The Fluorite Mine.
In a canyon not far from the post office's stone house, several natural stone wall caves quietly embedded themselves in the gray-white rocks, surrounded by vines, green grass, and fallen leaves.
Scattered birds perched on the withered vines above the caves, letting out sharp cries.
As evening approached, a tall figure slowly emerged from one of the caves.
Clad in a full set of black tactical gear, the figure, which was barely around 1.7 meters tall, appeared to tower over 1.8 meters due to the bulk of the armor.
Beneath the helmet were gray goggles and a dark metal filter mask, with heavy breathing sounds escaping from the filter valves on either side.
“It’s rare to see birds here,” the figure muttered, glancing up at the small birds outside the cave.
The three little birds, all coated in gray-brown feathers and looking dirty, hopped about before looking down at him.
Dried blood remained on their light yellow beaks.
“This environment has even affected the birds?” the figure sighed, lowering his head to glance at the changing red value indicator on his collar.
The readings fluctuated between twenty and forty.
Just a moment ago at the cave entrance, it hadn’t been like this.
With his bag of fluorite in hand, Yu Hong understood that these unusually placed birds might indicate trouble.
His earlier cheer at seeing the birds began to fade into unease.
“What else in this world is normal?”
Holding the fluorite, he no longer looked up at the birds and strode quickly back in the direction he came from.
The mine was devoid of anything unusual—no supernatural shadows, no black insects, no strange plants—it was unusually pure.
But the only issue was the radiation.
He dared not stay too long, as the radiation from the fluorite, according to Jenny's experimental notes, could truly affect a person’s brain.
As he quickly traveled along the mountain path through the forest, about twenty minutes later, dusk was settling in.
The outline of the cave entrance ahead became faintly visible.
Yu Hong quickened his pace.
In such a dangerous environment, seeing the safe, warm cave that could shield him from the wind and rain stirred in him an urge to return and rest as soon as possible.
‘It’s getting colder at night, and with the humidity increasing in the cave, it’d be nice if I could get some light bulbs and wiring from Li Runshan in advance.
They’re cheap; I asked during the last resource exchange.
The real trouble is the generator needed to power them.’
Solar generators were indeed hard to procure.
He had heard that the main factory producing them had suffered massive losses and damage due to recent terror incidents, killing many workers and crippling production.
They were still searching for a new location to rebuild and faced shortages in raw materials, making it unlikely to recover output anytime soon.
So now, good solar panels were in high demand and low supply.
Thinking of this, Yu Hong felt increasingly fortunate that he had the black imprint for reinforcement.
Otherwise...
As he approached the cave, he stepped over the earthen mound in the yard and entered the yard filled with fluorite grass.
Once inside, the liquid crystal display on his collar quickly showed negative red value readings.
Feeling a sense of safety envelop him, Yu Hong relaxed and walked to the wooden door, taking out his key to insert it into the keyhole.
Click.
A crisp sound rang out as a powerful force struck the key from the side.
The key flew out and fell into the grass.
Yu Hong stood frozen for a moment, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
He merely felt a tremor in his hand, and the key had been yanked away.
‘What just hit my key?’
In the second that followed, Yu Hong quickly regained his senses, his body tensing as he dropped the bag of fluorite, gripping the wolf fang club firmly.
But new changes were unfolding.
Thump, thump, thump.
At the same time his key was knocked away, hurried footsteps approached from behind, getting closer in mere seconds.
In those two seconds, Yu Hong turned quickly, clutching his club and peering back in an attempt to assess the situation.
His lack of formal training became glaringly apparent.
In that instant after he turned, he saw nothing clearly.
A shadow, resembling a black bear, lunged at him, elbow wedging tight against his neck, immense strength crashing into him, slamming him against the wooden door.
Bang!!
The door quivered.
Yu Hong felt something tightly gripping his neck; if not for the sturdy alloy plates of his suit, he might have been unable to breathe.
Still, the pressure on his neck was intense as his attacker attempted to constrain him to the point of unconsciousness.
This position was a dangerously vulnerable spot for a person.
Once trapped correctly, it often led to unconsciousness within seconds due to forced pressure on the nervous system.
That was why it was a common killing technique in many martial arts.
The opponent's strength was unreasonably great, as he dragged Yu Hong to the left and down the stone steps.
They both fell onto the grass, crushing a small patch of the fluorite grass to the ground.
Thump, thump, thump!
Desperately, Yu Hong battered the arm that held him down, but it was futile; his strength was no match for his opponent's.
Fortunately, the reinforced suit offered considerable protection for his neck, as the alloy plates firmly resisted the grip, leaving him unable to move but safe for the moment.
Suddenly, Yu Hong’s complexion changed drastically.
Through his goggles, he saw a metal tool with a hooked blade gripped in a thick hand, swiftly heading toward the filter mechanism of his mask.
Though the mask was made of bullet-proof alloy, the only flaw was the breathable filter valves on either side.
It was these valves that the opponent targeted.
The protection in this area was merely ordinary material, strengthened only with a layer of wire mesh, far weaker than the rest of the suit.
If the metal tool pierced the filter, the entire protection system of the mask would be compromised.
Pop!
But Yu Hong lacked the strength to free himself from the hold.
With a muffled sound, one of the filter valves was punctured.
Cold air rushed into the mask, making his facial pores tighten instantly.
‘This can’t continue!’
A sense of deep danger surged in his heart.
Yu Hong immediately drew on his inner energy, exploding forth with all his strength.
“Ah!!!”
He roared, his energy surging forth like a tide as he swung the club backward with all his might, aiming for the head of his unseen assailant behind him.
With all his strength behind the blow, he could only hope his helmet was tougher than his opponent!
Bang!
A dull sound ensued.
The club hit the edge of his helmet, missing the intended target.
This signified the opponent loosened their grip.
Yu Hong felt the immense pressure on his neck dissipate, and he relaxed in an instant.
He quickly scrambled to his feet, took a few strides forward, and turned to look behind him.
Bang!!
Before he could stabilize himself, a powerful collision slammed against his chest, delivering a hard blow.
The fabric of the tactical suit was punctured by some unknown object, creating a deep gash.
The tremendous impact sent him staggering backward, dizzy and unable to focus.
Yet, his opponent did not give him the chance to recover; seizing the opportunity to rush in, they landed a punch squarely on his face.
Bang!
Yu Hong barely managed to lift his legs off the ground before he was violently thrown backward to the ground.
In the yard filled with fluorite grass, two tall figures clad in tactical suits emerged.
One, wearing camouflage armor, landed a heavy punch on the other, who was dressed in black, right on the chin.
The force of the punch caused the black-clad figure to momentarily lift off the ground, then fall backward.
“These protective suits are impressive, but it’s a shame they’re worn by a worthless fool,” said the burly figure, Guo Xudong, shaking out his right arm as he quickly dashed toward Yu Hong, who was struggling to rise again.
Bang!
With a swift kick, he struck Yu Hong's abdomen hard.
The immense force sent Yu Hong flying, slamming against the earthen mound behind him.
“That should do it,” Guo Xudong observed Yu Hong, who couldn't rise.
He drew a roll of high-strength rope from his waist pack and approached slowly.
For him, the challenge lay more in the unknown dangers surrounding them; the rest seemed easy.
As he closed the distance, he suddenly raised his knee, thrusting it toward Yu Hong's head.
Bang!
The knee strike landed, yet unexpectedly it didn't connect with the chin, but rather struck his chest instead.
To his surprise, the hardened alloy plates on Yu Hong's chest absorbed most of the impact, causing his knee to hurt.
While Guo Xudong was also wearing armor with knee protections, he hadn’t expected Yu Hong to have stamina left after the earlier struggle.
‘This guy still has strength?!’
After being restrained by Guo Xudong, they had wrestled back and forth for a while; such direct encounters had drained energy from them both, yet now Yu Hong seemed to have surprising energy left.
Sensing the strength in his opponent, Guo Xudong quickly sidestepped to evade Yu Hong’s explosive counter.
He maneuvered behind Yu Hong, revealing a sharp short knife in his right hand, attempting to stab at his back.
With a swift slice, the blade met resistance.
Guo Xudong was not surprised; he simply sought any flaws in Yu Hong's protective suit.
In an instant, he danced around Yu Hong with uncanny agility, unleashing a series of attacks with fists, feet, and the knife, pummeling Yu Hong relentlessly.
The gap between their fighting skills was substantial; Guo Xudong treated Yu Hong like a stationary target to be mercilessly struck.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!!
In the yard, the two figures resembled two billiard balls, one constantly rolling forward, actively trying to collide, while the other was purely passive, getting tossed around in every direction.
Before long, a light flashed in Guo Xudong's eyes beneath his helmet.
It seemed he had discovered a weakness in Yu Hong's suit!
The thick alloy plates and ceramic reinforcements provided substantial protection, yet they also restricted Yu Hong's agility and fluidity in movement.
Slightly larger movements could easily become hindered by the armor, slowing him down and reducing his strength.
Therefore...
Yu Hong's weakness was his agility!
Utilize joint techniques!
Guo Xudong quickly formulated a strategy; no matter how protective the armor, it couldn’t limit the movement of bones and joints—otherwise, the wearer would become a zombie.
As long as the joints could still move, they could lose the capability to move altogether through joint techniques.
He discarded the short knife in his hand, circled around, and charged with a kick.
Bang!
The kick landed on Yu Hong’s side, sending him sprawling several meters across the ground.
“It’s over.” Guo Xudong took two quick strides and leaped, his elbow aimed directly at Yu Hong's back as he descended with force.
Weighing over 260 pounds, with the added weight of his fall, Guo Xudong struck Yu Hong with an elbow jab that made a heavy thud.
Even with the protective suit, such blunt impacts far surpassed the power of bullets or cutting blows.
Bang!
Yu Hong fell to the ground, his wrist captured and tightly bent backward, immobilized.
A knee pressed against his forearm while another restrained him on his back, leaving him unable to move.
But thankfully, the enhanced suit had a few high-strength ceramic pieces offering some degree of resistance against joint locks.
His forearm was pinned, his left hand confined to the ground, he found himself in a position with no way to right himself, completely immobilized.
(End of Chapter)