Chapter 76 - 69: Daybreak

Chapter 76: Chapter 69: Daybreak

On the very edge of Cyan Pine Ridge Town, near a former main road, Xu Mo stopped before a large, rusty iron gate in an abandoned industrial park. This was the most suitable place he’d found for the large warehouse’s sign. He planned to get an assault boat from here today.

"This is the place."

Xu Mo looked up at the factory gate. It was over four meters tall and looked incredibly heavy.

’I hope this works,’ Xu Mo muttered, then set down the pack on his back containing the sign and other tools. The snow had almost buried the gate. He needed to clear away enough for it to open.

Xu Mo took out a folding shovel and drew a deep breath. The shovel became a blur in his hands as he rapidly dug out large chunks of snow and tossed them behind him. The snow was packed hard and frozen solid from the low temperatures, but for Xu Mo, whose strength far surpassed an ordinary person’s, it felt more like a warm-up. Even so, clearing the waist-deep snow from the area several meters in front of the gate still took him a good deal of time.

When the bottom of the gate was finally revealed, Xu Mo wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead and took the sign he had prepared from his pack. It was made from a relatively thick plastic sheet, with four large words written in bold red permanent marker: [Water Rescue Equipment Depot]

Xu Mo fastened the sign squarely onto the gate, pressing on it to make sure it was secure.

Everything was ready. Xu Mo pushed the gate open.

The familiar, faint ripple washed over him. An odor—a mix of rubber, fuel, and a hint of mildew—assailed him, and Xu Mo frowned. The scene behind the gate was entirely different from the warehouses he had opened before.

Before him was a spacious, though not massive, indoor area. The ceiling was high, with several explosion-proof lamps hanging from it. The walls were painted a simple white. The most eye-catching feature was the several boats arranged neatly in the center of the space.

Near the door were three orange-red inflatable rafts, folded up on trailers. Farther inside were sturdier, more streamlined assault boats. They were about four to five meters long, with hulls made of sturdy fiberglass or high-density polyethylene, mostly in high-visibility white or orange. Powerful outboard motors were mounted on their sterns. On shelves in a corner, unopened boxes of life jackets, life rings, ropes, oars, signal lights, and other accompanying equipment were stacked neatly. Against a wall was a pile of blue plastic drums labeled with the word "FUEL."

The 60-second countdown had begun.

Xu Mo’s eyes swept over the room, quickly locking onto his target. He strode toward an orange assault boat that looked the newest and best-maintained. The boat was about four and a half meters long, its hull sleek and streamlined. He grabbed a handrail on its side and gave it a powerful lift.

’Hm, not light!’

Xu Mo estimated that the assault boat, including the outboard motor attached to its stern, weighed close to two hundred kilograms. His former self would never have been able to move it alone. But for Xu Mo, who was now in the Cowhide Realm, this was not a problem.

With a low shout, Xu Mo engaged his core and hoisted the assault boat onto his shoulders.

He carried the assault boat, strode to the doorway, and set it down in the apocalyptic world outside.

Without a moment’s pause, Xu Mo spun around, rushed back inside, and made a beeline for the pile of fuel drums. They were all perfectly sealed 25-liter drums.

Xu Mo grabbed two drums in each hand and charged for the doorway again. Sensing he still had plenty of time left on the countdown in his mind, he made another trip.

The 60-second timer ran out just as he placed the second load of fuel outside the gate.

The gate behind him reverted to its original state, as if nothing had happened. Only the [Water Rescue Equipment Depot] sign on the gate, and the conspicuous assault boat and eight drums of fuel in the clearing outside, proved what had just transpired.

Looking at his haul, Xu Mo heaved a long sigh of relief, a satisfied look spreading across his face. The process had taken some effort, but the result was perfect.

Only after Xu Mo had safely transported the assault boat and supplies back to his shelter and carefully concealed them did he truly breathe a sigh of relief. With this watercraft, he finally felt prepared for any potential floods.

’The preparations are just about complete.’ Xu Mo gazed at the still ink-black sky, his heart filled with anticipation.

All that was left was to wait patiently for the prophesied dawn.

Time slipped by in a cycle of cultivation, vigilance, and occasional observation. The hands on the mechanical watch on Xu Mo’s wrist had tirelessly circled the dial more than ten times.

Finally, as Xu Mo ascended to the rooftop for his daily observation and Pile Training routine, he keenly perceived a subtle change in the eternally unchanging eastern sky.

Far on the horizon, where the sky met the earth, the ink-black canvas was tinged with an exceedingly faint, yet incredibly resolute, dark red glow. The blush of red was so subtle it seemed it could be swallowed by the surrounding darkness at any moment, but it clung to existence, slowly expanding at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye. The glow dyed the surrounding deep black a profound crimson, which in turn transitioned to indigo and bluish-purple.

Xu Mo held his breath, his heart hammering in his chest. He stood on the rooftop, motionless as a statue, his gaze fixed on the east.

Seconds ticked by. The blush of red grew wider and brighter, as if some behemoth was gathering immense power behind the curtain of darkness.

Suddenly, at the base of that vast, splendid dawn glow, an incomparably brilliant and warm golden arc leaped above the horizon.

The sun!

It was the long-lost sun.

Though it was but a sliver of a golden arc, its light pierced the eternal darkness like a Sharp Sword. Warm, bright, life-giving golden sunlight once again bathed the land that had so long been ruled by ice and silence.

Xu Mo instinctively squinted. The long-absent light was slightly blinding, but what he felt more was an inexpressible excitement and joy, an emotion born from the very instinct of life. He felt a warmth on his face, dispelling the lingering, ghostly chill that had haunted him for so long. In the sunlight, the snow-covered ruins looked as if they were edged in gold, and the once-dead world instantly sprang to life.

"It’s finally back," Xu Mo murmured, a brilliant smile spreading across his face. He opened his arms wide, as if to embrace the long-lost light.

After the initial rush of excitement, Xu Mo quickly composed himself. He knew this moment, as the first light of dawn broke and the sun began to rise, was the perfect opportunity for Qi Collection.

Xu Mo immediately took his stance, facing the eastern sun as it steadily rose, becoming more and more whole. He circled his hands before his abdomen, palms cupped slightly, as if to cradle the first wisp of vitality born between heaven and earth.

He regulated his breathing, making it deep and long. His consciousness followed his breath, sinking into his Dantian, then guided the circulation of qi and blood within his body. At the same time, he focused his mind in visualization, imagining every pore in his body opening to greedily absorb the morning sunlight, which was suffused with infinite vitality and pure yang energy.

As Xu Mo visualized and breathed, the sunlight on his skin was no longer just physical light and heat; it became a unique ’energy’ that could resonate with his own qi and blood.

Threads of warmth seeped through his skin and into his muscles, merging with his circulating qi and blood. This made his already-surging life force even more lively, pure, and vigorous.

Xu Mo felt a long-absent, incredibly pleasant warmth spreading through his entire body. The faint sense of stagnation in his practice, which had lingered since the Eternal Night had interrupted his Qi Collection, quietly dissolved under the sun’s radiance. Xu Mo felt his Cowhide Realm Cultivation Level stabilizing under this baptism of sunlight, even showing subtle signs of advancement.

The golden sunlight bathed his entire body. It glinted off his skin, which already had the faint yellowish sheen of his cultivation, making him look as powerful as a vajra statue in a temple basking in the morning rays.

The Eternal Night was over. Dawn had come.