013 Experiment I (Alliance Leader Xie Tianli)

013 Experiment I (Alliance Leader Xie Tianli)

Little Stutterer returned soon after, bringing back a small bag of Dried Vegetables, seemingly plants like Fern Moss that had been dried and stored.

Together, the two used a wooden bucket to filter more water in the house, counting it as supplies for the High Tide Period.

Early the next morning, Little Stutterer went out to gather firewood. Today's task was heavy; the High Tide Period was only two days away.

They had to make all the preparations.

After Little Stutterer left, Yu Hong went alone to the Mountain Cave Safe House again and checked everything over.

Once he confirmed there were no problems, he picked up the bag of Dried Meat that was undergoing enhancement.

He and Little Stutterer had divided the Dried Meat into many small bags. Whenever they wanted to eat, they would open one bag separately, which also kept it from getting damp.

There were only ten small pieces in each bag.

The light outside shone into the Cave, illuminating it brightly.

The light mainly came from a small mirror placed at the ventilation opening near the cave entrance, reflecting sunlight inside. The Cave had originally been quite dark; even when the sun blazed outside, it remained cold and dim within.

But now, with the mirror reflecting light in, the cave environment had improved considerably.

Yu Hong took the Absorbent Charcoal from the corner and placed it outside to dry in the sun. Only then did he close the door and pick up the bag of enhanced Dried Meat.

A line of numbers showed on the outside of the gray cloth bag of Dried Meat: 0 days, 0 hours, 5 minutes.

Soon. Soon.

Yu Hong sat down expectantly and waited quietly.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Rustle.

A faint noise suddenly came from outside, as though grass had been pushed aside and parted.

Yu Hong's expression shifted slightly. He quickly got up, walked to the cave entrance, and looked outside through the Viewing Window.

The Viewing Window, with its smooth edges, had been made rather crudely. There was only a long, narrow slit through which to see outside.

But at least it allowed him to see in every direction. As long as it met the basic need, that was enough.

The enhanced Wooden Door was now far better than before.

There were many more reinforcements around its edges and details, and the material looked much harder than before.

It was only because Little Stutterer had an intellectual disability and had not noticed the changes to the door. There was no one else nearby, either, so the differences before and after could be concealed.

The rustling sounded again from outside.

This time, it was very quiet. Clearly, the other party had also realized they had been making too much noise.

Yu Hong stood at the window and carefully looked toward the sound.

He happened to spot two men in Camouflage Uniforms, their clothes ragged and covered in grime.

The two waded through the wild grass from afar and looked down the small path through the woods.

Over the past few days, Yu Hong and Little Stutterer had often traveled back and forth here, trampling a path through the grass.

When he saw the two men stop, Yu Hong's heart sank. He knew they had noticed the tracks.

Very soon.

The two began looking around, searching everywhere for something.

Following the path, they came to the open ground before the Mountain Cave Safe House.

More than ten meters from the entrance, the two stopped hesitantly and waited in silence.

Yu Hong remained still and silent as well.

He waited to see what they intended to do.

From the Viewing Window, the full one-hundred-eighty-degree view outside was clear.

On the Dark Green sloping grassland, the two men looked up at the Cave.

One of them was gaunt-faced and yellow-skinned, a weak adult man.

The other was older, around thirty or forty, and much sturdier. A palm-wide Trailblazer Knife hung from his waist.

The two waited outside the Cave for a while. Once they were sure there was no one and no sound—or perhaps after deciding they had no way to open the door—they turned and slowly left.

Their figures gradually vanished into the woods and disappeared.

Only then did Yu Hong breathe a sigh of relief.

In this kind of environment, danger lurked everywhere and supplies were desperately scarce. Whenever he encountered unfamiliar people, his first thought was not to ask for help or exchange greetings, but to stay wary.

The High Tide Period is about to arrive. These two don't look like they could possibly not know that. They aren't like me; they didn't suddenly come here. They won't be ignorant of so many things.

So, knowing the High Tide Period will come in two days, why are they wandering around with weapons? It practically doesn't need guessing.

Yu Hong stepped back and returned to the Cave.

Only then did he notice that the Dried Meat he had been waiting to finish enhancing had already completed the process.

His eyes lit up, and he stepped forward to lift the Dried Meat bag from the ground.

The cloth bag now looked quite different from before.

The original bag had been grayish white, with a faded cartoon rabbit printed on it.

The rabbit had large buck teeth, two long ears standing high, and wore a black leather jacket.

It was Bandit Rabbit, the protagonist of Little Stutterer's favorite cartoon.

All their bags had this Bandit Rabbit packaging, but after being used for so long, the rabbit's image had become somewhat faded and incomplete. After all, it had merely been printed on with some kind of rubber stamp.

The bags they had used to portion the Dried Meat were Bandit Rabbit bags.

But now, after the enhancement.

Yu Hong held the bag and looked at the neat words printed on its exterior.

'High-Energy Protein Bar.'

Below that was a small block of description.

'One bar provides enough calories for an entire day! Rich in a large amount of trace nutrients required by the human body, with a combined formula that rapidly replenishes physical energy needs. Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, dietary fiber.'

The description boasted comprehensively. The ingredient list, manufacturing process, and one-year shelf life were all included.

Other than the absence of a manufacturer, everything was there.

Holding the bag of Dried Meat, Yu Hong fell silent for a moment.

It seems this enhancement directly uses a standard template to refine the original item.

He frowned slightly. Thinking of the Wooden Door he had just enhanced, as well as the earlier Glowstone, and combining them with the Dried Meat bag before him, a faint idea began to form in his mind.

Rip.

He decisively tore open the package.

The bag was still cloth, but it now had a sealed paper lining inside. A sealing strip kept the interior dry.

He reached in and took out a strip of Dried Meat.

Yu Hong examined it carefully.

The Dried Meat was now different from before.

Previously, it had been dusty gray with a faintly blackish color, cut irregularly. One glance was enough to tell it had been handmade.

But now, the Dried Meat was a complete rectangular block with softened edges and white sesame seeds sprinkled over its surface.

It smelled strongly of meat, with a trace of cloying sweetness.

Yu Hong snapped off a small piece with force and stuffed it into his mouth.

His expression changed at once, his entire face scrunching together.

Sweet! Far too sweet!!

No wonder one bar could sustain a person for a day. No wonder its shelf life was a full year.

I would have disliked this before, but now, sugar at this concentration is actually a good thing.

Though it tasted awful, Yu Hong's mood immediately improved.

The previous small bag of Dried Meat could at most feed him and Little Stutterer for two meals. But now, this bag could last at least five days.

The food problem had been solved in one stroke! The Black Mark had given him a huge surprise.

He still needed to test the exact effects and see whether one piece could really sustain him for a day.

But judging by the sweetness, Yu Hong felt there should not be a problem.

He stuffed the entire Protein Bar into his mouth, chewed it down in a few bites, then took a huge gulp of water. A sense of fullness quickly spread through his stomach.

The result of enhancing the Dried Meat is in. Next is everything else. Yu Hong's gaze quickly fell on the water cup.

Drinking water had been the thing that troubled him most since arriving here.

That foul stench truly turned every drink into a punishment.

It would be great if I could enhance the filtering device. Unfortunately, there's only one filter, and Little Stutterer definitely won't let me mess with it.

Holding the High-Energy Protein Bar, he walked to the Wooden Door. After thinking for a moment, a question suddenly occurred to him.

This whole place is woodland, with lush trees. Trees and weeds need water most of all, so where does their water come from?

The moment the thought appeared, it lodged firmly in his mind and kept churning.

When he came back to himself, he turned to look over the items in the Cave.

Then his gaze fell on the water cup.

A number immediately appeared on the outside of the wooden cup: '3 days.'

Not enough time. Pick another. Yu Hong swept his gaze around, and it soon landed on a candle.

The coming High Tide Period would be a trial for every survivor, and candles were of utmost importance.

Because they determined how long one could resist the Blood Tide insects amid the Black Calamity.

This arm-thick candle had been given to him by Little Stutterer. Its wax was yellowish brown, about as long as a pencil, and only a quarter of it had been used so far.

When Yu Hong's gaze fell on it, a new enhancement timer appeared: 1 hour, 12 minutes.

Such a short time? Worth trying. Yu Hong's heart stirred. He walked over and picked up the candle.

'Enhance Tree Oil Candle?' The questioning voice sounded again.

Yes, Yu Hong answered inwardly.

This time, there was only a little over an hour. He did not have to wait long before it was nearly finished.

Sitting in the Cave, Yu Hong held the candle and stared at it without blinking.

There was only one minute left on the timer.

He watched closely, wanting to see exactly how the enhancement appeared and took place.

Very soon.

Pop.

The entire candle suddenly blurred. An instant later, it swiftly came into focus again.

The original yellow candle had turned into a brand-new pure-white candle with a brass casing.

It even comes with a lamp fixture? Yu Hong was surprised.

The Black Mark's enhancement gave him a strong conceptual impression.

That was, this enhancement did not follow the principle of unchanged matter. The contents of an item before and after enhancement could differ greatly.

For example, before enhancement, the candle had only wax and a wick. But after enhancement—Yu Hong picked up the new candle—it was still arm-thick, yet it was wrapped in a windproof brass structure. At the very top was a small bowl to catch soot, connected to a brass base.

Unfortunately, its size had not changed.

Interesting. Then can an enhanced item be enhanced again?

Yu Hong considered this as he looked at the Brass Lamp Candle and tried once more.

But unfortunately, nothing happened.

He lowered his head and glanced at the Black Mark on the back of his hand. It remained completely still.

Can each item only be enhanced once, or does it require some condition?

Leaving that question in his mind, he looked outside. It was already noon.

The light was at its strongest.

His gaze shifted and fell upon the filthy cotton quilt.

The moment he thought of enhancement, a huge black number appeared on the quilt: 1 day, 0 hours, 56 minutes.

After thinking it over, he looked at an axe by the wall. It was the tool they had previously used to chop down trees.

A black number appeared on the axe: 3 hours, 12 minutes.

It seems everything can be enhanced, then... Yu Hong lowered his head and looked at his own body.

What about me? Can I be enhanced?

Thoughts churned in his mind as he stared intently at himself.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Thirty seconds.