A Night of Desperation

A jeep slowly crossed an ancient gray stone bridge and came to a stop on the right side.

Beneath the bridge, the black river water was nearly dried up, with tall, dense weeds reaching up to a person’s height on both banks.

A gentle breeze rustled through the grass, making a soft swishing sound.

Click.

The car door opened, and Yu Hong stepped out, gripping a club. He slung it over his back and surveyed his surroundings.

Squawk!

Just as he got out of the vehicle, a familiar cry echoed from the mist not far away.

Hiss.

A slight static noise of annoyance came from inside Yu Hong’s helmet.

He pulled out his club and turned his gaze to the sky where the sound came from.

He waited quietly for a few seconds. Soon, from within the gray mist above, a massive white figure suddenly shot out.

It moved at an incredible speed, diving straight at Yu Hong like an arrow.

Just as it was about to reach him, a black spiked club swung out abruptly, striking it squarely in the forehead.

Like a baseball, the multi-eyed bird had no time to react before the massive force smashed into its skull.

Its huge head burst open on the spot, and its body was sent flying sideways, crashing into a nearby concrete building near the bridge.

Whoosh.

Yu Hong reattached his club. After dealing with so many of these birds, he had grown accustomed to them. Besides, this one was slightly smaller than the ones he had faced before, and its strength was noticeably weaker.

He watched as the bird crashed to the ground, its wings flapping wildly in a futile struggle. Even though its head had been destroyed, its body continued to move instinctively, trying to stand back up.

Yu Hong took a few steps forward, standing before the multi-eyed bird. He observed as its exploded head rapidly regenerated, growing a brand-new one.

Squawk!

The bird lunged at Yu Hong again, its sharp beak aiming for his face.

But at such close range, without the momentum of a dive, its peck was far from fast enough. Yu Hong easily caught the bird’s beak with one hand.

He grabbed the bird’s beak, lifted it, and slammed it onto the ground.

Boom!

The multi-eyed bird trembled violently as a splash of gray blood splattered.

It struggled frantically, its talons desperately clawing at Yu Hong’s body.

But such struggles were futile against him now.

Having familiarized himself with the bird’s attack patterns and strength, Yu Hong gripped its beak, flipped it, and smashed it down again.

This time, the bird completely lost its balance and leverage, crashing onto the ground with a brutal impact. The sound of bones cracking rang out chaotically—who knew how many had snapped?

Yu Hong didn’t stop. He grabbed the beak and repeatedly slammed the bird against the ground. Again and again.

After a while, the once-fierce multi-eyed bird was reduced to a pile of mangled flesh, as limp as an empty husk, hanging lifelessly from his hand.

Only then did he stop and casually tossed the carcass off the stone bridge.

Plop.

Black water splashed. The bird’s body sank and vanished.

Yu Hong exhaled.

“Damn thing really does have infinite regeneration.”

In just a few minutes, he had killed this bird at least a dozen times, but each time, it recovered effortlessly, showing no signs of permanent death.

If he weren’t busy right now, he would have tested how many times it could resurrect.

After discarding the bird, he checked his direction and followed the route he had just asked for, heading toward the small forest shrouded in gray mist.

This forest was dense with trees, their leaves an unusual red-purple—not maple, but some unknown species.

The ground was covered with thick layers of purple, withered leaves. As he stepped on them, brittle crunching sounds echoed underfoot.

Hissss—

Yu Hong sniffed the air. Even through his breathing valve, he could catch a faint scent of decaying protein.

Passing through the forest, he reached a barbed wire fence with a warning sign.

A yellow board with red characters read: “Restricted Area Ahead. Do Not Enter.”

“This should be the place.”

Yu Hong pulled out the identification chip, checked the markings on the back, and confirmed he was on the right path.

“Luckily, it’s still relatively safe here during the day. But if that multi-eyed bird appeared just now, how did that girl at the building entrance dare to lure people in public? Wasn’t she afraid of being attacked?”

He continued forward, smashing a hole through the wire fence with a swing of his staff before stepping inside.

“Maybe they have a special way to avoid the multi-eyed birds, or maybe the ones here aren’t as strong as the ones where I came from.”

He had already tested it—these smaller multi-eyed birds were about two-thirds as strong as their counterparts at the safehouse, and much slower.

Stepping through the broken fence, he entered the restricted forest.

Not far ahead, nestled within the trees, stood a two-story, conical gray building.

Its door was slightly open, facing sideways toward Yu Hong. A sign on the door read: “Civil Defense.”

*

*

*

Inside the Underground Civil Defense Passage.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry!”

Black Crow touched his bald head, readjusted his helmet, and urged his subordinates to quickly load the necessary equipment onto the trailers, preparing to transport everything out of the shelter and onto trucks waiting outside.

There were over ten of them, gathered near another exit of the underground passage. The exit was a sloped ramp, inclined at about thirty degrees and more than ten meters wide, allowing vehicles to pass through.

Among the ten or so people, at least four had undergone localized enhancement through Luminous Stone radiation exposure, making them significantly stronger than ordinary people.

It wasn’t just a matter of raw strength—the difference in power allowed them to wear superior armor and carry heavier weapons, further amplifying their combat capabilities.

“Brother Crow, someone’s coming through Entrance One. The sensors picked up movement.”

A thin man with glasses approached while they were still moving supplies, speaking in a low voice. He was the scout of Black Crow’s team, nicknamed “Black Eye” to match their naming style. Skilled in electronic devices, he was an expert in surveillance and detection.

“How many?” Black Crow frowned, glancing at the nuclear generator being carefully lifted onto a trailer by four men.

The generator was about the size of a refrigerator, jet black, covered in multiple ports and pipelines. Though compact, it was incredibly heavy.

“Just one person. Looks like some scavenger who accidentally wandered in looking for supplies.” Black Eye adjusted his glasses.

“One?” Black Crow turned to a man leaning against the wall in the corner. “Wild Chicken, go take care of it. Make it quick, then come back so we can move out.”

“…Alright.” The man acknowledged the order in a dull voice, then strode off into the depths of the underground passage.

As soon as Wild Chicken was out of sight, Black Crow clapped his hands.

“Alright, move faster!”

“Boss, are we really waiting for Wild Chicken?” someone asked with a smirk.

“Wait my ass. We’re leaving now.” Black Crow sneered. That guy had been discontent for a long time—this was just an excuse to get rid of him.

The group chuckled knowingly. Without hesitation, the burly men pulled the trailers up the slope towards the exit.

Before long, a strange, multi-voiced bird cry echoed from outside. Then, a loud explosion followed by silence—clearly, the creature had been temporarily taken down with firearms.

“Move it! Don’t let those damn birds latch onto us! You can’t kill them permanently!” Black Crow urged.

He was the only one in the group who had undergone near-complete body enhancement. Except for his head, his entire body had been fortified through guided Luminoua Stone radiation, drastically improving his speed and strength.

“Yes, sir!”

The group responded in unison.

One by one, the trailers were pulled up to the surface. The nuclear generator was loaded into a small truck hidden in the nearby forest, along with various other supplies.

A total of five solar-powered cargo trucks were packed and ready. Engines roared to life as the last few men climbed aboard.

Black Crow glanced back at the underground shelter, chuckling. “Shame we have to leave. If those damn birds weren’t increasing in numbers, we could’ve stayed longer and lured in more fools. Would’ve gotten even more supplies out of it.”

“You’re right, boss. If only—”

BANG!

A gunshot rang out.

The bullet tore through the truck’s window, cutting through the air with a faint ripple, and struck Black Crow’s helmet dead center on the forehead.

His head snapped back as the metal helmet caved inward from the impact, leaving a deep dent. Fortunately, the helmet had an internal alloy plate that completely absorbed the bullet’s force.

“AHHHH!!” He finally reacted, letting out an enraged, pained howl.

He flipped out of the truck, raised his weapon, and fired wildly toward the source of the shot.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The rest of the team also scrambled out, guns blazing.

Their targets? Silhouettes in camouflaged gear emerging from the forest ahead.

The gunfire ceased quickly. Ammunition was limited, and no one had time to reload.

The five figures in camo closed in at incredible speed, engaging Black Crow’s men in brutal melee combat.

Each of the five was highly skilled, wielding short blades and dispatching several of Black Crow’s men in mere moments.

Leading them was a towering man, nearly two meters tall, wielding a blade in one hand and an iron shield in the other. He charged straight at Black Crow.

“Xiaofeng!” he shouted.

A smaller figure darted out beside him, aiming a hammer strike at Black Crow’s lower body.

The two worked seamlessly together, quickly forcing Black Crow into close combat.

“Lang Feng? You really dared to leave your base to die?!” Black Crow recognized his opponent and grinned viciously. He drew his alloy staff from his back and charged forward without hesitation.

“You thought I wouldn’t notice how many people you’ve lured in and killed?!” Lang Feng snapped coldly.

The three clashed violently, weapons colliding in a flurry of sparks.

They fought at breakneck speed, each strike carrying immense force. However, Black Crow’s enhanced physique gave him a clear advantage over Lang Feng and his companion.

Their weapons occasionally struck his body, but thanks to his custom-made armored suit, he barely needed to defend—he focused entirely on attacking, quickly gaining the upper hand.

“I didn’t go out of my way to kill your people. What the hell does this have to do with you?!” Black Crow growled.

“Where is Zhao Huaijun?!” Lang Feng suddenly roared. His stance shifted, becoming erratic and fierce. In a burst of speed, he rolled to Black Crow’s side and slashed his knife toward a seam in the armored suit—

*

*

*

Inside the Underground Civil Defense Shelter

The pitch-black corridor stretched into the distance, with atomic lamps affixed to the walls at intervals, emitting an eerie green glow.

The passage was long and silent, lined with metal doors—some tightly shut, others slightly ajar.

Scattered across the dark floor were remnants of daily necessities—discarded packaging, tattered clothing, and mismatched socks. In the corners, dried yellow stains of urine gave off a putrid stench.

Yu Hong frowned and quickened his pace, scanning his surroundings as he searched for the so-called power supply room.

If Wei Hongye’s intel was correct, all he needed to do was locate the power supply room, insert the chip panel he carried, and extract the miniature nuclear generator inside.

This place is too big… Too many rooms. If only I had a layout map…

With that thought, he began carefully inspecting the walls. Typically, facilities like this had layout maps posted near entrances.

His methodical search soon paid off—at a junction, on the right-side wall, he spotted a faded plastic layout map.

Studying the map closely, he first identified the red marker indicating his current location. Then, he found the power supply room and traced the optimal path to reach it.

Just as he was about to move—

THUD!

A wood-handled maintenance hammer suddenly struck the back of his head with force.

(End of Chapter)