The postman shook his head and replied, “I don’t know. But with so many people involved, it really grabs attention, and the higher-ups will take it seriously. The Silver Tower will provide maximum support. It’s better than us clumsy folks trying to figure things out on our own, right? You don’t really believe the higher-ups would rush to your rescue because of just a few of you, do you?”
Yu Hong fell silent for a moment before asking, “Is the Great Radiant Stone effective against the Evil Shadows?”
The postman nodded. “They say it has some effect. Some people managed to escape relying on the Great Radiant Stone. And the ones who escaped had stones smaller than what you’ve got.”
From the marks on the Great Radiant Stone the postman received, he figured it was likely created by Yu Hong himself.
Even if he hadn’t made them, it was obvious he knew the person who did, as the stones were too new.
He said all this hoping to win some rewards for recommending talent.
The united military had various welfare rewards for recommending talent, which was why he was willing to talk to Yu Hong.
“Thank you, brother, for your good intentions. I’ve decided not to leave. Who knows, if too many of us leave, the Evil Shadows might lose interest in our area,” Yu Hong said softly.
The postman frowned, studying Yu Hong’s expression, but couldn’t gauge anything.
He tried to persuade him a few more times and finally gave up when he saw Yu Hong remained firm.
“Well, regardless of everything, it’s no longer safe to stay around here. Since you won’t leave, I wish you luck getting through this,” he said.
“Thank you for your kind words,” Yu Hong nodded. “I also wish you a safe journey and good fortune in all your endeavors.”
With a sigh, the postman stood and walked towards the stone house.
Yu Hong also stood up, grabbing his belongings and getting ready to leave.
Just as he got up, he heard movement behind him and immediately turned to look.
It was Doctor Xu, leaning against a tree trunk with a bag, as if she had been waiting for a while.
“I heard you can make water filters?” Doctor Xu adjusted her glasses and asked.
“Willing to trade?” she inquired.
Recalling how he had once been looked down upon by her, thinking of him as a burden, Yu Hong felt a slight flush on his cheeks.
But a good water filter was a basic necessity for health, as it could be cleaned and reused, offering great value for its effectiveness.
“I have another one to trade,” Yu Hong replied.
He held no grudge against her.
Though she could be sharp-tongued, she was generally sincere.
Her attitude was clear on her face; no wonder she got beaten up in town.
“What do you want? I have some disinfecting iodine here, want some?” Doctor Xu asked.
“You can produce iodine?” Yu Hong asked in astonishment.
“Yes, the supply chain in big cities is quite well-developed,” she nodded. “How about a bottle of iodine for one water filter?”
“Alright,” Yu Hong agreed.
Disinfectants were essential.
In many cases, preventing infection from a wound could be a matter of life and death.
If one handled the wound in time, there was no need for antibiotics.
Soon, they finished their trade.
A bottle of iodine, about two hundred milliliters, was exchanged for the filter.
Afterward, Yu Hong was about to head back when a soft voice called out to him.
Turning around, he saw Jenny, the girl he had traded with last time.
“Little Yu, do you still have that Great Radiant Stone? Can I trade for it?”
Jenny approached slowly, accompanied by a beautiful girl with golden hair.
“I’ve traded all I had. You came too late,” Yu Hong replied, his gaze lingering on the beautiful girl beside Jenny.
While beauty and cleanliness were nice, circumstances mattered too.
At this season, it was surprising that someone dared to bathe with filtered water.
Hearing the commotion, Doctor Xu had not gone far.
She turned back upon seeing the two and frowned, stealing a glance at the pretty girl.
It seemed she wanted to say something, but she held her tongue and instead turned to leave, casting one last calm look at Yu Hong.
With Doctor Xu gone, only Jenny and the golden-haired girl remained with Yu Hong.
“Is there really none left? What a pity. Can I reserve the next batch of Great Radiant Stones?” Jenny asked, frowning.
“It’s hard to say. I’m not sure if I can get my hands on more,” Yu Hong replied, not wanting to become a tool for producing Great Radiant Stones.
Whether he could stay and enhance the dark impressions depended on his time.
“Alright, the water filter you made before was really good. I hope we can trade again next time,” Jenny said, slightly disappointed.
“Of course,” Yu Hong assured her.
“Mom, aren’t you going to introduce us? The fact that he made that water filter himself is incredible!” The pretty girl suddenly spoke up.
Without waiting for Jenny to respond, she reached out her hand towards Yu Hong. “Hello, I’m Aif, you’re Yu Hong, right?”
Yu Hong glanced at her clean, fair hand, then reached out to shake it.
Unexpectedly, she subtly scratched the back of his hand.
Yu Hong noticed that Aif was smiling at him, and before he could react to what it meant, they parted ways.
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you. If you have any good things to trade, feel free to find me. Candles, food, or other odd things, I might be able to take them,” Yu Hong said simply.
In this environment, he didn’t care about appearances; he was only interested in whether someone could get him what he wanted.
The current safety house was far from his ideal.
At the very least, he wanted to create a secure place that could provide for food, water, and energy all on its own.
A place that could sustain itself for at least a few years without needing to go out for trades.
And right now, he was nowhere near that.
“Are you willing to trade for Great Radiant Stones? Or things similar to the water filters?” Aif asked curiously.
“Primarily for the Great Radiant Stones,” Yu Hong answered.
“That’s great! I just happen to have some messy items here; they’re not here at the moment. The next time you come, I’ll show you what I have and see how many Great Radiant Stones we can exchange,” Aif said with a smile.
Yu Hong nodded.
There was something about Aif that felt a bit off, a bit unreliable.
However, with Jenny beside her, he felt there was nothing to say against it.
Having exchanged everything, his haul was substantial, especially the solar-powered generator, which was the biggest gain.
If he could enhance it well, life in the safety house would be much easier.
The atomic lamp was essential too; it provided an uninterrupted light source.
Although the light was dimmer, he wouldn’t have to get up constantly to tend to a fire.
Perhaps, he would be able to sleep well in the future.
Quickly, with the items he traded for in hand, Yu Hong and Jenny arranged the next exchange date for a month later, then turned to return.
On the way back, they saw the postman gathering all the residents preparing to leave.
Carrying their massive backpacks, they stood in an open area, listening to the postman loudly explain the rules for when they would depart.
Doctor Xu and Jenny were nowhere to be seen; clearly, they had chosen to stay behind.
Yu Hong departed from the post office, holding a stick and a large bag, slowly making his way back to the cave.
On the return trip, he remained alert, carefully listening for any signs around him, fearing an ambush could arise at any moment.
Since the day was still young, he decided to gather some dry twigs along the way.
In this environment, every bit of safe time during the day was precious and could not be wasted.
He needed to at least do something.
Before long, he reached the vicinity of the cave again, carrying his bundle of sticks and a pouch.
Just ahead of him, behind the rocky wall of the cave, two figures in camouflage were quietly pressed against the stone wall, patiently waiting.
Once Yu Hong approached the cave entrance, he would undoubtedly pass right by where the two were lying in ambush.
He walked slowly towards the cave, getting closer and closer.
Suddenly, his gaze froze, landing on the stone steps before the cave.
There were several muddy footprints — fresh ones.
Bang!
Yu Hong dropped his things and took off running without a moment's hesitation.
Without a flicker of doubt, he turned and dashed into the distant woods.
By the time the two hidden figures reacted, he had already sprinted over thirty meters!
“Damn! After him!” Without another word, the two rushed after him.
They had received a lethal mission to catch him, and the punishment for failing was severe, slashing all rations in half.
But if they succeeded in capturing him, their rations would double, a difference that was staggering.
Thud, thud, thud.
In no time at all, the three were sprinting through the woods, one after the other.
Yu Hong had already been running for quite some time, his stamina was wearing thin.
Now, as adrenaline surged, he quickly began to feel fatigued.
The trees flew past him, and the wind howled, but his feet continued to pound on the ground.
This explosive exertion drained his energy in an exaggerated manner.
A short while later, he was gasping heavily, drenched in sweat.
Fortunately, his legs, having been trained, didn’t give out nor did he suffer cramps.
“Quick!! He can’t hold on much longer!”
While running, Yu Hong faintly heard shouting from behind.
He didn’t know who called out, but he was well aware that no kind-hearted person would hide and ambush him near the safety house.
Run, run, run!!
He drove his legs as fast as he could, squeezing out the last bits of energy from his body.
Another hundred meters flew past in the blink of an eye.
They had completely left the vicinity of the cave, entering unfamiliar territory far from Baiqiu Village.
The ground was increasingly difficult to navigate, many areas were covered in untouched grass and sloped terrain.
There were times when he’d climb uphill, then downhill, scrapes from sharp or thorny plants leaving marks on his protective attire.
On the other hand, behind him, the pursuers were getting hurt, not just marks, but wounds.
Groans and grunts echoed as the two of them continued their relentless pursuit.
The distance between them was now no more than ten meters, slowly closing in.
Panting heavily, Yu Hong's lungs felt like they were on fire.
He was running out of breath; no matter how hard he tried to breathe quickly, he couldn’t catch up with the swift oxygen loss.
‘I can’t take this anymore.’
‘I just don’t have enough stamina.
I can’t hold on.’
Sweat completely soaked his inner garments, and he used both hands to push aside the grass obstructing his path.
As the sounds of his pursuers drew ever closer behind, Yu Hong finally couldn’t bear it any longer.
His mind stirred, directing a cool breeze from his abdomen to circulate rapidly.
The cold air flowed up from his belly, naturally following his route through his chest, neck, and forehead, eventually reaching the crown of his head, and cascading down his spine and perineum before returning to his core.
At that instant, something miraculous occurred.
His body, which seemed on the verge of collapse, felt as though it had received a long rest, quickly regaining its balance.
No more sweat streamed down, his lungs calmed, and he felt far less fatigued.
It was as if the long distance he had just sprinted was merely an illusion.
Everything reverted to how it was right before he set out to trade.
So, Yu Hong pressed on once more.
He led the two behind him in circles around the cave’s location.
One lap, two laps, three laps.
They covered at least a mile in distance.
At full speed, Yu Hong was weary, nearly at his limit.
However, while he was barely holding on, his pursuers were gasping like exhausted bulls, their legs weakening.
“Yu, Yu Hong!! Don’t run anymore!”
“I can’t let him get away!! He must be stopped!” One of the pursuers, unable to contain himself any longer, reached for a pistol at his waist.
Just then, when Yu Hong should have been completely drained, a surge of second cool energy suddenly erupted from him.
In an instant, his strength was restored, and he turned to lunge at the man who had drawn his weapon.
Bang!!
Caught by surprise, the armed man was tackled head-on, tumbling violently down the slope.
As they rolled, he crashed into the other pursuer who was climbing the slope behind them.
Ahh!!
Two agonizing cries echoed as the two were knocked down the hill by Yu Hong’s charge.
Having been exhausted before, the two pursuers found themselves at the mercy of Yu Hong’s regained strength as he swiftly got back on his feet, grabbing a club in one hand.
Bang!
Bang!
Direct hits to their foreheads.
Already incapable of putting up a fight, the pair was rattled senseless by the onslaught, and even before they could recover, Yu Hong struck each of them in the forehead with the club.
Both slumped down, unable to rise.
Yu Hong quickly snatched the handguns from their grasp, his heart racing with fear.
“They actually had guns with them!!” He couldn’t even imagine what might have happened if he had hesitated even just a moment longer—getting shot would have been disastrous.
Overcome with dread and terror, he couldn’t help but raise the club once again, striking each of them on the head once more.
Bang! Bang!
At this point, both had lost consciousness, collapsing onto the ground, unresponsive.
Fortunately, the club was hollow and not heavy, or else those two blows driven by anger could have been fatal.
Even so, blood began to ooze from their foreheads, and two large bumps started to swell up.
(End of this chapter)