No one outside dared to let anyone in without explicit instructions.
The men in black ignored the old woman's pleas. With no success, they could only wait by the door.
With no outsiders in the mourning hall, Di Ruihe no longer bothered with pretense. Tearing off the mask of hypocrisy, he pulled out the gun he always carried.
"So what if the car accident didn't kill you? I want to see how you plan to get out of here alive today," Di Ruihe said, aiming the gun at Di Mingjue.
He was prepared for a mutual destruction. Even if the old fossils of the Di family objected, they wouldn't be able to do anything if he died.
Facing the muzzle, Di Mingjue showed no fear. Instead, he moved closer, inviting the shot. "Try firing."
Di Mingjue provoked him.
A single shot would send a bullet from the surface into the brain, and he feared the man wouldn't even know the tragic state of his death.
Di Ruihe stepped forward, pressing the muzzle against Di Mingjue's forehead. Shen Lin, standing nearby, tensed, wanting to intervene, but Di Mingjue stopped him.
Seeing Di Mingjue's apparent death wish, Di Ruihe pushed his thumb downwards. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger.
It was hard to say what consequences he would face if he fired.
The gun muzzle moved away from the forehead. Di Ruihe, feigning clarity, mocked, "You want to frame me as the villain in everyone's eyes?"
Di Mingjue suddenly burst into laughter. "Close by, the car accident a few days ago. Further back, three years ago. Do you see any connection between these two?"
"What are you trying to say?" Di Ruihe demanded, enraged and ashamed.
Shen Lin had left at some point and returned with Xu Zehong and the supposed assassins.
Di Ruihe looked at them appearing one by one before him. Upon realizing what was happening, he threw his head back and laughed.
"No wonder, no wonder! So it was all your design. You deliberately leaked the news, making me believe everything was proceeding as normal."
Seeing that he had some self-awareness, Di Mingjue raised his hand and snapped his fingers above his head.
As the sound faded, the police officers who had been waiting nearby emerged.
The mourning hall he had personally prepared became the place where his dreams shattered. With everything lost, Di Ruihe did not want Di Mingjue to have an easy time.
He raised his gun again, unleashing a barrage of shots at the man in front of him. "Don't move!"
The leading police officer raised his hand, halting his advancing subordinates. They all raised their guns in unison, countless muzzles pointed at Di Ruihe.
It was likely that before he could fire, he would be riddled with police bullets.
Di Ruihe lunged forward, grabbing Di Mingjue by the collar and pressing the gun to his temple.
Those around them grew extremely tense. The police officer pleaded, "Put down the gun and the hostage. You still have a chance to live!"
Live?
Di Ruihe chuckled. The moment they appeared, he had already given up any hope of survival.
Applying force downwards with his arm, Di Ruihe moved towards the exit. "Get out of the way! Or I'll shoot!"
Moving to the center, Di Mingjue voluntarily asked the officers to lower their weapons. They all stepped back in unison, giving them ample space.
Di Mingjue felt Di Ruihe's body tremble and, with a smile, taunted, "Do you really think you can threaten me?"
"This isn't a threat," Di Ruihe retorted.
"Indeed, you're just looking for someone to drag down to hell with you."
The police officers found it unbelievable that the two were actually conversing. They saw no fear in either of them, as if the entire scene were just an act.
The main doors of the mourning hall were opened, and Jiang Ziyu, supporting the old woman, appeared at the entrance.
Seeing the gun pointed at Di Mingjue's head, the old woman nearly fainted.
"You're insane!" she yelled at Di Ruihe. "Do you know what you're doing?"
How could he, of all people, point a gun at his own cousin!