Within the safe cave.
Yu Hong sat down, gasping for breath to recover his strength.
He placed the formation talisman on the ground, and sweat poured off his body, making it hard for him to open his eyes.
After resting for a few moments, he turned to glance at Dr. Xu and noticed she had her eyes closed, seemingly resting as well.
With a heavy heart, he reached out and pressed his hand against the silver talisman on the door.
After a brief pause, he released his hold and saw a black countdown appear on the surface of the talisman, relieving a bit of his tension.
It wouldn’t take long; it would only take a little over forty minutes for a full recovery.
“Dr. Xu, are you alright?” Yu Hong finally found a moment to ask aloud.
...
There was no reply.
Yu Hong furrowed his brow and turned back again, only to see Dr. Xu still curled up on the floor, unmoving.
Sweat and saliva dripped steadily from her chin, and her body shook slightly, trembling.
“Dr. Xu?” Yu Hong called out again, sensing something was wrong, his expression turning grave.
He reached out and lightly nudged her, discovering she didn’t respond at all.
Worry began to grip him, and he quickly got to his feet to pour a cup of warm water, hoping to give it to her.
However, Dr. Xu’s mouth wouldn’t close, and her breathing was extremely erratic.
Just pouring water could choke her.
Yu Hong could only cautiously wet her mouth a little.
Then, he dragged her onto a softer sleeping bag. “I don’t have any emergency medicine, nor do I know what’s wrong. The only thing I can do now is rely on you to save yourself,” he said hurriedly as he sat beside her. “If you can hear me, please tell me how I can help you.”
Dr. Xu lay still, her eyes closed, twitching slightly, unable to move.
Her body felt a bit cold, yet her sweat continued to seep out.
Soon, the fire in the hearth flickered to life, emitting a warm glow that eased some of her physical discomfort.
It seemed her breathing also calmed down a bit with the warmth.
Seeing her improve a little, Yu Hong felt relieved.
At this moment, handling supplies and logistics all on his own was beyond him.
It was crucial to save Dr. Xu, who was a good friend of his and had a decent nature.
He looked at the countdown on the door, then glanced at the stains on Dr. Xu’s face, using a leaf to wipe her saliva and sweat away.
Then he sat down and searched through the bag he had just retrieved from the cave of Zhanni and her daughter.
The bag wasn’t a cloth sack but a thick black plastic bag with white ears, easy to carry with one hand.
Yu Hong tore it open, one by one taking out its contents.
The red value detector was on top and was placed on the ground.
Then there were a pair of black women’s leather boots, three candles, a hardcover brown notebook, a bottle containing unknown red pills, a dirty black fabric mask, and a short knife with a scabbard adorned with a patterned snake skin.
Lastly, there was a green handheld device that looked like a gaming console, complete with a screen and a cross button.
Yu Hong first picked up the green console, flipping it to find a small black switch on the side and turning it on.
Nothing happened.
He set it down, then picked up the bottle of pills.
Through its clear glass, he could see the red pills inside looked fresh and dry, showing no signs of mold.
“Neither Zhanni nor Ai Fu showed any signs of illness, so what are these pills for? Emergency anti-inflammatory medicine? Or…”
He couldn’t figure it out and would have to wait for Dr. Xu to wake up for testing.
Setting the pills down, he then picked up the short knife, cautiously pulling it from its sheath.
The sharp silver blade was quite clean, coated lightly in maintenance oil.
One side of the blade had a serrated design, and there was a blood groove on the side, giving it a practical appearance.
With a click, Yu Hong closed the knife and reached for the notebook.
He opened it and began to read.
“Adjust radiation time based on dosage to proceed with the next step of testing according to Plan No. 2.”
"April saw three unexpected accidents; collected radiation data from the bright stone sixteen times."
"May conducted radiation data surveys around the bright stone mining area, with seventy-four data samples collected."
"June discovered an individual entered the mine, showing mild physical changes, successfully sampling and obtaining data."
"July conducted five successful animal model experiments, but due to environmental changes, the number of animal insects drastically decreased, and animal experiments were forced to an end."
“August, collected Ai Fu's cells for cultivation and began radiation testing on the cultured tissues. Comparing with previously collected Lin Yiyi cell tissues to infer the process of mutation.”
Under the firelight, Yu Hong frowned as he observed the lines of text in the notebook, filled with detailed charts and coded data that he couldn’t decipher.
However, from the words, it seemed that the Zhanni family harbored impure intentions in coming here and had been secretly sampling and observing Lin Yiyi.
He flipped through the pages, skipping many data charts until he found some more relevant text. “Bright stone disease has been confirmed to confer considerable resistance against the ghostly shadow. In cases of equivalent infection, patients with bright stone disease, while exhibiting some degree of intellectual decline, showed strong resistance in high red value environments. They wouldn’t experience stiffness, twitching, or hallucinations.”
“In cell sampling experiments, cells infected by bright stone disease displayed enhanced activity, with a lifespan reduction of 65.4% and over 70% increase in resistance to bacteria and viruses. It was thus confirmed that bringing Ai Fu to the mine for around half an hour every five days could effectively suppress the special imprint disease on her body.”
Understanding began to dawn on Yu Hong.
The Zhanni family probably came here because their daughter Ai Fu was targeted by something and, forced by necessity, sought research methods for salvation.
Unfortunately, their study had only begun to show effects before it was interrupted by him.
Ai Fu hadn’t been killed by the ghostly plague but had instead fallen at the hands of this ordinary person.
“But how could bright stone disease cause such sickness?” Yu Hong thought, recalling Lin Yiyi’s condition.
She displayed cognitive decline, yet was exceptionally resistant to specters.
He had never witnessed Lin Yiyi scream in fear from a shadow.
“So, it seems Lin Yiyi might also be suffering from bright stone disease?” he speculated.
As long as he could determine the cause, perhaps he could find a way in the future to help her recover.
*
*
Baihe City.
On the surface.
At the beach, waves rhythmically surged forward and receded, leaving white lines on the sand.
Above the beach, about a hundred meters away, stood a row of abandoned, rusted skyscrapers, quietly towering under the scorching sun.
The blue glass surfaces of the buildings reflected blinding sunlight, occasionally clattering as the sea breeze blew against them.
On top of one of the buildings covered in rust, several men and women in camouflage clothing were speaking in hushed tones, gathered together, their clothing marked with the insignia of the United Army.
Among them, a short-haired man with glasses was holding a large piece of jade bright stone, lowering his head and frowning as he listened to those beside him.
With a gentle face and a sun-kissed complexion, he carried a small silver pistol at his waist.
On the outer side of his right arm, there was a mark of three stars, distinct from the others.
“A Dong and the other two haven’t returned. We didn’t have time to check on them earlier, but now that we’ve finally settled down, I sent people back to the rendezvous point, only to find no one there. I suspect something happened to them,” a young woman with dark skin said seriously.
“They each have a gun, and there were resting spots in between, so it’s unlikely they ran into trouble, right?” another person said impatiently.
“It’s hard to say. Previously, with the dark shadows rampant, they might have been taken down halfway. The satellite signals are too disrupted now; it’s impossible to contact them over long distances. The only thing we can rely on is showing up at the agreed time. If they can’t make it, we can only assume they’re dead,” the young woman replied swiftly.
“What should we do? If there really is someone over at Baiqiu Village who can produce the bright stone, it would be too much of a waste to give up just like this,” another chimed in.
“Exactly. So who is willing to go back and investigate what happened to determine the real situation?” the bespectacled man asked aloud, scanning the crowd.
But as he made eye contact, everyone quickly looked away, unwilling to respond.
“Is there no one willing to make the sacrifice?” the glasses-wearing man sighed. “If we could catch that person making the bright stones, I guarantee to double their pay every month! Whether it’s food or supplies.”
Silence lingered around him.
After barely escaping from the dark shadows, everyone was reluctant to return to face death once more.
Moreover, with such a long distance to cover, they might not even reach their destination before being caught by the specter monsters along the way.
“Xu Yang, you have always been my most capable assistant,” the glasses-wearing man fixed his gaze on a strong man wearing a black mask.
“Captain Zhao, relying solely on us to return might leave us vulnerable on the way. Think of the troubles we encountered while moving the whole town!” the burly man, Xu Yang, quickly replied.
“What are you implying?” the glasses-wearing man frowned.
“The key now is that Baiqiu Village is too dangerous. None of us here can handle it. So we need to find someone who can,” Xu Yang smiled.
“Who can guarantee that they can handle it?” the glasses-wearing man asked.
“My little brother has already gathered information. There’s a black market bar in Baihe City specifically hiring mercenaries. Last time I was there, I met a true expert. He previously worked as a mailman, coming from the front line of the Aurora City United Army, and is undoubtedly top-notch, whether in marksmanship or melee combat,” Xu Yang explained.
“Isn’t the price very steep?” the glasses-wearing man furrowed his brow. “And why would someone this skilled want to work for us? Wouldn’t they make more by capturing people themselves?”
“As long as we don’t tell him, just let him capture people,” Xu Yang chuckled. “If we get exposed, we can negotiate again. At worst, we’ll have to share some benefits with him, which is still better than having nothing now.”
The glasses-wearing man nodded, examining the bright stone in his hand closely.
“That makes sense. Given the environment of Baihe City, as long as we can identify the person capable of continuously producing the bright stone, it’s equivalent to holding a hen that lays golden eggs.”
He paused.
“The effect of this bright stone is comparable to the marrow of bright stone. The symbols on it are secondary. Many similar types can be easily forged. The key is the material; it can definitely be used to counterfeit rare bright stone marrow, and the profit margin surpasses what most people can imagine. I can’t help but wonder how he managed to create it.”
He exhaled, turning to Xu Yang again.
“This task will be entrusted to you. Can you manage it?”
“Guaranteed to complete the mission,” Xu Yang smiled.
“What’s his name?”
“Bai Mang, Guo Xudong.”
(End of Chapter)