Chapter 2

The bonfire gradually weakened, and a withered branch about to be consumed emitted a crisp, light explosion. Chu Jun was suddenly startled awake, subconsciously gripping the military dagger in his hand tightly. After listening vigilantly for a while, he let out a sigh of relief and added a few dry logs to the fire, causing the bonfire to flare up again.

The surrounding desolate mountains were pitch black, with various strange animal roars echoing one after another, exuding a sense of eerie danger, as if he had returned to the Jurassic era. Even the air was filled with a primitive and savage aura.

Chu Jun had already trekked through this vast, boundless primeval forest for seven days. Even the most combat-capable Snow Leopard Special Forces member found it exhausting. All the bullets from three magazines were used up, and the "Desert Eagle" had been discarded by Chu Jun to save energy. His only reliance now was the triangular military dagger in his hand.

Chu Jun took a bite of a green fruit from his pocket, the bitter juice seeping down his parched throat. In the first few days, with a gun in hand, Chu Jun could still hunt some wild animals for food. After the bullets were used up, he had to pick wild fruits to fill his stomach. With just a military dagger, he dared not provoke those fire- and ice-spewing monsters.

"Damn Zhou Fongzi!" Chu Jun bit into the fruit, imagining it was Zhou Fongzi's big nose.

Seven days ago, Chu Jun received a notification from the military, ordering him to cooperate with a group of scientists on an experiment. Thus, Chu Jun was taken to a mysterious underground laboratory. The most memorable thing was the long, giant pipeline and the man who called himself Expert Zhou. Chu Jun could not forget the madness in Zhou Fongzi's eyes, which marked the beginning of his nightmare. The staff in white coats and masks injected him, then pushed him into a metal box that resembled a coffin. A dazzling white light and intense pain made Chu Jun faint. When he woke up again, he found himself in this strange primeval forest.

Suddenly, all the animal roars subsided, and the vast, desolate mountains fell into an unusual silence. A strong sense of unease rose in Chu Jun's heart. When something unusual happens, there must be a demon. Whatever could silence a group of beasts must be even more terrifying.

A beam of light shot up from a distance, particularly noticeable in the pitch-black night sky. The light transformed into a long, snake-like object. Chu Jun's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "What the hell is this?"

At that moment, a meteor fell from the sky, trailing a long tail straight toward the dragon-shaped light. As the meteor passed over the dragon-shaped light, the latter disappeared, and the meteor veered toward Chu Jun's location. Chu Jun realized it was bad and kicked the bonfire to extinguish it, but it was clearly too late. The meteor, as if with eyes, plummeted into the valley.

A soft white light rapidly expanded before his eyes. Chu Jun felt a cool sensation on his forehead, followed by intense pain in his brain. He groaned and fell to the ground, unconscious.

About half an hour later, two beams of sword light flew from the distant sky toward this area. Under the glow, two people riding long swords could be seen. Their clothes flapped in the wind as they sped over the valley, heading toward the location where the dragon-shaped light had erupted. If Chu Jun had seen this, he would have been shocked.

In the early morning, the valley echoed with the cheerful songs of early birds. Chu Jun sat up, touching his forehead thoughtfully, his head still throbbing. He shook his head, stood up, and leaped a few times, finding no abnormalities. He then picked up the military dagger from the ground, inserted it into the sheath on his leg, and walked out of the valley.

By noon, the sun was directly overhead, and the sunlight filtered through the dense trees, casting a mottled shadow on the ground covered with dead branches and leaves. Chu Jun rested against a giant tree that required several people to encircle it. In half a day, he had only advanced about ten miles. At this rate, it would take an unknown amount of time to get out of this perilous forest.

The most desperate thing was to walk alone down a seemingly endless road. Chu Jun regretted leaving the initial location. Perhaps if he had stayed, Zhou Fongzi and his team might have sent someone to pick him up.

As a special forces member who had undergone rigorous training, Chu Jun quickly adjusted his mood and continued to trek forward with renewed determination. By evening, he finally emerged from the dense forest, and a large lake, like a piece of emerald jade, appeared before him. Chu Jun's eyes lit up, and he was about to run over for a drink when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. This was a keen sense of danger that had developed after countless brushes with death. Almost instinctively, he lunged forward, and at the same time, a black shadow leaped from the grass, its sharp claws barely missing his head.

Chu Jun rolled to a large rock, the military dagger already in his hand, his sharp eyes fixed on the fierce beast about ten feet away. The beast was not large, with a leopard's head and a wolf's body, black and fierce eyes, and white, sharp teeth bared. Its deep gray fur stood on end, and it crouched, ready to pounce and tear Chu Jun's throat.

Chu Jun had encountered this type of leopard-headed, wolf-bodied beast before and knew it was extremely fast, with razor-sharp claws. Without a gun, he had no chance of winning. The beast did not immediately attack but remained in position, waiting for the best opportunity. Chu Jun knew that any lapse in concentration would result in a vicious attack, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Gradually, Chu Jun's slightly bent thighs began to tremble, and his hand holding the military dagger felt numb. The situation was deteriorating. Chu Jun knew he couldn't wait any longer; the longer he waited, the more disadvantageous it would be for him. He slightly lowered the military dagger held in front of his chest, exposing a gap in his defense.

Sure enough, the beast leaped forward like lightning, its claws slashing toward Chu Jun's throat. Chu Jun's legs gave way, and he fell to the ground, thrusting the military dagger upward.

Pfft! Chu Jun's bulletproof vest was torn, and blood gushed from his left shoulder. The beast's claws grazed Chu Jun, easily dodging the thrust of the military dagger, and landed on the rock.

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Chu Jun rolled away from the rock and ran toward the lake, hoping the beast wouldn't know how to swim. The beast on the rock let out a sharp cry, its eyes filled with a human-like mockery, and leaped high, pouncing toward Chu Jun's back.

Sss! The bulletproof vest and inner shirt were torn in half by the beast's sharp claws, leaving two long blood trails from Chu Jun's neck to his lower back. Chu Jun endured the pain, thrust the military dagger backward, and dove into the lake. The clear lake water instantly turned red.

The leopard-headed beast indeed did not know how to swim, pacing back and forth on the shore, its eyes fiercely staring at Chu Jun in the lake, emitting a low growl. A wound on its chest bled, clearly from the military dagger. Chu Jun's back and shoulder wounds throbbed with pain, and he threw off the bulletproof vest. The leopard-headed beast lingered on the shore, apparently intending to exhaust Chu Jun.

Chu Jun examined his shoulder wound, which had three deep gashes that had miraculously stopped bleeding. Over the past few days, he had suffered dozens of injuries, but they all stopped bleeding automatically and healed very quickly, usually within 24 hours. He couldn't figure out the reason, but he attributed it to the effects of the drugs injected by Zhou Fongzi and his team.

Although the wounds were not fatal, staying in the cold lake water for too long would eventually turn him into a zombie. Just as he was at a loss, a loud crane call came from the sky. Chu Jun looked up and saw four large gray birds, each with a person riding on it.

"It's a wolf leopard, don't let it escape!" A clear, bell-like voice rang out.

The leopard-headed beast let out a cry and turned to flee, but two large birds swooped down to intercept it. Two burly men leaped from the birds, each wielding a large sword, and slashed at the leopard-headed beast.

Poom! The two large swords missed, sending dust flying. The leopard-headed beast dodged the fierce attack and, taking advantage of the men's unsteadiness upon landing, pounced on one of them.

Pfft! Blood splattered as the man's thigh was torn by the beast's claws.

"Brother!" The other man cried out, his large sword swiftly slicing at the leopard-headed beast's hind legs. The beast nimbly leaped away, about to escape into the grass, when a long sword, glowing with blue-white arcs, shot down from the sky. Chu Jun could clearly see the beast's movements pause, its fur standing on end in the electric light.

Pfft! The long sword accurately pierced the leopard-headed beast's neck, pinning it to the ground.

"Got it, well done, Senior Brother!" A red-clad girl called out, leaping from the bird and rushing to the dead leopard-headed beast.

"Be careful, it might not be dead yet!" A green-clad boy followed, leaping from the bird and chasing after the red-clad girl.

Chu Jun's shock quickly turned to joy. After so many days, he finally encountered people. Although these bird-riding, sword-wielding people were strange, they were still human. Chu Jun climbed out of the lake, and the four people on the shore all turned to look at him with strange expressions. Chu Jun's buzz cut and unusual attire were quite eye-catching.

"Thank you for saving me!" Chu Jun said earnestly.

The red-clad girl and the green-clad boy sized up Chu Jun. The girl said dismissively, "Just a physical cultivator!" and turned to dissect the leopard-headed beast, deftly removing a shiny, crystalline object from its head.

The two men with large swords smiled at Chu Jun in a friendly manner, but their eyes clearly showed a hint of caution.

"What is a physical cultivator?" Chu Jun pondered the red-clad girl's words, realizing from her tone that she looked down on physical cultivators.

PS: New book uploaded, please add to your collection, thank you!