Night of Despair

Chapter 162: Pollution 160
 

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With the stone castle, a large isolation space could be created, and the external air, once filtered and replaced inside, would avoid the huge problems caused by air pollution.

Yu Hong estimated that the main reason he hadn’t been coughing was probably because he had been staying in the cave for a long time, and his physical condition was far superior to others.

Time was of the essence; to solve the air monitoring problem, he needed to find some air detection devices first.

They certainly weren’t available in the camp.

Just as well, he also planned to go out and test the specific radiation lethality of Inner Qi and see if the camp’s array would fail again like the luminous grass once he left.

Not wasting any more time, Yu Hong returned to the cave, put on his gear and weapons, and left the camp immediately without notifying Old Zhou and the others. He sped ahead, rushing toward the nearest town.

The town had long been abandoned, with no living person in sight; everyone had migrated to the original Baihe City, but most of Baihe City’s population also relocated, only to have the city overrun before they could fully evacuate.

*He wondered how many of those who went to the town were still alive.*

Yu Hong chose not to drive but to run on foot.

His speed now was not slower than an average driving speed. Maintaining a steady pace of sixty to seventy kilometers per hour, he quickly made his way through the woods to the nearest highway lane.

By then, he was already roughly a kilometer away from the camp.

Thud.

Yu Hong’s boots made contact on the road surface as he glanced at the two jeeps parked by the roadside.

A thin white frost had faintly formed on the surface of the vehicles.

He walked up to them and wiped with his hand, instantly covering his glove in white powder.

The powder soon melted under his body heat.

Sigh.

Yu Hong exhaled, his breath jetting out from the sides of his breathing valve.

He looked at the road, determining the direction to the town.

Then…

Thud.

Suddenly, he put on a burst of speed and sprinted on the road surface.

In the sound of his pounding footsteps, he quickly disappeared into the fog, rushing toward the direction away from the camp.

Soon enough, as Yu Hong kept running, he suddenly felt the Black Mark on the back of his hand tremble.

In his mind, the two marks connecting him to the camp severed abruptly, vanishing without a trace.

The two marks respectively represented the Black Wind protective array and the Black Lizard Sentinel.

*He wondered if the arrays and the Black Lizard on the other side would maintain their previous operations without these connections.*

*Thankfully, they had just repelled the high-risk Black Disaster, and the camp’s surroundings were relatively safe. They had the Concealing Symbol and the Pyroxene Secret Room effect to evade threats, so if they were cautious, it shouldn’t be a big issue. All he needed to do was return quickly.*

Having determined the impact of distance on the marks, Yu Hong quickly turned around and sped back toward the camp.

This time, he accelerated, and it wasn’t long before he was sprinting all the way back to the vicinity of the camp.

He quickly briefed Old Zhou about the precautions after his departure.

“Did anything change when I left the camp just now?” he asked.

“Changes? Uh… didn’t notice, though two shadows appeared around, which weren’t there before, but were driven off by the whirlpool talisman array in the camp’s log cabin. Boss, you remember you made that whirlpool talisman array over the windows and doors there, right?” Li Rushan replied.

“As long as there isn’t an issue, that’s fine. While I’m away, try to stay inside the house, and we can talk when I return. Many devices in the camp require me to maintain their operation. Remember that,” Yu Hong understood.

Clearly, it was because the bonded marks stopped functioning after he left, allowing shadows to start entering the camp.

Previously, shadows couldn’t even approach the secondary safe zone as they would be taken down by the Black Lizard. It was impossible for them to enter the inner courtyard of the camp.

“Understood!” Old Li nodded, “Boss, make it fast; Old Zhou’s hand has almost healed enough to do some work. We’ll start by looking for flat stones together. Cough, cough…”

He coughed a bit more, with a slight phlegm sound in his voice.

“Alright.” Yu Hong frowned, realizing the urgency.

*Otherwise, who knows what problems air pollution might cause in the future.*

“I can help, too.” Ding Shao came over, coughing softly twice.

“Alright, follow Old Li’s arrangements,” Yu Hong thought it shouldn’t be a big issue for Old Li to handle Ding Shao.

Moreover, since he didn’t open the cave, it wouldn’t matter if problems arose; he’d correct them upon returning.

“Be careful on your way.”

With their reminders, he quickly turned and left the camp, venturing into layers upon layers of gray fog.

This time, without hesitation, he controlled the Black Lizard accompanying him, running toward the town at its maximum speed of about sixty kilometers per hour.

Thud, thud, thud.

In the woods, his footsteps gradually faded until they completely disappeared into the mist, barely audible.

*

*

*

More than ten kilometers away from the Black Wind Camp.

Inside a military multi-purpose troop carrier driving along the highway, the sound of incessant coughing filled the vehicle.

Xue Ningning sat in the driver’s seat, driving the vehicle along its path.

The others were in the back seat, with Fang Shijun ready to take over driving while resting with his eyes closed.

Chen Qiaosheng compared maps, occasionally giving directions. Without satellite navigation, someone had to monitor the map to ensure they stayed on course.

Of course, the downside was the lack of navigation, but the upside was they could reverse on the highway without fearing accidents if they took a wrong turn.

“Cough… cough…” Ou Li sat in the middle of the vehicle, weaving new trousers from dry grass while glancing at Stammering Yiyi, who was dozing off.

“Why is it that everyone’s coughing except you?” she couldn’t understand. Although reinforced people’s bodies were better, even Captain Xue and Fang Shijun were coughing, progressing similarly to ordinary people.

Everyone started with mild coughs, then severe ones, and now there’s phlegm present in their voices.

“I… don’t… know…” Stammering Yiyi shook her head.

“The air detectors indicated that particulate matter has increased significantly lately, so we need to get ready to use air purification machines and find a sealed safe house,” Xue Ningning said, enduring the irritation in her throat.

“Then let’s head to the nearest abandoned town; the air conditioning store there should have air purifiers,” Fang Shijun suggested.

“I’m fine… you guys, go find the, machines. I’ll go, check on, Yu Hong,” Stammering Yiyi said, brokenly.

*She had always been worried about Yu Hong and intended to go back and check on him this time, to see how he was doing. If he wasn’t doing well, she’d take him along. If he was okay, she’d feel at ease going to investigate the clues at Black Tree Village.*

“It’s too dangerous for you to go alone, cough, cough… I’ll come… with you,” Chen Xinji, one of the only two males in the group, offered.

“I’ll go too,” Chen Qiaosheng added.

“You might as well stay back; going there might mean Yiyi would have to protect you,” Ou Li quipped sarcastically. “I support Yiyi going to find that Yu Hong; the last time we handed in the reinforced detector, it was something Yu Hong modified. If we could get another from him, it would be a huge help in going to Black Tree Village.”

They had all agreed to go with Yiyi to Black Tree Village to investigate the secret of her grandfather and father’s disappearance.

*Most importantly, An’an had discovered that the first outbreak of Black Disaster in the country was at Black Tree Village.*

“I’ll go… alone, it’s fine,” Yiyi said softly. “Actually, as long as I don’t… make a sound, I won’t… encounter any, danger.”

At these words, everyone fell silent.

A few days ago, they had witnessed Yiyi hiding in a corner. When she remained completely still, a shadow passed her by without attacking her.

“In that case, Yiyi going alone does seem most appropriate; let’s gather supplies and gear, cough, cough… and prepare them for her,” Xue Ningning decided. “She should make a quick trip back and forth.”

“Alright!” Everyone agreed, knowing this was the best arrangement.

“Once the vehicle reaches the spot closest to Baiqiu Village, Yiyi will get off,” Captain Xue stated firmly. “We’ll wait for you there in the vehicle.”

“Alright!” Yiyi nodded strongly.

*

*

*

On the long, winding highway.

Distorted cracks spread across the gray-white surface.

The sky was dim.

A hulking gray-black silhouette ran quickly along the road, stepping rhythmically with his boots against the ground.

Soon, the figure gradually slowed down and came to a stop.

“That place… is even darker…” Yu Hong looked at Huafeng City, which he had passed by before.

The buildings, skyscrapers there were now completely covered in a layer of pitch-black slime.

Strings of black, web-like slime connected the buildings to one another.

The entire city lay in silence without human voices or monsters; even the fog seemed swallowed and absorbed, leaving the surrounding air exceptionally clear.

Yu Hong continued forward, and soon arrived at the place where he had previously dealt with that fully transformed reinforced person.

The traces of battle left by that guy were still there, the pits, cracks, and impact marks on the ground remained untouched.

Sigh…

Yu Hong exhaled white mist from the sides of his breathing valve.

He withdrew his gaze and rushed forward again.

More than twenty minutes later.

Abandoned residential buildings began appearing on both sides of the road, built by rural residents.

The two or three-story small buildings stood isolated and dilapidated on the roadside, projecting eeriness and deathly silence.

The overgrown weeds in fields on both sides were even more plentiful and taller than before.

Yu Hong did not stop, glancing at the sky, he rushed forward faster.

Soon, the buildings along the roadside became denser, leading him to a sloping street.

Shops and small buildings stood silent on either side.

After a while, he stopped next to a building, glancing at the entrance.

The steps still bore some leftover firearms and weapons, along with two sets of women’s empty clothes.

*This was the spot where he encountered those robbers last time.*

He continued forward and soon crossed a stone bridge.

Then he suddenly halted.

In front of him, gray mist covered the road, where dozens of bulletproof suits lay scattered.

The suits, helmets, weapons, and waist packs were intact, sprawled on the ground like living beings.

But…

Yu Hong kicked a nearby suit and the helmet rolled away, revealing an empty interior.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed when he noticed a familiar suit and weapon…

He quickly moved closer and recognized the weapon.

*It belonged to Langfeng’s team.*

Yu Hong crouched down, picking up the suit and shaking it. Inside he found a small brown wallet.

Opening it, he saw a clear photograph of Langfeng and a red-haired girl. The rest were silver coins and a United Military officer identification card.

Standing up, Yu Hong sighed. He could now confirm that Langfeng, who had supplied him with substantial resources last time, and his team had probably…

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