This world is filled with danger.

Very dangerous.

Over the past half month since Yu Hong arrived here, he has come to fully understand this fact.

As an ordinary person, he lacks survival knowledge compared to Xiao Jie Ba and the others and is far behind them in physical abilities.

If even Xiao Jie Ba and Doctor Xu are struggling, he knows relying solely on himself is not an option.

Thus, he must leverage his unique advantage—the black mark.

On a bright, sunny morning, in front of a strange tile-roofed house in Baiqiu Village, Yu Hong and Xiao Jie Ba stood there, their clothes dirty and their hair greasy, resembling messy dreadlocks, as they peered inside the home.

The interior was dark and exuded an eerie chill.

Faint cold winds occasionally escaped, bringing with them a musty and unidentifiable stench.

The sunlight seemed to halt at the door, dividing the inside and the outside into two separate worlds.

"There’s a pipe I need in there," Yu Hong said in a low voice.

"How do we get it?" Xiao Jie Ba replied, sounding equally serious, as if mimicking his tone.

"The phantom can appear at any moment, so we need to act quickly," Yu Hong said.

A safe house in the cave must have a warm fire, but lighting a fire in a closed cavern is extremely dangerous, so finding that pipe is essential!

At this moment, looking at the dim room, determination rose in his heart for the first time.

"I'm sorry, I'm really scared," he admitted.

To find safety, one must confront danger.

There was no other choice for him.

"Let’s go."

Gripping the enhanced white stone in his pocket, Yu Hong strode into the house.

Xiao Jie Ba followed closely behind, holding a bag of white stones and glancing around nervously.

The moment their feet crossed the threshold into the dark space, a chilling sensation crept up from their ankles.

Just then, both the enhanced white stone and the regular white stone activated, countering the cold aura surrounding them.

"There’s something wrong! Hurry!" Yu Hong realized instantly that a phantom lurked nearby and quickened his pace, charging deeper into the house.

He had explored many houses, and this one had the longest chimney, making it the most suitable for their needs.

This time, he was determined to succeed!

The two quickly crossed the open area and reached the back wall, where they found a square metal stove, with an iron chimney sticking up in one corner.

The chimney extended two meters upward before bending to the side and stretching over three meters, leading to a round hole in the wall.

"This is it! Grab it!" Yu Hong's eyes lit up as he lunged for the chimney.

He tugged hard.

Nothing happened.

He looked down.

The chimney was welded tightly to the stove, immovable.

Just as he decided to use more force, he suddenly caught sight of a small door leading to the bedroom slowly opening in the corner of the room.

In the dark doorway stood a shadowy figure in grey, its face obscured.

The figure remained still, staring towards him from the darkness.

At the same time, an even stronger chill surged from the bedroom, rushing out like a violent wave.

"Yi Yi!!" In a panic, Yu Hong shouted, clutching the enhanced white stone tightly, muscles tensed as he prepared to aim.

However, when he glanced back at Xiao Jie Ba, what he saw scared him even more.

"!!!?"

There was no one behind him anymore.

Not only was Yi Yi gone, but the stove and chimney had vanished as well.

Turning his gaze again, he spotted Xiao Jie Ba at the threshold, dragging the stove and the chimney towards the outside.

The heavy stove seemed as light as a cardboard box in her hands.

"Run, Yu!" Xiao Jie Ba dashed into the sunlight and suddenly realized Yu Hong had not followed.

She quickly looked back, her voice filled with concern.

Yu Hong found himself speechless.

But at that moment, he realized the phantom was focused on him.

A numbing cold gripped his body, trying to freeze him in place.

Yet the power of the enhanced white stone surged forth, struggling against the stiffening sensation.

"I—"

"I!!"

Yu Hong trembled all over, rooted to the spot, clutching the enhanced white stone as if he were a machine on the verge of falling apart.

Sweat poured down his forehead, his pupils dilated, and overwhelming fear washed over him like a rising tide.

‘I’m so scared.’

"It’s terrifying."

"Why is there such a terrifying thing here?!"

‘Why.’

In an instant, countless "whys" crawled through Yu Hong’s mind, filling every part of his being.

At that moment, he found himself ensnared in a bizarre struggle, the strength of the phantom wrestling against the power of the enhanced white stone, with his body as the battlefield.

In this agonizing stiffness, Yu Hong suddenly sensed movement behind him.

Crack.

He heard a faint sound.

It was as if someone was stepping lightly on the earthen floor.

Shuffling sounds, footsteps drawing closer, each step measured, neither fast nor slow, moving directly towards him.

Then, the wooden door of the house began to close silently, dimming the sunlight outside and trapping Xiao Jie Ba beyond its threshold.

Yu Hong was paralyzed with fear, shaking uncontrollably, tears and sweat streaming down his cheeks.

But at that moment, he could do nothing but watch as the door slowly creaked shut.

Helpless.

An intense sense of helplessness surged from deep within him.

"I—" he opened his mouth to speak.

Smack.

Suddenly, a hand gripped his from behind!

Ah!!!!!!

In that instant, Yu Hong felt as if struck by lightning, letting out a piercing scream.

He sprang up, spinning around as he pulled out a thick wooden stick from his pants, swinging it backward with all his might.

The stick was embedded with numerous steel nails and had three enhanced white stones affixed to it.

Overcome with fear, he swung it with all of his strength, a dull roar echoing through the air.

With a loud crash,

bang!!!

The wooden stick smashed hard against a white shadow behind him, tearing it in half, causing it to leak air and fragment into nothingness.

"Ahhh!!!"

Yu Hong brandished the stick, turning to charge toward the other grey shadow in the bedroom doorway.

In no time,

bang!!!

There was another loud crash.

His stick slammed violently against the door frame, leaving a deep dent.

The grey shadow disintegrated under the furious impact, scattering into a pile of grey fabric that faded into the air.

Bang!

Bang!!!

At this moment, Yu Hong's eyes were bloodshot, and he continued to frantically swing the stick towards where the grey shadow had been.

Only when splinters flew and the door frame began to shake did he come back to his senses.

Seeing the phantom had vanished, he swiftly dashed out of the door, emerging into the sunlight.

Huff!

Gasping heavily, he bent down, squatting on the ground.

Xiao Jie Ba stared at him in shock, unsure how to comfort him.

She had intended to rush in to save him, but upon witnessing his sudden outburst, she too was startled and could only stand there in bewilderment, waiting for the outcome.

The result was that Yu Hong managed to charge back out, having violently smashed the two phantoms to pieces, then collapsing in fear as he gasped for breath on the ground.

"Yu," Xiao Jie Ba asked hesitantly after a moment.

"Sorry," Yu Hong's voice shook, drenched in sweat, as if he had just emerged from water.

"I just… I was too scared."

After taking a moment to collect himself, he slowly stood up and turned to face Xiao Jie Ba.

His expression was pained, helpless, and pitiful.

"They… scared me," he said, still waving the stick, as if his body was trying to express his overwhelming emotions.

"I was so scared."

Yu Hong’s skin quivered.

"So, I had to smash them. I…I knew what I was doing, but I was afraid! Afraid they would chase me out!"

"It’s okay," Xiao Jie Ba blinked, retreating a step as the stick threatened her with every swing, feeling a little frightened.

"It’s fine now. Let… let it go! Let it go!!!" she raised her hands, desperately trying to calm him.

Realizing his state was off, Yu Hong also began to focus on taking deep breaths.

Inhale.

Exhale.

After thirty rounds of this,

he finally felt his body calming down significantly.

"Good thing I prepared for everything in advance."

He set down the wooden stick, fatigue washing over him.

He was someone who would always try to prepare thoroughly before any task.

Just like this time when he went into the house for the chimney.

He had planned how to use his limited supply of enhanced white stones ahead of time.

Three stones were fixed into the stick, though to say fixed was a bit generous; he had simply carved out small pits and tied them in securely with string.

Now, it seemed this method worked wonders.

"Is it alright now?" Xiao Jie Ba watched him cautiously, asking.

"Sorry."

Yu Hong shook his head helplessly, "I was too excited."

Xiao Jie Ba tilted her head, indicating she wasn’t frightened.

"Actually, I’ve been through something similar before."

She picked up the stove and chimney and began the journey back with Yu Hong while recounting her previous experiences.

From her words, Yu Hong learned that others had faced extreme fear much like his own.

They also responded in wild outbursts, like him.

But Yu Hong was different from them.

Those who panicked only drained their strength in their struggle, plunging themselves into even greater danger.

But Yu Hong had smashed the phantoms and, without hesitation, turned and ran until he reached a safe area before relenting.

In reality, during an extreme emotional outburst, it is unlikely that one can conserve strength.

Yet Yu Hong managed it.

Not only did he break the phantoms, he kept enough strength to make a clean escape.

That made him quite remarkable.

(End of Chapter)