A Night of Desperation

Chapter 11 – Accumulation (1)

This world is very dangerous. Extremely dangerous.

In the more than half a month since Yu Hong arrived here, he has fully realized this.

As an ordinary person, his survival knowledge is far inferior to that of Little stutterer and the others, and his physical abilities are also significantly weaker.

Even Little stutterer and Dr. Xu are struggling so much; if he were to rely solely on himself, it would definitely not be enough.

Therefore, he must utilize his unique advantage—the black mark.

On a bright, sunny morning, outside a strange tiled house in Baiqiu Village.

Yu Hong and Little stutterer, both dressed in filthy clothes, their hair greasy and matted into strands resembling dreadlocks, stood in front of the house, gazing inside.

The interior of the house was dark, constantly emitting a cold and eerie aura. Occasionally, a slight cold breeze would surge out, accompanied by a musty and unknown stench.

The sunlight stopped at the door, dividing the outside from the inside into two separate worlds.

“There’s the smoking pipe I need inside,” Yu Hong said in a deep voice.

“How do we get it?” Little stutterer asked seriously from the side, as though mimicking Yu Hong.

“The phantom shadows could appear at any moment, so I must act quickly,” Yu Hong replied.

The cave’s safe house must have a warm stove, but lighting a fire in a sealed cave is extremely dangerous, so the smoking pipe is essential! At that moment, as he looked into the dimly lit house, determination rose in his eyes for the first time.

“I’m sorry, I’m just too scared.”

To find safety, one must first face danger.

He had no other choice.

“Let’s go.”

With his reinforced white stones in his pocket, Yu Hong strode into the house.

Little stutterer, behind him, also held a bag of white stones, nervously scanning the area.

Clap.

As soon as their feet entered the darkened space, a chilling sensation started creeping up from their ankles.

At that moment, both the reinforced white stones and the regular white stones activated, releasing cold air that countered the chill.

“There’s something wrong, quickly!” Yu Hong instantly realized there was a phantom shadow and sped up, rushing deeper into the house.

He had examined many houses, and this one’s chimney was the most suitable, the longest. This time, he was determined to get it!

The two quickly crossed an open space and reached the innermost corner of the room.

There, a square metal stove was placed, with a vertical iron chimney pipe protruding from one corner.

The chimney pipe extended two meters upward, then curved to the side for over three meters, reaching an opening in the wall.

“That’s it! Grab it!” Yu Hong’s eyes lit up as he rushed forward and grabbed the chimney pipe.

Thud.

He yanked it hard.

It didn’t move.

He looked down.

The chimney pipe was welded to the corner of the stove, immovable.

Just as he was about to pull harder, Yu Hong suddenly caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. A small door to the bedroom in the corner of the room slowly opened.

In the darkness beyond the door, a figure in gray stood, its face obscured.

The figure stood motionless in the shadows, staring toward them.

At the same time, a more intense chill surged out from the small bedroom door.

“Yi Yi!!” In a panic, Yu Hong shouted, gripping the reinforced white stone tightly, his muscles tensing as he began to aim.

His eyes darted toward the back, looking at Little stutterer (Yi Yi).

But… “!!!?”

There was no one there.

Not only was Yi Yi missing, but the stove and chimney had also disappeared.

Yu Hong quickly shifted his gaze again and saw Little stutterer, carrying the stove and dragging the chimney pipe, running toward the door to leave.

The heavy stove in her hands seemed as light as a cardboard box, having no impact on her.

“Run! Yu!” Little stutterer charged out into the sunlight, only to realize Yu Hong hadn’t followed. She quickly looked back, confused, and saw Yu Hong still standing where he had been, frozen in place. She immediately shouted.

“…” Yu Hong had no words to respond.

But at that moment, the phantom shadow had locked its sights on him.

A chilling, rigid sensation surged through him again, attempting to freeze him in place.

The power of the reinforced white stone surged continuously to resist the stiffness.

“I…”

“I!!”

Yu Hong trembled, unable to move from his position, clutching the reinforced white stone in his hand as though he were a machine on the verge of falling apart.

Sweat poured down from his forehead and temples, his pupils dilated as intense fear threatened to engulf him.

‘I’m so scared.’

“It’s terrifying.”

“Why, why is there something so terrifying here?!”

‘Why.’

‘Why.’

‘Why.’

‘Why.’

In an instant, countless “whys” crawled up his mind, like insects, filling every inch of his being. They overwhelmed his thoughts, his consciousness, consuming everything.

But at that moment, he was caught in an eerie struggle, the power of the phantom shadow and the strength of the reinforced white stone cancelling each other out. This battle played out through his body.

Amidst this paralysis…

Yu Hong suddenly felt movement behind him.

Crack.

He heard a faint sound.

It was as though a shoe had stepped on the muddy floor of the room.

The soft, rhythmic sound of footsteps came, one after the other, seemingly getting closer from behind.

Step. Step.

The footsteps were steady, neither fast nor slow, moving directly toward him.

Then, the wooden door of the house silently began to close, slowly shutting off the bright sunlight and Little stutterer from the outside world.

Yu Hong was terrified. His whole body shook as tears and sweat streamed down his face.

At this moment, he could do nothing but watch the door slowly close.

Helpless.

A deep sense of helplessness surged from the bottom of his heart.

“I…” He opened his mouth, trying to speak.

Smack.

Suddenly, a hand tightly gripped his from behind!

Ah!!!!

In an instant, Yu Hong felt like he had been struck by lightning. He let out a piercing scream.

He violently jumped up, and with a swift motion, he pulled a large wooden club from his pants leg and swung it backward with all his might.

The wooden club was studded with steel nails, embedded with three pieces of reinforced white stone.

Fear had completely consumed Yu Hong. As he swung the club, it let out a deep, whistling sound in the air.

Amid the noisy sound of the club slicing through the air, there was a loud crash.

Boom!!!

The wooden club slammed into a white figure behind Yu Hong, splitting it in two. The figure deflated, scattering into pieces, vanishing into thin air.

“Ahhhhhh!!!”

Yu Hong raised the steel-nail-studded club and immediately turned, rushing toward another gray figure by the small bedroom door.

Boom!!!

Another loud crash.

The wooden club slammed into the doorframe, creating a deep dent.

The gray figure shattered with the impact, turning into a pile of gray cloth that scattered to the ground and evaporated.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

By this time, Yu Hong’s eyes were bloodshot. Holding the steel-nail club, he continued wildly swinging at where the gray figure had been.

Until the doorframe began to shake and splinter, he finally came to his senses.

Seeing that the phantom shadow had disappeared, Yu Hong quickly rushed out of the house and into the sunlight.

Huff! Huff! Huff!

Amidst his heavy breathing, he slowly bent down, crouching on the ground.

Little stutterer stood nearby, staring blankly at him, unsure how to comfort him.

She had initially planned to rush in to save him, but seeing Yu Hong’s sudden outburst, she was scared and could only stand in place, helplessly waiting for the outcome.

The result was that Yu Hong emerged himself, violently smashing the two phantom shadows into pieces, his expression reflecting extreme fear as he crouched down outside, panting.

“Yu…” After a while, Xiaojieba hesitated and softly called out.

“Sorry…” Yu Hong’s voice trembled, his body drenched in sweat, as though he had just been pulled out of water.

“I was just… so scared.”

He paused for a moment, slowly calming down as his emotions settled.

He stood up, turned, and looked at Little stutterer.

His face was filled with pain, helplessness, and a sense of vulnerability.

“They… they scared me.”

He waved the steel-nail club in his hand repeatedly, as though trying to express his intense emotions through body language.

“I was so scared.”

Yu Hong’s skin trembled.

“So, I had to smash them to death… I… I know what I’m doing, but if I didn’t smash them, I was afraid… afraid they would come after me!”

“It’s okay.” Little stutterer blinked, taking a step back as the steel-nail club swung dangerously close, making her feel uneasy.

“It’s fine now, just let it go. Let it go!!” Little stutterer raised both hands, trying to soothe him.

Yu Hong, realizing that he was not in his right state, also started to take deep breaths.

Inhale.

Exhale.

After thirty breaths, he finally felt his body stabilize.

“Good, good. I’m glad I prepared in advance,” he said, lowering the heavy wooden club. He felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

He was someone who always prepared thoroughly for anything he did.

Just like when he went into the house to grab the chimney pipe. He had already planned out how to use his few remaining reinforced white stones.

The three pieces of reinforced white stone embedded in the wooden club weren’t actually “embedded” in the traditional sense. Instead, Yu Hong had carved small recesses in the wood and tightly bound the stones with ropes.

Looking back, this method had proven to be quite effective.

“Are you okay now?” Little stutterer asked carefully, her gaze focused on him.

“Sorry,” Yu Hong said, shaking his body in helplessness. “I got too worked up.”

Little stutterer shook her head, signaling that she wasn’t scared. “Actually… I’ve seen something like this before.”

She lifted the stove and chimney pipe, and with Yu Hong, they began walking back.

As they walked, she told him about the people she had encountered before.

From her words, Yu Hong learned that there had been others in similar situations—people who had fallen into extreme fear, just like him.

Some of them, like him, had exploded in a frenzy, fighting back.

But Yu Hong was different from them.

After those people fought back, they would exhaust themselves, weakening further and falling into even greater danger.

But Yu Hong wasn’t like them.

After smashing the phantom shadows, he didn’t stop. He immediately turned and ran, heading for the safety zone, before finally letting himself relax.

In extreme emotional states, it’s rare for people to hold back any strength. Yet Yu Hong had managed to do so.

Not only had he destroyed the phantom shadows, but he also conserved his energy to turn around and flee.

This made him stand out in a very unique way.

(End of this chapter)