A Night of Desperation

“I’m the one who issued the task. You can call me Yu Hong,” Yu Hong said, nodding politely to Xu Fan.

“What about the task reward?” Xu Fan asked directly.

“I need to do an inspection, confirm your needs, finalize the required materials, and then proceed with the repairs. That’s the standard process. No issues, right?” Yu Hong responded.

With the Black Mark Seal, he wasn’t worried about whether he could fix it—just how long it would take.

“No problem,” Xu Fan nodded. “But I can only stay here for half a month. Will it be done by then?”

“Let’s inspect it first,” Yu Hong emphasized.

Xu Fan glanced at Li Runshan, who gave him a nod. He chose to trust Old Li’s reputation.

Old Li may have a shady side, but his credibility was unquestionable.

Without hesitation, Xu Fan began removing his armor piece by piece.

“The main issue is the damage to the faceplate of the helmet. If possible, I’d like to enhance its strength. There’s also damage to the lower back from armor-piercing rounds and a dent on the left knee from fighting a troublesome opponent.”

“Chris the Bronze Statue?” Li Runshan asked casually.

“Yeah. That guy’s strength was comparable to mine, and he was fully equipped. We fought for over three hours before I managed to kill him,” Xu Fan nodded.

“Understood. I need specialized tools for evaluation. I’ll take the suit back with me for inspection and give you a definitive answer in about an hour. Any issues?” Yu Hong gathered the armor parts and stacked them neatly.

“No problem,” Xu Fan nodded. His calm demeanor gave no hint of a violent temper—perhaps his rumored aggression only surfaced under specific conditions.

“You know where I live. Come by in an hour,” Yu Hong said simply.

“Got it.”

Yu Hong soon parted ways with the group, carrying the equipment back to his cave safehouse.

On the way, he silently asked the Black Mark Seal how long it would take to enhance the armor.

The Black Mark Seal couldn’t repair items it hadn’t originally fused, but Yu Hong had a trick: a minor enhancement infusion that would activate the seal’s auto-repair feature.

This way, future repairs could be handled directly by the Black Mark Seal.

In his plan, this repair ability was crucial for establishing his foothold in this world.

With the ability to repair high-level equipment, he could easily trade for various resources and information.

Now, his only remaining need was protection—just as Li Runshan had mentioned.

Back at the cave, Yu Hong placed the Blue Whale armor on the ground and headed outside to sift through his pile of loot. He found a forearm-length metal machete to use as enhancement material. ṝÃ𝐍ỒᛒΕs̈

Returning indoors, Yu Hong set the machete beside the Blue Whale suit, planning to fuse its materials into the armor.

He had already tested it on the way back—the repair would take just over an hour with a minimal enhancement to the faceplate.

This time, with additional material, the enhancement would strengthen the faceplate as Xu Fan requested.

He placed his hand on the Blue Whale armor again.

“Enhance Blue Whale armor. Direction: minimal enhancement of faceplate strength.”

A black line flashed, followed by a system prompt.

“Do you want to enhance the Blue Whale armor?”

A countdown appeared on the armor’s surface: 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Yu Hong nodded. It was an acceptable duration.

“The time’s short, but I can’t let Xu Fan and the others think it was easy. I need to make it seem like a complex, exhausting process with impressive results. That way, it’ll feel worth the price.”

He knew that if the outcome appeared too effortless, people would instinctively distrust it and feel cheated.

“Why are you charging me so much if it was so easy for you? Are you ripping me off!?”

Yu Hong wanted to avoid Xu Fan and his crew thinking this way.

Reasonable. Logical.

This was Yu Hong’s key approach.

One hour later.

Xu Fan and Anna arrived at the stone courtyard outside the cave safehouse.

In the distance, a large fire continued to burn, showing no signs of stopping.

The two stood outside the yard, eyeing the strange, lush grass within.

“Something’s off,” Anna whispered. “The red energy readings resemble a Luminous stone mine.”

Her eyes scanned every corner of the yard, filled with suspicion.

But no matter how closely she looked, nothing unusual stood out. Just grass—lots of it.

Xu Fan felt it too. Having been exposed to high doses of Luminous stone radiation before, he had developed a sensitivity to red energy fluctuations.

Standing outside the yard, his skin tingled with a cool, hair-raising sensation.

“It must be lined with Luminous stone patterns, like the outer walls of Hope City,” he speculated.

“I don’t see any patterns,” Anna shook her head. “This task giver knows his stuff. This setup would effectively ward off Ghostly shadows and ensure a stable living environment.”

“Yu Hong… I’ve never heard of him before. If he can fix this armor, we may be working with him long-term,” Xu Fan noted. High-level armor repair was no easy feat.

“Agreed,” Anna nodded.

After a few minutes, the wooden door of the cave opened.

A burly figure stepped out, wearing the same heavy armor as before. However, the dents and bullet marks were completely gone.

Noticing this, Xu Fan felt reassured—Yu Hong could really fix the Blue Whale armor.

The three met outside the courtyard. The red energy level inside had surpassed 100, with Luminous grass growing everywhere, making it unsuitable for conversation.

“Sorry for the wait. The repairs will take about a week. I have some materials here—not the original, but close enough. Can you accept that?” Yu Hong asked seriously.

“A week!?” Xu Fan was surprised, glancing at Anna, who was equally stunned.

“Really? Just a week?” he repeated.

“Yes. I guarantee it’ll be done in a week,” Yu Hong said confidently.

“As long as it’s functional, I’m good!” Xu Fan agreed. He still found it hard to believe.

Most armories he had consulted needed at least three months, except for Aurora City and Silver Tower, which required two weeks.

If not for the faceplate’s damage affecting combat, he would’ve made do.

“It’s quick because I don’t waste time on formalities. I’ll be fully focused on repairing it,” Yu Hong explained, realizing he had understated the timeline.

“Understood,” Anna replied. “We’ll pick it up in a week. Perfect timing for a short break after this mission.”

“Sounds good,” Yu Hong nodded. “By the way, have you considered settling down somewhere?”

He was impressed by their strength and wanted to test the waters.

Li Runshan had mentioned they were nomadic mercenaries, moving from place to place.

“We’ve thought about it, but larger communities attract more Blood Tide shadows, which brings more trouble,” Anna sighed. She gave Yu Hong a sly smile.

“If you want to hire long-term bodyguards, you’ll need to provide stable water, food, and shelter. With those basics, people will come.”

She had clearly picked up on Yu Hong’s intentions.

“Good advice,” Yu Hong acknowledged.

Indeed, without stable water, why would anyone leave a well-supplied place like Hope City to live with him in the wilderness?

They agreed on a pickup time and location. Yu Hong gave them a Luminous stone leaf as a token—unique to his yard, it would lose its energy after being plucked.

Xu Fan and Anna soon left.

Yu Hong then met with Li Runshan again.

“Thanks for helping out this time,” Yu Hong said as they sat on new wooden benches in the courtyard.

“No problem. Keep jobs like this coming—I don’t mind,” Li Runshan replied with his usual smile.

“Here’s your payment.” Yu Hong handed over some silver coins and a stack of sigil arrays from his loot.

Li Runshan quickly stashed everything inside.

“Much appreciated,” he said, his smile softening.

Yu Hong went to meet Li Runshan again.

“Thanks for your help this time.” The two sat down on a new wooden bench in the courtyard.

“You’re paying me, so feel free to call me anytime for more of these jobs. I don’t mind.” Li Runshan still had that smiling expression.

“Alright, I brought the payment.” Yu Hong handed over some silver coins he had scavenged from his loot, along with a stack of rune arrays he had made.@@novelbin@@

Though Li Runshan was just a middleman, Yu Hong knew that if he didn’t offer some benefits, there wouldn’t be a next time. He highly valued Li Runshan’s access to mercenary channels and postal supplies.

“No need to be so polite,” Li Runshan quickly accepted the items and stashed them in the house. When he came back out, his expression was noticeably softer.

“The task is done, but to avoid similar incidents in the future, I’m considering hiring some skilled hands for long-term protection,” Yu Hong said plainly. “However, given the conditions around here, you know we first need to solve the issues of water, electricity, and food. Only then can we attract people to settle here. Otherwise, everyone will choose the better conditions in Hope City. Don’t you agree?”

“That’s true,” Li Runshan nodded. In his view, Yu Hong, once a clueless rookie, had now started to gain some sense.

“So, I want to ask if there’s any way through the post office to solve the water supply issue. I tried digging a well, but once I got deep enough, it was full of black insects,” Yu Hong said with a sigh.

“Groundwater won’t work.” Li Runshan shook his head with a smile, stretched his hand back, and a small hand quickly passed him a cigarette and lit it for him.

Only after taking a contented puff did he continue.

“Many parts of Hope City were built near rivers and oceans. Your only option is to relocate closer to a river for easier water access. But remember, rivers and streams aren’t necessarily safe either. If the land has blood tide black insects, the water has equally dangerous or even more deadly creatures.”

“…” Yu Hong nodded silently.

Rainwater was toxic and required multiple rounds of filtration and boiling to be drinkable, but even that wasn’t stable.

Now it seemed that rivers and streams were the only hope. Yet giving up the heavily fortified cave safehouse he had worked so hard to strengthen was something he couldn’t accept.

(End of Chapter)