Chapter 1
Afternoon.
Deep within a vast, ancient forest.
Soft sunlight filtered through layer upon layer of leaves overhead. Sometimes, it gathered into golden pillars of light. At other times, it scattered into mottled patches that gently fell upon the moss-covered ground.
It truly was a beautiful sight.
If someone posted a picture of this place on one of those recently popular Red Book apps, it would probably attract a huge crowd of people eager to follow the trend.
Unfortunately, the person witnessing this beautiful scenery with his own eyes found it nothing but irritating.
So tired... So thirsty... So hungry...
Xia Mingyu silently complained in his heart.
He looked ahead.
There was still no road in sight.
All he could see was an endless sea of densely packed trees.
A faint feeling of despair began to rise in his heart.
Xia Mingyu punched the large tree beside him.
The burning pain on the back of his hand cleared his head a little.
He was nothing more than an ordinary university student from Blue Star.
Winter vacation had just begun, so he and his friends had decided to take a trip to Thailand before the New Year.
But as soon as he got off the plane, someone struck him from behind.
By the time he woke up again, he had already appeared inside this seemingly endless forest.
He had called for help.
He had shouted until his throat hurt.
But eventually, he realized that no one was going to answer him.
Instead of wasting energy screaming, it was better to keep his mouth shut and conserve his strength.
Xia Mingyu took the phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen.
"There's still no signal at all. And the battery's almost dead too."
The calls still wouldn't connect, and the battery indicator had already turned blood-red.
He could only let out a heavy sigh.
He raised his head and looked at the sky, which was almost completely hidden behind the thick canopy.
Although it was happening slowly, he could clearly tell that the sunlight was growing weaker.
Xia Mingyu had never studied wilderness survival.
However, he had occasionally watched a few survival clips online.
At the very least, those videos had taught him one thing—
A forest at night was more than ten times as dangerous as it was during the day!
Especially in a forest with such a rich and untouched ecosystem.
There was no way carnivorous animals didn't live here.
"I'll keep searching for a little longer. If I still can't find a road, I'll look for a tree hollow or somewhere else safe and survive the night there."
Xia Mingyu made his decision.
Holding his breath and focusing his senses, he pushed aside the messy grass and bushes while carefully listening to the sounds around him.
At the same time, he used fallen branches and stones in the dirt to leave marks behind.
That way, he could avoid getting completely lost.
About half an hour later, Xia Mingyu suddenly stopped.
Splash... splash...
A faint sound reached his ears from somewhere in the distance.
It was weak.
But he immediately recognized it.
The sound of flowing water.
"Found it!"
After carefully listening and confirming the direction, Xia Mingyu immediately quickened his pace and rushed toward the source.
Not long afterward, he pushed aside a thick patch of bushes.
His view suddenly opened up.
Beyond the bushes was a wide riverbank covered in wild grass.
A small stream, roughly four or five meters wide, flowed through it.
The water was so clear that he could see the fine sand and smooth pebbles at the bottom.
From time to time, tiny fish flashing with silver light swam through the stream.
Xia Mingyu slowly approached the water.
He crouched down and reached out, gently touching the slightly cold stream.
An indescribable feeling of joy spread from his fingertips throughout his entire body.
He could barely hide his excitement.
Because he understood something very clearly.
Where there was water, there was life.
As long as he followed this stream downstream, sooner or later he would find signs of human habitation and escape this forest.
Splash. Splash.
Xia Mingyu scooped up some water and gently washed his face.
The cold water helped clear his mind.
Although he was already somewhat thirsty, he had no intention of drinking directly from the stream.
The water looked extremely clean, but that didn't mean it was actually safe.
There could still be bacteria, fish eggs, parasites, or other impurities inside it.
Unless his thirst became severe enough to affect his ability to move, he wasn't planning to drink untreated water.
"I'll follow the stream for a while longer. If I still can't find people or a way out, I'll figure out how to start a fire and solve the drinking-water problem first."
Xia Mingyu thought for a moment and was just about to stand up.
