Night of Despair

Chapter 43 信: A Toast to Her Sincerity, Alliance Hierarch

The sunlight was bright and cheery, while tree shadows swayed gently.
Aifu's remaining clothes, blown about by the wind, kept tumbling yet remained rooted in place due to the pressure of the stones, motionless.
On the grass, a tiny black centipede slowly emerged from the soil and neared the pile of clothes.
Instead of climbing directly onto it, the centipede kept winding circles around the clothes, back and forth.
Upon realizing it couldn't burrow into the clothes, the centipede clearly grew impatient and turned to crawl away elsewhere.
Pop!
Just then, a black hand reached out from within the pile of clothing, gripping the centipede at once.
Swoosh.
The black hand retracted back into the heap of clothes, vanishing from view, and the centipede disappeared along with it.
After a while, the pile of clothing seemed to be snatched by something, pulled to the side, instantly dislodging the stones and causing them to tumble away.
The clothes, as if stirred by the wind, tumbled continuously, moving as if alive, rushing towards the direction where the post office used to gather.
* * *
With a swish, the envelope was torn open, and the letter unfolded.
Yu Hong read attentively the hard-to-come-by letter.
"I am Lin Yiyi, and I have already spent three days at this seaside base. According to the rules, our squadron will be stationed here for a long time, so you can send your letters directly here in the future. The address is at the end, but remember not to send anything important—there's a chance it might get lost along the way."
Here were traces of being scratched out, evidently some more words written but then erased.
00:44
"My father and grandfather went missing, and my mother suddenly never returned after leaving home one day.
"It is indeed Yiyi," Yu Hong sighed in relief. Seeing that little stammerer was safe, he could finally put his mind at ease.
He continued to read.
"That day, I left in a hurry, but I don't regret leaving Baiqiu Village. It became more and more alien to me, and increasingly dangerous."
Here were traces of being scratched out, evidently some more words written but then erased.
"My father and grandfather went missing, and my mother suddenly never returned after leaving home one day.
I remember at that time, when the food at home ran out, I resorted to eating mice and insects. Soon even the mice and insects became scarce, and I even ate tree bark and mud. Afterwards, when my stomach swelled and my mind grew less clear, I understood that I could no longer eat mud and bark. So, I walked out."
"That night, I stayed outside. You would never imagine, but fortunately there were no black worms and I survived. The place I stayed was the Pyroxene Ore Mine near the village. If you find yourself in a situation you can't handle, go there too. But remember, don't stay too long... I had a fever the same day I returned from there. I don't quite remember what happened after that, only that a grandfather figure who tried to sneak into the house to steal things saved me."
"I was young and foolish back then, not understanding anything, and gave him all my possessions. Later on, whenever I was about to starve, he would appear to give me some food. However, as I grew older, I never saw him again. Perhaps he is dead."
"Alright, I've said so much just to tell you, I am fine and very well, so don't worry. Oh yes, this letter is written on my behalf by my roommate Anselin; she is a very good person and has been very kind to me. If you have any nice things, you could send some to her."
Seeing the last sentence, Yu Hong couldn't help but laugh. This line clearly wasn't something the little stammerer would say and was likely added by her roommate herself. The phrasing being so smooth could also be due to her polishing.
But it didn't matter. At least this content proved that the little stammerer was indeed alright.
Moreover, she was in a mood to recall the past, which means she must be in a relatively stable environment.
After reading the letter, he turned it over, and indeed, there was a somewhat crudely drawn map on the back.
The map marked Baiqiu Village, the post office, the small town, the Pyroxene Ore Mine, and the ruins among several points of interest.
Lines connected the locations, with numbers written beside them.
Yu Hong examined closely and determined that these numbers likely represented the estimated time Yiyi took to walk the distances.
His expression softened. With this basic map, he now had a clear idea of the locations of the mine and the ruins.
Just as he was about to fold the paper and put it away, his gaze appeared to catch something on the map.
He ceased his motion and spread the map out again, observing closely.
Indeed.
On the map, right next to the ruins, was a small black dot.
This black dot wasn't conspicuous, but right by it, there was a careful red cross, with a line of text written.
"Do not go there at all!"
"Even Baiqiu Village wasn't marked like this; it seems this place is far more dangerous," he noted the location carefully.
He pocketed the letter and quickened his steps, heading towards the burrow where Jenny and her daughter lived.
Soon, he arrived at the entrance of the burrow.
He paused.
Scanning the surroundings of the burrow to ensure there were no others around, he then pulled out a Large Pyroxene Stone and steadily moved towards the doorway.
Crouching by the door, he took out the key, gently inserted it, twisted it, and lifted it up.
Click.
The grass-covered wooden door issued a clear sound of unlocking before being pulled up.
Yu Hong looked inside to see a dark, profound passageway.
A flicker of hesitation crossed his face.
Such places, once entered and blocked from outside, spelled certain death.
If Jenny and her daughter were still there, he could be sure there would be another exit inside.
```
But he wasn't the master and wasn't clear about the dangers or exits inside.
Pfft.
He once again covered the wooden door and locked it. He turned and left.
"I need someone to stand guard outside before I can attempt to search inside."
There was actually another method, but it wasn't suitable to use at this time.
He quickly left Jenny's house and went straight to Doctor Xu's front door.
Unlike Jenny's home, Doctor Xu lived in a normal hillside cellar.
The door was sturdy, with a cross-shaped window on one side. From the outside, it looked as though the hill had been completely hollowed out.
Thud thud thud.
Yu Hong knocked on the door.
"Who's there!?" Doctor Xu's wary voice came from inside.
"It's me, Yu Hong."
"When was the last time we parted?"
"Before the surge began, you were to confirm if the Large Pyroxene Stone reacted," Yu Hong reminded her.
After a silence from behind the door that lasted several seconds, the wooden door was unlocked with a click.
Doctor Xu's face appeared from inside, looking tired and haggard, but her eyes shone brighter than before.
"You've come at the perfect time! My herbal medicine was a success!" Her voice was filled with thick excitement. "I tested it on a mouse and discovered it really can replace treatment and disinfection for wounds! Its effect is only slightly weaker than antibiotics like streptomycin. Of course, I'm also making penicillin and erythromycin on my own, but they can't deal with contamination interference. I need better disinfection equipment..."
She pulled Yu Hong into the door, locked it behind them, and hurriedly went into the house.
The cellar had a total of three rooms; one was her bedroom with a bed, another was filled with various vessels and tools, clearly a workroom. There was also a storeroom, which seemed to double as a bathroom.
The entire cellar reeked of a strong musty smell, cold and damp.
This was a common condition for most cellars and basements.
"Come, come here!! I promised you the herbal medicine, and this time I've really made it!" Doctor Xu's face was flushed, and she seemed to be in a state of high spirits.
She pulled Yu Hong into the workroom, pointing to a dish of green mush, stirred into a paste.
"This is it! I succeeded! I've tried it on mice, the inflammation was completely gone! It's a brand new anti-inflammatory drug, if society were still in order now, I would definitely make a fortune! Earn a lot a lot of money!"
"Very impressive!" Yu Hong nodded, and his regard for Doctor Xu elevated quite a bit.
To be able to make such an herbal medicine, if it really could be used, meant that they could have a continuous supply of herbal medicine in the future. For them, who were severely short on drugs, this was undoubtedly huge good news.
But his purpose in coming here wasn't to see Doctor Xu's new drug.
He waited until she was a little calmer after her incessant talking, then he carefully organized his words and earnestly said to Doctor Xu,
"Do you remember Jenny's daughter Aifu? The one who wanted to infect us with the black handprint."
"Of course. It's been so long, she's dead, right?" Doctor Xu frowned, her emotions cooled a bit from her excitement, and she faintly sensed that Yu Hong's sudden visit might be amiss.
"Dead," Yu Hong nodded, "Her mother Jenny is dead too."
"Jenny is dead too?" Doctor Xu was slightly surprised but accepted it quickly.
"That's right, her daughter's ghastly appearance, maybe she infected her too. Good riddance, I finally see their true colors."
She paused, then suddenly looked at Yu Hong.
"Did you know a new postman came?"
"Um, I met him just now. His name is Li Rushan, he seems to be a decent person," Yu Hong nodded.
"You can send letters with him, Yiyi sent me a letter, and I plan to reply, but the price is a bit steep," Doctor Xu frowned and said.
Yu Hong was also considering this matter. The Large Pyroxene Stone was heavy and not easy to mail; it could also potentially be tampered with en route. No, it would definitely be taken.
"That's fine, now that Jenny and her daughter are dead, their belongings are still there..." Yu Hong said gravely.
Upon hearing this, Doctor Xu's eyes lit up.
Moments later, the two came to the edge of Jenny's cellar.
Yu Hong lifted the lid, revealing the pitch-black tunnel below, then looked at Doctor Xu.
"Who's going in?"
Although he trusted Doctor Xu more than others, he was still a bit apprehensive about entering a sealed tunnel in these times.
"I'll go," Doctor Xu said without hesitation, bending over to crawl into the tunnel.
In no time, she disappeared into the darkness.
Yu Hong stood guard at the entrance, vigilantly looking around.
After about five minutes, there was movement in the tunnel again. Doctor Xu emerged from the tunnel, dragging a large plastic bag with difficulty.
"We've got it!" she was covered in dirt, her hair wet with sweat, and her gray shirt dampened in areas, revealing her full body curves, but she seemed unconcerned.
"There are lots of good stuff inside, but... I didn't dare take much. There were many things I didn't dare touch."
"How so?" Yu Hong frowned and pulled her out.
"Many things showed no sign of anything, but when the Large Pyroxene Stone I carried neared them, there would be a reaction," Doctor Xu pulled out a piece of Large Pyroxene Stone, hanging like a pendant on her chest, which was already more than half turned to chalky white.
"However, the most crucial stuff I managed to bring out, the rest can be taken later," she said as her expression changed, pulling out a black box from her pocket, resembling a pager, palm-sized, with a gray LCD screen in the middle.
```n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om