Thud.
Yu Hong and his two companions collapsed onto the ground, their bodies limp, gasping for breath.
The sound of their heavy breathing echoed through the cave, creating tiny whirlwinds in the air.
"I told you to trust me, didn't I?" Yu Hong said, his face pale as he struggled to speak between breaths.
"What’s up with this door?" the stuttering one still couldn’t comprehend.
Just yesterday, the wooden door was different; how could it change so much in just one day?
"What exactly did you encounter? What was that monster just now?" Yu Hong didn’t answer but turned his gaze to Dr. Xu, hoping to gather information from her, as communicating with the stuttering one was taking too long.
Dr. Xu’s face was ashen, blood slowly seeping from a wound on her calf.
At his words, she carefully examined the reinforced wooden door, then looked around the cave.
"This is your so-called safety?" Just then, a loud bang interrupted her.
With a tremendous roar, the wooden door shook violently, tiny shards of stone falling from around it.
Hiss!
A deep, eerie hiss came from outside.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Then came a series of furious crashes, each slam stronger than the last.
The reinforced wooden door trembled under the immense power, vibrating with each hit.
The three of them froze for a moment, then immediately reacted.
"It’s that monster! It hasn’t left!" Dr. Xu screamed, her voice sharper than usual, almost unrecognizable.
Without wasting a word, Yu Hong and the stuttering one rushed to the door, pressing against it with their shoulders.
Dr. Xu, seeing this, gritted her teeth and joined them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The relentless crashes made the reinforced door rattle, the screws securing the frame starting to loosen.
"Hold it steady!" Yu Hong bellowed.
One after another, they pushed against the door, trying to counteract the force of the impacts.
They all understood that if the door shattered, it would be the end for them.
They were giving it their all.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Finally, after thirteen grueling minutes, the rain outside began to ease, the dark clouds in the sky dissipating somewhat.
Between the clouds, rays of sunlight broke through, shining down like straight lines of golden light.
Boom!!
With one final crash, the three of them jolted at the impact.
Cracks appeared around the wooden door, threatening to detach it from the stone wall of the cave.
Hiss!!
That huge tick-like monster released one last strange roar and finally stopped its onslaught, beginning to retreat.
The roar faded swiftly into the distance, then disappeared completely.
The three of them remained pressed against the door, frozen in place, scared that the monster might return with a surprise attack.
They waited for more than ten more minutes.
Finally, the golden sunlight gradually seeped through the gap of the observation window, and Yu Hong realized that they were likely safe.
Thud.
He plopped down onto the ground, panting heavily.
So tired.
They had come so close to being breached, to having the door smashed down.
If that had happened, the outcome spoke for itself.
They would have undoubtedly died.
At the brink of exhaustion from holding the door, they wouldn’t have been able to escape far if it had broken through.
Fortunately, it was all over now.
Huff, huff, huff.
Their breathing sounded like a windbox, sweat streaming down their faces, landing on the ground to form a series of dark spots.
“Everything should be fine now. The sun is out,” Yu Hong said, standing up and swiftly pulling open the observation window to look outside.
Through the wire mesh, sunlight poured in, and a wave of damp, cool air brushed against his face, making him shiver slightly.
Looking left and right through the window, he confirmed that the monster had vanished before finally relaxing his tense body.
Turning back, he glanced at his two companions, still slumped on the ground.
“What was that thing? How did you anger it?”
"That was a large blood tick from the blood tide; we usually call it Big Pi," Dr. Xu wiped her sweat with a filthy sleeve, answering.
"But it shouldn’t have appeared now. It usually only shows up during the peak periods, and it’s never this aggressive or dangerous!”
Remembering this, she struggled to her feet.
“No, something must be wrong. We can’t stay here; we must gather our things and head to the town's bunker! We can’t fend off Big Pi by ourselves!”
A hint of anxiety crept onto her face.
“Yu Hong, hold it!” The stuttering one stood up, also wiping her sweat, pointing at the reinforced wooden door.
Her finger drew attention to the cracks forming along the edge of the door.
“What about next time? What will happen when the peak period hits?” Dr. Xu said in a low voice, turning to look at Yu Hong.
“I don’t know how you built such a sturdy door, but with the peak period approaching, if even one Big Pi almost breaks through, do you really think you can hold them off? Staying here is a death sentence!” she insisted loudly, pointing at the fracture in the door.
Yu Hong fell silent.
One hand pressed on the door, he stared at the visible writing on it—Repair Time: 17 minutes.
It could still be repaired despite being damaged; this he hadn’t expected.
Moreover, for an average person, heading to the town did indeed seem like the best option, but...
His eyes flickered.
If they left, he would likely lose important things.
Besides, haven’t they held off the monster successfully?
Even though the door had almost broken, it was just a matter of being unprepared.
With a few more reinforcements and chains, it should be much easier to handle next time.
“I don’t want to go,” Yu Hong finally said.
“Me neither,” the stuttering one looked at the cracked door, just as reluctant.
But she hadn’t finished speaking when Dr. Xu interrupted her.
“Are you both insane? The door is about to break, and you don’t want to leave? What if two Big Pi show up next time during the peak?” Dr. Xu couldn’t understand.
Her breathing quickened again, her gaze fixed intensely on Yu Hong.
“I appreciate you opening the door to save us, but this is not a moment for reckless decisions. Do you really think this falling-apart door will hold against peak impacts? Are you trying to get killed?”
“Is it truly safe in the town? With so many people gathered, wouldn’t it attract even more trouble?” Yu Hong countered, feeling more composed now.
After experiencing extreme fear and tension, he was strangely calmer.
“Yes, but there’s a committee there. They have ways to deal with this, at least it’s safer than facing Big Pi here!” Dr. Xu retorted loudly.
Yu Hong shook his head. “Thank you, but I don’t want to go.” To him, everywhere felt dangerous.
Outside was perilous; nowhere was as safe as his little cave.
At least the dark marks he could see gave him a sense of security.
Once the door was repaired, reinforcing it further would help a great deal against Big Pi.
But he couldn’t say any of this.
He had no way to explain how he had done it.
In an environment lacking materials and parts, suddenly having a complete and well-made safety door was, in itself, quite abnormal.
“You’re insane!” Dr. Xu stared incredulously at Yu Hong, “You’re truly crazy! You’ll die!”
She pointed at the door.
“I don’t know how you got such a processed safety door, but this won’t keep out the blood tide. The peak period is different from normal times; if that kind of Big Pi appears again, it’s very likely that several of them will be lurking during the peak. You can’t withstand that!”
She kept trying to persuade him.
Yet no matter what she said, Yu Hong just shook his head.
He didn’t believe that the town would have better safety measures than he did.
Even if he went to the town’s bunker, it might indeed be safer.
But he did not want to rely on unpredictable external factors, on completely unfamiliar people for his safety.
So regardless of what Dr. Xu said, he kept shaking his head.
Finally, seeing she could not convince him, Dr. Xu turned to the stuttering girl.
“Yi Yi, he’s impossible to talk to! Let’s go!”
The stuttering one fell silent, turning to Yu Hong.
“Together, leave,” she stammered.
Clearly, Dr. Xu’s passionate plea hadn’t swayed Yu Hong, but it had influenced her.
After all, the damaged reinforced door was clearly on the brink of collapse, and if another Big Pi slammed against it, they would be done for.
For this, Yu Hong had no explanation or solid reason for his decision.
He remained silent.
“Yu Hong!” The stuttering one looked at him, “Let's go together.”
She patted his arm, her eyes clear and earnest.
But Yu Hong merely shook his head.
“Go on, I don’t want to.”
He understood that heading to the town’s bunker would definitely provide some means of dealing with Big Pi.
Otherwise, the town would have been overrun by the blood tide long ago.
They wouldn’t be able to gather information about Big Pi either.
It was indeed better for the stuttering one and Dr. Xu to go there.
Yet, he refused to go.
He had no sense of security concerning the outside world.
Only his cave felt safe enough!
And even if he went there, with his current weak state, revealing the ability of the dark marks might pose dangers that far outweighed those in the cave.
After all, human hearts were often more unpredictable than monsters.
While the monsters were terrifying, they were direct and straightforward.
“Yi Yi, don’t worry about me. I’ll repair the door on my own; I’ll be fine as long as I don’t provoke a few Big Pi. The entrance of my cave is quite high, making it unfavorable for monsters to charge in. I just need to hold on for a few days; it’ll be alright.” Yu Hong consoled the stuttering one.
She blinked at him, wanting to say more but was stopped by Yu Hong lifting his hand.
“Go, it’ll be fine.” He spoke gently, “You’ve helped me for quite a while; now it’s time to part ways. Of course, if you face any difficulties in the future, feel free to come back to see me. I’ll do what I can to help.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of reinforcing spirit stone, pressing it into the stuttering one’s hand.
“Let him be! He’s just looking for death! Don’t mind him!” Dr. Xu was exhausted from pleading, but seeing Yu Hong’s resolve, she gave up.
“Stubborn to the end! Let’s go, Yi Yi! We must leave quickly! We can still make it on time if we hurry!” She grabbed the stuttering one’s hand, moving toward the door, peering out from the observation window to ensure the way was clear.
The stuttering girl was pulled along, glancing back to Yu Hong again.
“Let’s go, together.” She showed a hint of urgency on her face.
Yet, Yu Hong pushed her hand away.
“Y-Yu Hong?” she asked, confused.
“I won’t come to harm. You and Dr. Xu should go. Together, you can look after one another.” Yu Hong looked at her earnestly.
“Dr. Xu, take care of Yi Yi. If you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me. Although my place isn't as good as the town's, I can ensure your survival here.”
(End of Chapter)