Night of Despair

Gradually, Yu Hong began to feel his body heat up, with sweat lightly emerging all over. He struggled to move his arms, merging them with the rest of his body's movements.

In his mind, he also visualized the chart for the Training Method.

Unconsciously, his body grew more and more fatigued, more and more weary.

This sensation lasted only a few minutes before, suddenly!

A thread of extremely fine and faint cool air appeared in the soles of his feet.

It seemed as if the cool air had formed from many tiny particles within his body, converging together.

Yu Hong could distinctly feel countless itchy small points gathering around the soles of his feet, finally forming that wisp of cool air.

His feet kept running, but the soles began to continuously emit a cool flow of air.

That airflow slowly moved upwards, naturally flowing into his groin with the motion of his running, then to his waist, his chest, and finally his head.

Two streams of cool air converged into a mass at the top of his head and flowed down the back of his skull, quickly returning to the soles of his feet, forming two perfect circles.

Strangely, when the two streams of cool air completed their first large circuit, Yu Hong felt a sudden chill throughout his body, and the previous tiredness was greatly alleviated.

After a short while, he stopped to add wood to the fireplace and also concentrated on feeling the nuances of the Advanced Physical Training Method.

That night, there were no Big Skin battering against the door, only a massive influx of black insects, seemingly endless.

Without realizing it, daylight broke.

Yu Hong ceased his movements, glanced at the enhancing bed, and began to clean up the ashes, eat, drink water, relieve himself, and so forth.

After waiting a while longer, he listened to the radio, and the time for enhancement finally arrived.

Standing beside the quilt, Yu Hong quietly watched as the countdown slowly reached zero.

Swoosh!!

In an instant, there was a momentary distortion.

The entire stinky blanket blurred, then quickly became clear.

What appeared before Yu Hong's eyes was no longer just a blanket.

It was a large grey and white sleeping bag with a zippered hood!

The material had changed from a simple quilt to an unknown type of thin substance that Yu Hong pinched between his fingers.

It was soft and gentle, and carried a scent akin to a fragrance, probably designed to repel insects.

"If only I had plenty of water for bathing..." Yu Hong surveyed the now much more comfortable cave compared to the beginning.

"How can I get a large amount of water?" That was a difficult problem.

The simple water source for survival was sufficient, but for a large quantity of water, he feared only wells and streams could solve the issue.

'Right, since everything can be enhanced, what about wells? Can wells be enhanced too!?' A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Pressing this idea into his heart, he drank a cup of water, stood up, and took out a small bag of jerky, which was the most cost-effective to enhance when idle.

One small bag containing ten pieces, with only 1 day and 8 hours of enhancement, could yield protein bars that would last for ten days. That was far better compared to the two or three days they could last before enhancement.

For the following two consecutive days, Yu Hong did not leave; instead, he focused on training his body in the cave.

Protein bars mixed with mushrooms and wild vegetables were his daily meals.

He cooked a pot of soup with water, saving even the time it took to boil water.

In the blink of an eye, the six-day peak period finally passed.

On the last day, two Big Skins charged at the door but were stopped by the door that had been repaired and reinforced again.

It was a close call with no real danger.

Only then did this small safe house truly serve its purpose of ensuring safety.

After the peak period, Yu Hong calculated the remaining food; all the jerky had been enhanced into protein bars, totaling twenty-six sticks, in addition to dry mushrooms and wild vegetables.

Yu Hong had also enhanced similar nutrient bars with the Black Mark, which according to the instructions, one per day could ensure a full replenishment of trace elements as well as dietary fiber and more.

Wild vegetables were plentiful in the forest and were not lacking; the main concerns were the jerky and water.

After the peak period, Yu Hong spent his days wandering in the forest looking for streams and his nights doing body training, practicing the Advanced Physical Training Method, and resting by the fireplace.

Life became simple and rhythmic.

Occasionally, shadows would visit, but they would be repelled by the Large Pyroxene Stone.

In fact, Yu Hong preferred the name Large Pyroxene Stone given by the town's joint forces to the name for the enhanced pyroxene; he thus officially named it so.

And so, the days passed by quietly, one after another.

In the blink of an eye, twenty days passed.

Food supplies in the safe house were running low, with only six protein bars left, prompting the need for replenishment.

Thud.

Yu Hong closed the door, holding a black metal Wolf Fang Club in his hand, and looked around the surroundings.

The months of training had made his body slightly fleshier. He was not as thin as before.

And his eyes were filled with more vigor, slightly sharper.

Most importantly, in these days, he had also been busy with other tasks. For one, the steel-nail pyroxene club he held had been enhanced into a new weapon that was harder, lighter, and had a concealed compartment for pyroxene.

The Wolf Fang Club even had a non-slip hand strap that could be tied to the arm to prevent it from falling off.

Three pieces of Large Pyroxene Stone were quietly hidden in three compartments in the middle of the club and could not be found without opening the switch.

In addition, the dark green anti-stab suit that Yu Hong wore was made by enhancing the sweater sold to him by Jenny.

Although the enhancement took some time, it was well worth it.

This anti-stab suit had some bulletproof capabilities because of the two hard wooden boards added before the enhancement.

As long as it was not a close-range shot, it could significantly reduce damage, not to mention protect against stabbings from knives.

```

The rest of his time was dedicated to strengthening the Large Pyroxene Stones. Including the one he had before, he now had a total of five.

Whew...

Yu Hong exhaled, and as he saw his breath turn into a wisp of white vapor, he immediately knew that the temperature had dropped again.

He reached out to pull the stab-resistant hoodie over his head, the hood also serving as protection against rain and for warmth.

"I still need stab-resistant gloves, a bulletproof helmet, and I can ask about the jerky exchange. Also, I'm almost out of salt... I wonder if the postman has returned. If I can get my hands on the solar equipment... then electricity wouldn't be a problem..."

Yu Hong lowered his head, hopped off the stone steps, and headed towards the direction of the post office.

He had to hurry because he had clearly noticed that the days were getting shorter and the nights longer.

"Perhaps autumn and winter are drawing near..." Yu Hong consoled himself.

With his feet clad in strengthened boots, he marched through the forest, ever-vigilant of his surroundings.

Twenty days of training had significantly improved his physical fitness.

The chill produced by the Advanced Physical Training Method usually didn't help him.

It only emerged when he was nearly exhausted, reviving his weary body.

It was like a supply pack.

Besides that, the Training Method wasn't much different from an ordinary jog.

Although this did disappoint Yu Hong, he wasn't in a rush. As long as he continued to train well, he could later use his current experience and understanding to develop and strengthen a new Training Method.

If possible, he even wanted to learn from a professional.

Crunch, crunch.

With the sound of footsteps mixed with the noise of crushing leaves and twigs, Yu Hong soon reached the stone cottage that served as the post office.

To his surprise, there was already a crowd in front of the stone house.

Among the seven or eight people, Jenny caught his eye immediately.

The middle-aged woman, with whom he had traded before, was conspicuous. Of course, it wasn't really her who stood out, but the beautiful girl by her side who was eye-catching.

A figure of curves and contours, wearing white-tight jeans that highlighted her long legs, her full breasts, a face with light makeup, and soft golden hair cascading over her shoulders.

In this patch of woodland, amidst a crowd of dirty people, she was markedly different.

She was so clean that she didn't seem to belong in this environment.

The arrival of Yu Hong tensed up everyone present.

A dozen eyes rapidly focused on him.

"Is it Yu Hong?" Jenny was the first to step forward. "What did we trade last time?"

"A water filter cup and steel nails," Yu Hong replied promptly, meanwhile moving back and forth a few steps to show his agility, indicating that he wasn't a shadow.

"It's the kid saved by Yiyi!" a familiar voice called out from the crowd.

A middle-aged woman in an old white lab coat with black-rimmed glasses emerged.

It was Doctor Xu, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Doctor Xu has returned too?" Yu Hong said in astonishment.

"Why wouldn't I return? The environment in the town was terrible, being caught and forced into hard labor every day, treating patients without getting paid. With rowdy soldiers around, even talking too loud could get you punched!" Doctor Xu complained bitterly.

Her words were always sharp and unpleasant to hear, but at this moment, they somehow lifted Yu Hong's spirits slightly.

At least, it was good to see a familiar person safe, especially one who had helped him before, even though the favor was Yiyi's.

"It's good to have you back safe," Yu Hong nodded, his voice softer.

Realizing he wasn't a shadow but a familiar face, the others lost interest in him and continued to look towards the post office cottage.

Yu Hong approached, nodded to Jenny, and then stood beside Doctor Xu.

While he had only traded with Jenny once, he was naturally more familiar with Doctor Xu.

Although she had a foul mouth, she knew how to repay kindness and was loyal. When Big Skin had attacked them, had it not been for her dragging the stuttering boy to safety at the crucial moment, his body would be cold by now.

"It's my first time seeing so many people here since I arrived," Yu Hong said softly.

"You'd see more if you went to the town, but a crowd isn't necessarily a good thing," Doctor Xu replied coldly.

Only when he got closer did Yu Hong notice that one of her glasses' lenses was cracked.

There was also a bruise on her left cheek near her mouth; she had clearly been hit.

"What's everyone doing here? Has the postman returned?" asked Yu Hong.

"Yes, he just came out and brought news that the town is planning to evacuate people to a bigger Hope City the day after tomorrow. Those who want to follow need to possess certain skills and can go to the town for assessment. If you pass the assessment, you can leave with them," Doctor Xu explained indifferently.

"What about ordinary people? What will happen to all those ordinary people?" Yu Hong frowned.

He was no saint, but such policies were bound to lead to unrest.

After all, laypeople far outnumbered professionals.

"I don't know, but a mysterious death case occurred in town a few days ago, killing more than twenty people. It wasn't shadows, it wasn't Blood Tide bugs, and the cause couldn't be identified. I suspect it's a new kind of Evil Shadow," Doctor Xu replied.

"What about you? Are you going?" Yu Hong asked.

"I'm not going. I probably won't live much longer anyway. I can't be bothered with the trouble. In this damned world... I'd rather stay here and wait for death," Doctor Xu said coldly.

Her family was gone, and for her, living was just getting through each day.

When asked if she wanted to go, Doctor Xu suddenly looked at Yu Hong.

"What about you? Are you going?"

"No," Yu Hong answered calmly.

"You're an odd one," said Doctor Xu, finally noticing the finely made set of equipment on Yu Hong.

"That's some impressive gear... where did you get it?" Since the incident where Big Skin was driven off, her perception of Yu Hong had changed from her initial bias, and she was noticeably friendlier.

```