"Indeed," Ye Feng said, "On the way here, many hotels and bars have switched to kerosene lamps or biogas lamps!"
Little One also found it rather strange upon hearing Ye Feng’s comment.
"Mr. Zhang San, it's like this: Brad Base indeed possesses a developed arcane energy civilization, but items like Arcane Yuan Coins and Arcane Raw Stones are extremely precious resources!"
"Ordinary people usually trade Arcane Yuan Coins or Arcane Raw Stones with the various factions in Brad Base for daily necessities or weapons."
"Large hotels can indeed use Arcane Yuan Coins for illumination. If one Arcane Yuan Coin is only used for lighting, it can last for a very long time. However, using it at night can be very dangerous!" Bao Yuting quickly explained to Ye Feng.
"Dangerous?" Ye Feng looked at Bao Yuting, puzzled.
"Yes!" Bao Yuting nodded. "Mr. Zhang San, you must know that in the world after the Great Cataclysm, many monsters emerge once night falls, right?"
"Are you referring to creatures like Night Mantises, Bloodthirsty Bat Swarms, and Goblins?" Ye Feng frowned slightly, then his eyes lit up. "Are you talking about energy-devouring monsters?"
"That's right!" Bao Yuting nodded. "Bloodthirsty Bat Swarms and Night Mantises are naturally nocturnal monsters."
"But for the explorers of Brad Base, their danger is generally manageable unless it's a surprise attack!"
"Compared to energy-devouring monsters, Night Mantises, Bloodthirsty Bat Swarms, and even some intelligent Goblins are no match at all!"
Bao Yuting’s expression turned grave. "No one can explain where energy-devouring monsters come from; we only know that they have existed since the establishment of Brad Base..."
"Much like the Energy-Devouring Sandhawks we encountered last night, energy-devouring monsters track the fluctuations of arcane energy and attack ferociously until they have completely devoured the energy."
"Originally, weapons related to arcane energy were a great reliance for humans in dealing with monsters, but because of the appearance of energy-devouring monsters..."
Bao Yuting sighed with emotion. "Most energy-devouring monsters are nocturnal. While using arcane energy during the day is fine, it becomes very troublesome at night!"
"This is also why major hotels use candles and kerosene lamps for illumination!"
"Using Arcane Yuan Coins for illumination, while much brighter than candles or kerosene lamps, might attract energy-devouring monsters, such as Energy-Devouring Locusts, Energy-Devouring Iron Beasts, or even Exoskeletal Apes... Flying energy-devouring monsters are particularly dangerous!" Bao Yuting said with a heavy tone, watching the sky that had almost completely darkened.
"Oh, I see!" Ye Feng muttered, walked to a table by the window in the hotel lobby, sat down, and began to eat heartily with Little One, taking out food and water.
During this time, Ye Feng offered Bao Yuting a bread roll, but she politely declined, stating she had her own food.
"Big Brother, there's a blood-red crescent moon slowly rising over there!" Little One, who was eating a coconut bread roll, pointed out the window to a distant spot.
"That is the Blood Moon flag at the highest point of Blood Moon City, located in the core urban area of Brad Base!" Before Ye Feng could respond, Bao Yuting chimed in.
"Hong~ Hong Hong!" Almost simultaneously, an exceptionally loud sound, similar to a defense alarm, echoed through the night sky.
"The Blood Moon rises, the death knell tolls, the Night of Slaughter... has begun!" Bao Yuting swallowed and said with a look of terror.
"Little One, let's go for a stroll! Let's experience the atmosphere of Brad Base at night!" Ye Feng squinted, looking at the dark night outside the hotel, and said.
"Oh, okay!" Little One finished the last bite of her coconut bread roll and nodded.
"This... Mr. Zhang San... Flowery girls..." Bao Yuting was stunned. She looked at Ye Feng, then at Little One, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
"If you're tired, go back to your room to rest early. See you tomorrow!" Ye Feng stretched his body and walked directly towards the hotel entrance, with Little One closely following.
"I..." Bao Yuting touched the room card in her hand, feeling as if she were in a dream. She had initially thought that sleeping on the floor in a hotel room would suffice, but she hadn't expected Ye Feng to actually book her a suite...
"Get out, anyone without a room is forbidden to stay within the hotel premises!" As Ye Feng and Little One walked out of the hotel, a commotion erupted behind them. Several explorers, crying out in distress, were being thrown out by burly hotel staff.
"Sir, the Night of Slaughter has begun. Your safety cannot be guaranteed once you leave the Heavenly Realm Hotel!" Bao Yuting had just reached the hotel entrance when she was stopped by guards armed with AK47s.
Ye Feng waved goodbye to Bao Yuting and then, with Little One, walked off in a direction on their own.
"Hey, kid, stop right there!"
"Hand over all your food and weapons!"
Before Ye Feng and Little One had walked a few steps, someone holding a double-barreled shotgun ran up to them and shouted menacingly. It was one of the explorers who had just been thrown out of the hotel.
"Crack~ Ah!"
"Bang~ Ah! Plop!~" Ye Feng, too lazy to argue, stepped forward and sent the man flying, who then fell into a dark corner. Clearly, people were ambushed in the dark corner. They immediately struck down the explorer, who had been sent flying with broken bones, and robbed him of his equipment...
Ye Feng ignored them and, with Little One, quickly blended into the darkness.
...
"Big Brother, where are we going?" In the darkness, inside a top-floor room of a seven-story building, Little One quietly asked Ye Feng.
"See that?" Ye Feng, by the window, pointed to the Blood Moon flag fluttering high in the distance.
"Big Brother, are we going to run straight into Blood Moon City?" Little One was quite surprised. This was because Ye Feng had previously told her that they would wait for the auction in Brad Base to start and see if the final auction item was an angel before making a decision.
"No!" Ye Feng shook his head gently. "We're going there to verify something... Let's wait a bit longer. It's not chaotic enough yet..."
"Bang! Rumble!~"
"Dada da! Bang bang bang!"
"Hoo hoo~ Roar!" Before Ye Feng could finish speaking, a huge explosion erupted from the storefront of the building next to them, followed by dense gunfire, interspersed with the wild cheers of a crowd.
...
Deep into the night, Brad Base was engulfed in flames everywhere. Gunshots, fighting, cries for help, curses, and the sound of shattering objects could be heard. People occasionally screamed and ran across the streets, while others rode through recklessly, firing indiscriminately and spewing flames along the way...
"Big Brother, these people are truly like madmen... Those few people were just passing by trying to escape, but they were shot and killed by the motorcyclists who rushed over..." Little One, observing with night-vision goggles by the window, spoke.
"Perhaps, this is the apocalypse..." As Ye Feng spoke, he moved a plump, burly corpse aside. The room already contained quite a few corpses, all of them individuals who had tried to occupy this place and carry out killings. After all, it offered a commanding view, making it suitable for both observation and surprise attacks.
"Big Brother, I see them, they're vampires!" Suddenly, Little One exclaimed softly.
...