A Night of Desperation

Chapter 53: Relaxation (3)

Following the familiar path, Yu Hong walked ahead and soon found the cave where Dr. Xu lived.

The cave’s door was half open, and a tall, burly bald man was arguing loudly with Xu Ruoying. The voices were harsh, filled with anger, and their conversation was in a heavy local accent, making it hard to understand, even for Yu Hong who approached.

He decided to wait at a distance for them to finish talking, but after a short while, the bald man’s voice grew even more furious.

With a loud bang, the bald man angrily shouted, grabbing Dr. Xu by the collar and yelling at her.

“What’s going on?” Yu Hong asked in a deep voice, his gaze directed at Dr. Xu.

“Why the hell aren’t you giving us medicine?! We have three injured people who need it, and you’re giving free medicine to a beggar!” the bald man yelled, his face flushed with rage.

“My medicine, I’ll give to whoever I want!” Xu Ruoying shouted back, still struggling as she was pulled by the collar, struggling to breathe.

“Are you looking for death? Do you believe I’ll beat the life out of you, you bitch?!” The bald man threatened fiercely.

“Speak properly, don’t lay your hands on her!” Yu Hong walked up, his face dark, and stepped in to stop the aggression.

“Who the hell are you?! What’s it to you?!” the bald man snapped, still not having adjusted to the environment after escaping from the city.

Bang!

Without another word, Yu Hong swiftly kicked out with his right leg, delivering a powerful sweep.

The move was executed smoothly, using his practice from training. It wasn’t powered by internal energy, just the explosive force of his physical power.

With a dull thud, the bald man’s face twisted as he bent down, clutching his leg in pain.

Before he could retaliate, Yu Hong quickly followed up with a series of intense kicks, landing blow after blow on the man’s shoulder and head.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The reinforced steel plating in Yu Hong’s legs added extra strength to the blows, and with just a few hits, the bald man collapsed to the ground.

“Are you calm now?” Yu Hong asked after his series of kicks, feeling no discomfort in his own leg due to the internal cushioning.

Unable to resist, the bald man, trembling in pain, answered clearly, telling the truth.

“We saw her take out some anti-inflammatory medicine to save someone, and we wanted some too. She refused, so we thought we’d just take it by force.”

“Get lost.” Yu Hong casually dismissed him.

He knew troublemakers would always show up with newcomers. He kicked the man again, the steel plate causing another scream of pain as it struck bone.

Watching the man limp away, he turned back to face Dr. Xu, who looked tired.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Too many eyes, and I’ve been targeted. Thanks for helping me,” Dr. Xu sighed, looking at the retreating bald man helplessly.

“This group of people is just passing through. You have to be careful. I just gave them food and some medicine, and I got targeted for it. You…” she started to explain.

“It’s fine.” Yu Hong reassured her, having tested the strength of his leg kick combined with the steel plating—impressive, indeed.

Fully armored, with a helmet and body armor, he felt far more confident in dealing with trouble than before.

“But that man doesn’t seem like he’ll let it go easily,” Dr. Xu voiced her concern again.

“I’ll be careful. In this environment, they dare to roam around like this? Don’t they fear the shadows lurking here?” Yu Hong questioned.

“They drove here but ran out of gas,” Dr. Xu explained briefly. “I saw them when I was picking up firewood. There was a baby on the car burning with fever. I just couldn’t resist…”

She then smiled faintly.

“I actually have my own defense methods,” she said, her left hand having been behind her back, now holding a white plastic spray bottle filled with a reddish liquid.

“In times like these, it’s best to protect yourself first,” Yu Hong patted her shoulder, then turned toward the post office.

He planned to check with Old Li for more information. The mailman had far more contacts and would likely know more.

After walking a short distance, he noticed there was no sound of a door closing behind him. He turned to see Dr. Xu standing in the doorway, lost in thought.

Yu Hong guessed she was thinking about her family. She once had a husband and children, a happy family, but all of it was destroyed by the Black Disaster.

Turning back, he continued on his way.

Not far ahead, two men holding daggers blocked his path. A third, holding a gun, limped against a tree, glaring with venomous eyes. It was the same bald man he had just dealt with.

There were three of them in total.

All seemed to be in their thirties, dressed reasonably well, with muscular builds that suggested a life of sufficient nutrition, meaning they weren’t ordinary people.

The man with the gun spoke up, pointing it directly at Yu Hong.

“It’s him! My leg is still in pain, let’s take out his leg first!”

As the bald man finished speaking, the other two men quickly closed in, flanking him on both sides.

Clearly, the bald man was the leader of this group.

Yu Hong remained silent. His full body armor and internal energy gave him confidence, and this would be a good opportunity to test his equipment against these opponents.

Though he trusted the armor’s strength, he knew the gun was still a risk at close range.

He calmly observed their positions and movements.

The bald man, grinning wickedly, raised his gun, aimed at Yu Hong, and pulled the trigger.

The others prepared to strike, but Yu Hong reacted swiftly, stepping forward and using his wolf-tooth club to attack the nearest attacker.

The club struck a short blade, creating a loud crash.

Immediately, Yu Hong’s leg swept low, taking the man off balance and breaking his leg.

The second man’s short blade cut into Yu Hong’s arm, but the ceramic plates in his armor absorbed the blow, and Yu Hong retaliated with a swift strike to the head, missing the target as the man dodged.

Before Yu Hong could react, a sharp pain in his side reminded him of the third assailant. He kicked back without turning.

As the man cried out in pain, Yu Hong spun and grabbed the third assailant, forcing him down and kicking his leg out from under him.

The last man fell with a painful cry, unable to recover.

Yu Hong paused, then raised his wolf-tooth club to strike again when a gunshot rang out.

The bullet ricocheted off his helmet.

“!” Yu Hong stopped, turning his head slightly to see the bald man shaking, gun in hand, firing again.

The bullet grazed his shoulder, sparks flying as the impact hit.

Yu Hong quickly adjusted, using his agility to dodge, and then charged at the bald man.

With no more bullets, the bald man panicked, throwing his gun away and trying to run.

But after only a few meters, Yu Hong caught up, slamming the wolf-tooth club into the back of the bald man’s head, knocking him out cold.

The remaining two men also fell in short order, their cries ending as they were taken down.

Yu Hong dragged the bodies, gathering his spoils. Unfortunately, they were poor and only had a few trinkets and weapons.

Rising, he turned to see Li Runshan and Aisina watching from a distance. The gunshots had drawn them over, but they arrived to witness this bloody scene.

“Sorry,” Yu Hong said, his voice muffled behind his mask, “Didn’t mean to disturb you.”

His imposing figure in reinforced armor, holding a blood-stained wolf-tooth club, left an unforgettable impression, shattering the calm, quiet image they had of him.

(End of Chapter)