A Night of Desperation-Chapter 253: Future

Three days later…

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Boom!!

Outside the Black Wind Camp, another explosion resounded.

Yu Hong sat in front of the surveillance monitors with an icy expression, watching the radar’s depiction of the surrounding area.

The screen was empty, and the heat signature from the recent explosion was quickly dissipating, reverting to its original state.

“Unable to detect what caused the explosion… Does the Eternal Life Association have unlimited resources? They waste them so recklessly…”

Yu Hong felt incredibly frustrated. He had been unable to catch the Eternal Life Association in the act;they consistently staged suicide attacks to lure the Black Disaster toward his position.

The intensity of these lures was stable, yet strangely, despite knowing they couldn’t breach the camp’s defenses, the Eternal Life Association continued to incessantly summon the Black Disaster.

They seemed to be accumulating something, waiting for something.

Yu Hong got up from the surveillance room and continued to take the recovery elixirs he had enhanced.

His injuries had healed considerably, so he visited the Dragon Lizard Nest once again.

Another set of Nine-Headed Dragon Lizards had been assembled, and once more, he gathered a mass of the Dragon Lizard Nest.

Now there were no dragon lizards outside, only three nests stood quietly in the cave, continuously absorbing the invisible energy from the outside world and gestating dragon lizard eggs.

Watching the three nests, Yu Hong’s face showed a glimmer of hope for the future.

“Just hold on, hold on for a while longer, and we can accumulate a large number of dragon lizards to sweep through the surrounding areas.”

Despite the promising future, the continuous thumping and roaring from outside still soured his mood.

“Just a little longer.”

He took a deep breath, returned to the first level of the cave, and switched on the communicator.

After a series of fuzzy static, dialogue emerged from the speaker.

Chen Yaofeng and Zhang Kaijun were exchanging information.

“Minus eighty degrees, carbon dioxide solidification, extensive pipeline cracking, the range of heating equipment in the city has significantly narrowed. I’ve already reduced a large part of the city area…” said Chen Yaofeng with a deep voice.

“The groundwater has frozen solid, we need heat to melt it, but the natural dissipation of heat from the current nuclear-powered generators is simply not enough,” Zhang Kaijun continued. “We must change our approach, otherwise, we all will die.”

“That’s not even the most dangerous part. I’ve also discovered a special gas in the outside air. The expert team has named it ‘Blue Gas.’ This gas is highly toxic, and those without breathing valves would, upon inhaling even a whiff, experience symptoms within ten to twenty minutes such as difficulty breathing, sluggish movement, and heart palpitations. Without immediate high-concentration oxygen rescue, it would lead to the cessation of bodily functions within a few minutes,” Chen Yaofeng explained.

“Yu Hong, have you joined us?” Zhang Kaijun noted the presence of Yu Hong on the channel.

“I’ve been under constant attack here. I suspect it’s a trap set by the Eternal Life Association to keep luring the Black Disaster to besiege my camp,” Yu Hong reported.

“There’s no need to doubt;that’s exactly what it is,” said Chen Yaofeng. “According to the information from Flicka, Aurora City has experienced a similar situation. These Black Disasters being lured here are just bait deliberately orchestrated by the Eternal Life Association,” Chen Yaofeng explained.

“What’s their purpose?” Yu Hong asked urgently, his heart chilling.

“To draw in a type of Black Disaster that’s extremely difficult to deal with. I’m unclear about their intentions, but combining all intelligence, it seems they are conducting some kind of test,” said Zhang Kaijun.

“The joint investigation team here in the East River has reassembled, pooling the best anti-cold equipment and weapons, preparing for another targeted operation against the Eternal Life Association,” Chen Yaofeng said. “Yu Hong, do you want in? Your Lin Yiyi is also involved. The Eternal Life Association seems to be linked to her parents’ deaths, and she’s determined to investigate it thoroughly.”

“Can you handle the Black Blood People?” Yu Hong frowned, not answering directly but instead asking a question.

“It’s not a problem to stay hidden for now. Someone from the Free Alliance has found the first of the Black Disasters that emerged from the Gate of Despair. They’ve already begun preparations to close that particular Gate of Despair. We’ve also found related clues and caught a slip from the Eternal Life Association about one of their headquarters’ locations. The Black Blood People can’t stop us,” Chen Yaofeng stated confidently.

“Are you sure?” Yu Hong’s interest was piqued.

“Confident. Also, Yu Hong, you should be careful just like Aurora City with the Free Alliance,” Chen Yaofeng added.

“I will. Something doesn’t feel right… If the investigation team has time, remember to stop by here,” Yu Hong reminded them, indicating his support if they truly did uncover a lead on the Eternal Life Association.

These repulsive individuals had recently compromised the safety of his camp significantly.

Boom!

Another explosive boom resonated from outside, the camp’s Array was a head short of dragon lizard assistance, as air crows surged out in a frenzy, striking the monsters at the outer perimeter.

But by now, the Array could no longer prevent the Black Disasters from entering the camp.

Bang!

The tall wall finally collapsed;the newly repaired outer courtyard wall couldn’t withstand the pressure and had a section toppled.

A mass of shadow creatures swarmed in, rapidly occupying a large portion of the outer courtyard.

While the Array tirelessly resisted at full capacity, the dual burden of wooden bridge erosion and Black Disaster siege was too much to bear.

He inhaled sharply, picked up a basket, and opened the door.

“It’s started again here, we’ll talk later.”

The communicator shut off.

He quickly stepped out, seeing the Black Disasters about to rush into the inner courtyard, and grabbed a radiation bomb from the basket, channeling Inner Qi into it.

White light enveloped the bomb as the safety was removed and he threw it forward.

The disk-like bomb landed precisely in the middle of the Black Disasters.

Then…

Hiss!!

In an instant, the invisible negative radiation erupted explosively, like a miniature sun, blanketing the surrounding area of over ten meters in the blink of an eye.

The air twisted and warped.

All the covering Black Disasters constantly evaporated, turning into a black pus that rapidly disappeared.

In an instant, countless Black Disasters vanished like a piece of chocolate cookie nibbled away, leaving an empty area behind.

“The effect is quite good,” Yu Hong took out another radiation bomb.

He channeled his Inner Qi and a white light lit up, as he casually tossed it out.

Hiss!

Another soft sound, and the radiation bomb exploded, a faint white glow lit up, becoming the only source of light within the camp.

Yu Hong quietly watched it all.

The freed-up Black Marks could strengthen many such radiation bombs, as long as they could gain time during the dragon lizards’ breeding season, the situation could improve more and more.

But…

The Black Disaster and Cold Disaster followed one after another, and the human living environment grew increasingly worse. The air even had an added type of deadly blue gas…

In the future, the future world, people might only be able to forever hide in underground environments with sealed and filtered air.

“Really… I can’t see a speck of hope…” He gazed at the Black Disaster surging in from outside, and a sudden inexplicable weariness filled his heart.

“Why… Why has it come to this?”

“Am I not working hard enough? Why am I still living so tiredly every day…”

“Why does the world continue to deteriorate, thinking it has reached its limit, yet… tomorrow gets even worse…”

Yu Hong kept throwing one radiation bomb after another, easing the burden on the Array.

“Where’s the hope for the future? Why am I living so hard, what’s the meaning?” Yu Hong asked himself. “The Eternal Life Association may know more secrets… Otherwise, why are they still able to move freely outside now?”

Watching the Black Disaster, feeling the extremely cold temperature from outside.

Suddenly, a flame ignited in Yu Hong’s heart.

“This disgusting world, this meaningless world, since I can’t see any hope, why should I be so passive here defending the camp?”

“Why should I stay so stifled in the camp, waiting for others to attack me first before I defend myself?”

“I’m different from the others. The world is not normal… I can feel it… I can do more…”

The flame in Yu Hong’s heart grew stronger.

The bewilderment in his eyes slowly dissipated.

“The root of all this stems from the Eternal Life Association. From everything that could pose a threat, the Black Disaster, the Cold Disaster, the shadow, the Blood Tide… They can’t be completely eradicated, hence the war continues to worsen…”

Gradually, he reached a critical realization.

The changes in the Black Disaster and the Cold Disaster originated from the Gate of Despair and the Black Well, and the Black Well could very likely have been opened by the Eternal Life Association, so they were the original sin of it all.

They may hold most of the world’s secrets.

“It’s all their fault… Waiting for news from Chen Yaofeng, if we really get hold of the headquarters’ intelligence of the Eternal Life Association…”

He threw the last radiation bomb.

The Black Disaster outside was mostly annihilated, scattered remnants were finally cleared by the Array, leaving just a sparse residue on the ground.

Yu Hong glanced at the residue on the ground, put down the wooden basket, returned to the cave to change into his reinforced suit, and with steady steps, headed towards the wooden bridge in the back.

His injuries had healed, and what he needed to do was to go back to Prison Island, to buy time.

On the way, on the Black Ship, he mulled over how to use the Black Mark to strengthen a Cultivation Technique that could completely annihilate the Black Disaster.

One inspiration after another kept surging in his mind. But each idea needed to be tested in turn.

“The most terrifying thing in this world is not the suffering, but not knowing when the suffering will end because the unknown also signifies infinity.”

Yu Hong stood at the ship’s rail, watching the gradual approach of the grey-white rocky terrain, and the metallic sign of Prison Island standing erect.

“I’m in the third party’s suffering, unable to foresee the future, not knowing how much further suffering awaits, passively responding to everything… Only by living as others have designed can I survive, can I live on…”

“But… that’s not right…”

Yu Hong’s heart became ever more clear and lucid.

“I have the Black Mark, I have my own strongest trump card and reliance, so why should I live passively according to someone else’s script… Why…”

“Why shouldn’t I act according to my own thoughts…”

Swoosh.

He jumped down from the ship’s rail, landing on the ground.

“Since… Since the suffering of this hopeless future is destined to be without hope… Since I can’t see the hope anyway… why not turn it into something I’m more in control of and can predict, a kind of suffering I can bear and affect…”

At this moment, Yu Hong’s mind was clearer than ever, and with each step he took on the rocky ground, the solid, rough surface resonated and touched his feet.

It also made him feel an unrestrained sense of elation.

The Black Mark was very dangerous…

This he had known for a long time.

Since it could strengthen techniques to protect himself, it could naturally also strengthen techniques that consumed and destroyed everything…

The difference only depended on how the individual chose to use it.