Death is not frightening.
What is frightening is dying without understanding why.
As an explorer in his previous life, Jiang Fan had never feared death.
But he never accepted dying without a fight.
A force from the unknown protected his brain, keeping his consciousness clear.
However, his vision was blurring, and his body was on the verge of death.
Memories from his past life replayed in his mind like a carousel.
Adventures from his past life, six short days in this one...
Zhou Niannian, Dai Xiaomei...
Black Panther, Giant Python...
System...
His body reached its limit, and he felt numb.
At the critical moment, the system's inorganic voice sounded, like heavenly music!
[Detected Hu Caro Technology 'Observer'. Host, judge whether to recycle for energy.]
Jiang Fan no longer cared if it was official Shark equipment. His fading consciousness finally replied.
"Yes."
[Recycling in progress. Please wait.]
[Mall 10/100.]
[Mall 50/100.]
[Mall 100/100.]
[Congratulations to the host, the mall has been unlocked.]
His will, which had fallen into boundless darkness, was met with light the next moment.
The shackles on his body suddenly vanished. He crashed into a vehicle and, like a fish out of water, gasped for fresh air.
With each breath, his body rapidly recovered.
His heart beat furiously, adrenaline surged, and strength filled his body.
The strange eyeball monster was gone, and the wooden sphere that had followed him had also disappeared.
The darkness before his eyes finally receded.
"Were those monsters just now also 'Observers'?"
Jiang Fan, clutching his chest, tried to calm down and murmured softly.
Yes, whether it was an 'eyeball' or a 'lens', they could both be called 'observers'. Perhaps they were of the same origin.
His brain whirred, and the thoughts brought an indescribable excitement, a rationality he could maintain.
He intended to check the unlocked mall, but took a step forward absentmindedly.
A strong sense of weightlessness washed over him.
Completely unprepared, Jiang Fan could only keep falling, falling.
It didn't last long, only three seconds, before he landed in a container.
Jiang Fan had just made out that it was a square... vehicle?
Immediately, the track activated.
The wooden track propelled the vehicle forward.
It was almost like a roller coaster, high and low.
All he could hear was the wind and the sound of the wooden track that could fall apart at any moment.
Jiang Fan could only hold on tightly to the sides of the vehicle to prevent himself from flying out.
"Grass!"
A beautiful curse echoed in the cave.
...
Meanwhile, Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei, being pursued by the giant python in the jungle, were also rapidly approaching this place.
They hadn't seen this giant python before.
However, Zhou Niannian could guess that this might be the same giant python whose food they had previously taken.
Misfortune never comes alone, perhaps it had come specifically for revenge.
The two women did not have an easy time in the jungle.
It was so dark that they could barely see the path ahead, causing them to stumble.
But because they were fleeing for their lives, their mistakes were even more numerous.
This chase for survival met its end when they spotted the mine entrance.
Dai Xiaomei's eyes lit up as she looked at the cave.
"Sister Zhou, we can run faster and hide inside!"
"Wait! That cave is..."
Zhou Niannian could never have imagined that in their panic, they would stumble upon the very place where they had found the salt mine before.
Recalling the terrifying premonition from before, she felt a chill and resisted intensely.
There might be greater danger inside!
Dai Xiaomei knew nothing of this; all she knew was that this might be the best and fastest way to escape the giant python's pursuit.
Thinking this, a surge of strength, from where she didn't know, forcefully pulled Zhou Niannian and ran into the cave.
The two small spheres behind them followed closely, without hesitation, rushing into the cave with them.
Behind the two women, the rescue team fired a tranquilizer dart, finally hitting the wandering giant python.
The giant python, which was in the process of descending from a tree, lost consciousness under the powerful drug.
But at the very end, seeing the two women enter the cave, it flicked its tongue, as if its mission was complete, and drifted off to sleep.
"Target tranquilized. Rescuees entered mine. Situation uncertain. Entering mine for rescue, over!"
Seeing the giant python finally pacify, both the rescue team and the audience breathed a sigh of relief.
But before they could fully relax, their hearts leaped again.
"Wait, that cave, there are still monsters inside!"
It was unclear which bullet comment first sounded the alarm.
Others finally reacted, realizing there were bizarre black monsters inside!
"Ahhh! Brother Jiang has been sent in, are Sister Zhou and the old woman going to be cannon fodder now?"
"It's over, it's over, three people will be lost this time."
"Damn it, rescue team, hurry up! What are you waiting for? Go save them!!!"
"I request to be deployed to the scene for rescue. Sister Zhou has been my favorite streamer for almost five years. She can't be in danger."
"I second that. Dai Xiaomei, please don't die. I promised you I'd buy you drinks when you got married!"
Dai Xiaomei and Zhou Niannian, being streamers with immense popularity, had a vast number of fans.
Seeing their favorite streamers in danger, who could remain seated?
The topic of these three people being in danger quickly climbed to the trending list, ranking just below the earthquake hot search.
#Abnormal Earthquakes Occurring Worldwide#
#Three Contestants Perish in Wilderness Survival Competition#
On the surface, the two trending topics seemed unrelated, but those who followed both felt a pang in their hearts.
After finally clearing the earthquake threat, Lin Yang and Zhou Ye returned to their dorm to tidy up the messy surroundings.
When they opened their computers and phones again, they both received these two push notifications.
Zhou Ye's face immediately turned pale.
The dormitory was silent. Lin Yang looked at the message on his phone and, opening his mouth, found it hard to comprehend. They had only gone out to seek shelter, how could Jiang Fan and the others be in trouble?
He looked at Zhou Ye, seeing that he hadn't reacted for a long time, and knew he must be feeling terrible.
"Zhou Ye... they'll be alright."
"Mmm..."
Looking at the blacked-out camera feed, Zhou Ye fell into silence.
The next second, the deafening screams almost shook Zhou Ye and Lin Yang's souls out of their bodies.
"Aaaahhhhh!!!!!"
"Damn it! What's going on ahhhhh!!!"
The screams of the two women proved they were still alive.
But the rapid sense of falling almost forced their hearts out.
Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei clutched each other's hands, closed their eyes, and landed in a small vehicle.
Their backsides throbbed with pain. Before they could even celebrate their safe landing, they heard the sound of some mechanism activating.
The sight before them was blindingly bright, so much so that they had to shield their eyes to see clearly.
Zhou Niannian managed to block some of the direct light and looked around.
This appeared to be a huge mine cave. Wooden planks were embedded in the cave walls, holding picks and scattered salt ore.
Below was a bottomless abyss, its contents hidden in darkness.
And before them was a wooden track, which looked incredibly thrilling.
"Emmm... Dai Xiaomei, are we possibly in some kind of amusement park?"
"A wooden roller coaster?"
Zhou Niannian asked with a trembling voice.
Before Dai Xiaomei could answer, the track activated, and a strong thrust propelled them forward.
"Aaaahhhhh!!!!!"
The screams of the two women echoed throughout the cave.