A Night of Desperation

Chapter 35: Trouble (3)

The sun was scorching, its rays causing a prickling sensation on the skin. The temperature had risen to at least thirty degrees.

After fully gearing up, Yu Hong had only walked a short distance before he was drenched in sweat, but he dared not remove his equipment.

In such an environment, he had to be wary not only of the Ghostly shadows but also of people.

So even though it was hot, he had to endure it.

After walking for over ten minutes, he quickly reached the gathering point by the post office.

He waited for a while in front of the stone house. While waiting for others to arrive, he was also carefully observing his surroundings.

The grayish-white stone house stood quietly among the dark green trees.

The exterior of the house was full of worn, unidentified marks, and the edges and corners showed signs of damage from impact.

Vines, a mix of green and gray-brown, had climbed up the roof.

A gentle breeze stirred, making the leaves and branches of the plants sway slightly.

Yu Hong looked down at the ground and suddenly furrowed his brow.

The ground outside the stone house seemed to have some footprints.

“Yu Hong, you’re here so early today?” Jenny’s voice came from behind.

“Mm, the high tide period is approaching, trouble’s coming again, so we need to prepare in advance. The problem now is how to deal with food,” Yu Hong turned around and looked at her.

Jenny had changed into a form-fitting camouflage outfit, her expression tired, and her eyes bloodshot. She clearly hadn’t had enough rest.

As soon as she got close, a sour, unpleasant odor wafted from her, indicating she had likely not had time to clean herself.

“I tried growing mushrooms, but the ones that grew are completely inedible. They’re all contaminated with toxic bacteria,” she sighed.

“We usually eat ox-leg mushrooms, right?” Yu Hong had been reviewing Old Yu’s record manual in the past few days. While it didn’t provide the exact cultivation process, it listed many of the problems encountered during cultivation. This manual was essentially Old Yu’s mistake book and was quite useful for reference.

Ox-leg mushrooms were a type of non-light-dependent mushroom, similar to chicken-leg mushrooms, non-toxic, and large in size. Cultivating them once could yield a considerable amount, making them perfect for supplementary food.

The key was that these mushrooms didn’t require light, making them ideal for a closed, humid environment like theirs.

“Do you think the contamination could be from spores of other mushrooms? After all, random bacteria don’t just appear,” Yu Hong thought aloud.

“I’ve been very careful, but it’s impossible to completely eliminate the risk,” Jenny shook her head. “I heard Old Yu had his own cultivation box specifically for growing ox-leg mushrooms. If we could get our hands on that, success would be much easier.”

“Where is the cultivation box?”

“In the post office basement.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

No one dared go into the post office basement anymore. Once infected with the black handprints, even the town’s Allied military forces couldn’t stand up to the terrifying Shadow Woman, let alone ordinary people like them.

“I also tried cultivating,” Dr. Xu’s voice, weary as well, came from their side.

She had changed into a black long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans, her lips cracked and her face pale.

“I remember Old Yu secretly digging in corners of some forests several times. I suspect that the soil must be specific for growing mushrooms; otherwise, it won’t work,” she continued.

She paused before adding, “And I must remind you both, when trying to grow mushrooms, be cautious of mushroom lung disease.”

“Mushroom lung?” Yu Hong’s face shifted slightly as a memory came to him. He recalled reading about this disease online before.

“Yes, when mushrooms are nearing maturity, they silently release spores. If inhaled into the lungs, it can cause mushroom lung disease. The symptoms include coughing, white phlegm, chest tightness, shortness of breath, sometimes even fever, palpitations, and nausea,” Dr. Xu explained. “Of course, it only happens if you’ve been inhaling spores for a long time. As long as you’re careful and wear a mask, you’ll be fine.”

“No wonder Old Yu always coughs non-stop. He might have a problem,” Jenny thought out loud.

“That’s possible, but it’s too late to discuss this now. Anyway, the high tide is almost here. The key now is how to get food,” Dr. Xu shifted the topic.

The three of them looked at each other, and then fell silent.

For a moment, the breeze brushed by, and the scorching sunlight fell on the three of them, but they couldn’t feel the warmth.

Without food, they wouldn’t survive for a week.

Yu Hong was better off. His protein bars had extremely strong endurance, and one could last him a whole day. Plus, he had swapped food with Old Yu earlier, so his food supply could last for two weeks.

But Jenny and Dr. Xu wouldn’t be fine. Judging by their current state, they’d likely run out of food in a few days.

“Without a proper cultivation method, we can only find other food to tide us over,” Jenny said in a low voice. She had clearly been thinking about this for a long time before coming. “As for what other food, I don’t need to explain, right?”

“You mean scavenging from other people’s homes?” Dr. Xu immediately reacted. “Is that feasible? They probably took everything with them, right?”

“There must still be some down below the postal building. Also, I know a few hiding spots from people who died during the high tide. There’s definitely food there, though the entrances are tricky to open.” Jenny replied.

“Shall we go?” Dr. Xu looked at Yu Hong. After visiting Yu Hong’s safehouse, she had developed a sense of respect for him. She realized that he wasn’t just boasting but actually had real skills.

It was a pity that Yi Yi left too early; otherwise, if she’d followed Yu Hong, she might have had a much better life.

“Let’s go check,” Yu Hong nodded. Even if they couldn’t find food, it would still be worth it if they could find valuable miscellaneous items from other people.

Especially the Red Value Detector. He was somewhat covetous of it. If he could get one and upgrade it, it might prove very useful. At the very least, it could provide environmental warnings.

“Alright, I’ll lead the way. You guys follow closely.” Jenny nodded, as if she had expected them to agree.

“By the way, where’s Eve? Is she not coming out?” Dr. Xu suddenly asked.

“She said she wasn’t feeling well and is staying in her room alone. I don’t know what she’s doing in there. But since she’s moving less and using up less energy, I didn’t bother her,” Jenny answered.

“By the way, wasn’t Eve in the town? Why did she suddenly come back? Why didn’t she migrate with the town?” Dr. Xu asked curiously.

“That… I’m not sure.” Jenny showed an unnatural expression. “I think she offended someone in the town, but I don’t know the details. But you know, Eve is very beautiful, and she always attracts a lot of admirers.”

“Yeah, sometimes being too beautiful isn’t a good thing in times like these,” Dr. Xu agreed with a sigh.

Yu Hong, walking behind, wiped his sweat as he listened to their conversation. When he heard the part about offending someone, his expression seemed to shift slightly.

In the quiet forest, the three of them equipped with their tools, left the stone house by the postal building and followed a waterway washed out by rain. Soon, they reached a small hill.

At the foot of the hill, there was a rough iron door.

The door was black, painted over, with yellow rust showing where the paint had chipped off.

Jenny stopped in front of the iron door and picked up a thick tree branch to knock on the door.

Clang, clang, clang.

The iron door made a dull sound.

“This was Elsie’s place. He and his father lived here. One day, they went far away to dig for Luminous ores and never came back.”

“Elsie… a shy young man. He and his father were good people. They even helped me chop wood.” Dr. Xu recalled with a melancholic look in her eyes. “Good people never seem to live long.”

“It has nothing to do with being good or not. How long you live depends on how careful you are,” Yu Hong added.

“True.” Dr. Xu nodded.

The three of them stopped talking and let Yu Hong step forward. Holding the chisel he’d brought earlier, he began hammering at the door.

Clang, clang, clang!

The iron door, already rusted badly, gave way with just a few hits.

Yu Hong pulled the door open, and immediately, a cloud of visible dust poured out.

A mixture of moldy and rotten smells filled the air.

“What’s that smell?!” Jenny quickly stepped aside, covering her nose with a twisted expression.

“It’s a body.” Dr. Xu bent down to peer into the hole.

Inside the narrow pit, a grayish-yellow body, already decayed to the point where only the skin and bones remained, lay quietly on the ground surrounded by tiny insects.

The body was dressed in tattered long sleeves and pants, now grayish-white. A bandage was wrapped around the arm, and the man wore black-framed glasses.

His face was turned sideways, his eye sockets gnawed out, staring blankly at the door, as if still yearning to escape even in death.

“It’s Elsie. This bandage… I was the one who bandaged him. I didn’t expect he’d come back,” Dr. Xu recognized the body and her eyes filled with sadness.

“He was a good kid.”

“Stop lamenting. Time is running out.” Yu Hong stepped around the body and entered the pit, holding his breath.

After a quick search, he soon found two bags of dried meat, one bag of dried mushrooms, and one bag of half-eaten dried wild vegetables.

“The food is still here. He didn’t die of hunger.”

He walked over to the firepit in the corner, picked up the tilted aluminum kettle, shook it, and found it still contained half a kettle of water.

“And the water’s here. He didn’t die of thirst.”

“It’s the Ghostly shadow.”

Dr. Xu bent down to pick up a bag of Luminous stone powder. Even in the powder, she could faintly see fragments with red symbols.

Yu Hong shook his head, took the food, checked it for safety, then divided it among them.

The three of them continued to the next house.

One by one, they smashed open various hiding places, and as time passed, they visited several abandoned survivor safehouses.

Some were completely empty, while others yielded some food.

After visiting five safehouses, each person had two bags of dried meat, one bag of mushrooms, and one bag of dried wild vegetables. This was enough to alleviate their immediate problem.

By the time they finished the last house, Jenny glanced at the sky.

“We still have time. We can go to the nearby Luminous Stone mine and collect some Luminous stone for later. What do you think?” she asked the others.

“How far is it from here?” Yu Hong asked.

“About two kilometers from here, but the mountain paths are much harder to traverse than flat ground, so we have to move quickly,” Jenny replied.

“Let’s go tomorrow. It’s too rushed now. If anything happens on the way, and we end up stuck in the wild overnight, it would be dangerous,” Yu Hong frowned.

(End of Chapter)