At that moment, upon hearing Yu Hong’s self-introduction, the bearded man nodded in recognition.
“I am Zhou Kaiming, just call me Old Zhou. I have some knowledge about many things, so if you need anything, feel free to ask. My prices are negotiable.”
“Alright.” Yu Hong nodded.
He maintained his distance and shifted his gaze to Li Runshan.
“Brother Li, what about the supply team?”
“They've already left. It’s been over half an hour.” Li Runshan chuckled. “They can travel overnight, arriving just as dawn breaks.”
Noticing the slight disappointment in Yu Hong's expression, a cunning smile flickered across Li Runshan’s face.
“Don’t worry. I remember you mentioned needing a set of bulletproof armor. I kept an eye out for you and just got my hands on a set of gray lizard armor, complete with helmet, gloves, and boots. Do you want it?”
“Hmm? Really?” Yu Hong asked, his voice filled with surprise.
“Of course, it’s no joke. There’s no benefit in tricking you.” Li Runshan nodded. “The price is twenty silver coins. If you don’t have silver, we can discuss other forms of payment. For instance, your great shining stone would work quite well. I visited a mine a couple of days ago and faced so many illusions outside, it was all thanks to your great shining stone that I was able to escape. The only downside is that it wears out quickly.”
“That’s true, but compared to the previous ordinary shining stone I had to carry in a bag, isn’t this much lighter?” Yu Hong laughed.
He wasn't concerned with what the other was doing in the mine, as long as there were needs, there was space for exchange.
“Absolutely, but you must protect your techniques well. Creating great shining stones from ordinary shining stones is quite profitable, and if it gets out, many people would want to get their hands on it. If you ever want to sell this technique, consider me first; I can offer you the highest price!” Li Runshan smiled.
“It’s true, this kind of skill can be a goldmine in small places. But I hope the city has similar synthesis and refining techniques to produce pure shining stones with high purity,” Old Zhou interjected from the side. “A friend of mine, who used to drink with me, showed me this once. He was once the captain of the patrol team in Aurora City, and managed many people, overseeing a district that had such a refining factory.”
“Is it comparable? Little Yu can handle it all alone,” Li Runshan shook his head.
He then turned his gaze back to Yu Hong. “Enough of that. Do you want to see the goods?” He turned and walked towards the house.
“Sure,” Yu Hong replied, maintaining his distance as he walked to the stone house's fence, standing still like Old Zhou.
“Speaking of bulletproof armor, I have a spare set. It’s a bit old and has been worn before, but aside from that, it's actually all good. It's also a gray lizard suit. Would you want it?” Old Zhou suddenly asked in a lowered voice.
“???” Yu Hong looked confused.
Before he could respond, he saw Li Runshan charge out of the stone house in a rush.
“What do you mean, Old Zhou? Trying to take my business?” The smile on his face slowly faded as he held up a thick camouflage outfit, which looked quite different from the ones they wore.
Their outfits were mainly dark green and black, while this set emphasized yellow and gray-black, complete with boots, a helmet, and a mask.
“I have a full, brand-new set here, complete with a filtering mask. It’s much better than your old one,” Li Runshan stepped closer, showcasing the outfit to Yu Hong.
“The gray lizard suit is rated at level four for bulletproofing in level five armor. It's of middle quality and has a high degree of protection against splash fragments, able to withstand most ordinary pistol bullets on the market. It also contains high-strength ceramic plates and alloy armor designs. It can even serve as stab-proof armor.”
He quickly explained.
“Of course, if you get shot up close, the worry wouldn't be whether it can withstand the impact, but whether the tremendous force of the bullet will break your bones or cause internal injuries.”
“What’s the price?” Yu Hong quickly inquired.
This set was indeed impressive, and if he could enhance it afterward, its effectiveness would far surpass the stab-proof suit he wore now!
He was already feeling tempted.
“If you’re trading with the great shining stone, I’ll take fifty coins.” Li Runshan held out his hand.
“Fifty coins!?” Yu Hong's expression shifted.
Although he suspected it would be expensive, he didn't think it would be that much.
If he didn’t spend all his time making great shining stones, when would he ever manage to gather such a sum?
“I’ve designed a kind of shining stone powder symbol array on wooden boards, and it’s better than great shining stones. Can I use it to trade?” Yu Hong quickly said.
“If it truly works out better than great shining stones, then of course,” Li Runshan’s eyes lit up.
He loved working with such innovative talents, as they often brought unexpected surprises.
In his view, Yu Hong before him seemed like one of those people.
Furthermore, his identity was certainly unusual; anyone who could bring out the refined protein bars was potentially backed by an organization or power.
Perhaps he was also a researcher hiding his identity here.
Yu Hong swiftly took out a piece of ordinary symbol array wood and handed it to Li Runshan.
“This is a sample I always carry. You can test it. The trade can wait until tomorrow.”
“No problem,” Li Runshan accepted the wood with a smile, clearly in high spirits.
Next, with nothing much left to do, Yu Hong bought some fresh mushrooms and returned to the safe house cave to practice.
After training, digging, and resting, by midday, the enhancements to his long boots were finally complete.
Inside the cave, a pair of new black leather long boots lay quietly before Yu Hong on the wooden table.
He reached out to pick up the boots, inspecting them with his hands.
Suddenly, there was a sharp sound.
Hiss!
A black sharp spike suddenly shot out from the bottom of the boots, pointing towards the front of his toes.
The spike formed a triangular shape, with a groove for blood in the center and an exceptionally sharp tip that shimmered with a faint glimmer.
Yu Hong nodded in satisfaction and pressed a switch, retracting the spike.
He placed the boots on the ground, took off his previous ones, and slipped into the new pair.
Then he stood up and moved around.
‘Perfect fit; the surface has ventilation holes.
They aren’t suitable for rainy days, but that can be solved with an extra layer of cover.’
Suddenly, he pressed his toes forward.
Hiss!
Two spikes shot out simultaneously.
As he pressed down again, the spikes slowly retracted.
Seeing this, Yu Hong smiled contentedly.
‘Next, it’s time for the gray lizard suit.
Once I have it, I’ll be protected head to toe, and I won’t have to worry too much about even pistols.’
With his new boots, he stepped out of the cave and kicked a nearby tree.
Hiss!
The surface of the tree was easily pierced, leaving behind a new hole.
‘So sharp!’
Yu Hong grew intrigued and started testing the spikes’ power.
He kicked the ground, leaving a hole behind.
He kicked stones, and they bore holes.
He kicked branches and leaves, easily cutting them apart.
‘Both in sharpness and piercing power, they’re quite impressive.
Now, let’s try using my internal energy to enhance their effect.’
With that thought in mind, he returned to the cave to rest quietly.
After two hours, he recovered two streams of internal energy and then stood up, wearing the spiked boots as he went outside.
Standing in front of a large tree, Yu Hong focused his mind, grounding himself.
He gathered strength.
And kicked!
Suddenly, his right leg shot out like a spring, striking the trunk.
Boom!
The rough, dark-barked tree trunk erupted, sending bark and wood shavings flying.
This was completely different from the previous kick; before he only made a hole, now the spikes had caused a small explosion upon impact.
‘So this is the power of internal energy?’ Yu Hong retracted his leg, inspecting the spikes.
He confirmed that the spike's edges were undamaged, which eased his mind.
“The power is significant; a surprise attack could easily end the battle.”
Standing in the open area, he resumed his leg exercises.
This time, without using internal energy, he gradually began to sense a flow of warmth gathering up from his legs, spreading throughout his body.
During the visualization training, the trace of this warmth became more prominent, as though nurturing his entire being.
After training his leg movements for a while, he started digging pits again.
As night fell and dinner was done, Yu Hong relaxed by the fireplace.
He picked up a bag of dried mushrooms, ready to snack on them for a micro-nutrient boost.
‘Wait!’
Suddenly, he remembered he had never tried extreme enhancements on the dried mushrooms.
Not just the mushrooms, even the dried wild vegetables should be worth a shot.
“I should test to see what the maximum enhancement is.”
The successful practice of his leg techniques ignited Yu Hong’s anticipation for the future.
He was about to enhance the gray lizard suit with the black imprint, and this would likely take some time.
So, he planned to find something that could be enhanced quickly.
He grabbed a bag of dried mushrooms and opened it to find black umbrellas with yellow stems.
A rich, oily aroma wafted out, creating a feeling of comfort.
Yu Hong placed his hand on the bag of dried mushrooms.
‘Enhance the dried mushrooms to their limit.
The direction is…’ Various images of spirit mushrooms and medicinal herbs flashed in Yu Hong's mind.
‘Should I enhance the dried mushrooms?’ The black imprint was considerate and didn’t simply reject it.
Yu Hong noticed the countdown that appeared.
‘12 days, 16 hours, 32 minutes.’
His heart sank instantly, and he hurriedly released the bag and grabbed another, placing it on the dried wild vegetables.
‘Enhance the wild vegetables to their limit, aimed at multi-nutrient supplementation.’
This time the black imprint responded just as normally, and the countdown quickly appeared.
‘3 hours, 51 minutes.’
“This I can wait for; hopefully, it enhances something useful.”
He set down the bag of wild vegetables, took off his boots, and a wave of foot odor pervaded the cave, causing him to cover his nose.
“I hope the socks can be enhanced to absorb sweat, prevent odor, and inhibit bacteria to avoid issues like fungal foot disease.”
Three hours passed in a flash.
Yu Hong returned to the bag of wild vegetables, and before his eyes appeared a square cardboard box that was palm-sized.
The box’s surface read: Multivitamin Tablets (200 tablets per package).
He picked up the box, and the sound of rattling pills inside echoed, as if many capsules were contained within.
Opening the box revealed a wooden round bottle inside.
He took out the bottle and twisted off the cap, spilling a tablet.
The tablet was dark green, adorned with starry white and black specks, and emitted a faint grassy fragrance.
Yu Hong examined the bottle, seeing on the back it read: Multivitamin herb tablets can supplement the body’s required fibers and various trace elements, ensuring the body's acid-base balance, promoting bowel function, preventing and treating various vitamin deficiencies, and is effective for osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly individuals.
Note: This product is to be taken one tablet per time, once a day, to meet the normal needs of adult men.
‘Can this really work??’ Yu Hong was left speechless.
This way, he could create another item to sell.
These 200 tablets would last a person for over half a year!
(End of Chapter)