Night of Despair-Chapter 441: Exploration 439 Three

"Essentially, I’m no saint; saving those beside me when convenient is the limit of my abilities," Yu Hong murmured softly.

Turning his head, he looked back at the three people behind him.

Ku Chan wore an indifferent expression, clearly uninterested in these matters.

Zhang Kajing’s countenance was calm, her eyes a cool abyss, inscrutable in their depth.

Yiyi, too, maintained a tranquil facade, yet her gaze brimmed with a clear bewilderment. She and Zhang Kaijun both projected an aura of innocence, shared the same ponytail hairstyle, and both had long black hair.

But at this moment, the two presented a stark visual contrast; one mature, the other naive, one sharp, the other natural.

Yu Hong felt a silent sigh within his heart, yet regardless, Yiyi remained the person he trusted the most.

After all, he was certain of one thing: if he ever found himself in dire straits, the one who would unquestionably come to his aid without a moment’s hesitation was certainly Yiyi.

So as long as that assurance existed, anything else could be overlooked.

"Let’s go," he turned and entered the sanctuary house.

The other three followed him into the sanctuary house.

Inside the camp, the Dragon Lizard Nest had been completely transferred onto the Black Light. The Light Disaster Ultimate Gate continued to emit radiation and various monsters unabated.

Click.

The sanctuary house’s door closed behind Zhang Kajing, the last to enter, and locked firmly.

At the observation window, Yu Hong’s face briefly flitted by.

And was obscured by a curtain drawn over it.

Peace reigned supreme.

After a few breaths, the sanctuary house cave trembled suddenly, and the area where the observation window had been turned to stone.

Following that, the original sanctuary house door on this section of the mountain wall began to blur, fade, and then seamlessly merged with the surrounding rock wall, disappearing entirely.

From a distance, it appeared nothing more than an ordinary rock wall, devoid of any trace of a door.

***

***

***

Within the sanctuary house.

After Yu Hong mentally commanded the move, a subtle vibration commenced around them.

After ten or so seconds,

The sanctuary house fully merged with the Black Ship, the Black Light.

Long ago, he had enhanced the sanctuary house’s mobility, though it was seldom used.

This time, he directed the sanctuary house to move towards the Black Light, engulfed in the black fog.

The attempt was a success.

Yu Hong watched with wide eyes as the landscape outside the door’s observation window shifted from a blank expanse of snow to the broad, hard, black deck of the Black Light.

He looked back at the three companions, who seemed to have noticed something amiss, and he smiled.

"Are you ready?"

The three, puzzled, watched as Yu Hong walked forward and pushed open the door of the sanctuary house that had just been sealed.

Click.

Outside the door was no longer the ice and snow nor the shimmering blue light of the Ultimate Gate, but the broad and tidy black deck of the Black Light.

"This—!?" Ku Chan’s eyes widened, he stepped out onto the deck and looked back.

He found himself standing on the twentieth level of the Black Light’s deck, which was easily recognizable as the main deck. Besides the layers of the ship itself, this level housed the various major areas of the ship.

Including the Main Control Room, passages to the stern and bow, and the exits for disembarking—all could be found here.

This level was also the most expansive of all the decks.

They had already browsed through it earlier during their arrival.

"The whole camp... has been moved onto the ship?" Ku Chan asked Yu Hong in astonishment.

"To be precise, the camp and the Black Light were always one and the same; now, we’re finally seeing its fully integrated form," Yu Hong replied with a smile.

"A fine treasure!" Ku Chan exclaimed. "No wonder you referred to it as the Savior Ship when you introduced it to us..."

"This is also a reward from my exploration of the Source Disaster. Consider it the legacy left by the forces devastated by the Source Disaster," Yu Hong said.

"..." The word ’legacy’ struck Ku Chan into silence.

"This place is so big..." Unlike him, this was Yiyi’s first time aboard the Black Light.

At that moment, she was looking around, visibly shocked, wandering about the deck, touching everything curiously.

"This will be your home from now on," said Yu Hong. Yiyi’s situation was special due to her identity issues; she couldn’t truly go to any other world. Better then to become his first permanent crew member.

"Really?" Yiyi turned around, her face a blend of shock and delight.

"Of course," Yu Hong nodded with a smile. "There’s lots to play with, lots of places to rest. You can choose any place you like on this level. Below us is the entertainment area, and above there’s a sports area and swimming pool, gaming consoles, and an audio-visual zone, all in the entertainment area."

"Where do I go for cultivation?" Ku Chan was already familiar with the place and disinterested in such pleasures.

"It’s on this level, towards the stern. You can use any room marked with a sign," said Yu Hong.

"If you need me, I’ll be cultivating. I haven’t finished the Elixir I was refining," declared Ku Chan as he turned to leave.

Watching his departing figure, Yu Hong understood that the man probably saw the Black Disaster Spirit Disaster as an object of vengeance, now throwing himself into it wholeheartedly, uninterested in anything else.

"I’m off to the entertainment area. Call me for meals. Thanks," Zhang Kajing chimed in from the side.

"Go ahead," Yu Hong said with a smile, "I’ve stocked the entertainment area with every game console and thousands of different games available on the market, enough to keep you entertained for a very long time. You can dine in the catering area."

Hearing these words, Zhang Kajing’s steps accelerated from a walk to a run, quickly disappearing at the staircase leading upstairs.

The remaining Yiyi ran to the side of the ship and looked out, clearly very curious about this place.

Beyond the ship’s railing surged the tumultuous black waters of the river.

Countless gray-black monsters bobbed up and down in the river, visible one moment and hidden the next.

Fog enveloped the entire surroundings of the Black Light, with visibility dropping to zero beyond twenty meters.

Moo~~~

From deep within the distant fog, the eerie sounds of monstrous howls continued to echo.

The vessel slowly made its way forward, as if navigating an endless river.

"Is this... deep within the Black Disaster?" Yiyi’s previously cheerful face suddenly became somber.

The world of Hope City had been peaceful for a while, leading her to let her guard down somewhat.

But now, seeing the familiar threatening black fog and the countless shadows of monsters in the river, the memories of past events naturally rose up from the depths of her heart.

Yiyi’s expression increasingly became serious and tense, as she evidently entered a state of readiness.

"Yes. Our objective is to explore the secrets deep within the Source Disaster, to determine what it actually is, how many powerful monsters and enemies lie within, and to anticipate the multitude of difficulties that may arise. Also, I plan to rescue a senior who was once taken away for helping everyone fight against the Source Disaster," said Yu Hong.

"I understand, a rescue mission? I’ll help you!" Yiyi nodded.

"I’m sorry." Yu Hong walked over to her, gently ruffling her hair. "If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to face these things again."

"I can’t escape it," Yiyi shook her head, "I’ve figured out everything about my mother, no matter where I go, I can no longer live with normal people..."

"..." Yu Hong fell silent.

With Yiyi’s identity, aside from letting her stay alone in the near-extinct world of Hope City, even if she could be brought to the New World, she would only become a node connecting the world to the Black Disaster.

After all, she was essentially one half of a Black Disaster Monster.

"Don’t worry, this life isn’t too bad," Yiyi said, noticing Yu Hong’s silence. She smiled and gently hugged his arm, resting her face against his hand.

"We’re good friends, right?"

"..." Yu Hong was taken aback, feeling the soft pressure on his hand and seeing the sincerity and peace in Yiyi’s eyes.

"Yes...." He smiled as well.

After making the arrangements, Yiyi went to rest in a bedroom aboard the ship.

Yu Hong returned alone to the safe house.

Now, the safe house had merged with the Main Control Room of the ship.

The door to the Main Control Room was located on one of the walls within the safe house.

He entered the Main Control Room and looked forward through the circular glass windows.

The bow of the ship cut through the waves and the layers of black fog, heading towards an unknown destination.

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’I hope we can find it this time.’ He closed his eyes and quickly located the orbs containing the Black Mark in his mind; the largest of these, a dark purple sphere, represented the current Black Light.

After enhancement, it had transformed into this state.

Controlling the Black Light was simple; Yu Hong just needed to imagine touching the orb and then order it to move to the locations marked by his presence.

This mark was primarily his Black Mark accessory.

For example, his often-used Dragon Lizards.

His senses expanded.

Following his spiritual connection, Yu Hong quickly simulated a virtual map in his mind.

Within a black ocean.

Far to the left of the Black Light shone a white light point, the recently stabilized New World, where many Black Light soldiers served as marks. Clustered together, they were quite distinct.

Since the Spirit Light Secret Skill was also a product of the Black Mark enhancement, it could also serve as a marker.

Far behind, another slightly smaller white light point was the world of Hope City, where the Light Disaster Ultimate Gate, summoned by Yu Hong himself through his Cultivation Technique—also enhanced by the Black Mark—served as a marker too.

On the far right, there was a mark of a Dragon Lizard, which was from the recently visited Prison Island.

’Quan He has the Spirit Light Secret Skill that I left with her, being one of the most powerful bearers of it; if we get close enough, I should be able to sense something... Since the Spirit Light hasn’t been reclaimed and there’s no sign of sensing it, the most likely scenario is that she’s been captured and hidden away by some forces on the side of the Spirit Disaster...’

Standing in the Main Control Room, Yu Hong pondered how to find Quan He.

’Never mind, I’ll take another trip to the Taoist Sect world and see if I can find an entrance.’

During his last search, the entrance to the Taoist Sect world had disappeared.

Although he hadn’t found it, he remembered the approximate location. All he needed to do was to find the direction where the Spirit Disaster’s essence was strongest in the Black River.

For now, Yu Hong did not immediately set off, but closed his eyes to sense the current state of the Black Light.

The entire structure of the ship quickly became clear in his perception.

With his current intensity of spiritual power, amplified by the Spirit Light to tens of millions, scanning and sensing the Black Light was effortless.

Adding the Black Mark’s control function, the entirety of the Black Light was under his command, as if observing the lines in his palm.

Extending his hand, he projected a strand of dark red Inner Strength.

The Inner Strength formed a thread, weaving a glowing model of the combined Black Light and safe house right before his eyes.

’Before departure, let’s set up the security alert system.’

With a thought, storage compartments at the bottom layer of the ship’s interior, each containing Dragon Lizards, slowly opened from the inside out.

Hiss...

Groups of black Dragon Lizards swarmed out of the storages, densely spread along corridors towards various parts of the Black Light.

’Current Dragon Lizard count: 6721.’