Night of Despair

Chapter 164: Pollution 4
 

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The black insects were still crawling around here, but their numbers were much less than on the outskirts.

It was only here that the silhouette cautiously lifted the luminous stone blanket, revealing a small, dirty face.

Lin Yiyi moved her lame leg around. The lump on her back had become tight and prickly due to the long journey, but she had long since gotten used to that.

Compared to these burdens, she was more curious about Yu Hong’s camp.

Even through the fence, she could see there was another circle of stone walls inside.

The walls weren’t high; with her height, she could barely see the scenery inside.

Three small wooden cabins surrounded a wooden pole with an electric lamp hanging from it. The bright white light radiated from the top of the pole, offering a faint sense of safety and warmth.

Even though she knew that this bit of light couldn’t really provide warmth, the warmth in her heart surged uncontrollably.

The light was also a key reason for suppressing the number of black insects nearby.

Stammering Yiyi continued forward, flipped over the fence, entered the outer courtyard, and slowly walked toward the inner courtyard.

She didn’t disturb anyone, just stopped at the side of the inner courtyard wall without going further.

Here, she could already hear the voices of the camp members inside the cabins.

An old man was teaching a little girl how to pronounce words.

Doctor Xu was gently stroking her belly, singing softly and tenderly,

Rushan was boasting to a young woman about the feats of his boss in the past. From his words, Stammering Yiyi learned that Yu Hong was the boss.

Standing by the courtyard wall, she bathed in the light, standing there for a good while.

Her purpose in coming back this trip was actually already achieved, and that was to confirm that Yu Hong was okay… as long as he was okay.

Stammering Yiyi knew that in such a desperate environment, trying to persistently investigate and find out the whereabouts of her father and grandfather, investigating the truth about her mother’s death, and finding the murderer, would be extremely dangerous.

So from the start, she only planned to quietly check the situation from outside.

If Yu Hong was in great danger, she would take him away. If he was safe… she would quietly leave on her own.

Searching for clues about her relatives was her own business; she didn’t want to involve Yu Hong.

She wouldn’t think about more complicated ideas. In fact, she couldn’t think of them. She only had one simple thought, and that was… not to implicate Yu Hong.

Just a look, then leave.

This simple idea supported Stammering Yiyi as she stood by the courtyard wall for a good while.

Unfortunately… she heard voices from inside the cabin saying that Yu Hong had gone out and hadn’t returned yet…

“Went out?” Stammering Yiyi thought to herself,

She took one last look at the camp, glanced at the bright white light, and turned around with a hint of a blessing, slowly leaving in the direction she came from.

She couldn’t let her teammates wait long; she needed to hurry back, as staying in one place for too long was inherently dangerous.

Especially since they didn’t know much about the Black Disaster situation nearby and couldn’t immediately and accurately find the gaps in the Black Disaster based on the Red Value concentration.

*

*

*

In the darkness of the night.

Yu Hong sprinted along the highway, and the black insects on the road became fewer and fewer.

Before long, he saw the burnt and charred bus again.

*Almost there.* He sighed with relief in his heart.

No matter what, the outside world never gave him the same sense of security his camp did.

Passing the bus, he ran forward a bit more and then saw the remaining two jeeps.

Then, making a turn to the side, he immediately followed a small slanted path he had cleared earlier, veering into the woodland.

In the dim forest, there were more insects than outside, but upon reaching here, Yu Hong relaxed because at this distance, the Black Wind Protection Array was already able to connect, starting up, and the black lizards were also moving into action.

They all seemed to have entered dormancy earlier, pausing all work.

Following the forest mountain path, Yu Hong returned all the way when suddenly, he halted his steps.

A black lizard gave a warning reminder; it had discovered that some non-black insect individual was moving rapidly in the nearby woods.

The direction of the movement was moving away from the camp.

*At this hour… could something really dare to move within the Black Tide??*

He felt a tinge of curiosity but didn’t intend to interfere much. As long as this thing didn’t affect the camp or attack him, with so many variants of Black Disaster, he couldn’t possibly test and investigate each one.

After all, the supplies and equipment were limited.

Watching the shadow grow further away in the black lizard’s black-and-white vision, Yu Hong accelerated, quickly heading back toward the camp.

He really wanted to go back to take a hot shower, have a hearty meal, and relax with a good sleep.

Compared to the camp cave, it was extremely mentally exhausting to have to remain on high alert outside constantly.

*Wait!* Suddenly, Yu Hong stopped.

*That figure just now…*

He recalled the shape of the silhouette that the black lizard saw.

The person seemed to run with a limp and appeared to be covered with a blanket, likely a luminous stone blanket.

A familiar feeling surged in his heart; the figure made him subconsciously think of someone.

*Is it the trickery of the shadow? Or is it….*

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

But then he thought, shadows always moved forward; there had never been a time where a shadow would use deception and then run away.

After a moment’s hesitation, Yu Hong decisively turned around and rushed toward the direction the black lizard indicated.

“No matter what, I must go have a look.”

The familiar figure suggested it might not be a shadow’s trick, not with their style of never showing the face.

So it’s likely a living person, and if it’s a living person…

A guess flashed through his mind, and Yu Hong hurried along the direction the figure disappeared into, guided by the black lizard’s perspective.

Strangely, though, within just a few minutes of pursuing, he lost track of the individual.

That person seemed to vanish all of a sudden, as if sensing the black lizard tracking them, disappearing quickly into the woodland mist.

Splat.

Yu Hong stopped beneath the big tree that person had just passed and crouched down to gently touch the small footprints left behind on the ground.

He lost the trail.

He stood up and, for the first time, felt that perhaps he should learn some tracking skills.

All along, he’d been relying on his physical speed, thinking he could solve any problem that way, but reality had taught him a lesson.

Checking the black lizard’s vision on the spot, there really were no traces of that person anymore. Neither he nor the black lizard could find that person’s tracks.

With disappointment, Yu Hong had to return to the camp.

“Yu, Hong!!”

He had just turned around when suddenly a familiar voice called from behind him.

Yu Hong spun around, looking into the depths of the mist.

There, a small figure wrapped in a luminous stone blanket stood quietly on the fallen leaves, looking up at him.

“You….!?” Yu Hong subconsciously took a few steps forward, immediately pulling a Radiation Hand Grenade from his pocket.

Buzz!

The invisible negative-value radiation exploded, covering a ten-meter area around them.

In an instant, large areas of black insects dissolved and disappeared, the negative value in the environment dropping to over seven thousand, then slowly rising.

Centered around them, a temporary circular vacuum area formed.

“Yiyi?!” Yu Hong stepped closer and finally saw clearly, under the moonlight, the pair of black eyes clear as gems.

“I… thought it was someone else chasing me!” Stammering Yiyi wiped the sweat off her forehead and said helplessly.

“You are really Yiyi??” Yu Hong became slightly excited, stepping forward and placing his hands on her shoulders.

Then.

Splat.

He lifted her high, turning her this way and that in the moonlight, examining her closely.

“This lump, this face, it really is you! Not an illusion.”

A smile unconsciously spread across his face beneath the helmet.

“Seeing you safe is good enough.” Lin Yiyi flailed and tried to get down, but was surprised to find that her strength seemed a bit less than Yu Hong’s???

What was going on??

How long had it been? What had happened to Yu Hong’s body?? What had he been eating?? Could it be that he too had undergone full-body enhancement??

Lin Yiyi was a bit dazed. Being turned and examined thoroughly made her temporarily forget to speak.

“Looks like you still have all your limbs.” After checking her over, Yu Hong nodded and smiled. “I was planning to hire people to find you, but you came back on your own. It’s perfect. Now that you’re back, don’t leave. I’ve got everything set up nicely here—water, electricity; we’re never in want of food. We can live very safely.”

“I need to… find my family.” Lin Yiyi struggled free and jumped down, speaking seriously. “I need to find my father… my grandfather! And, the one who murdered my mom!”

She stressed earnestly, particularly enunciating the last two words forcefully.

“….” Yu Hong’s smile froze on his face.

He was silent for a moment.

“Where will you search? How can you search alone in such a dangerous place? Come back to the camp. We can hire people to investigate outside. If we find more people, it’ll be much faster than you going alone.”

The outside was increasingly dangerous, and he didn’t want his best friend to take that risk.

“I’m working on research now, creating a lot of good things. We can use those to trade with people, hiring many people to investigate.” He urged her.

“…. This is my affair!” Lin Yiyi said seriously and loudly.

“My affair!”

She raised her head to look at Yu Hong.

“I want to! Find my dad! Grandpa! Mom!”

“Yiyi…” Yu Hong spoke again.

“I’m not afraid!” Lin Yiyi repeated. “If you want to help me, then… don’t try to dissuade me!”

“….” Yu Hong fell silent.

He recognized her determination. He had seen it when she saved him alone—that she was someone who, once determined, would see it through.

Wasn’t that why she’d saved him back then, because of this very character?

“If you stay, I might come up with a cure for your ailments.” he said softly.

“I want to go!” Lin Yiyi stubbornly replied. “If I don’t go now, it might be too late! The air… is getting worse.”

“…” Yu Hong was left without a word.

He finally understood how Doctor Xu felt back then.

Knowing full well the danger her actions would bring upon herself, but no matter how he tried to persuade, she wouldn’t listen.

Doctor Xu’s approach at the time was to support Yu, albeit reluctantly.

And now….

He reached out, removing the Radiation Hand Grenades from his body, handing them over all at once.

“Alright, I won’t persuade you, but I have these small things. I hope you can take them before you go, as they might be of some good help.”

“Also… my place is relatively safe. If you need any supplies, you can come to this camp to resupply. Say what you will, if you encounter danger, I can help you resist most of it here.”

“Will that work?” he asked in a low tone.

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