)On the way back, Yu Hong's thoughts churned incessantly over the sight of Eve collapsing unconscious just moments ago.
He had actually wanted to smash her to death outright, but when the moment came, he found he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had once been an ordinary person, an ordinary office worker. Even when he had struck back and knocked out two soldiers last time, he hadn't killed anyone! That was right.
He had only knocked the two men unconscious. If they woke up in time, they could still survive.
So he hadn't killed anyone at all. As long as someone hadn't died immediately at his hands, it didn't count.
And this time was the same. He didn't dare kill anyone. He didn't dare witness a living, moving, struggling life—a life equal to his own—gradually fading away beneath his hands. That indescribable feeling made his stomach churn even more, filling him with the urge to vomit.
Perhaps he would get used to it in the future, but now, at least at this moment—
He still had mercy in his heart. In the end, he was still just an ordinary person.
When he returned to the Mountain Cave Safe House, Yu Hong gave the unconscious Jenny a few more strikes, smashing all four of her limbs.
Then he took her keys, dagger, and other belongings before returning to the room with peace of mind. He lit a fire, stripped off his sweat-soaked clothes, and sat by the flames with his upper body bare.
Without moving, he simply sat there in silence. The three arrays were stacked beside him, within easy reach.
He remained silent for a very long time—perhaps more than an hour.
"Sigh."
Yu Hong sighed as he watched the flames dancing in the fireplace. A trace of bewilderment and a trace of sorrow showed in his eyes.
"I don't want this."
He spoke in a low voice.
"But the environment is like this, and so are the people outside. This isn't my fault."
He reached out and took the Pistol from the holster at his waist.
This black pistol made by Aurora Manufacture was completely out of ammunition now. The two shots just fired had used up the only two rounds he had in stock.
Since it was already empty, he might as well use it to try strengthening it.
Gripping the handle, Yu Hong silently thought:
Strengthen firearm. Direction: automatically replenish ammunition.
Insufficient completeness. It seemed Black Mark's wool wasn't so easy to fleece.
Upgrading an ordinary pistol straight into one with infinite ammunition was obviously impossible.
Yu Hong thought for a moment and changed the direction.
Strengthen firearm. Direction: reduce recoil, replenish ammunition once.
Insufficient completeness.
Black Mark's response was still no good.
Yu Hong's brows immediately knitted together. He then began trying other directions for strengthening.
Yet no matter what direction he tried, it seemed impossible to replenish the ammunition. Thinking back to the items he had strengthened before, many of them had automatically filled in missing parts. Some had even come with a repair function. The main gate, for example, was like that.
So he simply took a Pistol and began with the most basic recoil reduction.
At last, the countdown began. The time was thirty-two minutes.
It wasn't long.
Yu Hong simply sat there and waited quietly, organizing his thoughts and making plans for the future.
Before long, the time was up. The Pistol before him blurred for an instant with a hiss, then became clear again.
The clarified Pistol still looked much the same, but its exterior was obviously much newer, and the mark of Aurora Manufacture had disappeared.
Yu Hong quickly picked it up and ejected the magazine.
It was completely empty, and disappointment appeared on his face.
"Looks like it still can't replenish ammunition. That means the ammunition is considered a separate item from the Pistol."
He gave up on the firearm and rose to begin exercising.
The Advanced Physical Training Method had helped him enormously by now. His physical fitness aside, he could run faster and faster, and with increasing ease.
After exercising, he ate some thick soup, and the sky outside gradually darkened.
Yu Hong recalled the matter of Jenny and her daughter. There was still a knot of mystery in his heart that he couldn't get past.
"If I judge according to what Doctor Xu said, Jenny's family really was abnormal. Jenny herself had clearly trained in combat, and she even carried a dagger. Her daughter Eve was proficient in ancient languages and several foreign languages. In a small place like this, she couldn't have been taught that well—the educational environment simply wasn't sufficient."
"So that means they definitely used to live in a large place with excellent conditions. What's strange is that even if Jenny's husband came here to investigate the secrets of the Black Calamity, he shouldn't have brought his entire family along. They would obviously have been safer in a large settlement."
"Why would he take his family here of his own accord?" Yu Hong couldn't figure it out.
Fortunately, he planned to visit Jenny and her daughter's home tomorrow. Perhaps he could find something useful, such as that Sunshine One.
It was completely dark outside.
Yu Hong sat alone on a round stool, drinking the sweet soup he had just boiled.
Outside the door, the sounds of Black Worms crawling filled the air. The moment they entered, they were burned away by the firelight and turned into black smoke.
By now, he could face the Black Calamity's assaults with considerable composure.
Compared with the Black Calamity, Ghost Shadow and Evil Shadow posed a much greater threat to him.
He casually took out a wooden array plate on which he had drawn an array and began strengthening it again.
"If only the fireplace could add firewood automatically, so I wouldn't have to worry about it. Then I could sleep peacefully without bothering with anything else, instead of having to add firewood manually every half hour like this."
He sighed softly.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, he took the Wolf Tooth Club and left fully armed.
First, he went to the place where Jenny had been lying.
She had crawled more than ten meters across the grass before finally leaning against a tree and vanishing completely, leaving only a pile of clothes scattered across the ground.
Yu Hong inspected them and confirmed that the clothes were fine and bore no Black Handprint. He rolled them up and placed them inside the Mountain Cave Safe House.
These fabrics could also be used to make all sorts of things and had a wide range of uses. In the future, once there were no more people who could tan leather or make clothes, he would have to conserve cloth.
Leaving Jenny behind, Yu Hong continued toward the Post Office. He soon reached the place where Eve had fallen earlier.
As expected, on the grass where Eve had collapsed, only a set of clothes remained, lying motionless.
This time, however, Yu Hong didn't dare touch them carelessly, because a clear Black Handprint was stamped on the pants.
He picked up some stones and threw them over to weigh down the clothes and pants, making sure the wind wouldn't blow them everywhere. Only then did he continue toward the Post Office settlement.
Doctor Xu's underground dwelling was also nearby. He had to inform her in advance to avoid any misunderstanding.
After all, they were the only two living people left in the area. As he passed the Post Office, Yu Hong suddenly stopped in surprise.
Outside the Post Office's Stone House, someone was sweeping branches and leaves from the courtyard with a broom.
The man looked like a backpacking traveler. He wore blue-and-white camouflage, carried an earth-yellow backpack, and wore a baseball cap. He was around 1.8 meters tall, powerfully built, and dark-skinned.
The other man saw Yu Hong as well. He lowered the broom and slowly walked over.
"Hello, I'm the new Mailman, Li Runshan."
He didn't come too close, stopping at a distance of roughly five meters.
"I'm Yu Hong. I live nearby." Yu Hong briefly introduced himself. "Are you really a Mailman?" He was somewhat skeptical.
"These are my identification papers, medals, and tools." Li Runshan took out a small dark-blue booklet and opened it for Yu Hong to see.
Inside was indeed an identification document stamped with a red seal. It bore the Republic People's United Army Postal System, with the national emblem, name, and identification number below it.
The medals were much simpler. Li Runshan merely lifted one side of his coat, revealing more than a dozen medals of different sizes and colors hanging inside.
"I'm a veteran. I served in the field forces for more than ten years. Sigh." He exhaled. "Who would've thought the world would change like this? It changed in the blink of an eye."
"The nearby town was relocated. Did you know?" Yu Hong asked.
"Yes. I didn't come from the town. The relocated town merged with our Hope City, and I'm a resident of the city now." Li Runshan explained, "I was sent here by the city. Hope City's designation is 231. The name everyone usually uses is White River City."
He paused.
"To be honest, hardly anyone is willing to come here. After all, there are barely any living people left. But this White Mound Village has the Glowstone Mine and ruins nearby. The ruins themselves are nothing special. Although they're one of the sources of the Black Calamity, the more important thing is actually the associated Glowstone Mine. In this world, Ghost Shadows and Evil Shadows are becoming more numerous. A few days ago, three towns lost contact within a single month. The small town near you was considered lucky—it was sealed off and relocated immediately. Otherwise, heh heh."
The man was clearly a chatterbox. He also seemed to have just come down from a large settlement and traveled for a long time, leaving him with a bellyful of things he wanted to say.
"Ruins... an associated Glowstone Mine? So Glowstone is found alongside the source of the Black Calamity?" Yu Hong asked with a frown.
"Most of the time, yes. But there are also many mines excavated independently. Oh, right—my superior asked me to get in touch with a Silver Tower researcher named Freyne here. Do you know him?" Li Runshan asked without much guile.
"I don't." Jenny and Eve instantly flashed through Yu Hong's mind.
"Then I guess he's gone too." Li Runshan lowered his head and stuffed a blackish object into his mouth, chewing it casually.
"To be honest, I was also pushed out by the city. I offended some people, so they sent me here. You understand the conditions outside. Ghost Shadows are everywhere, and the Black Calamity is growing stronger. Anyone who comes out won't live long. Most people sent out on assignments never make it back."
Yu Hong was speechless.
"But I came here willingly. I couldn't stand watching those disgusting things in the city." Li Runshan said.
"Tell me about that Silver Tower researcher. Are you sure he came here? If he died here, could they send someone else afterward?" Yu Hong stared at him with a faintly expectant gaze.
He hadn't asked whether they would come; he had asked whether they could. That meant he hoped even more strongly that someone would come later.
"I don't know. But once things settle down up there, they should send someone again. After all, this place was one of the sources of the Black Calamity back then. The first protective symbols were discovered in places like this." Li Runshan replied.
"Protective symbols?" Yu Hong asked in surprise.
"The symbol on the Glowstone. All right, enough talk. I still have to tidy up the Post Office."
"Wait. There's the Black Handprint of the Withered Woman in your basement. Be careful and don't touch it." Yu Hong kindly warned him, partly because the other man had provided him with quite a bit of information.
"Okay, got it. Thanks! I've already seen it." Li Runshan smiled, his expression becoming gentler.
Clearly, as a Mailman, he had far more ways of dealing with things than ordinary people did. Even the traces left behind by an Evil Shadow were not difficult to handle when they were only traces.
"Oh, right. There are two letters here, one for Xu Ruoying and one for Yu Hong." He suddenly remembered something and quickly rummaged two letters out of his backpack. After glancing at their fronts, he handed one to Yu Hong.
"This letter for Yu Hong is yours, right?"
"Yeah, thanks." Yu Hong took the letter curiously. He found it strange. He hadn't been here for very long—who could have written him a letter from so far away? Suddenly, one person came to mind.
Before you continue