“There is, there is!” Little Grace saw that he spoke, and pure happiness instantly shone in her bright eyes.

She got up and rummaged around again, soon managed to whip up another bowl of black mush, sat by the bed, and fed it to Henry Clark.

But the mush seemed too low in calories, or maybe Henry Clark hadn’t eaten in a long time and was weak—after finishing, he was still a bit hungry. So he asked again.

Little Grace happily made him another bowl.

After being fed this time, Henry Clark was finally half full. The cool, black mush made his stomach feel much more comfortable.

He also felt a lot stronger.

“How long did I sleep?” he looked at Little Grace and asked.

“Four days…” Little Grace held up four fingers, grinning and showing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

“Thank you.” Henry Clark looked at her and sincerely expressed his gratitude.

He knew that if it weren’t for her taking care of him, he probably would have died in his stupor.

Looking again at the strange and dangerous environment outside, if no one was looking after him here, he probably wouldn’t survive a day on his own.

A simple verbal thank you felt too insubstantial for such a favor, but that was fine—he would have a chance to repay her in the future.

He didn’t believe that, as a mentally sound and able-bodied man, he couldn’t do better than Little Grace, a disabled girl, if he put his mind to it.

“It’s… nothing.” Little Grace said with a smile.

She happily stood up, went to fetch water to try to give Henry Clark a drink, but after scraping the little vat for a long time, she couldn’t even get a small cup of water.

“I’ll go out, to the well, to get water.” Little Grace returned to the bedside and struggled to explain to Henry Clark.

“I’ll be back… soon!”

“You… must not… open the door… or window! No matter who knocks, don’t… open!” Little Grace reminded him very seriously.

“Okay! I got it.” Henry Clark nodded earnestly as well.

Getting his response, Little Grace nodded, grabbed the water vat, and rushed out.

The door closed, and a strong musty smell drifted through the air, making Henry Clark a bit uncomfortable.

But he remembered Little Grace’s warning—breathing in some mold was still better than being killed by whatever dangers lurked outside.

More importantly, he also remembered the white stone he had stuffed into his pocket before falling unconscious.

At this moment, a trace of curiosity, anticipation, and nervousness rose in his heart.

He reached into his pocket, quickly grasped the white stone, and slowly pulled it out.

Holding the stone in his palm, Henry Clark began to examine it carefully.

The white stone had changed.

The part that had turned black before was now pure white again.

It looked just like a piece of jade.

A faint, jade-like luster had appeared on its surface.

Even the red symbol in the center had become neater, more complex, and the strokes more forceful.

‘This is…’ Henry Clark’s heart stirred. To confirm his suspicion, he got up and rummaged through a bag in the junk corner, pulling out a white stone that Little Grace hadn’t used.

Comparing the two stones, the difference was immediately clear.

The white stone he had strengthened was obviously much higher quality than the other.

The red symbol drawn on it was also much more complex—completely different patterns, as if the strengthening process had also enhanced the red symbol.

‘This kind of strengthening… is it like an upgraded version?’ Henry Clark was full of questions.

After comparing, he carefully put away the strengthened white stone and sat back down by the bed.

His fever was gone, but he was still weak—just moving a little made him dizzy and lightheaded.

The wound on his back was numb; he didn’t know if it was getting worse or healing, and without a mirror, he couldn’t see for himself.

He reached back to feel it, but could only touch the bandaged dressing.

It was obvious that either Little Grace or Dr. Carter had helped him take care of it.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, the door was knocked.

“Who is it!?” Henry Clark looked up and called out.

“It’s me, Dr. Carter. Is Yiyi here?”

A somewhat familiar middle-aged woman’s voice came from outside.

“She’s not here.” Henry Clark replied.

“I came to bring her some medicine. I’ll leave it on the ground at the door. Remember to take it, and when she comes back, let her know.” Dr. Carter said.

“Okay.”

Henry Clark responded.

Soon, the faint sound of footsteps faded away, and everything returned to calm.

Henry Clark took a breath, steadied himself on the bed, and slowly made his way toward the door.

The medicine was left at the door—if someone took it, that would be bad. From what he’d learned before, medicine here was far more valuable than he’d imagined.

So, he had to bring it in quickly.

He slowly, step by step, moved to the door, reached out, and grabbed the handle.

Click.

The handle turned halfway.

Suddenly, Henry Clark stopped.

He remembered what Little Grace had said before leaving: absolutely do not open the door!!

Immediately, a sense of caution rose in his heart. He lowered his head and looked at the gap under the door.

It was daytime, the sunlight was bright, and light shone through the crack.

But just that one glance made Henry Clark’s whole body go numb.

He saw that outside the door, there was a shadow—a person was standing right outside!

The light was blocked by the figure, casting a faint shadow.

It was this shadow that let Henry Clark judge that someone was standing right outside the door, separated from him by only a door panel.