"Red Value Detector!" Yu Hong chuckled, his impression of this device deep.
Without it, following Jenni's suggested method of evasion would be utterly pointless.
With a click, Doctor Xu pressed the button to turn it on.
Suddenly, red light flickered on the detector, and the LCD screen displayed rapidly changing data.
Buzz!
The numbers soared higher and higher.
50!
80!
120!
230!!
The red light grew increasingly bright and glaring.
Both Yu Hong and Doctor Xu were momentarily stunned.
Bang!!
Without warning, Yu Hong shoved Doctor Xu aside, and both fell to the ground.
In the instant they separated, a shadow swiftly appeared behind Doctor Xu, reaching out to grab her.
Beep!!!
The red value detector emitted a sharp alarm.
Yu Hong rolled over quickly, grabbing the wolf-tooth club and swinging it toward the shadow.
The club cut through the air with a whoosh, striking the shadow's head.
However, bizarrely, it seemed as if the club had sunk into a cloud of black mist, harmlessly passing through below.
The three large glow stones inside the club instantly turned to dust, shattered into nothingness.
The detector's alarm abruptly halted, and the values plummeted, dropping to two hundred.
Then they fell to 150, 100, 60, 30.
It paused at 30 but after just a few seconds started soaring upward again.
"Run!" Yu Hong dashed over to pull Doctor Xu up, and together they sprinted away into the distance.
Behind them, the detector's alarm quickly blared again.
The sharp sound echoed through the surrounding forest.
Meanwhile, back at the location they had just fled, at the entrance of Jenni’s path,
a black shadow was rapidly regaining its form.
In just three seconds, it fully reformed, abruptly vanishing from view.
Huff! Huff! Huff!!
Yu Hong breathed heavily while running, checking the large glow stones on him.
All three in the wolf-tooth club were gone, turned to white dust.
But he still had one talisman and three glow stones on him.
"Just like that, it destroyed three of my glow stones. That must have been the shadow!" He tried to calm his breath, voice raised.
Doctor Xu, behind him, was running just as fast, her stamina seeming even slightly better than his.
But it made sense; those without stamina wouldn’t have made it this far.
"Where are we going now?!" she shouted, breathless.
"To my place! That's the only place that might stop that thing!" Yu Hong replied urgently.
"But I didn’t grab my medicine!" Doctor Xu’s face shifted in alarm.
"Survival comes first! We can get it later!" Yu Hong insisted.
They dashed swiftly through the forest, feeling no pursuer behind them, seeing nothing come after them.
Yet an unnameable chill closed in on them quickly.
The trees on either side raced past while the grass beneath their feet yielded clear footprints.
Suddenly, Yu Hong halted, lifting his gaze forward.
His sudden stop nearly caused Doctor Xu to crash into him.
"What’s—" she began, but then her gaze fell upon what lay ahead.
A black figure lurked behind a great tree, showing only half of its disheveled black hair.
Its tattered black dress, tangled long hair, unseen face, and rapidly rising red value data all signified its identity— the shadow!
Yu Hong took a slow step back but was suddenly tugged by Doctor Xu's sleeve.
"There’s... one behind us!"
Doctor Xu's voice trembled.
Yu Hong turned slightly, his body tensing as he looked back.
Sure enough!
Behind them stood another shadowy figure in a black dress, hiding behind a tree.
No, not just behind!
He felt a shiver run through him as he saw the black-haired figures slowly emerge from behind every nearby tree.
Ten.
Twenty!
Thirty!
Fifty!!
And perhaps even more!
They crowded behind the trees, heads bowed, long hair drooping down to cover their faces.
Silent, they stood still, waiting.
They circled around the two.
"Why are there so many?!" Doctor Xu’s voice was edged with fear, sounding almost alien to her usual tone.
"Did you bring Jenni's things?!" Yu Hong took a deep breath, asking in a hush.
"I—did bring them."
Doctor Xu answered.
With their backs against each other, they stood drenched in sweat, daring not to move.
"Hold tight."
Yu Hong inhaled deeply, suppressing the fear rising within, grasping the lone talisman hidden in his clothing.
"Stay close to me!"
He lowered his voice.
"I’ll count to three, then we run!"
Doctor Xu’s face turned pale, and she nodded hurriedly.
At this moment, she no longer knew what to do, finally grasping the level of threat these shadows posed, which could drive an entire army away from town.
"One."
Yu Hong tightened his grip on the talisman, pulling it free.
"Two."
His other hand rested on where the three glow stones had been, ensuring they were ready to launch.
The surrounding woods were dead silent, even the wind had ceased.
Only a deep oppressive feeling closed in on them, threatening to engulf them whole.
"Three!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Hong charged forward, racing toward his cave hideout.
He didn’t glance back at the approaching shadow.
Instead, he plunged headlong into the path ahead.
Lifting the talisman, he readied the glow stones with his other hand to throw.
Yu Hong summoned a cool airflow from within, hoping to regain some stamina.
"Stay close!" he shouted.
The three glow stones he launched soared towards the black figure ahead, but before they reached it, they disintegrated into white powder.
Then he thrust the talisman forward.
The shadow’s figure twisted rapidly, becoming distorted and blurry, clearly disturbed by the glow stones.
Next, the talisman closed in, accompanied by the sharp alarm from the detector, meeting the shadow in a split second.
Bang!!
A flash of white light erupted, accompanied by a sound resembling an exploding bulb.
The talisman and shadow shattered simultaneously, dispersing into nothing, pieces of wood scattering onto the grass below.
At that instant, both Yu Hong and Doctor Xu broke free from the encirclement, sprinting full throttle towards the cave.
They ran with every ounce of strength, afraid to even pause for a moment.
They rushed through patches of forest, slopes, and rocky terrains.
What should have taken over ten minutes, even half an hour, became a rapid escape of just ten minutes.
Both were drenched in sweat, muscles growing weaker, lungs burning painfully, and their vision starting to blur with white spots.
"Faster!" Yu Hong called out, channeling another wave of cool energy to regain stamina, alleviating much of his body’s fatigue.
He realized that the cool energy didn’t fully restore his body but merely replenished his energy for a short time.
The injuries remained.
"I can’t keep going."
Doctor Xu gasped behind him, struggling to catch her breath.
The full sprint was a massive burden, even for someone physically fit like her, especially in such a nutrient-deprived environment.
Surviving this long was already pushing her limits.
"We’re almost there! Hurry!" Yu Hong extended his hand, grasping her arm as he pulled her toward him.
But as he turned, he noticed another black figure emerging from less than ten meters behind them.
"Not again! Come on! Just a bit further!!" He pushed ahead with everything he had.
The cave's stone wall loomed before them, the entrance coming into view, growing ever closer.
They were nearly there!!
Suddenly, a black shadow flickered into view, materializing less than a meter behind them.
The shadow reached out, almost touching Doctor Xu.
A frigid presence enveloped them, attempting to halt their pace.
But thankfully, it was just shy of reaching them.
Bang!
Finally, Yu Hong made it!!
He lunged at the door, hastily retrieving his key and throwing it open, pulling Doctor Xu inside with him as they rolled together through the entrance.
Bang!
He kicked the door shut, locking it securely.
The silver talisman behind the door erupted with a bright silver glow, blocking the rapidly approaching shadows outside.
But in that moment, Doctor Xu could barely stand.
She fell to the ground, her eyes filled with flickering white spots, her vision fading.
Her body began to spasm violently, her leg muscles visibly quivering.
In no time, she sagged to the side, curled up, mouth agape, drool mixed with sweat dripping down her chin.
She felt like she was losing control of her body, starting from her legs, gradually moving upwards, losing feeling.
This loss of sensation rushed up her legs and soon reached her waist.
In a vague arrangement, she heard something crash against the door, producing a cacophony.
Soon that loss of sensation crawled upward, overtaking her abdomen and closing in on her chest.
Bang!
Yu Hong quickly lifted Doctor Xu, leaning her against the stone wall, before stepping toward the door with the talisman in hand.
He had used one of the three talismans; now two remained, one being the strongest variant with a silver core.
Reaching the door, he pressed the talisman against the back of it.
Bang!
Another loud crash hit the door, followed by the silver talisman shining brighter.
The shadow outside disappeared in an instant.
Yet the shadows were numerous; new ones charged toward them immediately.
Bang!!
The next shadow also dissipated beneath the silver glow, vanishing.
But more shadows were still closing in.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
One crash after another rattled Yu Hong, making his body tremble.
The silver talisman in his hands quickly began to dim, losing its effect.
He swiftly grabbed a new talisman and pressed it against the door.
One after another.
The talisman’s white and silver light intertwined, rapidly fading.
As he watched the brightness near its end, he knew he could only hold for another two strikes before the door would break.
A tense silence descended.
The white light on the talisman slowly disappeared, extinguished.
Only half of its patterns remained intact, meaning the outer shadows had retreated or completely vanished.
Yu Hong dared not move, remaining stationary, drenched in sweat as he waited.
Another ten minutes passed uneventfully.
He confirmed the talisman was silent and that the shadows outside had genuinely departed or dissipated.
Finally, he loosened his grip on the talisman, sitting down heavily.
Looking down at his hands, marked red from the talisman, he felt an involuntary shiver.
"Damn it!" His expression twisted as he clenched his fists, trying to calm the terror within.
Yes, he still had stamina; his state was purely a psychological reaction!
This direct confrontation had truly opened his eyes to the lurking peril of the shadows.
Just a hair's breadth.
So close.
(End of Chapter)