In the afternoon, the time between three and five o'clock.
Deep within the dense forest, amid charred trees and normal ones alike, a tall figure sprinted wildly towards the post office.
The clouds overhead had gathered darkly, and a fierce wind roared, rustling the branches all around.
Yu Hong was clad only in a silver talisman, knowing it was useless against the Yu Ren.
However, his purpose was not to confront them now, but rather to prepare and warn others in advance.
Through his enhanced methods to deal with the Yu Ren, he was aware that they had not been eradicated, but the father and daughter, Li Runshan and his daughter, were unaware of this.
As he sprinted, he used his internal energy twice, ensuring he maintained full speed.
A journey that would take a regular person half an hour was compressed to just seven minutes by him.
Finally, he arrived at the stone building of the post office.
Beneath the ominous clouds, the gray-white stone structure was encircled by sturdy brown wooden fences, rustic and quiet.
Peering through the gaps of the windows, there was no sound or light within.
Yu Hong took a deep breath to steady his racing heart.
Standing outside the fence, he knocked firmly on the door.
Knock knock knock, knock, knock.
The rhythmic knocking echoed three times, followed by silence.
However, after several minutes and still no response from inside, Yu Hong sensed something was amiss.
He looked around and surmised that Old Li was likely not there.
But even if he wasn’t, there was no way that no one remained inside; Eisena was definitely still there.
“Eisena!” he suddenly called out. “Nana! It’s your Uncle Yu. Open the door.”
Silence.
Yu Hong wanted to enter, but he held back, aware of the potential traps that might be waiting for him.
He knocked on the door once more, shouting, but still received no answer.
As he waited a bit longer, the skies grew darker, and rain seemed imminent.
Unable to restrain himself any longer, he grew increasingly concerned that something had happened inside.
After assessing the surroundings, he pressed against the fence and swiftly vaulted over it.
Landing on the muddy ground inside, he cautiously approached the stone building, holding a red detection device in hand, keenly observing his surroundings.
The trees swayed violently, and the wind howled, carrying the scent of something burning through the air.
The green grass beneath his feet rippled, undulating like waves as it was whipped by the wind, which grew stronger, the sound becoming even louder.
“Eisena!” Yu Hong called out again. “If you hear my voice, don’t respond, just listen.”
He edged closer to the stone building, using his club to feel his way along, step by step.
“The Yu Ren we faced before have not been exterminated. They are still out there!” He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “If you hear any strange noises, do not answer back. You can communicate by writing! Whatever you do, do not speak! Do not make a sound! Not a single noise!”
He shouted, trying to drown out the howling wind so that the people inside could hear him.
After finishing his statement, he suddenly thought of a way to warn Old Li.
Crouching down, he wrote in the grass with his club.
Quickly, the words appeared in the mud: ‘The Yu Ren are still here, do not make a sound!’
“Uncle!” Suddenly, Eisena’s voice emerged from inside the house.
Yu Hong’s gaze shot up instinctively ready to respond, but he quickly suppressed the impulse, feeling a cold sweat trickle down his back.
At that moment, in front of him by the window of the stone building, Eisena stood shrouded in darkness, wearing an adorable white lace dress.
Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders, her bright eyes quietly gazing at him.
After six seconds, taking into account the time to avoid infection, Yu Hong finally spoke again. “Don’t make a sound, write back.”
He continued inching closer.
“Where is your father? Not here? I am moving towards you slowly. You don’t need to open the door. You don’t have to be afraid. I’ll just wait here for a bit.”
Eisena did not respond but simply remained by the window, staring at him, unmoving.
Suddenly, she lifted a pair of black scissors, slowly raising them towards her throat.
“Don’t!” Yu Hong shouted, bolting forward without hesitation.
He raced through the courtyard, swinging the club against the edge of the window, attempting to smash it open and save her.
Boom, boom, boom!
The ground beneath his feet exploded as he struck, creating three small craters.
“Stop! What are you doing? You better not move!” Li Runshan’s furious voice rang out from the adjacent woods.
Old Li was holding a gun, seemingly some kind of rifle, aimed directly at Yu Hong, veins bulging on his forehead.
“Step back!” he yelled.
Yu Hong shot him an angry glare. “Your daughter is in danger!” The words almost leaped out of his throat, but he forced them back down, fearing the man might also be afflicted by the Yu Ren.
But the situation was urgent; even waiting five seconds might be too late.
Seeing the scissors so close to Eisena’s neck, Yu Hong decided not to hold back any longer.
With a determined mind, he dashed toward her.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps, he leapt towards the window.
Crash! The glass, alongside the wooden frame, shattered into pieces.
Yu Hong tumbled through the opening, wrapping his arms around Eisena and tumbling to the ground.
Thud.
Both hit the floor together, and Yu Hong swiftly snatched the scissors from Eisena's grasp while shielding the back of her head and her back with his arm.
Broken glass and wood shattered across the ground, scattered everywhere.
“Let go of me!” Eisena screamed, thrashing about, trying to escape.
“I want to find Daddy! Stop dreaming! No!” She disregarded the glass on the ground, kicking and flailing, injuring herself in the process.
Yu Hong held her tightly, getting back on his feet after just a moment.
He waited for six seconds before finally speaking. “Your father is outside. Don’t make a sound! He’ll be back soon!”
But it didn’t help; Eisena continued to struggle, even trying to grab a piece of glass to harm herself.
Yu Hong quickly snatched the shard from her hand, lifting her up high.
Bam!
At that moment, the wooden door crashed open, and Li Runshan stormed in, eyes bloodshot.
He raised his gun, aiming at Yu Hong.
“Let go of my daughter! Put her down!” he bellowed, his voice hoarse from shouting too loudly.
Yu Hong wanted to explain, but he held back.
He had to wait for five seconds.
He wanted to let Eisena write something, but with her struggling madly, if he lost control, who knew what might happen!
So, he held up a calm gesture with one hand, trying to communicate with Old Li.
“Let go of my daughter!” Li Runshan shouted, his fury reaching a boiling point.
He pressed his finger on the trigger, visibly straining, the tip of his finger turning pale.
Yu Hong's own temper flared; he wanted to speak but was worried about the infectious nature of the Yu Ren.
With the gun pointed at him, he was clearly trying to save her.
If only Old Li could calm down a little and understand what was happening!
Normally cheerful and composed, Old Li seemed a completely different person, losing his calm and reason.
Seeing Old Li so unhinged sparked a fire in Yu Hong’s heart.
Boom!
He suddenly let go of Eisena and lunged forward, delivering a solid kick to Old Li’s chest.
Though the kick missed, Old Li swiftly dodged to the side.
But Yu Hong continued his charge, barreling forward without any finesse, using just his body to ram into Old Li.
In his reinforced gear, he slammed into Li Runshan like a bowling ball, pushing him off balance and sending him crashing to the ground.
After that, Yu Hong stood tall and shouted, “The Yu Ren are still out there, you fool! Don’t respond!”
Taking advantage of Old Li's brief shock, Yu Hong hurriedly turned to Eisena.
He saw her had gotten off the bed and was about to slash her throat with a shard of glass.
Yu Hong rushed over, knocking the glass from her hands and holding her tightly, not allowing her to move.
“Quick! She might be infected by the Yu Ren!”
Li Runshan, filled with anger and panic, quickly realized his misunderstanding and rushed closer, quick-witted.
He grabbed a small towel from somewhere and covered his daughter’s mouth and nose.
A few seconds later, he released it, and Eisena’s eyes rolled back, falling unconscious.
Thud.
The glass shard dropped to the ground, and Yu Hong let out a sigh of relief, confirming that Eisena had truly passed out.
He carefully handed her over to Old Li.
“You owe me this time,” he remarked irritably.
He rescued her but was still misunderstood by Old Li, who had pointed a gun at him and threatened him.
If he hadn’t been so resolute, Eisena might have ended up a lifeless body by now.
“Nana! My little Nana!” Li Runshan’s tears streamed down as he panicked, cradling his daughter, completely losing his usual composure.
Connecting the dots, he understood what had happened.
It made sense that Yu Hong came looking for him, only to find his daughter standing at the window, influenced by the Yu Ren, and intended to approach and calm her down, being spotted by Old Li.
After that, things escalated with both nearly coming to blows due to misunderstandings.
“I owe you one!” Realizing this, Li Runshan suddenly turned the gun towards himself.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out, blowing apart a finger on his left hand.
Throwing down the gun, he drew his knife and swiftly cut away the damaged flesh, quickly bandaging the wound.
“This is my apology! I nearly harmed my daughter! I also wronged you!”
The intense pain twisted Li Runshan’s face, but the fear and regret in his eyes were far more pronounced than the physical suffering.
Yu Hong was also taken aback by the scene before him.
He was genuinely angry just moments ago, wanting nothing more than to beat Old Li to a pulp; yet, he never imagined things would escalate to this extent.
Seeing the stump of Old Li’s finger, he felt a new understanding of the older man.
This guy was not just a cunning merchant who enjoyed smiling and pulling pranks on others.
“Let’s just focus on Eisena first. I have utilized another technical method to ascertain that the Yu Ren host has not been completely eliminated. I rushed over to inform you, only to find your daughter standing by the window, holding a pair of scissors, trying to take her own life. In my desperation, I tried to save her by knocking the scissors away, only to be seen by you, which led to all this commotion,” Yu Hong explained quickly, raising a hand to prevent Old Li from interrupting.
He hurriedly filled him in on the details he had uncovered, especially the taboo of speaking after five seconds.
(End of Chapter)