The foundation of the heavy leg technique comes from the basic leg skills taught by Old Li.
Its main function is to strengthen the body.
With this complete foundation, one can gain the acknowledgment of the black mark and enhance it further.
If I want to obtain skills to combat the phantoms and dark shadows, I must first have the same complete foundation.
This means I need a basic method to train myself and confront the phantoms.
This method, even if it is crude, as long as it is complete, can strengthen me.
The current problem is, where to find this method?
Yu Hong sat in the basement, pondering earnestly.
To combat the phantoms, the main tools are the luminous stones and the array symbols inscribed on them.
If I draw the array on myself, does that count as practicing? Yu Hong contemplated.
Once he had the thought, he acted on it.
After recovering some stamina, he took off his gear and went up a level to the cave.
He splashed some water to clean his skin and retrieved the powder from the luminous stone he had just ground.
Mixing it with water, he skillfully drew a small-sized symbol on his left forearm.
He had become extremely skilled at drawing these symbols now, given how many he had drawn throughout the safe house.
After finishing, he pressed his hand on the symbol and silently chanted for enhancement.
“Insufficient completion.” The black mark did not even stir a line and gave a direct response.
Yu Hong frowned, wiping off the symbol.
He wandered around the cave, and suddenly an idea struck him.
“What if I can control my internal energy and draw a symbol within my body? I wonder if that would work?”
But for now, he couldn’t conduct this experiment, as all his internal energy had vanished after his breakthrough.
It felt as if he had used it all up.
“It seems I still need to continue strengthening the safe house to ensure absolute safety, while also being self-sufficient and slowly researching different techniques.”
With a determined goal, he cooked something to fill his stomach, then put on the foul-smelling reinforced white bear suit once more, and opened the door.
Creak.
The sunlight outside was cool, and a chilling wind howled.
Yu Hong froze for a moment, standing at the door without moving forward.
The reason was simple: In the courtyard, Wei Shanshan's mother, Qiu Yanxi, was squatting beside the small wooden house, struggling with her pants down.
Though she was facing away from the cave and partially concealed by the luminous grass, nothing could be seen clearly, only a pale white expanse.
But at that moment, Yu Hong saw her.
Qiu Yanxi heard the noise and noticed him as well.
Their eyes met.
Both of them froze.
Qiu Yanxi’s face suddenly flushed, visibly turning red with embarrassment.
Quickly, she grabbed some leaves to wipe herself, pulled up her pants, and dashed back into the wooden house.
She didn’t even dare to make a sound, afraid of waking her sleeping daughter.
Soon, there was a soft thud as the wooden door closed.
Everything fell silent.
Yu Hong, speechless, picked up his mace and large wooden shield, preparing to head to the post office and check the situation.
He always had one question: where did the array symbols on the initial luminous stone come from?
Perhaps Old Li, with his vast knowledge, could answer this question.
After grabbing his weapons and descending into the courtyard, he suddenly remembered the local network communication device he had just acquired yesterday.
So he turned around, went back into the cave, closed the door, and rummaged for the device.
Opening the black box revealed a simple handheld intercom, black in color with many honeycomb patterns and three dark green buttons: connect, hang up, switch channels 1, 2, and 3.
“123 indicates it can connect three people at once,” Yu Hong read from the manual.
“After charging it fully, press connect to use; the device will automatically search for similar devices that have also pressed connect within range.”
“They all need to be turned on to work.” Yu Hong shook his head slightly and pressed the connect button.
A hiss.
A burst of static noise, similar to a radio, came through the device, but there was no response.
“The other side should be off,” Yu Hong guessed.
After thinking for a moment, he reached out and placed his hand on the device.
“Enhance local network communicator, direction.”
He imagined a central device capable of linking more than five target devices, bringing everyone onto one channel for conversation, then added functions for reduced energy consumption, increased search range, and strengthened resistance to signal interference.
For now, he planned only to enhance the luminous stone and the array, so setting aside time to strengthen the communication device could serve to connect the known with the unknown.
This was to prepare for the worst, in case he could no longer freely travel to the post office.
Whoosh.
Soon, a black line flashed.
“Do you wish to enhance the local communicator?” the black mark responded.
Yu Hong watched as a countdown appeared on the surface of the communicator: 11 hours and 19 minutes.
“Of course!”
That was quite a long time.
He swiftly confirmed his response.
In a moment, the entire communicator flickered and began its countdown.
Once he confirmed the enhancement had begun, he set the device down, picked up the second red value detector he had enhanced earlier, then reopened the door and stepped out into the courtyard.
The small wooden house in the right corner was quiet; it seemed the mother and daughter did not intend to encounter him to avoid any awkwardness.
He couldn’t be bothered with them; as long as they obeyed and received food and drink, it was enough for them to survive until the rescue team arrived. “I’m going out for a bit to the post office. Stay in the house and don’t go out, no matter what happens. Remember,” Yu Hong instructed.
As long as they did not leave the courtyard, their safety could be guaranteed.
Of course, if they encountered a Language Being or a Withered Woman attack, that would be another matter entirely.
However, given how much time had passed without any sign of the Language Beings, it was very likely they had truly moved far away.
Thinking of this, Yu Hong picked up the red value detector in his hand and took another look; the reading showed -87.621.
This was the reading inside the courtyard.
He didn’t care whether the mother and daughter in the wooden house had responded and walked out the exit of the courtyard wall to see the reading.
“9.711.”
Yu Hong halted in his tracks.
“What’s going on? How did a positive value appear outside during broad daylight?”
The expression beneath his helmet turned serious.
“Could it be that phantoms are nearby? Only phantoms and dark shadows can move in broad daylight.”
At that moment, he proceeded toward the post office, holding the enhanced detector.
After walking more than a hundred meters and checking the display: 8.113.
Still a positive value!
“This is wrong! The minimum value for phantoms should be above twenty; these single-digit red values would only appear if the phantoms had left behind residual energy. But now, there are large distances and ranges with these red values.”
The more Yu Hong thought about it, the more he felt something was off.
This wasn’t a peak period; if there were red value radiation everywhere outside, it would mean that the external environment was less suitable for human activity and more favorable for phantom activities.
Realizing this, he couldn’t help but quicken his pace toward the post office.
A few minutes later.
He arrived outside the stone house of the post office, and before he even got close, he saw a crowded group of people at the post office yard, banging on the doors, crying, shouting for help, their voices a cacophony that drowned out everything else.
Most of these people had bloodstains on them, and each one appeared pale and terrified, as if they had suffered extreme shock.
Most of them were quite young, under twenty, and their youthful appearances were evident to anyone.
However, not everyone was young; a few adults were clearly standing at the edge of the yard.
These adults were dressed in tight blue-black anti-stab suits, armed with firearms and daggers, standing there with expressions of indifference or extreme displeasure.
Yu Hong scanned the crowd and noticed Song Mingshi among them; he was the only adult continuously trying to persuade the young people to calm down.
As Yu Hong got closer, he quickly drew attention from the crowd.
Many eyes fell upon him, and the cries and pleas began to diminish.
They were clearly wary, unsure of Yu Hong’s identity and intent.
Song Mingshi was the first to recognize Yu Hong and shared whispers with a few squad members he had met before.
They quickly spread the limited information they had, explaining the situation from the previous day.
Yu Hong paid them little mind and instead quickened his pace to the yard.
“Old Li.” He called out, pulling open the yard gate with one hand and stepping inside.
As he moved forward, those blocking the path instinctively stepped aside, not daring to impede him.
Soon, Yu Hong arrived in front of the stone house, and the people inside immediately opened the door to welcome him.
Bang.
The door closed again, locking behind him.
“What’s going on?” Once inside, Yu Hong looked at the distressed Li Runshan.
“Something happened!” Li Runshan’s expression was grave as he looked around and leaned closer to speak in a low voice.
“Last night, a dangerous level three blood tide appeared with elephant bugs! If we hadn’t all hidden underground, we probably wouldn’t have survived either!”
“Elephant bugs? I saw them; they look like huge ticks, much bigger than the big skins, right?” Yu Hong frowned.
“Yes. Those people outside are the fleeing villagers from Baiqiu Village; several were eaten by the elephant bugs last night. If it weren’t for someone who acted quickly and ignited a building to use the fire to drive them back, I fear none of them would have survived!” Li Runshan said solemnly.
“So they came down to seek your shelter?” Yu Hong asked.
“Yeah, they all want to enter my underground refuge, but I can’t accommodate so many people,” Li Runshan said helplessly. “These people have different identities. I can’t be too harsh with them, so you need to lend your brother a hand, Yu Ge.”
“I can help, but first, answer me a question.” Yu Hong replied swiftly.
“What is it? I’ll never hide anything I know,” Li Runshan replied earnestly.
“The symbols on the luminous stones, where did they originally come from?” Yu Hong whispered.
“I remember telling you—they’re from a ruin. Why? Are you curious about this?” Li Runshan looked taken aback.
“I recall there’s a ruin nearby, right?” Yu Hong continued.
“Yes, ruins typically have associated luminous stone mines nearby, which is why I came here. These people are also here for this reason; although the luminous stones emit radiation, they can still avoid phantoms and dark shadows. Choosing the lesser of two evils. Getting sick is better than dying immediately,” Li Runshan nodded.
“Have you been to the ruins?” Yu Hong asked.
“I have. Inside, it had long been fully looted; there was nothing left,” Li Runshan nodded.
“Is there a map?”
“Yes, I’ll give it to you in a moment. Is there anything else?” Li Runshan quickly asked.
“One more thing. On my way here, I noticed the red value was wrong,” Yu Hong said.
“What was wrong?” Li Runshan replied with confusion.
Outside, red values are usually zero.
What could possibly be wrong?
“The red values on the way here stayed between 8 and 9. I suspect there’s a significant change outside!” Yu Hong said gravely.
(End of Chapter)