The sky dimmed, approaching dusk.

In front of a safe cave, there came a series of urgent knocks.

"Yuhong! Do you have a business deal?" Jenny called out, one hand gripping her knife and the other knocking on the door.

She glanced at the sky, knowing night was fast approaching and time was of the essence.

"What kind of business?" Yuhong asked from behind the door, surprised that Jenny would come over at such a late hour.

But he had expected that she would show up sooner or later.

“It’s about my daughter; it’s my fault, and I apologize. But people have their own selfish desires; everyone wants to survive. I hope you can understand this,” Jenny quickly explained, her gaze alertly scanning the surroundings.

Yuhong scoffed quietly, hearing her words.

How could such a serious matter be brushed aside so lightly? He had thought Jenny was somewhat sane, but now it seemed she was just like her daughter.

"What are you trying to say? We have nothing to discuss," he said coldly.

“I’m looking to buy all your surplus large luminous stones with something that you absolutely cannot refuse,” Jenny pressed on.

“The peak period is coming soon; I doubt there’s anything I wouldn’t accept,” Yuhong replied, unmoved.

“You should at least listen,” Jenny continued, unfazed by his indifference. “You probably don’t know how Eve and I ended up in this place. Baichou Village is just an isolated little village. Why would we have traveled so far to end up here?”

Yuhong remained silent.

It did seem a bit strange.

“My husband used to be a researcher at the Silver Tower Research Institute. The Silver Tower is not just one place, but a coalition of many research institutes around the world,” Jenny explained further.

“He discovered that some locations in the world are where the black calamity first emerged and spread. Baichou Village is similar, which is why…”

“Why he brought us here to find its source. He taught Eve from a young age, and they both have a good grasp of the ancient language. Near this village, they discovered an underground ruin.”

Jenny paused, taking a deep breath.

“Of course, that’s not the most important thing. The most crucial part is that my husband brought back a kind of liquid metal from within the Silver Tower, which can be used like spray paint. It’s called Sunshine No. 1.”

“This liquid metal is currently the only known substance that can block and isolate the spectral shadows,” Jenny sighed. “I have a small vial of this metal that I can offer you in exchange for all your large luminous stones!”

Sunshine No. 1? Such a thing existed?

Yuhong was skeptical, remaining silent for a moment.

Oddly, Jenny did not press him but continued speaking.

“You can think it over. Right now, Eve is hiding in the Sunshine No. 1 room, temporarily isolated from the spectral shadows, but she can’t stay hidden forever. The moment she steps outside, she could be entangled by those shadows. So, after the peak time, I will come again! I hope you will have made a decision by then.”

With that, Jenny hastily stepped away from the door and quickly vanished into the forest, moving with the grace of a cheetah.

Before long, she returned to her dwelling within the cave.

She locked the door behind her and made her way to the silver metal door where her daughter was.

Squatting down, Jenny noticed that a bag of luminous stones lying outside the silver metal door had somehow turned into white powder.

Her expression immediately changed.

“Eve, are you still there?” she called out anxiously.

“Yes, Mom!” Eve replied from inside.

“According to the pattern of attacks, the next one should happen in about six hours. I used the red value detector to judge that the environmental red value will peak at over two hundred just before the attack! The luminous stones can neutralize the red value to avert the peak, preventing it from making an appearance. Therefore, all I can do now is to gather as many luminous and large luminous stones as possible to help shield you from the red values in our surroundings!” Jenny spoke firmly.

At that moment, she was nothing like the person in front of Yuhong and Doctor Xu.

She clearly understood much more, showing no signs of hiding or pretense.

“I understand. I’ll be fine. It’s just that this shadow mark is driving me mad, wanting to infect more people. It feels as though the more people I infect, the safer I become!” Eve’s clear voice rang out from inside.

“It’ll be fine, just like before. As long as we have what your father left behind, I will cure you! You’ll be okay, Eve,” Jenny reassured her.

“I believe you, Mom,” Eve replied.

Then, Jenny began to prepare food for the two of them while also getting ready for the upcoming peak period.

Night slowly descended.

Yuhong stirred the fire in the fireplace, cooking the thick soup he had just added fresh ingredients to.

The front door and the silver symbol array were all repaired; next, he needed to keep the black mark for any potential enhancements.

In the afternoon, Jenny’s words still echoed in his ears.

‘Ancient language? One of the origins of the black calamity? Sunshine No. 1?’

These terms, these names, cast a mysterious veil over what he had previously thought was an ordinary mountain village.

Actually, Yuhong had long found something odd: where did the red symbols on the surface of the luminous stones come from? They didn’t seem like products of modern technology.

And this society, with its evident advancements, must have its own ways to tackle the spectral shadows and the blood tide.

What could those methods be?

Now, Jenny had provided him a possible answer.

It could very well be Sunshine No. 1.

Thinking this, he stood up and walked to a corner.

He pulled out a stack of newspapers that he had moved from the stuttering Zhang.

Flipping through the pages, his hand came to a halt.

He pulled out one of the papers.

On it, there was a report that mentioned the Sunshine No. 1 material.

“About the newly developed special liquid metal, Professor Peng Siwei translated it as Sunshine No. 1. This liquid metal solidifies when exposed to light, and its initial discovery occurred near several sites of the black calamity. Its formation is believed to have emerged alongside the calamity.”

“He really does exist,” Yuhong said, a look of surprise on his face.

He recalled what Doctor Xu had said about Jenny and her daughter surviving extremely dangerous peak periods multiple times.

Combining that with Eve’s unconventional demeanor, it was clear that the mother and daughter duo definitely held secrets, and they weren’t ordinary ones.

“From her tone just now, she firmly believed that she and her daughter could survive the peak period. Perhaps it’s due to the effects of Sunshine No. 1.”

With this thought, a hint of interest stirred within Yuhong.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from the entrance.

He turned his head towards the wooden door.

He saw the door shudder slightly, as if some massive creature was viciously ramming against it.

Bang!

Hammering sounds continued to ring out.

Black insects began to surge in like sand through the ventilation holes.

These insects had black shells, long and densely packed short legs, with mandibles that resembled centipedes.

But however vicious they looked, the moment they entered the safety cave, they were illuminated by firelight and melted away, transforming into black smoke that dispersed into thin air.

Yuhong remained calm.

The peak period was not a significant threat to him now.

He just needed to wait for the large creature to leave and then swiftly repair the door.

Taking advantage of this time, Yuhong kept an eye on the sturdiness of the door while starting to draw ordinary symbol arrays and reinforcing them with the black mark.

Each of these symbol arrays was drawn onto regular wooden boards, which he then layered together, connecting them with pre-prepared wooden nails to create a complete piece.

In this way, a large symbol array disk made from nine wooden boards was successfully completed.

Throughout the six-day peak period, Yuhong created three of these symbol array disks.

Two were made from ordinary symbol arrays, while the last one was crafted by using a silver symbol array at the core and layered with ordinary symbol arrays, making it a silver core version.

This was to prepare for the inevitable arrival of the spectral shadow withered woman.

Soon, the peak period passed.

The next day, in the early morning.

Yuhong opened the door to gather firewood and soon heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching.

He returned to the stone steps at the cave entrance and looked out.

In the distance, he saw Jenny and Eve quickly approaching.

After six days, Jenny appeared increasingly haggard, her eyes sunken and dark.

She had lost considerable weight.

Eve, too, seemed unwell; her once-bright golden hair had lost its luster, and she looked timid, living in fear.

But no matter what, after six days, they were still alive and had not fallen victim to the spectral shadows, which was itself strange.

Seeing them approach, Yuhong said nothing, quickly retreated to the house, locking the door, and waited quietly for their arrival.

His initial impression of Jenny and Eve had blurred, replaced by a unique feeling tinged with mystery.

Before long, they stood outside the wooden door, separated from Yuhong by just a single door panel.

“It’s been six days. Have you thought it over? Perhaps you should try the effects,” Jenny called out hoarsely from outside.

“How do I know that what you say about Sunshine No. 1 is true? After all, you don’t have what I need, and our relationship in this exchange isn’t equal,” Yuhong responded coldly.

“Everyone wants to survive,” Jenny replied. “Eve just wants to live; is that wrong?”

“She’s not wrong,” Yuhong replied, “but that doesn’t concern me. I have no reason to help you.”

“But we have no way out,” Jenny said.

She grabbed a wooden stick, the end of which was held by her daughter Eve.

They connected through this single stick.

“I told you, this has nothing to do with me,” Yuhong stated calmly.

He had no interest in someone like Eve, who wanted to spread her infection to others.

“You have that ability! That makes it your responsibility!” Jenny raised her voice.

“I don’t have an obligation to help you,” Yuhong retorted.

“But we are left with no other choice!” Jenny countered, her eyes growing precarious and deep.

“How am I forcing you? I don’t have the ability to save you; is that considered forcing?” Yuhong nearly laughed in frustration.

He had only heard of such people but never thought he would encounter one in reality.

“Facing death forces many to do anything to survive,” Jenny’s eyes grew even calmer.

Behind her, Eve stepped forward, standing up.

“But if you help us now, we will be very grateful,” Jenny continued.

“I don’t need your gratitude,” Yuhong replied darkly.

“Then we’ll go down together,” Jenny chuckled. “Eve will sit right by your door from now on. If she dies here, the withered woman’s black handprint will remain at your door, and this safety cave will become one of the spawn points for the spectral shadows! The moment you step outside, you will be marked by the shadow!”

(End of this chapter)