A Night of Desperation

Chapter 6: Danger (4)

Their eyes met.

A wave of dread exploded in Yu Hong’s chest.

A gut-wrenching, unbearable nausea surged from his stomach.

His abdomen convulsed in pain as his entire body began to tingle and stiffen uncontrollably.

An indescribable terror swelled in his heart and coursed through his veins.

Around his eyes, black veins began to bulge and spread like tree roots branching outward.

The veins grew thicker and thicker, as though they were about to burst at any moment.

Just then, a chilling energy seeped from the strengthening white stone in his pocket, rushing into his thigh.

This cold energy was like a steel pin, piercing deeply into his rigid body and pulling him back from paralysis.

Bang!

His legs gave out, and he crumpled to the floor, finally breaking eye contact with the entity.

Huff! Huff! Huff!

Bent over, Yu Hong gasped for air, feeling the white stone’s icy energy rapidly relieve the stiffness in his body.

He was overcome with a deep sense of gratitude, as though narrowly escaping death.

Without daring to look outside again, Yu Hong quickly pulled out the strengthening white stone. He noticed the faint glow of a red symbol on its surface—so faint it was almost imperceptible.

“A lifesaver!” Yu Hong thought with a surge of relief, immensely grateful that he had chosen to strengthen this white stone first.

Ever since the stuttering girl used it to save him earlier, he had realized its extraordinary importance.

Thankfully, his judgment had been correct.

Scooting himself away from the window, Yu Hong decided not to take any more risks. In this eerie place, even a single glance outside could be dangerous.

“But why… Why don’t the stuttering girl or Dr. Xu encounter such dangers when they go out?”

“Do they have some other means of protection?”

A flicker of doubt rose in Yu Hong’s mind.

But soon, the sheer exhaustion of his ordeal began to pull him into sleep again.

His body was far too weak.

Clutching the white stone tightly, he crawled back onto the bed. Wrapped in the foul-smelling, grayish blanket, he waited for a while, making sure nothing outside could get in. Only then did he relax slightly and drift back into unconsciousness.

Time passed.

Maybe hours. Maybe an entire day.

When Yu Hong woke again, the stuttering girl was bustling about the room.

“You… awake?” She turned quickly at the sound of his movement, her face lighting up as she looked at him.

“Eat this.” Soon, she brought over a bowl of black gruel and began feeding him.

Without realizing it, Yu Hong finished the last spoonful of the gruel. His body felt much better.

“Any more?” he asked.

The girl got up and rummaged around, but this time, she couldn’t find any.

After a long search, she returned, slightly dejected.

“Finished,” she said softly.

Yu Hong got out of bed, walked to the corner of the room, and saw the wooden barrel she had been searching in.

Inside were remnants of a multicolored powder, the apparent raw material for the gruel. The bottom of the barrel held only a few scraps.

As he leaned on the barrel, he confirmed that it was indeed empty.

Gurgle.

A rumbling noise suddenly came from behind him.

It was the stuttering girl.

She rubbed her stomach and grinned sheepishly.

“You didn’t eat?”

“Forgot,” she replied with a goofy laugh.

Apparently, she had given him all the remaining food.

Yu Hong was at a loss for words. He couldn’t fathom how this girl had managed to survive in such a dangerous environment.

Yet, he felt a pang of guilt.

“So what now? Where do you get this food? I’m feeling better now and can help look for more,” he offered earnestly.

“No need. Yi Yi strong!” The stuttering girl thumped her chest, putting on a confident expression.

“I helped you. You help me find Dad and Grandpa,” she added, her words halting but clear in their intent.

“That’s why you saved me?” Yu Hong understood. Having a request made things easier—it gave him a chance to repay her.

“I promise,” he nodded. “If I’m able, I’ll help.”

Though the environment was perilous, the black mark on his hand gave him a sliver of hope for the future.

With the mark’s ability, if everything could be strengthened, then perhaps he could create a safer shelter or stronghold.

After his firsthand experience, he knew the house’s defenses were inadequate against the strange and deadly threats outside.

Neither the white-clad figure, the black bugs, nor the terrifying mimic of Dr. Xu had been stopped.

“By the way, I wanted to ask, when you weren’t here just now…” Yu Hong quickly told the other person what had happened earlier.

After listening, the stuttering girl’s expression grew serious.

“It was a shadow wraith!” she answered.

“That was a shadow wraith?” Yu Hong frowned.

“This question… let me answer it.” A voice came from outside the door.

The stuttering girl rushed to open it, happily welcoming Dr. Xu inside.

Dr. Xu had changed her outfit. Dressed in hiking gear with a camo bodysuit and a large backpack, she looked ready for a trek into the mountains.

Her eyes swept over Yu Hong as she stepped into the room.

“In this place, shadow wraiths are a common threat during the Black Disaster. There are two main types: the white shadow, which you encountered earlier, and the impostor.”

“White shadows aren’t too dangerous. As long as you carefully maintain eye contact and don’t blink, you can escape safely. Reinforced white stones can also temporarily dispel them.”

“But impostors are a different story. You must remain vigilant at all times and never trust anything outside of what’s been agreed upon.”

Dr. Xu fixed her gaze on Yu Hong and emphasized, “Agreements are extremely, extremely important here!”

“Agreements?” Yu Hong’s thoughts began to churn.

“Yes. Before separating from your companions, you must set clear agreements. For example, what the signal will be when you regroup, what conditions allow for opening doors or windows, and so on. If you don’t… impostors will exploit any gaps, killing you one by one,” Dr. Xu explained with a sigh.

“This is also why the residents of Baiqiu Village live alone. Even during the day, the imposter might appear and attack.”

Imposter.

This completely new concept made Yu Hong suddenly realize something.

He might never be able to return to his old life.

“Can you take me outside? I want to see if I can make it to the city,” Yu Hong spoke after a moment of silence.

“Take the glowstone—those white stones. As long as you go out during the day, you’ll be fine, but control the time you return,” Dr. Xu replied. “Also, while imposters can appear during the day, only those who are physically weak will see them. Healthy people cannot see them.”

Yu Hong immediately understood.

“Isn’t there any way to get rid of these monsters?” he asked in a low voice.

“No. We haven’t found any, and the national authorities haven’t come up with anything either,” Dr. Xu shook her head. “Well, Yi Yi and I are going out. If you want to join, hurry up. Baiqiu Village doesn’t keep useless people. You’ve been dragging Yi Yi down for too long.”

She seemed quite dissatisfied with Yu Hong, and her gaze was far from friendly.

“I remember the favor you did for me,” Yu Hong said seriously.

“First, survive on your own,” Dr. Xu sneered, not bothering to look at him again. She turned to talk to the stuttering girl.

Soon, Little Stutterer began preparing the things and equipment for their departure.

Yu Hong’s body had recovered significantly, and he also started packing.

He didn’t mention the strengthening of the white stone. He couldn’t explain where the strengthened white stone came from, but from the abilities of the black mark, it was clear that it would become his greatest support in the future.

He wasn’t sure if others had this ability, and the information he had was too limited, so it was more important to gather as much intelligence as possible first.

This place was too dangerous; they had to be cautious and careful every step of the way.

“I will repay you.” With this thought, Yu Hong spoke again, repeating himself.

Dr. Xu didn’t even glance at him, pretending she hadn’t heard. Clearly, she thought that as long as Yu Hong didn’t hold Little Stutterer back, that would be good enough.

Soon, a large cloth bag was prepared and placed on the ground.

Dr. Xu lifted it carefully and placed it on Little Stutterer’s back. The bag was filled with white stones marked with symbols.

“First, go to Old Yu’s place to exchange for food, then head to the open-pit mine to dig for glowstone, and finally gather pigments. Including the return time, we must reach Old Yu’s place within an hour. You can rest for the night at the mine, and tomorrow after collecting the pigments, we will head back,” Dr. Xu arranged.

“Is it far?” Yu Hong frowned, feeling that his physical strength might still be an issue, as he hadn’t fully recovered.

“You don’t need to go. You won’t keep up. Just wander around here and come back,” Dr. Xu said coldly. “At night, light the candle, focus on the glowstone during the day, don’t open the door for anyone, and don’t look outside. If there’s no major issue, everything will be fine. This is also a test for you. If you fail, it means you can’t adapt to this environment, and won’t survive for long. The sooner you die, the better.”

“…” Wasn’t that a bit too direct?

Yu Hong was speechless.

“Yi Yi has saved many people, and I was saved by her too. But you know the people she saved…” Dr. Xu was about to say more, but Little Stutterer tugged at her sleeve.

She realized and immediately stopped talking. This time, she decided not to pay any more attention to Yu Hong. She grabbed the things and opened the door, walking out with Little Stutterer.

Yu Hong paused for a moment, grabbed the house key, and followed them out.

He had decided to go outside and take a look.

No matter what, they had to solve the source of food and water first. He couldn’t keep relying on a disabled little girl to take care of them.

Moreover, the key issue was that only by learning more could he figure out a more effective way to survive and cope.

With a click, he closed the door behind him.

The three of them lined up in a row and walked along the gravel road outside the door to the left.

The temperature outside was mild, neither too hot nor too cold, and the sunlight was pleasantly warm.

Of the three, Dr. Xu walked in the lead, followed by Little Stutterer, and then Yu Hong.

After walking for a few minutes along the winding gravel road, they reached the exit of the village.

At the end of the gravel road, it connected to a black mud road.

The dry black mud surface was wide enough for two vehicles to drive side by side.

The road was dark and winding, passing through abandoned green fields on both sides, stretching into the distance, leading to the dense and deep forest at the foot of the mountains.

Yu Hong noticed that there was little grass along the edges of the black mud road, and two rows of black wooden fences had been built.

Many places of the fence had rotted away, covered in moss.

“This is the only old road leading out of here,” Dr. Xu said. “If you walk along it for about thirty miles, you’ll reach the nearest town, but that place might be even more dangerous than here. The more people there are, the more dangerous it becomes, attracting those dangerous characters.”

“Let’s go.” She stepped off the gravel road and onto the black mud road.

(End of this chapter)