《A Night of Desperation》


 Chapter 1: The Mysterious Shadow (1)

    ¡°Yi Yi.¡±


    ¡°Yi Yi.¡±


    A faint voice called out, waking the little girl from her slumber.


    In the dark of the night, in a cramped square bedroom, a young girl with long ck hairy in bed, covered by a grey-white quilt that reached her shoulders, revealing the fadedce trim of her nightgown.


    The girl looked to be about seven or eight years old. She had a delicate face with a slightly high nose, and two red pimples on her chin. She seemed to be at that age when she was just beginning to understand the world around her.


    Upon hearing the voice, she slowly opened her eyes, sat up, and looked around.


    The room was shrouded in darkness, with only a faint moonlight filtering in through the window, dimly illuminating the foot of the bed.


    At the foot of the bed, there stood a dark figure.


    The upper body of the figure was engulfed in darkness, its face obscured.But the girl could feel that it was silently watching her.


    ¡°Mom?¡± The girl asked cautiously.


    She clutched the nket tightly, her face tense, sensing that something was wrong.


    The room was eerily silent, with only her voice standing out as it echoed slightly in the stillness.


    ¡°Remember, Yi Yi, no matter what sounds you hear, you must hide in the secret altar. Don¡¯te out until the white stone turns ck.¡±


    The figure spoke softly.


    ¡°Don¡¯te out.¡±


    After the words were spoken, it slowly turned around and silently walked toward the door.


    The wooden door opened with no sound, revealing an expanse of darkness outside, which quickly swallowed the figure whole.


    ¡°Mommy!!¡± The girl seemed to sense something was wrong. She suddenly threw off the nket, jumped out of bed, and tried to chase after her.


    Boom!!!


    A loud crash echoed, followed by a strong tremor, ringing loudly in her ears.


    Hiss!!!


    The girl snapped her eyes open, arching her chest as she took a deep breath.


    It had all been a dream.


    Her eyes were wide with terror, her pupils dting, and her consciousness slowly began to break free from the drowsiness of the dream.


    Boom!!


    Another loud bang.


    The entire room seemed to be shaking and trembling.


    The wooden door rattled violently, with a series of crashes that sounded as if a giant beast was violently battering against it.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!!


    The powerful impacts seemed as though they could shatter the door.


    Faint cracks began to appear on the surface of the door, slowly spreading.


    The girl snapped back to reality, remembering the sounds from her dream.


    ¡°Mom.¡± She didn¡¯t know why, but tears welled up in her eyes, and a deep pain rose in her chest.


    But hearing the crashing sounds and recalling the words from her dream, she quickly threw off the nket, jumped out of bed, and looked at the door.


    Creak!


    The wooden door was suddenly smashed open, and broken splinters flew inward,nding on the brown earthen floor.


    The girl¡¯s body stiffened, her heart racing, and her face turned pale. She quickly crouched down and crawled under the bed.


    She crawled for a few steps, found a hidden ck mudboard, grabbed the ring, and pulled it open with great effort.


    Beneath the mudboard was a small, square space just big enough for her to curl up in.


    The walls of the space were lined with white stones of varying sizes.


    These stones were shaped differently, but they all shared one feature: they were etched withplex red symbols.


    The girl quickly crawled inside, covered her head with the mudboard, and huddled in the darkness, shivering as she listened to the sounds outside.


    Strangely, once she hid in the space, the crashing noises outside ceasedpletely.


    It was as if everything she had heard earlier had been a hallucination.


    Silence.


    Absolute silence.


    The only sound in the space was her own breathing.


    The girl tightly pressed her hands over her mouth, fearing that any noise from her breath might give away her position.


    The immense fear and tension soon wore down her small body, and exhaustion slowly began to creep in.


    As time passed, the girl gradually fell into a deep sleep.


    She didn¡¯t know how long it had been.


    An hour, maybe two.


    ¡°Yi Yi.¡± A familiar voice called out, waking the girl from her sleep.


    She moved her body, as if trying to make herself morefortable.


    ¡°Yi Yi?¡±


    ¡°Yi Yi, where are you? Mommy is back.¡±


    The voice outside sounded again, faint and familiar.


    The girl¡¯s fear seemed to have eased somewhat after her nap.


    Upon hearing the voice, she moved quickly, eager to get out.


    But suddenly, she remembered something. Looking at the white stones embedded in the wall, she noticed that they had not turned ck.


    ording to what her mother had said, only when the white stones turned ck would it bepletely safe.


    The girl¡¯s desire to go outside stopped immediately.


    ¡°Yi Yi, it¡¯s morning. It¡¯s safe now. You cane out.¡±


    The voice echoed again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, with the light, those things won¡¯t daree in. Mommy is here. You cane out.¡±


    The girl calcted the time. Normally, her mother would return about now.


    Every time she hid in this small space, after taking a nap, she would be able to see her mother when she came out.


    This time, the timing seemed right, so it should be no different.


    As for the white stones on the wall, maybe they hadn¡¯t turned ck because too much time had passed. The stones were white during the day as well.


    The girl thought for a moment. She looked up through the small venttion hole in the mudboard, peeking outside.


    She saw a faint white light.


    It was indeed morning.


    Finally, she rxed.


    ¡°I¡¯ming!¡±


    She called out.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ming.¡±


    She began to move, her little hands reaching up to push the mudboard above her.


    Soon, she managed to push open the mudboard and struggled to lift her head out of the small space, returning to the area under the bed.


    Then, she looked outside.


    ¡°!!??¡±


    Outside.


    It was stillplete darkness.


    Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be daylight?


    The girl¡¯s scalp tingled.


    She sensed something was terribly wrong. With clenched teeth, she quickly crouched down, trying to retreat back into the small space.


    Clop.


    Clop.


    Suddenly, a pair of pale feet wearing her mother¡¯s cloth shoes stopped right in front of the bed.


    ¡°Yi Yi, my dear daughter, where are you?¡± The soft and familiar voice sounded again.


    The girl dared not make a sound. She tightly covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face as they slid down her cheeks.


    But she didn¡¯t dare move. At such a close distance, any slight movement could make a sound in the silent environment, exposing her position.


    Suddenly, she remembered that her mother couldn¡¯t possibly be unaware about the small space under the bed.


    So her mother couldn¡¯t be asking where she was.


    At that moment, she realized¡­ she had been tricked.


    Clop.


    Clop.


    Soon, there was no response. Perhaps the girl¡¯s response from the small space had been too quiet for the other person to hear.


    The feet slowly moved away from the bed and left, heading toward another part of the house.


    The steps were slow, barely making a sound. Soon, with a faint click of a door closing, the figure disappeared.


    Everything returned to silence.


    The girl continued to hold her breath, waiting.


    She didn¡¯t know how long it had been. When she didn¡¯t hear any more sounds, she slowly exhaled, letting go of her tension and shrinking back.


    After enduring so much, her body was weak. She could hear a faint buzzing in her ears, and her vision felt blurry.


    She could no longer hold on. Leaning against the small space, she gasped for air.


    When she realized the danger had passed, the girl waited a bit longer to be sure that there was no movement. Then, with great difficulty, she crawled out of the small space and slowly crept toward the exit under the bed. ?£Á¦­????


    Plop.


    Suddenly¡­


    Her shoulder bumped into something.


    The girl froze, an unsettling feeling sweeping over her.


    She slowly raised her head, looking toward the top right.


    A woman in a tattered white dress with long hair sat silently on her wooden bed, her left leg hanging down, resting on the girl¡¯s right shoulder.


    The woman¡¯s hair obscured her face, but she looked down at the girl. Through the dim moonlight, her pale lips were visible, showing signs of decay.


    Whoosh!


    The woman¡¯s decayed face suddenly leaned in, growingrger.


    *


    *


    * *


    ¡°This time, he didn¡¯t die.¡±


    In the darkness, a blurry voice emerged.


    It seemed to be a woman¡¯s voice.


    ¡°He is still alive, but¡­ just injured and very weak. You know, you always go out into the forest to rescue people, but we barely have enough food here. How can you bear to feed a sick person too?¡± the woman said.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s¡­ fine, mom¡­ tell me,¡± a stuttering young girl¡¯s voice followed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about your mom, just listening to you talk tires me. Okay, I stitched up your wound. Just don¡¯t get it wet and try not to get infected. I¡¯m leaving now.¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice continued as she seemed to be packing up something.


    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± the stuttering girl said,ughing awkwardly.


    ¡°Stop thanking me. If ites to it, just drag him outside and leave him there. He should be gone by morning.¡± The woman sighed.


    ¡°Thank you, only you help,¡± the stuttering girl said gratefully.


    ¡°That¡¯s just how it is. Life is hard for everyone, and no one has the energy to care for others. You¡¯re the only one who hasn¡¯t thrown him back into the wild by now,¡± the woman responded.


    Yu Hong slowly gathered strength, trying to open his eyes in the darkness.


    He saw a small, dirty girl with messy ck hair talking to a middle-aged woman with yellow skin.


    The woman wore sses, and her grayish-white long sleeves were stained with various smudges.


    Yu Hong only remembered that he had been exhausted from work, went home, and fell asleep. But in the middle of the night, he suddenly heard some noise, then felt a pain in his forehead, and everything went ck.


    ¡°This¡­ where is this?¡± He tried to speak, but his throat felt like it was being sliced by a knife, and no words came out, only heavy breathing.


    At the same time, he felt that his forehead was very hot, his body feverish, and his eyes were full of crusted sleep.


    It must have been an infection somewhere, perhaps his throat.


    ¡°Medicine,¡± the girl¡¯s voice came.


    After the sound of a door closing, everything fell silent.


    The dirty girl struggled to move, pulling out a ck metal box from the corner of the room.


    ¡°Take the medicine. It will get better.¡± She walked over and handed Yu Hong the box.


    With a click, she opened the lid, revealing several pieces of ck charcoal, and inside, wrapped in paper, were three pale yellow capsules.


    But these three pills had small mold spots on them, with blue moldy fuzz growing on them.


    ¡°These pills¡­ they can¡¯t be eaten,¡± Yu Hong said stiffly, looking at her. Now fully awake, his throat felt much better, but still painful.


    ¡°And what is this medicine? What¡¯s wrong with me? How can you give me medicine when you don¡¯t even know what¡¯s wrong with me? This won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°First, tell me who you are, where I am, and what¡¯s going on?¡±


    The girl seemed confused, opening her mouth but only stammering, unable to produce any sound.


    Yu Hong leaned in and finally saw her clearly.


    Her skin was dark, covered in yellow stains. She wore clothes from different seasons¡ªsummer, fall, winter¡ªallyered together. Her cor was greasy and ck, and she smelled strongly of sweat.


    She looked like a beggar.


    In fact, many beggars were probably cleaner than her.


    From a distance, she looked like a moving ck ragged clothes trolley.


    Up close, he saw her body was deformed. One of her legs wasme, and on her right shoulder was arge tumor that was visible even through her clothes.


    She was barely five feet tall, dirty, and slow-moving.


    But her eyes¡ªthose eyes¡ªwere as clear as gemstones, almost without a trace of impurity.


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 2: The Mysterious Shadow (2)

    In response to Yu Hong¡¯s questions, the girl waspletely unable to react; she didn¡¯t know which question to answer first.


    She stood there in a daze, trembling with the medicine box in her hands. The shaking was so intense that it seemed like the medicine might fall out at any moment.


    Click.


    The door was pushed open again, from the outside.


    A middle-aged woman in a dirty whiteb coat walked in. With yellow skin and ck hair, wearing ck-framed sses, she was the same woman who had appeared earlier, presumably a doctor.


    ¡°I¡¯ll answer your questions. Don¡¯t make things difficult for Yi Yi. She had an illness before and was frightened. Her speech and thoughts aren¡¯t quite right,¡± the woman said.


    She walked over to the bedside and ced a light gray water jug on the wooden nightstand.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how you got here. Last night, Yi Yi went out to gather firewood and identally found you in a pit, then dragged you back.¡±


    ¡°When we found you, you were unconscious. There didn¡¯t seem to be any visible injuries, but you were unconscious with a fever. Yi Yi fed you some filtered water, and you finally woke up after waiting through the night.¡±The woman exhaled.


    ¡°As for where this is, this is Baiqiu Vige. The area is surrounded by deep mountains, and the only way out is an old road to the west.¡±


    She paused.


    ¡°I¡¯m the vige doctor, myst name is Xu. She¡¯s called Lin Yi Yi, an orphan living here alone. There¡¯s not much else to say. Well, now it¡¯s your turn. Who are you? How did you get here? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Xu, can I call you that?¡± Yu Hong, still holding his throat in pain, spoke in a low voice, trying to make sense of the situation.


    He saw her nod and continued.


    ¡°My name is Yu Hong. I was just sleeping at home before, and then¡­¡± He recounted his previous feelings in detail.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I got here. I¡­¡± He struggled to raise his hand and press it to his forehead.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Dr. Xu suddenly asked.


    ¡°Twenty¡­ twenty-seven,¡± Yu Hong reflexively responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Anyway, you won¡¯t be going back. With the way things are, it doesn¡¯t matter where you came from or how. There are no vehicles; if you go outside, you¡¯ll die. You¡¯ll probably have to stay here for quite some time,¡± Dr. Xu said indifferently.


    ¡°??? No vehicles? Can you¡­ can someone lend me a car to take me to the nearest bus station? I can pay!¡± Yu Hong was confused.


    ¡°A bus station?¡± This time it was Dr. Xu¡¯s turn to be puzzled. ¡°What are you talking about? Where would you find a bus station? Who¡¯s going to drive you? Outside there are all sorts of strange monsters. If you go out, you¡¯re just asking for death.¡±


    ¡°Monsters?!¡± Yu Hong froze.


    ¡°What kind of monsters?!¡± He doubted that the woman was ying a prank or had some mental issue.


    But as he looked at Dr. Xu, who was staring at him like he was a fool, Yu Hong began to feel that something wasn¡¯t right.


    A sense of unease started to rise in his chest.


    He was just an ordinary office worker. No one would hire such a low-level actor to deceive him, would they?


    ¡°Well, looks like you¡¯re a fool after all,¡± Dr. Xu sighed as she raised her head.


    ¡°A fool with another fool. You two are quite a pair.¡±


    She nced out the window.


    ¡°It¡¯s still early. When night falls, you¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll leave now. Yi Yi, keep an eye on him. Don¡¯t let him open the door tonight.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the girl, stuttering, quickly nodded.


    When Dr. Xu turned to leave, the girl hurriedly called out.


    ¡°Medicine! Sister!¡± she anxiously called out.


    Dr. Xu turned back, understanding, and took a mercury thermometer from her pocket, shoving it into Yu Hong¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check your temperature.¡±


    After a while, she took the thermometer out and looked at it.


    ¡°38.5¡ãC, you won¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Medicine¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The stuttering girl quickly handed over the medicine box to Dr. Xu for inspection.


    The mold spots on the medicine made Dr. Xu frown.


    ¡°Yi Yi, I don¡¯t have much medicine left either. The post office only goes to town once a month.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the girl immediately panicked, looking around before quickly finding something resembling a yam from a corner cab and handing it over. ??£ÁN¨®??¨¨??


    ¡°Trade, this, trade¡­ for medicine!¡±


    Dr. Xu shook her head, saying it wasn¡¯t enough.


    The girl then started rummaging through other ces.


    They haggled, and the voices reached Yu Hong¡¯s ears.


    He felt drowsy and weak, his body sluggish. Soon, he fell back into a deep sleep, his throat still aching, his head heavy, and his limbs too weak to lift.


    His body¡¯s natural healing mechanism drove him into sleep to quickly recover his strength.


    Time passed quickly.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how long had passed¡ªmaybe an hour, or maybe three. Time was meaningless for someone in a daze.


    Slowly, Yu Hong woke up from his stupor.


    His whole body ached, feeling weak, and his throat felt blocked as if something was lodged there, making it impossible to speak. Only hoarse breaths escaped.


    He opened his eyes, struggled to prop himself up, and surveyed the surroundings.


    The room was quiet.


    This small, square bedroom had walls and a ceiling made of wood, all a light yellow color.


    The floor was ck mud, smooth and dry, with some corners even sprouting grass.


    Yu Hong slowly shifted his body, lowered his legs over the edge of the bed, and gently let his feet touch the ground.


    The solid feeling of the floor under his feet made his heart feel inexplicably relieved.


    He looked down at himself.


    He was wearing a grayish-white short-sleeve T-shirt, with a cartoon tiger head printed on the front, stained with some yellow marks. His pants were cream-colored casual trousers, now wrinkled.


    His gray socks were torn at the big toe, with two big toes poking out through the holes, covered in ck dirt.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯ He noticed a ck mark on the back of his right hand.


    The mark looked like an ancient seal, a square stamp with what looked like a clump of rotten mud on it, with no patterns or characters. It resembled a birthmark at first nce.


    But Yu Hong clearly remembered that he never had such arge birthmark, especially not on his prominent right hand.


    He rubbed the mark, but it didn¡¯t hurt or itch.


    He tried to wipe it off, but it didn¡¯te off, so he gave up for now.


    After checking his body and confirming there were no external injuries, Yu Hong touched the stubble on his chin and nced toward the window.


    The window was square, located to the right of the bed, and was secured with horizontal wooden nks, both inside and outside. It was tightly sealed, as if protecting from a mental illness patient, messy yet unsettling.


    The light outside was dim, casting a faint yellow glow into the room, leaving pale yellow spots beside the bed.


    Yu Hong took a deep breath, noticing a strange, indescribable burnt odor in the air.


    He walked a few steps to the door and saw a thick stack of old newspapers by the doorframe.


    Pausing, he bent down, struggling to pick up the stack, and looked at the topmost paper.


    ¡°Top Alert: Major ck Disaster Strikes Nationwide¡±


    The huge headline almost took up half the page.


    Below it were the details.


    ¡®¡­The frequent ck disasters and the weak response from authorities have posed a huge threat to the lives of the people. In the face of this grim situation, the National Disaster Prevention Committee has urgently set up an Emergency Management Department to respond swiftly to the worst-hit areas and organize rescue efforts.¡¯


    Yu Hong frowned and flipped to the back of the page.


    A chaotic scene of rescue efforts appeared in front of him. It showed a grey, dpidated building with people in heavy protective suits lifting stretchers, carrying ckened corpses.


    ¡°ck disaster?¡± He had never heard of such a term.


    He continued flipping the paper.


    ¡°Massive Bug Disaster Approaching, How Should We Respond?¡±


    ¡°Food Shortage, Water Crisis, National Rescue Teams Work Relentlessly to Save Thousands¡±


    ¡°Suspected Biochemical Agent Leak, Yi Guan City Sealed Off with Vehicle Barricades¡±


    ¡°Experts Discuss Blood Ticks in Response to ck Disasters¡±


    ¡°First Hope City Completed, 10,000 People Move In¡±


    With the sound of the pages rustling, Yu Hong¡¯s expression grew more serious.


    Not only were the headlines bizarre and abnormal, but more crucially, he suddenly realized that these newspapers were written in anguage he had never learned before. It wasn¡¯t Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Russian, or anynguage he recognized.


    It was an entirely unfamiliarnguage.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Yu Hong put down the newspaper and looked at the date.


    January 3, 2020.


    He had never seen thisnguage before, yet he could understand it.


    This strange feeling made a sense of difort rise in his chest.


    After putting the newspaper back in its ce, Yu Hong nced at the door in front of him.


    The door was gray-ck, with arge and small square pattern, one above the other. The doorknob was white, with some of the paint chipped off, revealing the ck metal underneath.


    He reached out, gripped the handle, and the cold, solid touch sent a shiver through him. He gently turned it.


    Click.


    The door opened.


    Outside was a gray stone staircase, with three steps.


    Beyond that was a broken, rocky path.


    On the opposite side was a small, dark house with its door open.


    The walls were gray and white, the roof ck and ruined.


    The house was only about three meters tall, and there were red slogans painted on the walls, now too faded to read.


    The nted roof tiles still had pebbles and yellow dry leaves on them, which rustled in the wind.


    Yu Hong stepped outside, only to realize he wasn¡¯t wearing shoes, just his tattered gray socks.


    The rough ground felt ufortable, pricking his feet.


    He stood still for a moment.


    He looked around.


    On both sides of the rocky path stood a row of houses with stone walls and tile roofs.


    These houses were very old, their walls covered with mold and stains. Some had red slogans written on them, like ¡°Live a Happy Life, Be Safe Forever,¡± ¡°One Person Serves the Family, Everyone Is Safe,¡± and ¡°Fire, Bug, and Moisture Protection.¡±


    The rocky path was a bit gloomy, with the sun blocked by the houses. Only a sliver of light was seeping through the doors and windows.


    It was because these houses were all rtively low.


    He scanned his surroundings.


    Each house, like a person standing in line, was of simr height, dpidated, with leaking doors and windows. Most of the dark wooden doors were wide open, revealing empty rooms and the sound of the wind howling through them.


    He turned to look back at the house where he had been staying.


    Indeed, his ce, though also a tile-roofed house, was different from the others.


    Both the doors and windows were nailed with thick ck and yellow wooden ts, with the gaps stuffed with heavy cloth, and the threshold was higher than the others.


    ¡°This ce¡­¡± Yu Hong couldn¡¯t shake off a sense of unease rising in his chest.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Click.


    Suddenly, a faint sound came from the right side, in the distance.


    It sounded like shoes stepping on gravel.


    Yu Hong quickly looked in that direction.


    He saw, inside a house on the right side of the road, a blurry figure in white standing in the shadow of the doorway, looking at him.


    From afar, it seemed like the person was smiling at him.


    ¡°Smiling my ass!¡± Yu Hong frowned and ignored the person.


    Although he was eager to ask someone what was going on, the person¡¯s appearance was a bit unnerving. It felt wrong, making him ufortable.


    So, he decided to look for someone else.


    He turned his head, stopped looking at that person, and began scanning the other houses, hoping to find someone else.


    Unfortunately, after a quick scan, he didn¡¯t see anyone else.


    So, he reluctantly turned back and looked at the figure in white.


    But this time, when he looked back, his heart sank.


    The figure in white was no longer in the house he had just seen.


    Instead, it was now in another house, much closer to him.


    Standing in the shadow of the doorway, smiling at him.


    In just a few seconds, the person had closed the distance by at least several dozen meters.


    What was even stranger was that despite the proximity, Yu Hong still couldn¡¯t make out the person¡¯s face clearly. He could only barely see the person smiling, with very pale skin, and it appeared to be a man.


    There was no sound of running¡ªhow had this person crossed such a great distance so quickly?


    A chill began to creep up Yu Hong¡¯s spine.


    He took a deep breath and turned his head to look in another direction, then quickly looked back at the figure in white.


    Only a second had passed.


    But in that second¡­


    The figure in white was gone again, and now appeared in a house just ten meters away, across from him.


    The person was still standing in the shadow of the doorway, smiling at him.


    ¡°Goddamn!!¡± Yu Hong¡¯s heart raced as he slowly began to back away.


    What was even stranger was that, despite being this close, he still couldn¡¯t make out the details of the person¡¯s face!


    Remembering the earlier situation, he dared not blink, slowly backing away.


    He stepped back into the house, still watching the figure, and began to gently close the door.


    Slowly.


    The door was now only open a crack.


    Yu Hong strained to keep his eyes open, but they were growing sore, and tears began to pool in the corners of his eyes, increasing by the second.


    He could barely hold on.

 Chapter 3: Danger (1)

    Click.


    Finally, the door waspletely closed.


    Yu Hong let out a heavy sigh of relief.


    ¡°What kind of ce is this?!¡±


    He locked the door, stood up straight, but suddenly thought about the little stutterer from earlier.


    This ce looked increasingly strange. The stutterer seemed like a good person, but how did she survive here?


    He took two steps back and sighed deeply.


    Poof.


    Suddenly, his back seemed to bump into something.It was cold and somewhat hard.


    It felt like a person!!


    Yu Hong froze.


    He looked down and saw a pair of white shoes quietly standing behind him on the ground.


    This person¡­ actually came in!? When!?


    Bang!!


    There was a sudden loud noise.


    The wooden door was mmed open, and a short figure rushed in, throwing something grayish-white at him.


    ¡°Ah!!¡±


    At the same time, the stutterer¡¯s voice pierced the silence like a suona, instantly snapping Yu Hong out of his daze.


    He felt a grayish-white shadow brush past his cheek, hitting the white figure behind him.


    Poof, poof, poof!


    The sound of something hitting cloth filled the air, but with it, Yu Hong felt his body loosen up. He stumbled forward a few steps, almost falling.


    His body was weak, and he had already been drained by fear and emotions, which caused him to lose more strength.


    After a few steps, his legs gave out, and he copsed to the ground.


    Turning over, he saw the stutterer had rushed in, holding a thick wooden stick and smashing it into the white figure.


    And what was even stranger was that the white figure seemed to dete like a balloon. Poof! It quickly exploded into foam-like particles and shattered into rags that disappeared without a trace. ?¦¡??£Â??


    The rags hadn¡¯t even touched the ground before they shattered, fading away, leaving nothing behind.


    It was as if everything that had just happened had been a hallucination.


    Huff, huff.


    The stutterer was panting heavily, putting down therge wooden stick, her face flushed and veins bulging on her skin. The tiny beads of sweat were clearly visible in the dim light.


    ¡°People¡­ dangerous¡­ don¡¯t¡­ go outside!¡± She turned back to look at Yu Hong, speaking seriously.


    Yu Hong subconsciously nodded.


    At that moment, he felt a sharp pain in his back, as if his skin had been scraped off.


    When he turned over on the ground, he suddenly noticed that there was a small amount of blood where his back had been.


    Seeing this, the stutterer quickly rushed over to help him up.


    Together, they exerted some force, and the stutterer¡¯s strength immediately became apparent.


    She was actually stronger than Yu Hong, a grown man, and by quite a bit!


    She lifted him up with ease, turned him around, propped him against the door frame, and took off his shirt.


    Then she rummaged through her things, pulling out a jar, and began applying something to his back.


    Soon, a rough pain spread across his back.


    Yu Hong gritted his teeth, knowing that she was trying to treat his wound.


    ¡°What¡¯s this medicine?¡± he asked.


    ¡°My grandfather¡¯s¡­ medicine powder,¡± the stutterer replied, her words fragmented. ¡°It works¡­ well.¡±


    A long silence passed.


    Yu Hong reflected on the white figure from earlier. His mind was filled with questions that he wanted to ask.


    After thinking for a while, he finally spoke again.


    ¡°What exactly was that white figure?¡±


    ¡°Ghost shadow,¡± the stutterer answered.


    ¡°Ghost shadow?¡±


    ¡°Is it human?¡± Yu Hong asked again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Yu Hong felt like his long-held belief in materialism was about to copse, especially after the figure had disappeared right before his eyes. The scene had left him with an indescribable sense of falseness and unreality.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    He thought for a long time, until the light outside dimmed.


    ¡°So, was that white figure a ghost?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the stutterer answered. ¡°It¡¯s in¡­ the newspaper.¡±


    She spoke with such effort that she paused, then bent down to pick up a newspaper. Flipping through it, she found a page in the middle and handed it to Yu Hong.


    Yu Hong took it, and saw the headline:


    ¡°Ghost Shadow Experiment Makes Major Breakthrough¡±


    Below it were the details.


    ¡°ording to the Human United Research Institute¡¯s public announcement, the essence of the ghost shadow is closely linked to the blood tide. However, after careful analysis, the institute¡¯s published experimental content shows that the ghost shadow itself has no memories. They may appear as human forms butck any corresponding memories or emotions. They instinctively hunt and kill any living creatures thate close or notice them, mainly targeting their own kind.


    In other words, the ghost shadow is more like a new type of hunter with a high level of camouge. They cannot be killed but can only be driven away. Even ifpletely shattered, they will soon reappear and possess the ability to prate most existing materials. In certain experiments, some institutions even suspect that they may not exist in reality at all but exist within our brains, like a special signal akin to self-delusion.¡±


    After quickly reading the report, Yu Hong felt an icy chill spread throughout his body.


    Danger!


    So dangerous!!!


    What kind of hellish ce is this!? How is it so dangerous!? He just stepped outside! Does he want to die!?


    Clutching the newspaper, Yu Hong took a few deep breaths to calm down. He re-read it several times.


    Bang.


    Yu Hong sat heavily on the bed, his face pale, watching as the stutterer cleaned up the things she used to treat his wounds.


    She then began organizing a bamboo basket filled with various messy, rotten roots and mud.


    The air in the room became thick with the smell of decayed mud due to theck of venttion.


    After sitting for a while, Yu Hong felt dry in his mouth and his body growing warm.


    ¡°Do you have water?¡± he asked weakly.


    The stutterer hesitated, then raised her hand, pointing to an inconspicuous ck jar in the corner of the room.


    The jar was about the size of a human head and had faint, blurry bird and branch patterns on its surface.


    Yu Hong stood up, walked over, squatted down, and lifted the lid of the jar.


    Inside was a shallowyer of yellowish water that smelled faintly foul.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He was speechless. Just looking at it, he knew the water was undrinkable.


    Suddenly, a ck, teapot-like metal object was passed over to him from the side.


    It was the stutterer.


    She shook the teapot.


    ¡°Filter.¡±


    She mimed a motion as if scooping water from the teapot¡¯s spout.


    Yu Hong then noticed that there seemed to be a filter attached to the spout of the teapot.


    He remained silent for a moment, then took the teapot. He found a small scoop by the water jar and carefully scooped out a bit of water.


    After a long time, he managed to filter out a small cup of water.


    He poured the water into a wooden cup.


    Shh.


    A stream of water, slightly foul-smelling but mostly clear, flowed into the cup, filling about a third of it before stopping.


    Yu Hong looked at the water. Despite being filtered, it still smelled.


    He hesitated. He didn¡¯t want to drink it, but his body was desperately thirsty. He knew that if he didn¡¯t drink, especially with his current sickness and injury, he¡¯d be finished.


    Just as he was about to raise the cup to his lips, the stutterer snatched it from his hand and drank it all in one go.


    Smack.


    She put the cup back on the edge of the jar with a clink.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± she said.


    Yu Hong paused, then went to scoop more water, filter it again, and finally held the cup in the air.


    He paused.


    The cup hovered there.


    He then lowered it.


    Again, he raised it.


    After repeating this several times, he sighed deeply, gripping the cup tightly, his face growing paler.


    Can¡¯t the water be cleaner?


    He was worried. If the water didn¡¯t hydrate him properly, he might copse. The stutterer had drunk it with no problem, but that didn¡¯t mean he would be fine. Sometimes, the difference between people¡¯s constitutions was much greater than expected.


    Enhance the water cup?


    Suddenly, a faint voice whispered in his ear.


    Clink¡ªhe put the cup on the wooden table.


    Yu Hong¡¯s face changed slightly, and he looked around. But the only one there was the stutterer, standing quietly, looking confused.


    Enhance the water cup?


    The voice came again, impossible to tell whether it was male or female, emotionless like a mechanical voice.


    Yu Hong looked around again, but there was no one in sight.


    He focused on the wooden cup on the table.


    Soon, a faint number appeared on its surface: 3rd.


    There was nothing else.


    Yu Hong¡¯s face turned pale, and he blinked several times, unsure if he was seeing things. But after blinking again, he realized the number was still there.


    Suddenly, it clicked in his mind. He looked at the back of his right hand, at the ck mark.


    Sure enough.


    The mark was the size of an egg, with the ck area shimmering like water ripples.


    This thing is behind all of it!


    Yu Hong instantly understood.


    His eyes flickered, his mind racing, standing there with thoughts shing through his head.


    But soon, he remembered the stutterer was still by his side.


    He quickly raised his hand and showed her the mark on his hand.


    ¡°Can you see this?¡±


    The stutterer shook her head, looking confused. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ see¡­ anything.¡±


    Yu Hong lowered his hand, nced at the cup, and confirmed that the number was still there, feeling some sense of realization.


    He turned and walked toward another part of the room.


    The room wasn¡¯t big, and the furnishings were sparse.


    A wardrobe, a table that doubled as a desk, two bedside cabs, an old-fashioned mirror, and two stools.


    There was a pile of misceneous things in the corner, where the small water jar had been ced.


    He walked around, then finally stopped in front of the wooden door.


    Reaching out, he pressed his hand against the door.


    Recalling the events from earlier, a thought started to form in his mind.


    Can¡¯t this door be better?


    Hiss.


    Suddenly, it felt as if a thin thread was passing through the mark on his hand, drilling into the door.


    Soon, a ck number appeared on the door: 16th.


    Enhance the door?


    The faint voice came again, emotionless, like a mechanical sound.


    Yu Hong stared at the number, and he began to understand.


    The number likely represents the time needed for enhancement. But what will it look like after it¡¯s enhanced?


    He withdrew his hand and turned to look at the water cup, only to find that the number on it had disappeared.


    ¡®Moreover, how is this enhancement done? Will it make a lot of noise? Can it continue to be enhanced indefinitely, or are there any limits?¡¯


    One question after another emerged in his mind.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± the little stutterer couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°I just felt dizzy, my brain¡¯s a bit out of sorts,¡± Yu Hong sighed, not mentioning the numbers or the ck mark.


    He wasn¡¯t nning to reveal anything to anyone until he figured out the situation.


    The priority now was to find something to test the enhancement effect of the ck mark.


    The wooden door would take too long, and it couldn¡¯t guarantee the noise level.


    Yu Hong walked around, quickly fixing his attention on a small, inconspicuous object ¡ª the white stone that the little stutterer had smashed earlier.


    (End of this chapter)

 Chapter 4: Danger Part (2)

    This stone could hurt the white-d ghostly figure, so it was likely some sort of special item. Additionally, its small size made it harder to notice, even if there was some noise.


    Moreover, if it could truly be enhanced, the power of the white stone would increase, making it much safer to deal with the previous ghostly figure.


    With this in mind, Yu Hong picked up a white stone and looked at the little stutterer.


    ¡°Could you give me one? Thanks for saving me earlier! I¡¯ll repay you,¡± he said earnestly.


    The little stutterer shook her head.


    ¡°This one¡­ it¡¯s already useless,¡± she exined. ¡°If you want it, just take it.¡±


    Yu Hong nodded, took the white stone, and examined it.


    The stone was about the size of a thumb¡¯s nail. Its surface was marked with a dark redplex symbol that resembled some kind of religious talisman. A third of the stone had turned ck, though it wasn¡¯t clear why.


    The stone felt icy to the touch, like an ice cube¡ªchilling and somewhat bone-piercing.Ssss.


    Soon, a number appeared on the stone¡¯s surface: 3 days.


    A thought shed through Yu Hong¡¯s mind. It seemed the ck mark sensed it and immediately transmitted a voice.


    ¡®Would you like to enhance the target?¡¯


    Yu Hong stuffed the white stone into his pants pocket.


    He tried responding in his mind: Yes.


    The moment he confirmed, the ck mark on the back of his hand heated up slightly, then quickly returned to normal.


    At the same time, the white stone in his pocket also heated up briefly before returning to its usual state.


    The little stutterer didn¡¯t react at all to the movement of the white stone.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked curiously, looking at him.


    ¡°Almost¡­ the sky is getting dark quickly. We¡­ must prepare,¡± she stammered.


    ¡°Prepare for what?¡± Yu Hong asked. After the recent emotional and physical strain, his already weakened body was now returning to a normal state due to hormones dissipating. ?a¦­§°?¨§?


    He was still sick and inmed. Earlier, he had only been able to fight off danger temporarily with physical and mental strength. Now, with the threat gone, his body was fighting off the virus and bacteria.


    His immune system had started rapidly splitting immune cells again, and his body temperature was beginning to rise.


    ¡°At night¡­ monsters are dangerous,¡± the little stutterer replied.


    She nced out the window. The sunlight outside was rapidly dimming.


    The darkness was¡­ abnormal. It was too fast.


    It got so dark that Yu Hong could feel with his eyes that the light was fading.


    This strange phenomenon made him feel increasingly anxious.


    Clink, clink, clink¡­


    The little stutterer suddenly pulled out a hammer and began hammering nails around the edges of the door and windows, seemingly reinforcing the surroundings.


    The door was locked with thick chains from the inside, and three heavy bolts were ced across it.


    Each bolt was as thick as an arm. The contact points between the bolts and the door panel were already worn smooth, showing that this wasn¡¯t the first time such measures had been taken.


    The light continued to grow dimmer and dimmer.


    Yu Hong stood still in the room, stunned for a moment before he quickly reacted and tried to help check the safety of the cracks.


    But because he was unfamiliar with the environment, the little stutterer soon pushed him back onto the bed, annoyed by his interference.


    ¡°You, don¡¯t make trouble,¡± she said seriously.


    She then crawled under the bed and pulled out arge ck cloth bag.


    Inside the bag were densely packed white stones. She carefully picked up a red pen and began writing red symbols on each of the stones.


    ¡®So, she drew these red symbols herself?¡¯ Yu Hong thought as he watched, realization dawning on him.


    Suddenly, a very faint, sharp, theatrical-sounding female voice echoed from outside the room.


    The voice was high and low, melodious yet eerie, like crying or acting, with a strange sense of being both real and fake.


    Clink.


    The little stutterer obviously heard the sound as well. She quickly grabbed a few white stones and handed them to Yu Hong, then took arge yellow candle from a corner, rubbing it with something like a magnesium stick to light it. She held it up, nervously watching the doors and windows.


    Yu Hong stood behind her, noticing that the candle was unusuallyrge¡ªabout the size of an egg.


    ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± the little stutterer suddenly said.


    At this point, Yu Hong noticed that the light outside the window hadpletely disappeared.


    Only an unrelenting ckness remained, seeping through from outside.


    Was it already night? How could it happen so fast?


    He wanted to speak, but suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit him, impacting his consciousness. His body was growing hotter, and his throat became increasingly painful.


    He needed to drink water and take medicine¡­ fever medicine.


    Otherwise, things might not turn out well.


    He knew his own condition¡ªwhenever he had a fever from a cold, it felt like this. Thest time he had a fever of 39¡ãC, he wasn¡¯t this weak; it was likely the shock had taken a toll on him.


    Sitting on the edge of the bed, he tightly gripped the white stone, staring nervously at the doors and windows.


    The room was quiet, with both of them waiting.


    The air was filled only with their breathing and heartbeats.


    This state didn¡¯tst long.


    Clink.


    Finally, a faint noise came from outside the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± the little stutterer shouted.


    Her body tensed, her muscles visibly tightening. She held the thick candle high, creating a circle of light that covered as much of the room as possible.


    Yu Hong, also tense, watched nervously.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what would happen, but from the little stutterer¡¯s reaction, something bad was likely about to ur.


    After all, the white ghostly figure from earlier hadn¡¯t made her this nervous.


    Soon, their wait bore fruit.


    Outside in the dark, the sound of bugs crawling on the door and windows grew increasingly louder.


    The sound was sudden, intense, and frantic, like a quiet void suddenly filled with the noise of a desert storm.


    The sand-like noise continued to scrape the doors and windows of the room.


    Yu Hong¡¯s eyes widened as he saw that through the small gaps in the door and window¡ªless than a centimeter wide¡ªsmall ck bugs were crawling in.


    They were swarming in, hundreds, maybe thousands of them, all small like ants, with oval-shaped exoskeletons on their backs and monstrous, centipede-like mandibles. They had no eyes but many pairs of legs.


    They looked like tiny ck centipedes.


    The bugs flooded the room, the scraping sounds growing louder, while the high-pitched female voice from the air grew closer and clearer.


    ¡°Get out!!¡± the little stutterer screamed. But she remained strangely still, holding up the candle and yelling furiously.


    Yu Hong, sitting on the bed, wanted to stand and help, but his weak body didn¡¯t have much strength left.


    His back was sweating, but it quickly evaporated due to his high fever.


    As he watched the ck bugs pouring through the cracks in the room, his body tensed in fear, trembling.


    His mind filled with horrific images of the bugs crawling all over his body, gnawing at his flesh.


    It was a primal fear, impossible to suppress.


    But then, something unexpected happened.


    Ssss.


    The first group of ck bugs that crawled into the circle of light from the candle quickly dissolved, turning into ck smoke and evaporating into the air.


    The bugs seemed to be melting away, as if they were being burned, but they didn¡¯t retreat. They continued to surge towards the little stutterer, relentlessly.


    Soon, a ring of ck bugs surrounded her, constantly dissolving, turning into ck smoke, then dissipating into the air.


    The smoke rose and quickly disappeared, leaving behind a pungent, foul smell.


    Yu Hong stood there, shocked by the sight.


    He racked his brain for an exnation, but couldn¡¯t think of any bugs that would dissolve into ck smoke when exposed to light.


    This strange scene shattered all his previous assumptions and expectations.


    Monsters.


    Suddenly, a term mentioned by Doctor Xu earlier popped into his mind.


    Yes, monsters.


    The ck bugs before him were truly monsters, weren¡¯t they?


    They were endless, like a tide, yet disintegrated and disappeared at the touch of light.


    Yu Hong fell into a state of mental fog, carefully observing the ck bugs and the candle, trying to find any signs of trickery.


    asionally, he pinched his thigh hard, using the pain to keep himself awake, trying to prove that what he saw wasn¡¯t a dream.


    But all his actions confirmed that this was all real. It wasn¡¯t a dream, nor was it an illusion.


    And he noticed one more thing.


    As the ck bugs dissolved, therge candle in the little stutterer¡¯s hand, which should havested for a long time, was quickly melting down as well, burning faster as the bugs attacked.


    It seemed like fighting these ck bugs was rapidly consuming the candle¡¯s energy.


    Time continued to pass in this tense, still silence.


    Ten minutes.


    Half an hour.


    An hour.


    Two hours.


    They remained in this state without moving.


    The candle in the little stutterer¡¯s hand shrank from the size of her forearm to the length of her palm.


    Suddenly, Yu Hong jumped up, turned, and reached back, grabbing a ck bug from behind.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As soon as the bug was exposed to the light, it dissolved into smoke.


    But Yu Hong quickly touched his backside.


    His left cheek had been bitten by a bug, and blood soaked his pants, clearly indicating a deep wound.


    The ck bugs seemed to be attracted to the blood and began to surge towards him, but the candlelight remained firm, turning them into smoke.


    Yu Hong covered his wound and limped towards the little stutterer, standing by her side, both of them watching the scene unfold.


    The bugs surrounding the light ring continued to melt, turning into ck smoke.


    This strange, dangerous scene was like a meteor shower, shattering his worldview into pieces.


    He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed.


    Finally, the high-pitched female voice faded away, bing distant.


    As the voice disappeared, the ck bugs entering the room started to thin out.


    A faint light began to shine through the cracks in the door and window.


    Finally.


    Thest few bugs were enveloped by the light, struggling to dissolve into smoke.


    Everything returned to calm.


    (End of this Chapter)

 Chapter 5: Danger (3)

    Morning arrived.


    Bright sunlight seemed to fast-forward through the dim dawn, turning dazzlingly bright, almost ring.


    Yu Hong stared nkly at the scene before him, his mind groggy, his body feverishly hot.


    He was already weak, and after staying awake all night, his condition had worsened.


    Now that the immediate danger seemed to have passed, he finally lost control, copsing onto his side and lying on the ground.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Little Stutterer blew out the candle and was carefully putting it back in the cluttered corner. When She turned around, She saw Yu Hong lying on the ground. Startled, She hurriedly rushed over.


    Feeling his burning hot body, she quickly fetched some water, filtered it, and poured it into his mouth in a rush.


    After giving him water, she rummaged for medicine. She had acquired some from Dr. Xu and promptly fed it to Yu Hong.


    Though Yu Hong was aware of her help, his body was too weak to respond.He felt himself being lifted by the waist and ced onto the bed. Then, she found a piece of used white stone and ced it on his forehead to cool him down.


    The white stone, cold and refreshing, absorbed much of the heat, making Yu Hong feel significantly better.


    Asfort began to return, Yu Hong couldn¡¯t resist the pull of sleep and slipped into unconsciousness once again.


    This time, he slept deeply, entirely unaware of the passage of time.


    In a hazy state, he eventually regained a slight sense of awareness, unsure how much time had passed.


    ¡°It¡¯s the fourth day. His fever has gone down, so he doesn¡¯t need more medicine,¡± came Doctor Xu¡¯s voice. She seemed to be standing by the bedside, lightly touching Yu Hong¡¯s forehead.


    The faint sensation tickled him, but his weak body left him unable to raise a hand to scratch the itch, so he let it fade on its own.


    ¡°Once¡­ more¡­¡± stammered the little stutterer¡¯s voice.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. You¡¯ve already traded everything you could. There¡¯s not much left to exchange. The post office hasn¡¯t received supplies for ages, and I¡¯m running out of antibiotics,¡± Doctor Xu refused.


    ¡°No, must¡­ more!¡± the stutterer insisted. ¡°Back then¡­ you¡­ same!¡±


    At these words, Doctor Xu fell silent.


    ¡°True. If it hadn¡¯t been for you, I would¡¯ve died on the roadside long ago, my bones probably gnawed clean by monsters. Fine, I¡¯ll trade you onest dose. But this is it¡ªno more!¡±


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll give you food!¡±


    A rustling sound followed.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t enough. ording to our previous exchange rate¡­¡± Doctor Xu said helplessly.


    ¡°I have more here!¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Just take it. This is thest time. Really, you should stop trying to save people. We¡¯re struggling to survive as it is.¡± Doctor Xu sighed.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± said the stutterer gratefully.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯m off to check on Old Yu. Don¡¯t bother seeing me out,¡± Doctor Xu said. Her voice faded with retreating footsteps, followed by the sound of a door closing. The room fell silent. ?¨¢¦­?B§§?


    Weakly, Yu Hong opened his eyes to see the stutterer¡¯s grimy, dark face by the bedside, holding a wooden bowl filled with some unidentifiable ck mush.


    She scooped some of the mush with a spoon and brought it to Yu Hong¡¯s mouth.


    Without resistance, Yu Hong ate the mush spoon by spoon, lying on an elevated pillow, his face pale and yellow.


    One fed while the other ate. Gradually, they emptied the bowl.


    Yu Hong licked his lips, finding himself oddly savoring the mush¡¯s taste.


    ¡°Is there more?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± The stutterer¡¯s eyes lit up with pure joy as she hurried to prepare another bowl of mush and continued feeding him.


    Though it filled him somewhat, the mush seemed too low in energy, and his long period of fasting left him weak. After finishing the second bowl, he still felt hungry and asked for more.


    The stutterer eagerly brought a third bowl. Finally, after eating, Yu Hong felt somewhat full. The cool, refreshing mush brought aforting warmth to his belly and restored some of his strength.


    ¡°How long was I asleep?¡± he asked, looking at her.


    ¡°Four days,¡± she said, holding up four fingers and shing a yellow-toothed smile.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Yu Hong said earnestly.


    He knew that without her care, he would have likely sumbed to his illness during his fevered unconsciousness.


    ncing at the ominous and perilous world outside, he realized that survival in such a ce was impossible without someone¡¯s help. Alone, he doubted he¡¯dst a day.


    He resolved to repay this debt of gratitude in the future. As a capable man, he believed he could one day outdo the stuttering girl in skill and resources.


    ¡°No problem,¡± the stutterer said cheerfully.


    She stood up to fetch more water for Yu Hong but struggled to scrape together even a small cup from the little jar.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the well to fetch water,¡± she said, gesturing to Yu Hong.


    ¡°Wait for me. Don¡¯t open the door or window for anyone, no matter who knocks,¡± she warned seriously.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Yu Hong nodded solemnly.


    With that, the stutterer took the jar and dashed out the door.


    The air inside, thick with mildew, made Yu Hong ufortable, but he recalled her advice. Breathing in some mold spores was better than exposing himself to the dangers outside.


    More importantly, he remembered the white stone in his pocket, the one he had tucked away before losing consciousness.


    Curiosity and anticipation filled him as he reached into his pocket, pulled out the stone, and examined it closely.


    The white stone had changed. Its previously darkened parts had returned to a pure white, now resembling jade with a faint sheen. Even the red symbol etched into it had be more intricate and vivid, its strokes more defined.


    ¡®Is this an upgrade?¡¯ Yu Hong wondered.


    To confirm his suspicion, he retrieved an unused white stone from a pile of supplies andpared the two. The differences were striking¡ªthe upgraded stone looked significantly superior, with a far moreplex symbol.


    ¡®This enhancement feels like a level-up,¡¯ he thought, intrigued.


    Carefully tucking the enhanced stone away, Yu Hong returned to his bed. Though the fever was gone, his body remained weak, and even minor movements left him dizzy and fatigued. His back injury felt numb, leaving him uncertain about its condition.


    Knock, knock, knock.


    Suddenly, the door rattled with knocks.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Yu Hong asked, alert.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Doctor Xu. Is Yi Yi there?¡± a familiar voice called from outside.


    ¡°She¡¯s not here,¡± Yu Hong replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought her medicine. I¡¯ll leave it by the door. Make sure she gets it when she returns,¡± Doctor Xu instructed.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Yu Hong agreed.


    The faint sound of footsteps receded, and quiet returned.


    Taking a deep breath, Yu Hong slowly stood up, steadying himself on the bed, and made his way to the door. The medicine was too valuable to leave unattended¡ªit needed to be brought inside immediately.


    Gripping the doorknob, he hesitated, recalling the stutterer¡¯s warning not to open the door under any circumstances.


    Peering through the crack below the door, he froze.


    In the sunlight filtering through the gap, a shadow stood still outside the door.


    Someone¡ªor something¡ªwas silently waiting for him to open it.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t right,¡¯ Yu Hong thought, his body tensing.


    Quietly releasing the doorknob, he stepped back to the center of the room, gripping the enhanced white stone in his pocket.


    That voice¡ªidentical to Doctor Xu¡¯s¡ªhad nearly tricked him into opening the door.


    Terror and relief washed over him as he realized how close he hade to danger. His eyes stayed glued to the door crack, unwilling to look away.


    The shadow eventually shifted and moved away quietly, as if it had realized its trick had failed.


    Even as it left, Yu Hong remained on high alert. His chest heaved with heavy breaths as he cautiously approached the window to confirm the threat¡¯s departure.


    Peeking through the wooden nks covering the window, he scanned the outside.


    His heart nearly stopped.


    A face¡ªDoctor Xu¡¯s¡ªstared back at him, expressionless, through the gap.


    (End of this Chapter)

 Chapter 6: Danger (4)

    Their eyes met.


    A wave of dread exploded in Yu Hong¡¯s chest.


    A gut-wrenching, unbearable nausea surged from his stomach.


    His abdomen convulsed in pain as his entire body began to tingle and stiffen uncontrobly.


    An indescribable terror swelled in his heart and coursed through his veins.


    Around his eyes, ck veins began to bulge and spread like tree roots branching outward.


    The veins grew thicker and thicker, as though they were about to burst at any moment.


    Just then, a chilling energy seeped from the strengthening white stone in his pocket, rushing into his thigh.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    This cold energy was like a steel pin, piercing deeply into his rigid body and pulling him back from paralysis.Bang!


    His legs gave out, and he crumpled to the floor, finally breaking eye contact with the entity.


    Huff! Huff! Huff!


    Bent over, Yu Hong gasped for air, feeling the white stone¡¯s icy energy rapidly relieve the stiffness in his body.


    He was ovee with a deep sense of gratitude, as though narrowly escaping death.


    Without daring to look outside again, Yu Hong quickly pulled out the strengthening white stone. He noticed the faint glow of a red symbol on its surface¡ªso faint it was almost imperceptible.


    ¡°A lifesaver!¡± Yu Hong thought with a surge of relief, immensely grateful that he had chosen to strengthen this white stone first.


    Ever since the stuttering girl used it to save him earlier, he had realized its extraordinary importance.


    Thankfully, his judgment had been correct.


    Scooting himself away from the window, Yu Hong decided not to take any more risks. In this eerie ce, even a single nce outside could be dangerous.


    ¡°But why¡­ Why don¡¯t the stuttering girl or Dr. Xu encounter such dangers when they go out?¡±


    ¡°Do they have some other means of protection?¡±


    A flicker of doubt rose in Yu Hong¡¯s mind.


    But soon, the sheer exhaustion of his ordeal began to pull him into sleep again.


    His body was far too weak.


    Clutching the white stone tightly, he crawled back onto the bed. Wrapped in the foul-smelling, grayish nket, he waited for a while, making sure nothing outside could get in. Only then did he rx slightly and drift back into unconsciousness.


    Time passed.


    Maybe hours. Maybe an entire day.


    When Yu Hong woke again, the stuttering girl was bustling about the room.


    ¡°You¡­ awake?¡± She turned quickly at the sound of his movement, her face lighting up as she looked at him.


    ¡°Eat this.¡± Soon, she brought over a bowl of ck gruel and began feeding him.


    Without realizing it, Yu Hong finished thest spoonful of the gruel. His body felt much better.


    ¡°Any more?¡± he asked.


    The girl got up and rummaged around, but this time, she couldn¡¯t find any.


    After a long search, she returned, slightly dejected.


    ¡°Finished,¡± she said softly.


    Yu Hong got out of bed, walked to the corner of the room, and saw the wooden barrel she had been searching in.


    Inside were remnants of a multicolored powder, the apparent raw material for the gruel. The bottom of the barrel held only a few scraps.


    As he leaned on the barrel, he confirmed that it was indeed empty.


    Gurgle.


    A rumbling noise suddenly came from behind him.


    It was the stuttering girl.


    She rubbed her stomach and grinned sheepishly.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t eat?¡±


    ¡°Forgot,¡± she replied with a goofyugh.


    Apparently, she had given him all the remaining food.


    Yu Hong was at a loss for words. He couldn¡¯t fathom how this girl had managed to survive in such a dangerous environment.


    Yet, he felt a pang of guilt.


    ¡°So what now? Where do you get this food? I¡¯m feeling better now and can help look for more,¡± he offered earnestly.


    ¡°No need. Yi Yi strong!¡± The stuttering girl thumped her chest, putting on a confident expression.


    ¡°I helped you. You help me find Dad and Grandpa,¡± she added, her words halting but clear in their intent.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you saved me?¡± Yu Hong understood. Having a request made things easier¡ªit gave him a chance to repay her.


    ¡°I promise,¡± he nodded. ¡°If I¡¯m able, I¡¯ll help.¡±


    Though the environment was perilous, the ck mark on his hand gave him a sliver of hope for the future.


    With the mark¡¯s ability, if everything could be strengthened, then perhaps he could create a safer shelter or stronghold.


    After his firsthand experience, he knew the house¡¯s defenses were inadequate against the strange and deadly threats outside.


    Neither the white-d figure, the ck bugs, nor the terrifying mimic of Dr. Xu had been stopped.


    ¡°By the way, I wanted to ask, when you weren¡¯t here just now¡­¡± Yu Hong quickly told the other person what had happened earlier.


    After listening, the stuttering girl¡¯s expression grew serious.


    ¡°It was a shadow wraith!¡± she answered.


    ¡°That was a shadow wraith?¡± Yu Hong frowned.


    ¡°This question¡­ let me answer it.¡± A voice came from outside the door.


    The stuttering girl rushed to open it, happily weing Dr. Xu inside.


    Dr. Xu had changed her outfit. Dressed in hiking gear with a camo bodysuit and arge backpack, she looked ready for a trek into the mountains.


    Her eyes swept over Yu Hong as she stepped into the room.


    ¡°In this ce, shadow wraiths are amon threat during the ck Disaster. There are two main types: the white shadow, which you encountered earlier, and the impostor.¡± ?¦Á??§£¦¥?


    ¡°White shadows aren¡¯t too dangerous. As long as you carefully maintain eye contact and don¡¯t blink, you can escape safely. Reinforced white stones can also temporarily dispel them.¡±


    ¡°But impostors are a different story. You must remain vignt at all times and never trust anything outside of what¡¯s been agreed upon.¡±


    Dr. Xu fixed her gaze on Yu Hong and emphasized, ¡°Agreements are extremely, extremely important here!¡±


    ¡°Agreements?¡± Yu Hong¡¯s thoughts began to churn.


    ¡°Yes. Before separating from yourpanions, you must set clear agreements. For example, what the signal will be when you regroup, what conditions allow for opening doors or windows, and so on. If you don¡¯t¡­ impostors will exploit any gaps, killing you one by one,¡± Dr. Xu exined with a sigh.


    ¡°This is also why the residents of Baiqiu Vige live alone. Even during the day, the imposter might appear and attack.¡±


    Imposter.


    Thispletely new concept made Yu Hong suddenly realize something.


    He might never be able to return to his old life.


    ¡°Can you take me outside? I want to see if I can make it to the city,¡± Yu Hong spoke after a moment of silence.


    ¡°Take the glowstone¡ªthose white stones. As long as you go out during the day, you¡¯ll be fine, but control the time you return,¡± Dr. Xu replied. ¡°Also, while imposters can appear during the day, only those who are physically weak will see them. Healthy people cannot see them.¡±


    Yu Hong immediately understood.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there any way to get rid of these monsters?¡± he asked in a low voice.


    ¡°No. We haven¡¯t found any, and the national authorities haven¡¯te up with anything either,¡± Dr. Xu shook her head. ¡°Well, Yi Yi and I are going out. If you want to join, hurry up. Baiqiu Vige doesn¡¯t keep useless people. You¡¯ve been dragging Yi Yi down for too long.¡±


    She seemed quite dissatisfied with Yu Hong, and her gaze was far from friendly.


    ¡°I remember the favor you did for me,¡± Yu Hong said seriously.


    ¡°First, survive on your own,¡± Dr. Xu sneered, not bothering to look at him again. She turned to talk to the stuttering girl.


    Soon, Little Stutterer began preparing the things and equipment for their departure.


    Yu Hong¡¯s body had recovered significantly, and he also started packing.


    He didn¡¯t mention the strengthening of the white stone. He couldn¡¯t exin where the strengthened white stone came from, but from the abilities of the ck mark, it was clear that it would be his greatest support in the future.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if others had this ability, and the information he had was too limited, so it was more important to gather as much intelligence as possible first.


    This ce was too dangerous; they had to be cautious and careful every step of the way.


    ¡°I will repay you.¡± With this thought, Yu Hong spoke again, repeating himself.


    Dr. Xu didn¡¯t even nce at him, pretending she hadn¡¯t heard. Clearly, she thought that as long as Yu Hong didn¡¯t hold Little Stutterer back, that would be good enough.


    Soon, arge cloth bag was prepared and ced on the ground.


    Dr. Xu lifted it carefully and ced it on Little Stutterer¡¯s back. The bag was filled with white stones marked with symbols.


    ¡°First, go to Old Yu¡¯s ce to exchange for food, then head to the open-pit mine to dig for glowstone, and finally gather pigments. Including the return time, we must reach Old Yu¡¯s ce within an hour. You can rest for the night at the mine, and tomorrow after collecting the pigments, we will head back,¡± Dr. Xu arranged.


    ¡°Is it far?¡± Yu Hong frowned, feeling that his physical strength might still be an issue, as he hadn¡¯t fully recovered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go. You won¡¯t keep up. Just wander around here ande back,¡± Dr. Xu said coldly. ¡°At night, light the candle, focus on the glowstone during the day, don¡¯t open the door for anyone, and don¡¯t look outside. If there¡¯s no major issue, everything will be fine. This is also a test for you. If you fail, it means you can¡¯t adapt to this environment, and won¡¯t survive for long. The sooner you die, the better.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Wasn¡¯t that a bit too direct?


    Yu Hong was speechless.


    ¡°Yi Yi has saved many people, and I was saved by her too. But you know the people she saved¡­¡± Dr. Xu was about to say more, but Little Stutterer tugged at her sleeve.


    She realized and immediately stopped talking. This time, she decided not to pay any more attention to Yu Hong. She grabbed the things and opened the door, walking out with Little Stutterer.


    Yu Hong paused for a moment, grabbed the house key, and followed them out.


    He had decided to go outside and take a look.


    No matter what, they had to solve the source of food and water first. He couldn¡¯t keep relying on a disabled little girl to take care of them.


    Moreover, the key issue was that only by learning more could he figure out a more effective way to survive and cope.


    With a click, he closed the door behind him.


    The three of them lined up in a row and walked along the gravel road outside the door to the left.


    The temperature outside was mild, neither too hot nor too cold, and the sunlight was pleasantly warm.


    Of the three, Dr. Xu walked in the lead, followed by Little Stutterer, and then Yu Hong.


    After walking for a few minutes along the winding gravel road, they reached the exit of the vige.


    At the end of the gravel road, it connected to a ck mud road.


    The dry ck mud surface was wide enough for two vehicles to drive side by side.


    The road was dark and winding, passing through abandoned green fields on both sides, stretching into the distance, leading to the dense and deep forest at the foot of the mountains.


    Yu Hong noticed that there was little grass along the edges of the ck mud road, and two rows of ck wooden fences had been built.


    Many ces of the fence had rotted away, covered in moss.


    ¡°This is the only old road leading out of here,¡± Dr. Xu said. ¡°If you walk along it for about thirty miles, you¡¯ll reach the nearest town, but that ce might be even more dangerous than here. The more people there are, the more dangerous it bes, attracting those dangerous characters.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She stepped off the gravel road and onto the ck mud road.


    (End of this chapter)

 Chapter 7: Decision (1)

    Bright golden sunlight poured down.


    Baiqiu Vige, surrounded by dark green mountains and forests, looked like a piece of dark chocte in the middle of a green cake, standing out sharply.


    The entire vige sat atop arge patch of grayish-white hills, at the top of the ridge.


    There were more than thirty scattered tile-roofed houses in the vige.


    At this moment, at the western edge of the vige, a pale-faced man was leisurely strolling, ncing around from time to time, looking nervous.


    The man wore a gray T-shirt and yellow casual pants, both dirty and wrinkled, clearly long overdue for a wash. His hair, oily and sweaty, was styled into a mohawk.


    On his feet were a pair of gray, nearly unrecognizable sneakers, which were not suited for the muddy ground beneath him.


    Around Baiqiu Vige, there were no sounds of insects or birds, only the soft crunch of the man¡¯s steps on the ground.


    ¡°About fifteen minutes now.¡±Yu Hong took out his old phone from his pocket and looked at it. The phone, which he had kept because of sentiment, had unexpectedly be an essential tool in this ce.


    He had been lying in bed for several days. If it were a smartphone, it would have run out of battery long ago. But this old phone had a small screen, arge battery, and a standby time of over a week. It was also durable, resistant to damage and water.


    At such a critical moment, it provided him with much-needed reassurance.


    The phone¡¯s screen clearly showed the time: March 5, 2024, 15:32.


    ¡°Sigh,¡± Yu Hong sighed softly. This was the time from before he came here.


    But now it meant nothing.


    Looking at the empty signal bar in the top-right corner of the screen, he understood that he was probably no longer in his original world.


    From the newspaper reports, to what Little Stutterer and Dr. Xu had mentioned, and the strange and bizarre things he had encountered, it was clear that this ce was not his world.


    He looked up at the bright sunlight.


    Yu Hong lowered his head and marked the ground with a few stones, forming a small triangr structure.


    It was a mark to prevent getting lost.


    It had been fifteen minutes since Dr. Xu and Little Stutterer left. In these fifteen minutes, he had walked around the vige for a while.


    But to his disappointment, it seemed that there were no other living people here besides the three of them.


    ¡®Maybe the living people are hiding, after all, even in daylight, there could be great danger.¡¯


    Yu Hong sighed inwardly, his hand always clutching the reinforced white stone.


    From his previous encounters, he had learned that in this ce, the effect of the white stone was his only guarantee of safety.


    ording to what Dr. Xu said before leaving, there would be no ck insects in the daytime when there was sunlight, and at most, there would be a rare encounter with a ghost shadow. ????????¦¥?


    As long as he had the white stone, the danger during the day was not great.


    Because these ghost shadows seemed to be very weak during the day.


    Yu Hong believed this, otherwise, Little Stutterer and Dr. Xu would never have been so bold as to keep going outside.


    He looked back at the marks he had made along the way, confirming they were still there, and then continued walking forward.


    Quiet.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Dead silence.


    Shh.


    Shh.


    Aside from the asional crisp sound of grass being stepped on, there was no other noise.


    Even the wind was barely noticeable.


    After more than ten minutes, Yu Hong had finally circled the entire vige.


    He stood at the initial gravel road, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and tried to remember some important locations he had just discovered.


    The most important of these was the well.


    Earlier, he had seen a well in a yard from a distance.


    There were many footprints around the stone-built well, clearly indicating it was a rare water source for the vige¡¯s living people.


    However, from a distance of more than ten meters, he had felt a chilling, bone-piercing cold emanating from the well. Even the sunlight couldn¡¯t suppress it. He felt something was wrong, so he didn¡¯t approach and only remembered the location.


    ¡°Strange. A well on a hilltop in a small vige?¡± Yu Hong thought. Normally, wells are dug in lower ground, since water flows downhill.


    But this ce was different.


    Standing on the gravel road, he looked around again.


    The vige was surrounded by endless dark green forests.


    The forests stretched out like a sea of trees.


    There were no bird calls, no visible animals, and even the dark green trees and grass gave an eerie, ufortable feeling.


    Yu Hong stood motionless, staring at the only old road leading out of the vige for a long while before turning back.


    The journey was uneventful, and he returned to Little Stutterer¡¯s house.


    He didn¡¯t rx until he had firmly closed the wooden door behind him.


    ¡°This ce is too creepy,¡± Yu Hong thought. The idea that he might have to live here without knowing for how long, with no hope of returning, filled him with despair.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already looked around. There are no vehicles, but there are tire marks on the ground. This suggests that there were vehicles here, but they were taken away.¡±


    Yu Hong picked up a piece of charcoal from the corner of the room and began drawing a map of Baiqiu Vige on the wall.


    The map was simple, just some basic lines with small squares representing houses.


    He marked the well, the old road, and Little Stutterer¡¯s house on the map.


    The three locations formed a triangle.


    ¡®What should I do now?¡¯ Yu Hong thought as he stared at the map, pushing down his feelings of despair and considering his next move.


    ¡®I can¡¯t keep relying on Little Stutterer. I need to learn to deal with these dangers myself and figure out how to find food and shelter.¡¯


    Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he drew on the wall with the charcoal.


    Then he raised his hand, looking at the ck mark on the back of his hand.


    ¡®And this mark. If I don¡¯t want to be discovered, I have to choose to live alone. Otherwise, in this extremely dangerous environment, letting others know about my ability could be very risky!¡¯


    Although he wasn¡¯t sure if others had simr abilities, he was certain that Little Stutterer and Dr. Xu didn¡¯t.


    He could tell from some subtle signs.


    ¡°First, I need to learn how to find food and water, then move out!¡± Yu Hong quickly made up his mind.


    Having made the decision, he got up and returned to the bed, nning to rest again and wait for Little Stutterer toe back.


    Knock. Knock. Knock.


    Suddenly.


    There was a rhythmic knock on the door.


    Yu Hong¡¯s throat tightened as he nced at the wooden door. He didn¡¯t make a sound.


    The knocking wasn¡¯t right.


    But he didn¡¯t respond, gripping the reinforced white stone tightly, taking a deep breath, and lying down quietly, preparing to rest.


    Bang, bang, bang. The knocking continued.


    One after another.


    But Yu Hong remained silent, pretending not to hear.


    Hey sideways on the bed, his gaze fixed on the door, his hand clutching the reinforced white stone, his body tense, ready to react at any moment.


    Fortunately, after seven knocks, the sound stopped.


    Instead, there seemed to be someone peeking through the window.


    Peering in through the gap in the seal.


    Yu Hong¡¯s hair stood on end, and he turned to stare at the window, holding his breath and taking deep, controlled breaths.


    A strong sense of danger continued to stimte his adrenaline, making his blood rush and circte rapidly, his face flushed red.


    He didn¡¯t know how long it had been.


    It seemed the figure outside the window lost patience and quietly left.


    The window no longer blocked the light, and everything returned to normal.


    Yu Hong tightly gripped the reinforced white stone, feeling sweat on both the stone and his palm.


    He lowered his head, took a deep breath, and adjusted his body. He got up, picking up another white stone, this time one he hadn¡¯t used before.


    He looked at the stone, and the number disyed on it: 2 days.


    ¡®So unused stones only take two days to strengthen?¡¯ He sighed with relief.


    Listening to the sound of inquiry in his ear, he silently confirmed the strengthening process.


    Soon, the number on the surface of the white stone vanished, and the entire stone seemed to be coated with ayer of oily substance as it began the ck mark strengthening.


    Yu Hong didn¡¯t even look at it, shoving it into the other pocket of his pants.


    He theny back down, squinting his eyes, setting an rm on his phone, and soon drifted into a drowsy sleep.


    This time, he didn¡¯t sleep for long, nor did he sleep soundly. He woke up quickly.


    ¡®Little Stutterer won¡¯t be back tonight, which means I¡¯ll be alone in the house tonight,¡¯ Yu Hong nced at the dim sunlight through the window gap, his heart sinking slightly.


    He got up and went to the storage corner, taking therge candle and match-like items that Little Stutterer had left for him.


    He prepared them and ced them beside the bed, within easy reach.


    Then, hey half-awake on the bed, waiting for nightfall.


    Time slowly passed, and soon, the outside world grew darker, sinking into pitch ck.


    This time, it was very quiet, with no ck insects and no ghostly shadows.


    It seemed as if everything had forgotten about him, and there was an eerie peace.


    In the weary waiting and vignce, the night passed quickly.


    By morning, when Yu Hong saw the bright sunlight streaming in from outside, he sighed with relief.


    Though it was daylight, and nothing had happened overnight, the prolonged vignce and tension had left him mentally and physically exhausted.


    This made him yearn even more for a truly safe resting ce.


    He wasn¡¯t like Little Stutterer¡ªif this continued, he wouldn¡¯t be able to rest properly, and he¡¯d die.


    He got up, filtered some water to drink, and his stomach growled again.


    Although he had eaten all of Little Stutterer¡¯s remaining food yesterday, it had been a while, and his stomach had long digested everything.


    He went out, taking advantage of the perfect sunlight, and wandered around the gravel road for a while.


    This time, he walked down the old road, trying to find edible nts or insects.


    But unfortunately, he didn¡¯t find anything on the road. There were no insects, and he didn¡¯t recognize any of the nts.


    None of the nts here were familiar to him. Even themon wild chrysanthemums and dandelions were nowhere to be seen.


    Fortunately, Little Stutterer and Dr. Xu finally returned.


    Thud.


    Inside the house, Little Stutterer struggled to ce arge bundle off her back onto the floor.


    She then opened the bundle.


    Inside were neatly packed bags of dried meat, dried mushrooms, and dried insects.


    Yu Hong stepped forward to help, noticing that the dried meat mainly consisted of dark, unidentifiable meat chunks from some unknown animal.


    The dried mushrooms were also broken and unidentifiable.


    As for the dried insects¡­


    ¡°Is this¡­ a cockroach??!¡± Yu Hong¡¯s face changed slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡®mouthful fragrance,¡± Little Stutterer shook her head and corrected him. Then, she casually grabbed a cockroach-sized dried insect and popped it into her mouth.


    (TL note :- In this context, ¡°Ò»¿ÚÏ㡱 (y¨© k¨¯u xi¨¡ng) is a phrase that could refer to something being very vorful or aromatic, often used to describe food that is particrly tasty or fragrant. In this case, it seems to be a lighthearted or humorous way of describing something, especially given the context of eating a cockroach.)


    ¡°Delicious!¡± She gave a thumbs-up, chewing quickly with a crisp sound. Her eyes widened with delight, full of joy.


    ¡°¡­¡± Yu Hong was speechless.


    (End of Chapter)

 Chapter 8: Decision (2)

    Watching Little Stutterer carefully put away the supplies and then pick up the small jar to head outside, Yu Hong quickly followed. He needed to learn where to fetch water.


    When they stepped out of the house, to his surprise, Little Stutterer didn¡¯t head to the vige well but instead walked down the old asphalt road, past the gravel path.


    After about ten minutes, they reached a broken-down well on a low-lying patch ofnd near the road.


    The well was shallow, and in the dim light, the bottom revealed a pool of dark yellow, foul-smelling water.


    Without a word, Little Stutterer tied the water jar with a rope and lowered it into the well to scoop up the water.


    ¡°Why not draw water from the vige well?¡± Yu Hong couldn¡¯t help but whisper.


    ¡°That¡­water¡­isn¡¯t drinkable!¡± Little Stutterer answered seriously.


    As she filled the jar, she looked up at him.


    ¡°From now on¡­wateres¡­from here!¡± She pointed at the well.Yu Hong nodded. He gazed at the murky water being drawn up, feeling a growing sense of unease.


    He helped Little Stutterer seal the jar tightly to prevent spills.


    Instead of returning to the house, they startedbing through the surrounding grass.


    ¡°We must¡­eat grass!¡± Little Stutterer instructed.


    ¡°Otherwise¡­illness¡­death!¡± She gestured to exin.


    Yu Hong nodded and began observing closely which nts she was digging up.


    This was invaluable knowledge¡ªeating the wrong nt could result in poisoning or diarrhea, and in such harsh conditions, falling ill could easily lead to death.


    After a round of gathering, the two returned to the house, each carrying arge bundle.


    Little Stutterer spread the nts out by the window to dry.


    Yu Hong, meanwhile, meticulously used a piece of charcoal to jot down the key points of what he had learned. He kept the notes simple and concise, just enough for himself to understand.


    The notes were recorded on a piece of old newspaper that Little Stutterer had given him earlier.


    ¡°Do we have to travel far to get dried meat and mushrooms?¡± Yu Hong asked while taking notes.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°You¡­can¡­grow them,¡± Little Stutterer replied with effort, ¡°but¡­not¡­worth it!¡±


    Yu Hong nodded and added it to his notes.


    As he was about to ask more, a small notebook was suddenly handed to him.


    The notebook had a white cover with a cartoon mouse in the center. Crookedly written on it were the words: Survival Manual¡ªLin Yiyi.


    Yu Hong paused, then looked up to see Little Stutterer holding the notebook, grinning at him with her yellow teeth.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said as he took the notebook and began to flip through it.


    Inside, there were detailed records on how to fetch water, where to buy food, and identifying characteristics and locations of basic wild vegetables.


    The contents weren¡¯t extensive, but they were thorough.


    The notebook also included a list of several vigers from Baiqiu Vige with their corresponding contact details.


    Among them, ¡°Old Yu¡± made dried meat, Dr. Xu provided medical care, someone named ¡°Jenny¡± specialized in leatherworking, and there was a candle-maker. In addition, there were markings for the residences of other vigers, though no names were listed, suggesting unfamiliarity. ???????¦¥s


    Lastly, there was mention of a ce called the post office, located north of Baiqiu Vige in a forest.


    ¡°What¡¯s the post office for?¡± Yu Hong asked.


    ¡°To¡­connect¡­towns¡­get¡­supplies¡­salt¡­sugar¡­send¡­letters,¡± Little Stutterer exined, gesturing animatedly.


    ¡°You¡­must¡­learn¡­a skill¡­to trade¡­for goods.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I understand all of this, but I think the most urgent problem to solve right now is safety,¡± Yu Hong said seriously.


    ¡°There¡¯ve already been two instances of impostors causing trouble when you weren¡¯t around. This is too dangerous.¡±


    His mind raced, trying to figure out how to maximize his unique ck seal for protection.


    ¡°No way.¡± Little Stutterer lowered her head dejectedly. It was clear she had considered this issue before.


    ¡°Specters¡­nothing¡­can¡­stop¡­them. Bugs¡­as long¡­as¡­there¡¯s¡­a gap¡­they¡­get in.¡±


    ¡°They¡­go through¡­walls!¡± She gestured emphatically.


    ¡°Through walls?¡±


    Yu Hong stared at the house walls in silence, falling into deep thought.


    ¡®This ce is too crude, full of gaps and vulnerabilities,¡¯ he thought. He remembered how the ck bugs had entered through door and window cracks, which suggested they might not actually pass through solid walls.


    He confirmed this theory with Little Stutterer.


    After thoroughly inspecting the house, he quickly concluded that it was highly insecure.


    ¡°I¡¯m nning to move out and find another ce to live on my own,¡± he said quietly. Living alone would eliminate the risk of impostors, as long as no one opened the door.


    Little Stutterer froze.


    She had saved many people before, but they usually wanted to stay with her as long as possible to learn more survival skills.


    But this man¡ªthis Yu Hong¡ªwas barely recovered, and already thinking of living alone?


    Strange.


    What a strange man.


    Little Stutterer blinked at him.


    ¡°You¡­not¡­afraid?¡±


    ¡°I am, but your house is too unsafe,¡± Yu Hong replied. From the information in the notebook, he had a rough understanding of the key points about this ce.


    ¡°The main threats are the bugs and the specters. While specters can pass through walls and must be driven away with radiant stones, the bugs can be blocked by doors and walls, as long as gaps are sealed. This means, with enough radiant stones and a properly sealed house, basic safety can be ensured, right?¡±


    Yu Hong calmly analyzed.


    His serious demeanor left Little Stutterer dumbfounded.


    ¡°Should we test it out? Seal the gaps with something, reduce the openings, and see if the bugs can still get in? If they can, figure out how small the gaps need to be to make a vent system work,¡± Yu Hong suggested.


    ¡°And also, how are radiant stones made? Can you teach me?¡± he asked earnestly.


    Little Stutterer stared at him, nodding in a daze.


    At this moment, she seemed to see a figure from the depths of her memory on him¡ªone that was extremely familiar and deeply nostalgic.


    After discussing their ns, the two began preparations immediately.


    Little Stutterer rummaged for tools¡ªhammers, saws, scrap wood, nails¡ªrandom odds and ends.


    Yu Hong, still recovering from his illness, was physically weak, so he directed Little Stutterer in the work.


    To his surprise, Little Stutterer was incredibly strong¡ªstronger than he was even in his normal state. Her robust health was evident; despite sleeping on the floor these past days while he upied the bed, she hadn¡¯t fallen ill.


    ording to the notebook, the ck bugs were officially named <em>Blood Tide</em>.


    Although their name didn¡¯t quite match their appearance, Yu Hong didn¡¯t dwell on it. He was more focused on learning everything about the bugs and specters.


    The two worked hard all day, and perhaps due to his improved health, they weren¡¯t disturbed by specters.


    Night fell without a bug attack either.


    ording to Little Stutterer, the Blood Tide typically urred every three to five days, and adequate lighting was the key to repelling them.


    The <em>Blood Tide</em> relied on light, while specters feared radiant stones.


    These were the survival rules the locals depended on.


    The next day, the pair continued Yu Hong¡¯s n. They sawed wooden ts and made movable seals to thoroughly close the remaining gaps in the doors and windows.


    The movable seals could be opened during the day and shut at night.


    Although simple, these were part of Yu Hong¡¯s efforts to create a safe shelter¡ªor rather, a safe house¡ªthat could ensure his basic survival.


    Little Stutterer¡¯s house fell far short of his standards.


    Beyond the specters and bugs, the mold clinging to every corner and the stale, filthy air would shorten anyone¡¯s lifespan.


    And the water source was another issue.


    If he continued drinking that dirty water, he probably wouldn¡¯t survive long either.


    <strong>Nighttime.</strong>


    Inside the house, Little Stutterer and Yu Hong stood together. Little Stutterer raised the candle high, and the flickering candlelight dispelled the surrounding darkness.


    Hiss, hiss


    The faint sound of crawling insects continuously came from outside the doors and windows, but due to the sealing of the gaps, the small venting openings were much smaller than before.


    These ck insects couldn¡¯t get inside.


    ¡°It works!¡± Yu Hong¡¯s face lit up with joy. He hadn¡¯t expected that his casual attempt would actually be effective.


    Little Stutterer was also grinning happily beside him.


    She realized that no ck insects had entered the area. Even if a few small ones had slipped through, they were quickly melted by the candlelight.


    With this, the candle¡¯s consumption slowed down, and she wouldn¡¯t need to keep buying candles from the store, saving her a lot of trouble.


    She would be able to rx much more.


    Just as the two of them felt a sense of sess¡­


    Click, click


    Suddenly, a faint gnawing sound came from outside the sealed wooden boards.


    The sealing boards at the gaps, as well as the wooden doors and windows, all started making the same gnawing noise.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong! These insects can¡¯t get in, so it seems they started gnawing on the doors and windows!!¡± Yu Hong realized immediately.


    He grabbed a wooden stick, rushed to the door, and forcefully shoved it, pushing the bottom seal up.


    Crash!


    With a muffled sound, arge number of ck insects poured in like a tide, rushing towards the two of them.


    Hiss


    The ck insects rushed into the candlelight and were quickly melted, evaporating and dissipatingpletely.


    The candle also began to burn faster.


    In the bright yellow candlelight, Yu Hong watched the scene unfold before him, and the joy he had felt earlier slowly faded.


    ¡°If they can¡¯t get in, will they start gnawing on the walls of the house?¡±


    He finally understood why Little Stutter¡¯s house, despite knowing there were ck insects, wasn¡¯t sealed off by her parents before.


    ¡°Has it failed?¡± Little Stutterer asked cautiously from behind.


    ¡°It¡¯s not aplete failure,¡± Yu Hong shook his head.


    The night passed without incident.


    <strong>The next morning.</strong>


    Yu Hong left the vige early and headed to the forest at the base of the hill.


    He circled around the trees in the forest, asionally tapping them with a hammer.


    Little Stutterer, having nothing else to do, started collecting a few medicinal herbs and nts for making ink.


    Her survival materials for trade were the glowstones with symbols drawn on them.


    ording to Little Stutterer, the glowstones with symbols were more effective than regr ones.


    The sun was shining brightly. While Little Stutterer gathered her materials, she asionally looked up at Yu Hong, who was doing something strange.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± After watching for a while, she couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m picking wood, choosing a location, preparing to build my own safe house,¡± Yu Hong replied.


    ¡°Build¡­ a house yourself?¡± Little Stutterer couldn¡¯t understand.


    Could a house built by yourself be stronger than one made of stone bricks?


    (End of Chapter)

 Chapter 9: Operation (1)

    ¡°It¡¯s not entirely built by myself. I n to use wood to assist with the construction, but the primary material will still be stone. Considering that stone bricks can¡¯t be found, the only solution is to find a natural stone cave,¡± exined Yu Hong.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the little stutterer didn¡¯t quite understand but felt that Yu Hong¡¯s expression was confident and calm, so he must be quite capable.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± she said, patting her chest. ¡°I know¡­ a hunting cave!¡±


    ¡°A cave?¡± Yu Hong¡¯s eyes brightened.


    He had long since wanted to leave the little stutterer¡¯s ce. Not only was safety not guaranteed, but more importantly, he couldn¡¯t experiment freely with his ck seal to determine its effects.


    He touched the third piece of reinforced white stone in his pocket, which was actually enhanced glowstone, and quickly made a decision.


    ¡°Can you take me there?¡±


    He was in urgent need of a secluded ce to test the specific effects of the ck seal.


    He was wondering, if he reinforced the door and walls, what would happen? The glowstone could be enhanced into a material simr to jade, which seemed to make it stronger¡ªwhat about other things?Little stutterer put down what she was holding and returned it to the house. Then she led Yu Hong along a small path, going in the opposite direction of the old road, winding through the forest.


    After several days of rest, Yu Hong¡¯s physical strength had recovered significantly.


    Because of this recovery, he hadn¡¯t encountered the strange shadows during the day, which made him believe somewhat in what the little stutterer and Dr. Xu had said.


    In the eerie and quiet forest, they walked one behind the other, stepping carefully across slopes until they reached the bottom of the hill.


    The little stutterer looked around and seemed to find something near a tree hollow.


    She approached, reaching out to touch some carvings on the edge of the tree hollow.


    ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± she said seriously.


    Just as Yu Hong was about to ask, she raised her hand and pointed towards the distant right.


    Yu Hong was taken aback and looked in the direction of her finger.


    In the distance, he could vaguely see a gray rock wall emerging from the forest.


    In the middle of the rock wall, a dark cave was suspended in mid-air.


    The entrance of the cave was at least two to three meters above the ground, but there were some excavated recesses forming steps.


    Yu Hong nced at the little stutterer, who had already started foraging for vegetables, and then held the reinforced glowstone as he walked towards the cave. ????B¦¥?


    Soon, he reached the bottom of the rock wall.


    He carefully examined the cave entrance.


    The entrance was about two people tall and more than one person wide. It wasn¡¯t very deep, and the sunlight from outside allowed him to see the cave floor.


    The bottom was cluttered with some cloth bags and animal skins.


    ¡°Are there animals here?¡± Yu Hong couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Yes, but not many,¡± the little stutterer replied as she followed him.


    ¡°Before, there were many¡­ ck disasters. Afterward, there were fewer.¡±


    Yu Hong nodded and climbed up the recesses, entering the cave.


    The entire cave was just over five meters deep, and the interior was a littlerger, about three meters wide, enough for one person to rest.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The ground was dry, with no musty smell, which was clearly due to the rock material.


    The cave was oval-shaped, with some irregrities in the oval cavity.


    Yu Hong thought to himself thatpared to the little stutterer¡¯s house, this ce was clearly much morefortable. At least itcked the mold that could damage the lungs, which would help him live much longer.


    More importantly, the Baiqiu vige itself had a strange atmosphere. He always felt that the many strange shadows he encountered during the day were likely rted to the environment of the vige.


    Otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t so many vigers want to continue living there, even though there were plenty of empty houses?


    ¡°By the way, Yi Yi, do you know how many vigers are still in contact with you?¡± Yu Hong had be somewhat familiar with the situation over the past few days.


    From the booklet and the little stutterer¡¯s words, he learned that many vigers from Baiqiu Vige lived in the nearby forest, either building their own houses or digging underground shelters.


    A few had left for the nearest town.


    Among them were several people whom the little stutterer had saved.


    Little stutterer, now also in the cave, looked around, ¡°There are four others,¡± she counted on her fingers. ¡°Apart from us.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it,¡± Yu Hong nodded. He took out the measuring tape he had gotten from the little stutterer¡¯s house and measured the dimensions of the cave entrance.


    Then he climbed down and observed the surroundings.


    ¡°Can I live here?¡± he asked the little stutterer.


    ¡°Yes, no one¡¯s here anymore,¡± she nodded eagerly.


    Yu Hong was satisfied. This ce was too dangerous. In truth, he had considered living with the little stutterer, but the risk posed by the strange shadows was too high, and they were too well disguised to defend against.


    Also, the little stutterer¡¯s environment was poor and dirty, making her prone to chronic diseases.


    Moreover, the reinforcement of the ck seal had to be kept secret.


    These three factors made him eager to find a suitable ce to live alone.


    And this cave was the best option.


    However, the living materials and the modification n would likely take a lot of time.


    After all, living alone meant relying on stored food at the start.


    The cave alsocked a proper door, and things like chimneys and fire pits needed to be set up.


    Once his future residence was confirmed, Yu Hong began to wander around the forest with the little stutterer¡¯s tools, collecting materials.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what kind of wood would work for the door, but he knew it had to be hard and sturdy.


    Over the next few days, Yu Hong continuously designed the structure of his cave, the door, and various pieces of furniture, and started choosing materials.


    Soon, he selected a dry tree, which was sufficiently dry to prevent moisture.


    Then he started chopping the tree.


    His weak body and tired arms made it so that after chopping for a day, his arms were sore, and the next day, he could barely move.


    Bang.


    Bang.


    Bang.


    Bang.


    Crack.


    The little stutterer, holding an axe, watched as the thick, tree-trunk-sized dead tree slowly bent and fell.


    ¡°Do you need more?¡± she asked, turning to look at Yu Hong, whose expression wasplicated.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s enough,¡± Yu Hong shook his head.


    Stepping forward, he began to use a knife to remove the branches, selecting the straight parts of the trunk and cutting them to the approximate length for the cave¡¯s door.


    Although he was just an ordinary office worker beforeing here, he had worked as a carpenter in the countryside for a while.


    Though not very skilled, he understood the basic steps.


    Little stutterer watched curiously and asionally helped.


    Before long, it was dark. The two put down their tools and returned to the house to rest for the night.


    After a quiet night, they had breakfast and returned to the cave to continue their work from the previous day.


    Little stutterer, having eaten too quickly, realized the food was almost gone, so she nned to visit Dr. Xu and buy more food from Old Yu.


    She helped with the treework, and soon saw Dr. Xu approaching from the distant forest.


    Excited, she waved to him.


    ¡°Xu! Over here!¡±


    Dr. Xu slowly walked closer and, seeing Yu Hong still there, frowned immediately.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we just get food? I wondered why it was gone again¡ªturns out there¡¯s an extra person,¡± she said, not sounding pleased.


    ¡°Yu Hong is really capable!¡± little stutterer hurriedly waved her hands. ¡°He¡¯s making a much better house. It¡¯s safer than my house!¡±


    Her admiration for Yu Hong was clear, as she defended him at this moment.


    ¡°Fine, whatever. Let¡¯s just go, the sooner the better,¡± Dr. Xu nced at Yu Hong, seeing him about to greet her, and walked a few steps closer to him.


    ¡°What are your ns?¡± She had asionally chatted with the little stutterer and knew that Yu Hong was always busy with his own work.


    He relied entirely on the little stutterer for food, which made her burden much heavier.


    Originally, their food was only enough for half-full meals, and now there was an extra young man to feed.


    ¡°I n to build a safe house. Right now, I¡¯m temporarily relying on Yi Yi, but trust me, I¡¯ll be able to move out soon. She¡¯s helping me now, and I¡¯ll remember it. Once I¡¯m settled, I¡¯ll repay her!¡± Yu Hong understood her intention.


    After saying this, he saw Dr. Xu¡¯s expression soften a little and continued.


    ¡°When I finish building a safer house, I can help Yi Yi build a better one too! Her house is really unsafe, and if there¡¯s a bigger problem, it won¡¯t hold up. That¡¯s when she¡¯ll see how good a safe house can be.¡±


    ¡°Do as you like, but just moving to a new ce won¡¯t make it safer!¡± Dr. Xu clearly didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°Don¡¯t drag Yi Yi down.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Yu Hong replied seriously.


    Dr. Xu stared at him for a moment, said nothing more, and left with Yi Yi.


    Yu Hong stood in the forest, watching them leave until they disappeared from view, then turned his gaze upwards to the sky.


    The bright sunlight gave him a sense of security.


    In this weather, even strange shadows wouldn¡¯t dare to appear recklessly.


    After a short break, he resumed cutting the wood with a saw.


    The segments of tree trunks, quickly scorched by fire, were turned into thick long nks.


    The surface burning was to prevent decay, kill off insects and their eggs, and remove excess moisture.


    Once cut into nks, they could be assembled together, using the mortise and tenon joint structure, to create a sturdy wooden door.


    Yu Hong used the simplest form of the mortise and tenon structure, which involved making a hole in one nk and carving a matching protrusion on another nk.


    By inserting the protrusion into the hole, the joint wasplete.


    The greatest benefit of this structure was that it didn¡¯t require nails.


    With this method, Yu Hong slowly and painstakingly made thick, sturdy nks.


    Instead of finishing the door and bringing it all at once, he worked piece by piece, carrying the nks over and assembling them at the cave entrance.


    During this time, he also continued testing the effects of the ck seal.


    He reinforced one piece of glowstone after another.


    Time passed, and just as Yu Hong was getting used to the strange dried meat vor, the wooden door for the cave was finallypleted.


    Early one morning, Yu Hong arrived at the cave entrance alone and attached the final thick nk to the door.


    The door waspletely finished, with a movable central panel, giving it a rough appearance.


    It was made from parts taken from other houses in the vige,bined with wood.


    Additionally, therge nails used to attach the wood to the stone were also from the houses in the vige.


    The entire entrance was nowpletely blocked by the thick gray-ck wooden door.


    Yu Hong entered, cing a piece of reinforced white stone into a groove behind the door.


    This was his idea for blocking the strange shadows from entering.


    Since the glowstone could disperse the shadows, he wondered if cing it strategically along their path could prevent them from entering the cave.

 Chapter 10: Operation (2)

    After cing the enhanced glowstones, Yu Hong walked into the cave again. At the top and on both sides of the ground, he found corresponding indentations.


    These were spots he had prepared for cing the enhanced glowstonester, with the goal of ensuring the absolute safety of the entire safe house.


    Over the past few days, he had relied on Little Stutterer¡¯s help for food, and now he had collected seven enhanced glowstones.


    His stockpile was quite plentiful.


    The ck insect blood tides, which had once been a major concern, no longer worried him. The eerie shadows that asionally appeared also stopped showing up.


    ording to Little Stutterer, they were in a safe period, which generallysted about a month, before suddenly erupting into a high-intensity period.


    At that time, both the blood tides and the eerie shadows would be significantly stronger.


    ¡®No wonder Dr. Xu is so upset with me. I¡¯ve be a burden, dying the progress of Little Stutterer, who should be gathering supplies now. This will cause her to run low on resources and get into danger.¡¯


    Yu Hong thought to himself.But he didn¡¯t mind it.


    Because Dr. Xu didn¡¯t know what he was truly capable of. Not to mention, the effect of the enhanced glowstones was enough to ensure Little Stutterer¡¯s safety when facing the eerie shadows.


    At least, they worked much better than the regr glowstones.


    Regr glowstones could only be used once, but enhanced glowstones could be used multiple times.


    However, it was unclear how many times they could be used. He would have to find a chance to test itter.


    Thinking about this, Yu Hong snapped back to reality, closing the wooden door and standing alone in the cave.


    Once the door was shut, the cave grew dim, with only the striped venttion hole letting in bright golden rays.


    Yu Hong stood with his back against the door, extending his hand.


    His arm, darker than before, still couldn¡¯t hide the clear ck mark on the back of his hand.


    Soon, arge ck number appeared on the door: 12 days.


    ¡°Do you want to reinforce the wooden door?¡±


    A faint sound reached his ears.


    Yu Hong¡¯s expression became serious, and he took a deep breath.


    ¡®Yes!¡¯


    He responded strongly in his mind.


    Immediately, a ck line flowed from the ck mark on his hand, entering the wooden door, disappearing without a trace.


    Then, the number on the door changed, from 12 to 11 days and 23 hours, 59 minutes.


    The numbers flickered, faintly glowing, extremely mysterious.


    ¡°Countdown!?¡± Yu Hong was surprised to notice this for the first time.


    When he had used the enhanced glowstones before, he had always tried to avoid Little Stutterer and hadn¡¯t paid attention to the process.


    Now, it seemed that this ck mark even had a countdown function, which was very convenient.


    ¡®Alright, now we just need to wait.¡¯


    Yu Hong sighed in relief. So far, the strengthening of the ck mark hadn¡¯t caused him any negative side effects. The worst he had felt was a bit of mental fatigue after use, but a short rest was enough to recover. ?¨¤??B¦¥s?


    Twelve days.


    By then, he would be able to assess the effect of the reinforced wooden door.


    He was quite eager.


    After watching the wooden door for a while, Yu Hong picked up a piece of rubble from the cave, trying to activate the ck mark again.


    But nothing happened.


    He wasn¡¯t surprised.


    He had tried before to see if he could strengthen two objects at once.


    But now it seemed that either it never worked, or perhaps he hadn¡¯t yet met some special condition.


    Yu Hong wasn¡¯t in a hurry.


    His main priority was to finish the safe house. After that, he would have plenty of time to study the ck mark.


    Little Stutterer had gone out and wouldn¡¯t be back tonight. So, Yu Hong rested for a while in the cave, then stored the enhanced glowstones in various corners and headed back to Baqiu Vige.


    Soon, he returned to the house, familiar with the path.


    After closing the door and cing the enhanced glowstones in their designated spots, he drank some filtered water to soothe his throat.


    The filthy, foul-smelling filtered water hadn¡¯t upset his stomach. That was truly a miracle.


    Yu Hong finished his preparations, took a piece of dried meat, and sat by the bed, slowly nibbling on it.


    The dried meat was very tough, unlike any meat he had eaten before. It was thin and ck in color.


    ording to Little Stutterer, it was lizard meat.


    Yu Hong didn¡¯t mind; at least he could tolerate it more than the other two types of dried meat: rat and cockroach.


    As nightfall approached, Yu Hong lit a candle and ced it beside him on the nightstand, ensuring the candlelight illuminated the venttion holes in the door and windows.


    Then he closed his eyes and rested quietly.


    A peaceful night.


    The next morning, Yu Hong went to the vige road to wait.


    His phone had long since run out of power, so he had to use the shadow of the sun on the ground to estimate the time with a simple sundial.


    After waiting for about an hour or so, two figures appeared at the end of the road, carryingrge bags.


    As they got closer, Yu Hong recognized them as Little Stutterer and Dr. Xu.


    He hurried over to help Little Stutterer with the heavy bag on her back.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work,¡± he said quietly.


    ¡°Safe house, how¡­ is it?¡± Little Stutterer asked with an expectant look on her face.


    Before they left yesterday, she had checked the progress and thought it was almost done.


    ¡°It¡¯s done. The door ispletely finished!¡± Yu Hong said seriously, nodding and smiling.


    He was in a good mood.


    ¡°I bought waterproof paint!¡± Little Stutterer signed clumsily. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ paint it for you.¡±


    Waterproof paint?


    Yu Hong froze. Right, he had forgotten to apply the waterproofing. Otherwise, the wooden door he had worked so hard to build would soon rot from the moisture.


    After all, he wasn¡¯t a professional carpenter¡ªhe knew some basic skills but had overlooked key steps.


    Luckily, Little Stutterer had remembered to take care of it.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I didn¡¯t even think about the waterproofing!¡± Yu Hong pped his hand to his forehead in realization. ¡°Good thing you remembered, or all that effort on the door would have been wasted!¡±


    ¡°The paint¡¯s half used up. I traded it for three-quarters of the dried meat,¡± Dr. Xu said with a cold look in her eyes.


    ¡°Since the door¡¯s done, when will you move out?¡± she asked next.


    ¡°Soon, very soon!¡± Yu Hong nodded. ¡°Dr. Xu seems to misunderstand me. Just wait, soon I¡¯ll be able to help Little Stutterer live a better life.¡±


    Little Stutterer had helped him a lot, and he kept that in mind. As for the secret of the ck mark, he was now sure it was something only he possessed.


    At least, neither Little Stutterer nor Dr. Xu had it. He had asked Little Stutterer, and no one she had met had ever heard of such a special ability.


    So, he felt much more confident now.


    ¡®Here we go again, another guy who just talks big.¡¯


    Dr. Xu shot him a disgusted look, turned, and walked away.


    She had seen people saved by Little Stutterer before. They would wake up, learn something briefly, and leave.


    None of them stayed longer than five days.


    But Yu Hong¡­ he had been there for almost a month, twenty days, and still hadn¡¯t left!


    Not only was he not leaving, but he wasn¡¯t helping with the work either! This had caused Little Stutterer to spend even more time digging wild vegetables and painting glowstones, while they were eating less food.


    Food had been scarce, and now with two people eating, they had to ration it more.


    ¡°I trust you!¡± Little Stutterer said earnestly, getting closer to Yu Hong.


    ¡°Mm! Thank you!¡± Yu Hong nodded, watching Dr. Xu leave.


    The two returned to the house, where they sorted through the items they had brought back.


    Arge bag of glowstones, minus the paint, had been exchanged for only half a pound of dried meat and one pound of dried mushrooms.


    Mixed with the wild vegetables, they would need to eat this for at least three to five days.


    In the house, the two of them sorted the dried meat into bags, adding charcoal to absorb moisture and tying them up to avoid opening them frequently.


    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the strength of the eerie shadows and blood tides during the high period? Can you exin in more detail?¡± Yu Hong asked while sorting the meat.


    ¡°They¡¯re strong,¡± Little Stutterer nodded. ¡°The eerie shadows can appear at any time. The blood tides wille every day, along with the eerie shadows.¡±


    ¡°Ten glowstones are needed to deal with one eerie shadow.¡± Little Stutterer began to exin the dangers of the high period in detail.


    As she exined in her broken sentences, Yu Hong gradually understood more about the high period¡¯s dangers.


    Especially the eerie shadows. For them, even after drawing the symbols, the regr glowstones were only effective if ten were used to drive one away.


    Little Stutterer¡¯s glowstones were naturally better than others, which was why they always sold for a good price.


    But in the high period, even her glowstones needed ten to deal with one eerie shadow. Other people¡¯s glowstones would be much less effective.


    Yu Hong also asked about the candle usage.


    The answer made his heart sink.


    During the high period, onerge candle was used up every night. The consumption was huge. Of course, they could burn firewood, but they always needed a light source to block the blood tides.


    After learning the specific details, Yu Hong calcted the remaining time for the high period, looking at the old calendar on the table. Only fifteen days left.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The wooden door would be reinforced in twelve days. If the reinforcement didn¡¯t work well, things might getplicated.


    His heart sank slightly.


    ¡°Where do you buy the candles?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Uncle Wang,¡± Little Stutterer pointed to a distant spot on the simple map she had drawn.


    ¡°He¡¯s from the old vige,¡± she added.


    ¡°How long does the high period usuallyst?¡±


    ¡°It used to be one day. Later, it became five days,¡± Little Stutterer replied.


    ¡°Will itst longer?¡± Yu Hong frowned.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Little Stutterer nodded vigorously.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Yu Hong knew he needed to hurry.


    In theing days, he began to speed up the construction of his safe house. Although the door was done, the internal structures were not fully set up.


    The chimney, for example, had to be prepared in advance if he wanted to use fire inside.


    This wasn¡¯t too difficult, as he had seen houses with chimneys before.


    He just needed to take the chimney pipes from those houses.


    However, as Little Stutterer had warned, he should avoid going inside those buildings.


    While he could take the doorboards from outside, entering the dark areas could mean encountering eerie shadows.


    But with the enhanced glowstones, he didn¡¯t worry too much.


    One enhanced glowstone could handle several eerie shadows, which was much better than regr glowstones.


    Even so, the thought of the eerie shadow¡¯s terrifying presence made Yu Hong uneasy. He really didn¡¯t want to get too close to it.


    (End of Chapter)

 Chapter 11: Accumulation (1)

    This world is very dangerous. Extremely dangerous.


    In the more than half a month since Yu Hong arrived here, he has fully realized this.


    As an ordinary person, his survival knowledge is far inferior to that of Little stutterer and the others, and his physical abilities are also significantly weaker.


    Even Little stutterer and Dr. Xu are struggling so much; if he were to rely solely on himself, it would definitely not be enough.


    Therefore, he must utilize his unique advantage¡ªthe ck mark.


    On a bright, sunny morning, outside a strange tiled house in Baiqiu Vige.


    Yu Hong and Little stutterer, both dressed in filthy clothes, their hair greasy and matted into strands resembling dreadlocks, stood in front of the house, gazing inside.


    The interior of the house was dark, constantly emitting a cold and eerie aura. asionally, a slight cold breeze would surge out, apanied by a musty and unknown stench.


    The sunlight stopped at the door, dividing the outside from the inside into two separate worlds.¡°There¡¯s the smoking pipe I need inside,¡± Yu Hong said in a deep voice.


    ¡°How do we get it?¡± Little stutterer asked seriously from the side, as though mimicking Yu Hong.


    ¡°The phantom shadows could appear at any moment, so I must act quickly,¡± Yu Hong replied.


    The cave¡¯s safe house must have a warm stove, but lighting a fire in a sealed cave is extremely dangerous, so the smoking pipe is essential! At that moment, as he looked into the dimly lit house, determination rose in his eyes for the first time.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just too scared.¡±


    To find safety, one must first face danger.


    He had no other choice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    With his reinforced white stones in his pocket, Yu Hong strode into the house.


    Little stutterer, behind him, also held a bag of white stones, nervously scanning the area.


    p.


    As soon as their feet entered the darkened space, a chilling sensation started creeping up from their ankles.


    At that moment, both the reinforced white stones and the regr white stones activated, releasing cold air that countered the chill.


    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong, quickly!¡± Yu Hong instantly realized there was a phantom shadow and sped up, rushing deeper into the house.


    He had examined many houses, and this one¡¯s chimney was the most suitable, the longest. This time, he was determined to get it!


    The two quickly crossed an open space and reached the innermost corner of the room.


    There, a square metal stove was ced, with a vertical iron chimney pipe protruding from one corner.


    The chimney pipe extended two meters upward, then curved to the side for over three meters, reaching an opening in the wall.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! Grab it!¡± Yu Hong¡¯s eyes lit up as he rushed forward and grabbed the chimney pipe.


    Thud.


    He yanked it hard.


    It didn¡¯t move.


    He looked down.


    The chimney pipe was welded to the corner of the stove, immovable.


    Just as he was about to pull harder, Yu Hong suddenly caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. A small door to the bedroom in the corner of the room slowly opened. §²¨¤?????§§?


    In the darkness beyond the door, a figure in gray stood, its face obscured.


    The figure stood motionless in the shadows, staring toward them.


    At the same time, a more intense chill surged out from the small bedroom door.


    ¡°Yi Yi!!¡± In a panic, Yu Hong shouted, gripping the reinforced white stone tightly, his muscles tensing as he began to aim.


    His eyes darted toward the back, looking at Little stutterer (Yi Yi).


    But¡­ ¡°!!!?¡±


    There was no one there.


    Not only was Yi Yi missing, but the stove and chimney had also disappeared.


    Yu Hong quickly shifted his gaze again and saw Little stutterer, carrying the stove and dragging the chimney pipe, running toward the door to leave.


    The heavy stove in her hands seemed as light as a cardboard box, having no impact on her.


    ¡°Run! Yu!¡± Little stutterer charged out into the sunlight, only to realize Yu Hong hadn¡¯t followed. She quickly looked back, confused, and saw Yu Hong still standing where he had been, frozen in ce. She immediately shouted.


    ¡°¡­¡± Yu Hong had no words to respond.


    But at that moment, the phantom shadow had locked its sights on him.


    A chilling, rigid sensation surged through him again, attempting to freeze him in ce.


    The power of the reinforced white stone surged continuously to resist the stiffness.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°I!!¡±


    Yu Hong trembled, unable to move from his position, clutching the reinforced white stone in his hand as though he were a machine on the verge of falling apart.


    Sweat poured down from his forehead and temples, his pupils dted as intense fear threatened to engulf him.


    ¡®I¡¯m so scared.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Why, why is there something so terrifying here?!¡±


    ¡®Why.¡¯


    ¡®Why.¡¯


    ¡®Why.¡¯


    ¡®Why.¡¯


    In an instant, countless ¡°whys¡± crawled up his mind, like insects, filling every inch of his being. They overwhelmed his thoughts, his consciousness, consuming everything.


    But at that moment, he was caught in an eerie struggle, the power of the phantom shadow and the strength of the reinforced white stone cancelling each other out. This battle yed out through his body.


    Amidst this paralysis¡­


    Yu Hong suddenly felt movement behind him.


    Crack.


    He heard a faint sound.


    It was as though a shoe had stepped on the muddy floor of the room.


    The soft, rhythmic sound of footsteps came, one after the other, seemingly getting closer from behind.


    Step. Step.


    The footsteps were steady, neither fast nor slow, moving directly toward him.


    Then, the wooden door of the house silently began to close, slowly shutting off the bright sunlight and Little stutterer from the outside world.


    Yu Hong was terrified. His whole body shook as tears and sweat streamed down his face.


    At this moment, he could do nothing but watch the door slowly close.


    Helpless.


    A deep sense of helplessness surged from the bottom of his heart.


    ¡°I¡­¡± He opened his mouth, trying to speak.


    Smack.


    Suddenly, a hand tightly gripped his from behind!


    Ah!!!!


    In an instant, Yu Hong felt like he had been struck by lightning. He let out a piercing scream.


    He violently jumped up, and with a swift motion, he pulled arge wooden club from his pants leg and swung it backward with all his might.


    The wooden club was studded with steel nails, embedded with three pieces of reinforced white stone.


    Fear hadpletely consumed Yu Hong. As he swung the club, it let out a deep, whistling sound in the air.


    Amid the noisy sound of the club slicing through the air, there was a loud crash.


    Boom!!!


    The wooden club mmed into a white figure behind Yu Hong, splitting it in two. The figure deted, scattering into pieces, vanishing into thin air.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!!!¡±


    Yu Hong raised the steel-nail-studded club and immediately turned, rushing toward another gray figure by the small bedroom door.


    Boom!!!


    Another loud crash.


    The wooden club mmed into the doorframe, creating a deep dent.


    The gray figure shattered with the impact, turning into a pile of gray cloth that scattered to the ground and evaporated.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!!


    By this time, Yu Hong¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. Holding the steel-nail club, he continued wildly swinging at where the gray figure had been.


    Until the doorframe began to shake and splinter, he finally came to his senses.


    Seeing that the phantom shadow had disappeared, Yu Hong quickly rushed out of the house and into the sunlight.


    Huff! Huff! Huff!


    Amidst his heavy breathing, he slowly bent down, crouching on the ground.


    Little stutterer stood nearby, staring nkly at him, unsure how tofort him.


    She had initially nned to rush in to save him, but seeing Yu Hong¡¯s sudden outburst, she was scared and could only stand in ce, helplessly waiting for the oue.


    The result was that Yu Hong emerged himself, violently smashing the two phantom shadows into pieces, his expression reflecting extreme fear as he crouched down outside, panting.


    ¡°Yu¡­¡± After a while, Xiaojieba hesitated and softly called out.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Yu Hong¡¯s voice trembled, his body drenched in sweat, as though he had just been pulled out of water.


    ¡°I was just¡­ so scared.¡±


    He paused for a moment, slowly calming down as his emotions settled.


    He stood up, turned, and looked at Little stutterer.


    His face was filled with pain, helplessness, and a sense of vulnerability.


    ¡°They¡­ they scared me.¡±


    He waved the steel-nail club in his hand repeatedly, as though trying to express his intense emotions through bodynguage.


    ¡°I was so scared.¡±


    Yu Hong¡¯s skin trembled.


    ¡°So, I had to smash them to death¡­ I¡­ I know what I¡¯m doing, but if I didn¡¯t smash them, I was afraid¡­ afraid they woulde after me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Little stutterer blinked, taking a step back as the steel-nail club swung dangerously close, making her feel uneasy.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine now, just let it go. Let it go!!¡± Little stutterer raised both hands, trying to soothe him.


    Yu Hong, realizing that he was not in his right state, also started to take deep breaths.


    Inhale.


    Exhale.


    After thirty breaths, he finally felt his body stabilize.


    ¡°Good, good. I¡¯m d I prepared in advance,¡± he said, lowering the heavy wooden club. He felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.


    He was someone who always prepared thoroughly for anything he did.


    Just like when he went into the house to grab the chimney pipe. He had already nned out how to use his few remaining reinforced white stones.


    The three pieces of reinforced white stone embedded in the wooden club weren¡¯t actually ¡°embedded¡± in the traditional sense. Instead, Yu Hong had carved small recesses in the wood and tightly bound the stones with ropes.


    Looking back, this method had proven to be quite effective.


    ¡°Are you okay now?¡± Little stutterer asked carefully, her gaze focused on him.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Yu Hong said, shaking his body in helplessness. ¡°I got too worked up.¡±


    Little stutterer shook her head, signaling that she wasn¡¯t scared. ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯ve seen something like this before.¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn


    She lifted the stove and chimney pipe, and with Yu Hong, they began walking back.


    As they walked, she told him about the people she had encountered before.


    From her words, Yu Hong learned that there had been others in simr situations¡ªpeople who had fallen into extreme fear, just like him.


    Some of them, like him, had exploded in a frenzy, fighting back.


    But Yu Hong was different from them.


    After those people fought back, they would exhaust themselves, weakening further and falling into even greater danger.


    But Yu Hong wasn¡¯t like them.


    After smashing the phantom shadows, he didn¡¯t stop. He immediately turned and ran, heading for the safety zone, before finally letting himself rx.


    In extreme emotional states, it¡¯s rare for people to hold back any strength. Yet Yu Hong had managed to do so.


    Not only had he destroyed the phantom shadows, but he also conserved his energy to turn around and flee.


    This made him stand out in a very unique way.


    (End of this chapter)

 Chapter 12: Accumulation (2)

    Bang, bang, bang.


    Inside the safe house cave, Yu Hong let out a long sigh, took two steps back, and looked at the super-simple fixed setup he had created. He had secured the stolen stove along with the chimney to the middle section of the cave wall.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave it like this for now.¡±


    He put down the hammer and turned to nce at the door, which was still undergoing reinforcement. The remaining time on the door read: 9 days, 5 hours, and 42 minutes.


    After finishing this, he exited the cave and looked at the little stutterer who was tying up arge bundle of wild vegetables.


    The incident with the chimney was over, but the emotions from it still left a deep impression on him.


    Even now, when he thought back to what had happened, he felt an intense sense of fear.


    This emotional state made him yearn desperately for apletely safe solitary cabin.


    A ce where he could rest in peace.With such a ce, he would be able to safely explore this incredibly dangerous world.


    Shaking off his thoughts, Yu Hong picked up the steel spike stick he had just used, noticing that some of the nails were bent. But that wasn¡¯t the key issue; the key issue was the three pieces of reinforced white stones.


    The first piece hadpletely turned ck and lost its jade-like texture.


    ¡®Looks like it¡¯s used up.¡¯ Yu Hong reached out to remove this stone and reced it with a new one.


    He still had a piece of reinforced glowstone left, which should be enough for now.


    But since the reinforcement could only be done one item at a time, he couldn¡¯t reinforce anything else until the wooden door was finished.


    Therefore, he needed to conserve the glowstones as much as possible.


    ¡®Based on previous usage, one piece of reinforced glowstone can shatter three ghost images. This means that one piece of reinforced glowstone is equivalent to thirty pieces of ordinary glowstones!¡¯


    With this in mind, if he could advertise thisparison and trade the reinforced glowstone for supplies, the difference in value might allow him to stop worrying about supply shortages.


    While thinking about this, Yu Hong started to consider his future ns.


    Time passed quickly, and soon the sky began to darken.


    Little stutterer also finished packing the cloth bag and refilled the water jar. The two of them returned to the house in Baiqiu Vige.


    It was only after they had returned from the cave that the ce was finally tidied up, clean and fresh, with better air.


    Compared to the old house, which was dirty and filled with a musty smell of mildew, Yu Hong couldn¡¯t bear to stay there even for a moment.


    The night passed without incident.


    In the following days, unable to reinforce anything, Yu Hong and the little stutterer began collecting dry wood to store in the cave.


    Now that there was a door, it could block the wind and rain, and it was possible to store some firewood.


    Next, they prepared to filter water.


    ording to the little stutterer, the water outside was very unclean, and drinking it directly would cause a strange illness, so it had to be filtered. ????¦­?£Â¨§?


    Extra filters could only be bought in the town.


    So, they would have to make a trip to the town.


    ¡°It¡¯s over thirty miles to the town. I don¡¯t think I can make it,¡± Yu Hong said, fully aware of his physical limits.


    He might be able to push through the journey by sheer willpower, but after that, his knees could be injured, he could suffer from exhaustion, or other new illnesses could strike, all of which would greatly slow his response to potential dangers.


    At the slope by the cave entrance, the little stutterer dug while nodding.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a way.¡±


    ¡°A way?¡± Yu Hong sat down and rested on the stone surface at the cave entrance, wiping the sweat from his forehead.


    ¡°Post¡­ office,¡± the little stutterer replied, then began exining in short, interrupted sentences.


    Since speaking was difficult for her, she simply used charcoal to write on the stone.


    But she didn¡¯t know many characters, so she wrote while gesturing.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I ask you to buy it for me at the post office?¡± Yu Hong asked.


    ¡°Filter¡­ can¡¯t buy¡­ must¡­ have qualifications,¡± the little stutterer replied.


    Qualifications? What qualifications? Yu Hong was about to ask again when he saw, from a distance, Dr. Xu carrying a cloth bag and walking towards them.


    ¡°Yi Yi, the peak period ising soon, we need to go to the town!¡± Dr. Xu looked a little pale, and her right arm was wrapped in a white bandage, probably from an injury she had sustained in recent days.


    ¡°Okay!¡± the little stutterer responded loudly.


    Dr. Xu nced at Yu Hong, didn¡¯t acknowledge him, and walked with the little stutterer to Baixiu Vige to pick up items they were going to exchange.


    Soon, the two of them checked all the glowstones.


    ¡°Why is there less than half?!¡± Dr. Xu was shocked.


    Normally, every time they went to exchange goods, the little stutterer could provide twice as much as this, but now¡­


    ¡°This amount won¡¯t get us much food! And Yi Yi, you¡¯re feeding two people!¡± she couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Too¡­ busy,¡± Yi Yi replied sheepishly, rubbing her hands together.


    ¡°What were you busy with? Building some useless ¡®safe house¡¯ for that Yu Hong?¡± Dr. Xu exploded.


    ¡°I told you, no matter how thick the boards, they can¡¯t stop the ghost images and insects! The ¡®safe house¡¯ you¡¯re building is a waste of effort!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I believe in him!¡± little stutterer patted her chest.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be killed by him!¡± Dr. Xu shouted angrily. ¡°If you don¡¯t eat enough, you¡¯llck energy and get sick. I went to the post office yesterday, but the mailman had disappeared, and there was no way to buy medicine. Many important supplies can only be obtained through him. We need to conserve food and seasonings, or we¡¯ll run out of suppliester!¡±


    ¡°No, it will be fine!¡± The little stutterer shook her head. She had received a piece of reinforced glowstone from Yu Hong. Though she had promised not to tell anyone, she knew in her heart that Yu Hong was different from the others.


    ¡°You!!¡± Dr. Xu was so furious that she almost ran to hammer Yu Hong, but seeing the little stutterer¡¯s look, she swallowed her anger.


    The two of them left the vige, slowly making their way down the old road.


    On the other side, Yu Hong had re-arranged the safe house in the cave, checked all the sealing devices, and ensured everything was secure before starting to paint.


    Waterproofing was essential, and the cave walls had to be painted as well; otherwise, living there would cause temperature differences, leading to moisture condensation and mold.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Once everything was checked, he decided not to return to Baiqiu Vige but instead stayed in the cave, using the candles and nkets he brought, preparing to spend the night there.


    ¡°Whoo¡­¡±


    Slowly, the sky darkened.


    The wind outside the cave howled, the temperature dropped rapidly, bing cool enough to feel.


    Inside the cave, Yu Hong sat cross-legged on arge wooden board, lit a candle, and quietly began to calcte how many supplies would be needed to safely survive the uing peak period.


    ¡°Thest peak periodsted five days, and following the principle of continuous strengthening, it should be six days. One candle per day means at least twelve candles.¡±


    ¡°Then, food and water for six days need to be prepared. I don¡¯t have time to reinforce the White Stones for now; I¡¯ll have to wait until the wooden door is finished.¡±


    ¡°Once the wooden door is finished, there are still three more days until the peak period. Rather than gambling on the safety of the reinforced door, it¡¯s better to prepare myself.¡±


    While calcting, Yu Hong listened quietly to the sound of the wind outside.


    Soon, a rustling sound echoed again.


    The ck insects brought by the blood tide started to invade once more.


    However, therge number of ck insects could only enter through the designated opening. Their speed was not fast, and as soon as they entered, they were illuminated by the candlelight, quickly dissipating into nothing.


    Yu Hong observed carefully for a while, confirmed there was no issue, and then rxed.


    He checked the candle¡¯s consumption rate, thought everything seemed fine, ced a steel nail and wooden stick beside him, andy down on the bed, slowly pretending to sleep.


    Soon, dawn broke.


    Little stutterer and Doctor Xu returned. This time, they brought back half the supplies they hadst time.


    Little stutterer calcted that it would only be enough for them for five days.


    After some thought, Yu Hong decided to have little stutterer try drawing moreplex patterns on the reinforced radiant stones. After testing the patterns, if they worked, they could be sold.


    For now, to handle the immediate needs, he also began helping little stutterer gather wild vegetables.


    Days passed.


    The two began to store water, and Yu Hong asionally checked on the progress of the wooden door.


    Before long, the time on the wooden door was approaching its end.


    To observe the changes to the door closely, Yu Hong specifically asked little stutterer to go to Doctor Xu¡¯s ce to borrow some food, which was a deliberate way to send her away.


    He then went to the safe area in the cave and quietly waited for the countdown to finish.


    In the midst of the rumbling sound, Yu Hong sat on the ground, his eyes fixed on the wooden door, which had not changed at all in the past twelve days.


    He wanted to carefully observe how the ck imprint¡¯s reinforcement would bepleted.


    The key was that he nned to seamlessly continue reinforcing other things to avoid wasting the reinforcement time of the ck imprint.


    The door, now painted in yellow-ck, showed ck numbers that only Yu Hong could see.


    0 days, 0 hours, 1 minute.


    In the final minute, just a little more, and the reinforcement of the wooden door would bepletely finished.


    During thisst minute, Yu Hong didn¡¯t dare to blink, keeping his gaze fixed on the final change.


    One second.


    Ten seconds.


    Twenty seconds.


    Thirty seconds.


    Snap.


    Suddenly, Yu Hong¡¯s vision blurred for a moment.


    When his vision cleared again, the wooden door had transformed into a much thicker, more tightly sealed giant door.


    The surface of the new door had delicate, wave-like patterns, and the air vents were covered with thick metal mesh, dense and breathable.


    In the middle, there was also a special observation window, allowing a view of the outside scenery.


    The originally loose connection between the door and the cave had beenpletely reinforced, with a dense ring of screws. It looked far sturdier than before.


    Yu Hong stood up, stepped forward, and touched the door.


    Thud, thud, thud.


    He knocked on it with his fingers. It was thick, hard, and flexible.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t the same material as before.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t expected that the reinforcement would change the material itself.


    ¡®They¡¯ve also added more materials.¡¯ Yu Hong touched the thick air vent at the bottom and opened the observation window at the top.


    He ran his hand along the edge, finding no burrs.


    ¡°Impressive!¡±


    With that thought, he quickly looked at the surrounding walls.


    His original n was to reinforce the wooden door first, then reinforce the surrounding stone walls. But now, due to the food shortage, he decided to try reinforcing other things first.


    ¡°First, this.¡±


    Yu Hong pulled his hand back from the door and went to the stove. He picked up a piece of dried lizard meat from the stove.


    ¡®Can food be reinforced?¡¯


    The thought shed through his mind.


    Immediately, the dried lizard meat in his hand quickly showed a number: 3 hours.


    ¡®Three hours?¡¯ Yu Hong thought it over. He then put the meat back and grabbed the entire bag of dried meat.


    ¡®What about now?¡¯


    On the outside of the cloth bag, a new number slowly appeared: 1 day, 8 hours, and 4 minutes.


    The numbers were precise, with both whole and decimal points.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see the result.¡¯ Yu Hong decided to wait for the reinforcement effect.


    A little over a day was something he could endure.


    (End of Chapter)

 Chapter 13: Experiment (1)

    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. ?¦ÁN???¦¥?


    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¡ªsuddenly 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¡ªafter 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¡ª


    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¡ªcarbohydrates, 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¡ª


    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)

 Chapter 14: Experiment (2)

    No response, no digits appearing.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to work,¡± he thought, disappointedly lifting his head.


    After resting for a moment, he recalled the two people he had seen earlier.


    ¡°Threats don¡¯t juste from monsters and spectral figures¡ªthey mighte from humans as well. Safety must alwayse first.¡±


    ¡°My physical fitness is poor¡ªworse than even Little Stutterer¡¯s. I haven¡¯t fully adapted to life here either. In the short term, the fastest way to ensure my safety is through equipment.¡±


    But he didn¡¯t have anything suitable at hand. What could he do¡ªstrengthen the axe to use against others?


    He nced back at the axe, saw, nails, hammer, and other tools lying around.


    Shaking his head, he felt little hope.


    Still, he approached the axe, picked it up, and watched the digits appear on its surface, confirming the enhancement process.¡°Since there¡¯s still time, I might as well give it a try.¡±


    After confirming the start, he ced the axe in a corner and covered it up.


    He then walked to the door and peered outside through the observation window.


    Outside, it was deserted and silent.


    The wind rustled through the leaves with a soft swish; even the insects and birds were absent.


    Click.


    Yu Hong opened the door, carrying a bag of protein bars as he stepped out, warily scanning the surroundings.


    He checked the steel-nail embedded wooden rod tied to his waist¡ªthis tool had been incredibly usefulst time.


    It was especially effective against spectral figures.


    Although, ording to Little Stutterer, spectral figures couldn¡¯t truly be killed and would eventually reappear, the tool still bought him enough time in a pinch. ???£ÎO???§¦s


    Closing the wooden door behind him, Yu Hong frowned.


    ¡°If someone finds this ce, there¡¯s nothing stopping them from taking everything inside.¡±


    He touched the door lock.


    The round keyhole was made of standard metal¡ªcold and hard.


    The wooden door originally didn¡¯t have a lock, and he didn¡¯t know how to make one. But after enhancing it, the lock appeared on its own, along with several keys.


    This mysterious enhancement mechanism intrigued Yu Hong greatly.


    Standing at the doorway, he gathered leaves and vines from the surrounding area, spreading them across the entrance to conceal it.


    From a distance, the door was now far less noticeable.


    It still wasn¡¯t entirely safe, but it was better than before.


    Once he finished camouging the entrance, he cautiously headed toward White Hill Vige.


    The protein bars alleviated their food shortage for now, but candles remained a pressing need.


    There simply weren¡¯t enough candles.


    If the heightened danger periodsted the full six days, their current three candles would fall far short.


    He had to get more.


    Following the familiar mountain path, he walked for about ten minutes before catching sight of White Hill Vige in the distance.


    Just as he was about to approach, Yu Hong suddenly stopped.


    His expression shifted as he nced toward the vige, quickly hiding behind a tree trunk.


    Between his position and the old road leading into the vige, a figurey sprawled in the grass.


    It was a thin, ck-haired man in camouge, lying motionless in a pool of blood that had soaked the ground around him.


    ¡°Dead?¡±


    Hiding behind the tree, Yu Hong tensed up.


    Remaining perfectly still, he observed the scene, even controlling his breathing to avoid attracting any attention.


    Minutes passed, and the man didn¡¯t move. Yu Hong deduced that the man was either dead or unconscious.


    After carefully surveying the surroundings to ensure no one was lurking nearby, he cautiously stepped out and inched toward the figure.


    Kneeling beside the man, he patted his shoulder.


    ¡°Hey?¡±


    No response.


    Yu Hong reached out to feel the man¡¯s neck.


    It was cold.


    His heart raced¡ªhe was truly dead.


    A corpse.


    A freshly dead body of someone he had just seen alive earlier.


    The thought sent a wave of nausea through him. His stomach churned, his breathing quickened, and his pupils dted. He felt an overwhelming urge to vomit, and his hand, which had touched the body, now felt unclean.


    Suppressing his revulsion, Yu Hong grabbed the corpse¡¯s shoulder and flipped it over.


    Thud.


    The ck-haired man fell onto his back, lying face-up on the ground.


    A deep, dark-red hole was visible on the left side of his chest. His eyes were wide open, his mouth agape, as if frozen mid-scream.


    Yu Hong dared not look any longer, quickly searching the man¡¯s pockets.


    He found no food or useful tools, only a cracked ck radio.


    Grabbing the radio, Yu Hong bolted.


    He had no desire to linger near the corpse.


    Even though he had mentally prepared himself for such sights, facing a dead body in reality was an entirely different experience.


    Within moments, he reached Little Stutterer¡¯s door and began pounding on it.


    ¡°Little Stutterer, open up!¡± he called, immediately reciting their agreed-upon code phrase.


    The sharp knocks echoed through the quiet, dusky vige.


    Usually, Little Stutterer would respond quickly when Yu Hong knocked.


    But this time, there was no movement inside.


    ¡°Little Stutterer?¡± Yu Hong¡¯s voice grew louder.


    His knocking and shouting reverberated through the deserted streets, the sound bouncing off the empty, dark houses.


    The vige grew even quieter.


    ¡°Little Stutterer!?¡±


    Unease crept over Yu Hong. Was she not home?


    He nced around nervously, ensuring no spectral figures were nearby, and stopped knocking.


    Where could she have gone?


    Nightfall was approaching, and without a safe ce to hide, the danger would be immense.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Yu Hong¡¯s breathing quickened as he clutched the bag of protein bars in one hand and gripped the steel-nail rod with the other.


    ¡°Com-ing.¡±


    Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from within the house.


    It was Little Stutter.


    Yu Hong¡¯s heart lifted, and he knocked again.


    ¡°Night¡¯s falling fast. Let me in first.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied from inside.


    ¡°I¡¯m-ing.¡±


    Relieved, Yu Hong scanned his surroundings, still wary of the white-d figure fromst time.


    This vige was far from normal.


    It had far more spectral activity than the mountain cave, one of the reasons he was desperate to relocate.


    Seconds passed.


    ¡°Are youing or not?¡± Yu Hong frowned, the dy making him uneasy.


    The sky was growing darker by the moment, and time was running out.


    ¡°Com-ing.¡±


    Little Stutterer¡¯s voice sounded again, this time very close, right behind the door.


    But Yu Hong realized he hadn¡¯t heard any footsteps inside the house.


    In such an eerily quiet setting, footsteps should have been audible.


    It was as if¡­


    As if she had suddenly appeared behind the door.


    A chill ran down Yu Hong¡¯s spine.


    Click.


    The door slowly creaked open a crack.


    Bang!


    Without thinking, Yu Hong kicked the door open, barging in with his steel-nail rod raised.


    ¡°Die, die, die!¡±


    Driven by sheer terror, he swung the enhanced rod wildly.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Behind the door, a pale figure didn¡¯t even have time to materialize before being struck and shattered into fragments that dissolved into nothingness.


    ¡°Little Stutterer!¡± Yu Hong shouted, rushing inside. Fear fueled his frantic search, rod ready to strike.


    But the room was empty.


    On the tabley a piece of paper with scribbled charcoal writing.


    Panting heavily, Yu Hong noticed blood dripping from his nose.


    Wiping it away, he saw the vivid red stain on his hand.


    ¡°That thing didn¡¯t even touch me¡ªhow am I bleeding?¡±


    Looking down, he saw a sh on his shirt.


    Underneath was a small, knife-like wound on his chest, oozing blood.


    Clearly, the spectral figure had somehow injured him.


    Shutting the door and lighting a candle, Yu Hong slumped into a chair, catching his breath.


    ¡°This damned ce,¡± he muttered under his breath.


    ¡°This damned, cursed ce!¡±


    The flickering candlelight stretched his shadow long across the floor, swaying as if alive.


    Picking up the paper, Yu Hong read the messy scrawl:


    ¡°I went to get candles. Back tomorrow.¡±


    There were no punctuation marks, no proper spacing¡ªthe writing was crooked, but at least legible.


    Setting the note down, Yu Hong pinched his nose to stop the bleeding.


    ¡°I¡¯ll build a shelter¡ªapletely safe shelter where I won¡¯t fear anything. I have to!¡±


    He had enough of this wretched ce, full of traps and deceptions.


    Gripping the candle tightly, he sat by the bed, staring at the cracks around the door and windows¡ªthe entry points for the ck insects.


    Their attacks came unpredictably, every three to five days.


    Little Stutterer had told him that when they first appeared, they were far fewer in number and less frequent.


    But now, their numbers and the toll they took on candles were overwhelming.


    After a while, his nosebleed stopped, allowing him to check his chest wound.


    Luckily, the wound wasn¡¯t itchy or inmed. Without clean water, he could only endure it and hope against infection.


    Satisfied that the wound was manageable, Yu Hong let out a sigh, listening to the howling wind outside.


    A deep sense of loneliness crept over him.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m the only one left in Baiqiu Vige now.¡±


    Most of the vigers had left long ago. Only Little Stutterer remained, living here alone.


    Yu Hong had no idea how she survived, but it must have been grueling and perilous.


    He sighed deeply, leaning back against the bed.


    Something hard poked him from behind.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Reaching back, he pulled out the object.


    It was the radio.


    ¡°Wait¡­ can I enhance this broken radio?¡±


    Just as he was about to set it aside, the thought struck him.


    As soon as the idea surfaced, numbers appeared on the radio¡¯s surface: 5 hours, 12 minutes.


    (End of Chapter)

 Chapter 16: Trouble (2)

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine now.¡± Little Stutterer sighed with relief, took off her raincoat hood, and then looked away.


    The other person also removed her hood, revealing Dr. Xu¡¯s tired face.


    ¡°This trip¡­ we encountered more strange shadows than before on the way back, and the consumption of the Huishi stone was too high. Also, the monster we encounteredst night has been officially reported and assessed. It shouldn¡¯t have been in this area.¡±


    This time, Little Stutterer had borrowed food from Dr. Xu, and as a form of payment, Dr. Xu had asked her to apany her on a trip. She exchanged some dried meat and mushrooms in return.


    At first, Dr. Xu thought she was just helping out of kindness, but during the journey, if it hadn¡¯t been for Little Stutterer¡¯s timely assistance¡ªpulling her out of danger several times¡ªshe might have¡­


    Dr. Xu felt a wave of fear as she thought about it.


    ¡°This time¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Bang!!


    Suddenly, there was a loud bang.The wooden door of the house was violently mmed.


    The huge impact shook the door panel, causing chunks of the wall to fall off.


    The door frame trembled violently, clearly loosening up.


    ¡°What is that!?¡± Dr. Xu¡¯s heart raced in panic. ¡°It¡¯s that monster! It¡¯s following us! Why!?¡±


    It was the same one they had encountered at their temporary shelter the previous night.


    ¡°Hold! Hold it!¡± Little Stutterer dashed forward and braced her shoulder against the wooden door.


    Bang!


    But another loud crash sent her tumbling backward.


    The monster outside was too powerful. There was no way to stop it.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Bang!!


    The door was being struck again and again. The nails holding the door frame in ce were slowly loosening, one by one, pulling out.


    Dr. Xu¡¯s heart raced, frozen in ce, unable to react.


    ¡°It¡¯s it. That thing. How could it¡ª¡±


    Her son had died in a simr situation.


    At that time, she and her family reacted immediately, rushing to brace the door. But the force of the blows from outside was something they couldn¡¯t resist. ???¨°?¨¨?


    In less than half a minute, the door shattered. Her son had tried to draw the monster away, and in the chaos, he ran out, far away.


    She only saw his shadow being caught by that monster before they fled.


    Boom!!!


    Just then, the wooden door shatteredpletely, sending debris flying toward the frozen Dr. Xu.


    It looked like the debris was about to hit her in the forehead.


    Suddenly, Little Stutterer reached out and grabbed Dr. Xu, pulling her to the side and rolling away.


    Whoosh!!


    After the door shattered, the massive ck monster outside was pushed in by the force of the impact.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Seizing the moment it stumbled, Little Stutterer grabbed Dr. Xu and sprinted away.


    She dashed out the door, running as fast as she could along the rocky path.


    ¡°Where¡­ do we go?¡± Dr. Xu stammered, her voice shaking.


    Little Stutterer¡¯s mind raced through various ces.


    Her own house had been reinforced, and it couldn¡¯t withstand that monster¡¯s force. If they went anywhere else, it wouldn¡¯t hold up long.


    What should she do?


    What should she do?


    What should she do!!?


    Sweat mixed with her hurried breaths, dripping down her temples.


    After running out of the vige, Little Stutterer unknowingly found herself at the forest clearing where she had worked with Yu Hong during the day.


    Realizing the danger, she quickly turned and headed in another direction, not wanting to lead Yu Hong into danger.


    But carrying someone while running in the rain, even with her extraordinary physical strength, she began to tire rapidly.


    What should she do??


    Her mind kept racing, but no matter how she thought, without the protection of a house or the barrier of the Huishi stones, they couldn¡¯t resist the strange shadows, let alone the monsters.


    ¡°Yi Yi, put me down. If I die, then so be it. I can¡¯t drag you down with me!¡± Dr. Xu said, her voice breaking, faintlying from her shoulder.


    Little Stutterer didn¡¯t respond, her head down, running full speed toward the distance.


    Bang!!!


    Suddenly, she veered left, changing direction and charging forward.


    Arge tree beside her was violently struck by the ck monster behind her, producing a muffled sound.


    The tree swayed and the trunk bore deep dents, almost toppling over.


    *


    *


    * *


    Yu Hong ced the radio down, removed the batteries, and covered it with dry leaves.


    This would be the key to getting information from the outside world in the future.


    So, it had to be kept in good condition.


    After finishing that, he nced at the Huishi stone, which was still being enhanced. The surface showed a faint countdown, barely noticeable, requiring careful observation to see.


    Phew.


    He exhaled and noticed his breath turning into a faint white mist.


    ¡°The temperature has dropped this much?¡±


    Standing up, he moved to the stove, nning to start a fire to warm up. The smoke pipe was connected to a vent on the door, ensuring safety when lighting the fire.


    However, looking at the firewood in the stove, Yu Hong knew it wouldn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°I wonder when Little Stutterer wille back. If only we could find some coal or something¡­¡±


    The cave here was far more secure than her house.


    The doors and windows at her ce were only half as thick as those at the cave, and the materials used were much softer¡ªold wooden boards.


    What was missing now was a solution to heating and food.


    If those were solved, this could be a proper safe haven.


    Bang!!


    Suddenly, Yu Hong thought he heard a faint sound from outside.


    ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± He furrowed his brow. In this rainy weather, any sound would definitely be from a monster or a strange shadow.


    He stood up, intending to check the noise outside.


    However, just as he stood, a pale face suddenly appeared in the observation window, scaring him.


    Even with the enhanced Huishi stone blocking it, getting frightened and mentally exhausted was inevitable.


    With that thought, Yu Hong sat back down.


    Bang!


    Another loud sound followed.


    Yu Hong¡¯s face changed. He immediately got up and rushed to the observation window, pulling the cover aside to look outside.


    He saw Little Stutterer and Dr. Xu being chased by the ck monster.


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    Looking at the monster, Yu Hong¡¯s heart froze.


    In the heavy rain, several dozen meters away in the forest, a massive creature resembling a giant tick, more than two meters tall and over four meters long, with apletely ck body, was chasing the two women.


    Silent.


    Stalled.


    Yu Hong stood at the door.


    Bang!


    He suddenly threw the door open.


    ¡°This way! Hurry, over here!!¡± He yelled toward Little Stutterer.


    His body was tense, trembling, his blood rushing through his veins, and his face turned bright red.


    The overwhelming fear and anxiety urged him to quickly shut the door, afraid the monster would notice him.


    But Little Stutterer had saved him before, helped him so much.


    Even in fear, Yu Hong had his principles, his bottom line as a human being.


    Gripping the steel Huishi rod by the door, he struggled to control himself, refusing to let fear take over and lock the door, to hide.


    ¡°Over here!! Yi Yi!!¡±


    Yu Hong stepped out into the rain and yelled.


    ¡°Run this way!!¡± He shouted.


    He knew that, out here in the increasingly darkening environment, if a strange shadow appeared, the result would be certain death.


    Instead of that, he preferred to hide with them, hoping that the reinforced wooden door would hold up against the monster¡¯s attack.


    As long as they could hold on for a bit, it was still daytime, and once the clouds cleared, the monster would retreat¡­


    Far away, Little Stutterer and Dr. Xu heard the sound and turned to look. Not only them, but the monster also noticed the noise and turned toward the direction of the sound.


    Seizing the opportunity, Little Stutterer gritted her teeth and prepared to run in another direction.


    ¡°Trust me! Yi Yi!¡± Yu Hong¡¯s voice came again.


    Little Stutterer stopped for a moment and looked at him.


    From afar, she saw the fierce determination on his face.


    ¡°Come!!¡± Yu Hong yelled, reaching out to her.


    Whoosh!


    The ck monster charged again, the wind it created blowing Little Stutterer¡¯s hair back.


    Even the rainwater couldn¡¯t resist the strong gust.


    At that moment, Dr. Xu was the first to react, pulling Little Stutterer and rushing toward Yu Hong.


    Her movement triggered the monster.


    The giant ck monster followed, charging toward the cave entrance where Yu Hong was.


    The beast, resembling a huge ck tick, charged like a monstrous war machine with eight legs, charging toward the cave with a thunderous force.


    Its rhino-like size was terrifying, apletely different kind of fearpared to the strange shadows.


    Yu Hong took a step back, standing on the side of the door, looking at the approaching monster. His legs shook uncontrobly.


    A month ago, he had been just an ordinary office worker. Now, he was facing this terrifying, unknown creature!


    Fear.


    Intense fear.


    His whole body froze, almost unable to move.


    His right hand, gripping the door handle, trembled violently, wanting to shut the door quickly.


    But Yi Yi and Dr. Xu hadn¡¯t arrived yet!


    Dr. Xu, that was fine, but Little Stutterer was different. She had saved him back then, so now, he had to save her.


    Bang!


    Yu Hong pped his own legs hard.


    ¡°Afraid of what, damn it!¡±


    ¡°Stop!!¡±


    ¡°Stand still, damn it!!¡±


    He yelled in his heart, staring fixedly at Little Stutterer and Dr. Xu, who were getting closer.


    Twenty meters.


    Fifteen meters.


    Ten meters.


    Five meters!


    One meter!!


    Swish!


    In an instant, Dr. Xu and Little Stutterer burst through the door.


    Just as they entered, Yu Hong mmed the door shut and locked it behind them.


    Bang!!!


    In less than a second, a massive crash hit the door, shaking the entire cave.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Bang!!


    The ck monster began furiously mming into the reinforced door.


    It seemed to be angry, furious that Yu Hong had stolen its prey.


    But no matter how hard it mmed, the door only trembled and showed no signs of damage.


    ¡°Phew, phew, phew¡­ What is this??¡± Little Stutterer copsed to the ground, looking back, confused, at the door in front of her.


    She stared at it in disbelief.


    She remembered that the door she and Yu Hong had worked on before wasn¡¯t like this.


    This door seemed much more advanced and sturdier than the previous one.


    ¡°After you left, I improved this door and reinforced the surroundings.¡± Yu Hong noticed her confusion, sitting down and panting, exining.


    ¡°¡­?¡± Little Stutterer stared at him nkly, noting the vast difference between the original wooden door and this reinforced one.


    ¡°Never mind that, help hold the door!¡± Yu Hong quickly got up and ran to the back of the door.


    Dr. Xu and Little Stutterer scrambled to their feet and helped brace the door.


    The banging continued, but with the three of them working together, the monster outside was unable to break the door.


    The bangingsted for about a dozen more strikes. When it realized it couldn¡¯t break through, the monster finally turned and left, disappearing into the rain.


    (End of Chapter)

 Chapter 21: Exchange (1)

    Fortunately, this time, there were no unexpected issues. Yu Hong smoothly moved out the dried meat, mushroom jerky, and other supplies from the house, as well as some unmarked white stones that hadn¡¯t been inscribed with runes yet. He also grabbed the iron pot and other tools. There wasn¡¯t much else of use in the house.


    By the time he returned to the cave, over an hour had passed. Panting, he put the items down and organized them neatly.


    The door reinforcement was also justpleted.


    After a blurry flicker, the reinforced board was perfectly embedded into the back of the door, fusing seamlessly with it. As a result, the entire door was at least half thicker than before.


    The heavy door was noticeably more difficult to open and close, but it made Yu Hong feel more secure.


    Once he finished these tasks, he closed the door and sat down on a wooden stool inside the cave, beginning to boil water.


    While the water boiled, he used a charcoal pencil to write and sketch on a piece of newspaper.


    The charcoal pencil was thick and hard to write with, but Yu Hong gritted his teeth, enduring the difort. He carefully wrote a line of text.


    ¡®Comprehensive Physical Training n¡¯Then, below this line, he added the following numbered items:


    ¡®1¡ª¡ªJogging for fifteen minutes every day.¡¯


    ¡®2¡ª¡ªAt least thirty push-ups a day, ten per set.¡¯


    ¡®3¡ª¡ªAt least thirty sit-ups a day, ten per set.¡¯


    These were simple ns for physical exercises.


    Yu Hong then extended his hand, pressing it onto the newspaper.


    The thought of reinforcement shed in his mind.


    Immediately, the ck mark on the paper rippled, and a ck line flowed into the newspaper.


    ¡®Completeness insufficient.¡¯


    A mechanical voice suddenly echoed in Yu Hong¡¯s ears.


    ¡°??¡±


    He froze for a moment, withdrew his hand, and frowned at the paper.


    This was an experiment he tried¡ªwriting a few basic exercise methods and guiding his thoughts to see if the ck mark could enhance them into more effective and powerful training methods. §²??§à?¨¨?


    But now, it seemed¡­


    ¡°Completeness insufficient? What does that mean? What¡¯s missing?¡±


    He picked up the paper and examined it closely.


    ¡°There are exercise methods, and the frequency is also there¡­ Wait! I understand.¡±


    Suddenly, his expression changed. He grabbed the charcoal pencil and started adding more.


    ¡®4¡ª¡ªSupplement protein, carbohydrates, and trace elements every day.¡¯


    ¡®5¡ª¡ªTrain six days a week, rest one day, and ensure at least ten hours of sleep daily.¡¯


    After tapping the charcoal powder off the paper, Yu Hong nodded, ced it down, and pressed his hand on it again, focusing his thoughts.


    Soon enough.


    ¡®Would you like to reinforce the Comprehensive Physical Training n?¡¯ The ck mark¡¯s voice inquired.


    At the same time, the countdown to reinforcement appeared on the paper: 5 days, 12 hours, 16 minutes.


    Yu Hong was delighted. He knew his test was a sess!


    However, seeing the long time required¡ªfive days¡ªhe didn¡¯t confirm immediately. He released his hand, canceling the reinforcement.


    Now was the peak period; if he reinforced it now, the ck mark would temporarily be unavable. He decided to wait until after this period.


    ¡®Since it¡¯s feasible, let¡¯s try again!¡¯


    Excited, Yu Hong turned the page and wrote another title: Martial Arts


    Under this, he wrote down basic martial arts techniques he¡¯d seen online, struggling to piece together an adequate set, covering offense, defense, dodging, and pursuit. After thinking hard andpleting it, he ced his hand on the paper again, full of expectation.


    ¡®Reinforce Martial Arts, with a focus on fantasy cultivation style!¡¯


    In that moment, after watching too many novels, Yu Hong¡¯s heart was full of hope for the future. He nervously awaited the ck mark¡¯s response.


    The ck mark rippled again, and a ck line flowed from it into the paper.


    ¡®Completeness insufficient.¡¯


    A feedback sound followed promptly.


    Yu Hong¡¯s expression of hope froze. Although he had guessed this might happen, he still felt a bit disappointed seeing it for real.


    Then, thinking for a moment, he decided to change tactics. He pressed his hand on the paper with the Comprehensive Physical Training n.


    ¡®Reinforce the Comprehensive Physical Training n, with a focus on life evolution!¡¯


    Hiss.


    The ck mark surged again, flowing into the paper.


    Soon, the feedback came again.


    ¡®Completeness insufficient.¡¯


    Yu Hong wasn¡¯t disappointed this time. Instead, he raised his hand again, pressing it onto the paper.


    ¡®Reinforce the Comprehensive Physical Training n, with a focus on human extreme training methods.¡¯


    Hiss.


    The ck line reappeared, surging into the paper.


    This time, the ck mark was silent for a long while.


    Finally.


    ¡®Would you like to reinforce it into human extreme training methods?¡¯


    ¡°Sess!!!¡± Yu Hong let out a low exmation, unable to suppress the smile spreading on his face.


    Then, he looked at the numbers that had appeared on the paper.


    ¡°.¡±


    His smile slowly faded, reced by disappointment and speechlessness.


    The numbers appeared in the middle of the so-called Comprehensive Physical Training n:


    ¡®678 days, 12 hours, 06 minutes.¡¯


    ¡°.¡± Yu Hong was speechless. He stood up and paced around for a bit.


    After a moment, he sat back down.


    ¡®Maybe I set the difficulty too high. I¡¯ll try adjusting it lower.¡¯


    Once more, he pressed his hand on the paper.


    ¡®Reinforce the Comprehensive Physical Training n, with a focus on advanced physical enhancement.¡¯


    This time, he didn¡¯t try to push it too high. Since he now understood that harder things needed more time, he lowered his expectations and just focused on the most basic level, with a slight lean towards internal martial arts.


    Sure enough, the ck mark¡¯s inquiry returned.


    ¡®Would you like to reinforce it as advanced physical enhancement?¡¯


    Numbers also appeared on the paper. Compared to before, these numbers were much more reasonable: 9 hours, 16 minutes.


    ¡®Yes!¡¯ This time, Yu Hong gave a definite answer.


    This time, with the reinforcement requiring just a sleep¡¯s worth of time, he was eager to see how the enhanced version differed from regr training methods.


    After boiling the water in the cave, he ate some dried meat, drank some water, and was about to go out to gather firewood when he suddenly heard someone shouting.


    ¡°Yu, Hong! Yu, Hong, are you there?¡±


    A familiar voice came from afar.


    With the sound of branches snapping underfoot, someone was quickly approaching the cave.


    Yu Hong¡¯s expression changed. He rushed to the door, peering through the peephole to look outside.


    In the bright forest, a small figure in camouge was rapidly approaching.


    The person was wearing a steel helmet, brown hiking boots, a camouge tactical vest, goggles, and a ck breathing mask.


    With this gear, no one could tell who they were.


    But Yu Hong recognized the voice¡ªit was Little Stutterer, Lin Yiyi!


    ¡°Yiyi, is that you?¡± He quickly called out. ¡°1726495!¡±


    ¡°2, 3, 2!¡± Little Stutterer hesitated for a moment and immediately responded.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!!¡± Yu Hong quickly opened the door, cautiously checking the surroundings, and went out to meet her.


    The two quickly met on the sloped ground in the forest.


    ¡°You¡¯re alright! That¡¯s great!!¡± Little Stutterer grabbed Yu Hong¡¯s hand, both relieved and happy.


    ¡°I thought you¡­ were¡­ gone!¡± She gestured with her hands while pulling out a letter from her vest pocket.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving! Read the letter.¡± She showed her face, a mix of happiness and helplessness.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Yu Hong, noticing her outfit, had a bad feeling.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been recruited into the United Army. I must go with the main force to a distant ce!¡± Little Stutterer answered, gesturing to the letter.


    ¡°All the details are in here.¡± She said helplessly. ¡°As long as you¡¯re okay, that¡¯s good.¡±


    For a moment, Yu Hong didn¡¯t know what to say.


    In this environment, being drafted into the military was an extremely dangerous situation.


    But now, it was toote.


    He quickly took the letter and unfolded it to read.


    The handwriting was much smoother than before, so it was either someone else had written it for her, or Little Stutterer had practiced and gotten better at it.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The letter exined that once she arrived at the town, she used the enhancement crystal to disperse three consecutive illusions, and because of her strong physique and great strength, the local defense forces had taken an interest in her.


    Little Stutterer didn¡¯t mind joining the army. At least she¡¯d have food and water, no more hunting and scavenging to survive. She would have clean clothes, gear, and housing, much better than when she was in the vige.


    The letter also mentioned that the town¡¯s defense team had noticed the enhanced white stone¡¯s effects and mighte to Yu Hong to negotiate an exchange.


    Although Little Stutterer didn¡¯t know where the enhanced white stone came from, she could see through their intentions.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Little Stutterer warned seriously.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Yu Hong nodded. He had already prepared mentally for the possibility of the defense teaming for the enhanced white stone before he sent it with Little Stutterer, but he didn¡¯t expect it to happen so soon.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. The time¡¯s up.¡± Little Stutterer said onest time.


    She turned and ran off. After running about ten meters, she suddenly turned around and looked at Yu Hong.


    ¡°You can write a letter, at the post office!¡± She shouted, pointing in the direction of the previous postal worker¡¯s residence.


    After the order copsed, Baiqiu Vige¡¯s only externalmunication method had been through the post office.


    The postal workers, paid with state-issued supplies, trained their physical fitness every day. Their only job was to stay in contact with various regions, rying intelligence and information about local specialties to higher-ups.


    The letter also mentioned that postal workers also had the task of being a general goods merchant. They would take local products to the distant gathering ces, sell them, and buy necessities in return, making a profit from the price difference.


    Lastly, the letter mentioned that postal workers could help deliver letters for a fee, but only for nearby posts, and it wasn¡¯t cheap.


    In the forest, Yu Hong watched Little Stutterer as she gradually disappeared into the trees.


    He understood that it would be incredibly hard to meet again.


    Standing at the cave entrance, his heart was filled with emotion.


    Little Stutterer was the one who had guided him from the very beginning. Without her, he might have died in the wilderness or sumbed to illness.


    ¡®Safe travels,¡¯ he silently wished in his heart.


    Turning around, he went back inside, about to close the door.


    Suddenly, there was a rustling sound outside.


    The sound was messy but not hurried or concealed, indicating that the person wasn¡¯t trying to hide their presence.


    Yu Hong turned back quickly, closed the door, and looked out through the peephole.


    Outside, two figures in camouge clothing emerged from the forest.


    Both men were over 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders and sturdy builds, each holding a slender metal rod, pushing through the bushes as they approached the cave.


    (End of this chapter)

 Chapter 25: Setback (1)

    An hour and fifty-one minutes, or rather, two hours, was not long for Yu Hong.


    While adding firewood, he patiently waited.


    Unknowingly, the number of ck bugs outside began to decrease, and faint light started to shine through the venttion holes.


    Morning arrived.


    He slowly walked to the back of the door and opened the observation window.


    Outside, the forest was shrouded in a hazy gray mist, unclear and indistinct. The sunlight illuminated the mist, turning everything into a dull gray-white.


    Suddenly, Yu Hong smelled a pungent odor and involuntarily took two steps back, frowning slightly.


    He nced at the enhanced medicine behind him; there were still a few minutes left.


    Not in a hurry, he calmly sat and waited.Before long, the numbers on the surface of the ck soil dropped to zero.


    Its entire body twisted and blurred for less than a second, then quickly returned to rity.


    Once clear, the original soil had turned into six ck capsules, lined up together.


    The back of the capsules had writing: Antidiarrheal medicine, usage: one capsule at a time, once a day. Side effects: abdominal pain, constipation, stomach difort.


    Yu Hong¡¯s expression brightened, and he quickly ran over to pick up the medicine. He took out one capsule and put it in his mouth, then grabbed the filtered boiled water and drank it, swallowing the pill with a few gulps.


    After taking the medicine, he felt much calmer.


    The enhanced ck imprint ability had never failed. Since it had marked the pill as an antidiarrheal, it would definitely be safe.


    The medicine hadn¡¯t taken effect yet, so Yu Hong, with nothing else to do, began using the remaining wood to make a new water filtration cup.


    As long as it was roughly made, the enhancement would perfect it.


    He also took a protein bar and popped it into his mouth.


    This bar imed to rece a full day¡¯s worth of nutrition, and he wanted to give it a try.


    While working with the saw, he casually turned on the radio.


    The radio was set up and hadn¡¯t been tampered with.


    Once switched on, a voice emerged, an interview format.


    ¡°.The major disaster in Youyun City in the past two years has not been an isted case. ording to the statistics of the National News Agency, since the appearance of the ck Disaster, special disasters have been increasing nationwide. The casualties caused by strange shadow creatures and blood tide monsters have not been particrly severe. They only caused considerable damage in the early stages of the ck Disaster. But in the more stable environmentster, it was the more dangerous Evil Shadows that led to the sharp rise in casualties.¡± ?????¨§??


    ¡°The Evil Shadows are not afraid of ordinary glowing stones, move extremely fast, and have strong infectivity. Although their appearance is rare, they cause far more harm once they appear than the previous two monsters. The recent disaster in Youyun caused over six hundred casualties,parable to the early case in Frika, Charle Town.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Professor Han, do you have any advice for us?¡± the radio host asked.


    ¡°Advice? There is only one: Try to reachrger Hope City outposts. They have better weapons, stronger protection, and a single person cannot find a way tobat the Evil Shadows. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, by the way, you previously mentioned that the Silver Tower Joint Research Institute is about to release a survival manual for defending against the Blood Tide and strange shadow monsters. Do you know if this is true or not?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it, but I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯s true. However, the environment outside the cities is getting worse. Blood Tide and strange shadow creatures are increasing, and the night is growing longer. The demand for lighting is rising. Personally, I think Silver Tower has an obligation to release such a manual.¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°Lastly, a listener asked: Inrge gathering ces, when danger strikes, more people die and the risk of being affected is higher. Just like the Bokov incident from a year ago or the Music Box incident five months ago, both led to mass casualties. There are even more incidents happening in various corners that haven¡¯t been reported. What is your opinion on these concerns?¡±


    ¡°I must warn you about these incidents. Investigations show that they were all caused by Evil Shadows. Their high infectivity allows them to spread rapidly through any contact with their mediums. This is the key to theirrge-scale casualties.


    As for the Evil Shadows, aside from isting and dispersing the mediums, we have no effective means of driving them away.¡±


    ¡°How about high-concentration Luminous stone bombs?¡±


    ¡°No, the danger of Evil Shadows lies in their ability to recover extremely fast once dispersed, without any harm. So, once encountered, it is crucial to leave swiftly. With more Evil Shadow incidents outside, various Hope Cities are bing stricter in their checks for people entering. I advise all survivors outside to enter the cities¡¯ bunkers as soon as possible. Otherwise, they may face difficulties entering and ack of supplies.¡±


    The program ended with a thank-you message as the professor left the broadcast room, and the station yed soothing music.


    Yu Hong sat on the bench, engrossed in listening.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that even the seemingly safe Hope City outposts were facing such great dangers.


    ¡®Well, it makes sense. The more people, the more danger draws towards them. If I were a strange shadow monster, I¡¯d go to ces with more people to find food.¡¯


    Snapping back to reality, he sighed lightly.


    Standing up, he ced a rough wooden cup on the ground and, as usual, wrapped charcoal in cloth to block the cup¡¯s mouth.


    He pressed down on it and activated the enhancement.


    The countdown numbers appeared: 3 hours and 2 minutes.


    ¡°Huh? Why is the time longer?¡± Yu Hong remembered that thest time the enhancement took only two and a half hours.


    He looked at the new cup he had made. It was very rough¡ªjust a square wooden bowl hacked out with an axe, with a messy hole carved in the middle with a chisel.


    It was much worse than the finely crafted wooden cup he made the first time.


    ¡®Could it be that the craftsmanship is affecting the time?¡¯ he wondered.


    He made a mental note of this.


    After resting for a while, feeling better, he began enhancing the water filtration cup. Then, he cleaned up the cave, throwing out the garbage and changing into the new clothes he¡¯d found, before going outside to gather more firewood and collect water from puddles.


    After finishing these tasks, three hours had passed.


    The cup was enhanced, and there was no noticeable difference from thest one.


    He tested it out, and indeed, it worked well.


    That day, he didn¡¯t run around much, instead staying near the cave, gathering firewood.


    The dry firewood had been soaked by the rain, but it was still good for small crafting projects.


    Another three hours passed, and Yu Hong enhanced another filtration cup.


    With two now, he paused and decided not to continue, instead picking up his tool kit.


    This kit, assembled by the little stutterer, included a saw, axe, chisel, shovel, screwdriver, and more¡ªquiteprehensive.


    Yu Hong decided to enhance it properly for future use; if it broke, it would be troublesome to fix itter.


    Inside the cave, he ced all the tools together, bundled them in a piece of rag, and then pressed his hand on the cloth.


    ¡°Enhance tool kit, focus: reinforcement.¡±


    A ck line shed, and the countdown immediately appeared: 1 hour and 12 minutes.


    A short time.


    Yu Hong withdrew his hand, deep in thought.


    ¡°Looks like this enhancement is closely rted to my requirements. The more difficult the requirement, the greater the time difference. There¡¯s also something about the level ofpleteness; I¡¯m not sure how low the minimum requirement is.¡±


    He calcted in his mind, then found a ce to sit and rest.


    The antidiarrheal medicine was very effective; for six hours, he didn¡¯t have any problems and felt no difort.


    The remaining medicine could be saved for future use or exchanged at a crucial moment.


    As the afternoon passed, Yu Hong decided to take a break. After familiarizing himself with the environment, he returned to the shelter and prepared to sleep early.


    He couldn¡¯t sleep at night, so he nned to use the advanced physical training method to exercise his body.


    Before sleeping, he couldn¡¯t let the enhancement time go to waste, so he checked the status of the tool kit.


    When he reached the corner of the cave, Yu Hong was momentarily stunned.


    The once scattered and broken tools were now all fixed in ce by a ck metal rack.


    Each tool looked brand new, no longer showing any wear or damage.


    Moreover, the surfaces of the tools seemed to have ayer of unknown ck substance attached, making them thicker and sturdier.


    ¡°Wow¡­ impressive. Just one hour?¡± Yu Hong couldn¡¯t help but exim, picking up a saw.


    The saw¡¯s teeth, which had previously been broken in some ces, were now fully intact, sharper than before.


    Impressed again, he began to look for the next item to enhance.


    Now, in the cave, food, water, and tools were guaranteed for the time being.


    The only remaining issue was the ce to rest.


    His gaze fell on the thick, smelly quilt.


    ¡®Let¡¯s enhance this too. If it can be turned into something resistant to mold, lightweight, and easy to clean, that would be great.¡¯


    With that thought, he crouched in front of the gray-white quilt the little stutterer had given him and extended his hand.


    ¡°Enhance bedding, focus: anti-mold, pest control, more lightweight and easier to clean.¡±


    His requirements shed in his mind.


    The ck line from the imprint on his hand shed out and entered the quilt.


    The countdown appeared: 10 hours and 14 minutes.


    ¡°Ten hours?!¡± Yu Hong was surprised. But then, he realized that the extra requirements and therger size of the bedding might be the cause.


    Ten hours¡ªfrom now until morning¡ªhe could wait.


    He made up his mind and sat down to rest. As the countdown on the quilt began to move, Yu Hong started jogging in ce, continuing his physical exercises.


    He kept his breathing steady, focusing his mind, and coordinating with his muscles.


    It was a challenge to synchronize all three.


    He kept trying and repeating, asionally stopping to add firewood, as time continued to pass.


    By theter hours of the night, he gradually found the rhythm of coordination.


    As he jogged, he began to hear faint water sounds.


    The sound was initially soft.


    But over time, it grew louder and louder, eventually overtaking even the sound of the ck bugs outside.


    (End of Chapter)

 Chapter 29: Choice (1)

    Hoo, hoo, hoo!!


    In the forest, Yu Hong was panting heavily, staring at the two people in camouge lying on the ground before him.


    Their attire reminded him of the previous stutterer.


    ¡®Are these people from the Allied Army?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but recall the guy named Zhao Zhenghong who hadest time.


    The guy had said it was an invitation, but in reality, he had sent someone to secretly hide by the door, trying to ambush him when he went out.


    Such a sly and treacherous person. After the appearance of the evil shadow, and the increased importance of the Great Luminous Stone, it made sense for him to send people to capture him again.


    Crouching down, Yu Hong carefully examined the two individuals.


    Soon, he found various misceneous items.


    Two military green daggers, two bags of old-version Luminous Stones, two leather water pouches, but none of these were anything special.One thing, however, made Yu Hong a little surprised.


    It was a grayish-white silver coin found on the person who had drawn a gun.


    The front of the coin depicted a tall, sharp, and beautiful tower, and the back had a special symbolmonly seen on Luminous Stones.


    ¡°Could this be the town¡¯s regr currency?¡± Yu Hong wondered, holding the coin thoughtfully.


    Whether it was or not, he decided to pocket it for now. After looting the two, he saw they hadn¡¯t woken up yet and didn¡¯t bother with them. He cleaned them out and then headed back the way he came.


    As for whether the two would survive, that was up to luck. If they woke up before nightfall, they might live. If not¡­


    Soon, Yu Hong found the things he had dropped earlier, and even collected the scattered dry wood, hugging it all and returning to the cave.


    If it weren¡¯t for the high-level physical training method, which allowed him to recover twice from the chilling effects, he probably would have been captured by now and sent off as a tool.


    Click, he opened the door with the key and quickly entered, shutting it tightly behind him.


    The heavy door mmed shut, locking securely, and Yu Hong felt a deep sense of safety.


    He temporarily set down the items, ced them near the firece to prevent them from getting damp, and then sat on a stool to think about the issues he had encountered that day.


    First, there were the items he had looted¡ªtwo handguns, a silver coin, two daggers, two bags of old-version Luminous Stones, and other misceneous things.


    He fiddled with the handgun, having never touched one before. After a long search and study, he finally managed to unload the magazine.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s only one bullet in this magazine¡­¡± Yu Hong was somewhat speechless.


    A single bullet in each gun?


    ¡°Has the government be this poor?¡± he said, speechless.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how the handgun would perform after being enhanced, but for now, he needed to focus on other preparations.


    The appearance of the evil shadow in the town was a serious matter, and he couldn¡¯t rely on luck. He had to prepare ahead of time.


    ¡®Evil shadow, Withered Maiden? Ordinary Luminous Stones are useless, and now even the Great Luminous Stones can only be used to escape¡­¡¯


    He looked at the Great Luminous Stones ced in his cave.


    There were three of them in total, one at the entrance and two on the ground. With this density, they would probably only be useful for dealing with strange shadows. §²??¦­??§¦?


    He took out thest piece of Great Luminous Stone he had kept as a backup.


    He had originally thought it would be enough, but now¡­


    ¡°By the way, why can Luminous Stones dispel strange shadows? ording to the stutterer, even without this symbol, the Luminous Stones can still disperse the strange shadows, but the effect is weaker. So¡­ the question is¡­¡±


    He reached out and stroked the symbol on the Great Luminous Stone.


    ¡°Where did this pattern originate? The ck disaster¡ªhow did it first appear?¡±


    He had a feeling that the symbol on the Luminous Stone might be connected to the appearance of the ck disaster.


    ¡®The ck seal¡¯s enhancement fails due to iplete functionality. It seems I might be able to use this to test whether this symbol alone can resist strange shadows.¡¯


    With this thought, Yu Hong took out a newspaper and a ck charcoal pen.


    The charcoal pen had been enhanced, transforming it into a size simr to an ordinary ballpoint pen, but the writing was finer and clearer than before. It seemed the material of the charcoal had also been enhanced into some unknown form of charcoal.


    Yu Hong didn¡¯t care about this. As long as it worked, he was satisfied.


    Heid the newspaper t, ced the silver coin under it, and then carefully traced the symbol pattern from the silver coin with the charcoal pen.


    Soon, a ck symbol appeared before him.


    The background color was dark gray, and the pattern was darker, making it clearly visible.


    After drawing, Yu Hong ced his hand on the symbol.


    ¡®Enhance the dispelling of the Ghostly shadow rune, direction set, effect strengthened!¡¯


    He silently muttered in his mind.


    Soon, a ck line flowed out, but then quickly returned.


    ¡®Insufficientpleteness.¡¯


    It failed.


    Yu Hong frowned and withdrew his hand.


    From the ck seal, it was clear that the symbol didn¡¯t have the effect of dispersing strange shadows. Or rather, it didn¡¯t have the effect on its own.


    ¡°It seems I can¡¯t figure out the principle of this in a short time. Well then¡­¡±


    He took a piece of ordinary Luminous Stone.


    He had collected quite a few of these, from both the two people he had just dealt with and from the stutterer¡¯s remains.


    He had gathered enough to fill four small bags, each containing ten pieces.


    ¡®Is it because ten pieces are needed topletely dispel the Ghostly shadows?¡¯ Yu Hong spected.


    He ced the ordinary Luminous Stone down, then took another piece that hadn¡¯t been etched with a symbol yet.


    The tools for etching Luminous Stone symbols were also with him.


    Hepared the symbols drawn by the stutterer and the ones he had just captured. The colors of the symbols on the two Luminous Stones were different, indicating different inks had been used.


    ¡®It seems the ink doesn¡¯t affect the symbols much. Let me try it myself.¡¯


    He picked up the enhanced charcoal pen and began carefully drawing on the surface of a raw Luminous Stone.


    He drew the original symbol, not the enhanced one.


    The original symbol was simple¡ªjust a circle, four strange letters inside it, a small circle in the center, and a me-like symbol.


    After practicing a few times, Yu Hong soon drew five pieces of Luminous Stone.


    He ced them on the ground, from left to right, in order.


    The order wasn¡¯t random, but based on the neatness of the symbols.


    From left to right, the symbols gradually became more precise, with the lines bing more rounded and clearer.


    After finishing this, Yu Hong exhaled and reached out again, pressing his hand on the first piece on the left.


    ¡®Enhance into Great Luminous Stone, direction: strengthen effect.¡¯


    He thought to himself.


    Soon, a ck line shot out, and a response sounded.


    ¡®Would you like to enhance it into a Great Luminous Stone?¡¯


    Yu Hong didn¡¯t respond, but instead let go of his hand, his gaze fixed on the symbol-covered Luminous Stone.


    The countdown had already appeared on it.


    ¡°3 days, 2 hours, 18 minutes.¡±


    He withdrew his hand and quickly wrote down the time in his notebook.


    Then, he extended his hand again, pressing it on the second Great Luminous Stone, repeating the same operation.


    Instantly, the second Great Luminous Stone also disyed a number.


    ¡°3 days, 1 hour, 2 minutes.¡±


    Next, the third one.


    ¡°3 days, 51 minutes.¡±


    The fourth one.


    ¡°3 days, 42 minutes.¡±


    The fifth one.


    ¡°3 days, 21 minutes.¡±


    Withdrawing his hand, Yu Hong looked at the row of numbers he had recorded, and a look of realization finally appeared on his face.


    ¡°Sure enough. The length of the enhancement time is influenced by the perfection of the item being enhanced. The smaller the difference between the item before and after enhancement, the shorter the required countdown time.¡±


    ¡°That being the case, if I had used an already enhanced Great Luminous Stone symbol from the start, the enhancement time would surely have been significantly shortened!¡±


    Yu Hong spected.


    ¡°Because I saved time on enhancing the symbol!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it!¡±


    Immediately, he picked up a raw Great Luminous Stone and began to mimic theplex symbols on the enhanced Great Luminous Stone.


    These intricate patterns were far more difficult than the regr Great Luminous Stones.


    If the symbols on regr Luminous Stones had aplexity of 1, then the advanced symbols on Great Luminous Stones had a difficulty of 4.


    Not to mention the strange symbols that needed to be written for the advanced symbols¡ªthere were at least ten of them.


    Looking at them, they almost resembled some game arrays Yu Hong had seen in his memory.


    As time passed, he immersed himself in drawing the advanced symbols,pletely forgetting about the time.


    Unknowingly, the sky outside began to darken.


    Yu Hong lit the firece and continued to draw.


    The firewood he had collected was enough tost the night, and from the information he had gathered, the threat of the evil shadow might indeed affect this ce.


    If he didn¡¯t encounter it, it would be fine, but if he did, the small amount of Great Luminous Stones would definitely not be enough to block it!


    So he needed to think of a strategy.


    Finding a way to counter the evil shadow was naturally the most important.


    But now, since that solution wasn¡¯t avable, shortening the enhancement time of the Great Luminous Stones was more crucial.


    After all, even if he didn¡¯t use them, he could exchange them for goods with others, and they were truly hard currency.


    Time passed quickly while Yu Hong was engrossed in his work.


    Luckily, there were no blood waves or beetles to disturb him that night. Yu Hong drew deep into the night, and when he felt tired, he enhanced some dried meat. It took about three hours to enhance one piece. Once he confirmed the countdown time, he went to sleep.


    He slept until morning.


    In the morning, after eating and taking care of personal needs, he began practicing the advanced physical training method.


    At noon, he went out to gather firewood, pick wild vegetables, and refill his water supply.


    In the afternoon, he returned to continue practicing drawing advanced symbols, and during breaks, he enhanced more dried meat, making sure not to waste the ck seal time.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    This routine repeated every day.


    Finally, by the afternoon of the fifth day, the drawing of the advanced symbols was finally sessful!


    In the cave, Yu Hong let out a deep breath, his face rxed, smiling as he held up a Great Luminous Stone with the advanced symbol he had just drawn.


    ¡°Not bad. Not worse than what the stutterer drew!¡±


    He eagerly ced it down and pressed his hand on it.


    ¡°Enhance into a Great Luminous Stone, direction: effect enhancement.¡±


    He thought to himself.


    Immediately, there was feedback from the ck seal.


    A ck line shot from his hand and instantly entered the Great Luminous Stone.


    Then, a mechanical voice echoed in his ear.


    ¡°Would you like to enhance it into a Great Luminous Stone?¡±


    Yu Hong didn¡¯t respond but instead released his hand, his gaze fixed on the Great Luminous Stone with the advanced symbol.


    The countdown had already appeared.


    ¡°2 days, 19 minutes.¡±


    Bang!


    Yu Hong pped the ground hard.


    ¡°It worked!!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help butugh with joy.


    ¡°Sure enough, my guess was correct! Shortening the difference between the item before and after enhancement can shorten the enhancement time!¡±


    Two days for a Great Luminous Stone¡ªthis was a third shorter than the previous three days!


    This meant he could enhance more Great Luminous Stones more quickly, ensuring his safety! He could also exchange them for more supplies!


    After the excitement, Yu Hong quickly had a new thought.


    ¡°The enhancement time for the Great Luminous Stone has shortened, but I have no idea how powerful the evil shadow really is. What if the danger of the evil shadow is greater than I imagined?¡±


    ***


    TL Note :- Tl Note :- Again Happy new year to y¡¯all, love y¡¯all Maaaaa

 Chapter 32: Strengthening (2)

    Yu Hong nned to take the opportunity to test this value.


    Without hesitation, he pressed his hand on the rune array, a thought rising in his mind.


    ¡°Strengthen the rune array, direction: strengthen its effect until the limit.¡±


    Immediately, ck lines flowed from the ck seal, merging into the rune array, and a clear countdown appeared.


    ¡°2 days, 13 hours, 09 minutes.¡±


    So much!??


    Yu Hong was startled. He recalled the countdown of just over an hour he had encountered earlier.


    Comparing it to this more than two days, he immediately understood that the strength of the enhancement could indeed be adjusted, but it required active change.


    ¡°Do you wish to begin the enhancement?¡± The cold, mechanical voice of the ck seal rang in his ears.Yu Hong took a deep breath, ready to try it out.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    He confirmed the response in his mind.


    Sizzle!


    In that instant, as soon as he responded, the rune array on the door shed with a jade-like light.


    Immediately, Yu Hong¡¯s physical strength and mental energy rapidly began flowing into the back of his right hand, into that mysterious, eerie ck seal.


    His whole body tensed, feeling as though the ck seal had be a vortex, a bottomless ck hole, crazily devouring everything in him.


    Physical strength, mental energy, even his flesh seemed to be on the verge of being absorbedpletely.


    As the terrifying absorption continued, he tried to struggle, to stop it, but it was futile.


    All his strength was being devoured by the ck seal.


    ¡°Wait!! I can recover!!¡± Suddenly, Yu Hong realized, hastily calling upon the two cool air streams cultivated in his abdomen.


    (TL Note :- changed Jogging to Cultivate ¡­ don¡¯t ask why I just didn¡¯t use cultivate in the first ce, looks like the ghostly shadows are affecting me too ) ?¨¢????¦¥?


    These were his special trump cards, refined through advanced physical training methods.


    With his thoughts controlling it, the first stream of cool air rapidly moved, circting throughout his body, restoring the physical and mental energy that had nearly been exhausted.


    But it still wasn¡¯t enough. Yu Hong felt that his recovered physical and mental energy was being continuously devoured by the ck seal.


    Soon, the first stream of cool air was exhausted. He quickly called upon the second stream. Just as the second stream was about to be consumed, the ck seal seemed to calcte his limit and stopped just in time.


    Everything returned to calm.


    Huff! Huff! Huff!!


    Yu Hong copsed to the ground, breathing heavily.


    He felt as though he had almost been absorbed and turned into part of the ck seal.


    ¡°Is this the upper limit of the ck seal¡¯s enhancement?¡±


    He finally understood that, on a daily basis, the ck seal likely consumed only a small amount of his physical and mental energy, so he didn¡¯t feel much.


    But this time, in order to enhance it to its maximum, it started to require a massive amount of energy.


    Yu Hong looked at the rune array behind the door with lingering fear.


    The countdown there finally began to move, indicating that the enhancement had officially begun.


    ¡°Now, I just need to wait and see what the enhanced rune array will look like.¡±


    Although the experience had been perilous, after calming down, Yu Hong was even more eager to see the result of the rune array¡¯s enhancement.


    After all, it had just scared him quite a bit.


    Two days passed. Since the ck seal couldn¡¯t be enhanced, Yu Hong spent the time practicing his training methods diligently.


    The training method was basically a form of running. The more he practiced, the more he felt his legs bing more flexible, and his muscles slowly growing stronger.


    The next morning.


    As dawn broke, Yu Hong set up a small pot, tossed in dried mushrooms, wild herbs, protein bars, added water, and began cooking a rich soup.


    Above the firece, there was a metal lid, allowing him to ce the pot directly to heat it without worrying about smoke leaking out.


    Yu Hong stood by the fire, holding a spoon in one hand and adding firewood with the other, stirring the pot constantly.


    The protein bar soon melted and broke down, turning the entire pot of soup into a milky white color.


    A rich, sweet fragrance slowly mixed with the scent of mushrooms.


    In the milky soup, grayish-white mushrooms and dark green wild vegetables floated in and out of the surface as Yu Hong stirred.


    But his face remained unmoved, quietly stirring.


    After a while, he covered the pot.


    The soup smelled delicious, but the taste was hard to describe. And drinking this every day¡­ after dozens of servings, even the best dish would make one feel like throwing up.


    While the soup continued to simmer, Yu Hong sat down, leaned against the firece, and began fiddling with the newly arrived pistol.


    He found that the gun was quite different from those he had seen on TV.


    The safety was on the side, not at the back. It also had a simple sight attached: just a small circr lens with a red crosshair.


    The side of the gun was engraved with a line of text: ¡°Aurora Manufacturing.¡±


    ¡°Only one bullet, which likely means that the production of ammunition has been heavily restricted. The production line may be down, but it¡¯s more likely that the mine is the problem. After all, if iodine can still be produced, bullets should be easier to make than such a rtivelyplex chemical product.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Yu Hong attached the gun, along with its holster, to his lower back. He had already loaded two bullets into one of them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never used a gun, and I¡¯m not sure about the recoil. The best way to use it is probably just for intimidation. If I can avoid using it, I will. If it¡¯s unavoidable, I¡¯ll use it up close to ensure uracy.¡±


    After finishing this, he began disassembling the sr power generator he bought from the mailman.


    He intended to enhance it before using it, and for the direction of the enhancement¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s best to enhance its durability. If this machine breaks, I won¡¯t be able to repair it, and it¡¯ll be useless. So, extending its lifespan as much as possible is the priority.¡±


    Soon, the soup in the pot began to boil, emitting steam.


    Yu Hong snapped back to his senses, stood up, and covered the fire to save firewood.


    Then, he took the pot off, grabbed chopsticks made from branches, and prepared to eat.


    Suddenly, a hurried set of footsteps approached from outside.


    The sound of footsteps crushing branches and leaves grew louder as they quickly reached the entrance of the cave.


    Thud, thud, thud!


    ¡°Yu Hong! Are you there? Something¡¯s happened! Old Yu¡¯s in trouble!!¡± It was Dr. Xu, her voice urgent.


    Yu Hong quickly stood up, checked the Great Luminous Stone behind the door, confirming no energy had been consumed, and immediately knew that it was a human.


    ¡°What did I exchange with youst time?¡± For safety, he still needed to verify some information.


    ¡°Iodine! It was iodine!¡±


    Click.


    Yu Hong opened the door to see Dr. Xu, sweating and looking very panicked.


    She hadn¡¯t even put on her coat, just a tight-fitting gray sports outfit, and had rushed over in a hurry.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Yu Hong asked in a deep voice.


    ¡°Old Yu¡¯s in trouble! His ce is locked, and no matter how much we knock, there¡¯s no response. We suspect he¡¯s in trouble! I heard you bought a set of stone-carving tools from the post office.¡± Dr. Xu quickly replied.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll bring it right away and head over with you!¡± Yu Hong nodded quickly. ¡°Wait here.¡±


    He pulled Dr. Xu inside, closing the door to prevent any Ghostly Shadows from entering.


    Then he hurriedly found the stone carving tools, grabbed his favorite Luminous Stone wolf fang club, stuffed a protein bar in his mouth, grabbed his water bag, put on his anti-stab gear, and donned a hood. He even stuffed thick newspapers inside.


    Finally, he thought for a moment and decided to bring the recently prepared Luminous Stone ink.


    As he rushed to prepare, Dr. Xu, who had just entered, stared in bewilderment at the strange safe house cave.


    It waspletely different from her own.


    The ground was covered in mysterious rune-like lines that seemed to be carved into the stone. Some were iplete, others were intact.


    On the wall, there was a huge jade-colored rune array that caught her attention.


    For some reason, this rune array gave her a soft sense of security, making her feel veryfortable.


    But what shocked her the most was the firece.


    The firece looked like it was made of crystal ss, seamlessly integrated with the mountain rock wall. The mes inside could be clearly seen, lighting up the cave.


    Above the firece was a metal disk that allowed heat to be transferred for cooking.


    The craftsmanship and design¡­ Dr. Xupared it to the simple firepit in her own cave and felt an indescribable pang in her heart.


    Look at this ce¡ªthere¡¯s even a way to cook and drink hot water on rainy days.


    Meanwhile, in her own cave, once the door was closed, she couldn¡¯t dare to make a fire, or else she would suffocate from the smoke.


    Looking at the warm and transparent firece, Dr. Xu¡¯s eyes showed a hunger that was almost as if she hadn¡¯t eaten for ten days, longing for something that could fill her stomach.


    Yu Hong, noticing her expression, felt a chill in his bones.


    ¡°Did you make this firece yourself?¡± Dr. Xu couldn¡¯t resist asking. Even though Old Yu was in trouble, her desire for the firece couldn¡¯t be suppressed.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been gathering materials for a long time. It¡¯s impossible to replicate. The main body isn¡¯t something I could have made. I just put it into the wall,¡± Yu Hong quickly replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡± Dr. Xu¡¯s eyes were glued to the firece, not knowing how long it had been since she had peacefully slept beside a fire.


    At night, once the door was closed, she had to put out the firepletely, or the smoke would suffocate her.


    Now, the temperature had started to drop, and the cave at night was cold and damp, with a musty smell.


    But here, there wasn¡¯t a trace of mold, and it was warm as spring.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, didn¡¯t you say Old Yu is in trouble? We should head over,¡± Yu Hong urged.


    Dr. Xu reluctantly touched the firece onest time before turning to leave.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this firece need to be put out?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, once the firewood burns out, it automatically goes out. It also helps dry the house,¡± Yu Hong responded.


    They locked the door behind them and hurried toward the post office gathering area.


    About ten minutester¡­


    When they arrived at the post office, Jenny and her daughter were already standing at the stone house door, holding something and scanning around.


    It was a red-screened device that flickered, showing changing numbers.


    Seeing Yu Hong and Dr. Xu arriving, Jenny¡¯s expression turned serious as she walked up to them.


    ¡°Something¡¯s really happened. The red value inside is already above a hundred!¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Yu Hong asked.


    ¡°It means there¡¯s something like a Ghostly Shadow in the underground shelter of the post office,¡± Jenny answered. ¡°But strangely, I¡¯ve checked. The basement door and vents haven¡¯t been opened. Old Yu can¡¯t have forgotten to put Luminous Stone bags behind the door.¡±


    ¡°So we need to break down the door and check! No matter what happened, there¡¯s a lot of dried meat and mushroom jerky in there, enough for us to eat for a long time. We have to rescue it.¡± Jenny quickly said.


    ¡°We also need to think about how to handle food from now on. Old Yu probably has detailed breeding notes and tools.¡± Dr. Xu added.


    ¡°Are we really going to break open the door and go in?¡± Jenny¡¯s daughter, Eve, interjected. ¡°It¡¯s definitely dangerous inside. I¡¯m not going. Whoever wants to go, go. But I won¡¯t!¡±


    Her face changed slightly as she stepped back, giving a ¡°not my problem¡± expression.


    (End of Chapter)

 Chapter 36: Trouble (4)

    Jenny nced at Dr. Xu and saw that she also wore an approving expression.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back first. The food should be enough to get us through this high-risk period,¡± Jenny said.


    Once the three of them reached a consensus, they quickly made their way back, picking up some dry firewood along the way.


    It was slow when they left, but much quicker on the return, and within less than twenty minutes, they sessfully arrived at the post office gathering site.


    As they were about to part ways, Yu Hong suddenly thought of something and asked aloud.


    ¡°By the way, Jenny, I remember that it was several days between Old Yu¡¯s return and the incident, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was definitely several days,¡± Jenny nodded.


    ¡°Does this mean that even if he was infected, it could take several days before he spreads it to others?¡± Yu Hong furrowed his brows. ¡°So the question is, what¡¯s the method of transmission for the ck handprints? Do you know?¡±


    ¡°Contact, it should be contact,¡± Jenny replied. ¡°As long as you touch a ck handprint or an individual with a ck handprint, you could be infected.¡±¡°Got it,¡± Yu Hong nodded and nced at Dr. Xu while picking up his things. ¡°Since it¡¯s transmitted by contact, then when Old Yu first returned, who did hee into contact with?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The other two fell silent.


    They both recalled the situation and felt uneasy. Old Yu, being a butcher, had nearlye into contact with everyone. Looking at it this way, any one of them could have been infected.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check again. Everyone, be cautious,¡± Yu Hong paused, his gaze turned toward the stone house.


    ¡°Also, there¡¯s one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Suddenly, Eve¡¯s voice came from a distance. Her face looked somewhat haggard, and she was dressed in a gray thin sweater and ck pants, walking quickly toward them.


    When she got closer, instead of looking at the food in her mother¡¯s hands, her eyes immediately fell on Yu Hong, her expression brightening with joy.


    She immediately walked briskly towards Yu Hong.


    ¡°Brother Yu,¡± she said with a sweet smile, puffing her chest to subtly entuate her body¡¯s curves. ¡°I heard you can make Great Luminous Stone. How many pieces do you have now? Could you sell me some more?¡±


    ¡°Eve!¡± Jenny scolded from the side, unable to hold back.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Brother Yu is a good person, mom, don¡¯t worry.¡± Eve unconsciously moved closer, reaching to hold Yu Hong¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Yu Hong suddenly took a step back, his gaze cold as he distanced himself.


    ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± He fixed his eyes on Eve.


    ¡°What¡­ what question!?¡± Eve was startled by his sudden loud voice and stood frozen, not daring to move.


    Jenny, on the other hand, was on high alert, her hand subtly resting on the hilt of the knife at her side.


    She feared Yu Hong might harm her daughter. After all, in these times, there were many people with mental issues living alone.


    Dr. Xu, without saying a word, also gripped the hilt of her short knife and slowly moved closer to Yu Hong, her eyes focused on Eve and Jenny.


    Clearly,pared to Jenny and her daughter, she trusted Yu Hong more.


    For a moment, the four of them were split into two sides, with a tense atmosphere brewing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, I just want to ask a question.¡± Yu Hong took a step back, signaling Dr. Xu to also back off.


    ¡°The footprints at the entrance of the post office stone house. Aside from the ones we left that day after we left, there was another set. Who do they belong to?¡± £Ò??§°??¨¨?


    His gaze shifted between Jenny and Eve.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, I remember the footprints clearly from when we left that day. I made sure to remember the shape. But when I came back today, I noticed the footprints were different. Clearly, someone else has entered and exited the stone house more than once!¡±


    As soon as he said that, the expressions of the three of them changed.


    Jenny and Dr. Xu were both confused and fearful, while Eve was simply panicked.


    Jenny nced around and immediately noticed her daughter¡¯s strange behavior. She was very familiar with Eve. Whenever Eve was anxious, she would stiffen, lower her head, and avoid eye contact, unconsciously pressing her hands against her thighs, wiping the sweat from her palms.


    ¡°Eve!!¡± Jenny suddenly shouted, her voice echoing through the woods.


    ¡°Was it you!?¡± She gritted her teeth, staring at her daughter with bloodshot eyes, hoping that Eve would deny it.


    But Eve¡¯s reaction caused Jenny¡¯s hopes to copse rapidly, leaving her in despair!


    Pfft.


    Eve covered her face with both hands, standing frozen in ce, her face pale.


    After a long pause, she slowly turned around.


    Indeed, on the left side of her hip, a small ck handprint was faintly visible.


    The reason she had changed into ck pants was clearly to cover up the gradually emerging ck handprint on her body.


    If it weren¡¯t for Yu Hong¡¯s suspicion, and if Eve hadn¡¯t been questioned, the three might not have noticed the handprint hidden on her ck pants.


    Seeing the handprint, Yu Hong and Dr. Xu didn¡¯t say anything further and quickly distanced themselves.


    ¡°The food¡¯s been found. Let¡¯s all scatter and calm down for a while,¡± Yu Hong quickly said.


    ¡°Jenny.¡± Dr. Xu called, seeing that Jenny hadn¡¯t shown any sign of distancing herself from her daughter. She couldn¡¯t help but remind her.


    ¡°If one person is infected, perhaps Great Luminous Stone can still help. But with two people, it¡¯s different!¡± She paused. ¡°Also¡­¡±


    Dr. Xu¡¯s gaze turned sharp as she stared at Eve.


    ¡°Keep an eye on your daughter.¡±


    Her tone was rather blunt.


    Jenny froze for a moment, her eyes reddening, as if she hadn¡¯t heard the warning. She just turned her head, staring at her daughter with a fierce gaze, her chest rising and falling violently, her back to Yu Hong and Dr. Xu, crouching slowly beside Eve, as if deaf.


    Dr. Xu didn¡¯t say anything else. She quickly grabbed her things and left.


    The two of them left one after the other, checking each other for any ck handprints as they walked. After confirming that neither of them had any, they let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Eve definitely tried to infect us!¡± Dr. Xu gritted her teeth.


    ¡°Why would she do that!?¡± Yu Hong pulled out a half-changed Great Luminous Stone from his chest and exhaled. It was this item that had alerted him. He had initially been unsure about who had entered the stone house, but once the Great Luminous Stone showed abnormal behavior, he quickly identified the culprit.


    ¡°There must be some benefit, otherwise, both she and Old Yu wouldn¡¯t have concealed it and actively made contact with others,¡± Dr. Xu spected.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always felt something was off.¡± Yu Hong spoke. ¡°With Eve¡¯s personality, in such a harsh environment, how could she not have any sense of vignce? There are shadows and bugs everywhere, hasn¡¯t she been scared?¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that.¡± Dr. Xu showed a hint of recollection. ¡°Eve really is different from most people. I remember when Jenny¡¯s family first arrived, her father was still around. He was a very frail old man, with no color on his face. He was at least 20 or 30 years older than Jenny. And¡­¡±


    ¡°And what?¡±


    ¡°And back then, Eve hardly ever came out. It was mostly her parents who showed up.¡± Dr. Xu recalled as she leaned against a tree.


    ¡°Later, Eve¡¯s father suddenly said he was going out, but never returned. After that, Eve started going out. This girl is very capable, don¡¯t be fooled by how silly she seems. Actually, she¡¯s a linguistic genius, speaks fournguages, and has deep knowledge of ancient linguistics. I don¡¯t know why her family moved here.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else unusual?¡± Yu Hong pressed.


    ¡°One more thing.¡± Dr. Xu¡¯s brow furrowed deeply. ¡°Their underground tunnel, no one¡¯s ever gone in there. And they don¡¯t allow anyone to visit. Also, several times during surge periods, when everyone was on the brink of copse and several people died, their family was fine.¡±


    ¡°Looks like they have something going on.¡± Yu Hong nodded. Based on what he learned from Dr. Xu, they definitely had some hidden secrets.


    ¡°Definitely. Before, Eve went to town and brought back two guys who were pursuing her, but they quickly disappeared. I don¡¯t know why, but I always feel like this girl is hiding something.¡± Dr. Xu frowned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too close to them for now. If anything happens,e find me. If there¡¯s any abnormality, tell me immediately.¡± Yu Hong took another piece of Great Luminous Stone from his waist pouch.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lend you one piece of Great Luminous Stone for now. Be careful, it will emit slight heat when it changes color. Carry it close to your body, and you¡¯ll be able to sense many ces of danger.¡±


    He handed the Great Luminous Stone to Dr. Xu. No matter what, she was the only medical professional around, and she was a familiar face with a good nature. If he could help, he would.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Dr. Xu¡¯s eyes flickered, and her face showed a trace of emotion. She quickly took the Great Luminous Stone. ¡°I¡¯m working on a herb right now, basically made from wild nts and minerals found nearby. It¡¯s very helpful for wound infections, almost done. I¡¯ll give you some when it¡¯s ready!¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Yu Hong¡¯s eyes brightened. He hadn¡¯t expected an extra reward. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± Dr. Xu nodded firmly.


    The two of them parted under the tree and returned to their respective shelters.


    By the time Yu Hong returned to the safe house cave, the sky had already dimmed.


    He put the firewood in the corner, started a fire, and began preparing food.


    Sitting by the firece, he carefully thought back on the details of Jenny and Eve, his brow furrowing deeper.


    ¡®The evil shadows are getting closer, quietly arriving beside the people around me. Eve is definitely done for. If Jenny stays with her, she¡¯ll die too. That means, after this, only Dr. Xu and I will still have food issues left. Two more people will be gone.¡¯


    He sighed and poked the fire with a stick to ensure the oxygen could circte better.


    The red glow of the fire danced on his face, flickering in and out.


    After adding more wood, Yu Hong stood up to check the protective symbols he was reinforcing on the walls. He had set up symbols all over the inner walls of the cave. But instead of reinforcing them to the extreme, he was strengthening them to a normal level.


    Now, the walls and floor were covered with these symbols, designed to prevent evil shadows and malignant entities from entering the cave.


    The threat of evil shadows was imminent, and he needed to be as prepared as possible.


    These symbols all over the cave were the first step.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The second step was to create a portable temporary formation te, which could be used to test the protection range of the symbol formations in other locations.


    Howrge an area one symbol formation could protect was an important piece of data.


    Only by confirming the range could he strengthen it on clothing, armor, and even on his body!


    (End of Chapter)

 Chapter 40: Secret (4)

    Walking on the way back, the image of Eve, who had just fainted, kept stirring in Yu Hong¡¯s heart.


    He had originally wanted to kill her outright, but when the time came, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it.


    He had been an ordinary person, a regr office worker. Even though he had knocked out two soldiers during his counterattackst time, he hadn¡¯t killed anyone!


    That¡¯s right.


    He had only knocked out two people. If they woke up in time, they would survive.


    So, he hadn¡¯t killed anyone. As long as the person didn¡¯t die immediately in his hands, it didn¡¯t count.


    And this time, it was the same.


    He couldn¡¯t bring himself to kill. He couldn¡¯t bear to see a living, moving, and struggling life¡ªan equal life¡ªgradually fading away in his hands.


    That indescribable feeling made his heart grow more and more nauseous, as if he wanted to vomit.Perhaps he would get used to it in the future, but for now, at least at this very moment¡­


    He still harbored mercy. He was still just an ordinary person.


    Returning to the cave¡¯s safehouse, Yu Hong gave the unconscious Jenny a few more blows, breaking her limbs.


    Then, he took her keys and dagger, among other items, before feeling at ease and heading back inside, starting a fire. He took off his sweat-drenched clothes, sitting by the stove, bare-chested.


    He didn¡¯t move, sitting quietly as three talismansy beside him, within easy reach.


    He remained silent for a long time¡ªperhaps over an hour.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Yu Hong sighed, watching the flickering mes in the firece, a trace of confusion and sadness in his eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it to be this way.¡±


    He muttered softly.


    ¡°But the environment is like this, and the people outside are like this. It¡¯s not my fault.¡±


    He extended his hand and took out the handgun from his waist holster.


    The ck Aurora-made pistol, nowpletely out of ammunition, had just fired thest two shots from his limited supply.


    Since it was already empty, he might as well use it for an enhancement attempt.


    Gripping the gun¡¯s handle, Yu Hong silently whispered in his mind.


    ¡°Enhance the firearm, with the direction being¡­ automatic bullet replenishment.¡±


    ¡°Integrity insufficient.¡± The feedback from the ck mark was clear¡ªit wasn¡¯t going to be that easy.


    Upgrading an ordinary handgun into one with infinite bullets was clearly impossible.


    Yu Hong thought for a moment and changed his approach.


    ¡°Enhance the firearm, with the direction being: reduced recoil, refill bullets once.¡±


    ¡°Integrity insufficient.¡±


    The feedback from the ck mark still didn¡¯t work.


    Yu Hong furrowed his brows and started to try other enhancement directions.


    But no matter which direction he chose, it seemed he couldn¡¯t replenish the bullets.


    Remembering the items he had enhanced earlier, many had automatically been repaired or even fully restored. For example, the big door was like this.


    So, he decided to begin with a basic recoil reduction for the handgun.


    The countdown began atst, with 32 minutes on the clock.


    Not long.


    Yu Hong simply sat there, quietly waiting, organizing his thoughts and future ns.


    Soon, the time came. The handgun in front of him shimmered briefly before bing clear again.


    After the enhancement, the handgun looked the same but was obviously much newer, and the Aurora mark was gone.


    Yu Hong quickly picked it up and ejected the magazine.


    It was empty, causing him to show a disappointed expression.


    ¡°Looks like it still can¡¯t replenish the bullets. This means bullets are treated as separate items from the handgun.¡±


    He gave up on the firearm and got up to exercise.


    The advanced physical training method had been very helpful to him so far. His stamina had improved, and running had be faster and easier.


    After exercising and eating some rich soup, the sky outside had gradually darkened.


    Yu Hong thought about the mysteries surrounding Jenny and her daughter.


    ¡°If we follow Doctor Xu¡¯s judgment, Jenny and her family are definitely abnormal. Jenny herself has clearly trained inbat and is skilled with a dagger. Her daughter Eve is proficient in ancientnguages and multiple foreignnguages, which is something that can¡¯t be taught in such a small ce. The educational environment is simply insufficient.¡± ?¨¢????§¦??


    ¡°So, this means they must have lived in a much better environment before. What¡¯s strange, though, is that even if they were investigating the secrets of the ck Disaster, Jenny¡¯s husband shouldn¡¯t have brought his whole family here. His family would obviously be safer in a bigger ce.¡±


    ¡°Why bring them here?¡± Yu Hong couldn¡¯t understand.


    But at least tomorrow, he nned to visit Jenny and her daughter¡¯s home to see if he could find something useful, like the Sunshine No. 1.


    The sky hadpletely darkened.


    Yu Hong sat alone on a round stool, drinking some freshly cooked sweet soup.


    Outside, the sound of ck insects crawling could be heard, but as they entered, they were burned by the firelight, turning into ck smoke.


    By now, he had be quite calm in the face of the ck Disaster¡¯s invasion.


    Compared to the ck Disaster, the eerie shadows and evil shadows posed a much greater threat to him.


    He casually took out a wooden te with a drawn array and began enhancing it again.


    ¡°If the firece could automatically add wood, so I wouldn¡¯t have to manage it, I could sleep peacefully without worrying about anything. Instead of having to manually add wood every half hour like this.¡±


    He sighed softly.


    The night passed without incident.


    The next morning, he fully armed himself with a wolf tooth club and went out.


    First, he went to the ce where Jenny had been lying.


    She had crawled for more than ten meters across the grass, finally resting under a tree, where she hadpletely disappeared, leaving only a pile of scattered clothes.


    Yu Hong checked and confirmed that the clothes were fine, with no ck handprints. He rolled them up and ced them in the cave¡¯s safehouse.


    These fabrics could be used to make many things. They had a wide range of uses, so after losing the people who made leather and clothing, cloth needed to be saved forter.


    Skipping past Jenny, Yu Hong continued toward the post office.


    Soon, he arrived at the ce where Eve had copsed.


    As expected, only a set of clothes was scattered in the grass, unmoving.


    But this time, Yu Hong didn¡¯t dare touch anything because the pants of the clothes had a clear ck handprint on them.


    He picked up some stones and ced them on the clothes to prevent the wind from blowing them away. Then, he continued on his way to the post office.


    Doctor Xu¡¯s underground residence was nearby, and he needed to give him a heads-up to avoid any misunderstandings.


    After all, they were the only two living people in the area.


    When passing the post office, Yu Hong suddenly stopped, shocked to see someone outside the stone building sweeping the yard.


    The person looked like a hiker, dressed in blue and white camouge, carrying a khaki backpack and wearing a baseball cap. He was about 1.8 meters tall, very strong, and had a darkplexion.


    The man saw Yu Hong and put down the broom, slowly walking toward him.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the new postman, Li Runshan.¡±


    He didn¡¯t approach too closely, stopping about five meters away.


    ¡°I¡¯m Yu Hong, I live nearby.¡± Yu Hong briefly introduced himself. ¡°Are you really a postman?¡± He had some doubts.


    ¡°This is my ID, medal, and tools.¡± Li Runshan took out a small dark blue booklet and opened it to show Yu Hong.


    Inside the booklet was indeed an official identification with a red seal, stating that he was part of the Republic¡¯s United Army Postal System, with the national emblem, his name, and ID number.


    The medals were much simpler. Li Runshan casually flipped his coat open, revealing several medals of various sizes and colors hanging inside.


    ¡°I¡¯m a veteran, served over ten years in a field unit. Sigh.¡± He exhaled. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought the world could change so quickly.¡±


    ¡°The nearby town has been relocated. Did you know?¡± Yu Hong asked.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not from the town. The relocated town merged with our Hope City, and now it¡¯s part of the city. The Hope City code is 231, but we all just call it Baihe City now,¡± Li Runshan exined. ¡°I was sent from the city.¡±


    He paused.


    ¡°To be honest, not many people want toe here. There are hardly any living people left. But this Baiqiu Vige has a nearby Luminous Stone mine and some ruins. Actually, the ruins aren¡¯t much, but more importantly, the Luminous Stone mine is growing. With the increase in Ghostly Shadows and evil shadows, three towns disappeared justst month. Your nearby town is lucky¡ªit was evacuated and sealed off right away. Otherwise, heh¡­¡±


    This man was clearly a chatterbox and seemed to have juste from a bigger ce, eager to share everything with someone after a long journey.


    ¡°Ruins¡­ apanying Luminous Stone mines? So you¡¯re saying Luminous Stone is connected to the source of the ck Disaster?¡± Yu Hong frowned.


    ¡°Mostly, yes. But there are many mines that have been independently excavated. By the way, my superior told me to contact a researcher named Freen from the Silver Tower. Do you know him?¡± Li Runshan asked casually.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know him,¡± Yu Hong immediately thought of Jenny and Eve.


    ¡°Then he¡¯s probably gone.¡± Li Runshan lowered his head and popped something dark into his mouth, chewing carelessly.


    ¡°To be honest, I was pushed out by the city, and I offended some people. That¡¯s why I was sent here. You know how it is out there. Ghostly Shadows everywhere, the ck Disaster is getting stronger, and no one survives long out here. Most people who are sent out here never make it back.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Yu Hong didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    ¡°However, I volunteered toe here. The people in the city were just too disgusting,¡± Li Runshan added.


    ¡°Tell me more about that Silver Tower researcher. Are you sure he came here? If he¡¯s dead here, will they send more people?¡± Yu Hong looked at him with a slightly hopeful gaze.


    He didn¡¯t ask whether they woulde but whether they coulde¡ªthis suggested he was hoping for more people to arrive.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but once the higher-ups recover, they¡¯ll likely send more people. This ce was one of the original sources of the ck Disaster. The first protection symbols were discovered here,¡± Li Runshan replied.


    ¡°Protection symbols?¡± Yu Hong asked curiously.


    ¡°They¡¯re the symbols on the Luminous Stone. Anyway, I need to clean up the post office now.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Be careful in your basement. Watch out for the ck handprints left by the evil shadow. Don¡¯t touch them.¡± Yu Hong kindly warned him, feeling that Li Runshan had provided useful information.


    ¡°Mm, thanks! I¡¯ve already seen them.¡± Li Runshan smiled and seemed a bit more at ease.


    Clearly, as a postman, he had more ways to handle these things. Even traces left by the evil shadow weren¡¯t too difficult for him to deal with.


    ¡°By the way, there are two letters here, one for Xu Ruoyin and one for Yu Hong.¡± Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly took out two letters from his backpack, ncing at the covers before handing one to Yu Hong.


    ¡°This one should be for you, Yu Hong.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Yu Hong took the letter, curious. He wondered who would send him a letter from afar since he hadn¡¯t been here long.


    Suddenly, he thought of one person.


    (End of Chapter)

 Chapter 43: Thoughts (1)

    Inside the cave¡¯s safe house.


    Yu Hong sat down and panted heavily, recovering his strength.


    He ced the talisman array on the ground, drenched in sweat, his eyes clouded with it, making it hard to open them.


    After resting for a few seconds, he nced at Dr. Xu and noticed she had her eyes closed, seemingly resting as well. He then extended his hand and pressed it against the silver talisman array on the door.


    After a brief pause, he released his hand and saw a ck countdown appearing on the surface of the talisman array, indicating the recovery process was in progress. He sighed in relief.


    It wouldn¡¯t take long¡ªjust over forty minutes for him to fully recover.


    ¡°Dr. Xu, are you okay?¡± Yu Hong finally found the time to ask.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    There was no response.Yu Hong furrowed his brows and looked back again, noticing that Dr. Xu was still curled up on the ground, motionless. Sweat and saliva dripped from her chin, and her body twitched and trembled slightly.


    ¡°Dr. Xu?¡± Yu Hong called again, sensing something was wrong, his expression bing more serious.


    He extended his hand and pushed her, but there was no reaction.


    He quickly stood up, went to get a cup of water, and tried to feed it to her.


    Unfortunately, Dr. Xu¡¯s mouth was too tightly shut, and her breathing was irregr, making it dangerous to try to feed her water.


    Yu Hong carefully moistened her mouth and then dragged her over to a softer sleeping bag.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any first-aid medicine, and I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to you. The only thing I can do now is hope you can help yourself,¡± he said quickly, sitting by her side. ¡°If you can hear me, can you tell me what to do to help you?¡±


    Dr. Xu did not respond, her eyes still closed as shey in the sleeping bag, twitching and unable to move.


    Her body was cold, yet sweat kept seeping out.


    Soon, the warmth of the firece red up, making her body rx a little. Her breathing seemed to calm with the warmth.


    Seeing her condition improve a bit, Yu Hong breathed a sigh of relief. At this point, handling logistics and making materials on his own was impossible. A person like Dr. Xu, who was not only a good person but also a familiar acquaintance, was someone he wanted to save if possible.


    He nced at the countdown on the door, then at the grime on Dr. Xu¡¯s face, and used a piece of tree leaves and newspaper to wipe off the sweat and saliva.


    Then, he sat down and started rummaging through the bag he had just retrieved from the cave of Jennie and her daughter.


    The bag was not a cloth bag but arge, thick ck stic bag with white ear straps, allowing it to be carried with one hand.


    Yu Hong tore open the opening and began pulling out the items inside.


    At the top was a red value detector, which he ced on the ground.


    Next came a pair of ck leather boots for women.


    Three candles.


    A hardcover brown notebook.


    A bottle of small red pills with an unknown use.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    A ck, somewhat dirty fabric mask.


    A short knife with a scabbard, featuring a snake-skin pattern.


    A small green box resembling a handheld gaming device,plete with a screen and cross-button.


    Yu Hong picked up the green box and found a small ck switch on the side, flipping it.


    Nothing happened.


    He put it down and picked up the small pill bottle. Through the transparent ss, he could see the red pills inside¡ªnew and dry, not a trace of mold.


    ¡°Jennie and Eve couldn¡¯t find any signs of illness. So what is this medicine? Emergency anti-inmmatory medicine, or¡­?¡± he wondered.


    Unable to figure it out, he decided to wait until Dr. Xu woke up to test it.


    He set the pills aside and picked up the short knife, gently pulling it from the scabbard.


    The sharp silver de was quite clean, with a faintyer of maintenance oil. The back of the de had a saw-like design, and the side of the de featured a blood groove, making it look very practical. ???¦­O???§§?


    ¡°Shh.¡±


    After closing the short knife, Yu Hong finally reached for the notebook.


    He picked it up and opened it.


    ¡°Adjust the radiation time ording to the dosage, continue the next step of testing based on the detailed n of Solution 2.¡±


    ¡°In April, three idents urred, and 16 samples of radiation data from the Luminous Stones were collected.¡±


    ¡°In May, radiation data surveys of the surrounding terrain of the Luminous Stone mine were conducted, with 74 samples taken.¡±


    ¡°In June, it was found that an individual entered the mine, and slight physical mutations were observed. Data was sessfully collected.¡±


    ¡°In July, five sessful animal model experiments were conducted. Due to environmental changes, the number of animals and insects drastically decreased, and the experiments had to be halted.¡±


    ¡°In August, Eve¡¯s cells were collected and cultured. Radiation tests were then conducted on the cultured tissues. Theparison between these and Lin Yiyi¡¯s previously collected cell tissues revealed the mutation process.¡±


    Under the firelight, Yu Hong furrowed his brow as he read the rows of text in the notebook. Below the text were detailed charts and character data, many of which were coded abbreviations that he didn¡¯t understand. From the context, however, it was clear that Jennie¡¯s family likely had ulterior motives foring here, and they had also been secretly sampling and observing Lin Yiyi.


    He kept flipping through the pages, skipping over many data charts, and soon came across some key text.


    ¡°The Luminous Stone disease has been confirmed to give the illusion creatures increased resistance. Under simr conditions of infection, individuals with the Luminous Stone disease experience some level of cognitive decline, but in high red-value environments, they show a stronger resistance. Symptoms such as body rigidity, twitching, and hallucinations will no longer ur.¡±


    ¡°In cell sampling experiments, the cells infected with the Luminous Stone disease showed a significant increase in activity, but their lifespan decreased by 65.4%, and their resistance to bacteria and viruses improved by over 70%. It was determined that taking Eve to the mine every five days for about half an hour can effectively suppress the special marking disease she suffers from.¡±


    By now, Yu Hong had started to understand.


    Jennie¡¯s family had likelye here seeking a research method to save their daughter, Eve, who had been affected by some unknown source. Unfortunately, their research had barely shown some results before being interrupted.


    Eve hadn¡¯t died from the evil creatures but was instead killed by this ordinary human.


    ¡°But the Luminous Stone disease¡­ the Luminous Stone can actually cause illness?¡± Yu Hong recalled the situation with Lin Yiyi.


    She had cognitive decline, yet she was highly resistant to the illusion creatures. He¡¯d never seen Lin Yiyi so scared of the illusion creatures.


    ¡°Could it be that Lin Yiyi has the Luminous Stone disease too?¡± Yu Hong spected in his heart.


    If he could determine the cause, maybe he could find a way to cure her in the future.


    *


    *


    *


    Baihe City (White river City)


    On the surface.


    On the beach, the waves repeatedly carried white lines of water, rushing up and then retreating, over and over.


    A hundred meters above the beach stood a group of abandoned, rusted skyscrapers, quietly standing in the scorching sunlight.


    The faint blue ss on the buildings reflected the ring sunlight, asionally making a nging sound as the sea breeze blew.


    On top of one of the buildings, at the rusted rooftop.


    Several men and women in camouge clothing were speaking in low voices.


    They were gathered together, their clothes marked with the United Army insignia.


    One of the men with short hair and sses held arge piece of jade-like glowstone, his head lowered, frowning as he listened to the others.


    The man had a gentle face, a bronzedplexion, and a silver-white handgun at his waist. A unique three-star insignia appeared on his right forearm.


    ¡°A Dong and the others still haven¡¯t returned. We didn¡¯t have time to pay attention before, but now that we¡¯ve finally settled down, I sent people to the agreed location to wait, but there¡¯s no one there. I suspect something happened to them,¡± said a dark-skinned young woman, her voice low.


    ¡°They both had guns and resting points along the way. It shouldn¡¯t be possible for anything to have happened, right?¡± another person interjected.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. The evil creatures were rampant before. They might have been killed halfway. Now the satellite signals are too disrupted, and we can¡¯t contact them from a distance. The only thing we can rely on is whether they show up on time. If they don¡¯t, we¡¯ll have to assume they¡¯re dead,¡± the young woman replied swiftly.


    ¡°What should we do? If someone at Baiqiu Vige is capable of making Great Luminous Stones, it would be a huge waste to give up now,¡± another voice said.


    ¡°True. So who¡¯s willing to go back and investigate what happened to confirm the truth?¡± the man with sses asked loudly, scanning the people around him.


    But every time his gaze met someone¡¯s, they quickly looked away, unwilling to respond.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t anyone willing to take the lead?¡± the man with sses sighed. ¡°If we can capture the person making Luminous Stone, I¡¯ll guarantee double the treatment every month¡ªfood, supplies, whatever.¡±


    Still, no one spoke.


    Having just escaped the evil creatures, no one wanted to go back to their deaths.


    Besides, with such a long distance, they might not even make it to their destination before encountering those creatures and dying.


    ¡°Xu Yang, you¡¯ve always been my most reliable assistant,¡± the man with sses said, focusing his gaze on a strong man wearing a ck face mask.


    ¡°Team Zhao, if we go back on our own, we¡¯ll likely encounter danger along the way. Think of how many problems we ran into just migrating here,¡± Xu Yang said quickly.


    ¡°Are you saying¡­¡± The man with sses frowned.


    ¡°The key right now is that Baiqiu Vige is too dangerous. None of us here can handle it. So we need to find someone who can,¡± Xu Yang smiled.


    ¡°Who can guarantee they can handle it?¡± the man with sses asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already found someone. There¡¯s a ck-market bar in Baihe City that hires ouws. I met a real expert therest time. He used to be a mailman, and hees from the Aurora City United Army frontline. He¡¯s elite¡ªhis shooting and hand-to-handbat skills are top-notch,¡± Xu Yang said.


    ¡°Sounds expensive,¡± the man with sses frowned. ¡°And why would such an expert be willing to work for us? He could catch people and earn more himself.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t tell him. Let him catch people, and if he finds outter, we can negotiate. At worst, we¡¯ll share some benefits with him. It¡¯s better than doing nothing,¡± Xu Yang smiled.


    The man with sses nodded and carefully examined the Great Luminous Stone in his hand.


    ¡°Good point. In the current environment of White River City, if we can control the person making these Luminous Stone, it¡¯s like having a goose thatys golden eggs.¡±


    He paused.


    ¡°This is the equivalent of Luminous Stone marrow. The symbols on it are secondary. Many simr types can be easily replicated. The key is the material. It can be used to fake the rare Luminous Stone marrow, and the price difference is far beyond what most people imagine. I really don¡¯t know how he made it.¡±


    He exhaled and looked at Xu Yang again.


    ¡°Take care of this. Can you handle it?¡±


    ¡°Guaranteed,¡± Xu Yang smiled.


    ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±


    ¡°Bai Mang, Guo Xudong.¡±