专业炒股配资

(TL note :- will upload the rest of bonus chapters tomorrow)

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At the cave safehouse.

Wei Shanshan carefully pulled up her pants, glanced around, and shyly used her foot to push some dirt over the pit, covering up the waste.

With a sigh, she returned to the wooden hut and looked at her resting mother. Compared to before, she felt much more at ease.

“Mom… that protein bar was amazing. Just one, and I don’t feel hungry at all…”

Qiu Yanxi turned her face to the side and gave her daughter a strange look. Lying on the filthy blanket, she gazed up at Wei Shanshan from below, and the angle, combined with her expression, suddenly felt unfamiliar to her daughter.

“What’s wrong?” Wei Shanshan asked softly.

“Shanshan… tell me honestly, did you sleep with that guy, Yu?” Qiu Yanxi’s eyes flickered with a trace of pain, but she kept her voice as calm as possible.

“Don’t be afraid. If you did, you did. Given the current situation, it’s our fault—your father and I protected you too well before. Something like this… it’s really not that big of a deal. Don’t overthink it.”

She recalled what she had seen before—when they were fleeing from the academy, they had encountered a wealthy family. The daughter, once a pampered young lady, had traded her body for food to help her father. But instead of gratitude, she had been beaten, cursed, and shamed. In the end, she had jumped from a height, ending her life on the spot.

Qiu Yanxi didn’t want her daughter to suffer the same fate.

As long as she was alive, there was still hope.

“No!” Wei Shanshan’s face flushed red. She lowered her head. “He… wasn’t interested in me at all. But when he heard about my dad’s position, he…”

She thought her mother would be relieved by this answer. But to her surprise, Qiu Yanxi’s expression grew even more serious.

“In a situation like this, when there’s no law or restraint, yet he can suppress his desires and remain disciplined… this man, this Mr. Yu, must be incredibly self-controlled—maybe even terrifyingly so.” Qiu Yanxi said in a low voice.

“Mom, what are you worried about? Isn’t that a good thing? The more powerful Mr. Yu is, the safer we are.” Wei Shanshan didn’t understand.

“If your father’s offer is enough to satisfy him, then fine. But if it’s not… we hold no value to him at all,” Qiu Yanxi shook her head. “Honestly, if he had shown some interest in you, I might have felt a little more at ease.”

“Mom! What are you even saying?!” Wei Shanshan was completely bewildered.

“Forget it,” Qiu Yanxi changed the subject. “Tell me, last night, did you see those glowing plants in the yard? They acted like sunlight, keeping the blood tide from coming in. And we’ve been here for a while now—have you noticed any sounds from the Ghostly Shadows? Not even a whisper, right?”

Wei Shanshan nodded hesitantly.

“What does that mean? Do you understand?” Qiu Yanxi looked at her daughter with an intense gaze.

“Mm… If Dad could get samples of those plants, he might be able to study them and figure something out.” Wei Shanshan understood their value.

“Mr. Yu is no ordinary man. He’s been surviving in this wilderness, yet he has no shortage of food or safety. He must have some hidden trump card. And those glowing plants that repel the blood tide… that must be his secret weapon.” Qiu Yanxi said in a serious tone. R₳ŊȰＢĚş

“But what does that have to do with us?” Wei Shanshan asked, confused. “We just need to wait for the rescue team to come, don’t we?”@@novelbin@@

“My silly daughter, do you really think that once we reach your father, we’ll be completely safe?” Qiu Yanxi laughed bitterly and rubbed her daughter’s cheek. “Your father is just a deputy director at a city research institute—one of three, at that. His position and authority don’t compare to the actual director, let alone those even higher up. But if we could get Mr. Yu’s secret for avoiding the blood tide and hand it over to your father for research…”

“We could trade with Mr. Yu and see if he’s willing to exchange it,” Wei Shanshan’s eyes lit up.

“And what do we have that he would want?” Qiu Yanxi shook her head. “Your father’s just a deputy director, but he has no real resources or power. The intelligence he provided before—that was all the support he could offer remotely.”

“Then what do we do?” Wei Shanshan was frustrated. Seeing a glimmer of hope, only to realize they had no way of obtaining it, was incredibly frustrating.

“We’ll observe for now. No need to rush—I’ll think of a way.” A sharp glint flickered in Qiu Yanxi’s eyes.

“We’ll start by asking him directly. If that doesn’t work, we’ll find another way.”

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps crunching over dry leaves echoed from outside.

The steps were firm and steady—unmistakably Yu Hong’s way of walking.

Creak.

The wooden gate swung open, and Yu Hong walked in, gripping his club. As he passed by the wooden hut, he glanced at the door and saw through the gap that the mother and daughter were still inside. Satisfied, he continued toward the cave entrance, about to open the door.

“Mr. Yu, please wait—I’d like to discuss something with you.”

Qiu Yanxi’s voice came from behind him.

Her tone was sincere. As the wooden door creaked open, she leaned on her daughter for support, standing at the doorway and gazing at him.

Yu Hong turned around and examined her once more.

This woman, nearing forty, was remarkably well-maintained. Now that she had freshened up a bit, she looked more like she was in her late twenties. Standing next to her daughter, they had the appearance of a pair of sisters.

Her figure was even more striking than her daughter’s—her curves were impossible to hide, even beneath her athletic clothing.

“What is it?” Yu Hong asked calmly, retracting his gaze.

“It’s about the glowing plants in your yard. How do they repel the blood tide? Would you be willing to trade that knowledge with us?” Qiu Yanxi asked sincerely. “The situation outside is worsening. Sunlight-based materials are in short supply. If we had a second way to protect ourselves, who knows how many lives we could save? Your generosity could change countless fates.”

“What do you have to offer in exchange?” Yu Hong asked directly. “I can share the method—but what’s the price?”

The luminous stone grass was indeed something he could share, but he personally didn’t think it was all that useful. It was too fragile. Without inner energy to accelerate its growth, it would be wiped out in an instant.

Previously, An Evil shadow arrived and destroyed 90% of the Luminous grass, leaving only a few outer seedlings, which barely managed to recover.

This meant that the Luminous stone grass had a limit—once it was exceeded, it could not regenerate and would be instantly destroyed, making it highly fragile.

“We can compensate you with supplies. Once the rescue team arrives, we will be able to make the payment. Additionally, you could come with us to Hope City. Once inside, we can arrange a well-paying position for you,” Qiu Yanxi said sincerely.

“Supplies?” Yu Hong remained indifferent. “We’ll see. The real problem isn’t the shortage of sunlight materials, but the fact that the Black Disaster cannot be completely eradicated. Even if dispersed, it quickly regathers. In this situation, no amount of alternative sunlight materials will make a real difference.”

“Mr. Yu, you might find it worthwhile to talk with my husband. He is also involved in scientific research in this field, and you might have much in common. If you join the research institute, the benefits will be far better than struggling alone in this wilderness,” Qiu Yanxi persuaded.

“Let’s wait until the rescue team arrives. Right now, you can’t offer me any concrete guarantees,” Yu Hong cut her off bluntly and turned to open the door.

Qiu Yanxi watched helplessly as the heavy wooden door closed. She patted her daughter’s arm.

“This man is definitely someone extraordinary. His outfit resembles the Gray Lizard Suit sold on the market, but it’s much thicker and more advanced. On top of that, he has high-grade anti-inflammatory medicine and protein bars. If he can escort us back safely, we’ll be in good hands.”

“Then, Mom, what should we do next?” Wei Shanshan asked in confusion.

“No rush. We still have time. Let’s think about it first,” Qiu Yanxi shook her head.

Bang.

The wooden door was locked.

Yu Hong quickly took off his gear, inhaled the fresh air, then sat down on the wooden bench and took out the new rune he had copied earlier.

The vortex rune was originally the size of an egg, but his copied version was much larger, about the size of a grapefruit.

Yu Hong cleared the table, laid the copied rune flat, and transcribed a second copy using charcoal.

Afterward, he glanced at the communicator, which was still in the process of enhancement. Deciding to rest, he lay down for a nap to recharge.

By the time he woke up, the sky had darkened, and the communicator’s enhancement was complete.

Yu Hong sat up, took the second copy of the rune, placed his hand on it, and silently commanded:

“Enhance the rune formation. Direction: Dispel Ghostly Shadows.”

Black ink-like lines flowed out from his brand imprint and into the rune.

“Incomplete.”

As expected.

A smile appeared on Yu Hong’s face.

This was precisely his goal—using the brand imprint as a way to determine the rune’s actual function.

“The fundamental requirement for brand imprint enhancement is that the object must have at least the basic properties of the intended enhancement. If I randomly pick up a stone and try to enhance it into a powerful luminous stone, it won’t work because an ordinary stone has no ability to repel Ghostly Shadows.”

“The brand imprint enhances, evolves, upgrades, and synthesizes—but it cannot create something from nothing.”

Having used the brand imprint for so long, Yu Hong had gained a deep understanding of its workings.

“In other words, I just need to keep testing different enhancement functions. If an attempt is rejected, it means that’s not the rune’s purpose. I’ll keep changing directions until the brand imprint accepts one.”

“The final enhancement that succeeds must be the true function of this vortex rune!”

Gazing at the unfamiliar rune, he continued testing.

“Enhance the rune. Direction: Positioning, Sensing.”

Black lines emerged.

“Incomplete.”

“Enhance the rune. Direction: Attack, Damage.”

“Incomplete.”

He tried again and again, receiving the same result each time.

Yu Hong was extremely patient, methodically going through every possibility.

Time passed slowly. Eventually, he had tested nearly every function he could think of.

And yet, the results were all the same—”Incomplete.”

His brows gradually furrowed.

“Could this rune really be useless?” he wondered.

“No worries, there’s another way.”

Besides enhancement, the brand imprint had another feature—synthesis.

Yu Hong picked up a blank sheet of paper, placed it over a regular luminous stone with runes, and pressed his hand on it.

He silently commanded the brand imprint to merge the unknown rune with the luminous stone.

By comparing the synthesized result to the original, he could determine the rune’s general function.

Though this process was slower and might not yield a complete answer, it was still worth trying.