As the wooden door creaked open, Yu Hong stepped out clad in a heavy, reinforced white bear suit.
“Old Li, what’s so important that it can’t be said over the communicator? Why come all this way?” He frowned, glancing at the two people behind Li Runshan.
“I need some talisman arrays set up in the hidden chamber. Can you help me with that? Payment is negotiable!” Li Runshan quickly replied.
“How many do you need?”
“At least thirty pieces.”
“I can’t get that many in a short time; it’ll take four days,” Yu Hong shook his head. “Aside from what I need for myself, I can only spare twenty-two pieces. Besides, ordinary luminous stones can also be used for the hidden chamber. Why don’t you go to the mines?”
“A small team went, but they haven’t returned.” The second person behind Li Runshan spoke up. “Could you ask, Mr. Yu, if there’s anything here that can help avoid the multi-eyed birds? If you have such items, we can buy them at a high price!”
“Special items? Multi-eyed birds?” Yu Hong’s face under his helmet showed a moment of surprise.
“I believe Mr. Yu understands that our team is composed entirely of high-ranking officials' families from the Allied Army. If we could help them in their time of need, the rewards would be far greater than this slight expense.” The person continued. “With a little adjustment among the supplies of the Allied Army, we can acquire any kind of weapons, equipment, or materials.”
“That’s quite good of a condition,” Yu Hong indeed found himself a bit tempted.
If he really had such items, he would be willing to trade.
“But I do not have such items. What a pity.”
“Do you not believe us, Mr. Yu?” the second person pressed on. “At this point, our team’s dignitaries are our last hope. If anything happens to them, the upper management, in their fury, won’t just stop the rescue team from coming. We would be eliminated alongside the monsters. Mr. Yu might not understand the current state of affairs among the high-ranking officials in the Allied Army. In their eyes, human life is merely a number. If we cannot protect the important individuals, everyone present will die.”
“What does this have to do with me?” Yu Hong did not believe. “I’m not part of your team; even if they were furious, they wouldn’t come looking for me.”
“The authorities don’t have time to investigate such details. Our lives aren’t worth the risk for the rescue team to travel this far for us. If you stand by and do nothing, you’ll be implicated too. Ultimately, we’re all just crickets tied to the same rope,” the second person said grimly.
“Ha, what’s your name?” Yu Hong couldn’t help but laugh at the man’s baseless argument.
“Ge Shenghao. Do you doubt me, Mr. Yu?” Ge Shenghao replied calmly. “I won’t deny that we also wish to survive. Now that we know you have ways to avoid the multi-eyed birds, do you think we would just sit here and wait for death? Or would we make other choices?”
Yu Hong fell silent.
This was a veiled threat.
He looked at Li Runshan, who subtly shook his head, signaling him to cooperate.
Yu Hong felt reluctant to fall out with the rescue team.
If they really arrived, he needed many things to trade with them.
If he completely severed ties with the authorities, he would struggle to procure various items later.
“I would like to cooperate with you, but unfortunately, I genuinely have no methods to avoid the multi-eyed birds,” Yu Hong spoke up again.
His words left Ge Shenghao and his companion looking startled, as they hadn’t expected him to respond in such a way.
The third person’s face turned cold, and he was about to draw a gun, but Ge Shenghao stopped him with a single hand.
“Since we’ve come to this point, it seems Mr. Yu truly has no solution. In that case, let’s change the topic. You should be able to supply more talismans or big luminous stones, right?”
“What do you have to trade?” Yu Hong asked.
“We’ve got plenty of clothes, equipment, bedding, as well as diesel, gasoline, medicine, and so on. What do you need?” Ge Shenghao countered.
Yu Hong pondered this; this group indeed had many resources, which made sense given their escape from the supply team.
“Do you have oxygen machines?” he quickly thought of something he might need.
“Oxygen machines are a must in underground safety houses nowadays. However, the key is having a constant supply of oxygen-generating materials. Currently, the commonly used ones are electrolytic oxygen generators that require a steady supply of electrolytes, and a high-performance water filter. The water used for oxygen generation is best pure water to avoid damaging the machine,” Ge Shenghao explained sincerely.
“So, the oxygen machine needs water, electricity, and electrolytes?” Yu Hong frowned and asked.
“Not just that. The safety standards are quite high for these machines. The hydrogen produced during the electrolysis is highly flammable, so even if you manage to get an oxygen machine, you need to ensure your safety as well,” Ge Shenghao answered.
“Then how do we trade for this?” Yu Hong asked.
“We had quite a few before, but we lost most of them on the way. Now we only have three left; we can give you one. We can also share ten kilograms of electrolytes, which will last you a long time. All of this in exchange for thirty talismans, how does that sound?” Ge Shenghao offered.
“Twenty pieces, I can’t spare anymore,” Yu Hong shook his head.
“Deal,” Ge Shenghao didn’t linger on the negotiation.
With the multi-eyed birds potentially attacking at any moment, they needed to complete the transaction and return to the underground postal station quickly.
“First, bring the machine; I can give you the talismans at any time,” Yu Hong continued.
“I’ll go fetch it!” The third person said without further ado, turning to leave and quickly vanished into the mist.
Taking this moment, Yu Hong asked a question he had on his mind earlier. “Can I ask how you managed to fend off the multi-eyed birds just now?”
“By using single-soldier automatic tracking micro-missiles, we fired five shots,” Ge Shenghao sighed.
“And still, three died. Entire teams two and three were wiped out,” Li Runshan muttered beside them.
Too many had died in these days.
If they had fought like warriors, he wouldn’t feel so emotional, but being slaughtered without resistance hit differently.
“As far as I know, while multi-eyed birds are strong, shouldn't they at least be able to get blown up by missiles?” Yu Hong frowned.
“They can be, but the mist obscured our view. By the time we spotted the multi-eyed birds, they were already too close. The missiles couldn’t lock on in time; the distance was so short there wasn’t even time to turn; they could only be fired straight ahead. If they were that close, firing would risk hurting ourselves instead,” Ge Shenghao explained.
Yu Hong imagined that predicament and fell silent.
After a moment, he began asking about their situation and exchanging casual conversation.
Before long, the person sent to retrieve the oxygen machine came back with two others, all carrying items in their arms.
One was a square machine with a gray-white exterior, connected by a black power cable, and a side pipe resembling a respiratory valve, likely for oxygen intake.
Alongside the machine was a bag filled with granular substances, resembling salt, all wrapped in plastic.
Without saying much, Yu Hong swiftly returned and fetched twenty talismans, placing them on the ground outside the yard.
They did the same, exchanging items between them.
After receiving the talismans, Ge Shenghao and his companion didn’t say much more, taking their items and leaving quickly.
Li Runshan glanced at Yu Hong a couple of times and gave him a knowing look before departing as well.
In no time, the three figures vanished into the mist.
Yu Hong didn’t quite understand the look Li Runshan had given him, but he didn’t care too much either.
He picked up the oxygen machine and returned to the cave.
Just as he was about to close the door, suddenly, Qiu Yanxi's voice called out from behind him.
“Mr. Yu, could you help us find another place to hide? That creature from before... if it so much as touches our home, we...” The woman stood at the entrance with her daughter, looking as if she was about to cry.
“Wait a moment.” Yu Hong thought for a moment, realizing there was a problem with directly leaving them in the yard.
He returned to the safety house to check the two basements, the newly built one being closer to the outer wall.
‘If I convert one of the basements into a guest room temporarily, that might work.
However, the main door is a concern; reinforcing two doors would significantly weigh down the progress with the black seal.’
Qiu Yanxi and her daughter were quite important, especially concerning energy issues.
After contemplating, an idea struck Yu Hong.
‘I can simply dig out a small cave from the outside, not needing it to be big, just enough for them to hide and sleep.
There’s no need to make it to my own standards.’
With that thought, he quickly took out his tools and opened the door to go outside.
Boom!
Just as he stepped out, standing at the doorway, a violent explosion erupted from the direction of the postal station.
Flames shot into the sky from that side.
Yu Hong’s brows furrowed with worry for Li Runshan and Ai Senna.
But given the distance, and with the monsters potentially appearing, he couldn’t dare rush over.
Standing at the cave entrance, he gazed toward the fire for a while, then stopped looking and quickly began carving out the shape of the hole he required on an empty section of the mountainside.
Since the two only needed a place to sleep, Yu Hong only dug a narrow slot two meters deep, one meter wide, and one meter high, using a stone as a door and leaving a gap as a breathing hole.
With his current strength and endurance, it took him only a little over ten minutes.
“Instead of the wooden house, you can sleep here,” Yu Hong pointed at the cave and instructed.
Qiu Yanxi and her daughter gazed wordlessly at the hole, which, wrapped in luminous blankets, was just enough for them to squeeze in.
They hadn’t anticipated Yu Hong to create such a thing.
Yu Hong didn’t care for their thoughts; after resolving the issue, he returned to the safety house.
He picked up the reinforced handgun he had restocked, with its bullets now full after the black seal enhancement.
This tool had helped him a great deal; however, the other weapon—the wolf tooth club—he had grown accustomed to using, felt a bit behind the curve now.
Inside the house, as Yu Hong listened to the continuous explosions coming from the postal station, he lifted the wolf tooth club with one hand, reflecting on the earlier suggestion from Li Runshan.
‘Indeed, the weapon needs enhancement—perhaps a meteor hammer?’ A contemplative expression crossed his face.
‘A simple meteor hammer isn’t very effective; I’m not skilled in its use either.
Against a monster like the multi-eyed bird, it’s better if I can strike and then hold it tightly for more damage.’
‘What kind of weapon can achieve that?’ Soon, a unique weapon structure appeared in Yu Hong’s mind.
Gazing at the newly discovered vortex talisman pattern, he decided to enhance the weapon first.
After all, the multi-eyed birds could strike at any time again.
There surely wouldn't be just one monster lurking outside.
If he didn’t quickly enhance his strength to fend off the enemy, no matter how good the vortex talisman pattern was, he wouldn’t get a chance to use it.
(The end of this chapter)