bookpower Chapter 96: Countermeasures (2)
Chapter 96: Countermeasures (2)
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Thank Thyme for the bonus chapters
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Under the illumination of the electric light, Yu Hong surveyed his surroundings.
A transparent fireplace, still radiating residual warmth, stood in the corner with various items piled next to it.
Against the wall, there was a set of wooden tables and stools, with a sleeping bag tucked underneath the table.
Not far from the sleeping bag, two sets of reinforced suits lay on the ground. To the right, a small wooden crate held several handguns.
Further right, a spiked club leaned against the wall, next to a partially unfolded solar panel that connected to a communicator, a light bulb, and a red-value detector.
Beyond that, barrels of water and plastic bags filled with protein bars, rune Arrays, large Luminous stones, and small Luminous stones were stacked neatly.
u Hong scanned the items one by one, and soon his gaze landed on the previously enhanced Luminous stone, which had fused with a vortex rune.
After days of study, he had repeatedly analyzed the object and could now skillfully draw the rune with ease, succeeding in a single attempt.
However, no matter how much he re
Moreover, at the vortex rune’s center, a triangular pattern had developed a film-like iridescent sheen.
He pondered for a moment, then brought the enhanced detector close to test it.
Beep.
The reading was zero!
“Could this rune be…” Yu Hong’s heart pounded as a bold hypothesis formed in his mind.
He grabbed the rune board and clenched it tightly.
Crack!
The rune board shattered into several pieces.
At the same moment, the detector blared an alarm as red values skyrocketed.
“-234.772.”
“-391.640.”
“-518.121.”
“-722.913.”
The red value instantly surged past 700, maintained for two seconds, then rapidly declined before reaching zero within seconds.
Yu Hong stared at the wild fluctuations in shock.
He suddenly snapped back to his senses, realizing that his guess was correct—the vortex Rune Array was very likely…
*
*
*
The post office stone house.
A courtyard with crumbling walls, scattered severed limbs, and bloodied remains.
The gray-white stone house with its doors and windows completely shattered, standing empty with not a single figure inside.
Click.
In the living room of the stone house, a concealed stone slab silently rose from the ground.
The slab was the same gray color as the floor, with seams crafted so meticulously that it was nearly impossible to detect.
As the slab was lifted, a tall, sturdy man wearing an advanced gray lizard suit emerged from below.
After stepping out, he moved aside as two more men in similar suits followed.
The three of them closed the slab, scanning their surroundings. What was once an intact post office was now in complete ruins, utterly devastated.
“The second and third teams outside… they’re probably done for,” said the first man who emerged, his deep voice carrying through the helmet—Li Runshan.
“That monster was too fast. The fact that we managed to survive is already fortunate,” the second man replied coolly. “This was their fate.”
“You take the lead next,” the third man said, looking at Li Runshan with a serious expression.
“Alright, stay close. That monster could still be lurking outside,” Li Runshan nodded.
“That thing had half its body blown apart. It won’t recover so quickly. We need to take this time to gather enough Rune Arrays, or the upcoming Ghostly Shadows and even Evil Shadows will be far deadlier,” the third man said swiftly.
“If it weren’t for that monster, our Luminous Stone chamber setup wouldn’t have been compromised,” the second man muttered in frustration.
“Let’s move.”
Li Runshan led the way out of the stone house, quickly determining the direction before heading toward Yu Hong’s safe house.
The other two followed closely behind.
Their pace was swift—nearly a full sprint. While maintaining as much silence as possible, they maximized their speed.
In less than ten minutes, they reached the outer walls of the mountain cave safe house.
Outside the walls, the grass was littered with scattered clothes, shoes, and pants from many people.
Large claw marks covered the ground, tearing up the black soil beneath.
Li Runshan stepped forward, nudging the clothing with his foot.
“It’s from Li Jingyuan’s group—the ones we expelled earlier.”
“They’re all gone?” the second man asked grimly.
“The number of clothes matches up. Most of them are here, which means they’re likely all dead.” The third man responded. He lifted his head and exchanged a silent glance with the second man.
Their internal assessment of the Rune Array trader’s danger level quietly increased once again.
Without speaking further, they moved to the wall and peered inside.
The sight made them freeze.
Within the courtyard, lush green grass swayed gently as Qiu Yanxi and her daughter diligently repaired the damaged ground.
Their clothes were unchanged, their bodies completely unharmed, and their expressions even carried a strange sense of reassurance.
“No attacks from the Many-Eyed Birds here?” the third man whispered.
“Do you think that’s possible?” the second man retorted.
The two exchanged glances again and fell silent.
From the traces on the ground and surroundings, this place had clearly been attacked. But strangely enough, that mother and daughter remained unscathed.
There had to be something here—something that repelled the Many-Eyed Birds!
The realization struck them at the same time.
There must be a method to ward off the Many-Eyed Birds!
With only three people and far inferior weapons and equipment, how could they have resisted the creatures?
There had to be a hidden secret.
And if they could obtain that secret, most of their first team’s safety concerns would be resolved!
After all, the most troublesome threat at the moment was the Rank 4 Many-Eyed Birds.
“Yu Hong! Are you here?”
Qiu Yanxi and her daughter noticed the three men and quickly retreated into their wooden house.
They weren’t about to interact with these people rashly. Their current relationship with Yu Hong was stable, and as long as nothing unexpected happened, they only needed to wait for the rescue team to arrive to ensure their safety.
Since these people weren’t looking for them, Qiu Yanxi tactfully stepped aside to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Li Runshan didn’t care about the two women.
Even among Li Jingyuan’s expelled group, there were people with backgrounds similar to theirs, and they had still been abandoned without hesitation.
In this situation, no one had any real control over their fate.
Seeing no response, he called out again—twice.
Finally, the door to the cave opened.
(End of Chapter)