The confusion of graduation season was temporarily blown away by the mountain wind. Gu Liang focused intently on the steep path beneath his feet, calculating how much longer it would take to reach the summit.Yet the rock beneath his foot gave an ominous crack. Weight distribution calculations failed in zero point one seconds—the collapse came without warning. As the world spun, he didn't fall toward a cliff, but into a passage where all perception shattered.Fragmented swathes of color tore at his vision, a piercing hum filled his ears, and his body felt squeezed and stretched by immense force.
After the intense crushing and tearing sensation came the heavy impact of landing. Gu Liang coughed up choked-in dust and struggled to open his eyes.
The bark of the towering ancient tree was rougher than he could have imagined. Beneath it, ferns stood as tall as trees. The air was so hot and humid it felt like you could wring water from it. The heavy scent of decaying leaves and earth, mixed with the pungent smell of wild beasts, assaulted his nostrils.
Gu Liang instinctively searched for reference points—the sun's angle, vegetation, soil—any clue that might tell him where he was. But all clues contradicted each other: the sun's position, the tree rings of the giants, the texture of the soil—none fit into any map he recognized. This wasn't anywhere he knew, and might not even be Earth.
"Roar—!"
A growl so deep it seemed unearthly made his blood run cold. Not far away, several wolf-like beasts were gnawing on a corpse. What unsettled him even more were the "people" beside them—human-like creatures, averaging nearly two meters tall, with bronze skin covered in totem markings, rough animal hides around their waists, and eyes wild and sharp.
Those patterns... were moving?
No, it was the muscles beneath the skin undulating, making the dark patterns appear alive, twisting into utterly unfamiliar designs. Gu Liang's mind went blank, retaining only the hazy memory of ancient totems behind museum glass cases. Yet everything before him—brutal, vivid, oppressive—was utterly unlike any remnant of civilization.
And among this suffocating horde of creatures, a single gaze pierced through him.
It belonged to the tallest man, a figure as sturdy and upright as a small mountain, with disheveled black hair and a deeply chiseled face. His pair of golden vertical pupils held the intense focus of a top predator locking onto its sole prey. Right now, they were fixed firmly on Gu Liang, churning with intense surprise, possessiveness, and unabashed primal desire.
Paralyzed. His modern parka stood out like a sore thumb here. He was utterly defenseless, a lamb led to slaughter.
The beastmen murmured among themselves. The golden-eyed man stepped forward, crouched down, and roughly seized Gu Liang's chin with his thick, calloused hands, forcing him to look up. The force was terrifying.
"&%￥#@..." The man's low, hoarse voice carried excitement.
Gu Liang trembled in terror, struggling to break free. The man's fingers slid over the delicate skin of his neck. The rough, calloused scrape contrasted horrifyingly with his own smooth flesh.The man's golden pupils burned with intensified desire. His Adam's apple bobbed as he emitted a low, almost satisfied grunt before snatching the vine offered by a nearby beastman. With deft precision, he bound Gu Liang's hands behind his back. Gu Liang screamed in terror in Chinese, struggling futilely.
The man seemed utterly impatient with his struggles, snatching him up like prey and slinging him over his shoulder. The impact of his shoulder blades against his stomach made him retch. The man gave a sharp whistle, and the group swiftly vanished into the depths of the dense forest.
Jolts, suffocation, terror—all mingled with the overpowering, nauseatingly potent male scent emanating from the beastman carrying him. Waves of darkness relentlessly washed over the edges of Gu Liang's consciousness.
After an unknown duration, the view suddenly opened up. A tribal settlement appeared in the valley. Rudimentary animal-skin tents and wooden-stone huts huddled haphazardly together, surrounded by a crude wooden palisade nearly as tall as a modern one-story building, its top sharpened to spear-like points.Numerous similarly attired orcs came and went, casting curious glances at the returning party—especially Gu Liang. Yet many of their gazes, upon meeting the 'Lord' who, though not of their tribe, had seized his place through sheer force, and his men, instinctively carried a hint of reverence and an almost imperceptible tension and aloofness.
The man carried Gu Liang directly toward a well-positioned, rather large tent (though not the central one). He lifted the curtain and tossed Gu Liang onto the floor, covered with thick layers of dry straw and animal hides.
The impact left Gu Liang reeling. The man unstrapped his weapon and tossed it aside, then turned, his golden pupils blazing eerily in the dim tent as he advanced step by step.
That naked, possessive gaze terrified Gu Liang to the core. "No... don't come closer..." He scrambled backward on all fours until his back hit the cold tent wall.
The man leaned down, his large hand seizing Gu Liang's collar. With a sharp tear, he ripped it open, exposing the thin T-shirt and a small patch of pale chest.
The icy air sent shivers through him. Just as the man pressed down, Gu Liang summoned every ounce of strength, violently pulling the Swiss Army knife from his backpack's side pocket. He snapped out the longest blade and stabbed wildly!
The man dodged the vital areas with lightning reflexes, but the blade still drew a bloody gash across his cheek.
"GRRR!" The man recoiled in pain, touching the blood on his face. His golden pupils narrowed as fury and disbelief surged. He clearly hadn't expected this frail prey to resist—let alone wound him.
Gu Liang, his hands bound, raised the knife awkwardly, gasping for breath. His eyes held despair and resolve: "Don't touch me! Or I'll kill you!"
The man stared at him, then at the peculiar "bone blade." The anger on his face gradually gave way to a deeper, more determined gleam. This fragile, stubborn little thing had only fueled his desire to conquer.
He didn't advance immediately, but his golden eyes conveyed a clear message: You won't escape.
Several leopard-kin beastmen who had peered into the tent at the commotion were dismissed with a low growl from the man.
Gu Liang huddled in the corner, knife clenched tight, heart pounding. He knew temporary safety meant no real safety. In this strange, brutal world, he'd lost all support, reduced to a slave. The powerful, aggressive beast before him was his master—and his greatest threat.
Night fell. Outside the tent, beasts howled and campfires crackled. Inside, the golden-eyed man leaned against the opposite wall, his gaze never leaving Gu Liang. Clutching his Swiss Army knife, Gu Liang spent the night sleepless. Fear and unease coiled around his heart like a cold, venomous snake. Home—the brightly lit, orderly modern world—felt as distant and unreal as a dream.
Near the center of the tribe, in another tent, a tall, athletic female beastman stood silently, peering through the cracks toward that tent. Her honey-colored skin, sharp short hair, and eyes were cool and piercing.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in her mind: [Target detected: Gu Liang. Initial Corruption Value: 5%. Locating residual energy from the temporal rift... Host, contact target immediately to halt corruption progression.]
Emma, the soul transported from the book, sighed softly. The brutal fate of Gu Liang being torn apart in the novel flashed through her mind, followed by the pale face of her younger brother lying in the hospital bed.
"Got it," she murmured silently. "I'll complete the mission."
But now... was not the time.