Night of Despair

Chapter 84: Ashen 2
 

Two people walked out of the courtyard; Yu Hong placed the Blue Whale suit on the ground and stepped back a few meters, watching as Xu Fan came forward to start trying it on.

Before long, the testing was completed, and Xu Fan patted the alloy gloves satisfactorily, then felt the newly reinforced helmet visor.

“Not bad, the helmet is also reinforced well, and the broken parts have been repaired. Master Yu’s skill is impressive! It’s as good as those from the research institutes.”

“That’s good, as per the agreement, the employment is now fully concluded,” Yu Hong wrote.

“If Master Yu needs anything else, remember to come find me, Xu Fan—price is negotiable,” Xu Fan said with a smile.

He moved his arms, subtly taking a step closer without making a sound.

Noticing the reduced distance between them, Yu Hong similarly stepped back.

He was very aware that there was a huge gap in strength between him and his opponent. Even with the suit for protection, he didn’t feel capable of confronting the butcher who single-handedly slaughtered a joint military squad of more than twenty people last time.

Later, from old Li, he learned that the White Python’s death at his hands was only possible because it attempted to capture him alive; otherwise, there was no chance it would have died by his hand.

If it had come to a fight to the death, White Python could have simply distanced himself and fired concentrated shots with his marksmanship, penetrating the reinforced Gray Lizard suit with just two shots.

Yu Hong estimated that, facing the White Python now, he should be able to confront him head-on. But who would win and who would lose was unclear.

But the Butcher and White Python… were simply not on the same level… If this guy wanted to start something now…

A chill ran through Yu Hong’s heart, ready to use his reinforced pistol at a moment’s notice.

He had seen the Butcher kill, with tremendous strength and speed. His only advantage was his thick skin, which allowed him to rely on his reinforced Polar Bear suit to withstand damage, then use his Inner Qi to endure and the reinforced pistol for sneak attacks. Having tested its power, he estimated that shooting through the Blue Whale suit wouldn’t be much of a problem.

“If I ever need help, I will consider you guys first,” Yu Hong nodded, pretending not to notice the other’s movement, and continued writing. “By the way, I heard a Language Person came this time, didn’t they?”

“A Language Person? I didn’t encounter one. But I’ve heard it’s a very dangerous Evil Shadow,” Xu Fan stated seriously, stepping forward again.

“I have detailed information on the Language Person; do you need it?” Yu Hong asked as he wrote, while backing up to the edge of the courtyard.

“I was about to say, Master Yu, why do you keep writing instead of speaking? Is there a problem with your throat?” Xu Fan frowned. “Speaking of which, more and more new dangers have emerged recently, and it’s probably not too safe for Master Yu to stay here alone… It would be better to have a few hands-on helpers ready at all times…”

“Let’s talk about that later; I can’t leave the lab, and many machines cannot be moved. As for writing, it has to do with the Language Person. Consider if you need this information. Old Li and I encountered a Language Person once; we almost didn’t make it out alive,” Yu Hong replied, seemingly oblivious to the subtext of the other man’s words.

Hearing that the machines couldn’t be moved, Xu Fan fell silent as if in thought. He had just considered kidnapping Yu Hong to make him provide logistical support and upgrade services for his own team, but upon hearing that the lab equipment couldn’t be moved, despite some doubt, he dismissed the idea.

Indeed, even the most skilled expert was powerless without the corresponding advanced equipment. Besides, the machinery needed energy, water, and a supply of materials—all these were fixed and numerous necessities, not something that could be simply carted away.

From this, one could deduce that behind the present Yu Hong, there was definitely a mysterious lab or a secret organization assisting his research.

After several seconds, he completely abandoned the idea of kidnapping him and spoke again.

“What do you need?”

“Three small things,” Yu Hong began to write quickly. “First, help me mine enough luminous stones. Second, get me a discarded nuclear power generator. Third…”

“Hold on, a nuclear power reactor is no small matter!” Xu Fan quickly interjected. “Even if they are damaged, the reactors would be removed and discarded. It’s a prized resource for all major powers; where am I supposed to get that for you??”

“A detailed Language Person intelligence report could save your life!” Yu Hong pulled out a piece of paper and wrote.

“The problem is that your request is indeed a bit high,” Xu Fan reluctantly said. “However, if your intelligence is truly useful, you can directly trade with those power organizations, or even directly with the joint military of Hope City, and get a nuclear power generator.”

Yu Hong remained silent.

He wasn’t sure whether he could do that. But maybe he could try, by contacting the post office behind Li Rushan.

“I can’t fulfill the other requests, but digging up some luminous stones is a minor matter; I’ll get it done for you in a moment!” Xu Fan was quite forthright, patting his chest with a brash voice.

“Alright then, I’ll give you a copy of the Language Person’s information,” Yu Hong also decided to quickly write some simplified content and handed it over to the other party. These, after all, were things old Li already knew and weren’t worth much.

He planned to trade the more detailed information with the post office.

Xu Fan took the paper and quickly skimmed through it, with the expression beneath his helmet changing immediately.

He understood why Yu Hong was using pen and paper to communicate.

The two soon parted ways, with Xu Fan in a hurry to first notify his team members. He had two companions with him this time; both were nearby in a vehicle.

After Yu Hong and his party left, they looked towards Baiqiu Village and saw from afar, amongst the houses of the village, that there were some unfamiliar figures moving back and forth.

These strangers were dressed in ragged, dirty clothes, lacking energy. It seemed they were making a fire in the middle of the village, cooking something; the smoke from the fire was clearly visible as it ascended.

Yu Hong thought for a moment; the post office’s stone house’s underground rooms were plentiful, enough for more than ten people to live together.

If old Li could find the needed talents among these refugees, it might alleviate their current short-handed predicament.

But those were matters for old Li to consider.

His current task was to continue his training, striving to reach the ninth level of Inner Qi as soon as possible.

The recent threat from the butcher had made him even more eager to enhance his own strength, to have more means to deal with threats.

Whether it be people, Evil Shadow, or Blood Tide, they all required more strength, more methods of response.

Although he planned to use the Black Mark to enhance a Cultivation Technique capable of opposing shadow and Evil Shadow, the Black Mark wasn’t free at the moment. Besides, he hadn’t forgotten that Inner Qi could help him quickly recover and replenish energy when the Black Mark was enhancing something.

Just like when he previously tested the limits of enhancing the talisman array, if he hadn’t had Inner Qi, he would have had to lie down and sleep for seven or eight hours after a single enhancement.

Also, when enhancing and synthesizing the luminous grass, it completely depleted his Inner Qi in one go. Thinking back on it now, he doubted that he would have been able to synthesize the luminous grass at all without Inner Qi as a backup.

Many times, the Black Mark obviously calculated his limit of Inner Qi before giving feedback on whether something could be enhanced or not. He had realized this multiple times.

Returning to the cave, Yu Hong took care of his bodily needs and continued to train.

Soon, noon passed and around three or four o’clock in the afternoon, as he was about to end his practice and prepare to go out to chop wood…

Suddenly, a muffled sound emerged faintly from within his body.

His heart trembled, standing inside the cave, his body rapidly began to sweat profusely, soaking his clothes in just a few minutes. The entire bear suit he had strengthened with the Black Mark became hot and toasty from the heat radiating from his body, the moist heat unbearable.

Large amounts of water vapor emerged from the breathing holes in the shoulders of the suit, as if emitting white smoke.

The state lasted a full five minutes before it slowly subsided.

Finally.

Yu Hong stood in place, his body trembling slightly, then reached up to remove his suit’s helmet, revealing a happy smile.

“Finally succeeded! The ninth strand of Inner Qi!”

Upon reaching the ninth strand, he could begin an overall enhancement. By then, he would be able to enter the second…

Boom!!

Just as Yu Hong was carefully feeling the situation of the ninth strand of Inner Qi in his abdomen, these nine strands of Inner Qi suddenly contracted into a ball and then exploded with a crash.

From contraction to explosion, the entire process took less than a second.

This violent explosion immediately caused a commotion of all the blood in Yu Hong’s body. In addition, there seemed to be a special force field that, following the explosion, spread over every part of Yu Hong’s body.

His consciousness was already focused on his abdomen; when this explosion struck, he was likewise startled into a daze.

His mind became a blank. He couldn’t feel anything; he couldn’t hear anything.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Soon, inside the cave, Yu Hong’s body began to twist and tremble. Standing up, his muscles puffed up, expanding and growing with each breath. But quickly, his muscles shrank at high speed. After shrinking to hug his bones tightly, they again inflated.

So it repeated until the ninth time.

Eventually, Yu Hong’s physique calmed down.

He had only been around one meter seventy before, yet now, after calming down, his height had actually increased to one meter eighty.

Shua.

Yu Hong came to his senses, quickly took off his suit, stripped off his clothes, and looked down.

There was a black swirl mark the size of an egg on his abdominal skin.

‘Is this the overall enhancement??’

He carefully felt the changes in his body.

Shua.

He lightly threw a stabbing punch forward. A light and comfortable feeling spontaneously emerged, reaching the bottom of his heart.

Having practiced with Li Rushan so long, he had learned a bit of these basic boxing moves.

His punches used to feel heavy and unsmooth, but now… the speed was obviously faster than before, and the force was much smoother.

Raising his fist, Yu Hong saw that the transparent keratin layer previously present on his skin was now clearly thicker and more resilient.

He reached out to touch it and it felt like a layer of thick oxhide.

Bang!

Suddenly, he squatted down and punched the floor of the cave.

No pain, just a slight collision and compression feeling that traveled back up his fist.

As he raised his fist, Yu Hong was suddenly astonished.

He saw that beneath his fist, the stone floor had acquired a shattered fist imprint!

To call it a fist imprint was an understatement – it was more of a pit, filled with crushed stones and stone powder.

‘Breaking stones with bare hands? Isn’t that exaggerated?’

Although Yu Hong had imagined what the breakthrough to the first layer might be like, when the actual change arrived, he was filled with disbelief.

‘Too bad there’s nothing to test the extent of my improvement.’ He stood up straight, pondered for a moment, then put his reinforced White Bear suit back on, grabbed the massive wooden shield and Wolf Fang Club, and moved with ease.

Something amazing happened.

One hour earlier, the attack and defense equipment that felt rather heavy now felt light and easy, no longer a burden.

Thud thud.

Yu Hong walked a few steps inside the cave and then swung his club, confirming it wasn’t an illusion. He swung the Wolf Fang Club much faster than before.

‘I need a reference point.’

He opened the door and went outside, looking around. He quickly found a large stone half-buried in the ground.

The stone’s surface was rough and uneven, with layers of brown lines running through it.

Walking over, Yu Hong took a deep breath, and with full force, he punched the surface of the stone.

Bang!

His gloved hand shook the stone violently within the earth.

The punch sank a small depth into the stone, and from the point of impact, a large number of black cracks spread out like a spider web.

Crash.

The stone, as large as a millstone, shattered into pieces and scattered on the ground.

‘Holy shit! That’s exaggerated!??’ Yu Hong, astounded, stared at the scene before him.

How much had his strength increased?? To achieve such an exaggerated effect?