Night of Despair

Chapter 130: Hope 2
 

“Move them in batches!” Yu Hong decided.

Immediately, the two men each took a box and walked away.

One trip followed another, and eventually, the person behind could no longer hold back. He launched an attack on Yu Hong at a slower pace than before, clearly holding a grudge and ignoring Li Rushan, focusing solely on Yu Hong.

After being stiffened by a radiation hand grenade and physically burst open by Yu Hong once, the creature finally calmed down.

The two men carried eight trips in one go, even bringing some miscellaneous items from the post office. Finally, they concluded this dangerous transporting adventure.

By noon, Yu Hong instructed everyone to rest and eat. Then he entered the cave and approached a plastic box containing red lizards and cockroaches.

The box was divided into compartments, one side holding a red lizard about the length of a forearm, the other containing several dark walnut-sized cockroaches.

Yu Hong closed the partition to avoid leaking any secrets.

Then he carefully observed the lizard and the cockroaches.

The large lizard had rough skin, bulging eyes, and a row of umbrella-shaped red flesh crowns growing on the back of its neck.

‘The mere establishment of fixed protective areas cannot withstand the potentially high-risk Evil Shadows that might appear later. I must gain a lot of intelligence in advance to prepare preventive measures.’

‘If the Black Mark can synthesize luminous stones and wild grass, why can’t it synthesize luminous stones, cockroaches, and lizards?’

He decided to give it a try.

What he wanted was a hybrid creature that had the survival and reproductive abilities of cockroaches and the strength and regenerative abilities of lizards.

‘Let’s see.’ Yu Hong took out a Large Pyroxene Stone and placed it on top of the box.

Then he pressed down on the box with one hand.

‘Enhance the Black Lizard, direction: acquire the reproduction and adaptability of cockroaches, retain the regenerative ability and growth potential of lizards, and integrate the radiation of the Large Pyroxene Stone against the shadow.’

After confirming the requirements, Yu Hong prepared himself for the prolonged process of enhanced synthesis.

Soon.

A black line flashed.

‘Enhance the Black Lizard?’

The feedback voice of the Black Mark sounded in his ear.

Yu Hong glanced at the countdown timer on the box: ‘5 days 18 hours 41 minutes.’

He sighed with relief.

Thank goodness.

The time was shorter than expected, which he suspected was due to the increase in his Inner Qi.

‘Yes!’ he confirmed in his mind.

Hisss!!

In an instant, a terrifying force of attraction completely drained the two streams of Inner Qi from his body and didn’t stop there; it began to devour his physical strength and spirit as well.

His consciousness grew increasingly weary, and his body weakened.

Since breaking through the second layer of his Cultivation Technique, he had not experienced such a state for a long time.

Seconds later, the devouring force ended.

Yu Hong almost fell to the ground with a snap.

He saw stars, his vision filled with white dots flickering and floating, similar to the last time he synthesized the luminous grass stone, if not more challenging.

Leaning against the edge of the table, it took him at least ten minutes to catch his breath and regain his senses.

Looking at the countdown now on the box, he breathed a sigh of relief and struggled to move to a stool, where he sat down heavily.

The excess consumption of mental and physical strength made his eyelids fight each other, drooping down, inviting sleep.

Yu Hong did not resist any longer, laying his head on the tabletop, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

*

*

*

Baihe City.

One after another, new ships formed convoys, taking away the vast majority of the materials from Hope City.

Inside a research institute in the industrial park.

Wei Hongye held an investigative report in hand, gazing at the towering one-eyed man waiting respectfully before him.

“Yu Hong, aged between twenty and thirty, a bit over 1.7 meters tall, weighing 67 kilograms. He suddenly appeared in Baiqiu Village a few months ago and was rescued by the reclusive Lin Yiyi from the village. He later moved out to live alone. He is suspected to have discovered a nearby concealed research institute. The Large Pyroxene Stones, talismans, and suspected luminous wild grass could all possibly be the results from the research institute he found.”

Wei Hongye finished reading the report, his expression dissatisfied.

“Is this all the comprehensive information you bring me?”

“Regarding the special luminous wild grass that you mentioned, which can disperse shadows and Blood Tide insects, we applied to search through multiple biological laboratory projects and found no evidence of any research initiatives, so this result couldn’t be from recent projects,” said the one-eyed man calmly.

“Too little, this is nowhere near enough,” Wei Hongye grumbled, though he should have left by ship already, he had delayed his departure for the sake of something important—Yu Hong’s findings.

“And what about Lin Yiyi? According to postal records, she has had significant correspondence with Yu Hong,” Wei Hongye inquired again.

“There’s no need for us to intervene, sir. Madame has already gone to visit Miss Lin Yiyi,” the one-eyed man replied respectfully.

“Very well, can you send someone to Baiqiu Village?” Wei Hongye asked reluctantly.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, sir. With Language Persons rampant outside, no one is willing to leave the safety of their homes. Apart from the sea routes, other land routes could encounter Language Persons, and none of our brothers are willing to risk it,” the one-eyed man declined calmly.

“Fine then, what about Lin Yiyi’s information?” Wei Hongye shifted his target.

“That’s quite comprehensive.” The one-eyed dragon took out another new report and handed it over.

Wei Hongye took it and looked it over carefully. This time, the report detailed Lin Yiyi’s background, her parents, her family, her place of birth, her abilities, and so on—it was quite thorough.

Originally, Wei Hongye had planned to investigate Yu Hong and then look into Lin Yiyi, but as he reached the end of the report, his eyes slightly lit up.

“Enhanced Advanced Red Value Detector?”

At the very end of the report, it mentioned that Lin Yiyi, with the help of an Enhanced Red Value Detector given to her by a friend, had led several team members, including the team leader, to survive.

“Is there a research institute taking on the project for this Red Value Detector?” Wei Hongye thought immediately that this must be related to Yu Hong.

A fully enhanced person with intellectual disabilities couldn’t possibly come up with such a high-grade detector.

“Yes, by regulation, it was supposed to be Chen Jinbiao from the Fifth Research Institute who took over the project, commissioned by the third squad of the Joint Military’s Enhanced Troops. But the Fifth Institute has been empty for a while now, and Chen Jinbiao left yesterday. You can completely take it over on your own initiative,” the one-eyed dragon replied.

“Enhanced Troops …” Wei Hongye held the report and pondered. “They’re not easy to deal with … I know about the third squad; the captain has some background. And Yu Hong might have some research capabilities, it’s unnecessary to become complete enemies with him.”

However, the one-eyed dragon saw that the director was very interested in researching the Enhanced Red Value Detector and suddenly smiled.

“Director, it’s extremely dangerous outside right now. Language People are just the first wave; one high-risk Black Disaster after another is slipping in from the front lines, and even we dare not handle them, let alone Yu Hong who’s left out in the wilderness—so it’s pretty certain he’s done for.

Since that’s the case, why do you still care about that guy? If you want something, just transfer it over,” he said.

“You make a good point, but that woman from the third squad, her sister, is not someone to be trifled with,” Wei Hongye frowned.

“What are you really worried about …?”

“Xue Chengjing. One of the trump cards of the Enhanced Troops, the guy who’s third in the comprehensive practical combat competitions in Baihe City… He’s got a hot temper, hard to deal with,” Wei Hongye shook his head.

“Her …” The one-eyed dragon breathed a sigh of relief, “All the top experts from the Enhanced Troops left three days ago on a cargo ship escorting the big shots. Xue Chengjing, as a trump card, was certainly among them. Now, there’s only a small number of people left in the city, and we’re one of the last groups to leave. By the time of the last ship the day after tomorrow, we’ll quietly take the stuff, so no one finds out, then you’ll change your identity and reinitiate the project with the Enhanced Detector. The benefits you’ll gain…”

His words lit up Wei Hongye’s eyes.

“Well said!”

After saying so much, his core purpose was actually to secure the Enhanced Detector technology for himself. If the luminous grass was out of reach, it wouldn’t be bad to switch targets.

“So what about Lin Yiyi? What should we do with her?” he asked, feigning concern.

“Once you have results and a higher position in the Joint Military, who will care about the opinion of an intellectually challenged enhanced person? And … as long as we act quickly and covertly, she won’t even know if the item is with you,” the one-eyed dragon tactfully laid out the following strategy.

He knew his role and position well; these were things Wei Hongye could clearly plan, but as the head of the institute, his character and status meant he would never say such things out loud.

“You handle this matter,” Wei Hongye finally showed a smile on his face.

He was about to leave, aiming to climb higher in the future, to gain more status, power, and resources.

Sometimes, people have to do things they must do…

Thinking about this, he felt an inevitable sense of resignation.

“Looks like it’s actually better not to let Yanxi get her hands on it too easily, Harris, go let them know,” he said in a low voice.

“Understood.” The one-eyed dragon Harris nodded with a smile. He was the security chief specially in charge of Wei Hongye’s institute, responsible for security and doing the dirty work. These underhanded tactics were second nature to him.

“Also, bring back that detector while you’re at it. Don’t use our own people, go under the name of Chen Jinbiao. Otherwise, if we’re discovered, Xue Chengjing is not someone to mess with,” Wei Hongye instructed.

“Yes. I won’t disappoint you,” Harris replied with confidence. “Once we take it, we leave. In this chaos, no one will notice.”

*

*

*

Bright sunlight bathed the earth; lush green grass stretched into the distance, and a series of hills undulated on the horizon, cloaked in verdant green.

A cross-country vehicle, emblazoned with the Shanxi Green Pattern Tour Agency’s logo, drove slowly along a yellow road between the hills.

“All you know is how to waste money; I told you we could’ve just stayed home, but no, you had to drag us out on this trip.”

A familiar voice, tinged with age, came from Yu Hong’s right.

“I finally saved up enough leave, Dad, don’t be a spoilsport. We’re already out,” Yu Hong replied naturally.

“Having Hong Hong come out with me is rare; just be quiet, Dad. The chances to come out together will be even fewer once he’s married,” another familiar, aged female voice chimed in.

“It’s just that I feel it’s such a waste of money,” Dad complained.

“Now Hong Hong is different. Earning money won’t be a problem for him,” Mom consoled him. “Look, the weather is so nice, and it’s so open outside; let’s sing.”

“What should we sing?” Dad asked.

“The quiet village, where snow drifts down~~~”

“Under the gloomy sky, pigeons are flying…”

Thud, thud, thud.

Yu Hong opened his eyes to see the flat stone ceiling of the safety house bunker.

The ceiling, coated with black sandy metallic paint, was thick and profound.

He lay on his back on the ground next to a table, not knowing how long he had slept.

“Turns out I got the song wrong, purely because of Dad’s influence,” he sat up on the floor, mind feeling numb.

Thud, thud, thud.

The door was still being knocked on.

Yu Hong got up, glanced at the countdown timer on the box, dusted himself off, walked to the door, and slid open the peephole.

“I’m here!!” Li Rushan’s twisted, maniacally happy face appeared outside.

“My buddy’s here!! He’s brought the sunlight materials!!” His hands gripped the door, his eyes gleaming as if they were radiating light.