Night of Despair
Chapter 135 - 135: The Second Seal Part Three

Yu Hong picked up the black lizard with one hand. No matter how he looked at it, this thing didn't seem like something newly synthesized in a short time.

The edges of the lizard's belly even had patches of moss that seemed to have come from somewhere unknown. Tiny white sandy dirt remained on its small paws.

He weighed the black lizard in his hand; it was very light.

*"How does one control this thing?"*

After pondering for a moment, Yu Hong suddenly thought of Hui Shi grass, inspired by the regeneration of Hui Shi grass. He immediately mobilized the Inner Qi within him, quickly sensing the mark of the black lizard, and slowly injected the Inner Qi into the mark.

The mark, to him, felt like an additional limb beyond his two hands, something he could sense at any moment.

*This sensation was fascinating. Since neither of the two marks was connected to Yu Hong, they floated like two orbs in mid-air nearby, fuzzy and blurry. When not needed, their presence would significantly diminish, but when needed, they would quickly and automatically strengthen their presence.*

Ssss...

Soon, a stream of Inner Qi was fully injected.

The second mark quivered slightly, seemingly responding.

At the same time, the black lizard in Yu Hong's hand also trembled slightly, crawled forward a few steps, and squeezed out a lizard egg the size of a white walnut from its rear.

"...." Yu Hong was speechless and gently pinched the lizard egg with his fingers.

The egg's surface was ash white with natural black vine-like patterns.

*"Black lizard egg: Absorbs Red Value Radiation for incubation, time: three days. A black lizard takes one week from birth to adulthood."*

At this moment, relevant information naturally emanated from the second mark.

*But the exceedingly comprehensive information and the inexplicable details on the black lizard's body made a certain suspicion in Yu Hong's heart all the clearer.*

He held the black lizard egg and gently placed it into a plastic box.

*"Could this thing have been moved here directly by the Black Mark from somewhere else?"*

To be honest, the last time he strengthened jerky and obtained a protein bar, he was already a bit suspicious. Now, a plague worm lizard emerged and was deliberately marked as a scientific name.

*"Could it be that the Black Mark sometimes synthesizes and strengthens things on its own and sometimes directly transports or copies them from outside?"* Yu Hong speculated in his heart but lacked sufficient evidence to verify it.

He then focused his gaze on the black lizard.

*"Now, it's time to test the specific capabilities of the black lizard."*

He had strengthened the black lizard, not just for the fun of having a pet.

A moment later.

The cave door opened.

In the dark night, countless swarms of black insects flowed densely outside the wall.

They resembled a black ocean, endlessly streaming. They also resembled flowing sand, creating a strange noise as they rubbed against each other.

All the Hui Shi grass in the yard glowed with a dim white light, aided by the illumination lighting, evaporating all black insects close to the courtyard walls.

The three small wooden houses in the yard had their doors and windows tightly shut, utterly motionless.

Only the wind swayed the dangling electric lights, causing them to creak.

Accompanied by the swaying shadows from the lights.

Yu Hong, wearing a reinforced gray lizard suit, slowly walked out of the cave door, descended the steps, crossed the yard, and approached the courtyard wall step by step.

His body now stood at 1.8 meters, and with the suit on, he reached over two meters. His massive size created a very imposing presence as he walked.

As he passed by Zhou Xueguang's cabin, a slight noise came from inside the house.

"It's me, Old Zhou. Go back to sleep, I have something to attend to," Yu Hong called out first.

The noises in the wooden house paused and then ceased entirely.

Yu Hong passed the wooden house and reached the courtyard wall.

Looking at the endless black insect tide outside, he took a deep breath and opened his right hand.

In his palm, the strangely shaped black lizard quietly flapped its wings a few times, seemingly adjusting to the environment.

Soon, half a minute later, the black lizard seemed to awaken from the dense Red Value Radiation outside.

It sluggishly moved its body on Yu Hong's palm, swayed its head, wriggled its legs, and flicked its tail.

Then.

Poof.

The black lizard leaped, landing lightly on the courtyard wall, facing the black insect tide with its tiny mouth open.

A light red tongue shot out like lightning, precisely sticking to a black insect and retracting it into its mouth to swallow.

The tongue was so fast that Yu Hong couldn't even see it clearly.

He stepped back, looking at the black lizard standing on the courtyard wall, and thought for a moment before closing his eyes.

At once, a subtle sensation emanated from the second mark.

He seemed to faintly perceive the condition of the black lizard, its state, and whether it was safe.

Soon, the black lizard moved slightly, jumped inward from the courtyard wall, and hid in the Hui Shi grass, remaining still.

The absence of black insects around the black lizard instantly made Yu Hong feel much more at ease in his heart.

*If encountering the black insects earlier was like a burning small flame, then now with the flame extinguished, the black lizard felt like a moving stick of wood to Yu Hong.*

The contrast between the two sensations was very stark.

After the black lizard stopped moving, it soon began to slowly absorb the surrounding Red Value.

*"Does encountering a Black Disaster and lying dormant have indicative mark states?"* Yu Hong carefully contemplated.

He had a thought.

Instantly, the black lizard stood up from the grass, and with a "biu," it followed the courtyard wall up to the top.

Upon seeing the vast tide of black insects outside, the black lizard's state in Yu Hong's mind immediately changed.

From a stick of wood, it transformed into a small flame.

The distinction between the two states was very clear.

This allowed Yu Hong to easily distinguish them and firmly remember them in his mind.

The testing of the black lizard lasted for more than half an hour; Yu Hong quickly mastered the nuanced method of controlling it and determined the various abilities of the black lizard.

Then, he left the little creature in place, waiting for daylight to let it go out.

The greatest use of this thing was not the purification of a stretch of land like Hui Shi grass, but patrolling the surroundings to ascertain the general types of Black Disaster threats.

From the tests, Yu Hong discovered that when the black lizard encountered different Black Disasters, it would trigger different states.

Encountering black insects was a small flame.

Encountering larger Big Skins was a medium flame.

As for other situations, they couldn't be tested yet due to the lack of objects encountered.

However, in its resting state, the black lizard would absorb the surrounding Red Value Radiation. This absorption seemed slow and useless, but the black lizard would actually rest and feed in this state, significantly concealing itself.

After testing was complete, Yu Hong returned to the cave, removed his suit, and rested.

*"A bit weak."* As he lay in his sleeping bag, there was a tinge of disappointment on his face.

*"In comparison to Hui Shi grass, the black lizard's usefulness was clearly much smaller. It could only patrol the perimeter and serve as a temporary miniature radiation purifier."*

*"But perhaps the quantity was too small; maybe when the numbers increased later...the situation would change."* He consoled himself in his heart.

With this thought in mind, Yu Hong rested a bit but did not fall asleep. Instead, he got up again, took out pen and paper, and quickly retrieved and recorded the basic leg technique moves everyone had previously summed up.

Then he took out the Basic Survival Leg Technique booklet he had previously strengthened and placed it alongside the record.

He pressed one hand on the paper surface.

*"Strengthen leg techniques, direction: enhance movement speed, technique flexibility, adaptability to various environments."*

The previous basic leg techniques were strong, but they were often inconvenient to apply; many times, he needed to use other weapons for assistance.

So this time, the enhancement was considered a completion.

*"Strengthen leg techniques?"* The icy mechanical voice of the Black Mark rang out as always.

The countdown appeared on the paper: 5 hours and 12 minutes.

*"Yes!"* Yu Hong was somewhat surprised that incorporating some basic moves would take so long, but after calculating, he realized he could take a nap until daylight, so he didn't bother to investigate further and gave an affirmative answer to the Black Mark.

Then he turned over, curled up, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Tomorrow, he still needed to make Radiation Hand Grenades for Old Li and send him on his way. He also needed to continue testing the black lizard's effect on shadows; there were still many things to do...

*

*

*

Before dawn.

Baihe City.

The streets that once bustled with life were now cold and dead silent.

Vehicles lay crashed in a chaotic jumble, some spewing white smoke, others engulfed in flames, and still others having rammed into shops by the roadside, utterly motionless.

The buildings that once hid people now had walls splattered with spatter-shaped bloodstains, and mutilated bodies were being pecked by Multi-eyed Birds.

In the corridors, beside shattered doors and windows, shadows of stiff and bizarre figures flickered past occasionally; without moving their legs, they could abruptly appear one side and then at another.

Below the city, within a massive subterranean network.

The piercing sounds of gunshots, explosions, and cannon fire continued unceasingly in resistance.

Occasionally, human cries of despair and wails would echo, only for such sounds to quickly halt, disappearing completely.

In the dark tunnels, the nuclear-powered machines continued to operate, sustaining the dim lights at intervals that offered some illumination.

The floors of the tunnels were smeared with blood, yet there were no traces of bodies. Only empty humanoid sets of clothing were left.

Buzz!

Suddenly, a black armored military vehicle shot out swiftly from one of the main tunnels.

The entire vehicle was covered with an exterior similar to a luminous stone blanket, and the windows had visible talisman array patterns.

Though it somewhat hindered the view, it was the safest way to conceal at this moment.

Inside the vehicle, sitting in the driver's seat, was a pale-faced, panic-stricken hybrid girl.

The girl had a pretty, exotic look, her youthful age evident. In peaceful times with a bit of makeup, she would be no less charming than many actresses on screen.

But at this moment, a good-looking face was utterly useless for survival.

Ou Li breathed rapidly, concentrating all her attention on driving, occasionally making quick evasive maneuvers to avoid the sudden obstacles appearing in front of her.

"Hang in there, Commander Xue! As long as we charge out, leave the urban area, and get to the secondary base, we'll find the medicine!" A man's anxious voice sounded from the back of the vehicle.

At this moment, Stammering Yiyi, Xue Ningning, and Chen Qiaosheng were all in the vehicle, along with Fang Shijun and Chen Xinji, who had previously acted with them.

These two had initially distrusted Lin Yiyi but later were saved by her, drastically changing their attitude towards her, and were now with them in the vehicle.

In fact, at a critical moment, these two had driven this vehicle to rescue the still bewildered Stammering Yiyi and others from the dormitory, escaping into the underground passage.

"Even if we get to the secondary base, so what? Without a breeding line, food will be a huge problem.... Outside, there's so much Black Disaster, Multi-eyed Birds, Talking People, shadow; the sea is also completely blocked off, and we can't possibly match that big creature...." Chen Qiaosheng looked dispirited, glancing at Fang Shijun, who was still treating Xue Ningning's wounds.

"One step at a time!" Fang Shijun shouted sternly, "If you don't want to live, how can you expect others to drag you along?"

Her gaze swept over, seeing how, except for Lin Yiyi, everyone else's faces displayed a gloomy despair.

"The previous attack on the harbor killed so many in the city, but many also escaped in vehicles, scattering. This part of the population attracted many Black Disasters to pursue them. Although it's brutal, the gaps appearing now are our best chance to escape."

"What's crucial is where we go? I don't think heading to the secondary base is a good idea," Chen Xinji, the second male member in the group, interjected at this point.