专业炒股配资

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Startled, Yu Hong picked up a few more of the large rocks he had found earlier and smashed them into fragments with his fists. Only after confirming that his strength was indeed real and undiminished did he fully grasp the exaggerated effects of the Heavy Leg Art’s full-body enhancement.

Strength, explosiveness, stamina, and endurance—all had improved across the board after some simple tests. The most significant increases were in strength and explosiveness, while the others saw only slight improvements.

Even so, this put him in a great mood.

As dusk approached, he returned from the forest to the cave. Before he even got close, he noticed a large, rough, milky-white stone stacked in one corner of the courtyard.

He paused for a moment, then quickened his pace into the courtyard and approached the stone.

The stone was nearly as tall as he was, with a diameter of over a meter, and had been placed upright in the corner near the entrance steps of the safe house. Footprints left in the dirt from its transport were still clearly visible.

Yu Hong reached out and pulled a piece of paper from between the stone and the mountain wall. The note contained a brief message:

“The promised Luminous Stone has been delivered—Xu.”

“Xu Fan?” Yu Hong immediately realized who it was.

That guy sure was efficient. He had just mentioned mining luminous stones, and now a massive piece had already been delivered. This one chunk would last him a long time.

Given the negative red value concentration of the luminous stone grass in the yard, he wasn’t worried about passing Wraiths draining this raw luminous stone anytime soon.

After confirming the sender, Yu Hong ascended the steps and entered the house.

With only a few days left until the luminous stone grass formation’s reinforcement was complete, he didn’t want any changes disrupting the process. He decided to stay put in the safe house and guard the formation for the remaining days.

And that was exactly what he did.

For the next few days, Yu Hong stayed inside obediently. He didn’t even visit the Post Office, focusing solely on adapting to his newly enhanced physical capabilities.

Finally, the last day of the formation’s reinforcement arrived.

He stationed himself at the entrance early in the morning, watching the countdown numbers on the ground and waiting quietly.

To pass the time, he occasionally glanced toward Baiqiu Village in the distance.

“What happened to the newcomers in Baiqiu Village?” Yu Hong was curious about how they had survived these past days.

Recently, the night had become even more dangerous, with flying Devourers appearing on occasion, far more threatening than before.

In Baiqiu Village, he could faintly see people moving in and out, seemingly transporting goods.

The village perimeter had been enclosed by a raised stone wall, blocking parts of the inner buildings from view.

“Are they fortifying the village? Planning to turn it into a fortress?” Yu Hong speculated.

As he alternated between practicing and resting, he observed both the formation and the village.

The second level of the Heavy Leg Technique required him to accumulate new inner energy—again, nine segments in total. But now that he had grasped the key technique, increasing his body weight and training intensity allowed him to accumulate energy much faster. ʀΝŏËṡ

At his current pace, he estimated he could condense the first inner energy segment of the second level within a week.

“The second level’s inner energy condensation is clearly more difficult than the first. It requires much more energy. But that should also mean the inner energy burst will be far stronger, making it an excellent power source for reinforcing the Black Mark. This should allow me to enhance even more things.” Yu Hong was filled with anticipation.

The outside world was too dangerous. His greatest wish now was to complete the safe house’s self-sufficiency as soon as possible.

To achieve self-sufficiency, safety came first. Only then could he secure energy, water, and food. The reinforcement of the formation was his first major step toward this goal.

As he was deep in thought, a faint sound of footsteps came from the nearby forest.

The crunching of shoes stepping on dry leaves was particularly sharp in this season, standing out even against the wind.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Yu Hong looked toward the source of the sound.

He was already standing outside the yard, avoiding the radiation field. From this position, his view was unobstructed by the yard walls. Soon, he caught sight of the approaching figures.

A short man in a dark gray hoodie was leading a group of three—one man and two women—toward him.

The short man had dark skin and a resolute expression, but his eyes carried a deep worry. He seemed to be in his thirties, walking with steady, cautious steps, as if measuring every move.

The three following him were different. They all looked under thirty and had a strong student-like aura.

One young man had a fair, handsome face. Though his face was smudged with dirt and soot, it couldn’t hide his delicate, almost submissive demeanor.

Among the two women, one wore a red short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts. Her high ponytail swayed as she walked. She had a cold demeanor and an average face, but her tall legs, perky hips, and slim waist made her a classic “back-view killer.”

The other girl was adorable, with baby-fat cheeks and two dimples. She had black hair styled into twin tails, a petite figure, and a flat chest, giving her a distinct anime-like appearance. However, her eyes were red and puffy—clearly, she had been crying recently.

As Yu Hong spotted them, the four also noticed him. Their eyes immediately lit up, as if they had found their savior. They quickened their pace toward him.

Soon, they stopped ten meters away, standing without any apparent wariness—completely unguarded against Yu Hong, who was clad in full-body ballistic armor.

This particular sense of ease reminded Yu Hong of students who had just stepped into society.

“Hello, are you Mr. Yu Hong? We are the Wu Shan Sports Academy convoy that recently settled here. We escaped from Yuhe. I’m Song Mingshi, a faculty leader. Postal worker Li Runshan told us that we could trade for some Great luminous stone rune arrays here. Is that true?”

The short, stocky man took a step forward, speaking politely with a low posture.

Song Mingshi?

Yu Hong examined him and noticed a large slingshot and a forearm-length dagger at his waist. He then observed the other three—they only had wooden sticks.

Clearly, this faculty leader Song Mingshi was the “muscle” of the group.

Judging by his movement and posture, however, he wasn’t much stronger than an ordinary person. His steps lacked the instinctive control of body strength that Old Li displayed.

A dangerous group.

That was Yu Hong’s evaluation. Not that they were a threat to him, but that they were at high risk of running into danger.

Having survived multiple crises, Yu Hong could tell just how inexperienced and weak they were.

“I’m Yu Hong. Sorry, but I’m currently having issues with the Great luminous stone rune array and won’t be selling them for now. It will take some time.” He replied calmly.

“Not selling?” Song Mingshi was stunned, and the three students behind him visibly reacted, their expressions shifting.

“Mr. Yu, we originally set out with the supply convoy, but something happened along the way, and we were forced to scatter. My group—two teachers and thirteen students—hasn’t had a proper meal in two days. With Ghostly Shadows constantly appearing nearby, we desperately need some large luminous stones to help set up a barrier. Would you be able to spare us some?” Song Mingshi pleaded earnestly.

“The supply convoy ran into trouble?” Yu Hong’s heart tightened, his expression turning serious beneath his helmet. “Was it the convoy heading this way?” he asked quickly.

“Yes. We encountered something unknown along the way, and more than half of the convoy members vanished in an instant. Without the guards and leaders, everyone grabbed what supplies they could and fled separately. No one dared to stay with the convoy,” Song Mingshi said helplessly.

“When did this happen?” Yu Hong asked again, his face darkening. Without the supply convoy, he and Old Li wouldn’t be able to replenish their food stores and would have to rely entirely on self-sufficiency. That meant he’d need more hands for labor.

“About five days ago,” Song Mingshi replied.

“This is bad news.” Yu Hong let out a breath. The recent crisis had just passed, and things were only starting to settle down—now, the supply convoy had met disaster.

“What did Li Runshan tell you? Why did he send you to find me?” After a brief pause, Yu Hong asked.

“Mr. Li took some silver coins from us and gave us your location. If possible, we’d also like to exchange silver coins for some food and medicine,” Song Mingshi admitted, finally revealing their true intent. These people had been able to travel with the supply convoy and even persuade Li Runshan—clearly, they had money.

No wonder they had managed to stay in Baiqiu Village without running into trouble. They must have ample resources.

“Forget the money—who knows how long it will still hold value in this world? What do you have to trade? Tell me,” Yu Hong said casually. If they had something useful, he wouldn’t mind making an exchange. After all, today was the day the large sigil formation would be fully reinforced.

“We have a newly developed lightless mushroom strain from Yinta called ‘pig-leg mushrooms.’ We also have the latest water purifiers, repair tools, hand-crank generators, and blankets,” Song Mingshi answered quickly.

“Anything else?” Yu Hong frowned.

“Uh… you don’t need these?” Song Mingshi asked, looking a little helpless.

“Not really. Also, how long do you plan to stay here? There’s no way I can provide food for so many people,” Yu Hong said.

“After we recover, we plan to head toward Baihe City. We’ve heard that a lot of refugees have gathered there,” Song Mingshi explained. He was starting to grow anxious—Yu Hong didn’t seem interested in anything they had to offer. “How about this—if large luminous stones aren’t available, we can go to the mines and dig for ordinary luminous stones ourselves. But what about antibiotics? Some of our people have had persistent high fevers. Mr. Yu, could you spare us some medicine?”

“I can give you some. A one-day dose per person will cost five silver coins. Is that acceptable?” Yu Hong said in a steady voice. He wasn’t a charity—if he gave things away for free, people would only take advantage of him and keep coming back for more.

“That’s… way too expensive!” Song Mingshi’s expression changed slightly. At that price, they had no way of knowing how effective the medicine was or how long a full course of treatment would take.

What if the effect was weak, and they needed to take it for a long time?

“Besides, I only have three doses right now. I need to keep some for myself, and I don’t have time to make more at the moment,” Yu Hong said bluntly. “Take it or leave it.”

He realized that these people had no real grasp of their situation. In this kind of environment, antibiotics were far more valuable than silver coins. In fact, with the supply convoy unable to reach them, silver coins were completely worthless.@@novelbin@@

In this isolated world, a single dose of antibiotics could mean the difference between life and death. The fact that Yu Hong was even willing to trade them was already an act of generosity.