Night of Despair

Soon, the stutterer returned, bringing back a small package of dried vegetables, seemingly dried ferns stored for preservation.

The two of them again filtered some water in the cabin using a wooden barrel, considering it storage for the high tide period.

The next day, early in the morning, the stutterer went out to gather firewood, as today's tasks were crucial, with the high tide period only two days away.

They needed to make all the preparations.

After the stutterer left, Yu Hong went alone to the safehouse in the cave to check everything.

After confirming everything was in order, he picked up the bag of enhanced dried meat.

The dried meat was divided into several small bags, each opened individually when needed to prevent moisture.

Each bag contained only ten small pieces.

At this time, the light outside illuminated the inside of the cave brightly.

The light mainly came from a small mirror placed at the entrance for ventilation. The original cave was quite dark, even if it was sunny outside, it was still chilly and dim inside.

But now, the reflection from the mirror greatly improved the environment of the cave.

Yu Hong took out the moisture-absorbing charcoal from the corner, placed it outside to dry under the sun, then closed the door and picked up the bag of enhanced dried meat.

On the outside of the gray cloth bag of dried meat, there was a series of numbers: 0 days, 0 hours, 5 minutes.

"Almost there..."

Yu Hong sat down with some anticipation, quietly waiting.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Rustle.

Suddenly, a faint noise came from outside, like grass being disturbed.

Yu Hong's face changed slightly as he quickly stood up and walked to the cave entrance to look out through the peephole.

The crudely made peephole, smooth on the edges, had only a narrow slit to see outside.

But at least it allowed a basic view in all directions.

The reinforced wooden door was now much better than before.

At the edge detail, many reinforcements were added, and the material looked much harder.

Only the stutterer, with his intellectual deficits, didn't notice the change in the door. With no one else nearby, the changes to the door could remain concealed.

The rustling sound came again from outside.

It was very soft this time, as if the other party realized they were too loud.

Yu Hong stood at the window, carefully listening and looking.

He just saw two men in camouflage, their clothes torn and dirty.

The two men crossed the wild grass at a distance and glanced at the path in the woods.

These days, Yu Hong and the stutterer often traveled here, forming a trail through the grass.

Seeing the two men stop, Yu Hong's heart sank, knowing they had spotted the trail.

Soon.

The two started looking around in all directions, searching for something.

They followed the trail to the open space in front of the cave's safehouse door.

Standing more than ten meters away from the door, the two men hesitated and stood still, waiting quietly.

Yu Hong also stayed still and silent.

He was waiting to see what they would do.

Standing at the peephole, he had a clear 180-degree view of the outside.

On the dark green sloping grass, the two men looked up at the cave.

One was a frail adult man with yellowish skin.

The other appeared older, around thirty or forty, much sturdier, with a machete hanging at his waist.

After waiting a while outside the cave, confirming there was no movement or perhaps judging that they couldn't open the door, they slowly walked away.

Their figures gradually disappeared into the woods.

Yu Hong then breathed a sigh of relief.

In this environment, where danger was everywhere and resources were scarce, encountering strangers made him think of vigilance first, not seeking help or greeting.

"It's almost the high tide period, these two men likely know it. They aren't like me, not newcomers here suddenly. They must know many things.

So, knowing the high tide period is only two days away and still wandering around with weapons... it's obvious what these two men are up to, no need to guess."

Yu Hong stepped back and returned inside the cave.

Only then did he notice that the enhanced dried meat he had been waiting for had already finished.

His eyes lit up as he bent down to pick up the meat bag from the ground.

Now the bag, surprisingly, looked quite different from before.

Initially, the bag was grayish-white with a faded cartoon rabbit printed on it.

That rabbit had large front teeth and two long ears standing high, dressed in a black leather jacket.

It was Mountain Bandit Rabbit, the stutterer's favorite cartoon character.

All their bags were these Mountain Bandit Rabbit packaging bags, just worn out over time, as the rabbit picture was merely some kind of glued print.

Previously used for the dried meat, it was a Mountain Bandit Rabbit bag.

But now, after enhancement.

Yu Hong held the bag, looking at the neatly printed label outside.

"High-Energy Protein Bars"

Below were some detailed descriptions.

"One bar provides calories needed for one day! Rich in microelements essential for the human body, with a fast-acting combination to replenish energy needs. Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, dietary fiber..."

The description was exceedingly comprehensive, including ingredient lists, manufacturing process, and a one-year shelf life—all accounted for, except for the manufacturer.

Holding the bag of dried meat, Yu Hong fell silent for a moment.

"This enhancement... seems to be directly using a standard template to perfect the original item."

He slightly frowned, remembering the recently enhanced wooden door, the previous luminous stone, and now the bag of dried meat, a subtle idea formed in his mind.

Rip.

He swiftly opened the packaging bag.

The bag was still made of cloth, but inside there was also a layer of sealed paper, utilizing the structure of the sealing strip to keep the interior dry.

He reached into the bag and pulled out a piece of jerky.

Yu Hong carefully examined it.

The jerky at this moment was different from before.

Previously, it was a dusty gray showing a slight black color, and it was irregularly cut, obviously a handmade product.

But now, the jerky was a whole rectangle, with soft edges, and sprinkled with some white sesame seeds on the surface.

It smelled full of meaty fragrance, with a hint of sweetness.

Yu Hong forcefully broke off a small piece and stuffed it into his mouth.

Instantly, his expression changed, his entire face scrunched up.

Sweet!

Too sweet!

No wonder one piece could last a day's worth, no wonder it had a shelf life of up to a year.

"If it were before, I would disdain it, but now, this concentration of sugar is actually a good thing."

Although it tasted awful, Yu Hong felt much better.

A small bag of jerky before could at most cover him and stutterer for two meals, but now, this bag could last at least five days.

The food problem was solved at once!

The Black Mark brought him a great surprise.

Although he still needed to test the specific effects to see if one piece really could last a day.

But judging by the sweetness, Yu Hong thought it shouldn't be a problem.

He stuffed the whole protein bar into his mouth, chewed a few times and gobbled it down, then drank a big gulp of water, soon feeling full in his stomach.

"The result of the jerky enhancement is there, then the others..." Yu Hong's gaze quickly fell on the water glass.

Drinking water was the most troubling issue since he came here.

That smell truly made every sip of water a form of torture.

"If only I could enhance the filtration system.... Unfortunately, there's only one... Stutterer definitely won't let me mess with it."

He picked up the high-energy protein bar and walked to the wooden door, pondering for a moment, he suddenly thought of something.

"This place is all woodland, with lush trees, and trees and weeds need water most, so where does their water come from?"

The thought had just surfaced and was stuck in his mind, rolling over and over.

Coming back to his senses, he turned his head to look at the items in the cave.

Then his gaze fell on the water cup.

The wooden water cup immediately showed a number on the outside: '3 days'.

"No time... switch to another one." Yu Hong's gaze swept around and quickly fell on the candle.

The upcoming surge period was a test for every survivor, among which candles were of the utmost importance.

Because it related to how long they could resist the Blood Tide insects during the Black Disaster.

The arm-thick candle was given to him by Stutterer, the wax was yellowish-brown and about as long as a pencil, and only a quarter had been used so far.

Now Yu Hong's gaze fell on it, and immediately a new enhancement number appeared: 1 hour 12 minutes.

"Such a short time? Might as well try." Yu Hong's heart stirred, he walked over, picked up the candle, and held it in his hand.

"Enhance the tree oil candle?" The query came again.

"Yes." Yu Hong affirmed in his mind.

This time was just a little over an hour, he didn't wait long, it was almost done.

Sitting in the cave, Yu Hong held the candle, his eyes unblinkingly fixed on it.

The time on it was only left with the last minute.

He carefully observed, wanting to see exactly how the enhancement appeared and occurred.

Very quickly.

Puff.

Suddenly, the whole candle blurred for a moment, then quickly became clear again.

The original yellow candle had turned into a brand-new white candle with a brass casing.

"It even comes with a fixture?" Yu Hong was surprised.

The enhancement by Black Mark gave him a strong sense of concept.

That is, the enhancement does not follow the principle of conservation of mass— the items before and after enhancement might contain very different contents.

Just like the candle before enhancement, which only had wax and a wick, but the candle after enhancement...

He picked up the new candle, it was still as thick as an arm, but wrapped with a brass material windbreak structure. The top even had a little bowl to collect smoke, linked to the brass base.

Pity the size hadn't changed.

"Interesting... then can the enhanced items be enhanced again?"

Yu Hong pondered in his heart, looking at the brass light fixture candle, trying again.

Unfortunately, there was no response.

He looked down at the Black Mark on his hand, still no fluctuations.

"Can it only be enhanced once, or does it need some conditions?"

Leaving this question in his mind, he looked outside, it was already noon.

The light was also at its strongest.

His gaze then fell on the dirty quilt.

The thought of enhancing it came up, and instantly a huge black number appeared on the quilt: 1 day 0 hours 56 minutes.

Thinking about it, he then looked at an axe resting against the wall, previously used for chopping wood.

A black number appeared on the axe: 3 hours 12 minutes.

"It seems all things can be enhanced, then..." Yu Hong looked down at his own body.

"Can I enhance myself?"

He wrestled with the thought in his mind, intently staring at himself.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Thirty seconds.