专业炒股配资

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Silence.

No one present knew what to say.

Yu Hong had known things were bad, but he hadn’t expected them to be this dire.

“This is the situation, Mr. Yu. The rescue team should arrive in about ten days. It might take longer, or it could arrive earlier. What about your side?”

“I have no problem.” Yu Hong calculated his protein bar reserves. His best source of sustenance was the dried lizard meat he had bought from Old Li—a bag of ten pieces. A normal person could only last two days on that, but he could stretch it to ten. That was a fivefold difference.

Right now, he had over two hundred protein bars stored in his cave shelter. That was from the last supply shipment, along with what Old Li had managed to raise himself.

Previously, Old Yu alone had been able to supply food for an entire group. Now, although Li Runshan wasn’t as efficient as Old Yu, providing for just three people was still more than manageable.

“Then it’s settled.” Wei Hongye said in a deep voice. “The frontline pressure is immense. They’ve begun to let gaps open up to ease the losses. As things stand, in a month’s time, Despair Gates will continuously spawn Black Disasters. The dangers in your area will rise drastically as you face the first wave of impact. If possible, try to move closer to a major city.”

The communication ended.

Wei Shanshan was crying uncontrollably, her eyes swollen like peaches.

“How do you plan to take care of Wei Shanshan and her mother?” Li Runshan asked, looking at Yu Hong.

“Can they stay at your place?” Yu Hong considered his options. It was inconvenient for him to let them into his current safe house.

The only viable choice was the post office basement.

“They can, but I can’t provide food or medicine.” Li Runshan spread his hands. “I’m already supporting four people by myself. It’s a heavy burden.”

“…So?” Yu Hong asked. “Do you have any extra mushroom cultivation boxes?” He realized he needed to start producing his own food.

It was inevitable, but Wei Shanshan’s situation had forced him to accelerate his plans.

“That’s easy. The problem is the mushroom spores. The group over in the village has them, so you’ll have to trade for some. You have a manual, right? From the records we found in Old Yu’s notes?” Li Runshan asked.

“No problem.” Yu Hong nodded, then turned to the tear-streaked Wei Shanshan.

“Let’s go. We need to bring your mother over first.” Since they had already made the deal, they needed to act fast and settle things quickly.

Wei Shanshan trembled, quickly nodding.

She opened her mouth to say something but remained silent, lowering her head and standing behind Yu Hong.

“Oh, by the way, Old Li, now that the supply team is gone, does that mean mail delivery—” Yu Hong suddenly thought of this issue.

“There are still some routes, but deliveries will become much more difficult. I’ll let you know once I get more details.” Li Runshan sighed.

Without further discussion, Yu Hong took Wei Shanshan and left the stone house, carrying his local network communicator as they returned to his mountain cave safe house. ṟа₦o͍₿ЁŠ

He didn’t let Wei Shanshan inside. Instead, he handed her a Rune Array and told her to wait outside.

Then, he put away his things, grabbed his tools, and quickly started looking for a suitable spot along the courtyard wall.

After pinpointing the location, he dragged wooden logs from the nearby forest and began constructing a simple wooden house.

Afternoon

Wei Shanshan stood outside the courtyard wall in a daze, watching as Yu Hong worked at an incredible speed, hauling logs from the forest.

He carried one log in each arm, bringing them in two at a time. In mere moments, he had dragged in at least several hundred kilograms of timber.

Then, he took out an axe and a saw, working with tireless strength. Within thirty minutes, he had split the logs into neat wooden planks.

Using those planks, he constructed a small wooden hut—laying down a wooden floor, erecting four walls, building a sloped roof, and coating it with leftover waterproof paint. Finally, he layered the roof with random leaves and branches.

The result was a two-meter-wide, three-meter-long wooden hut, just large enough to fit a bed.

It stood over two meters tall, entirely light brown in color. It looked like an oversized doghouse. However, since it was right against the courtyard wall and had a proper wooden floor, it appeared surprisingly decent.

“Let’s go. It’s getting dark. We need to get your mother.” Yu Hong clapped his hands and glanced at his enhanced Red Value Detector—it had finished upgrading.

The upgraded detector had shrunk slightly, now resembling a small smartphone. Its surface was smoother, but aside from that, it remained black with an LCD screen.

Yu Hong pressed the single circular power button.

Beep.

A short tone sounded, and numbers appeared on the screen.

Current Red Value: -79.348.

Impressive!

Yu Hong silently praised it.

Previously, the detector could only measure whole numbers up to 79. Now, it displayed values down to three decimal places.

He examined the top-right corner of the LCD screen, where a battery indicator was displayed. Below it, small text read: Remaining Time – 56 hours 07 minutes.

“So, while powered on, it can last fifty-six hours? It’ll last even longer when turned off!” Yu Hong sighed in relief.

Before, the Red Value Detector could only run for a few hours, meaning he had to keep it off most of the time and only activate it when something seemed wrong.

Now, with this upgrade, he could leave it on indefinitely to continuously monitor the surroundings.

“A few hours of enhancement was totally worth it!” Yu Hong returned to his cave, grabbed another Red Value Detector, and started a second round of enhancement. He planned to make one for Little Stutterer.

Once he finished, he called Wei Shanshan and set off toward Baiqiu Village.

The two quickened their pace, following the familiar gravel road to the village entrance.

By now, some people had stacked furniture and debris to form barricades, leaving only a small gap as an entrance.

Two young men guarded the entrance, one holding a machete and the other gripping a handgun.

They were chatting idly in a heavily accented dialect.

Yu Hong couldn’t understand them, so he gestured for Wei Shanshan to handle the conversation.

His goal was to retrieve someone. If possible, he wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Wei Shanshan nodded, stepped forward, and knocked on the barricade.

Knock, knock.

“I’m Wei Shanshan from Squad Three. Please let me in. Thank you.”

The two men glanced outside.

But their first sight wasn’t Wei Shanshan—it was the massive, imposing shadow behind her.

A towering figure, nearly 1.9 meters tall, clad head to toe in heavy black bulletproof gear. A helmet on his head, legs as thick as tree trunks, and a large black pistol strapped to his waist.

They hadn’t noticed him approaching earlier, but now, seeing him up close, they realized—if this guy made a move, things could get ugly.

“Shanshan, weren’t you out looking for medicine?” one of them asked warily. “Who’s this guy?”

“I found a doctor. Let me in—I need to check on my mom,” Wei Shanshan said again.

“You can come in, but if he wants to enter, he’ll need to take off the gun and all that gear,” the other man hesitated before replying.

“Mr. Yu is the doctor I brought!” Wei Shanshan protested loudly.

“What kind of doctor wears gear like that?! Cut the crap! Are you coming in or not? If not, get lost!” The man was growing impatient.

“It’s fine. Go inside and bring your mother out. I’ll wait here,” Yu Hong instructed.

If it wasn’t necessary, he had no intention of causing unnecessary conflict with these people.

Besides, he knew his appearance alone was intimidating.

Wei Shanshan gratefully bowed to him.

“I’ll be right back. Please wait a moment.” She quickly squeezed through the obstacles, whispered a few words to the two men, then hurried into the alleyway between the houses.

In less than five minutes, she returned, supporting a woman in her thirties along the narrow path.

The woman’s face was pale, and she coughed incessantly. Her lips were cracked, as if she hadn’t had water in a long time.

Even though she looked older, her sharp and refined features bore a strong resemblance to Wei Shanshan. However, unlike Wei Shanshan’s delicate and cute appearance, she exuded the aura of a strong, career-driven woman.

She had a fuller figure and wore a dirty gray tracksuit and black sneakers, covered in mud stains. Her long black hair was tied back with a hairband, revealing a pale neck that matched her complexion.

This woman doesn’t look easy to deal with.

Yu Hong observed from a distance and instinctively came to a conclusion.

It was clear that someone as timid as Wei Shanshan likely became that way due to growing up under a dominant figure who made all her decisions for her.

And judging by the situation, that person was most likely her mother.

As the mother and daughter approached, passing the two guards, the men instinctively stepped back as if avoiding the plague, terrified of catching whatever Wei Shanshan’s mother had.

Yu Hong also felt uneasy, worried about the possibility of infection.

Luckily, he was wearing a respiratory filter, and he had already prepared a separate shelter for the two of them.

Fortunately, he was wearing a respiratory filter and had even built a small shelter in advance for the two of them to stay in.

“You must be Mr. Yu? I really appreciate your help this time. I’m Qiu Yanxi, Shanshan’s mother,” the woman said as she examined him.

“It’s just business. Can we speed this up? We need to get back to the safehouse before dark,” Yu Hong asked in a deep voice.

But when he saw the hesitation in her expression, he knew things wouldn’t be quick.

“I’ll carry you. Do you mind?”

Qiu Yanxi turned back toward the village. Seeing only two women watching from a distance, her eyes dimmed slightly before she turned forward again.

“I don’t mind. Sorry to trouble you,” she said quietly.

“Good.”

Yu Hong rolled his shoulders, then suddenly reached out—grabbing the back of Wei Shanshan’s clothes with one hand and Qiu Yanxi’s with the other.

Then he lifted them both into the air.

“AHHHH!!!” x2.

Amidst their terrified screams, the two women were suspended like coats on a hanger, limbs flailing as Yu Hong sprinted downhill at full speed.

The power he gained after his breakthrough was overwhelming. Lifting one person in each hand felt no different from picking up cardboard—light and effortless.

The combined weight of both women was barely heavier than his giant wooden shield and spiked club.@@novelbin@@

Maybe 170-180 kilograms at most.

Even before his breakthrough, he could swing his massive shield and club with full force for several minutes without tiring.

Now, with his newfound strength, it was even easier.

Within minutes, they arrived at the safehouse.

Yu Hong dumped the two into the small wooden shelter in the yard, then went into the bunker to fetch a blanket, tossing it inside.

That was that.

Next came the medicine. The enhanced antibiotics would only be effective for a little over two hours, so he planned to boost them before administering.

After all, he had promised to take care of them, so he had to put in some effort.

But now that it was dark, time was running short. And to ensure those two survived, they needed some extra provisions.

Yu Hong rummaged through his supplies, pulling out a long-forgotten candle.

Then he poured a cup of hot water, grabbed two protein bars, and delivered them to the women.

With a bang, he shut the door.

And that was that.