Chapter 2

"Whoo~~"

A chill ran through my body, making me shiver, and I slowly opened my eyes. In front of me was a dark, gloomy sky, and the fine rain falling from the endless black clouds onto my body explained the chill. I shivered, and the leather jacket I was wearing was already soaked, clinging tightly to my body, sending waves of bone-chilling cold through me.

Wait, a leather jacket? I remember wearing a tracksuit. And I was at home just now, how did I end up in this godforsaken place?

I broke out in a cold sweat, sat up, and carefully looked around.

A thin layer of mist enveloped the surroundings, and visibility was only about a hundred meters. I was sitting on a slightly damp patch of grass. From the environment around me, it seemed I was in an open field, possibly a prairie. The flat land stretched as far as the eye could see, and on this flat land, there were only two things—tenacious wild grass and exposed hard mud. From a high vantage point, one would only see two colors: green and brown.

It must be a dream!

I muttered to myself, my mind still hazy. I rubbed my eyes and lay down again.

Wake up quickly, I still have to continue playing my game...

After a long while...

The rain in my dream seemed to get heavier, and the bone-chilling cold became more intense, making it impossible for me to keep pretending it was just a dream as I tried to fall asleep.

What the hell kind of place is this? I was clearly at home playing on my computer, how did I suddenly end up here?!

I suddenly sat up, tearing at my hair in panic, my heart filled with fear and anxiety. I looked around the rain-soaked prairie with uneasy and terrified eyes. The last thing I remembered was a strange option appearing on my computer, and after I clicked to confirm, I passed out. When I woke up, I was here.

Thinking of all the穿越 (time-travel) novels I've read online, I felt a wave of fear. Could I have been swept up in the trend and become a member of the time-travel army just like that?

No way!!

I looked up to the sky with a piteous expression, begging for mercy. In this place with no shelter, no food, and not even a place to take cover from the rain, how am I supposed to survive?!

The bone-chilling cold seeped through my body, and the unknown leather jacket felt like ice against my skin. Every gust of wind made me shiver violently, and my stomach began to protest. I realized that the so-called time travel wasn't as wonderful as I had imagined. The warmth of home and the food in the fridge, things I had taken for granted, were now deeply missed.

Tears mixed with rainwater slowly streamed down my face. I had no martial arts skills and no wisdom. How was I supposed to survive in this godforsaken place?! No! I'm not a savior, and I don't aspire to be a king or a ruler. Heaven, please, let me go back!!

A few bolts of lightning split the dark sky, as if mocking my weakness and ignorance.

After a long while, I finally got up from the ground, dazed and lifeless. The emptiness in my stomach made me realize the harsh reality. Staying in this place would mean certain death.

I looked around woodenly. The heavy rain had dispersed the mist, but visibility was still low. In this desolate prairie, where could I go?

The strong will to survive finally made me take the first step. I walked slowly forward, not knowing what lay ahead. It could be a city, a man-eating beast, or an endless expanse of emptiness until my death. But I had to keep going, even if there was just a sliver of hope.

After an unknown amount of time, my feet grew numb, and my vision blurred. I knew my body was reaching its limit. If there was no change soon, the end might be just ahead.

I looked around. The rain blurred everything into a vast white expanse. The only sounds were the squelching of mud and grass under my feet. I looked down, hesitated for a moment, and finally, unable to resist the hunger, I fell to my knees. After a moment of numbness, I used my trembling hands to grab a handful of grass, shook off the mud from the roots, and without caring about the remaining dirt, quickly stuffed it into my mouth with the rainwater...

The bitter, astringent, and bloody taste gradually numbed my taste buds. Even the sensation of chewing on mud and sand wasn't as unbearable as before. I continued to pull up handfuls of grass and stuff them into my mouth, tears of bitterness soaking my mud-covered face.

How long ago was it that I casually threw away a McDonald's meal that I had only eaten a third of...

How long ago was it that I poured unexpired milk down the drain...

"Ugh..."

Finally, I couldn't bear the taste of mud and blood in my mouth and started to vomit violently. But at least my stomach no longer felt empty, and I seemed to regain a bit of strength in my legs.

This was a glimmer of hope in the midst of despair, but I knew that if I didn't find shelter soon, I would freeze to death. So I used the last bit of strength I had gathered and continued to walk forward, my steps heavy.

After an unknown amount of time, when I thought I couldn't go on, a blurry figure finally appeared in the rain.

"Hey..."

I shouted with joy, waving my arms vigorously, not caring if it was an illusion or if the figure could hear me. The joy of finding a way out gave me renewed strength, and my steps became lighter.

I waved and ran quickly toward the dark figure. It was hard to imagine the joy I felt. The despair of enduring loneliness, hunger, and the constant threat of death was overwhelming. Once freed, the joy was overwhelming. I was filled with energy and walked briskly toward the figure. As I got closer, the rain-soaked figure seemed to notice me and turned to look in my direction.

Here, here, I waved my arms, not caring if the figure was hostile, if we could communicate, or if it would accept me.

The figure seemed to notice me and slowly approached, its hunched back suggesting it was an elderly person.

I didn't find it strange that an old person would be out in the rain in this desolate place; my joy had clouded my judgment.

Finally, I could clearly see the figure. I wiped the sweat from my eyes, and just as the old person slowly raised their head, I saw a scene I would never forget.

It wasn't an old person at all. The face that lifted was horrifying—half of the bald head was missing, and yellowish-green brain matter was oozing out, flowing into the eyes and mouth. The left eye was white, and the right eye had fallen out, hanging by a thread of flesh, dangling from the face. The eye socket was empty, revealing the flesh inside. The lower lip was rotting, exposing half of the white teeth, which ground together. The mouth was slightly open, as if trying to smile. The body was emaciated and dehydrated, even in the heavy rain, it looked particularly cracked, as if the flesh was glued on in pieces, ready to fall off at any moment. There were large holes in the stomach and right thigh, filled with maggots crawling over the rotting flesh and muscles.

"Ugh..."

I vomited again, even the grass and mud I had just eaten came out.

This was clearly a living corpse!

The corpse grinned, as if smiling at me, and its withered, bony hands slowly reached out toward me.

"Ahh..."

Flooded with fear, my only hope turned to despair, and I stumbled backward, falling to the ground. Then, like a madman, I scrambled up and ran in a panic, not knowing where I was going, just running...

I don't know how long I ran. The intense running drained the last bit of strength from my body. With a thud, my legs gave out, and I fell into a small mud pit, the splashing mud gradually covering my last bit of sensation.

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