Trouble One

"If we don't go down there, we won't have any food.... Aifu," Jenny whispered, frowning as she tried to persuade. "I can go down, and you can stay up here to support me, okay?"

"Alright.... but Mom, you need to be careful," Aifu replied quietly. The moment she realized she didn't have to go down, she no longer objected.

"Enough talk, let's get started," Doctor Xu said, glaring at Aifu in annoyance.

She reached out her hand toward Yu Hong.

"Give me the tools, I'll open the door."

"Better let me do it," Yu Hong shook his head, grabbing the Stone Carving Set and walking to the stone house door at the post office.

"First, open this door. Then, where's the entrance to the basement?"

"It's inside the house, so we have to open two doors," Doctor Xu replied.

Yu Hong said nothing more, took out his hammer and chisel, and started pounding on the door lock.

With the constant dull thuds echoing around.

After dozens of hits, the stone house door lock was finally battered beyond recognition, wood chips scattered all around, and a fist-sized hole appeared where the keyhole used to be.

The wooden door loosened a bit.

Yu Hong retracted the hammer, stepped back, and kicked forward.

Bang.

The wooden door didn't budge.

"Wait!" Doctor Xu, standing nearby, said in exasperation. He reached out, grabbed the door handle, and pulled it outward.

Creak, the door opened gently, revealing the dark environment inside.

"Alright...." Yu Hong was speechless, putting away the tools.

As they stood at the doorway, the first thing they noticed was a net bag that had fallen to the ground inside the entrance.

The red net bag was filled with grayish-white luminous stones.

However, at that moment, all those luminous stones had turned pale white, clearly indicating they had been entirely used up.

Seeing the depleted bag of luminous stones, everyone exchanged glances and became visibly serious.

"All the luminous stones are consumed.... obviously, a shadow had been here, so be careful. Shadows love hiding in these dark environments," Jenny was the first to speak, and in reality, her skills were the best among them.

"I'll go in first." After thinking for a moment, Jenny took out a round, smooth Large Pyroxene Stone from her waist pouch. The material of this Large Pyroxene Stone was identical to the reinforced one Yu Hong had, but the patterns on it were entirely different, being an older, simplified version.

"Is that a luminous stone core!?" Doctor Xu exclaimed in surprise. "That's not ordinary; one piece equals ten regular luminous stones, and it's incredibly expensive. You have one?"

"My husband left it behind," Jenny replied coldly. If not for the extreme sense of danger this time, she wouldn't have taken it out. It was meant to be her last-resort, lifesaving treasure.

"It's been many years, right? I heard recent changes in the rune patterns, with more effective complex versions coming out. Why haven't you got it washed and repainted?" Doctor Xu asked curiously.

"It can't be washed off, and even if it could, it wouldn't matter. The rune serves to guide the arrangement; as soon as it's drawn, the effect takes place, and even wiping it off afterward has no impact." Jenny explained.

As she spoke, she hung the Large Pyroxene Stone around her neck, grabbed the machete strapped to her thigh with one hand, and held a Red Value detector in the other, cautiously moving toward the entrance.

She led the way in, with Doctor Xu in the middle and Yu Hong bringing up the rear. As for Aifu, unwilling to go below, she stayed at the stone house entrance to keep watch.

The three formed a line inside, making their way to the stone house's central hall.

In the middle of the hall was an open basement door, with the dark basement entrance below.

Cold winds surged from the entrance, spreading around, making the whole stone house feel chillingly cold.

With a glance, Jenny took out an atomic lamp flashlight, aimed it at the entrance, and pulled open the flashlight's cover, casting a green glow inside that illuminated a slightly rusted silver metal ladder.

"I'll go down first. Don't rush in until I call you," she advised the two, taking a deep breath.

"Okay!" Doctor Xu agreed, and Yu Hong nodded along.

Once assured that they were okay, Jenny flipped herself over, lightly clung to the metal ladder, and climbed down like a monkey.

Shortly, she reached the basement hall ten meters below.

Taking advantage of Jenny's descent, Doctor Xu pulled out a hand-drawn map, spreading it out for Yu Hong to see.

"The structure down below mainly consists of corridors. We entered where all corridors converge. With this as the center, there are three corridors connected around, each with several rooms and storage areas. This place was initially constructed for shelter during war times to guard against weapons of mass destruction," Doctor Xu sighed, "but didn't expect it to be used in times like these."

"Are the corridors narrow?" Yu Hong asked, looking down with a frown.

"A bit. I went down a few times before to bandage the postmen. The corridors are at most a meter wide to save materials and space, and the height isn't much either," Doctor Xu nodded.

Yu Hong fell silent, standing to the side of the basement entrance, his hand unconsciously rubbing the handle of his luminous Wolf Fang Club, his expression more serious than usual.

Time slowly passed.

About five minutes later, Jenny's voice came from below.

"It's clear; you can come down. There's nothing inside." Her voice carried a hint of fatigue, accompanied by the dim green glow of the atomic lamp.

Yu Hong and Doctor Xu looked at their luminous stones simultaneously, ensuring there were no signs of depletion, then slowly climbed down the metal ladder.

The two reached the basement's center hall, stepping onto the floor and surveying the surroundings.

Under the green light, the entrances to three corridors were set around the hall's walls, like three dark, terrifying caves blowing cold wind outward.

"I've found Old Yu's usual room. Follow me...." Jenny, holding the flashlight, spoke with a somewhat somber tone.

"Did you find him?" Doctor Xu asked, his face tensed. He wasn't concerned about Old Yu personally, but rather worried that without him, acquiring food in the future might become much more difficult.

"I'm not sure," Jenny shook her head, turning around to lead them into one of the corridors.

The two followed her, crossing the dark corridor, heading to one of the side rooms.

"If Old Yu wasn't short on resources, why didn't he use some atomic lamps for lighting? This place is so dark; wasn't he scared?" Doctor Xu couldn't help but ask.

"He mentioned before that the atomic lamp's radiation was too high and feared getting cancer. Now it seems...." Jenny didn't finish her sentence. Among the three of them, she had known Old Yu the longest.

Whereas Doctor Xu and Yu Hong were outsiders who had been saved by Stammering Yiyi.

So Jenny was best acquainted with Old Yu.

"He was just a coward, greedy and stingy, and lecherous.... He even pursued me once...." She sighed again as she spoke.

The other two were at a loss for words. Although Jenny was older, she still had a great figure, toned and strong, with her face devoid of wrinkles and her skin well-maintained. Given that their environment deprived them of sunlight and everyone had become paler, she possessed an allure resembling the Western vampire beauties Yu Hong had once read about.

So the fact that Old Yu pursued her wasn't too far-fetched.

"It's here, be careful." Jenny held the Large Pyroxene Stone in one hand, staring at the ajar iron door, her expression growing more serious.

She lightly pushed the door with the machete's tip, using it to apply force.

Creak.

The iron door slowly swung open, revealing the dark room inside.

The room was empty, with a messy bed in the corner, suggesting someone recently occupied it. Everything else, like tables, chairs, and cabinets, seemed normal, with no suspicious signs.

Jenny was about to step inside.

Suddenly, she jerked back in alarm, her breath becoming rapid.

"Careful!!"

She spread her arms out, blocking the other two behind her.

"Look at the floor!" she quickly said.

Both Yu Hong and Doctor Xu followed her direction.

On the black floor of the room laid a scattered set of gray men's work clothes.

The work clothes included long-sleeved shirts and pants, with a dirty, yellowing white shirt inside, and a pair of high-top rubber boots below the trouser legs, their shiny white rubber material reflecting a ghostly green under the atomic lamp.

"It's Old Yu's clothing and shoes...." Jenny said in a low, complex voice.

"It seems he's gone...." Doctor Xu looked at the remaining clothes, feeling a bit downtrodden. In a place with so few people, losing another one, especially the one crucial to their food supply, was a major blow.

She squatted down and reached out to touch Old Yu's clothing.

Suddenly, her pupils shrank, and she swiftly stood up, retreating.

"Wait!! Everyone move back! Don't touch those clothes!!"

Hearing her command, Jenny and Yu Hong stepped back without hesitation.

"What's going on!?" Yu Hong also grew tense, gripping his club, scanning their surroundings.

"Look at the back of the clothes!" Doctor Xu gritted his teeth, his voice trembling.

Yu Hong quickly directed the atomic lamp to take another look.

Old Yu's clothes, flipped over by Doctor Xu, revealed a clear black handprint on the back of one sleeve!

"A black handprint!!?" His heart sank. Having just learned about the Evil Shadow Woman's traits, he was now confronted with this ominous mark.

"We need to leave! We can't stay here!!" Jenny made a decisive decision, turning to leave.

The other two felt a chill in their hearts and followed closely behind.

None of them dared to touch anything, hurrying back to the small hall, climbing the ladder, and returning to the stone house.

Bang.

Jenny kicked the basement entrance cover shut with a metal lid.

"This place is off-limits!" she declared firmly.

"Old Yu wasn't just wandering out! Now thinking back, he must have been marked with the black handprint, which is why he was driven out and couldn't be moved with the rest!" Doctor Xu's face turned pale. "That old guy actually hid it from us! I've interacted with him, too; what if I've been contaminated?"

"Let's check each other carefully. I've heard as long as there's no direct contact, it's generally not contagious. The black handprint shows through clothing," Jenny took a deep, troubled breath. She felt very angry, knowing Old Yu's cover-up could spell doom for everyone in the shelter.

"Let's check each other," Yu Hong finally spoke after a long silence.

The three of them became quiet.

Slowly, they distanced themselves from each other, encircling to inspect for any black handprints on their bodies.

A few minutes passed, and fortunately, none of them showed signs of contamination, which brought them some relief.

"We can't stay here; let's go outside," Jenny said seriously.

"What about food?" Yu Hong asked. "Without Old Yu, we need to find our own food. Wild veggies alone won't suffice."

"I roughly know some of Old Yu's farming methods. Let's explore, and if we can't manage, we'll have to come down and search again," Jenny replied.