“Phew... Phew...”
“Damn!”
Yu Hong felt blood rush through his body, his face flushed red as he gasped for air.
He looked at the charred and grayish symbol array all around him, along with the symbols inside the cave that had failed in a third of their power.
Finally, he dropped the silver symbol array that was now completely drained of energy and gripped Aisenna tightly.
Next, he had to face the final trouble.
The second form of the Language User.
He untied Aisenna's ropes, gave her some water, and laid her down to rest.
Then he also sat down to catch his breath.
The struggle just now had taken a toll on him.
He had forcefully unleashed his internal energy twice in order to disperse that translucent humanoid form.
He had an inexplicable feeling that if that humanoid really took shape, it would spell trouble for Aisenna.
Moreover, the gelatinous substance seemed much stronger than when he had first encountered it.
Not long after sitting down, there was a knock at the door.
“Yu Hong, it's me.” Li Runshan's cautious voice came through. “Aisenna, is my daughter alright?” The mixed emotions of caution, worry, anxiety, and fear in his voice were hard to connect to the usually composed Li Runshan.
Yu Hong waited for six seconds, exhaled slowly, and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“She’s fine, we made it through safely. Did you find your vessel?”
As soon as these words left his mouth, a long sigh echoed from outside.
“Found two more corpses, and I burned them.”
Yu Hong paused again, frowning. “Did you encounter any other changes?”
“No.” Li Runshan answered solemnly. “However, I found footprints of a third person near the bodies. I suspect someone else has been infected and has taken the dark shadow elsewhere.” His tone was heavy with gravity.
“Then we can’t afford to waste time. You should report up through your channels immediately and have Hope City on high alert.” Yu Hong said sternly.
To be honest, facing the second form in his current condition wouldn’t turn out well.
The danger was very high.
The first form had drained most of his reserves, and the second form would surely be much stronger.
Hearing that the Language User’s infected ones had left, a sliver of relief washed over Yu Hong.
He lifted his wolf fang mace, checked that the warning detector was silent, and then opened the door, quickly handing the unconscious Aisenna over to Li Runshan.
“Remember, you owe me twice!” Yu Hong said seriously.
Li Runshan cautiously embraced his daughter, who appeared frail and weak, but upon confirming her safety, he nodded earnestly at Yu Hong.
Turning around, he hurriedly made his way into the woods, swiftly disappearing from sight.
Phew...
Yu Hong let out a long breath and glanced back at the heavy door.
The once thick door, measuring over ten centimeters, had now been reduced to just a few centimeters in some places, with certain areas almost gnawed through.
He sighed, stepped inside, and closed the door, preparing to restore all the symbol arrays once the door was secure again.
The danger brought by the Language User might have just left, but it could well return.
The threat was far from over, and he had to be ready for anything.
‘Additionally, I must reinforce the creation of a self-repairing weapon against the dark shadows and enhance the detectors.
Acquiring anti-dark shadow techniques also needs to be prioritized.’
‘There’s too much to handle, and I must act fast.
If the Language User returns, my current state would ensure certain death!’
As these thoughts crossed his mind, the weariness from the earlier confrontation surged back.
He leaned against the wall, popped a protein bar into his mouth, and tried to rest his eyes, hoping to recover his strength.
This attack by the Language User had cost both Li Runshan and Yu Hong significantly.
The sudden surge of dark shadows had terrified both men.
For several days after, they kept to themselves, relying on their supplies to get by.
Once the new surge had subsided, Yu Hong restored all the symbol arrays, and the door returned to its original state.
Outside, the Brightstone Grass was once again lush and vibrant, teeming with life.
It was as if everything had returned to the calm before the Language User's attack.
However, this time, Yu Hong was no longer lulled into complacency; he realized this was merely a fragile illusion.
After regaining his energy, the first thing he did was seek out Old Li to exchange favors.
Inside the post office stone house, amidst the dim candlelight, Li Runshan picked up a radio, plopped down across from Yu Hong, and switched it on.
“Are you sure you want to exchange everything?” His face was unshaven, clearly showing that he had been tending to his daughter's recovery and hadn’t rested properly.
“Absolutely. In times like these, it’s better to convert it into something useful now rather than risk losing the opportunity later.” Yu Hong said earnestly.
Li Runshan fixed his gaze on him for a moment.
“You're right. This time, I’ll give it to you at cost. What do you need?”
“An air dehumidifier, can you get one?” Yu Hong inquired. “Also, the Sunshine Series paints.”
“The dehumidifier isn’t difficult, but the Sunshine Series is trickier. It’s a rare material, and many places are in short supply. It can resist blood tides and dark shadows, with very high versatility,” Li Runshan admitted.
He sensed that Yu Hong wanted to resolve his water supply issues and thought a moment longer before continuing.
“You saved Nana’s life, so I have to help you with this. You are looking to solve the water issue, right?”
“Yes,” Yu Hong nodded, not hiding anything.
“This problem can only be solved by large-scale projects, but if it's you, I’m willing to help you get a set of damaged underground water supply systems. They’re made from metal pipes integrated with some Sunshine materials, buried deep underground to extract underground water.”
Li Runshan paused before continuing, “Many organizations need this kind of system; it’s highly sought after, so I can’t help you obtain a complete one, since I’m just a small postman. But I can find connections to get you a damaged one.”
“Will it be destroyed by black bugs?” Yu Hong's eyes lit up.
“No, the Sunshine materials have a significant repelling effect against black bugs, unless it’s a mutated blood tide. Generally, it’s not a problem. Many Hope Cities rely on this for their water supply,” Li Runshan replied.
“Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”
“Because you weren’t a top-tier premium customer previously,” Li Runshan replied matter-of-factly. “Honestly, if I brought it over and you couldn’t repair it, it would be worthless. So, if you want it, you need to think it over.”
“Let’s try it out; it shouldn’t be too problematic,” Yu Hong replied in a hushed tone.
He was sure the underground water resources near his place were plentiful; after all, the area was surrounded by mountains and forests with scarce streams.
If not relying on underground water, what else could there be?
“Alright then.” Li Runshan nodded. “Wait for my news; it should arrive in about two weeks.”
“What’s the price?” Yu Hong asked.
“Consider it my treat.” Old Li closed his eyes, feeling unusually generous. “Now, tell me about your second favor.”
“Help me find a completely safe channel; I want to send something to someone.” Yu Hong said seriously.
Ever since the encounter with the Language User, he had been worried about Little Stutter's situation.
The threat was simply too deceptive.
“Sending something... I can provide our internal channel for postmen, but you'll have to cover the costs to guarantee safety,” Li Runshan mused before stating firmly.
“It won’t get opened halfway, right?” Yu Hong asked with concern.
“No, that's a default rule within our postal system: a postman’s items can’t be opened or tampered with. It’s an understood principle among us,” Li Runshan replied.
He looked at Yu Hong and continued, “However, this benefit can only be used once every two months, and you still need to pay for the shipping. It’s just a bit cheaper, and you might combine it with regular postal services.”
“Great!” Yu Hong nodded. “Then I’ll be relying on you in the future.”
“It’s nothing. Right now, helping you is also helping myself,” Li Runshan said earnestly.
True feelings are discovered in times of hardship; through the attack of the Language User, he could tell that Yu Hong was a person worth trusting.
In this chaotic time filled with despair and terror, encountering someone inherently good was a blessing.
Moreover, Yu Hong was quite capable, as not just anyone could survive alone in the wilderness for so long.
At that moment, the radio’s speaker began to relay news reports.
“It is now August 18, 2022, national time 14:32. We are about to replay the latest gathered news on the black disasters across various places.”
The beautiful voice of the female host carried a heavy and oppressive tone as it gently spread.
“According to feedback from the various branches of the United Army, from early July until now, five city-level Hope Cities have been breached by the black disaster, with over a million people relocated. The death toll is uncountable.”
“According to the latest research from the Silver Tower, the latest blood tide variants have been confirmed: Tidal Crawlers, Elite Eaters, and Bug King. All three variants are derived from the low-level Blood Tick Worms evolving into more dangerous forms. The danger level for these evolved blood tide variants has been raised to war level.”
“Additionally, the mass death event in the Rongjing city area has been confirmed to be a new war-level dark shadow known as the Black Dried Woman. The Silver Tower has sent personnel to investigate information regarding methods to expel this dark shadow.”
“Reports from the Aurora City have returned with the latest military updates; the United Army has encountered nightmare-level dark shadows, with the Third and Fifth Armies trapped in fog, unable to evacuate.”
The radio continuously reported on the latest developments across the regions, faithfully narrating the real-time situation of the confrontations.
But most of it was grim news filled with casualties; only a few Hope Cities successfully defended against the recent assaults.
The incident with the Language User in Yuhe City was also reported.
“According to the investigators dispatched from Yuhe City, the recent Language User attack was moderate in scale, with a danger level of four. According to detailed investigation reports, the surrounding dark shadows of Yuhe City originally ranged between levels one and three, but recently there have suddenly appeared level four dark shadows, likely due to infections from other areas.”
Inside the stone house, the two men listened quietly to the radio's broadcast.
They waited until the report ended and began replaying, at which point Li Runshan reached out to turn off the radio.
“The danger level ranges from one to nine. Since Language Users are only at level four, you understand why so many people are rushing to Hope City, right?” Li Runshan sighed.
“If the Language User widespread preventive infection models are implemented, it would actually be easier to deal with. The key issue is that it can’t be detected; there’s no way to sense it before it breaks out and begins killing. That’s the most dangerous aspect,” Yu Hong lamented.
“Exactly. Yuhe City fell victim to this; it erupted hundreds of times in a short span. The entire United Army defense line was destroyed, leaving only one person alive in the higher-ups within days.” Li Runshan responded.
“A level four can be this threatening, with war levels and nightmare levels above that. It’s simply unimaginable how terrifying it could be.” Yu Hong whispered.
“The danger levels from one to nine don’t represent the power of the dark shadows and blood tides but rather indicate how manageable they are. The lower the danger level, the more obvious the weaknesses and the easier they are to deal with. The higher the level, the more difficult they become,” Li Runshan explained. “Moreover, they move around freely; that’s why I suggest going to a larger Hope City. Being alone in the wilderness leaves you with a very slim chance of survival if you encounter a higher-level threat.”
(End of this chapter)