Night of Despair

Chapter 59: Hope Three

Pyroxene Ore Mine.

In a canyon not far from the stone house of the post office, several natural stone wall caves were quietly embedded in the gray and white mountain walls, surrounded by vines, green grass, and dead leaves.

A few scattered birds perched on the dried vines above the caves, screaming shrilly.

As evening approached, a tall figure slowly emerged from one of the caves.

The figure was dressed in a full set of black bulletproof gear, the thick armor pushing his height from about 1.7 meters to nearly 1.8 meters.

Beneath the helmet were pure gray goggles and a pitch-black metal filter mask, from which breathing sounds continuously emanated.

“It’s rare to see birds,” the figure looked up at the birds outside the cave.

The three birds on the dried vines hopped a few times and looked down at him too.

All three birds had gray-brown feathers, dirty all over, their feathers even knotted, with dried blood remaining on their pale yellow sharp beaks.

“Has the environment become so abnormal that even the birds are not normal?” the figure sighed, looking down at the ‘Red Value’ starting to change on his collar, the data fluctuating between twenty and forty.

This was just at the entrance of the mine, and it wasn’t like this just now. But now…

Holding the bag of luminous stones, Yu Hong knew that this rare sighting of three birds likely indicated a problem.

The cheerfulness he initially felt at seeing the birds slowly subsided in his heart.

“What in this world is normal anymore?”

Holding the luminous stones, he no longer looked upwards but took big strides toward the direction of his return.

The Pyroxene Ore Mine had nothing unusual—a very normal scene with no shadows, no black worms, no plants, pure and clean.

But the only problem was radiation.

He dared not stay long because according to the experimental records obtained by Jenny, the radiation from the luminous stones indeed could make a person stupid.

Carrying a large bag full of luminous stones, Yu Hong hurried along the mountain path through the forest.

Soon, twenty minutes later, the sky was about to completely darken.

The outline of the cave ahead was dimly visible.

Yu Hong sped up his steps. In such a dangerous environment, seeing the safe and warm cave that could shelter him from the wind and rain naturally sparked an urge in him to hurry back and rest.

‘I’ll start a fire when I get back, the temperature difference between day and night is getting bigger, and recently there’s been more moisture in the cave. If the solar power is usable and I can get some electric lights, it would be much more comfortable.’

He thought about heading to Li Rushan’s to pre-order light bulbs and wires, which were very cheap. He had also inquired about them the last time they traded goods; the real challenge was the generator needed to light the bulbs.

Solar generators were truly difficult to obtain. It was said that the main factory producing them, due to several large-scale terrorist attacks, had suffered many worker deaths and machinery damage. The previously decent production had halted abruptly. Now, they were urgently looking for a new location to rebuild, and with a shortage in raw materials, it wouldn’t be possible to resume production anytime soon.

So now, good solar panels were in short supply.

Thinking of this, Yu Hong felt even more fortunate, glad that he had the Black Mark to enhance his abilities, otherwise…

He returned to the cave, stepping over the earthen mound in the courtyard and entering the grassy yard filled with luminous stones.

Entering there, the LCD display on his collar rapidly showed a negative ‘Red Value’.

Feeling as though he was surrounded by a sense of security, Yu Hong’s mood relaxed further as he walked to the wooden door and reached for his keys, aiming them at the keyhole.

Snap.

A crisp sound as a powerful force precisely struck the key from the side.

The key flew out and fell onto the grass.

Yu Hong was also stunned for a moment, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

He only felt a tremor in his hand as the key was forcibly ripped away.

‘What was that?’

‘The key was knocked away by something!?’

In a second, he swiftly snapped out of his daze, his body tensed, letting go of the bag of luminous stones, and grabbing the Wolf Fang Club.

But by then, a new change had already occurred.

“Thud, thud, thud.”

Simultaneous with the key being struck away, rapid stomping sounds came from behind.

The sound was fast!

So fast that from hearing it to it closing in took only two seconds.

And in those two seconds, all Yu Hong had time to do was swiftly turn around, tighten his grip on the Wolf Fang Club, and try to assess the situation.

His lack of professional training was still apparent.

In the moment after he turned around, without seeing anything clearly…

A shadow, large as a black bear, swiftly closed in, elbow locked around his neck, a massive force combined with impact slammed him hard against the wooden door.

Bang! @@novelbin@@

The wooden door shook, and Yu Hong felt something tightly grabbing his neck. If not for the tough alloy plates of his suit, he might have been unable to breathe by now.

Even so, a strong force was already emanating from both sides of his neck, the opponent attempting to swiftly restrain him and knock him unconscious.

This was a particularly dangerous area on the human body; once grabbed correctly, it could make a person pass out in seconds.

This was not an issue of blood circulation but rather a forced stimulation of the body’s own nerve mechanisms. Hence, it was also one of the common lethal moves in many ground combat systems.

The opponent’s strength was surprisingly huge, forcefully locking onto Yu Hong’s neck and dragging him down the stone steps.

The two fell onto the grass, crushing a small area of luminous stone grass in the courtyard.

Thump, thump, thump!

Yu Hong frantically slapped at the arm holding him, but to no avail; his strength was far inferior to his opponent’s.

Fortunately, the enhanced suit provided excellent protection for his neck. The alloy plates firmly blocked the grip, and aside from being unable to move, there was no immediate danger.

Suddenly, Yu Hong’s expression dramatically changed. Through the goggles, he saw a metal tool with a curved hook, held in a sturdy hand, rapidly stabbing toward the filter device of his mask.

The mask itself was alloy bulletproof, but the only flaw was the ventilation filter valves on the sides.

At this moment, the opponent’s target was clearly the filter valves.

The protection there was standard material, just covered with a layer of steel wire mesh on the outside, far less strong than other parts. If the metal tool penetrated, the entire protective system of the mask would be completely compromised.

Unfortunately, Yu Hong’s strength was not enough to break free from the opponent’s grip.

After a muffled bang, a filter valve was punctured. The slightly chilly air outside surged into the mask, causing his facial pores to tighten suddenly.

“I can’t go on like this!”

A strong sense of threat surged into his heart.

Yu Hong immediately mobilized his Inner Qi, and his body’s strength burst forth with full force.

Ah!!!

He bellowed aloud, his continuous physical power enabling him to fiercely smash backwards with his club.

This smash was aimed at the head of an attacker behind him.

The Wolf Fang Club was swung with all his might, not even caring about potential collateral damage.

Yu Hong bet his helmet was far tougher than his opponent’s!

Bang!

A dull sound.

The Wolf Fang Club struck the edge of his own helmet, missing the target.

That meant the assailant had let go.

Yu Hong indeed felt the immense force on his neck vanish, and his body relaxed all at once.

He hurriedly scrambled to his feet, took a couple of steps forward, and turned around to look behind him.

Bang!!

Before he could stabilize, his chest was struck heavily by another collision.

The exterior of his ballistic suit was deeply gashed by something unknown.

The immense impact made him stagger backward several steps, his head spinning, unable to focus his vision for a moment.

Unfortunately, the opponent didn’t wait for him to recover, but took the opportunity to sprint closer and delivered a punch straight to the head.

Bang!

Yu Hong was hit so hard he nearly lifted off the ground, falling backwards heavily onto the ground.

In the Pyroxene Ore Mine courtyard.

At that moment, two tall figures, both clad in bulletproof suits, one in a camouflage suit, landed a heavy punch on the chin of a figure in a black suit.

The powerful punch sent the opponent slightly airborne, falling backward.

“Strong protection, but it’s a pity… it’s worn by a useless person.” White Python Guo Xudong flexed his right fist and quickly rushed toward Yu Hong, who was trying to get up again.

Bang!

A sharp kick landed brutally on Yu Hong’s abdomen.

The tremendous impact sent him flying and crashing into a dirt hillock behind him.

“That’s enough.” Guo Xudong, looking at Yu Hong who could no longer stand, drew a slender, high-strength rope from behind his waist and slowly walked over.

For him, the difficulty of this task was supposed to lie in the unknown dangers around, the rest seemingly not challenging.

Approaching, he suddenly brought his knee up, lunging it toward Yu Hong’s head with a knee strike.

Bang!

The knee strike hit the target squarely, but to his surprise, it didn’t hit the chin but the chest instead.

Moreover, the hard alloy plate on the opponent’s chest actually made his knee ache from the block.

Even though he was also wearing a bulletproof suit equipped with knee pads!

“This guy still has strength!?” After being entangled for so long, where both struggled with their strength, such direct confrontation drained both of their physical strength greatly, yet now, this guy unexpectedly…

Surprised by the opponent’s stamina, Guo Xudong struck at the wrong spot, quickly side-stepped to gain distance. This also conveniently avoided an explosive punch from the opponent.

He circled to his opponent’s back, his right hand flashing a sharp dagger, and slashed at his back.

Rip! The blade was blocked.

Guo Xudong wasn’t surprised, he was just looking for a weak spot in the opponent’s protective suit.

For a time, his movements light and rapid, he circled around Yu Hong, with knife, fist, and leg strikes raining down like heavy artillery on Yu Hong.

The difference in their combat awareness was too great, with Guo Xudong almost treating Yu Hong as a mere target for his beating.

Bang bang bang bang bang!!

In the courtyard, like two billiard balls, one active and constantly rolling and striking, the other passive, being helplessly knocked around everywhere.

Soon, a glint of brightness passed through Guo Xudong’s eyes beneath the helmet.

He seemed to have found a weak spot in the opponent’s suit!

The sturdy alloy plates and ceramic pieces indeed provided strong protection, but large alloy plates also similarly restricted the opponent’s movement fluidity and continuity.

Slightly larger movements would be hindered by the friction of the alloy plates, reducing speed and strength.

So…

The opponent’s weakness was flexibility!

Use joint techniques!

Guo Xudong instantly found a strategy; a bulletproof suit, no matter what, couldn’t restrict joint movements, otherwise the wearer would become a zombie.

So as long as joints could still move, and there was range and space for movement, joint techniques could be used to directly incapacitate the opponent’s mobility.

He discarded the dagger in his hand, circled half around, made a dash, a direct kick.

Bang!

This kick landed squarely on the opponent’s side waist, sending him flying several meters, falling to the ground.

“It’s over.” Guo Xudong took two quick strides, lunged into a jump, and his elbow in a free fall smashed onto the opponent’s back.

His body weight of over two hundred sixty pounds, combined with the downward force of acceleration, made a heavy impact centered on the elbow tip, instantly dulling Yu Hong’s whole body.

Even with the bulletproof suit mitigating some impact, such blunt force was incomparable to bullets and stab wounds.

Bang!

Yu Hong lay on the ground, his right wrist seized, twisted backward in a reverse grip, and held firmly.

His forearm was pinned against his back by a knee from behind, immobile.

Fortunately, the reinforced suit, even against reverse joint techniques, had some high-strength ceramic pieces restricting it.

His forearm was pressed down, his left hand pinned to the ground, unable to turn over, leaving him in a prone position on the ground, unable to move.