Chapter 1

Surrounded by undulating mountains, the steep slopes were densely covered with lush trees.

As the evening sun filtered through the dense forest, the light and shadow played on the ground. The leaves underfoot were soft and thick, in some places, the fallen leaves were several feet deep, emitting a pungent and unpleasant smell of decay.

Deep in the forest, the roars of wild beasts could be heard from time to time, echoing through the mountains at dusk, declaring their territories as inviolable. All of this indicated that this place was rarely visited by humans, a primeval forest.

Zhao Chen put down the binoculars he was holding, sitting on a thick tree trunk, and couldn't help but sigh silently. He didn't remember such a primeval forest existing in the future, which could only mean that he had traveled through time.

Thinking about the time travel, Zhao Chen felt a wave of misfortune. A month ago, he had merely accepted an invitation from a hiking friend to travel in the Qinling Mountains. However, he inexplicably got separated from his friend deep in the mountains, and this separation lasted for a whole month.

After wandering in this primeval forest for a month, Zhao Chen no longer harbored any hope of returning. Whether he had traveled through time or not, his only wish was to get out of here.

The gentle rays of the setting sun shone through the dense forest. A plump wild rabbit hopped out to forage. It is said that animals have a natural sense of danger, but this theory clearly didn't apply to this rabbit.

Zhao Chen stood there motionless, like a tree stump. The foolish rabbit hopped straight toward him. As soon as the rabbit jumped to his feet, Zhao Chen pounced, easily pinning the dazed rabbit to the ground.

"Not bad!" Zhao Chen lifted the dazed rabbit, weighed it in his hand, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. The rabbit probably weighed two to three pounds, enough for a meal tonight and another one in the morning. That was pretty good.

Not far away was a spring, which Zhao Chen had already noticed. He picked up his backpack, carried the rabbit to the spring, and dug a hole in the ground. He skinned the rabbit, removed its innards, and buried them along with the skin, tamping the soil down firmly to avoid attracting other wild animals. He had already suffered this once and didn't want to experience it again.

After washing the rabbit meat, Zhao Chen carefully took out his phone, sighed with relief, and skillfully swiped to unlock the screen. A three-dimensional image of a supermarket appeared, with the words "Time-Space Supermarket" in large letters.

This phone originally belonged to him, but after getting lost in the Qinling Mountains, it had mutated, and a software called "Time-Space Supermarket" had mysteriously appeared.

In simple terms, the Time-Space Supermarket allowed you to purchase any item you needed, regardless of time and place. The items available were varied and plentiful, with everything you could imagine. It was truly a magical device.

Zhao Chen had been able to survive in this remote forest for a whole month, thanks to this mysterious and mutated phone.

He prepared a dish of carrot and rabbit stew. He cut the rabbit meat into pieces, blanched it in boiling water to remove the blood, and then simmered it over a low flame, adding carrots. The carrots not only removed the earthy smell from the rabbit meat but also provided a lot of vitamins. He added coriander and scallions just before it was fully cooked.

Zhao Chen bought carrots, scallions, and other seasonings from the Time-Space Supermarket. After some hesitation, he also bought a can of beer. The balance on the phone was already low; the three thousand yuan he had initially recharged had been almost depleted after a month.

He didn't know when he would be able to leave this forest, so he couldn't afford to buy things recklessly!

After paying, a ripple appeared on the ground in front of the phone, gradually revealing the items he had just purchased. Once the ripple disappeared, Zhao Chen carefully hid the phone again. He gathered some dry branches, started a campfire, and placed a small steel pot with the rabbit meat and carrots, adding spring water and hanging it over the fire to simmer.

After doing all this, Zhao Chen sat cross-legged by the campfire, opened a can of beer, and lit a cigarette, enjoying this rare moment of rest.

By now, the sun had completely set, and night had fallen. Looking up through the dense branches, he could see the stars twinkling in the sky.

The brightest one was the North Star! The one that looked like a ladle was the Big Dipper! That one was Vega! And that one was Altair! Just then, a meteor streaked across the sky, and Zhao Chen immediately thought of his wife.

He remembered the year he first met his wife. The news said there would be a meteor shower that night, so he was dragged to the rooftop by that crazy woman. They spent the whole night watching clouds, saw nothing, and ended up catching a cold, which required half a month of intravenous drips. What a disaster!

But now that he was missing, that silly woman must be nearly driven mad, right?

Zhao Chen took out his phone, opened the photo album, and flipped through the pictures of his wife. Happy, angry, silly—looking at them, a large tear suddenly fell onto the screen.

Damn, why did he go to the Qinling Mountains in the first place?

The rabbit stew was ready, and the meat, seasoned with coriander, was fragrant and delicious. In this remote wilderness, such a dish was mouth-watering and irresistible.

Zhao Chen took a sip of beer and a bite of rabbit meat, savoring the rich flavors. The meat was tender and melted in his mouth, the broth was fresh, and the combination of coriander and carrots was delightful. Before long, half a pot of rabbit meat was gone.

He left the remaining half for the next morning, burped contentedly, stood up, and covered the pot, hanging it on a nearby tree. He then gathered some thick branches and arranged them around the campfire, believing that by the time they burned out, it would be morning.

Next to him were two ancient pines, each as thick as a person's embrace, towering into the sky. Zhao Chen took out his phone and opened the Time-Space Supermarket.

The Time-Space Supermarket had three functions: item purchase, time-space recycling, and a time-space backpack. The recycling station could recycle anything, and the money would be automatically credited to the account balance, which was the only way to recharge.

The time-space backpack could store items that were not needed temporarily.

Zhao Chen opened the time-space backpack and took out a hammock. Sleeping on the ground in the forest at night was a death sentence. Apart from the wild animals, the insects alone could reduce a person to a pile of bones. It was best to stay off the ground.

Climbing a tree as thick as a person's embrace was no easy task, but it wasn't a problem for Zhao Chen. He found two sticks, tied ropes to the ends, and secured them to the tree trunk, creating a simple ladder.

He climbed up using one ladder, then added another, alternating between them. Before long, he was about five to six meters high. He secured one end of the hammock and slowly climbed down.

He then picked up his backpack, climbed to another pine tree using the same method, and secured the other end of the hammock. After confirming it was firmly in place, he carefully climbed into the hammock.

By now, night had completely enveloped the forest, and it was pitch black everywhere. The distant roars of wild beasts made his scalp tingle.

If this had been the Zhao Chen of a month ago, he would have been terrified and unable to sleep. But the Zhao Chen of now had long since become accustomed to it.

In the past month, Zhao Chen had experienced too much. He had been surrounded by wild boars, stalked by a lone wolf, and seen a panda that was so fierce it could fight a leopard.

Zhao Chen had never known that this seemingly docile creature, which survived by being cute in the zoo, could be so terrifying. Even the leopard couldn't gain any advantage against it!

In short, the past month had transformed Zhao Chen!

That night, after eating half a pot of rabbit meat and drinking a can of beer, accompanied by the roars of wild beasts, Zhao Chen slept soundly.

When he woke up in the morning, the sun was already high in the sky, and the roars of the previous night were gone, replaced by the chirping of birds. The morning air was particularly fresh, and Zhao Chen lay in the hammock, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

He then picked up the binoculars and looked around, confirming that the surroundings were safe before climbing down.

The campfire he had started before going to sleep had turned into a pile of ashes, with the unburned ends already extinguished, leaving behind a blackened piece of charcoal.

Zhao Chen put the hammock back into the time-space backpack, gathered some firewood, and rekindled the campfire. He placed the remaining half pot of rabbit meat from the night before over the fire to simmer, and then went to the spring with his toothbrush and toothpaste.

The morning mountain spring water was particularly cold. Zhao Chen brushed his teeth and washed his face with the cold water. Seeing the tangled mess of his hair, he decided to wash his head in the cold water as well.

In less than a month, his short hair had grown to his shoulders, which seemed to defy normal human growth. But seeing his suddenly youthful appearance in the water, Zhao Chen decided not to try to explain it with normal human physiology!

The past month had been too strange, and even the magical Time-Space Supermarket was in his hands. If anything else strange happened, Zhao Chen wouldn't be surprised at all.

A cigarette after a meal is better than being a living god!

After eating the steaming hot rabbit stew, Zhao Chen lit a cigarette, washed the small steel pot in the spring, filled it with water, and placed it over the campfire. He sat by the campfire, smoking leisurely.

When the water boiled, he took out his thermos from his backpack, added tea leaves, poured in the boiling water, and tightened the lid before putting it back in the backpack. Tea could quench thirst and refresh, and a sip of tea after a tiring walk was incredibly refreshing!

He then extinguished the campfire with spring water, covered it with soil, and made sure there were no embers left before putting on his backpack and picking up a stick to set off.

Hopefully, he could leave this forest today!