A Night of Desperation-Chapter 114: Prevention (2)

“By the way, Yu Hong, I heard from old Zhou that you ran into Du Chengtao on your way back?” Li Runshan asked. He had listened to Zhou Xueguang’s account of being rescued but still found it hard to believe.

After all, he knew exactly what Yu Hong was capable of—he was the one who sold him the basic leg techniques.

Yu Hong being able to handle ordinary experts, especially with firearms and equipment, made sense. But taking down Du Chengtao directly? That seemed a bit too much.

He knew firsthand how difficult Du Chengtao was to deal with.

Yu Hong had dealt with many enemies before, but he had always relied on weapons and equipment. Du Chengtao, however, was a different kind of monster.

As a fully enhanced individual, Du Chengtao could tear through standard bulletproof gear with ease. Unless Yu Hong had high-end custom armor—like the Blue Whale Suit—there was no way he could stand a chance against him. And even with that armor, it would only be useful for escaping.

Facing a monster capable of exerting one or two tons of force with a single punch—one strong enough to smash through walls—he seriously doubted Yu Hong’s equipment could withstand such an attack.

“I was just lucky,” Yu Hong sighed. “Du Chengtao underestimated me because I wasn’t as big as him. I managed to catch him off guard with a specialized weapon. Plus, when I encountered him, he wasn’t wearing any gear or carrying any weapons—he was completely unarmed.”

Li Runshan immediately understood.

“That explains it.”

Without equipment, even a fully enhanced individual was still just flesh and blood. They were stronger than ordinary people, but that didn’t mean they could withstand bullets and explosives unprotected.

Only when equipped with high-end gear and weaponry did they become war machines, unstoppable killing machines.

Even the strongest enhanced individual would drop with a well-placed bullet if they weren’t properly equipped.

“Let’s not dwell on this. old Zhou’s intel came just in time. We need to work together and prepare as quickly as possible,” Li Runshan said.

The three quickly reached a consensus.

The looming danger forced them to set aside any doubts and focus entirely on securing their survival.

After finalizing their plans, Zhou Xueguang decided to stay in the underground shelter beneath the post office to recover from his injuries while also documenting key defensive measures.

Yu Hong, meanwhile, swiftly returned to his safehouse.

By the time he got back, new patches of luminous stone grass had already grown in the courtyard outside the cave.

Seeing the fresh growth, he felt a faint sense of security.

Upon entering his home, Yu Hong quickly grabbed the solar panels, set them up by his vehicle, and then returned to his safehouse to start digging a third underground chamber.

He planned to spend the next month digging this new chamber, which would serve as an emergency backup room specifically for storing the nuclear generator and water system.

Time passed quickly as he alternated between digging and training. In the blink of an eye, more than two days had passed.

By now, Li Runshan had already set off for Yuanfeng City, a location even farther than Baihe City—about three hundred kilometers away. Without Yu Hong’s solar-powered vehicle, the journey would have taken at least half a month.

With the vehicle, however, he could make the trip in just two days—assuming no unexpected incidents occurred.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Inside the wooden house in the courtyard, Yu Hong crushed large chunks of luminous stone and ground them into powder using a metal drum. This would serve as material for the enhanced luminous stone ink he planned to use later.

As he worked, he occasionally heard the distant cries of multi-eyed birds.

Fortunately, these creatures had become increasingly rare. Even when they did call out, their voices grew fainter each time.

In the past, he might have been relieved, thinking it meant the area had become safer. But after learning about the patterns of the Black disaster from Zhou Xueguang, he now understood what this truly signified: Level-4 multi-eyed birds were retreating to avoid an even greater, more dangerous Black disaster.

An even bigger threat was approaching.

‘At least today’s food enhancement is almost complete,’ Yu Hong thought.

After grinding a bit more luminous stone powder, he checked the time, then stopped his work and picked up a bag of the powdered material. He quickly crossed the grassy area and returned to the cave entrance.

Using a key, he unlocked the door, placed the bag inside, then shut the door behind him. Without delay, he rushed into the underground chamber.

Inside, the piles of food cans and supplies from before had completely disappeared. In their place were three neatly packed white cardboard boxes.

Black lettering was printed on the exterior of the boxes: Emergency Nutrition Paste.

Curious, Yu Hong walked up to one of the boxes and used his fingernail to slice through the clear tape sealing it shut. He lifted the lid.

Inside, neatly arranged green plastic packets held some kind of paste-like substance.

Each packet was about the length of a palm and roughly as thick as two fingers placed together. Tiny printed text covered the green surface.

Standard Balanced Nutrition Paste: “For adults over 18. One packet per day provides all necessary micronutrients and sufficient daily caloric intake for basic activities.”

Warning: “Consume within the expiration date. Nutrition paste is not a substitute for fresh food. Long-term consumption may lead to appetite suppression.”

Shelf Life: “1095 days. Storage conditions: Keep in a cool, dry place away from light.”

“Not bad!” Yu Hong grinned as he examined the labels.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

Each box contained one hundred packets, meaning he now had three hundred packets in total.

That was three hundred days’ worth of food—nearly ten months if it was just for him alone.

‘Considering my increased appetite due to training, even if I eat double portions, this will last me five months! And the best part is, it contains all the essential nutrients I need. Even without mushrooms or wild vegetables, I should be fine.’

After opening and checking the other two boxes, he confirmed that all the nutrition paste was identical. Each packet even contained a small amount of water, and the airtight packaging ensured long-term preservation.

Satisfied with his food supply, Yu Hong carefully moved the boxes into the corner. Then, he carried the nuclear generator to the newly dug third underground chamber.

This third chamber was located directly behind the first and second underground rooms, running parallel to them and connected via passageways.

Thanks to his greatly increased strength and endurance, Yu Hong had managed to carve out a 3×3×3 cubic space in just two days.

This small space was just right for storing the nuclear generator and water supply system.

Soon, after moving everything into place, Yu Hong exhaled, stood in front of the third underground chamber’s entrance, and pressed his hand against the wall.

“Enhance safehouse: integrate nuclear generator, water supply system, improve piping, and reinforce the walls.”

He quickly stated his requirements.

This was essentially the same as when he had installed the fireplace—simply using the Black Mark to integrate the nuclear generator and water supply system into the safehouse.

A black line shot out from the Black Mark, and soon a prompt appeared.

“Enhance safehouse?”

A countdown timer appeared on the wall in front of Yu Hong: 26 days, 15 hours, 07 minutes.

“26 days, huh?” Yu Hong sighed in relief. What he feared most was that the process would take too long, leaving him unprepared when an even greater Black disaster arrived. That would be a nightmare.

Now that he had enough time, he confirmed without hesitation: “Yes!”

The countdown flickered and began ticking down.

Yu Hong stood up, filled with anticipation.

After this, he would have at least twenty years of stable energy and a reliable water supply.

At that point, he could even set up a subterranean farm. No matter how dangerous things got outside, he could survive entirely within his safehouse, self-sufficient and free from all the chaotic threats.

The luminous stone chamber would ensure that he remained hidden from most Black disasters, allowing him to completely disappear from their sight.

*

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*

Baihe City.

Third Underground Passage in the Suburbs.

In the dimly lit, wide passage, a squad of heavily armed United Army soldiers, equipped with firearms and sigil plates, carefully advanced deeper into the tunnel. They carried powerful, dazzling searchlights, illuminating the path ahead.

“Linzi, how much farther?” the man leading the group asked in a low voice.

“We’re still 220 meters from today’s patrol checkpoint,” the soldier behind him quickly responded.

“Not bad, almost done. After this patrol, I’m buying everyone a drink at the Rat Bar,” the squad leader sighed in relief, a faint smile appearing on his face inside his helmet.

“Thanks, Captain!”

“Long live the Captain!”

The six-man team immediately perked up. In these times, alcohol was incredibly expensive, and their salaries weren’t enough to casually afford a drink.

But just as the group was enjoying the moment, the soldier at the very back of the formation remained silent. Sweat drenched his chubby face under his helmet, and his hair stuck to his forehead in damp strands.

“Old An, why are you so quiet? The Captain rarely treats us to drinks. If he weren’t about to get a promotion and a pay raise, we wouldn’t be getting this chance!” A female soldier with a red ponytail whispered beside him.

“I… I…” The chubby soldier, Old An, smiled weakly and looked up. His face inside the helmet carried an inexplicable blankness.

“Old An? What’s wrong?” The red-haired soldier asked with concern.

“What… did you just say?” Old An suddenly responded with an unrelated question.

“I asked what’s wrong with you?” the female soldier repeated.

“I…” Old An lowered his head. “I just… want… freedom!!”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Suddenly, a sharp electronic beeping sound came from his body.

The soldiers around him immediately realized something was wrong. Their faces changed, and they instinctively tried to scatter.

But it was too late.

Boom!!!

In an instant, Old An’s entire body was torn apart by a massive explosion of orange-yellow flames.

The fire expanded rapidly, unleashing a shockwave that filled every corner of the tunnel.

The entire United Army patrol squad, who had just been exploring moments ago, was completely consumed and vanished.

“What? Another case of sudden auditory hallucinations, mind corruption, and then self-detonation!?”

In the United Army Command Center of Baihe City, located directly beneath the central district’s underground defense shelter, a white-haired man, forehead covered in sweat, was gasping as he answered the phone.

He wore a dark purple military officer’s uniform, with two military insignias embroidered on his shoulders. The insignias featured a silver sunbird in a simple sketch style, surrounded by a fine star-dust patterned ribbon.

Such insignias signified a major general rank—only the highest military commander in charge of an entire prefecture-level city’s Hope Fortress was permitted to wear them.

The man currently answering the call in this underground office, his face tense with anxiety, was Baihe City’s highest-ranking United Army officer—Chen Xingzhao.

“Three patrol squads have been wiped out in just two days due to mind corruption. Have all the bodies been isolated? Did you ensure absolute silence from a distance? The Whispering Specter’s principle is simple—once understood, it’s actually easy to defend against. How did you let it get this bad?!”

Chen Xingzhao was furious.

The Whisperer, as long as it didn’t infect people and was properly quarantined, wasn’t actually that dangerous. That was why, despite the high death toll it caused, it was still only classified as a Level-4 threat.

“Sir, now is not the time to investigate how the Whisperer spread. We need to act immediately to prevent further outbreaks!” A middle-aged woman’s voice came firmly from the other end of the line.

“Broadcast the emergency notice repeatedly. Deploy the Silence Operatives to start screening the area. The Lightlock model trackers from Aurora City should be able to detect the Whisperer’s subtle fluctuations at close range,” Chen Xingzhao ordered through gritted teeth.

“Understood! But what about the areas where attacks have already occurred?” the middle-aged woman asked.

“Deploy the Enhanced Units. Move in as fast as possible and launch sound-absorbing foam. Completely seal off the affected zones,” Chen Xingzhao commanded.

(End of Chapter)