A Night of Desperation

Chapter 127: Wish (1)

Pfft.

In the courtyard of the cave safe house, the Luminous Stone grass glowed softly, continuously neutralizing the red-value radiation lingering in the air.

The courtyard gate swung open as Yu Hong led the three others inside at a brisk pace.

“Quick, quick, get inside the wooden house! The plants outside are a new variety of Luminous Stone grass I developed. They’re meant to neutralize red-value radiation, similar to Luminous Stones, but they also emit negative-value radiation, which can cause Luminous Stone disease in humans!”

Yu Hong wasted no time issuing the warning as soon as he entered.

Li Runshan, carrying his daughter, nodded and rushed toward the wooden house, pushing the door open.

Zhou Xueguang followed closely behind.

The moment they stepped into the courtyard, all three felt their skin prickle, a shiver running down their spines.

Only after entering the wooden house did they feel somewhat relieved.

“Even inside the house, the negative-value radiation still has an effect, though the concentration is much lower,” Yu Hong added, standing at the doorway. “So if you’re planning to stay here, you’ll need to set up your own living space.”

“Understood!” Li Runshan nodded.

Neither he nor Zhou Xueguang asked why they couldn’t stay deeper inside the cave. Just as Li Runshan had never invited Yu Hong into the underground Luminous Stone chamber before, they all understood that, in times like these, a safe house was a person’s last line of defense. There was an unspoken rule not to pry into each other’s personal refuges.

“If it weren’t for you, we’d be dead,” Zhou Xueguang sighed.

“Hold on.” Yu Hong quickly went back into the cave and returned with iodine swabs, antiseptics, and some clean water, distributing them to the three so they could treat their wounds and prevent infections.

Only after making sure they were tended to did he sit down and ask, “Alright, tell me, how did they manage to break into the chamber?”

He couldn’t understand it. On the frontlines, people relied on Luminous Stone chambers to hide and evade most threats. So how had it suddenly failed here?

“…Because there was more than just a Behind Person,” Li Runshan took a deep drink of water before continuing. “Besides the Behind Person, there was also another Evil Shadow involved. It was that thing that broke into the chamber. Then the Behind Person caught up to me. If you hadn’t arrived in time, Nana and I would be dead for sure.”

“Another Evil Shadow…” Yu Hong frowned. “But aren’t Evil Shadows supposed to cancel each other out?” He turned to Zhou Xueguang with the question.

“They do, but ‘cancellation’ doesn’t mean complete elimination. There’s also the possibility of subjugation or fusion…” Zhou Xueguang replied grimly. He turned to look at the glowing Luminous Stone grass outside the window. “Are you sure those glowing plants of yours can keep Evil Shadows out?”

“I’m not sure,” Yu Hong admitted. “But they can create an environment that Evil Shadows find repulsive. It’s like how you wouldn’t be harmed by a public toilet, but would you take a leisurely stroll in one for no reason?”

His analogy was spot-on, and the two men immediately understood the role of the Luminous Stone grass.

“So, what do we do now?” Zhou Xueguang exhaled deeply and looked at Yu Hong. “I’d like to ask for your help, but I know nothing in this world comes for free. So, is there anything we can do for you?”

“I can’t go back to the post office now anyway,” Li Runshan added. “So from now on, I’ll be following you. Just tell me what needs to be done.”

“Alright, first help me with farming. I’ll cover food and supplies for now,” Yu Hong replied. “Also, Li, how many lizards do you have left?”

“I’ve got about ten left. I was planning to butcher them when I got back, but now… I don’t know if the Evil Shadows have killed them all already,” Li Runshan sighed helplessly.

“I’ll check tomorrow.”

After his close combat encounter with the Behind Person, Yu Hong’s concerns had eased somewhat. With radiation grenades and his inner energy, if he got the right opportunity, he could take out a Behind Person with two grenades and a well-timed attack.

He still had three radiation grenades left—just enough.

“Also, Li, tomorrow I need you to contact the higher-ups at the post office. I need to find out if we can still send mail. I want to trade information about the Evil Shadows for supplies.”

If intelligence could be exchanged for materials, that would be the best outcome. But given the current harsh conditions outside…

“I’ll try, but I’m not hopeful,” Li Runshan admitted.

After their discussion, Yu Hong helped treat their injuries again and left them with a stack of nutrient paste before heading back to his cave safe house.

As he looked at the still-active communicator, he sighed.

The post office stone house was empty now, so keeping this thing on was pointless.

Just as he reached to turn it off—

“Zzz… Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me?”

Suddenly, a deep, weary male voice crackled through the communicator. His movements must have triggered the other end.

“…Did the signal drift again? Hmm… I’ll sing a song. If anyone hears me, let me know.”

Yu Hong didn’t respond immediately. With the kind of threats lurking outside, he couldn’t afford to take chances.

After six seconds of silence, the man on the other end started singing in an absolutely awful, croaky voice.

Only then did Yu Hong speak up.

“Who are you? I was about to turn this thing off when I heard your voice.”

“Haha! Found another one. Luck’s good today,” the man laughed. “Name’s Guan Cao. I live over in Lushan Town and I’m using a base station to search for survivors. You’re the third one I’ve found.”

“Lushan Town?!” Yu Hong was stunned. “I’m in Baiqiu Village… That means you’re at least… hold on.”

He quickly pulled out an old map from the corner and checked.

“At least two hundred kilometers away! What kind of communicator are you using? That range is insane!”

Yu Hong was shocked. His communicator was enhanced with Black Mark modifications, but there was no way the other guy had the same tech.

But Guan Cao seemed just as surprised.

“What?? Two hundred kilometers?! Baiqiu Village?? A village??”

“You thought I was in a nuclear shelter?” Yu Hong asked.

“Of course! Everyone I’ve connected with so far is in one. The first guy was a billionaire with his own private bunker, and the second was an official managing a government shelter. I figured only high-tech satellite communicators could reach this distance. Even that rich guy only managed it because he owns his own research lab!”

Guan Cao sounded incredulous.

Yu Hong didn’t know how to respond.

“But hey, doesn’t matter how you did it. More survivors means a better chance for us all. That’s why I set up this comms channel,” Guan Cao continued cheerfully. “Let me properly introduce myself. Name’s Guan Cao, ex-soldier.”

“Yu Hong. Just a regular survivor,” Yu Hong replied. Despite the absurdity of the situation, hearing another person’s voice was comforting.

“Good. I’ll add you to the channel. Distance doesn’t matter—just having people to talk to makes a huge difference, right?”

“Yeah… it really does.”

Though the world outside was filled with threats, the loneliness in his heart momentarily eased.

Still, Yu Hong didn’t forget the lurking danger of the Behind Persons.

After a bit more conversation, he ended the call and got back to work—crafting more radiation grenades.

That night passed in silence.

Outside, the courtyard was eerily quiet. It seemed that, for now, the Behind Persons had backed off.

This allowed Li Runshan and the others to finally get a good night’s sleep.

At dawn, Yu Hong stepped out to find Li Runshan and his daughter gazing toward the post office in silence, their expressions filled with sorrow.

Zhou Xueguang, on the other hand, sat by the wooden house, closely studying the Luminous Stone grass. Even with his broken arm in a sling, he couldn’t resist poking at the leaves with his free hand.

Seeing Yu Hong emerge, Zhou Xueguang stood up.

“Boss.”

After everything that happened yesterday, he had made up his mind to follow Yu Hong. Since he had decided, it was only natural to change the way he addressed him from now on.

Yu Hong was momentarily stunned but quickly accepted the new title. He did need extra hands to help manage various tasks—cleaning, breeding, gathering supplies, maintaining external contacts, and so on.

If he had to handle everything himself, too much time would be wasted each day.

“The radiation in the courtyard is too strong right now. Staying cooped up in the wooden house isn’t a long-term solution. So, today’s task for you all is to expand the courtyard and build another house within it.”

With his internal energy, he could accelerate the spread of Luminous Stone Grass to cover a wider area. However, the protective formation beneath the courtyard walls had a fixed range that couldn’t be expanded.

“Also, I’m planning to make a trip to the post office to bring back Old Li’s breeding crates. Without food, we’ll just be sitting here waiting to starve, so—”

Before Yu Hong could finish speaking, Old Li immediately responded.

“I’ll go with you. Nana, Old Zhou, keep an eye on things for me.” Li Runshan said swiftly.

“Alright.”

The three quickly divided their tasks. Yu Hong geared up, armed himself, and packed the newly crafted radiation grenades—six in total—before heading out with Li Runshan.

As soon as they stepped beyond the courtyard walls, they felt a biting chill seeping through the gray fog.

“The weather’s getting colder…” Li Runshan sighed. “I originally promised Weiwei and Xiaoyu that I’d teach them some woodworking.”

His eyes were slightly red, his expression full of sorrow.

“In times like these, you can’t protect everyone,” Yu Hong sighed.

“If I’d known, I would have had them leave with the evacuation team,” Old Li said regretfully.

Yu Hong fell silent.

Hiss—

A sudden icy chill crept up his spine.

Snap!

“They’re here! Move faster!” Yu Hong’s expression changed. He handed Old Li a silver Rune Board and bolted toward the post office at full speed.

He pulled out a small mirror he had prepared beforehand—one that Little Stutterer had used for makeup and washing up.

In the mirror, the reflection of the scene behind them came into view.

Through the gray fog, a vague, grinning humanoid figure slowly emerged, drawing closer.

“It’s the same one from yesterday!” Yu Hong instantly recognized the approaching Behind Person.

Its body still bore the marks from when he had broken its legs the day before—the footprint remained visible on its pants.

“It revived this fast? Damn these Evil Shadows, they’re disgusting!” His heart grew heavier.

“This is why the frontline couldn’t hold out. We ran out of supplies, and the casualties were just too high,” Li Runshan panted as he ran behind him.

The two of them quickly reached the post office. Strangely, the second telltale noise of a Behind Person’s approach never came.

Li Runshan carried the silver rune Board and went downstairs to retrieve the breeding crates. One by one, all sixteen crates were moved into the stone house on the first floor.

The crates were massive, each one roughly the size of a large freezer.

(End of Chapter)