Silence hung in the air.
Everyone present seemed at a loss for words.
Although Yu Hong understood the situation was dangerous, he never imagined it would be this perilous.
"This is the situation, Mr. Yu. The rescue team is expected to arrive within ten days. This timeframe might extend or be shortened, depending on circumstances on your side," the speaker informed him.
"I have no issues here."
Yu Hong calculated the protein bars in his supply stash.
His best provision was the lizard jerky he purchased from Old Li; one bag contained ten sticks.
For an average person, two sticks would last two days, but he could stretch it to ten.
This was a clear fivefold advantage.
Currently, he also had over two hundred protein bars stored in the cave, which included supplies brought by the last resupply team and Old Li's personal harvest.
In the past, Old Yu could sustain an entire circle of people with just his own farming.
Now, though Li Runshan's output wasn't as high, he was still managing enough for three people, comfortably enough.
"Then we agree," Wei Hongye said in a low voice.
"The front line is under immense stress, and gaps are starting to appear, causing further losses. It seems that one month from now, waves of darkness will burst forth from the Gate of Despair, and the dangers in the wilds on your side will escalate sharply. Everyone should try to stay close to the large city."
The communication ended.
Wei Shanshan was in tears, her eyes puffy like a peach.
"How do you plan to take care of Wei Shanshan and her mother?" Li Runshan turned to Yu Hong and asked.
"Can they stay here with you?" Yu Hong felt troubled about his own situation; he couldn’t possibly let them stay in his current safe house.
The only option left was the post office basement.
"Staying here is fine, but I can't provide food or medicine," Li Runshan shrugged.
"Right now, I'm responsible for feeding four people, and it’s quite a burden."
"What about the mushroom cultivation boxes? Do you have extras?" Yu Hong inquired.
He needed to start growing food himself.
That was an inevitability; he just hadn’t planned on starting so soon.
The situation with Wei Shanshan forced him to rethink his plans.
"This is simple; the main thing you lack is the mushroom culture. Fortunately, the people at the village have some—you can trade with them. You have the manual for how to cultivate them, right? We found Old Yu's records, didn't we?" Li Runshan asked.
"No problem," Yu Hong nodded, casting a glance at the sobbing Wei Shanshan.
"Let's go. First, we’ll get your mother and take it from there."
Since a deal was struck, they needed to move swiftly and decisively.
Wei Shanshan trembled slightly and nodded vigorously.
She opened her mouth to say something but remained silent, lowering her head and stepping behind Yu Hong.
"By the way, Old Li, with the supply team gone, does sending items still..."
Yu Hong suddenly thought of something.
"Ah, that’s another channel, but mailing items will become much more difficult. I’ll let you know if I get more details," Old Li replied helplessly.
Without further words, Yu Hong led Wei Shanshan out of the stone house, clutching the local network communicator, and returned to the cave's safe house.
He didn't let Wei Shanshan inside but asked her to take a piece of the talisman board and wait outside in the yard.
After securely placing his things, he took out various tools and quickly found a spot at one corner next to the courtyard wall.
Once he marked the spot, he dragged wood from the nearby forest and rapidly began constructing a simple wooden house.
In the afternoon, Wei Shanshan stood numbly outside the yard, peering over the half-height wall as she watched Yu Hong move agilely, hauling logs from the woods.
One in his arms and two on each trip; he effortlessly dragged in logs weighing at least a few hundred pounds.
Then, pulling out an axe and saw, he worked with a vigor that seemed tireless, chopping the logs into neatly arranged planks in less than half an hour.
He used the planks to build a simple wooden hut, laid wooden boards for the floor, erected thick boards for the walls, topped it with a slanting roof, applied leftover waterproof paint, and finally placed some random leaves on top.
The small wooden house, just two meters wide and three meters long—enough for a large bed—was completed.
Standing over two meters high, the hut was a light brown color, resembling a large doghouse.
Because it was right next to the courtyard wall, the interior had thick wooden flooring, making it appear surprisingly presentable.
"Let's go. It's getting dark; we need to get your mother."
Yu Hong clapped his hands, checking the enhanced red value detector—it was done.
The enhanced detector had shrunk significantly, fitting comfortably in his hand, much like a phone, its surface now much smoother, still black with an LCD screen, but otherwise unchanged.
Yu Hong pressed the lone round button switch.
Beep.
With a short sound, numbers appeared on the LCD screen.
‘Current Red Value: -79.348.’
Impressive!
Yu Hong inwardly praised himself.
Previously, the precision was only to a value of 79, and now it had surged to three decimal places.
He glanced at the upper right corner of the screen, where there was a battery symbol accompanied by tiny lettering: Remaining time—56 hours and 07 minutes.
‘That means it can last fifty-six hours when running.
If turned off, it should last even longer!’ Yu Hong let out a breath of relief.
Before this, the red value detector could only run a few hours at a time, mostly needing to be turned off until something seemed amiss.
But now, after the enhancement, the detector could remain on for prolonged periods, continuously monitoring the surroundings.
‘A few hours of enhancement was totally worth it!’ Yu Hong returned to the cave, grabbed another red value detector, and immediately began the second enhancement, planning to make another for the young stutterer.
Having completed all this, he called for Wei Shanshan and started toward Baiqiu Village.
The two quickened their pace along the familiar gravel road, arriving at the entrance of the village.
At this point, the entrance had already been blocked with some furniture to create obstructions, leaving only a narrow passageway.
Two young guards sat behind the blockade, wielding a machete and a handgun.
The two seemed engaged in casual conversation, using a dialect filled with a thick accent that Yu Hong couldn't comprehend.
He gestured for Wei Shanshan to talk.
This time, his objective was to bring someone back, avoiding unnecessary trouble wherever possible.
Wei Shanshan nodded and approached, knocking on the obstruction.
Knock, knock.
"I’m Wei Shanshan from Team Three; could you please let me in? Thank you."
The two guards glanced up.
But their eyes widened not at Wei Shanshan but rather at the imposing, exaggerated shadow behind her.
Standing a towering one meter ninety, dressed in heavy black bulletproof gear, wearing a helmet, with legs as thick as tree stumps.
A large black handgun was holstered at his waist.
They hadn't noticed him approaching, but now up close, they realized that with such equipment, one would certainly be...
"Shanshan, didn't you go out to get medicine?" one of them cautiously asked.
"Who is this?"
"This is a doctor I found; please open the door! I need to check on my mother," Wei Shanshan repeated.
"You can come in, but that person with you will need to leave the gun behind. They can't wear that gear either," the other guard hesitated before responding.
"Mr. Yu is the doctor I found!" Wei Shanshan argued loudly.
"What kind of doctor dresses like that? Cut it out! Either come in or leave!" impatience crossed the guard's face.
"That's fine; you go in and help your mother out. I’ll wait here," Yu Hong instructed.
There was no need to provoke unnecessary conflict with this group.
Moreover, his attire indeed gave off a dangerous impression.
Wei Shanshan bowed gratefully to him.
"Then I’ll go first. Please wait a moment."
She quickly squeezed through the obstruction, whispering something to the two guards before hastily dashing along the small path between the houses.
Before long, just under five minutes later, she emerged, supporting a woman in her thirties as they walked along the path.
The woman appeared pale, coughing frequently, her lips cracked and parched, seemingly deprived of water for a long time.
Despite her age, she still retained a hint of sharpness in her finely shaped features; her facial features resembled Wei Shanshan’s but lacked youthfulness, instead exuding an air of a career-minded woman.
She was more plump, dressed in a dirty gray sports outfit that was stained and muddy, her long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, revealing her pale neck that matched her complexion.
‘This woman seems difficult to deal with,’ Yu Hong thought as he sized her up from a distance, forming a conclusion.
It was evident that Wei Shanshan’s timid demeanor likely stemmed from having always had her life decided by others, leaving her unable to resist—perpetually in a subordinate position.
Now, it seemed her mother was the dominant figure in their relationship.
As the two women approached, the guards kept their distance, wary, as if trying to avoid being infected by Wei Shanshan’s mother’s coughing.
Yu Hong too felt a little uneasy, worrying about whether the woman's illness might infect him.
Thankfully, he had his respiratory filter on and had prepared a small hut for both of them to stay in.
The hut's underground area had been cleared of the hazel grass he had planted elsewhere, essentially creating a small, non-radiated zone in the courtyard as a residence.
"This must be Mr. Yu, right? I must thank you profusely. I’m Qiu Yanxi, Shanshan’s mother," Wei Shanshan's mother said as she stepped out of the village, scanning Yu Hong’s face.
"It’s nothing, merely a transaction. Can we speed this up? We need to get back to the safe house before dark."
Yu Hong asked solemnly.
Upon seeing her troubled expression, he understood they likely wouldn’t move fast.
"I can take you; would that be a problem?"
Qiu Yanxi turned to glance back at the village, noting only a couple of girls peeking out, her eyes dimmed before she turned back.
"That’s fine; I wouldn't mind the trouble," she replied quietly.
"Good."
Yu Hong stretched his arms, then suddenly reached out, grabbing the back of Wei Shanshan's clothes and Qiu Yanxi’s similarly.
With a swift motion, he lifted them.
"Ah!!!" x2.
Amid two cries of fear, the two women dangled in mid-air, limbs splayed out, as he swiftly descended the hillside.
After his breakthrough, Yu Hong's strength had increased tremendously; lifting one person felt no more cumbersome than picking up cardboard, light and effortless.
The combined weight of the two was hardly more than his massive shield and wolf-tooth club.
Together they weighed around one hundred seventy to eighty at most.
Even before his breakthrough, he could wield his massive shield and wolf-tooth club intensively for several minutes, not factoring in internal energy.
Now, following the breakthrough, his power surged, making it a piece of cake.
Soon, within a few minutes, they reached the safe house.
Yu Hong tossed the two into the small wooden hut in the courtyard, dashed back into the cave to grab a blanket, and promptly finished up.
Next was the medicine; the anti-inflammatory medicine had a short enhancement time of only a little over two hours.
He planned to enhance it before handing it over since he promised to take care of them and figured he ought to put some effort into it.
As darkness fell, time was tight.
To ensure their safety outside, he needed to provide a bit of protection for them.
Yu Hong rummaged through his supplies for the long-unused candles, then poured a cup of hot water along with two protein bars before bringing them over.
Then with a thud, he closed the door, cutting himself off from the world outside.
(End of chapter)