Jennifer spoke lightly, but the chill in her eyes was unmistakable.
"Would you like to try? See if we can dismantle your safe house?"
In an instant, all three people inside and outside the door fell silent.
Yu Hong kept quiet, his expression shifting as he pondered and hesitated.
After a long pause, he slowly spoke, "This deal doesn't seem fair. I need to know why you are so certain that with my help, you can escape the Dark Shadow of the Withered Maiden? That you can survive?"
Outside the door, Jennifer remained composed as she took a sip from her water pouch.
The moment she heard his words, she knew he was leaning toward compromise.
"This was part of my husband's research as well. I can offer it as compensation later, but only if you help us through this crisis."
"And how do you plan to do that?" Yu Hong asked.
"With the Glimmering Stones! We need a lot of Glimmering Stones!" Jennifer replied.
"I can only give you three. That's all I have in stock," Yu Hong said, frowning.
"Three should last us a while. As long as we don't confront it head-on, we can hold out!" Jennifer said quickly, showing a hint of joy on her face.
"But how can I trust you to keep your promise and tell me the secret to avoiding the Dark Shadow?" Yu Hong questioned.
"Here’s the deal: I'll tell you part of it first, then you place two stones outside the door, and we’ll take them. After that, I’ll share the final part, and then you give me the last stone," Jennifer suggested swiftly.
"This might be riskier for us, but it ensures your interests are protected. What do you think?"
"Alright," Yu Hong said after a short silence, accepting the terms.
He rose and walked to the corner of the cave, retrieving the Glimmering Stones he had on hand, a total of five.
Since he often had to change the items he used for various practices, he had merely these few Glimmering Stones left.
Most of his time had been spent researching talisman formations, and he hadn’t been able to produce or restore more Glimmering Stones due to the pressing labor of the Dark Ink.
Taking out three of the stones, he returned to the back of the door and sat against the side stone wall.
"I’ve brought the items. You all back away."
"Understood," Jennifer said, feeling more stable as she used a stick to guide her daughter down the stone steps, retreating.
From a distance, the two watched the wooden door intently, keeping an eye on its movements.
About half a minute passed before the wooden door made a crisp cracking sound, and then it slowly opened a crack.
A hand reached out, holding a Glimmering Stone, gently placing it on the ground outside.
This was the first stone.
The hand withdrew, then returned with a second stone, placing it beside the first.
Crack.
The door closed once more.
"Go!" Jennifer's face lit up with joy as she quickly stepped forward, climbing the stone steps to pick up the two Glimmering Stones.
"Now you can tell me how you avoid the Dark Shadow, right?" Yu Hong's voice came from the back of the door.
"I can share half of it," Jennifer said, glancing at her daughter, who also looked pleased, signaling her to step back a bit.
"Both Dark Shadows and Phantom Shadows behave similarly; they show a range of signs before attacking living beings. We can use instruments to detect these signs and prepare in advance to prevent them from striking smoothly."
She paused before continuing, "Based on my husband's research, using the Red Value Detector, as long as we keep the red value within a specific range, it will cause the Phantom Shadow to hesitate, to waver."
"Do they possess consciousness?" Yu Hong pressed.
"That’s uncertain," Jennifer replied.
"Is there anything else you want to ask?"
"How do you know the range of the red value for the Dark Shadow?" Yu Hong narrowed his eyes.
"We adjust based on the average intensity of the Phantom Shadow’s readings. It's not difficult. The challenge lies in stabilizing that value. Generally, both Phantom and Dark Shadows will cause a sharp spike in the red value before they appear, reaching their limits. That’s the fundamental reason we need the Glimmering Stones you hold," Jennifer explained quickly.
"Finally, what about Sunlight One?" Yu Hong reminded.
"The secret to avoiding the Dark Shadow is already worth three Glimmering Stones," Jennifer stated coldly.
"If you want Sunlight One, you'll need to offer more Glimmering Stones in exchange!"
"I still have some questions. If you're willing to answer them, I can give you one more Glimmering Stone," Yu Hong suggested.
"Four stones? That works, but I need to gauge the value of your questions," she replied.
"That’s fine!"
They quickly reached an agreement again.
"Now, tell me the red value range for avoiding the Dark Shadow. I'll provide the third Glimmering Stone," Yu Hong said.
"The red value range for avoiding the Dark Shadow lies between 120 and 140! As long as we stay within this range, the Dark Shadow will be in a position where it is on the verge of appearing but cannot manifest. However, this state will consume the red value steadily. After half an hour, the Dark Shadow will retreat," Jennifer responded readily.
"Alright, step back a bit, and I'll give you the third stone!" Yu Hong said promptly.
Though he did not fully believe her, at least it was valuable as a reference.
"Okay," Jennifer replied, gradually stepping back.
But this time, she did not move far away.
Instead, she circled around the left side of the wooden door.
Then she easily scrambled up the left wall like a climber, using one hand to grip the wall.
Once settled, she pulled a black dagger from her waist, aiming at the wooden door.
The moment the door opened, she could jump down and catch the person inside off guard.
With her combat skills, it would take just a few seconds to subdue someone like Yu Hong.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Soon enough.
Crack.
The wooden door slowly cracked open.
The gap widened and widened, until it was big enough for a hand to reach out and grab a Glimmering Stone.
Just then, Jennifer leaped from the side, fiercely gripping the wooden door and pushing her body inside.
If she could squeeze behind the door, with her fighting ability, handling a mere Yu Hong would be a piece of cake.
Crack.
A gun was raised, aiming squarely at her chest.
As Jennifer jumped into the cave, ready to pounce and subdue Yu Hong, a dark muzzle had already risen to aim at her.
The gun was steady, mere inches from her chest, held by Yu Hong.
His expression was calm as he pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
Jennifer was stunned, her body recoiling as she rolled out from the door, falling onto the ground and leaving a small stain of blood.
She had been hit just to the right of her chest from such close proximity, and it was fortunate that her opponent had poor marksmanship, perhaps due to an unfamiliarity with the gun's recoil.
That negligence granted her a glimmer of hope!
Jennifer’s mind was spinning!
That guy actually had a gun!?? And he was still so cowardly!? Putting on an act!?
She felt overwhelmed, the first time experiencing the treachery of the human heart!
Yu Hong's intentions swirled in her mind, but she couldn't fathom why he would do such a thing.
Struggling to rise, she rushed to her daughter’s side, grabbing the stick from her hand.
"Run!!" she shouted.
Intense pain distorted her face.
Yet that pain also helped her become calm.
This time, she had been caught off guard; after she sorted out her injuries, there would be plenty of ways to deal with Yu Hong.
As long as he needed to venture out to gather firewood, fetch water, or find food, she would find a way to launch a sneak attack.
If all else failed, the various chemical powders left by her husband could easily take out an enemy if she quietly sprayed them into his air supply!
The two quickly ran away.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out.
Jennifer fell, hitting the ground as blood slowly seeped from her back and waist, spreading across her clothes.
Her daughter, Eve, was pulled down with her.
Seeing her mother’s injury, Eve was clearly stunned.
After a breath, she trembled, reaching out to touch her mother, but hesitated, fearing the infection from the Dark Shadow.
"Run!" Jennifer raised her face, speaking weakly to her daughter.
Seeing her daughter unresponsive, she summoned all her strength.
"Run!!" she cried, shoving two Glimmering Stones into Eve’s hands.
"Stay put, squat down!" Yu Hong's voice came from behind.
He still held the gun, aiming at Eve as he approached step by step.
But Eve was clearly panicking, clutching the Glimmering Stones, and turned to flee.
She didn't even look back at her mother, dashing wildly toward the distant woods, tripping and falling repeatedly, not daring to look back, quickly widening the distance.
“If you don’t want Jennifer to die, stay put and don’t move!” Yu Hong yelled, aiming at her as he approached.
His voice echoed into the distance, resonating in the forest.
But sadly, Eve remained indifferent, as though she hadn’t heard, continuing to sprint forward until she vanished deep among the trees.
Yu Hong lowered his gun, glancing down at the bleeding Jennifer, who had already pooled a large spot of blood on the ground, staining the surrounding grass.
It looked grim.
"Anything you want to say?" he asked coldly.
Unlike the first time he had taken a life long ago, he now seemed adapted to the basic rules of this era and environment.
"Eve... She will survive," Jennifer’s gaze lost focus.
"She will survive... and avenge me."
"What a beautiful thought," Yu Hong said expressionlessly, no longer looking at her and quickly heading toward the shelter where Jennifer and Eve lived.
He ran with all his strength, chasing feverishly.
Finally, after utilizing a second breath of coolness.
Bang!!
A heavy mace struck Eve at the back of her head, knocking her to the ground.
In the woods, just thirty or forty meters from the post office, Yu Hong had caught up with Eve.
Looking at the dizzy girl sprawled on the ground, he glanced around, stepping closer to pry the two Glimmering Stones from her hand.
Of course, he didn't use his hand but the mace.
Eve was infected by the Dark Shadow, who knew if direct contact would also lead to infection.
"Goodbye," he said softly to the girl.
"Don’t! No!!" Eve struggled, her voice tiny, tears flowing down her cheeks.
Bang!
A few more muffled sounds followed.
Yu Hong turned and left, taking the mace with him, leaving behind Eve, who had fallen into a deep unconsciousness.
Blood continued to flow down Eve's forehead, more and more gushing out.
Yu Hong did not kill her; after all, Eve had not partaken in Jennifer's threats.
She was merely an ignorant child.
Young, and not understanding many things.
Thus, he simply broke her limbs and left her unconscious.
(End of Chapter)