The two men walked out to the courtyard.
Yu Hong placed the blue whale suit on the ground, stepping back a bit to watch Xu Fan approach and give it a try.
Not long after, Xu Fan finished testing, satisfied as he patted the metallic gloves, then lightly touched the newly reinforced helmet visor.
"Not bad. The helmet is reinforced and all the damaged parts have been fixed. Teacher Yu's skills are truly impressive! They’re on par with the research institutes," Xu Fan remarked with a smile.
"That's good. According to our agreement, this employment is now officially concluded," Yu Hong wrote.
"Teacher Yu, if you need anything else, remember to call on me, Old Xu. We can negotiate the price," Xu Fan replied warmly.
He moved his arms around, subtly stepping a bit closer.
Noticing the distance between them narrowing, Yu Hong instinctively took a step back.
He was acutely aware of the vast difference in strength between them; even with the protective suit, he didn't believe he could handle the butcher who had once wiped out a group of twenty or so soldiers.
Later, he learned from Old Li that the only reason the White Python had even failed to capture him was precisely because it hadn't intended to kill him.
In a real fight, if the White Python had chosen to shoot from a distance, just two gunshots would have been enough to pierce through the reinforced gray lizard suit he wore at the time.
Yu Hong estimated that now, if he faced the White Python again, he might be able to confront it head-on.
But he couldn’t determine who would win.
The butcher and the White Python were simply not in the same league.
If this fellow were to attack now...
A chill ran down Yu Hong's spine, and he was ready to draw his reinforced handgun at any moment.
He had witnessed the butcher kill, utilizing tremendous strength and speed.
His only advantage was his thick skin, relying on the reinforced bear suit to absorb damage, then using his internal energy to wear the opponent down before relying on the reinforced handgun for a surprise attack; having tested the handgun's power, he estimated it could definitely pierce the blue whale suit without issue.
"Next time I have a need, I will certainly prioritize your team," Yu Hong nodded, pretending not to notice Xu Fan's actions as he continued writing.
"By the way, did you come across Yu Ren this time?"
"Yu Ren? No, we didn’t encounter him. But I hear he’s a very dangerous shadow," Xu Fan's voice turned serious as he stepped forward again.
"I have detailed information about Yu Ren. Do you need it?" Yu Hong asked while stepping back to the edge of the courtyard.
"I was just about to ask, Teacher Yu, why are you always writing your responses? Is your throat having issues?" Xu Fan frowned.
"Speaking of which, the number of new dangers appearing recently is growing. It's probably not safe for you to stay here alone, you should really have a few able assistants to help you."
"We can discuss that later. I can't leave the lab; there are many machines that cannot be moved. As for writing, it’s related to Yu Ren. You might want to consider whether you need that information. Old Li and I once encountered Yu Ren and nearly lost our lives," Yu Hong replied, seemingly unaware of Xu Fan's underlying meaning.
Upon hearing that the machines couldn’t be moved, Xu Fan fell into silence, as if deep in thought.
He had just wanted to forcibly take Yu Hong away to have him provide logistical and repair upgrades for his team.
But hearing the machines couldn’t be moved, he hesitated, albeit slightly suspicious of it.
Indeed, no matter how skilled an expert might be, without advanced and suitable machinery, even the most skilled craftsman couldn't manage without resources.
Not to mention that machines need power, water, and a supply of materials, all of which are fixed requirements that cannot simply be moved.
From this, he could surmise that behind Yu Hong, there was surely a mysterious laboratory or a secretive organization helping him with his research.
After a few seconds, Xu Fan finally abandoned his plan of kidnapping him and spoke again, "What do you need?"
"Three small matters," Yu Hong quickly began writing.
"First, help me dig up enough glowstone. Second, help me procure an abandoned nuclear power generator. Third..."
"Wait! Nuclear power generators are no small matter!" Xu Fan interrupted hastily.
"Even if it’s broken, the reactor will be taken away; an abandoned one is utterly useless. These are treasures to every major faction—where would I get you something like that?"
"A detailed report on Yu Ren could save your life!" Yu Hong wrote on a sheet of paper.
"The problem is, your request really is quite high," Xu Fan said helplessly.
"But if this information is indeed very useful, you could probably trade directly with those factions or even with the united army in Hope City for a nuclear power generator."
Yu Hong fell silent.
He wasn’t sure if he could achieve that.
But perhaps he could try to contact him through Li Runshan at the post office.
"I can’t fulfill the other requests, but digging up some glowstone is a small matter. I’ll take care of it for you shortly!" Xu Fan said readily, patting his chest with bravado.
"Alright, I’ll give you a copy of the information on Yu Ren," Yu Hong decided, quickly writing down some simplified content and handing it to Xu Fan.
After all, Old Li knew about it too, so it wasn’t worth much.
He planned to exchange the more detailed information with the post office.
Xu Fan took the paper and quickly skimmed through it.
His expression changed immediately under the helmet.
He finally understood why Yu Hong chose to communicate in writing.
The two soon parted ways.
Xu Fan hurried off to notify his teammates; both of them had come along, waiting nearby in a vehicle.
After Xu Fan and his companions left, Yu Hong turned his gaze towards Baiqiu Village.
From a distance, he could see unfamiliar figures moving between the houses in the village.
These strangers wore tattered clothing, looking dirty and dispirited.
They seemed to be cooking something in the center of the village, with the smoke rising clearly into the air.
Yu Hong pondered briefly.
The post office's stone house had many rooms in the basement, enough for more than ten people to live together.
If Old Li could find a few capable individuals among these refugees, it might help alleviate their manpower shortage.
But that was something for Old Li to consider.
His current task was to continue practicing his skills and strive to enter the ninth layer of internal energy soon.
The earlier threat from the butcher made him even more eager to improve his strength.
Whether it was humans, shadows, or the blood tide, he needed more power and more ways to respond.
Though he planned to use the Black Seal to enhance his skills against the eerie shadows, now was not the time since the Black Seal was still not available.
Additionally, he hadn’t forgotten that enhancing with the Black Seal allowed internal energy to help him quickly recover and replenish his energy.
It was like when he tested the limits of the enhancement talisman; without internal energy, he could end up needing to rest for seven or eight hours after a single enhancement.
Even when enhancing and synthesizing glowstone grass, he would have exhausted all his internal energy in one go; reflecting on it now, without internal energy for backup, he doubted he could have synthesized glowstone grass at all.
The Black Seal often seemed to calculate his internal energy limits to determine whether it could provide feedback on enhancement.
He had noticed this multiple times.
Returning to the cave, after resolving his needs, Yu Hong continued his training.
Before long, noon passed and it was around three or four in the afternoon.
Just as he was about to conclude his session and prepare to go chop firewood, a sudden muffled sound came faintly from within him.
His heart jolted, and standing in the cave, he quickly broke out in a cold sweat, soaking his clothes within minutes.
The entire reinforced bear suit was heated and humid from the intensity radiating from his body.
A large amount of steam escaped from the ventilation ducts on the suit’s shoulders, billowing out like white smoke.
This state persisted for an entire five minutes before slowly subsiding.
Finally, Yu Hong stood still, his body trembling slightly, then reached up to remove the helmet of his suit, a joyful smile breaking across his face.
"Finally succeeded! The ninth layer of internal energy!"
Reaching the ninth layer would initiate a full enhancement, preparing him to enter the second level.
Boom!!
Just as Yu Hong carefully sensed the condition of his ninth internal energy in his abdomen, the nine threads of energy suddenly contracted into a single point and then detonated with a thunderous roar.
From contraction to explosion, it took less than a second.
This violent explosion caused all the blood within Yu Hong's body to surge wildly.
It felt as if a special force field had erupted from this explosion, enveloping him completely.
His mind, already focused on his abdomen, was stunned by the impact of the explosion, leaving him momentarily blank—nothing was felt or heard.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Soon, within the cave, Yu Hong's body began to tremble and twist slightly.
He stood, muscles swelling outwards like they were being inflated, expanding in circles.
But just as quickly, they shrank down tightly against his bones before expanding again.
This repeated until it occurred nine times.
Finally, Yu Hong's body settled down.
He had originally been just over one seventy, yet now, upon calming down, he found that he had grown to nearly one eighty.
With a snap, Yu Hong came back to his senses, quickly stripped off the suit and clothes, lowering his gaze.
On his abdomen, he noticed a black whirlpool-sized mark had appeared on his skin.
‘This is the full enhancement??’
He meticulously sensed the changes within his body.
With another swift movement, he took a forward jab.
A light and refreshing feeling surged through him, filling him with energy.
Having practiced for so long with Li Runshan, he had picked up some boxing skills.
In the past, his jabs felt clumsy and uncoordinated; now, however, he felt a noticeable increase in speed and fluidity.
Raising his fist, Yu Hong noted that the thin, transparent layer of skin he had previously observed becoming tougher and more resilient.
He stroked it with his hand; it felt like he had donned a layer of thick leather.
Boom!
He suddenly squatted down and punched the ground of the cave.
It didn’t hurt; only a slight sensation of impact and compression reverberated back through his fist.
Lifting his fist, Yu Hong froze in astonishment.
He saw an imprint on the stone floor, formed from his punch—each mark in the stone splintered and scattered.
‘Hand-crushing stone? This is incredible?!’
Although he had considered what the first breakthrough might entail, he was nonetheless baffled when the true changes presented themselves.
‘What a pity there's nothing around to test my enhancement.' He stood upright, contemplating, and donned the reinforced bear suit again, grabbing his wooden shield and spiked club, moving with newfound ease.
Remarkable things began to appear.
The gear, which had felt heavy just an hour earlier, now sat upon him effortlessly; it no longer felt like a burden.
Boom Boom!
Yu Hong walked around the cave, swinging the club to confirm it wasn’t simply an illusion.
He found that his swings were remarkably faster than before.
‘I need to find something as a benchmark.’
Opening the door, he stepped outside and looked around until he quickly spotted a large stone half-buried in the ground.
The surface of the stone was uneven, rough, and adorned with layers of brown patterns.
Approaching it, Yu Hong took a deep breath and then unleashed all his strength with a punch to the stone's surface.
Boom!
His gloved hand hit the stone so hard that it trembled violently in the earth.
His fist sank in by more than halfway, and from the point of impact, a multitude of black cracks spread outwards like spiderwebs.
Crash!
The stone, the size of a grinding stone, shattered into pieces, scattering down to the ground.
‘What the heck! This is outrageous!?’ Yu Hong stood there shocked, staring wide-eyed at the scene in front of him.
Just how much had his strength increased to cause such a staggering effect?
(End of Chapter)