After finishing the medication, Yu Hong quickly left the place and returned to the side of Guo Xudong's body.
Looking at this strong man, he still felt a lingering fear.
This guy was really tough, especially with that fighting rhythm—he managed to suppress him time and again, every time Yu Hong wanted to fight back, he was interrupted just as he was gathering his strength.
That sensation was immensely uncomfortable.
From this, he could tell that the other was definitely skilled in combat.
If not for the five bursts of internal energy that he had used to forcefully break through the oppressive rhythm, he didn't know who would have emerged victorious in the end.
'There can’t be a next time.
Close combat is far more important to me now than firearms; I must strengthen it again.'
He squatted down and quickly scavenged the belongings from the corpse.
Soon enough, the first and most eye-catching item was pulled out—a black pistol.
He skillfully removed the magazine, finding it fully loaded with nine bullets! He had played with the two pistols in the safe house countless times, and now that he had a similar one, his movements were much more practiced.
"Fully loaded!" Yu Hong couldn't help but chuckle.
He had long hoped to obtain firearms and bullets for strengthening with his black imprint, and he thought it would take a long time; he didn’t expect to find one so quickly.
"This guy didn't use his gun; he clearly wanted to control me with close combat. It seems this wasn't a coincidence but rather a prepared ambush, likely targeted specifically at me."
He knew that the large bright stone he had taken with him would easily draw attention, as it was akin to the ore found within the bright stone mines, which held immense value in many products.
So it was quite normal for someone to attempt to capture him for profit and technological gain.
With the previous two attacks, and now this third one, although he didn't know if it was the same group, he realized, "I can't let this continue."
Yu Hong furrowed his brow and quickly stripped the corpse of its belongings before returning to the cave, locking the door tightly.
Sitting in the safe place, he stoked the fire, feeling a lot more at ease.
As the outside world darkened, he laid out his spoils one by one on the ground.
Aside from the pistol, the assailant also had brought several good items.
There was a folded black blanket, dusted with a lot of gray and white stone particles.
A military-style metallic water bottle, complete with a filter.
A money bag containing several silver dollars.
A box of high-calorie compressed biscuits.
A sharp, silver-black short knife.
A set of damaged bulletproof gear.
Yes, he had taken all the bulletproof gear from the corpse.
Other than that, he left behind items like keys, underwear, cigarette packs, and pendants, which didn't seem useful and were stained with blood.
"This is my biggest gain."
Yu Hong picked up the black pistol and aimed it forward with satisfaction.
Nine bullets would be sufficient for quite a while.
More importantly, the full magazine allowed him to strengthen his black imprint along with the weapon.
'Now I must think about how to enhance the pistol.' Yu Hong sat down, gripping the gun, contemplating.
'Firearms won't help against waves of blood or shadowy figures; their primary use is against people, and my marksmanship is not very good.
My alertness and combat skills are also quite lacking.'
As he thought and thought, he realized that what he needed to focus on wasn't practicing shooting or enhancing the gun.
Even having it in hand wouldn't result in maximum lethality.
If someone else snatched it away after enhancement, it could become a great threat to him.
'Therefore, instead of enhancing its power, I should strengthen other aspects.
Right now, what I need more than a gun is to quickly improve my close combat skills, since the real threat lies with close combat experts.'
'Moreover, this ambush also highlighted my poor scouting abilities.
My previous simple bell method was useless against true experts.
I must find effective means of vigilance that can genuinely ensure my safety.'
As he carefully organized his thoughts, Yu Hong suddenly understood why the previous two men had only one bullet each in their guns.
The pistol was only somewhat useful against people; at all other times...
He sighed as he heard the sound of crawlers outside the door again.
Turning his head toward the entrance, he noticed that not a single black bug had managed to sneak in through the vent this time; all he could hear were distant noises from outside.
'The bright stone grass in the yard has worked.' A thought flashed through his mind.
Relaxing a little, he bit into a protein bar, leaning against the fireplace as he quietly watched the door, feeling the warmth of the fire radiate toward him.
Slowly, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
He was truly exhausted this time.
Time after time, he was knocked down, yet kept getting back up.
With his stamina often drained, he relied on his internal energy to recover, ultimately defeating his attacker through a surge of energy.
But through it all, his nerves had been tightly wound.
If not for the reinforced gray lizard armor, it was likely he would have been taken down with just one encounter; that man's explosive strength was too formidable—he was on a different level entirely.
The next day, aside from gathering firewood and fetching water, Yu Hong didn’t go anywhere else, staying inside the cave to nurse his injuries.
After all, losing a toenail was quite painful.
Leaning by the fireplace, he suddenly thought about the smoke duct of the fireplace; it should also connect to the outside world.
He decided to find the smoke duct's exit from outside the cave.
After a bit of searching, he discovered that the exit of the duct was sealed with tough wire mesh, layered several times.
To prevent any surprise, he also drew some symbols with the large bright stone on the inner wall of the duct exit.
Though it was difficult, he spent several days recovering while also drawing symbols, making the most of his time.
On the third day, his solar-powered generator enhancement was completed.
Inside the cave, Yu Hong sat carefully observing the finished solar generator.
Originally, the solar generator had separate solar panels and a control box connected by wires.
Now, the entire solar generator had become a single unit, entirely black, resembling a foldable solar panel.
It was covered with a layer of transparent, tough glass, and its total power measurement had jumped from three bars to six bars.
The rest wasn't clear yet; he would only know once he put it to use.
Yu Hong set the generator at the entrance to let the sunlight shine on it, then casually strengthened a piece of bright stone before returning to rest and sleep.
Thus, his days continued to cycle until the fifth day.
Feeling his body was much better, he got up to stretch, donned the refurbished reinforced gear, and prepared to venture out.
His injuries had healed significantly.
Though, to be honest, they weren’t all that severe from the beginning; it was just the toenail issue, which was quite bothersome.
The dizziness he had experienced that night had already passed.
This time, he aimed to trade with Old Li and Old Zhou, hoping to find a light bulb.
With the solar energy storage battery, he now had the conditions to keep a lamp lit for an extended period.
At the same time, he wanted to inquire about learning combat and scouting techniques.
Stepping out of the cave, the grass outside was lush, and the yard was already filled with bright stone grass, radiating a strong red glow, causing the values on Yu Hong's collar to soar past -100.
With such a high level of radiation, he dared not linger, quickly leaving the yard and heading toward the post office.
As for the corpse outside, it had been reduced to clothing and shoes days ago, which he had buried in a pit.
After passing through the woods for a little over ten minutes, Yu Hong arrived at the post office entrance, where he saw Li Runshan playing chess with Aisena.
The father and daughter sat at the doorstep of the stone house, their expressions focused.
Aisena wore a pure white dress, her plump little face filled with collagen, looking exceptionally adorable.
Li Runshan, noticing Yu Hong approaching, quickly rose to greet him.
"It’s been a few days. What brings you here?" He asked with a warm smile.
"Do you have light bulbs?" Yu Hong inquired.
"Of course not! You have to place an order," Li Runshan replied.
"Also, I’d like to purchase basic combat skills instruction," Yu Hong added.
"Oh? Seems like you’ve encountered some trouble," Li Runshan noted, observing Yu Hong's slightly awkward demeanor.
"Yeah, a small problem has been resolved," Yu Hong nodded.
"That's good. The prices are all set, just prepare some items for exchange. Also, I have a letter for you."
Li Runshan turned back into the house for a moment and came back with an envelope, handing it to Yu Hong.
"Also, remember the last batch of people that came? They drove a car that's parked nearby, and I've found it. The situation there was dire."
"... Were there any survivors?" Yu Hong asked.
"All dead. From old to young, the car was wrecked. I was going to recover it, see if I could find some good items."
Li Runshan shook his head.
"But according to the news I’ve received, they won’t be the last batch; more people will pass through here. There are a few empty safe houses nearby, so maybe someone will come looking to settle down. They might want to buy stones from you, so keep an eye out."
"Understood."
Yu Hong nodded, accepting the letter and noticing the address was once again related to the little stutterer.
He immediately realized it was a letter from Yi Yi.
"Aside from that, the symbols and the large bright stone you traded me are quite popular. My superiors want you to provide the large bright stones regularly. How about it on your end?" Li Runshan continued asking.
Yu Hong was momentarily stunned before thinking it over and shaking his head.
"The process for making large bright stones is random; I can’t guarantee the output, so I can't provide a steady supply."
"Alright then."
Li Runshan shrugged, "What type of combat skills do you want to purchase? Standing techniques? You bought leg techniques last time, or perhaps knife techniques?"
"Real combat practice," Yu Hong said firmly.
He couldn’t stand being suppressed any longer.
This response momentarily caught Li Runshan off guard.
Wow, this was going straight for the highest difficulty! But when he recalled the previous confrontation he witnessed, he understood.
"Actually, Old Zhou excels in this area; I can only give you a basic introduction. However, he isn't the best teacher—he doesn't guide beginners as well as I do. So, you've come to the right person!" Li Runshan laughed, revealing a set of blackened teeth.
"Your teeth?" Yu Hong blinked, asking in confusion.
"Oh, I brush with charcoal powder, and I haven't cleaned up yet," Li Runshan replied with a grin.
"It looks like your injuries haven’t fully healed. When you’re completely better, we can start?"
"Good."
Yu Hong nodded in agreement.
After booking a light bulb and some wires, he went to check on Doctor Xu.
That guy was still engrossed in making herbal medicine, looking as if he planned to mass-produce it.
"I met with the supply team from Li Runshan. We agreed on a price. As long as I gather enough anti-inflammatory powder—three hundred portions—I can go with them to the nearest Baihe City."
A hint of hope had appeared on Xu’s face compared to earlier; she was now full of energy, stirring herbal paste vigorously with a stick, dripping with sweat.
"You plan to leave?" Yu Hong asked, slightly surprised, standing at the door.
(End of chapter)