A Night of Desperation

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Roar!!!

Just as Yu Hong was grappling with the second Multi-Eyed Bird, the first Multi-Eyed Bird suddenly burst out from the darkness, letting out a shrill cry as it shot toward him like a cannonball.

Its injuries had recovered significantly, barely affecting its mobility, and it erupted with astonishing speed.

All of its explosive force was concentrated on its sharp, spiked beak. This sudden attack caught Yu Hong off guard, striking him squarely. The beak pierced into his back shoulder, bending the alloy plate with its tremendous impact, and smashed into his shoulder bone.

Boom!!

Yu Hong was sent flying backward, rolling back into the cave with the bird. Along the way, they crashed into two solar-powered generators and a wooden crate storing firearms.

They were heading straight for the rune array. These arrays couldn’t withstand heavy pressure—any significant force would completely destroy them. Among them were even two silver rune arrays.

Yu Hong had had enough.

“Get the hell off me!!!”

His veins bulged as he roared in rage, gripping the bird’s beak with his bare hands. His legs carved deep trenches in the ground as he mustered all his strength, his internal energy surging, and charged forward.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!!!

Like a rampaging heavy rhino, he lowered his head, wrapped his arms around the monstrous bird, and burst out of the cave with a powerful leap.

Then, he slammed it down.

Boom!!!

The ground exploded into a crater, dirt flying in all directions. The massive impact crushed the bird’s chest cavity, pinning it beneath the Wolf Fang Club.

But it still struggled, its wounded flesh rapidly regenerating under the moonlight.

“Like hell, you’re surviving this!” Yu Hong, burning with rage, grabbed the bird’s neck, lifted it, and smashed it into the mountainside.

Boom!

The rocks shattered, leaving a deep dent in the cliff face.

But he wasn’t done. Yu Hong continued his frenzied assault, repeatedly slamming the monster against the mountain.

Amidst the relentless explosions of impact, the creature kept healing. And as if that wasn’t enough, the second Multi-Eyed Bird let out a shriek in the distance. Despite its own injuries, it recklessly flew toward Yu Hong, crashing into his back. ʀΆΝỗꞖĚš

Yet Yu Hong ignored it completely. He let the other bird attack him as he continued his brutal rampage against the first one.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!!

He had no idea how many times he smashed it. By the time his hands could no longer hold onto a single intact piece of flesh or feather, he finally stopped, panting heavily.

Turning around, he reached for the second charging bird. But this time, the creature let out a strange cry, abruptly veered upward, flapped its wings, and fled into the distance without looking back.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Yu Hong raised his gun and fired relentlessly, emptying the magazine.

By sheer luck, one of the bullets struck the bird’s wing, causing it to tilt and crash into the nearby forest.

“Trying to run?!” Yu Hong snarled, charging after it. Within moments, he had stormed into the forest, grabbed the bird by its body, and lifted it high above his head.

Rip!!!

With sheer brute force, he tore the creature in half from its abdomen, sending a rain of blood and feathers scattering through the air.

“Aaaahhh!!!”

Yu Hong let out a furious roar, his blood boiling. The long-suppressed fear and pressure erupted into pure rage, pushing him toward the brink of berserk madness.

He grabbed what was left of the bird and slammed it into the ground over and over. He had no idea how long he continued until the remains were nothing but a mangled mess, with only two chunks of meat left in his hands.

Finally, silence fell.

Yu Hong gasped for breath, his entire body drenched in sweat. His body burned with heat, his heartbeat pounding like a war drum.

Under the moonlight, he tossed aside the scraps of meat in his hands and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

“It’s over.”

He turned back toward the courtyard. From a distance, he saw the area was in disarray, but fortunately, the Luminous Stone Grass remained unharmed. During the fight, he and the Multi-Eyed Birds had stormed out of the courtyard, so the damage was minimal compared to before.

During the fight, both he and the Multi-Eyed Birds had rushed out of the courtyard. The battle had covered a larger area than before, but the destruction remained relatively minor.

The courtyard was empty—no one in sight. Clearly, the mother and daughter had wisely hidden in the small cave beforehand, not daring to come out.

That gave Yu Hong some comfort. At least they had good survival instincts, meaning he didn’t have to constantly worry about them.

Now that both Multi-Eyed Birds were dead, the pain in his body hit him all at once.

His back had taken the full force of the second bird’s attack. Earlier, adrenaline had numbed him, but now that he was calm, the pain surged, becoming much more pronounced.

“My back is definitely bleeding… Not sure if my bones are fractured. Left wrist feels sprained—probably from gripping the bird’s neck too hard while smashing it…”

Hurting himself by overexertion—this was a sign of losing control due to excessive emotion. That realization made Yu Hong reflect on his actions.

“I can’t keep fighting like this. Losing control in battle is dangerous.”

He checked himself for other injuries. No major external wounds, but his inner energy was completely drained. His upper body muscles also felt strained.

The worst part was his Enhanced White Bear Suit.

Back inside the cave, slumped against the battered door, Yu Hong finally noticed how damaged his armor was. The suit had been smashed all over, with massive tears and gaping holes. It was barely usable.

“If those birds had lasted any longer, the suit would’ve been destroyed… and I’d be the one in real danger.”

He felt a wave of relief.

Seeing how tattered the armor was, he knew it had saved him from countless fatal injuries.

He quickly stripped off the White Bear Suit, treated his wounds, disinfected them, and took anti-inflammatory medicine.

Then, he switched into his Enhanced Gray Lizard Suit for now.

This suit could only block handgun bullets. Against rifles, snipers, or the sheer brute force of a Multi-Eyed Bird, its defense was almost useless.

Compared to the White Bear Suit, it was a significant downgrade.

But having something was still better than nothing.

After suiting up, he placed his hand on the broken door, activating its self-repair.

The countdown showed three hours.

Only then did Yu Hong finally lean against the fireplace, ready to rest until dawn.

This battle had cost him dearly. But at least now, he understood just how deadly the Multi-Eyed Birds were. Even when going all out, he had barely managed to kill two.

That realization filled him with renewed anxiety about the future.

The monsters outside were endless—there was no way to kill them all. If he wanted to live a safe and stable life, he had to find a way to hide and conceal his presence, preventing monsters from detecting him. Otherwise, if he kept fighting head-on, he wouldn’t be able to handle the relentless attacks.

A thought flashed through Yu Hong’s mind as he considered how to conceal his presence.

His mind raced through everything he knew.

“Wait… If I want to hide, I first need to understand how the Blood Tide creatures and Ghostly Shadows detect me. What exactly are their scouting methods?”

Recalling his past encounters, he realized that while the Ghostly Shadows’ method of spreading was clear, the detection mechanisms of the Ghostly Shadows and Blood Tide creatures remained a mystery.

“Experimenting on my own would take too long. The best option is to find research materials or someone who has studied this field. Getting their experimental data would save me a lot of time.”

This thought lingered in Yu Hong’s mind.

As he pondered, drowsiness crept in. His exhaustion and pain overtook him, and he leaned quietly against the fireplace to rest.

Right now, his enhanced handgun was empty, the White Bear Suit was broken, and the main gate was completely exposed.

His upper body was weak, his stamina depleted, and his inner energy had been exhausted, waiting to recover. His wrist was sprained, his back throbbed with sharp pain—possibly even fractured.

This was the worst he had ever been injured.@@novelbin@@

Sitting on the ground to catch his breath, Yu Hong exhaled deeply and grabbed the metal basin used for boiling water. He opened his helmet and took a sip.

A flash of silver gleamed along the edge of the metal basin.

Clack.

Suddenly, a black, stone-like object was tossed into the cave through the broken entrance.

The object bounced and rolled a few times before hitting the shattered wooden frame and coming to a stop.

Yu Hong’s eyes flickered—something felt wrong. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, grabbed the object, and hurled it outside.

Boom!

Just as it left his hand, the object exploded in midair, releasing a blinding white light that instantly illuminated the entire courtyard as if it were broad daylight.

A flashbang!

Yu Hong reacted in time, shutting his eyes, turning his head, and dropping to the ground.

He had never encountered this kind of weapon before. Fearing it was a grenade, he instinctively mimicked what he had seen in movies—diving down, covering his head, and lying flat.

As soon as the sound dissipated, he flipped over and stood up.

That was when he saw three black-clad figures vaulting over the courtyard wall with swift, coordinated movements, rushing toward him.

Bang!!

A gunshot rang out. Muzzle fire erupted near Yu Hong’s right knee.

His knee buckled from the impact, forcing him to stumble backward.

“That’s not a handgun! Where did these people come from?!”

Yu Hong’s heart sank. This was the worst possible moment to be attacked.

One of his hands was injured, limiting his strength. His back was in pain, his body exhausted, stamina drained, and his inner energy had been spent.

Being ambushed now—especially by skilled riflemen—put him in a dire situation.

A single thought flashed through his mind: I can’t stay still.

The enemy had a sharpshooter. If he remained stationary, he would be an easy target. But it was nighttime—if he moved fast enough, he doubted they could land precise shots.

His eyes locked onto the three approaching figures.

They were all tall and well-built, around 1.89 meters in height, their movements steady and powerful, showing a subtle rhythm of teamwork.

Yu Hong immediately dropped his wolf-fang club to reduce weight and, with a sudden burst of speed, rolled to the side.

Whoosh!

He leaped out of the cave and landed on the grassy right side of the courtyard, slipping into the shadows under the faint moonlight.

From the moment of the attack to Yu Hong’s reaction—escaping the safehouse—it had only taken a single second.

He hadn’t given the hidden gunman a second chance to fire.

Now engulfed in darkness, with only the dim glow of the moon, Yu Hong sprang to his feet, charging toward the three pursuers.

The first attacker wasted no time.

Lifting his leg, he delivered a powerful front kick aimed directly at Yu Hong’s chest.

Yu Hong had just gotten up and had no time to react. The kick landed squarely against his torso.

Boom.

The man’s right leg struck Yu Hong’s chest with brutal force, his momentum transferring seamlessly from his core into the impact.

Dust exploded beneath them, scattering in a faint cloud, illuminated by the moonlight like a pale-white halo.

“It’s you?!”

At such close range, Yu Hong finally saw the attacker’s face under the dim glow.

It was Ge Shenghao—someone he had encountered before!

The leader of the other squad.

This guy had once been an elite postman at the former postal bureau. His strength rivaled even that of Li Runshan.

(End of Chapter)