? Because of the underground tunnels.

When she and Su Mali had fled to the transfer point in the tunnels, Jing Shu had noticed some dark remnants on the ground. At the time, she had wondered what they were. It seemed as though something had been sitting there for a while before being transported elsewhere. Where to? She now knew.

When a primary tunnel leads directly to Qian Duo Duo's most luxurious, impenetrable castle, it all made sense... they were planning to blow up Qian Duo Duo’s mansion.

Now everything was clear.

The dark residue? It was likely the remnants of explosives. They had dug the tunnels and transported the explosives using a makeshift "elevator." Jing Shu recalled that Lin Yi had brought back a large stash of explosives from the U.S. about a year ago, but they had never surfaced. This batch of explosives must have been stored in the tunnels since then.

But these explosives had been sitting there for a year. If everything was in place, why hadn’t Lin Yi simply blown up the castle already? Why go through the trouble of involving Su Mali and the others?

Jing Shu couldn’t figure out why Su Mali was dragged into this as a pawn. It would have sufficed to trap her somewhere, so why release them at all? That was the biggest mystery.

"Why not just blow it up and be done with it? Why all these extra steps?" Jing Shu fumed, her legs shaking at the thought of being blown sky-high any minute. "I need to find those explosives quickly!"

Otherwise, even if they tried to run, with that much TNT, they could flatten the entire Xishan.

Lin Yi sure was playing a dangerous game.

Jing Shu may have been unfair to Lin Yi—he had originally planned to blow up Xishan last year. But after learning that Qian Duo Duo had fortified his castle with a bunker that could withstand even ton-level bombs, Lin Yi had abandoned the plan. He’d turned his sights on the oil refinery instead.

Jing Shu continued searching the tunnels and, sure enough, found another passage! This one was cleverly concealed with camouflaged bricks, blending seamlessly into the wall. Had she not tapped the wall with her hammer, she might never have found it.

While most areas of the tunnel produced a dull thud, this section echoed back with a hollow sound.

"But the door won’t open! It’s solid iron." Jing Shu realized what was on the other side—explosives. She didn’t hesitate. She pulled out a grenade she had seized from Zhetian.

She knew the risk: the explosion might cause the tunnel to collapse. But it didn’t matter. If the tunnel caved in, she could dig her way through.

Her first time using a grenade, Jing Shu felt a bit nervous in the pitch-black tunnel. She followed the instructions precisely—unscrewing the cap, removing the moisture-proof seal, pulling out the safety pin. She took a big step back with her right leg, squared her shoulders, planted her left foot firmly, tightened her core, and threw! Then she hit the ground, covering her head.

"One, two, three, boom!" A massive explosion echoed through the tunnel, shaking everything.

After the dust settled, Jing Shu stood up, shaking off the dirt. She coughed a bit, looking at the door she had blown apart. Thankfully, the tunnel hadn’t collapsed!

"Thanks to Su Mali’s good fortune!"

No, wait... Upon closer inspection, this section of the tunnel was different from the crude one she had just come through. This was reinforced, using the same materials as an air-raid shelter! It was built to withstand explosions, so her grenade had only taken out the door, leaving some dust in its wake.

Now, Jing Shu knew she was truly inside Qian Duo Duo’s home.

She ventured deeper. Sure enough, this was no ordinary tunnel—it was an expansive, hidden chamber. She knelt down, rubbed some residue off the floor, and took a whiff. The sharp scent confirmed it: explosives.

As she walked further, Jing Shu couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer scale of wealth behind this setup. The walls, the floors, everything was constructed with top-tier, explosion-resistant materials.

No wonder Lin Yi had hesitated to carry out his bombing plans. A specialized bunker like this would require dozens of tons of explosives to break through.

Now it made sense. Lin Yi couldn’t blast through the impenetrable shell from the outside, so he’d secretly smuggled the explosives into the mansion.

The tunnel had likely been dug long ago, but today was the first chance they had to smuggle the explosives in.

Could it be that Su Mali and she had unwittingly helped create this opportunity?

Jing Shu quickened her pace. Soon enough, she spotted a detonator! And she knew exactly what it was!

During the fifth year of the apocalypse, when the government began migrating the people of Wucheng to the south, the shifting tectonic plates had created all sorts of impassable terrain. They had used detonators just like these to blast pathways, not only for vehicles but for people as well.

Without hesitation, Jing Shu stashed all the detonators into her spatial storage. She wasn’t about to let something so dangerous lie around. Beneath the detonators, she found a thick pipe, filled with a yellowish paste, leading further down the tunnel.

There was no mistaking it—this was TNT.

TNT, the cheapest, most versatile explosive in the world, capable of underwater detonation, and packing a massive punch. It was also among the most stable explosives—rain wouldn’t affect it, nor would shooting it with a gun.

But to detonate it? That required a trigger.