Chapter 1

As the plane was tossed up and then pulled back to the seat by the seatbelt, Gao Yang looked out the window and could only see continuous lightning. The only sounds he could hear were the heavy rain pounding against the plane and the thunder. The plane he was on was at least twenty years old and in poor condition, which made Gao Yang regret his decision to come to Africa for the first time.

The dilapidated plane, coupled with the deadly weather, made Gao Yang feel that his 23-year-old life might end here. Surprisingly, Gao Yang did not panic much; he just wanted to figure out where he was or over which area he was flying. He thought that even if he were to die, he should know where he died.

Gao Yang turned his head to ask the tour guide sitting next to him where they were, but he quickly abandoned the idea. The tour guide was frantically making the sign of the cross on his chest and praying with all his might, so Gao Yang decided not to disturb him.

The cabin, which could seat only twenty people, was already in chaos, with everyone in a frenzy. The two staff members from the hunting company, who had initially tried to reassure everyone, were now crying louder than anyone else.

At this moment, Gao Yang was the calmest person in the entire cabin, but his calm did not last long. Fear, despair, and regret hit him all at once, especially when he thought about his parents. Finally, Gao Yang could not help but burst into tears.

What Gao Yang feared most was not the impending death but how his parents would bear the pain of losing him after he died.

As death approached, time seemed to slow down, long enough for him to reflect on his life. At this moment, Gao Yang personally verified this saying. The scenes from his 23 years of life flashed through his mind like a movie.

While Gao Yang was regretfully recalling his life, the plane's altitude kept decreasing. Finally, after a massive jolt, the plane plunged downward.

When the cabin lights suddenly went out, Gao Yang curled up into a ball, hands clasped behind his head.

After a terrifying crash, Gao Yang was thrown against the seat in front of him. The impact made him dizzy, and his shoulders and abdomen were pulled by the seatbelt as if they were about to break, almost causing him to lose consciousness.

Gao Yang had his eyes closed, but the cold that followed the pain immediately made him realize he was in the water.

Instinctively, Gao Yang held his breath. After a moment, he realized he was not dead. The plane had crashed into the water, and he needed to leave the plane and get to the surface.

Gao Yang opened his eyes. Although it was still dark, the lightning allowed him to vaguely see the situation underwater.

The plane had broken into two sections, and the crack was right above Gao Yang.

His first reaction was to unfasten the seatbelt, but he could not find the buckle. Time was passing, and just as Gao Yang was about to run out of breath, he remembered that the tour guide next to him had a hunting knife attached to his waist.

Gao Yang extended his left hand, felt the tour guide's arm, and then found the handle of the knife after a few more touches.

He pulled out the knife, cut the seatbelt that restrained him, and resisted the urge to float up immediately. He reached out to cut the tour guide's seatbelt but stopped when he touched the guide's half-destroyed head. He then grabbed the life jacket from under the seat, kicked off, and floated to the surface.

After floating to the surface and taking a deep breath, Gao Yang immediately put on the life jacket. He pulled the cord, and the life jacket quickly inflated, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

No one had expected that a plane flying over land would end up crashing into the water, so no one on the plane had put on a life jacket.

Gao Yang was grateful that he had grabbed the life jacket at the last moment and that it was still in good condition. However, he was unsure what to do next.

The water was still in a storm, and although it was daytime, it was as dark as night. The rain splashing on the water made it impossible to see where the shore was, so Gao Yang did not know which direction to swim to reach land.

Gao Yang was a bit panicked and started swimming in a random direction. However, he soon discovered that every time he kicked, his right knee hurt intensely, and even with the buoyancy of the life jacket, he did not have the strength to swim.

Reluctantly, Gao Yang stopped trying to swim to the shore and decided to rest on the water's surface. At this moment, he realized he was being pushed by a strong current.

The water was flowing, indicating that he was in a river rather than a lake, which made Gao Yang feel a bit more relaxed. He thought that if he rested for a while and then swam diagonally to the shore while drifting downstream, he should be able to reach land with a little effort.

This new realization made Gao Yang feel a bit more relieved. He then noticed that he was still holding the knife tightly in his hand. Gao Yang knew the importance of a knife in the wild and did not want to lose it. However, holding the knife in one hand affected his ability to swim to the shore. After a moment of hesitation, Gao Yang, risking being cut by the sharp blade, inserted the knife into his belt and tightened it.

Next, Gao Yang needed to rest and try to reach the shore. However, he did not rest for long before he heard a ominous rumbling sound.

Gao Yang strained his neck to look and was horrified to see a large patch of mist ahead.

The presence of mist indicated that there was either a waterfall or a rapids ahead, both of which were fatal for Gao Yang in his current state.

After cursing, Gao Yang tried to swim to the shore before the danger arrived, but his strength was not enough to fight the increasingly turbulent river.

Finally, Gao Yang was swept over a waterfall. Fortunately, the waterfall was not very high, and he only got a few mouthfuls of water. However, when he surfaced from the water, he could see the riverbanks.

Unfortunately, seeing the riverbanks was not good news for Gao Yang because it meant the river had narrowed, and the current was even stronger. The narrowed river was full of rocks, and the turbulent water hitting the rocks created deadly obstacles throughout the river.

At this point, Gao Yang completely ignored the pain in his right knee and used his hands and feet to try to avoid the rocks. After a few difficult dodges, his luck ran out, and he collided heavily with a large rock, then blacked out.

After an unknown period of unconsciousness, Gao Yang finally opened his eyes. The intense pain and extreme weakness made him feel as if he would rather be dead.

When Gao Yang's consciousness cleared a bit, he found himself only four to five meters from the riverbank, and the bank was gentle and easy to climb. Most importantly, his feet had touched the soft mud at the bottom of the river.

The will to survive gave Gao Yang the strength to crawl to the shore. After his upper body was on the shore, he rested for at least half an hour before finally getting completely on land.

When Gao Yang was completely on land, he was exhausted and very hungry, extremely hungry.

Gao Yang knew that although he had survived the plane crash, the danger was far from over. This was Africa, and if he were eaten by a wild animal in the African wilderness, it would not make the news because such incidents were too common.

Gao Yang observed his surroundings and found himself in a typical savanna, with vast grasslands dotted with tall trees. The sun was close to the horizon, but Gao Yang could not tell the direction, so he could not determine whether it was morning or afternoon.

After a brief look, Gao Yang tried to move his body and found that his condition was not as bad as he had imagined. His right knee was still painful, but the bone was not broken, and it was just a bruise. Apart from that, although his body ached all over, there were no serious injuries.

As long as he was not seriously injured, things were much easier. After a deep breath, Gao Yang began to check his belongings. As a military enthusiast and an experienced hiker, his habit of always carrying a personal survival kit (PSK) helped him greatly at this moment.

The PSK, which stands for Personal Survival Kit, is a set of personal survival equipment. As a military enthusiast and a loyal fan of Bear Grylls' survival show, Gao Yang always carried his PSK waist pack, which, although often mocked by others, proved to be a great help at this moment.

Gao Yang's only regret was that his PSK waist pack was a bit too small for convenience, but the items he had chosen before coming to Africa were all things he needed most at the moment.

The contents of Gao Yang's PSK included two large chocolate bars, a fire starter, a compass, a magnifying glass, ten meters of parachute cord, five fishing hooks and ten meters of fishing line, a survival whistle, four condoms, and a first aid kit.

Originally, Gao Yang's PSK contained more items, but because he had to board a plane, he had to remove items like the knife and lighter that were not allowed on the plane. However, he was fortunate to have obtained a knife from the tour guide, which was the most important tool in the wild.

As high-calorie, high-energy emergency food for outdoor activities, the two large chocolate bars were what Gao Yang needed most at the moment.

As he took small bites of the chocolate, Gao Yang felt so moved that he wanted to cry.

Gao Yang did not finish the chocolate, as he only ate one bar. If he were not so hungry, he would have only eaten a few small pieces. Without obtaining other food, these two chocolate bars were essential for survival.

After eating, while waiting for his strength to recover, Gao Yang took out the knife he had obtained from the tour guide to examine it.

The knife was exquisitely crafted, clearly a handmade item. It was about 32 centimeters long and 5 millimeters thick, with a drop-point blade, a large flat grind, a brass guard, and a handle made of desert ironwood, which had a beautiful color and grain. The highlight of the knife was a perfectly burnished line on the blade, which added to its beauty and also indicated that it was a handmade carbon steel knife, as most stainless steel could not produce such a beautiful burnished line, and mass-produced items would not have such a feature.

Gao Yang tested the blade, which was very sharp and could easily shave hair. It was clear that the owner of the knife had taken good care of it, which made Gao Yang sigh. The previous owner of the knife was a South African white man, the tour guide for the hunting group Gao Yang had joined. On the plane, Gao Yang had even talked to him about the knife, never imagining that it would end up in his hands.

Thinking about the fact that he was the only survivor on the plane, Gao Yang felt sad but also grateful for his luck. When everyone was fighting for seats because of the discomfort in the tail, Gao Yang chose the tail, which was the relatively safest position. Besides luck, this was the only reason he survived the plane crash.

Gao Yang shook his head, not wanting to dwell on useless thoughts. He took out the compass to check the direction and was surprised to find that the sun was in the west, meaning it was already afternoon. Since he had boarded the plane around the same time, he had been unconscious for a full day and night.

Gao Yang did not know how far he had drifted in the river during that day and night, but he knew that the farther he was from the crash site, the less likely he was to receive help. Another critical issue was that it was almost dark.

Thanks to animal documentaries and nature shows, Gao Yang knew how terrifying the African savanna could be at night. He dared not delay any longer and struggled to get up to find a shelter. At the very least, he needed to start a fire before it got dark.

There were many dry branches washed ashore by the river, making it easy to collect them. Gao Yang first found a long and sturdy stick to use as a crutch, then began to gather as much dry wood as possible for his first night in the African wilderness.

While working, Gao Yang did not forget to pay attention to his surroundings. He needed to be cautious of many things. It was the rainy season, and the grass on the savanna was tall and lush. To avoid being suddenly attacked by a predator, he had to remain vigilant.

Gao Yang decided to camp a bit further from the river to avoid predators coming to drink and to prevent the river from flooding. During the rainy season, even if it did not rain locally, a heavy rain upstream could cause the water level to rise several meters downstream.

Gao Yang planned to rest for the night nearby and then search for food in the area the next morning. Although he was not very mobile, he had fishing line and hooks, so he had a good chance of catching fish.

As long as he had food, Gao Yang could survive for a few days, allowing him to recover from his knee injury and send out a distress signal. Even if no one passed by in those few days, he could wait until he was more mobile and make a raft to float downstream. Gao Yang was confident that there would be people living by the river, just a matter of how far away they were.

With the essential survival items in hand, Gao Yang's confidence in surviving increased. However, it seemed that fate was determined to oppose him. Just as he was dragging a bundle of wood with the parachute cord to his chosen campsite, he suddenly heard a gunshot.