Night of Despair-Chapter 92 - : Test 2

Chapter 92: Test 2

In the safety shelter of the cave.

Wei Shanshan carefully pulled up her pants, looked around, and, slightly embarrassed, nuded some dirt with her foot to cover the waste she left in the pit.

Sighing, she returned to the cabin and looked at her mother, lying on her side resting; she felt much more at peace than earlier.

“Mom…that protein bar was amazing…I can’t believe one bar made me not hungry anymore…”

Qiu Yanxi turned her face, looking at Wei Shanshan with a somewhat strange expression. She was lying down on a smelly quilt looking up at her daughter. This posture and gaze suddenly made Shanshan feel a bit alienated.

“What is it?” Shanshan asked softly.

“Shanshan…tell me the truth…did you sleep with that man named Yu?” There was a flicker of pain in Qiu Yanxi’s eyes, but she still tried to keep her tone calm.

“Don’t be scared, if you slept with him, you slept with him. At this time, your dad and I have protected you too well before…this kind of thing is really not a big deal. Don’t worry too much about it.”

She recalled a scene she had seen before: while escaping from the academy, she encountered a wealthy family; their daughter, who had been treated like a princess, traded her body for some food for her father but was beaten and humiliated, ending up jumping to her death out of despair.

She didn’t want her daughter to end up like that.

As long as one is alive, there is hope.

“I…didn’t,” Shanshan blushed, looking down. “Nobody fancied me…when they heard about my dad’s job, they just…”

She thought her mother would be relieved to hear this, but on the contrary, Qiu Yanxi’s expression hardened even more.

“In such a lawless time, he can still suppress his natural desires…not indulge in his urges…this man…this Mr. Yu…seems to be a very disciplined and even fearsome person,” Qiu Yanxi said solemnly.

“Mom, what are you worried about, isn’t it better this way? The more capable Mr. Yu is, the safer we are,” Shanshan did not understand.

“If the reward your father can offer pleases him, then all is well, but if it’s not to his liking…we are of no value to him,” Qiu Yanxi shook her head. “In that case, if he really had designs on you, I’d feel a bit more at ease…”

“Mom what are you talking about!?” Shanshan was utterly confused.

“Let’s not talk about this; tell me, last night, did you see that grass in the yard that glows? They…can actually act like sunlight materials, keeping the Blood Tide at bay. And, having stayed here for such a long time, did you hear any tricks from the Evil Shadow? They didn’t make any noise at all, right?” Qiu Yanxi had taken her medicine, and now her mind and strength had significantly recovered, clearing her thoughts.

“Do you understand what this means?” she looked at her daughter with a peculiar expression.

“…Uh…if dad can get some samples of this grass, maybe he could research something,” Shanshan nodded. She understood the value within.

“Mr. Yu is no ordinary person. To survive in the wild like this, living comfortably and ensuring his safety, he must have some hidden trump cards. Those glowing grasses that drive off the Blood Tide must be his reliance,” Qiu Yanxi stated somberly.

“But…what does that have to do with us?” Shanshan asked puzzledly. “Can’t we just wait for the rescue team to come?”

“My silly daughter, do you really think once we’re with your dad, we will be completely safe?” Qiu Yanxi chuckled bitterly, rubbing her daughter’s cheek. “Your dad is only a deputy director at a city research institute, and one of three deputy directors at that, his authority and position don’t even compare to the director’s or higher. But if…if we can get the secret of how Mr. Yu avoids the Blood Tide, and give it to your dad to expand the research, then…”

“We could continue trading with Mr. Yu, see if he’s willing to exchange,” Shanshan lit up as she heard this.

“What do we have that he would want? Your dad sounds like he’s a deputy director, but he really doesn’t have much in terms of resources and authority…the intel he provided before was all he could support from afar,” Qiu Yanxi shook her head.

“What should we do then?” Shanshan also grew distressed. Just when she saw a glimmer of hope, she suddenly didn’t know how to pursue it, making her quite uncomfortable.

“Let’s just observe for now, no rush…I’ll think of something,” Qiu Yanxi’s eyes flickered with determination.

“First, let’s try asking about his willingness. If that fails, we’ll think of other methods.”

Crunch, crunch.

At this moment, heavy footsteps rustling through dried leaves came from outside.

The footsteps were heavy and powerful, clearly showcasing Yu Hong’s walking style.

Creak, the wooden gate of the courtyard opened as Yu Hong, with a stick in hand, walked in.

Passing by the cabin and glancing at the door, he saw through the crack that the mother and daughter were still inside; reassured, he walked toward the cave entrance, about to open the door.

“Mr. Yu, please wait, I’d like to talk to you,” Qiu Yanxi’s voice came from behind.

Her voice sincere, as the wooden door opened, she leaned on her daughter for support, stood by the door, and looked in his direction.

Yu Hong turned back, sizing her up again.

This woman in her late thirties or early forties was well-maintained; cleaned up, she looked almost twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Standing next to her daughter, they seemed like sisters.

Especially her figure, which was much more voluptuous than her daughter Shanshan’s, her sportswear hardly concealed her curves.

“Is there a matter?” Yu Hong and relented his gaze, saying calmly.

“Yes, I wanted to askm how do you keep the insects from the Blood Tide out of this yard? Is this method something you would trade with us?” Qiu Yanxi spoke earnestly. “The situation outside is worsening, and solar materials are in very low supply. If there could be a second alternative, imagine how many lives could be saved. Your kindness now could change countless lives.”

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“What would you trade with me?” Yu Hong asked directly, “I can share this method, but what would be my compensation?”

He could indeed share the luminous stone grass to curb the increasingly dire situation outside.

But he personally didn’t think it was that useful because the grass was too fragile. Without aiding its growth with Inner Qi, it could easily be wiped out.

Previously, an Evil Shadow had come, completely destroying ninety percent of it, leaving only a few seeds on the periphery, which had only just recovered.

This means that the object has a limit, and once exceeded, it cannot be restored and will be instantly destroyed; the flaw is significant.

“Compensation… we can compensate with supplies… once the support team arrives, we can pay you, and also… you can come with us to Hope City. After entering the city, we can arrange a very good job position for you,” Qiu Yanxi said sincerely.

“Supplies…” Yu Hong responded noncommittally, “Let’s talk about that later. The current problem is not that there’s not enough solar material, but that the Black Disaster cannot be completely eradicated. It scatters and quickly recovers. In such a case, no matter how much substitute material there is, it’s not very useful.”

“Mr. Yu could talk to my husband; he also researches in this field and will definitely have a lot in common. Joining the research institute, the treatment will be much better than ordinary people. It’s certainly better than struggling alone in the wilderness,” Qiu Yanxi persuaded.

“Let’s wait for the support team to arrive before discussing further. Right now, you can’t make any commitments,” Yu Hong bluntly interrupted her and turned to open the door and go inside.

Qiu Yanxi watched helplessly as the heavy wooden door shut, patting her daughter’s arm.

“This man is definitely a formidable character… His outfit seems like the market-available gray lizard suit, but it looks much thicker and more upscale, plus, he can produce special anti-inflammatory medicines and protein bars… If he could protect us all the way back, the safety would definitely be very good.”

“…So Mom, what do we do next?” Wei Shanshan asked naively.

“Don’t rush, there is still time, let’s think about it first,” Qiu Yanxi shook her head.

Bang.

The wooden door locked.

Yu Hong quickly took off his suit and breathed in some fresh air. Then he sat on a wooden stool and took out the new rune he had just transcribed.

The Vortex Rune was only the size of an egg, surely he didn’t have the skill to transcribe something so small. The transcribed rune was as big as a pomelo.

Yu Hong moved the items on the wooden table aside, laid the transcribed paper flat on the table, and then transcribed a second copy with a charcoal pencil.

After finishing, he checked the communicator that was still being enhanced, then simply lay down and took a nap to replenish his energy.

When he woke up, it was already getting dark outside, and the enhancement of the communicator was finished.

Yu Hong sat up, took the second transcribed rune, and then stretched out his hand to press on it, silently muttering.

“Enhance talisman array, direction: disperse shadow.”

He set a random direction and then watched the Black Mark secrete black lines merging into the rune.

“Incomplete.”

As expected.

A smile appeared on Yu Hong’s face.

This was his intention—to use the Black Mark to indirectly judge what this rune was really for.

“The foundational condition for Black Mark’s enhancement is that it must meet the most basic components. If you randomly take a stone, thinking of enhancing it to a Large Pyroxene Stone, that’s simply impossible. Because an ordinary stone doesn’t have the function of dispersing shadows.”

“The effect of the Black Mark is to strengthen, to evolve, to upgrade, to synthesize. But it’s not creating something out of nothing.”

Yu Hong had been using the Black Mark for so long, he already had a deep understanding of it.

“That is to say, as long as I keep trying different enhancement functions, being rejected means it’s not that function; I immediately switch until the Black Mark recognizes it and can be enhanced.”

“The function that ultimately can be enhanced will definitely be the real purpose of this Vortex Rune!”

Staring at the unfamiliar rune before him, he continued to silently chant for enhancement.

“Enhance talisman array, direction: locate, perceive.”

Black lines flowed out.

“Incomplete.”

“Enhance talisman array, direction: attack, damage.”

“Incomplete.”

Each attempt and each feedback was incomplete.

Yu Hong patiently kept trying.

Time flowed slowly, and gradually, he had tried almost every direction he could think of.

Still, the results were incomplete.

This made his brows gradually furrow.

“Could this rune truly be useless?” he wondered.

“No matter, there’s still one thing I can try…”

Apart from enhancement, the Black Mark also had a synthesis function.

Yu Hong picked up a piece of paper, placed it on a luminous stone with a talisman, and then stretched out his hand to press on it, silent muttering.

Directly synthesizing this rune with other objects, and comparing the differences before and after the synthesized item, could also determine the approximate effect of this rune.

However, this process was slower and not necessarily complete.