Inside the safe cave.

With a door between them, Yu Hong listened intently as the other party began to describe the information about the "language person."

"My name is Zhou Xiao Ling, and this is my sister Zhou Xiao Yin. We encountered a language person only once."

The girl with a fuller figure instinctively clutched the fabric over her chest, biting her lip, her eyes still reflecting traces of past terror.

"We were working at a customer service company, just answering calls every day. Then, the calamity struck, and we were assigned as caregivers, receiving emergency training to tend to the injured. But that was just a while ago."

"A while ago? How long?" Yu Hong interrupted her unexpectedly.

"About two weeks ago," Zhou Xiao Ling thought for a moment before answering.

"Go on," Yu Hong nodded, marking this time in his mind.

"Two weeks ago, a special patient was sent to our medical facility."

A hint of fear flickered across Zhou Xiao Ling's delicate face.

She began to swallow hard, her body gradually tensing up, unconsciously leaning forward as if wanting to get closer to Yu Hong.

"This patient liked to talk to herself for no reason. Even when no one was around, she seemed to be having a lively one-sided conversation."

"Did you see something that ordinary people can't?" Yu Hong furrowed his brow.

"No, no!" Zhou Xiao Ling shook her head vigorously.

"At first, we thought so too, but later, no matter what we tested, the readings were all normal. There was no problem at all. But then her condition worsened; she started laughing all by herself, suddenly and joyously, in the quietest of environments."

"Sometimes it happened at midnight, sometimes during the day. Eventually, no matter what we said, she grew increasingly impatient and ignored us."

As she spoke, her face paled visibly, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Until, one day..."

She seemed to recall something terrifying, shivering all over.

Her sister, standing behind her, turned pale as well, clutching her hand as they embraced, finding comfort in each other's presence.

"What happened?" Yu Hong glanced once more at the silver symbol array behind the door, confirming everything was fine before focusing back on the two sisters.

"That day..."

Zhou Xiao Ling trembled more intensely.

She gritted her teeth, lowering her head, as if paralyzed by fear.

Her whispered words faded, becoming almost inaudible.

"What?" Yu Hong instinctively leaned in closer, trying to catch her words.

"That day... she..."

Zhou Xiao Ling's complexion took on an even whiter shade, her body trembling like a leaf.

She continued to speak, still describing something, but her voice shook with fear, breaking into fragments.

"Can you speak a little louder? I can't hear you," Yu Hong urged, frowning.

"Okay, okay."

Zhou Xiao Ling nodded rapidly, about to speak again.

But suddenly, she stiffened, frozen in place.

It was as if a paralysis had coursed through her body.

She stopped shaking entirely, eyes filled with terror, fixated on Yu Hong.

No, more accurately, she was staring behind him.

It seemed something that filled her with dread had appeared back there.

Yu Hong too felt something was wrong.

He quickly grabbed the wolf fang club by the door and swung around.

Whoosh!

The wolf fang club whistled through the air but struck nothing.

After confirming all was clear, he leaned against the door, turning to look at Zhou Xiao Ling once more.

"What do you see?"

Silence fell.

Yu Hong stood dumbfounded, blinking in disbelief.

For in that brief moment, the Zhou sisters had vanished from outside the door!

‘Could they be hiding?’ he thought, considering the possibility.

If they were crouched down in the corner where the observation window couldn’t see, they could easily evade his gaze.

He quickly crouched down and knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

"Zhou Xiao Ling? Are you still there?"

He called out.

Outside, there was no response, only an echoing stillness.

Yu Hong repeated his call several times, but there was no reply.

After pondering for a moment, he swiftly donned his bear-proof suit, lifted the wolf fang club, took the silver symbol array, and grasped the door handle.

‘Wait, what if I go outside and encounter that language person? What if these two are a trap?!’ He halted his movement, releasing the grip on the door handle.

‘Just wait a bit.

If they’re merely frightened, they will surely make some noise eventually.

No matter if they are real seekers of help or traps, I shouldn’t be the one panicking.’

Patiently, Yu Hong leaned against the door, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

Time slowly passed.

Ten minutes.

Half an hour.

One hour.

Two hours.

Thunder roared outside, and rain was approaching.

The stillness outside held no sound or motion, and the red value detector showed no fluctuations.

The sky was darkening.

Yu Hong sighed, pouring himself a glass of water and drinking it all.

Then, he moved back to the door.

He gripped the handle again, this time filled with determination.

‘It’s been too long without a sound; it’s almost dark.

The Zhou sisters must be in trouble.

No matter what happened right in front of my door, in a place I must go in and out of, I’ve got to see for myself.’

Creak.

He slowly turned the handle and opened the door.

Outside, there was emptiness, nothing present.

No sign of Zhou Xiao Ling or her sister, nor anything else.

Yu Hong stood at the doorway, scanning left and right, observing that the yard was as it had been, with the glowstone grass lush and vibrant.

Only...

He stepped out, crouching down to examine the ground closely.

The ground was covered with white lime, the byproduct of his stone-breaking labor.

These stone powders clearly imprinted his broad footprints from his comings and goings.

But at this moment, a frown settled on Yu Hong's brow.

Why were there only his footprints on the ground at the door?

Where had the Zhou sisters gone? They had apparently been standing right in front of the door for quite a while, so how...

His expression darkened at the realization, and he quickly descended, checking the yard step by step.

Before long, he thoroughly examined the path leading to the safe house's main door.

It confirmed he was the only one leaving footprints, without any traces of another.

‘If there are only my footprints, then where did those two, who were just speaking for help, go? Were they really human?’

A thread of doubt rose in his heart.

He looked around, suddenly feeling an ominous premonition.

Returning to close the door, he ensured his firearm was secured, and strapped on his dagger.

With the armored sidearm boosting his sense of security, he shoved a stack of symbol array plates into his chest pocket, feeling more confident with the two silver symbols in hand.

Leaving the cave, he made his way toward the post office.

He sought out Li Run Shan, the postman; perhaps he would know some insider information.

Thud.

Yu Hong moved quickly.

It was growing dark and he needed to hurry back.

Before long, he reached the post office in just ten minutes.

The stone building was pitch black, quiet.

Thick black curtains obscured the windows, the door was firmly closed, and dangerous thorny brambles hung around the yard.

Usually fond of playing games with his daughter in the yard, Li Run Shan was utterly silent now.

Yu Hong frowned as he knocked against the wooden door of the yard.

Knock knock knock.

No response.

‘What’s going on?’ He squinted and knocked again.

Still no noise.

This was unusual; even if Li Run Shan thought a specter had come, they usually had their secret signal to communicate.

Why was there not a single sound?

Knocking once more, this time with increased urgency.

Knock knock knock.

Still silence met him.

After considering briefly, he left the post office, making his way back quickly.

Originally, he had planned to ask Old Zhou, but time didn’t allow for delay.

Looking up at the sky, he noted that dark clouds had gathered, darker than usual at this hour.

Boom.

A rumble of thunder.

Faint raindrops began to fall, tapping on the grass and making a soft hissing sound.

‘There’s probably another half hour before it’s completely dark.’ Yu Hong estimated the time and unconsciously quickened his pace.

Living in such an environment, he had long since learned to observe the light to gauge the speed of nightfall.

The journey saw no obstacles, and he quickly returned to the yard, reaching the door of the cave.

Unlocking it, he stepped inside.

As soon as he entered, the raindrops outside grew suddenly heavier.

Rumble.

Thunder cracked as heavy rain began pouring down, lashing against the glowstone grass and causing it to tremble and bow.

Yu Hong flicked on the lights.

The bright white illumination gave him a significant sense of safety.

He removed his suit, returning to the front of the door to peek through the glass beside the observation window.

‘Could the Zhou sisters have been specters? But specters wouldn’t usually act this naturally, and conversations couldn’t persist for so long.

Yet if they weren’t specters, why had they left no footprints outside?’

Yu Hong was lost in confusion.

He had intended to inquire with Li Run Shan about the language person but returned empty-handed.

His intuition warned him that this language person was likely more troublesome and dangerous than the previous “dry woman.”

Watching the heavy rain pour outside, he quietly sat in the safe cave for a while before getting up to continue practicing his heavy leg work.

The eighth strand of inner energy was slowly beginning to take form.

According to the records of the heavy leg technique, nine strands of inner energy could complete a full enhancement.

If successful, he could then progress to the second layer, which involved practicing the second move, a side-kick grab.

The technique has three layers altogether, easy to learn and suitable for one's own build.

Feeling that he was on the verge of a breakthrough, Yu Hong relaxed, pushing aside thoughts of the recent events and focusing on his exercise.

After over an hour of training, he lit a fire and cooked something to eat.

When midnight arrived and confirming that no black insects were outside, he finally felt at ease to lie down and slip into his sleeping bag for rest.

"Yu Hong?"

In the dead of night.

Half-awake and half-asleep, Yu Hong furrowed his brow, slowly rousing at the sound of clear calls echoing.

He groggily squinted, catching sight of the luminous symbol patterns on the cave ceiling.

The gray-white stone walls, the glowing symbol formations, the coarse texture of the rock—all remained unchanged from before.

The air was thick with mixed scents of mushrooms, dried meat, protein bars, and mildew.

(End of Chapter)