Soon, Little Stutterer returned, carrying a small bag of dried vegetables, seemingly made from sun-dried nts like fiddlehead ferns.


    Together, they used a wooden bucket to filter some water in the house, preparing reserves for the uing surge period.


    Early the next morning, Little Stutterer went out to gather firewood. The workload was heavy today, with only two days left before the surge period.


    They needed to ensure everything was ready.


    After Little Stutterer left, Yu Hong headed alone to the mountain cave’s safe house to check the surroundings.


    Once he confirmed that everything was in order, he picked up the bag of jerky undergoing enhancement.


    Yu Hong and Little Stutterer had divided the jerky into many small packets, opening one bag at a time when needed to prevent moisture damage.


    Each packet contained only ten small pieces.


    At this moment, the light from outside illuminated the cave, making it bright and visible.The brightness mainly came from a small mirror ced near the cave’s vent, reflecting sunlight inside. The cave, usually dark and gloomy, was now much more livable thanks to this clever setup.


    Yu Hong took out the moisture-absorbing charcoal from the corner and left it outside to dry in the sun. Only after closing the door did he grab the jerky bag to examine it.


    The gray cloth bag disyed a timer: 0 days 0 hours 5 minutes.


    “Almost there,” Yu Hong thought with anticipation as he sat down to wait.


    A minute passed.


    Two minutes.


    Three minutes.


    Suddenly, a faint rustling came from outside, like grass being brushed aside.


    Yu Hong’s expression shifted slightly. He quickly got up and went to the cave entrance, peering out through the observation slit.


    The viewing slit was roughly cut and narrow, providing a limited but sufficient view in all directions.


    The reinforced wooden door, now vastly improvedpared to before, had many additional reinforcements at the edges. The material also appeared much sturdier.


    It was fortunate that Little Stutterer’s cognitive limitations prevented him from noticing these changes, and with no one else around, the transformation of the door remained concealed.


    The rustling sound came again, softer this time, as though the source was trying to stay unnoticed.


    Through the slit, Yu Hong saw two men in camouge uniforms, their clothes tattered and stained with filth.


    They were walking through the wild grass, asionally ncing at the narrow path that Yu Hong and Little Stutterer had inadvertently created with their frequent trips.


    When the men paused, Yu Hong’s heart tightened. It was clear they had noticed the traces.


    The two men began searching the area, their eyes darting around.


    Following the trail, they arrived at the open area near the entrance of the cave safe house.


    About ten meters from the door, they stopped and hesitated, waiting quietly.


    Yu Hong stayed still and silent, observing their intentions.


    From his vantage point, he could see the men clearly against the green slopes outside.


    One man was thin and gaunt, with sallow skin, a weak-looking adult. The other was older, around histe 30s or early 40s, with a sturdier build and a machete hanging from his waist. ?αN???Ε?


    After waiting outside the door for a while, seeing no movement and possibly realizing they couldn’t break in, the two eventually turned and left.


    Their figures disappeared into the forest, leaving Yu Hong to finally let out a sigh of relief.


    In this environment filled with dangers and severe resource shortages, encountering strangers didn’t inspire thoughts of seeking help. Instead, Yu Hong’s first instinct was caution.


    “The surge period ising in two days. Those two men must know this. They aren’t like me—suddenly brought here with no knowledge of the situation. They must understand what’s at stake.


    “If they’re wandering around with weapons at a time like this, their intentions are clear without needing much guesswork.”


    Returning to the cave, Yu Hong’s gaze fell on the bag of jerky, which hadpleted its enhancement during themotion.


    At this moment, he noticed that the jerky he had been waiting for to finish strengthening was alreadyplete.


    His eyes lit up as he stepped forward and picked up the bag of jerky from the ground.


    Surprisingly, the cloth bag now looked quite different from before.


    The original bag had been grayish-white with a faded cartoon rabbit design on the outside.


    The rabbit had big buck teeth, long ears standing straight up, and was dressed in a ck leather jacket.


    This was the “Bandit Bunny,” the protagonist of Little Stutterer’s favorite cartoon.


    All their bags were of this Bandit Bunny design, but with prolonged use, the rabbit’s image had be somewhat faded—after all, it had only been printed on with some kind of cheap ink.


    Previously, this Bandit Bunny bag had been used to hold the jerky.


    But now, after strengthening—


    Yu Hong held the bag and noticed the neatly printed text on the outside:


    “High-Energy Protein Bar”


    Below the title was a small description:


    “One bar fulfills your daily energy needs! Rich in essential trace elements required by the human body, featuring abination of ingredients that rapidly replenish physical energy—carbohydrates, fats, proteins, dietary fiber.”


    The description was exceptionallyprehensive, including a list of ingredients, manufacturing details, and even a one-year shelf life. Everything was ounted for, except for a manufacturer.


    Holding the jerky bag, Yu Hong remained silent for a moment.


    “It seems this strengthening process uses some sort of standard temte to enhance the original items.”


    He frowned slightly, recalling the strengthened wooden door and the previous glowing stone. Combined with the jerky bag before him, a faint idea began to form in his mind.


    Rip.


    He decisively tore open the bag.


    The bag was still made of cloth, but the inside was lined with ayer of sealed paper that used a sealing strip to keep the contents dry.


    Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a piece of jerky.


    Yu Hong examined it carefully.


    The jerky had also changed.


    Previously, it was an uneven, dull grayish-ck color, clearly handmade.


    But now, the jerky was a perfectly shaped rectangr block with smooth edges, and its surface was sprinkled with white sesame seeds.


    It emitted a rich meat aroma with a faint hint of sweetness.


    Yu Hong snapped off a small piece and popped it into his mouth.


    Immediately, his expression changed, his face scrunching up tightly.


    “Sweet!


    Too sweet!!”


    No wonder one bar couldst an entire day and had a shelf life of up to a year.


    “I would have found this unbearable in the past, but now, this level of sugar concentration is actually a good thing.”


    Although it tasted awful, Yu Hong’s mood improved considerably.


    Previously, a small bag of jerky could only feed him and Little Stutter for two meals at most, but now, this single bag couldst five days.


    Food was no longer a problem!


    The ck imprint had brought him an unexpected surprise.


    Although he still needed to test its effects to see if one bar could truly sustain him for an entire day, judging by the sweetness, Yu Hong felt it was likely.


    He stuffed the protein bar into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it down, then took a big gulp of water. Soon, he felt full.


    “The jerky’s strengthening result is in. Next is something else.” Yu Hong’s gaze quicklynded on his water cup.


    Drinking water had been his biggest headache since arriving here.


    The foul smell made every sip feel like torture.


    “If only I could strengthen the filtration system. But unfortunately, we only have one, and Little Stutterer definitely won’t let me tamper with it.”


    Carrying the high-energy protein bars, he walked to the wooden door. After a moment’s thought, a question suddenly came to mind.


    “This area is all forest, dense with trees and vegetation. Trees and weeds need water the most. So, where does their watere from?”


    The idea, once formed, stuck in his mind and kept rolling around.


    Coming back to his senses, he nced at the items scattered in the cave.


    His gaze fell on the water cup.


    The outside of the wooden cup instantly disyed a number: “3 days.”


    “Not enough time. Let’s try something else.” Yu Hong’s gaze swept around and soonnded on a candle.


    The impending peak disaster period was a test for all survivors, and candles were a critical resource.


    They were essential for resisting the tide of blood insects during the ck cmity.


    The candle, as thick as his arm, was something Little Stutterer had given him. Made of yellowish-brown wax, it was about as long as a pencil and had only been used a quarter of the way.


    Now, as Yu Hong focused on it, a new strengthening time appeared: “1 hour and 12 minutes.”


    “The time is short? Worth a try.” A thought stirred in Yu Hong’s heart. He walked over, picked up the candle, and held it in his hand.


    “Strengthen the tree oil candle?” A prompt appeared again.


    “Yes.” Yu Hong confirmed in his mind.


    With just over an hour needed, he didn’t have to wait long.


    Sitting in the cave, he held the candle tightly, staring at it without blinking.


    As the remaining time ticked down to the final minute, he carefully observed, curious about how the strengthening process would unfold.


    Pop.


    Suddenly, the candle blurred for a moment, then quickly cleared up.


    The previously yellowish candle transformed into a brand-new pure white one with a brass casing.


    “It evenes with amp fixture?” Yu Hong was surprised.


    The ck imprint’s strengthening process gave him a strong impression:


    The enhancement wasn’t bound by the principle of conservation of mass. The contents of an item before and after strengthening could be vastly different.


    For example, the candle had initially consisted only of wax and a wick.


    But now, the strengthened candle—


    He picked it up. It was still as thick as his arm, but its exterior was wrapped in a brass windproof casing. The top had a small oil-catch bowl connected to a brass base.


    Unfortunately, the size hadn’t changed.


    “Interesting. Can strengthened items be strengthened again?”


    With this thought, Yu Hong focused on the brassmp-candle, attempting to strengthen it again.


    But, to his disappointment, nothing happened.


    Looking down at the ck imprint on his hand, he found it remainedpletely inactive.


    “Is it limited to one enhancement, or is there some other condition?”


    Leaving the question in his mind, he nced outside. It was already noon, and the light was at its strongest.


    His gaze shifted again,nding on a filthy nket.


    As soon as the thought of strengthening arose, arge ck number appeared on the nket: “1 day 0 hours 56 minutes.”


    He then looked at a nearby axe, used previously for chopping wood.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    A ck number appeared: “3 hours 12 minutes.”


    “It seems everything can be strengthened. Then…”


    Yu Hong lowered his head and looked at his own body.


    “What about me? Can I be strengthened?”


    A storm of thoughts churned in his mind as he stared intently at himself.


    Ten seconds.


    Twenty seconds.


    Thirty seconds.


    (End of Chapter)