Soon, Stammering Yiyi returned with a small bag of dried vegetables, apparently dried plants like bracken moss for storage.
The two of them used a wooden barrel in the house to filter some water together, which was considered stock for the surge period.
Early the next morning, Stammering Yiyi went out to collect firewood. Today's task was heavy, and the surge period was only two days away.
They had to make all the preparations.
After Stammering Yiyi left, Yu Hong went to the safe house in the cave alone to check the situation everywhere.
After confirming that everything was fine, he picked up the bag of enhanced jerky from before.
The jerky was divided into many small packages between him and Stammering Yiyi, taking one out at a time to eat, preventing it from getting damp.
And there were only ten small pieces in each bag.
At this moment, the light outside illuminated the inside of the cave brightly.
The light mainly came from a small mirror placed at the cave entrance's ventilation spot, reflecting it inside. The original cave was quite dark, even though the sun was bright outside, it was chilly and dim inside.
But at this moment, the mirror's reflection improved the cave's environment considerably.
Yu Hong took the absorbent charcoal from the corner, placed it outside in the sun, then closed the door and took the bag of enhanced jerky.
On the gray cloth bag of the jerky, a row of digits showed: 0 days, 0 hours, 5 minutes.
'Almost there....'
Yu Hong sat down with some anticipation, quietly waiting.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes.
Rustle.
Suddenly, subtle noises came from outside, like grass being moved and parted.
Yu Hong's expression changed slightly, and he quickly got up and went to the cave entrance to look outside from the observation window.
The observation window was roughly shaped with a smooth edge, allowing only a thin slit to see outside.
But at least you could see in all directions, sufficient for basic needs.
The reinforced wooden door was now much better than before.
There were many reinforcements at the edges, and the material appeared much more solid than before.
It was only because Stammering Yiyi had a mental deficiency that he didn't notice the change in the door. There were no others nearby, so the before and after change could be concealed.
The rustling sound came again from outside.
This time it was very faint; evidently, whoever it was realized they were making too much noise.
Yu Hong stood by the window and carefully looked out following the sound.
He saw two men in camouflage suits, their clothes tattered and stained.
The two trudged through the wild grass, glancing along the path in the woods.
These days, Yu Hong and Stammering Yiyi often traveled here, trampling a line through the grass.
Seeing the two stop, Yu Hong felt a pause in his heart, knowing they had discovered the traces.
Soon.
The two began looking around, searching for something.
They followed the path to the clearing in front of the cave's safe house door.
Stopping over ten meters from the entrance, the two hesitated, silently waiting.
Yu Hong remained still and silent.
He was waiting to see what they intended to do.
Standing at the observation window, the 180-degree view was clearly visible.
On the green slope's grass, the two men looked up at the cave.
One had a gaunt face, with yellowed skin; a frail adult male.
The other was older, about thirty or forty years old, and much more robust, with a machete hanging at his waist.
After waiting outside the cave for a while and confirming no movement from anyone, or perhaps judging that they couldn't open the door, the two turned and slowly left.
Their figures gradually disappeared into the woods.
Only then did Yu Hong let out a sigh of relief in his heart.
In such an environment, filled with danger and severe resource shortages, encountering other strangers, his first thought wasn't to ask for help or greet them, but to be vigilant.
'The surge period is almost here. These two surely know it. They're not like me, who suddenly came here, knowing little.
So, to come around when the surge period is just two days away, carrying weapons and wandering... there's no need to guess what they're planning.'
Yu Hong retreated back inside the cave.
Only then did he notice that the jerky, which he had been waiting to enhance, was finished.
His eyes brightened as he stepped forward to pick up the jerky bag from the ground.
The cloth bag looked quite different than before.
The original bag was gray-white, with a faded cartoon rabbit pattern on the outside.
The rabbit had buck teeth and long, upright ears, wearing a black leather jacket.
This was the mountain bandit rabbit, the main character in Stammering Yiyi's favorite cartoon.
All their bags had this mountain bandit rabbit design, but over time, the rabbit's image became worn, as it was just printed with some adhesive.
The bags used to repack the jerky were mountain bandit rabbit bags.
But now, after the enhancement.
Yu Hong held the bag, observing the neatly printed words.
'High-energy protein bar.'
Below was some detailed description.
'One bar satisfies a day's need! Contains many trace elements required by the human body, with components that quickly replenish energy needs. Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, dietary fiber....'
The description was incredibly comprehensive, with a list of ingredients, manufacturing process, and a one-year shelf life, all included.
Except for the absence of a manufacturer, everything was complete.
Holding the jerky bag, Yu Hong paused in thought.
'This enhancement... seems to directly perfect the original item using a standard template.'
He frowned slightly, recalling the wood door he had just enhanced, the luminous stone from before, and combining it with the jerky bag in front of him, he had a vague idea.
Rip.
He decisively opened the package.
The bag was still made of cloth, but it had an inner sealed paper layer, utilizing a sealing strip structure to keep it dry inside.
Taking a piece of jerky out of the bag, Yu Hong carefully examined it.
The jerky was also different from before.
Previously, it was grayish and mottled, with an irregular cut, obviously handmade.
But now, the jerky was rectangular, with smooth edges, and sprinkled with some sesame seeds on the surface.
The aroma of meat was rich, with a hint of sweetness.
Yu Hong snapped off a small piece and popped it into his mouth.
Immediately, his expression changed, his face wrinkled tightly.
Sweet!
Too sweet!!
No wonder one piece could suffice for a day's amount; no wonder the shelf life was as long as a year.
'I would have disliked it before, but now, such concentrated sweetness is actually a good thing.'
Though unpleasant, Yu Hong's mood improved a lot.
The previous small bag of jerky was at most enough for him and Stammering Yiyi for two meals, but now, this bag could at least last five days.
The food issue was instantly resolved!
The Black Mark brought him a big surprise.
Although it still needed testing for specific effects, to see if one piece could truly last a day.
But given this sweetness level, Yu Hong thought it was unlikely to be a problem.
Stuffing the protein bar into his mouth, chewing and swallowing, he took another large gulp of water, quickly feeling full.
'The result of the jerky enhancement is here, then it's on to the others....' Yu Hong's gaze soon landed on the cup of water.
Drinking water was the most troubling problem for him since arriving here.
The odor made every sip feel like torture.
'If only I could enhance the filtration device.... Unfortunately, there's only one filtration device. Stammering Yiyi over there definitely wouldn't let me mess with it.'
He walked to the wooden door, holding the high-energy protein bar, and after a moment's thought, suddenly came up with a question.
'This place is full of woods, with lush trees, and trees and weeds need water the most, so, where does their water come from?'
This thought, once it appeared, was fixed in his mind, churning continuously.
Regaining his composure, he glanced at all the items in the cave.
Then his gaze fell on the cup of water.
The wooden cup immediately displayed a number on its side: '3 days.'
'It's too late.... Switch to another one.'
Yu Hong's eyes scanned around, soon falling on a candle.
The soon-to-arrive surge period was a test for every survivor, with candles being of utmost importance.
This related to the duration of resistance against Black Disaster's Blood Tide insects.
The arm-thick candle was divided by Stammering Yiyi for him, with a yellow-brown wax, akin to a pencil in length, now only a quarter used.
Yu Hong's gaze landed on it, and a new enhancement number immediately appeared: 1 hour 12 minutes.
'Such a short time? It's worth a try.' Yu Hong felt a thought stir in his heart, went over, and picked up the candle to hold in his hand.
'Enhance the tree-oil candle?' The inquiry sounded again.
'Yes,' Yu Hong confirmed in his heart.
This time, it was only a little over an hour, and he didn't wait long before it was almost over.
Sitting in the cave, holding the candle, Yu Hong stared at it without blinking.
The timer showed just one minute left.
He observed carefully, wanting to see how the enhancement appeared and happened.
Soon.
Puff.
Suddenly, the whole candle seemed to blur, and a moment later, came back into focus.
The original yellow candle turned into a brand-new pure white candle with a brass shell.
'It even comes with a lamp fixture?' Yu Hong was surprised.
The enhancement from the Black Mark gave him a strong sense of concept.
That was, this enhancement didn't adhere to the principle of unchanged matter, and the contents compared to pre-enhancement could be drastically different from post-enhancement.
Just like the pre-enhancement candle, it only had wax and a wick, but the post-enhancement candle...
He picked up the new candle, which was still as thick as an arm, but now wrapped in a brass windproof structure. The top had a small bowl for catching oil smoke, attached to a brass base.
Unfortunately, the size hadn't changed.
'Interesting.... So, can enhanced items be further enhanced?'
Yu Hong mused, contemplating the brass lamp candle, trying again.
But unfortunately, it was silent this time.
He glanced at the Black Mark on the back of his hand, still without any fluctuation.
'Can it only be enhanced once, or does it require some condition?'
Leaving the question in his heart, he looked at the sky outside, already at noon.
The light had reached its peak.
His gaze shifted to the dirty blanket.
As soon as the idea of enhancement emerged, a large black number appeared on the blanket: '1 day 0 hours 56 minutes.'
After thinking for a moment, he looked at the ax placed by the wall, the tool used earlier for chopping wood.
The ax displayed a black number: 3 hours 12 minutes.
'It seems all items can be enhanced, so....' Yu Hong looked down at his body.
'What about myself? Can I be enhanced?'
Thoughts churned in his mind as he fixated on himself.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Thirty seconds.