bdsm-fiction Chapter 59 Rock in the Rock Seeks Help
Chapter 59 Rock in the Rock Seeks Help
Xu Mo filled the trap, then dragged the corpses of several mutated wolves together to form a small pile of corpses, poured a small amount of fuel to help it burn, and then set it on fire.
"boom--"
Flames suddenly erupted, greedily licking the wolf carcass's cold fur and flesh, crackling and popping.
In the pitch-black night, the leaping orange-red flames became the only vibrant color in this desolate, icy world. The grease from the wolf carcass melted in the flames, igniting an even fiercer fire, and a strange stench of burnt flesh and blood filled the air. This scene was less about disposing of a corpse and more like a chilling "bonfire party."
The towering flames dispelled the surrounding darkness to some extent, bringing a touch of warmth and illuminating Xu Mo's calm, slightly contemplative face. He stood at a relatively safe distance, looking at the twisted, charred outlines in the flames, feeling little joy of victory, but rather a calm analysis of his current situation.
"Want to try some wolf meat?" The thought had just crossed his mind when Xu Mo ruthlessly extinguished it.
Leaving aside the fact that these wolves are products of dark energy corruption and the safety of their meat is unknown, his ample food reserves alone make it completely unnecessary for him to take this risk. Xu Mo's survival philosophy prioritizes stability; when resources are plentiful, any unnecessary adventure is foolish.
The flames roared, and Xu Mo's thoughts drifted away. Tonight's experiences, combined with the broadcast from the Jiangcheng Shelter, gave him a more comprehensive understanding of the threat posed by "Eternal Night."
First, darkness does indeed corrupt wild beasts, as evidenced by the behavior of these wolf packs. They become stronger, more bloodthirsty, and their eyes undergo mutations, even acquiring the ability to accurately locate living beings in the dark. Photophobia is a significant weakness for them, but it also means that their threat level is dramatically amplified in the absence of light.
Secondly, this corrosive effect also applies to humans. The official warnings are still fresh in our minds: "mental derangement" and "cognitive impairment." Xu Mo's own experience confirms this; prolonged exposure to absolute darkness, even with his current superhuman physique and willpower, produces intense discomfort and a sense of oppression, requiring him to circulate his qi and blood to effectively resist it. So, what about ordinary survivors? The corrosive effect would undoubtedly be more pronounced and more deadly.
A crucial question arose in Xu Mo's mind: What would happen if humanity were completely corrupted by darkness? Would they descend into utter madness, becoming monsters that only knew how to destroy? Or would it directly lead to physical death?
Xu Mo recalled the zombies he had encountered before, those were caused by some kind of "flash" and virus in the early days of the apocalypse, seemingly not of the same origin as this continuous encroachment of darkness. But could the two be connected at a deeper level? Could the darkness of the eternal night be another form of "infection"?
"I suppose the Jiangcheng Shelter's subsequent broadcasts, or other information channels, will gradually provide the answer," Xu Mo could only hope. The lack of information, besides material resources, is one of the biggest challenges in this apocalyptic world.
The campfire burned for a long time before gradually weakening and finally turning into a pile of smoky ashes. The strange smell still lingered in the air, but the threat had vanished with the flames. Xu Mo covered the ashes with snow, quickly cleaning up the scene to ensure it wouldn't attract any further trouble.
After doing all this, Xu Mo returned to the warm second-floor shelter. The world outside the window returned to that oppressive darkness, with only the cold watch face on his wrist indicating the passage of time.
Xu Mo didn't rest; instead, he took out a radio and turned it on.
Since Jiangcheng Shelter was attacked and issued a warning, what about "Rock Shelter," which is of similar size and in a similar situation? Are they also facing the same crisis? How are they coping? Perhaps we can obtain more valuable information, or even different coping strategies, from their broadcasts.
The radio's speaker emitted a hissing sound as Xu Mo patiently tuned each of the frequencies he had previously recorded that might be related to the Rock Shelter.
However, as time passed, apart from occasionally catching some faint fragments of signals of unknown meaning and continuous background noise, the expected broadcast from Rock Shelter did not appear.
A subtle sense of unease began to grow in Xu Mo's heart.
"This is not right. Based on past experience, although the two major shelters do not have fixed broadcast times, they usually broadcast continuously for a period of time after a major incident to stabilize morale or convey information. Jiangcheng did so, so there is no reason for Panshi to remain silent for so long."
"Could it be... that the situation in Panshi is worse than in Jiangcheng?" Xu Mo frowned. This lack of information was more stressful than hearing bad news itself. The unknown often meant greater danger.
Xu Mo forced himself to wait patiently, continuing his daily cultivation and shelter maintenance work while occasionally turning on the radio to search. Cultivating the Thirteen Bodyguards external martial arts allowed him to temporarily forget the disturbances of the outside world. But whenever he stopped, that vague worry about the fate of the distant shelter would resurface.
In this alternating state of waiting and focus, the hour hand of Xu Mo's watch turned nearly two full rotations, and finally, the radio broadcast the voice he had been waiting for so long, yet hoped he would never hear again.
It was a voice completely different from the usual calm and steady tone of the announcer; it was hoarse, tired, and filled with an almost undisguised urgency.
"...Calling...calling all survivors who can hear! This is Rock Sanctuary! Repeat, this is Rock Sanctuary! We...we are under massive attack! Not just those light-fearing beasts...but...but people! Our people!"
The voice paused noticeably at this point, filled with unbelievable pain.
"Darkness erodes the mind; many cannot withstand it and go mad! They become insane lunatics who only know how to attack, thus undermining our defenses from within."
"Beasts, those damned black wolves, and other monstrous things, have taken the opportunity to break through the outer perimeter. We've suffered heavy losses; at least half the area has fallen. We're holding out in the core area using fortifications, but we can't hold out much longer! We urgently need aid! Any shelters or survivor groups that receive this message, please send reinforcements! I repeat, Rock Shelter requests urgent assistance!"
The broadcast then turned into a repetitive automated distress signal, providing the approximate location coordinates of Rock Shelter and the emergency contact frequency, but the desperate human voice never appeared again.
Xu Mo listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously gripping the cold casing of the radio, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
His last shred of hope was shattered.
What he received was not the response strategy broadcast by the Rock Shelter, nor a situation report, but a "cry for help" written in despair!
Rock Shelter, a large human settlement that Xu Mo considered on par with Jiangcheng, had teetered on the brink of collapse in such a short time after the fall of eternal night. Not only had it suffered external attacks from mutated beasts, but more terrifyingly, it was collapsing from within—its inhabitants were being corrupted by darkness and driven mad.
This confirmed my previous conjecture: the corruption of intelligent beings by darkness is real and deadly, manifesting as complete mental derangement and aggression, which is more difficult to defend against than external monsters.
With half the area occupied, it means that tens of thousands, or even more, of the survivors may have perished, and the stockpiled supplies, established order, and fortifications have all crumbled under the combined attack from both inside and outside.
A chill, more biting than the bitter cold of the eternal night outside the window, crept up Xu Mo's back.
Although the Jiangcheng shelter was also attacked, judging from the broadcaster's tone, the situation was still under control, while Panshi was at a critical juncture of life and death.
A thought resurfaced in Xu Mo's mind: If even a large shelter like Rock is struggling so much, what about the other small and medium-sized strongholds? What about the scattered survivors? What about their situation?
The cruelty of the Eternal Night is far more profound and despairing than the blizzards and zombies Xu Mo had experienced before. It not only erodes life spiritually, but can even dismantle the fortress that humanity has painstakingly built from within.
Xu Mo turned off the radio, and the cries for help from the rock ceased abruptly, leaving only his slightly heavy breathing in the room. He walked to the window, his gaze piercing through the wooden planks as he looked out at the inky darkness that swallowed everything. The distant rock, the direction where the lights of human civilization might have once shone, was now nothing but a deathly silence.
What could he do in response to the rock's cry for help? He was just a lone traveler in a remote corner of the world; he had neither the ability nor the means to carry out a hopeless rescue across a dangerous area.
But this news about the Rock Shelter undoubtedly served as a stark warning to Xu Mo.
What if one day the effects of darkness intensify, or a more powerful monster emerges that is less afraid of light? What if he himself were to be mentally corrupted by darkness?
"I must become stronger!" Xu Mo clenched his fists, his eyes becoming incredibly determined.
The current predicament of Rock Shelter is not merely a distant tragedy, but a clear signal: in this war against eternal darkness, nowhere is a true haven. Only by becoming strong and acquiring more knowledge and resources can one carve a path to survival in this hopeless, endless night.
Xu Mo turned away, no longer looking at the suffocating darkness outside the window, and walked towards the training room. That was currently the only place he could control, the starting point on the path to becoming stronger.