Night of Despair

Hong nodded.

He always felt that Aifu was a bit improper and unreliable, but due to Jenny's presence, he couldn't say much.

This trip had been fruitful as all items were exchanged, especially the solar generator which was the biggest gain. If they could reinforce it, life in the safehouse would be much easier.

There was also the atomic lamp, a continuous light source. Although it was dim, it spared him the constant need to stoke the fire, possibly allowing for better sleep in the future.

Soon, holding the exchanged goods, Hong and Jenny agreed on the next exchange date, a month from today, and then turned to head back.

On his way back, he saw the postman gathering all the nearby residents who were preparing to leave.

They each carried huge backpacks and stood on an open field, listening to the postman loudly stating the rules for leaving together.

Doctor Xu and Jenny weren't among them, apparently planning to stay.

Carrying a stick and a large bag, Hong left the post office and walked slowly and steadily towards the cave.

On the road back, he remained extremely cautious, ever alert to any movements around him, fearing a sudden attack from a "shadow."

Since it was still early in the day, he also began collecting dry twigs along the way.

In this environment, the safe daylight hours were precious and couldn't be wasted; he had to do something.

Before long, holding the parcels, the stick, and embracing some dry twigs, he neared the cave.

Just ahead, not far from him, on the rocky backside of the cave, two figures in camouflage quietly clung to the rock face, silently waiting.

As soon as he reached the cave entrance to climb the steps and open the door, he would definitely pass by where the two were lying in ambush.

Hong walked slowly towards the cave, getting closer and closer.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed on the stone steps in front of the cave.

There... were several muddy footprints, fresh footprints.

Bang!

Hong dropped his things and ran!

Without the slightest hesitation or delay.

He turned and dashed towards the distant trees.

By the time the ambushers reacted, he had already covered more than thirty meters!

"Fuck! Chase him!" The two didn't hesitate and sprinted after him.

They had received a critical task from Team Leader Zhao, to not return without capturing him would result in severe punishment, halving all their provisions.

But if they captured him, all future provisions would double. The gap was substantial.

Puff puff puff puff.

In an instant, the three of them sprinted through the forest, one after another.

Hong, having already walked a long distance, felt the toll on his stamina, and soon began to tire.

The forest whizzed by his ears, the wind roared, his feet never stopping.

This full-speed, explosive sprint rapidly drained his physical energy in an exaggerated manner.

Before long, he was breathing heavily, sweating profusely.

Fortunately, his legs, strengthened by this period of training, didn't fail him, showing no signs of softness or cramping.

"Quick!! He's almost done for!"

As he ran, Hong faintly heard shouts from behind.

He didn't know who the pursuers were, but he knew that those with good intentions wouldn't be lurking near his safehouse waiting to ambush him.

Run, run, RUN!!

He pushed his legs to their limit, squeezing out every last bit of energy from his body.

In a blink, another hundred meters had passed.

The three had completely left the terrain near the cave, running into an unfamiliar area far from Baiqiu Village.

The terrain around them became increasingly difficult to navigate, many parts covered in untrampled bushy slopes.

One moment climbing uphill, the next going downhill, sharp or barbed plants left traces on Hong's protective gear.

On the two pursuers, however, they left wounds instead.

Amid a series of groans, the two people relentlessly chased Yu Hong without giving up.

The distance between them was, at most, about ten meters and it was slowly closing.

Yu Hong's lungs were burning, and he was gasping heavily; he felt he was beginning to lack oxygen. No matter how fast he breathed, whether through his mouth or nose, he couldn't replenish the oxygen that was being used up quickly.

"I can't go on..."

"My physical strength still isn't enough... I can't hold on..."

His whole body was drenched in sweat, soaking the clothes clinging to his skin, yet his hands continuously pushed through the bushes in front of him.

Seeing that the panting of the two people behind him was getting closer, Yu Hong finally couldn't stand it anymore.

With a thought, he controlled a stream of cool air from his lower abdomen to start moving quickly.

The cool air left his lower abdomen, naturally followed his own route, moving up from the abdomen to the chest, neck, forehead, and then passing from the crown point at the top of his head down to the tailbone, then moving past the perineum before returning to the abdomen.

As this stream of cool air emerged, something miraculous happened.

Yu Hong's body, which should have been at the limits of its endurance, felt as though it had rested for a long time, recovering quickly and smoothing out.

The sweat stopped flowing, his lungs stopped gasping, and he no longer felt tired.

It was as if the long distance he had just run was an illusion.

Everything was almost as it had been before he had set out to exchange items, returning to the original state.

Thus... Yu Hong moved again.

He led the two people behind him, starting to circle around the area of the cave.

One loop, two loops, three loops...

After at least a mile, Yu Hong was exhausted from full-speed running.

But as tired as he was, the two men behind him were panting like bulls, their legs weak.

"Yu, Yu Hong! Don't run, anymore..."

"I fucking, can't... can't do this anymore! We can't, let him run anymore!"

One of the men who had opened the door finally couldn't stand it anymore, reached back to his waist, and drew his pistol.

Just then, when Yu Hong should have been depleted, a second burst of cool air surged forth.

His entire body's strength instantly recovered, and he turned around and pounced.

Bang!!

Caught off guard, the man drawing the gun was hit head-on and tumbled harshly down the slope.

The tumbling duo also collided with another person who was climbing up behind them.

Ah ah!!

With two screams,

both men were knocked down the slope by Yu Hong.

Exhausted as they were, the men, now confronted by Yu Hong who had regained his strength, quickly got up, each facing a strike with a stick.

Dang!

Dang!

Right on the forehead.

Already exhausted, they were dazed from the fall and had not recovered when Yu Hong struck each on the forehead with his stick.

Both men instantly rolled their eyes back and sat unable to get up from the ground.

Yu Hong quickly grabbed the pistols from both men, feeling a wave of lingering fear.

"They actually had guns!" He couldn't imagine what terrible state he would be in if he had reacted just a moment slower and been shot.

Intense fear and dread made him unable to resist striking both men on the forehead again with his stick.

Dang dang!

This time, the two men couldn't withstand it any longer and collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Luckily, the stick was hollow and not heavy; otherwise, these two angry strikes could have been lethal.

Even so, blood slowly seeped out from their foreheads, swelling into two large bumps.