A Night of Desperation

Chapter 59: Weakness (1)

After applying medicine, Yu Hong quickly left the cave and returned to the side of Guo Xudong’s body.

Looking at the strong, bear-like figure, he was still a little shaken. This guy was really tough, especially with his rhythm that constantly suppressed him. Each time Yu Hong wanted to counterattack, he was interrupted as soon as he gathered his strength. It was an extremely frustrating feeling. From this, it was clear that the opponent was definitely a skilled fighter.

If it weren’t for the five bursts of internal energy Yu Hong had to forcibly break through the rhythm, he wasn’t sure who would have come out on top.

‘There can’t be another time. Close combat is now more important to me than firearms, I must enhance my fighting skills.’

Crouching down, Yu Hong quickly began scavenging the remains of his opponent.

Soon, the first obvious item caught his eye—a black pistol.

He skillfully ejected the magazine, finding it fully loaded with nine rounds!

He had used the two handguns in his safe house countless times, and now, holding a similar gun, his movements were much more proficient.

“Fully loaded!” Yu Hong couldn’t help but laugh.

He had always hoped to get a firearm and bullets to enhance with Black Mark. He thought it would take much longer, but now, he had one so soon.

“This guy didn’t use his gun on purpose; clearly, he wanted to control me with close combat. It seems this wasn’t a random encounter but an intentional attack, likely aimed at me.”

He knew that the Great Luminous Stone he carried would attract attention because it resembled the mineral’s core, which was very expensive and had vital uses in many products.

So it made sense that someone would come after him for the technology.

After two previous attacks, and now this third one, though he didn’t know if it was the same group, he concluded, “This can’t go on.”

Furrowing his brow, Yu Hong quickly stripped everything off the body, then returned to the cave and locked the door tightly.

Once safely inside, he started a fire and felt much more at ease.

As the sky darkened outside, he laid out his spoils on the ground.

Apart from the handgun, the attacker had brought some useful items.

A neatly folded black blanket, covered with many gray-white stone particles.

A military-grade metal water bottle, with a built-in filter spout.

A money bag containing more than ten of those silver coins.

A box of high-calorie compressed biscuits.

A sharp, silver-black short knife.

A damaged bulletproof suit.

Yes, he stripped the body of the bulletproof suit entirely.

Aside from that, there were keys, underwear, a cigarette pack, a pendant, and other items Yu Hong didn’t bother to take. They were useless and covered in blood.

“This is the biggest gain,” Yu Hong said, picking up the black handgun and aiming it forward in satisfaction.

Nine bullets would be enough for quite a while.

But the real value wasn’t just the bullets; the full magazine would allow him to reinforce it with the Great Luminous Stone.

“Now I need to think about how to reinforce this handgun.”

Sitting down, Yu Hong pondered while holding the gun.

“Firearms are useless against the Blood Tide and Ghostly Shadows. Their biggest use is against people, but my shooting skills are poor, and my alertness and combat skills are even worse.”

After much thought, he realized that what he really needed wasn’t more shooting practice or reinforcing the gun. Even if the gun was in his hands, it wouldn’t create the most damage.

In fact, if someone else stole it after it was reinforced, it would become a significant threat to him.

“So, I can’t enhance its power. I need to reinforce other aspects. What I really need now isn’t a gun. With the reinforced bulletproof suit, the real threat is close-combat experts. I need to quickly improve my hand-to-hand combat skills.”

“Also, the main issue in the ambush was my poor scouting ability. The simple bell I had before was useless against real experts. I must find an effective method to ensure real vigilance.”

After organizing his thoughts, Yu Hong suddenly understood why the guns from the previous two attackers only had one bullet each.

This handgun only had some use against people. Otherwise…

He sighed as he heard the familiar scuttling noises of insects outside the door.

Turning to look, he saw that no black insects had entered through the vent this time, only the sounds coming from outside.

“The Luminous Grass in the yard is working.” That thought flashed through his mind.

Relaxing his body a little, he bit into a protein bar and leaned back against the fireplace, quietly watching the door. He felt the warmth of the fire radiating and, slowly, his eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep.

It had truly been exhausting this time.

Knocked down again and again, getting back up every time, his stamina drained and only recovering through internal energy. In the end, relying on internal energy bursts, he was victorious in the ambush, but his nerves were on edge the entire time.

If it weren’t for the reinforced gray lizard suit, he might have been knocked out in a single exchange. The other man’s explosive power was too strong, completely on a different level than him.

The next day, Yu Hong didn’t go anywhere, just stayed in the cave healing. After all, his toenail had been flipped, and it still hurt.

Leaning by the fireplace, he suddenly remembered that the flue might be connected to the outside world.

(Tl Note :- Flue is a duct for smoke and waste gases produced by a fire, a gas heater, a power station, or other fuel-burning installation.)

So, he searched for the exit of the flue outside the cave. He found that the flue’s exit was also sealed with tough steel wire, layered several times. To prevent accidents, he drew some symbol arrays on the inner wall of the flue exit using Great Luminous Stone powder.

Though it was hard work, after several days of healing and drawing symbol arrays, he felt somewhat productive.

By the third day, the solar-powered generator had been reinforced.

Inside the cave, Yu Hong sat and observed the completed solar generator.

Originally, the solar panel and the main control box of the generator were separate, connected by wires.

Now, the whole solar generator had become one piece. It was entirely black, resembling a foldable solar panel. It was wrapped in a layer of transparent, hard glass, and the total power scale had increased from three bars when fully charged to six.

The rest of the changes were hard to discern for now; only practical use would tell.

He placed the generator at the door, letting the sunlight shine on it, and casually reinforced a piece of Luminous Stone before going back to rest.

This cycle of life continued until the fifth day.

Feeling much better, Yu Hong got up to move around, re-equipped the repaired reinforced suit, and prepared to go outside.

His injuries had healed significantly, but rather than saying they had healed, it was more accurate to say that they hadn’t been serious to begin with. The toenail had been the main issue, but even that was much better now.

The goal for this trip was to trade with Old Li and Old Zhou, to see if he could find a light bulb. With the large-capacity solar battery now ready, he could keep a light on for a long time.

At the same time, he needed to inquire about learning combat and scouting techniques.

Stepping out of the cave, the grass outside was lush, and the yard was already filled with Luminous Grass. Its red radiation quickly caused the values on Yu Hong’s collar to spike to over -100.

With such high radiation, Yu Hong didn’t dare stay too long and quickly left the yard, heading towards the post office.

As for the corpse outside, it had already been buried a few days ago, leaving only its clothes and shoes.

After walking through the forest for more than ten minutes, Yu Hong reached the post office, where he saw Li Runshan playing chess with Aisina.

The father and daughter sat in front of the stone house, completely focused.

Aisina wore a pure white dress, her chubby little face full of collagen, and was exceptionally cute.

Li Runshan, noticing Yu Hong approach, quickly stood up to greet him.

“It’s been a few days. What can I get for you?” He smiled at Yu Hong.

“Do you have light bulbs?” Yu Hong asked.

“Of course. No, they’re by reservation.” Li Runshan replied.

“Also, I’d like to purchase some basic combat training.” Yu Hong added.

“Oh? Seems like you’ve run into some trouble.” Li Runshan noted the slight unease in Yu Hong’s movements.

“Yes, a small problem has been resolved.” Yu Hong nodded.

“Good. The prices are listed, just bring the items you want to exchange. Also, here’s your mail.” Li Runshan turned and brought out an envelope, handing it to Yu Hong.

“By the way, do you remember the people who came before? They had a car, which is nearby, and I found it. It’s… a tragic scene.”

“Any survivors?” Yu Hong asked.

“They’re all dead. From the old to the young. The car was damaged too. I was thinking about scavenging it, see if I could get anything good,” Li Runshan shook his head. “But I got word that they’re not the first batch. More people will likely pass through here. There are a few vacant safehouses, so someone might settle here. They may come looking for you to buy stones, so keep an eye out.”

“Got it.” Yu Hong nodded, took the letter, and saw that the address was still on the small stutterer’s side, immediately realizing it was a letter from Yi Yi.

“By the way, the rune Arrys and Great Luminous Stone you gave me last time were very popular. My superiors want you to supply Great Luminous Stone on a long-term basis. How does that sound?” Li Runshan continued.

Yu Hong paused, then thought for a moment, shaking his head.

“The process of making Great Luminous Stone is random, and I can’t guarantee production, so I can’t supply it regularly.”

“Alright.” Li Runshan shrugged. “What kind of combat techniques are you looking for? Standing techniques? You’ve already bought leg techniques last time. Or is it knife skills?”

“Practical sparring,” Yu Hong said in a deep voice. He had had enough of being suppressed this time.

Li Runshan was a little stunned by the answer. Well, this was going straight for the highest difficulty.

But recalling the fight he had witnessed before, he understood.

“Actually, Old Zhou is the expert in this. I can only give you the basics. But he’s not great at teaching. In terms of fundamentals, I’m far better than him. So, you came to the right person!” Li Runshan smiled, revealing his black teeth.

“Your teeth?” Yu Hong blinked in confusion.

“Oh, I brush with charcoal powder, just haven’t washed it off yet,” Li Runshan grinned.

“Looks like your injuries haven’t fully healed. How about we start once you’re completely recovered?”

“Alright.” Yu Hong nodded.

After reserving the light bulb and wires, he went to check on Dr. Xu, who was still focused on making herbal medicine, clearly preparing to mass-produce.

“The supply team from Li Runshan’s side? I’ve seen them. We’ve settled on the price. Once I’ve gathered 300 doses of anti-inflammatory powder, they’ll take me to Baihe City.”

Dr. Xu’s face held more hope than before. She was working up a sweat as she stirred the herbal paste with a wooden stick.

“You’re planning to leave?” Yu Hong was slightly surprised, standing at the door.

(End of Chapter)