Night of Despair-Chapter 188 - : Midnight 2

Chapter 188: Midnight 2

“Still going!?” Yu Hong couldn’t comprehend it. Three had already died, yet this Stammering Yiyi still refused to give up and insisted on going.

“This time, An’an and I are going,” Lin Yiyi said calmly.

Behind her stood An’an, clearly part of the plan.

Both had already packed their bags and belongings, standing together outside the fence.

There was a moment of silence.

“Did you bring enough food and water?” Yu Hong saw the look on her face and knew there was no point in trying to dissuade her further.

“We just need to replenish water, and that’s enough,” Yiyi responded in a low voice.

The heaviness of losing teammates because of her made even her words carry the weight.

“Radiation hand grenades.” Yu Hong quickly filled half a bag of radiation hand grenades and shoved them into her hand.

“I know I can’t dissuade you, take care.” He saw the determination in Stammering Yiyi’s eyes.

It seemed she was not merely on a family search mission; there was something else mixed in her gaze.

“If I encounter any talisman plates, I’ll keep them for you,” Yiyi said one last time.

She turned around, waved to Xue Ningning and Ou Li, swung her large backpack onto her back, and headed out of the safe zone.

Xue Ningning and Ou Li didn’t follow this time, instead watching the two leave, gradually disappearing into the night fog.

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Watching them leave, Yu Hong didn’t pay any attention to Xue Ningning or Ou Li. Instead, he squinted his eyes and went back into the cave, turning on the communicator.

Sure enough, as soon as he turned it on, Zhang Kaijun’s voice came through.

“Long time no see, Yu Hong.” This guy seemed to always be online.

“I have some intel to exchange,” Yu Hong said in a deep voice.

“Go ahead.”

“Have your men encountered any mysterious buildings appearing and disappearing at night recently?”

“Buildings?” Zhang Kaijun’s voice rose, and after a pause, he seemed to inquire further.

Soon, his voice came through again.

“I had a subordinate team report this before. I thought it was an illusion caused by worsening air toxins, given the Black Disaster, anything could happen.”

“It doesn’t seem like an illusion. I’m planning to investigate a little,” Yu Hong replied.

“That isn’t important. I have new intel on the Meisha family from over at Frika,” Zhang Kaijun paused and then shifted the subject.

“Proceed.” Yu Hong quickly answered.

“The united army over at Frika has tentatively confirmed that there are sixteen members of the Meisha family. They each used unknown means to travel to various luminous stone mines, thoroughly contaminating and destroying almost all of them. After long-distance bombardment, the military encircled and killed two of them while rescuing a luminous stone mine in time. They also got some related intel from families associated with the Meisha family,” Zhang Kaijun detailed swiftly.

“Do you know what the family’s goal is?” Yu Hong frowned.

“Not sure, but some leads have surfaced. After all, as long as they’re human, they have physiological needs. Now that the Black Disaster Rift has stabilized, travel has become significantly safer, the situation is relatively stable, making it an opportune time to handle this,” Zhang Kaijun replied. “Also, the outsourced trading teams are almost there, so keep an eye on the surroundings.”

“Got it…” Yu Hong answered, but for some reason, he felt the intel from Xue Ningning and the others wasn’t that simple.

Mysterious buildings of an unseen style appearing at night…

Standing up as the communication ended, he placed one hand on the wall, reinforcing the cave’s defenses once more with the Black Mark. After arranging everything, he put his doubts at rest and continued Qi cultivation in the basement.

This stable period exceeded Yu Hong’s expectations.

The rain continued for another three days before stopping.

No other high-risk Black Disasters approached, the strength of the Blood Tide remained constant, and Black Wind Camp experienced its first period of peace since its construction.

Yu Hong quietly practiced Thunderbolt Leg Inner Qi, occasionally maintaining the breeding boxes and checking on the camp, assigning tasks to the two outside to scavenge nearby abandoned urban warehouses. Other than that, there wasn’t much else.

Xue Ningning and Ou Li accepted the tasks, occasionally finding some odd food items and tool materials nearby.

Time passed slowly, everyone gradually adapted to navigating along the Black Disaster Rift.

Yu Hong’s Inner Qi successfully cultivated to the Fifth Layer.

Beyond this is the final Sixth Layer, after which the Thunderbolt Leg Technique would be fully perfected.

In fact, his speed was already sufficient by now. During this time, Yu Hong had been continually using the Black Mark to reinforce the entire cave.

As the reinforced wood door’s material gradually transformed into an unfamiliar gray-brown substance, the walls, doors, and windows reached a hardness that only left a faint mark when Yu Hong slashed down.

Thus, he began focusing on the Black Disaster, increasing the number of black lizards. With the breakthrough in Inner Qi, the number of black lizards increased again, reaching thirteen.

So, he started using the black lizards to constantly monitor changes in the surroundings. With more lizards, he gained better control over the surrounding environment.

Although having thirteen black lizards within a three-kilometer radius wasn’t much, places he previously couldn’t oversee began to reveal themselves under Yu Hong’s thorough search.

Finally, when inspecting the wastelands south of the camp, some unusual changes appeared in Yu Hong’s view.

*

*

*

His boots pressed into the ground, as if stepping on a soft carpet.

The forest floor was like a water-saturated sponge, sinking slightly with every step, oozing black-brown sewage.

The sky was barely light.

Yu Hong crossed the small hill where the cave was located and reached the southern edge of the camp, where he had never been.

Beyond the hill lay a stretch of rolling hills.

The once lush hilly area had become a barren wasteland of dead trees, with muddy black rivers rushing between the hills, carrying freshly washed in black mud, debris, and driftwood.

Assessing his position roughly, Yu Hong continued moving forward.

The black lizards moved around him constantly. This time, he brought five, distributed within a hundred meters around him, scanning for any suspicious targets.

He moved forward along the way.

Soon, he reached the riverbank amidst the hills, standing on the stony shore, observing the surroundings.

This river seemed to have formed temporarily due to the pouring rain.

Across the river was another barren hill covered in dried vines and moss.

Yu Hong looked up at the sky. Instead of moving, he carefully memorized the environment.

Then he stood motionless, seemingly waiting.

Time gradually passed.

Quickly, the sky dimmed, sparse light shrouded by darkness, and the mist gradually turned black.

The world once more slipped into darkness.

“Even the moonlight is gone?” Yu Hong looked up.

The sky above resembled a basin of murky black water, with only thickening mist in sight.

Nothing else was visible.

Another ten minutes passed.

Yu Hong extended his hand into the darkness, unable to see his palm even up close.

No light at all, he found himself enveloped in blackness, eyes open or closed made no difference.

“This level of darkness is beyond what night can encompass…” he felt a chill in his heart.

Fumbling through, he retrieved a metal rod from his waist pocket, a hollow black metal tube with perforated holes covering its surface.

A faint green glow emerged from the mesh within.

This was an enhanced Atomic Lamp, its brightness much improved, nearly comparable to a dim flashlight.

Yu Hong grasped the enhanced Atomic Lamp, stepped forward, and raised the lamp towards the flowing river.

Suddenly.

A bridge appeared directly ahead.

The previously empty, murky river now held a decayed black wooden bridge.

The bridge was just over a meter wide, without railings, only decayed wooden piles nailed into the riverbed for support.

Under the green glow, the holes in the bridge gave view to the black river slowly flowing beneath.

Yu Hong gazed at the wooden bridge but didn’t advance.

He simply held the Atomic Lamp, reaching out to touch the nearest wooden pile anchor.

Cold, somewhat hard wood texture met his touch.

Withdrawing his hand, Yu Hong moved the Atomic Lamp to the side.

The view ahead plunged back into darkness.

Then, he reached forward again.

This time, his fingers found nothing.

Same place, same action, just like before.

Yet this time, he touched nothing, not a trace of the wooden pile.

“Such changes…” beneath Yu Hong’s helmet, his eyes turned subtly cold. *”It’s as if something is silently descending with the deepening night…”*

He felt an ominous foreboding.

It was like the instinctive discomfort people felt when encountering extremely dangerous or repulsive things.

Withdrawing his hand, he raised the Atomic Lamp again, lighting the way ahead.

This time, the decayed bridge reappeared.

But… there was a difference.

Just a moment ago, the wooden bridge was empty. Now, directly in front of Yu Hong, less than a meter away, stood a figure!

The figure was far too close to him!

One meter!

There was only a meter between them.

That distance, just a stretch away, was enough to make contact.

His heart pounded; he never saw when the figure appeared!

Instinctively, he stepped back.

But he quickly steadied himself, his Inner Qi ready but restrained, fixing a cold gaze on the figure.

*”Black Disaster? Or Blood Tide??!”* he swiftly analyzed, but regardless of the answer, he needed to stay calm.

He had to quickly determine the attack mechanism of this entity.

For a moment, silence enveloped the surroundings.

On the bridge, under the green glow of the Atomic Lamp, Yu Hong saw that the figure wore tattered black long clothes, long hair hanging low, gender indistinguishable, only standing silently in front of him with a bowed head.

He slowly reached behind him, pulling out a Vortex Talisman Plate, and gently folded it.

Poof!

A layer of negative radiation spread out from him, scattering abruptly in all directions.

The radiation level was only six or seven hundred, but it was perfect for testing the figure.

But at that moment!

The Atomic Lamp suddenly began to flicker. It was unthinkable for an Atomic Lamp designed to resist radiation to be flickering now.

The green light erupted intermittently, now bright, now dim.

Yu Hong felt alarmed, instinctively stepping back.

When the light shone for the third time.

He was shocked to find that he wasn’t retreating as he thought, but advancing!

Moreover, one of his feet was already on the wooden bridge.

Only centimeters separated him from the figure!

The scent of decaying flesh and a thick seaweed-like stench emanated from the entity.