Night of Despair
Chapter 118 - 118: Intermittent Room 2

In the blink of an eye, two weeks and fourteen days had passed.

At the port of Baihe City, cargo ships were slowly departing, heading toward the distant sea.

The ships were loaded with supplies and also filled with migrants leaving together.

The population of Baihe City was rapidly decreasing, with people leaving.

Everyone was trying to head to New Aurora City, which was much safer and had more abundant resources compared to here.

To cover the migration of the city's population, the elite enhanced squad of the United Army began to be dispatched to assist ordinary military squads in handling the surrounding dangers.

Outside the suburbs, beyond the walls of an abandoned industrial park.

A team, fully armed and equipped with various guns, knives, and riot shields, was standing quietly at the entrance, checking all their gear.

"This mission was assigned from above, all enhanced squads will participate, there's no way to avoid it," said the team leader, Xue Ningning, helplessly.

All teams were assigned mission areas, and even if she had connections, it was unavoidable at this moment as it was a direct order from the highest commander.

"Captain Ning has already done her part, but this time we really couldn't avoid it. I heard that more than a dozen ordinary squads have already gone missing, the infection of the communicative humans is spreading, and it's getting hard for everyone to defend," sighed a middle-aged male team member.

"We're just here to buy some buffer time for the main forces to retreat," sneered another person. "We're nothing more than slightly higher-level pawns."

"You can opt out," someone suggested.

"I've long wanted out, damn it. Look at what kind of team members we have. Captain Ning, I've told you before, don't be soft-hearted when it comes to bringing people. You never listened, and now see, the mission has landed on us. With just this handful of people, there are only a few truly useful ones in the team. What are we going to do?"

A robust young man with a buzz cut expressed his frustration.

"Tang Xing, you five come with me, the rest stay outside," Xue Ningning said helplessly.

There was a possibility of facing communicative human attacks this time, so the team couldn't afford any deadweight. If they were not careful, it could lead to total annihilation.

The five people she called out looked very discontent but had no choice; they knew the problem of the communicative humans all too well.

Among those staying outside were Ou Li, Lin Yiyi, and Chen Qiaosheng.

The three of them watched Xue Ningning lead the group into the park, each with different expressions.

"C-c-captain, will there... be, danger?" Yiyi showed a worried expression.

"Do you even need to ask such a dumb question?" Ou Li said coldly. "Could you please stop asking stupid questions like this in the future?"

"Captain Ning has looked out for us for so long, can't we do something?" Chen Qiaosheng sighed.

"Given the chance to slack off, and you're still not satisfied?" Ou Li raised an eyebrow.

It was the truth, but neither Chen Qiaosheng nor Yiyi showed any sign of relief or happiness.

"Where's the Silent Squad? Why don't we see them?" Ou Li asked. "Although we're enhanced people, we're still just regular folks, far less trained. This kind of task—facing communicative humans—should be exactly what they are meant for, shouldn't it?"

"...." No one around responded. Actually, many of them thought the same.

The group waited quietly for some sign from inside the park.

The fog around them was getting thicker, so much so that even standing four or five meters apart, they couldn't clearly see the other's face.

In a flash, more than half an hour passed.

Yet Xue Ningning and the others hadn't come out.

Among the left-behind team members, a ponytailed girl held a communicator and gently opened it, tapping in a code.

This was their agreed method of anti-communicative human communication.

Tap, tap, tap. Despite the tapping, there was no response from the other end of the communicator.

Their expressions changed slightly, sensing that something was amiss.

Bam.

Just then, a piercing gunshot rang out from the park.

Before they could react, they saw a burst of scarlet flames thoroughly explode from a factory's location in the park.

"That's where Captain Ning went!!" Chen Qiaosheng couldn't help but lower his voice, his face tense.

Hiss.

Finally, there was a sound from the communicator.

"Don't talk, come... a few of you, to meet us." Xue Ningning's voice came through. It was tinged with weakness, fatigue, and pain.

Clearly, she had run into trouble.

Upon hearing Xue Ningning's voice, the six left behind all had a slight change in expression.

They had only been in there for a short time, and even the powerful Captain Ning was injured and needed help... It was imaginable how dangerous it was inside the park.

At this moment, everyone hesitated, fearing that entering might put them in significant peril.

Hadn't they joined the three-unit team for an easier job? To make themselves safer and avoid risk?

But now....

The ponytailed girl holding the communicator remained silent, biting her lip. She gently placed the communicator on the ground and stepped back.

No one stepped forward to pick it up.

Bam, bam, bam!

Suddenly, there were more gunshots from the communicator, followed by Xue Ningning's painful groan, then a "snap," and the sound cut off. The communication on the other end seemed to be broken.

"..." The ponytailed female team member glanced at the others, thinking of reasons to leave quickly.

"Ou Li... I've been helping you wash clothes, for two months, we're friends, right?" Stammering Yiyi suddenly broke the silence, addressing her companion beside her.

"I guess so, why?" Ou Li replied in a lowered voice, irritated, as she was also looking for an opportunity to retreat.

"If we're friends, then come with me!"

Snap.

All of a sudden, Yiyi grabbed Ou Li's arm, not giving her time to react.

Digging in her heels, she dashed forward, grabbing the communicator, dragging her caught-off-guard friend through the large iron gates into the park.

"Communicator, I, can't use it, you'll have to..."

"Ahhhhh!!"

Yiyi's encouragement and Ou Li's scream sounded simultaneously, and in a flash, the two disappeared into the fog, vanishing entirely within the vast park.

*

*

*

Crash.

A large basin of stones was poured by Yu Hong at the side of the yard wall. He shook the dust out of the bucket and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Turning around, the large piece of luminous stone in the yard had now been completely turned into powder, waiting for the Black Mark enhancement to finish so it could be enhanced into Large Pyroxene Stone powder.

Thud, thud.

Just as he was about to head back in, there was a light tapping sound from outside the wall.

Yu Hong turned his head, looking toward the source of the sound.

A car key flew over precisely, landing in front of him over the wall.

Picking up the key, a slight expression of relief appeared on Yu Hong's face.

"Back again, Old Li?"

Indeed, a familiar figure stood outside the wall.

The person was dressed in a black and green camouflage uniform, carrying all sorts of equipment—guns, shields, knives, and even two cloth bags for packaging from a grocery store, with "Xu Ji Lobster" printed on them.

Li Rushan remained the same, pulling up his goggles to look at Yu Hong with a cheerful smile.

"Mission accomplished, I got the fungal strain and the matching farming instructions!"

But soon, the smile on his face faded quickly, replaced by a stern and cold demeanor.

"But there's also bad news. I heard from survivors I ran into on the way back that the surrounding Earth Level cities are evacuating. In the future, the entire Donghe River area will focus on building a New Aurora City, and everyone will migrate there."

"Migration? New Aurora City?" Yu Hong's first thought was of Stammering Yiyi. "What about the other Earth Level cities like Hope City? Are they just going to abandon them?"

"The daytime has shortened by two more hours, now it's nearly dark half the time, with fog even during the day, insufficient sunlight, and solar energy resources can't be used anymore," Li Rushan answered. "Plus, the front lines have collapsed, and with the high-risk Black Disaster pouring in... I'm afraid even the Earth Level Hope City will be abandoned."

"...Then, in the future, the supply team..." Yu Hong paused briefly before asking.

"There won't be one. If even Hope City gets abandoned, it's out of the question for us. But the migration count is limited, not everyone can be moved. At least a third of the people will be left behind, to fend for themselves. We can connect with these people in the future," Li Rushan replied.

Having conveyed all this, he turned to head back towards the post office.

"From now on, we'll only be able to rely on ourselves," he waved his hand, without turning back, disappearing slowly into the fog.

Yu Hong held on to the key, watching him leave.

Turning away, he entered the safe house, heading to the basement, looking at the countdown on the wall: 9 days, 11 hours, 24 minutes.

*'It's almost time... almost...'*

He let out a breath, filled with anticipation, planning to warm up on the first floor, increasing the room temperature for a good rest.

Suddenly, a sense of unease flashed through his mind.

The image of Li Rushan's expression, demeanor, and look while speaking lingered in his memory. He couldn't shake off a sense that something about the whole scene felt off.

Straightening up, Yu Hong slowly returned to the first floor, found a chair to sit on, and repeatedly recalled the scene earlier.

At the same time, he also took out the enhanced Red Value Detector to measure the values around the environment and on himself.

*'0.124.'* As a Pyroxene Secret Room structure, the safe house had a Red Value close to zero, ensuring safety.

*'Was it just an illusion?'*

He furrowed his brow slightly.

*

*

*

In the gray fog.

Li Rushan, carrying the fungal package, entered the yard and unlocked the stone house door with a key.

The battered door had been broken several times but was repaired and reinstalled thanks to his own skills.

"Hey, Nana, I'm back," he called out loudly.

Entering the house, he closed the wooden door behind him.

Li Rushan looked at the empty stone house, knowing they were all downstairs, so he placed the fungi package down, took off his slightly cracked helmet, and turned to walk toward the living room.

That was the entrance to the underground shelter.

Only a few steps forward, he furrowed his brows, his smile waning quickly, slowing down, lightening his steps.

Snap.

He suddenly halted and turned to look behind him.

The corridor of the empty stone house was gray and white, with only two brightly colored drawings by Aisena taped on the wall.

Li Rushan carefully surveyed the corridor, inspecting every corner.

But there was nothing to be found.

He trusted his instincts because just moments before, he had felt someone behind him.

Someone stood about five or six meters away, staring at him.

'Could it be a shadow?' He examined the talisman board on the surrounding walls. Each board came from Yu Hong and was evenly affixed to the stone house's inner walls, covering most areas. If a shadow wanted to enter, it would undoubtedly touch a board and trigger a reaction.

Yet, after inspecting each talisman board on the wall, he found no signs of disturbance.

The boards remained safe and sound, still affixed to the walls.

"Damn!" Li Rushan felt something was amiss.

He took out the Red Value Detector, pressed the switch, and found everything normal, displaying 11.

Clearly, the surrounding talisman boards had offset part of the external air's Red Value Radiation.

Holding the detector, he let out a breath of relief, pressing the off button.

Suddenly, he saw a reflection on the detector's glossy panel.

In the reflection, not far behind him, a blurry white silhouette seemed to stand.

He couldn't identify its gender, but he sensed that it was smiling.

It was a bright smile.

Directed at Li Rushan, in the reflection of the detector, happily smiling.

Whoosh.

Li Rushan quickly turned around, yet found nothing behind him.

But in that instant, he knew something was wrong!

'I can't stay here, I can't put Nana in danger!' He felt a chill and decided swiftly, grabbing his gear, flinging the door open, and rushing out of the stone house, out of the yard, soon vanishing into the fog.