Jiang Fan was completely unaware of the unfolding events outside.
He struggled to maintain his balance, patiently waiting for the black panther to stop.
The scenery ahead became somewhat familiar, and he gradually recognized it as a place he'd seen before.
"This is..."
The white rock walls, resembling a fairy-tale setting—
It was the salt mine he had visited previously.
The only anomalies here were the peculiar mine shaft and the eyeball monster within.
His expression turned serious. Jiang Fan harbored suspicions, ready to leap off at any moment to escape.
For now, he certainly didn't have the confidence to survive against those eyeball monsters.
The black panther continued to run with him, drawing closer to the mine shaft.
Jiang Fan could even feel the dense, sinister gazes emanating from the cave, filled with malice, longing to devour him.
Seeing that the black panther showed no signs of slowing down and was about to carry him into the cave,
Jiang Fan leaped.
However, a small vial was faster than his movement.
It shot through the air with a 'whoosh' and embedded itself in the black panther's front leg.
A paralyzing sensation coursed through its body. Its legs weakened, it lost balance, tipped forward, and tumbled awkwardly, creating a great commotion.
Jiang Fan, on its back, was violently flung forward by the inertia.
The accident came so suddenly.
But at least he was free from the black panther. As long as he landed outside the mine shaft, there shouldn't be any problem.
Jiang Fan adjusted his posture in mid-air, just in time to make eye contact with the rescue team aiming their guns not far away.
As soon as he landed, the black panther struck him with its tail, flinging him inside.
A powerful force suddenly hit his abdomen.
His body was propelled further into the cave.
He saw the black panther, after delivering its final blow, collapse on the ground in a miserable state, losing consciousness.
Behind him, countless pairs of eyes without whites opened one after another, lining an entire wall, looking at the delivered food with malice and ecstasy.
In the split second before being flung into the cave, Jiang Fan's mind involuntarily recalled the scene on the plane where he had kicked Zhou Niannian out.
Perhaps this was... karma?
The next moment, in the boundless darkness and void, the densely packed eyeballs split open into a huge mouth, swallowing him whole.
The camera captured this scene perfectly. The endless darkness seemed to have substance, as if it were physically devouring him.
The sudden turn of events had a profound impact on the viewers.
"Damn it, this black panther is ungrateful! Jiang Shen saved it so many times, and it actually betrayed him like this?!"
"It's over, Jiang Shen is probably in dire straits this time."
"What exactly is inside? A monster? Can someone explain? I'm so scared, damn it!"
Tension, worry, fear...
Heavy emotions surged within them as they desperately wanted to know the truth.
But regarding this change, especially the black monster inside the cave that swallowed Jiang Fan, no one could explain its origin.
Bear Grylls shook his head, his voice somber.
"I've never seen anything like it. This might not be an ordinary animal. We can only rely on the rescue team now."
...
"Target has been sedated. Rescue target has entered the mine shaft. Situation unclear. Proceeding into mine shaft for rescue, over!"
The rescue team's report came through the walkie-talkie.
On camera, this rescue team quickly conferred and decided to split into two groups.
One group would check on the black panther, while the other would enter the mine shaft to check on Jiang Fan.
The director and the middle-aged man watched with furrowed brows, not uttering a word.
Their thoughts were identical:
The main subject was in trouble, and there must be something unusual going on.
However, they would only investigate after finding Jiang Fan.
Just as this thought crossed their minds, the rescue team, holding powerful searchlights, entered the mine shaft on screen.
Under the beam of light, nothing could hide.
Yet, what greeted them was a dead end.
"How is this possible? Impossible!"
"Where did he go?"
A chilling sensation washed over everyone present. They dared not move, their primal fear rendering their minds blank.
They had clearly seen Jiang Fan fall into the cave, but now, there was no one there.
And the 'observer' that followed Jiang Fan only captured endless darkness.
If it hadn't shown that it was actively filming, they would have suspected that Jiang Fan had turned off the camera.
This place was truly strange.
The director and the middle-aged man had certainly not anticipated this turn of events.
Exchanging glances, their suspicion was largely confirmed.
Perhaps Jiang Fan was one of the chosen ones...
"I'll have the army rush over!"
"No! It's still a competition!"
"The competition is precisely to screen people like him! If he dies, what's the point of this competition!"
The middle-aged man was frantic, wishing he could pick up the phone and dispatch personnel immediately.
The director, however, disagreed.
It was only the sixth day. If this competition ended due to military intervention, it would contradict the mission assigned by their superiors.
For him, it would also be a great disgrace.
Even though Jiang Fan was a contestant he favored, he still had to complete the tasks assigned by his superiors.
The director's stubbornness infuriated the middle-aged man, leaving him helpless. In the end, they had to compromise.
"The army will conduct a covert operation, not exposed to the cameras."
"...Alright."
The director agreed, slumping onto a chair, sighing deeply, looking utterly exhausted.
It was only the sixth day...
The situation reported by the middle-aged man immediately garnered attention from the higher-ups.
Various preparations began to be made rapidly.
The army was summoned, assembled, equipped with weapons, and boarded planes.
The propellers whirled, generating gusts of air.
Several helicopters took off from the base.
Like eagles, they soared towards a certain deserted island at sea.
The person they needed to rescue, however, was currently inside the cave.
His entire body felt as if it were wrapped in some elastic substance, the slimy sensation utterly repulsive.
When he tried to struggle, he only found himself more tightly entangled, unable to move.
His vision was completely black, as if he had fallen into an endless void, yet he could clearly sense his own existence.
He could also distinctly feel the crushing pressure from all sides, inflicting severe damage on his already fragile body.
There was no air in this strange, inexplicable place. Coupled with the ever-increasing pressure, the air within his body was being squeezed out.
Suffocation made his breathing rapid, his heart rate quickened, urging the owner of this body to replenish oxygen as soon as possible.
His limbs grew weak, his vision blurred.
This feeling was extremely ominous.
If this continued, he would truly, truly die...
Jiang Fan had long known that the monster in the mine shaft was not to be trifled with. He had planned to challenge the cave only after his attributes increased or he found a way to unlock the shop.
Who knew that the black panther's sudden attack would throw him into the cave.
"Crack..."
The bones in various parts of his body emitted ominous sounds.
His face turned from red to purplish-blue, and his body reached its limit of endurance. His heartbeat grew faint.
His vital signs were weakening, and time seemed to stretch infinitely at this moment.
Each second of pain was unbearable.
After being reborn, was he really going to die like this?