A giant tree requiring ten people to encircle, its branches and leaves blotting out the sky and covering the sun.
Such trees were everywhere, forming an endless primeval forest.
In an inconspicuous corner of the jungle, Zhao Hao stood with a completely bewildered look.
"Could this count as being transported to another world？"
Zhao Hao gasped for breath, his eyes darting around.
He had parents, friends, and a campus beauty girlfriend, so he just couldn't accept the setting of transmigration.
Carefully recalling the feeling of stepping into the pillar of light, Zhao Hao had a strange sensation—that should have been a kind of spatial teleportation. According to spoilers on online forums, the number of humans worldwide who entered the rainbow-colored pillars exceeded a hundred million. If this was supposed to be transmigration, that would be way too exaggerated—there's no way there'd be such a massive group transmigration, right？
"Since I could be teleported here, I can probably be teleported back, right？ Maybe this place is a two-dimensional space."
Zhao Hao struggled to stay calm, thinking about a very slim possibility.
He checked his belongings, with over a hundred lines of 'motherf***er' running through his mind, not sure if he should say them out loud.
Under normal circumstances, people who entered the rainbow-colored pillars were fully prepared. Food, water, a change of clothes—these were the essentials. Those who were a bit more advanced also brought various adventure gear, including weapons like knives and guns.
But Zhao Hao... was more like an impulsive walk-away trip！
All his worldly possessions were as follows： one phone, one pack of cigarettes, one lighter, and five hundred yuan in cash.
The phone could still be used, but there was no signal and no internet—only for taking photos or listening to music.
The lighter also worked; Zhao Hao lit a cigarette and pondered life.
The hunger rumbling from his stomach made tears fall before words could even come out.
Never mind whether he could get out of this primeval forest—just the problem of filling his stomach was enough to make anyone collapse.
"Woof! Woof!"
A big black dog ran over from a distance and nuzzled affectionately against Zhao Hao's pant leg.
"Da Hei！"
Zhao Hao was overjoyed, feeling the intimacy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land by sheer luck.
Weiwei was very fond of small animals. A year ago, Zhao Hao and his girlfriend had adopted this stray dog of unknown breed. Coming to this unknown otherworld, Da Hei still stuck with him through thick and thin, filling Zhao Hao with infinite emotion.
"Woof！"
Dahei tugged at Zhao Hao's pant leg, as if trying to drag him somewhere.
An animal's instincts far surpass a human's, so Zhao Hao chose to trust Dahei and headed in the direction indicated.
Ten minutes later, the man and the dog reached their destination.
Ahead was a clearing in the woods, with leaves scattered in disarray, showing signs of a struggle. Torn pieces of clothing lay nearby, and a pair of brand-name hiking boots had fallen on the ground, revealing bloody human soles inside.
Shh！
Zhao Hao gasped sharply, his hair standing on end.
He hadn't seen the fight unfold, but he could imagine how brutal it must have been. Without a doubt, someone had been attacked by an unknown creature, torn to shreds, leaving only the soles protected by the sturdy hiking boots intact.
Zhao Hao even suspected that the victim hadn't just been killed—he might have been eaten by the unknown creature！
A wave of unease washed over him, and Zhao Hao quickly grabbed a machete lying in the clearing.
That machete had a storied history—it was a famous jungle machete used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, eighteen inches in total length, hence the name 'Eighteen Chopper.' Because of its excellent practicality, it remains highly favored by wilderness survival enthusiasts and blade collectors worldwide. Judging from the knife, the victim had been a fairly professional wilderness explorer.
Zhao Hao felt the mounting pressure as cold sweat poured down his forehead.
If even a professional like this died with only his soles left, how many days could he, himself, survive？
He had a gut feeling that the creature that killed that wilderness adventurer was definitely not human.
Fear comes from the unknown. Zhao Hao couldn't imagine what kind of thing had hunted that man down.
'Woof！'
Dahei barked again, dashed to the base of a big tree, and jumped up vigorously.
Zhao Hao took a closer look and saw that a massive tree hole was located three meters above the ground.
Gripping the Eighteen-inch Cleaver tightly, he walked under the tree hole.
After cautiously scanning his surroundings, Zhao Hao stuck the machete into the ground and attempted to climb the big tree.
At this moment, Zhao Hao—known as the Muscle Monster on the basketball court—showed off his physical advantage. With astonishing jumping power, he leaped up, grabbed the edge of the tree hole with both hands, and easily crawled inside.
Inside the tree hole was large, with a bulging hiking backpack sitting there.
Zhao Hao opened the pack and immediately felt his eyes well up.
"Brother, what kismet！"
Whoever the original owner of this hiking backpack was, Zhao Hao only wanted to express his heartfelt gratitude right now.
Inside the hiking backpack were biscuits, canned food, mineral water, a compass, a lighter, a flashlight, and a Swiss Army knife—everything Zhao Hao needed most at that moment. Apart from that, the pack also contained two sets of sportswear, two pairs of brand-new briefs still sealed, and two pairs of new socks still wrapped in packaging.
Looking further down, Zhao Hao truly felt the professionalism of the backpack's original owner.
He pulled out a book-sized portable medical kit, which held rubbing alcohol, bandages, Band-Aids, and other emergency items. Another plastic case contained a bottle of shampoo and two bars of soap. There were also several metal boxes shaped like cigarette packs, filled with salt, chicken bouillon, and other camping seasonings.
Zhao Hao fished a watch out of the backpack, which not only showed the time but also the date. Carefully checking the biscuit expiration date, he saw it wouldn't expire for another year, so without hesitation, he tore open a pack and wolfed it down.
After eating his fill, Zhao Hao took out the compass, trying to find a direction to escape the primeval forest.
Soon he was dumbfounded—the compass needle spun wildly, utterly unable to point in a clear direction.
"Stay calm, brother. You've got to stay calm！"
Zhao Hao forced himself to stay composed and took a deep breath.
From the side pocket of his hiking backpack, he fished out a ballpoint pen and a palm-sized diary.
"Damn, my dude, do you have to be this hardcore? You're actually keeping a diary like Comrade Lei Feng！"
Zhao Hao opened the diary and was soon drawn in by its contents.
The further he read, the graver his expression became.
"December 14, 2013—After agonizing for a whole year, I finally couldn't resist stepping into the colorful light pillars. What's inside those pillars？ I don't know, and I don't care. I, who had nothing left to live for, was already resolved to die."
"December 15, 2013—I arrived in a brand-new world, a primeval forest larger than any nature reserve I've ever visited. The magnetic field here is chaotic; the compass won't work properly. For some reason, I feel an inexplicable fear in my heart."
"December 18, 2013—This so-called world of evolution is truly unbelievable！ I saw two strange beasts. After one devoured the other, it actually began to change. I could clearly sense it growing stronger. Could it be that the 'Path of Evolution' conveyed by that thought means evolving through endless killing and devouring？"
“December 24, 2013. Damn it—in this world, even plants are alive！ By 'alive,' I don't mean the vitality of plants; I mean they can attack humans and animals just like man-eating flowers！ Today I met my first fellow human. Before I could even say hello, I watched him get wrapped by a vine. That bizarre vine squeezed him till he was covered in blood, madly absorbing his flesh, blood, and life force. In minutes, he turned into a dried corpse, and finally even his bones and skin were devoured by that vine... I'm terrified. This Christmas Eve is anything but peaceful.”
“December 27, 2013. I didn't expect a little bird flying overhead to suddenly attack me. I got poisoned... This toxin is terrifying—I feel like I can hear Death's call. I left half of my food in a tree hollow, hoping it can help any humans who pass by here later...”
“December 28, 2013. Am I about to die？ I can't stand it！ I saw a giant wolf. Strange—I felt a sudden urge to fight it, as if something inside it was calling to me. Either way I'm dead, so let me die a glorious battle！ Goodbye, Dekai, my love.”