As Yu Hong grappled with the first multi-eyed bird, a second one shot out from the shadows with a shrill cry, barreling toward him like a cannonball.
It seemed that its injuries had recovered significantly, maintaining its speed and agility.
The explosive power concentrated in its sharp beak caught Yu Hong off guard, piercing into his shoulder and bending the metal plating of his armor.
The impact sent shockwaves through him, striking against his bones.
Boom!
Yu Hong was thrown backward, along with the bird as they both tumbled back into the cave, crashing into two solar panels and a wooden crate containing firearms.
The debris scattered around them like confetti, twirling in the air as they continued to collide toward the area where the talisman arrays were set up.
Yu Hong felt a wave of frustration surge within him.
“Get off me!!!”
His muscles tensed, veins bulging as he furiously grasped the bird's beak with his hands, digging his feet into the ground, leaving deep marks behind.
He summoned all his strength and surged forward.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!!!
He charged like a heavy rhinoceros, growling as he tackled the beast, propelling both of them out of the cave with a great leap.
Smash!
The ground erupted, dirt flying everywhere as the bird, along with Yu Hong's raw power, met the earth with brutal force, crushing the creature's chest.
Yet, the bird still writhed in agony, its injuries rapidly healing under the light of the moon.
“I refuse to believe I can’t kill you!!” Frustration fueled Yu Hong, and with a swift motion, he seized the creature by the neck, twisting and slamming it against the cave wall.
Crash!
Rubble flew as a deep dent formed in the stone wall.
But he wasn’t done.
Yu Hong continued to pummel the bird against the wall, each impact reverberating through the cavern.
However, despite the relentless assault, the creature continued to heal.
Not far away, the second bird let out a haunting cry, disregarding its wounds, flying recklessly toward Yu Hong’s back.
But Yu Hong ignored it, focusing his fury on the first bird, raining blows on it.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!!
He had no idea how many times he smashed it before he could no longer hold on to any substantial pieces of flesh or feathers.
Panting heavily, he paused and turned to grab the second bird, but in a surprising twist, it darted upward, avoiding his grasp and taking off into the night sky without looking back.
Boom, boom, boom!
Yu Hong quickly lifted his firearm, emptying the magazine in a flurry.
Miraculously, one of the bullets found its mark, hitting the bird's wing and sending it spiraling down into the nearby woods.
“Trying to escape, huh!!” Yu Hong shouted with fury, rushing into the forest, grabbing hold of the bird's body and lifting it high.
Swoosh!!
The creature's belly split open as he tore it in half with sheer strength, showering the area in a rain of blood and feathers.
Ah!
Yu Hong threw his head back and roared, his blood boiling with rage.
The long-standing fear and oppression morphed into overwhelming fury, pushing him into a frenzied state.
He brought the beast down against the ground again and again, the chaos lasting until there was nothing left but two mangled pieces of flesh in his hands.
Finally, the storm of violence subsided.
Yu Hong sat there, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat, his body still ablaze with heat as his heart raced like a war drum.
Under the moonlight, he dropped the remnants of the bird and spat out blood and saliva.
“It’s over.” Turning back toward the courtyard, he saw the scene of devastation, though he was relieved that the glowstone grass hadn’t been harmed.
In the frantic battle, both he and the multi-eyed bird had charged out of the yard, causing less damage than the last time.
The yard stood empty, devoid of any figures, showing that the mother and daughter duo had wisely tucked themselves away in their little hideout, hesitant to emerge.
This thought brought Yu Hong some comfort; at least they had a solid instinct for self-preservation, sparing him the worry of their safety.
Having slain the two multi-eyed birds, he suddenly felt a fiery pain spreading across his body.
His back had endured a heavy attack, and earlier, the rush of adrenaline had dulled his perception of pain.
Now that he was calm, the sharp discomfort returned with clarity.
“My back must be bleeding. I wonder if the bones are injured. My left wrist feels sprained; I may have overexerted myself while grappling with the bird.” Realizing he had hurt himself through his own fury, Yu Hong’s heart surged with self-reflection.
“I can’t let this happen again. Getting lost in the heat of battle is dangerous.”
He assessed his body for other injuries; externally, he was fine, but his internal energy had been fully drained, and he felt tightness in some of his muscles.
The worst part was his reinforced white bear suit.
Once inside the cave, leaning against the broken door, he realized that it had sustained heavy damage, with gaping holes scattered everywhere, nearly rendered unusable.
"It can’t be worn anymore. Good thing those two birds died early; if I had fought longer, it would have crumbled, and I would be in real trouble."
A wave of relief washed over him as he stared at the extensive damage.
He could tell how many fatal blows the suit had absorbed for him.
Slipping out of the white bear suit, he swiftly applied medicine to himself, disinfecting the wounds, and took anti-inflammatory pills for precaution, then donned the reinforced gray lizard suit as a temporary measure.
This suit would only offer protection against handgun bullets; against rifle or sniper shots and attacks from titan-like creatures, it was inadequate by comparison.
It was certainly lacking compared to the reinforced white bear suit.
Yet in his current situation, having something was far better than having nothing.
After equipping the suit, Yu Hong pressed against the broken door, initiating its automatic repair.
Once he confirmed it would take three hours for the countdown, he leaned against the fireplace, planning to rest until dawn for safety.
This time, his losses were significant, yet he realized how deadly the multi-eyed birds were in real combat.
Although he fought with everything he had, he could only slay two of those creatures.
This realization filled him with a sense of looming threat for the future.
“There are endless monsters outside, and they cannot be completely eliminated. If I wish to live peacefully and safely, I must think of ways to hide and mask my aura, to remain undetected by these monsters. Otherwise, resisting head-on will not suffice against so many attacks.”
Thoughts racing through his mind, Yu Hong pondered how he could conceal his presence.
His ideas flickered with memories of what he had learned.
“Wait a moment. To hide my presence, I first need to understand how the blood tide monsters and shadow monsters locate me. What are their methods of detection?”
Recalling his past encounters, he noted that while the shadow was relatively straightforward in its propagation method, he was completely clueless about the principles behind the blood tide monsters and the shadows.
“Conducting my own experiments will take too long. It would be best to find materials or researchers in this area who might provide their experimental data swiftly; that would save me a lot of time.”
This thought flitted through his mind as weariness washed over him.
Coupled with the exhaustion and pain throughout his body, he settled quietly by the fireplace to rest.
His reinforced pistol had been fully expended, the white bear suit was damaged, and the door could no longer secure him.
With fatigue creeping in, all his energy spent, internal energy depleted, and his wrist sprained, he felt sharp pains in his back, suspecting fractures.
This was the first time he had suffered such severe injuries.
After sitting for a while to catch his breath, he leaned back, exhaling deeply.
Picking up a metal basin for heating water, he opened his helmet to take a sip.
Just then, a flash of light glinted on the edge of the silver basin.
Suddenly, a black stone-like object was tossed through the gap in the broken door, landing in the cave.
It bounced and rolled on the ground, striking against wooden fragments, then finally came to a stop.
Yu Hong blinked, sensing something was off, and swiftly dashed forward to toss it out.
Whoosh!
Just as he threw it, it exploded mid-air, blinding white light flooding the courtyard, illuminating everything as bright as day.
It was a flashbang!
Yu Hong, reacting quickly, shut his eyes and turned away, dropping to the ground.
Having never encountered such a device, he feared it was a grenade, and took cover as he had seen in movies.
When the noise subsided, he rolled over and stood, just in time to see three dark figures effortlessly leap over the courtyard wall, speeding toward him.
Bang!!
A gunshot rang out, a burst of fire exploding near Yu Hong’s right knee.
His knee buckled as the shockwave pushed him back.
“It’s not a handgun! Who are they?!”
Yu Hong's heart sank, knowing he was in a perilous situation.
This was his weakest moment; one hand was injured and couldn’t muster strength.
His back was in agony, and he felt utterly fatigued, with his energy drained and internal energy spent.
Under these circumstances, being attacked by skilled marksmen was dire.
A fleeting thought flickered in his mind, and in that instant, he knew he had to move.
He couldn’t afford to stay put.
They had gunmen, and he needed to act.
It was night, and if he moved swiftly, he didn’t believe they could shoot accurately and hit him.
Observing the three figures racing toward him, each stood a solid 1.8 to 1.9 meters tall, their movements firm and purposeful, hinting at a coordinated rhythm among them.
Yu Hong discarded his mace, minimizing his load, and in a single swift motion, rolled to the side.
With a thud, he leaped out of the cave, landing on the grassy area to the right of the courtyard, merging into the shadows illuminated only by the moonlight.
From the moment of the ambush to his escape from the cave, only a second had passed, denying the hidden gunman a second shot at him.
As he melted into the dark, the only light was the hazy glow of the moon above.
Yu Hong rose, ready to face the three pursuers.
The first one stretched out a leg for a powerful kick aimed at Yu Hong’s chest.
Caught off guard in the moment he had just stood up, he didn’t react in time, and the kick landed squarely against his chest.
Bang.
The force slammed into Yu Hong, surging through him with overwhelming power, the impact exploding tiny particles of dust that shimmered in the moonlight like a white disk.
“It’s you?!”
In that instant, as they closed the distance, the moonlight illuminated the man’s face.
It was Ge Shenghao, the leader he had encountered previously!
This guy was a top-notch mailman from the previous postal service, equally strong and not inferior to Li Runshan.
(This chapter ends here.)