Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Valley Survivors, Camp Crisis

The first ray of morning light pierced through the thick clouds, chasing away the wasteland's chill. Lucas Witt woke up early, quickly tending to the wounds on his knee and arm—though the bandages and antiseptic in the first-aid kit were shoddy, they'd keep the infections at bay for now. He stuffed the remaining protein bars and water into his backpack, grabbed the simple tool set the system had given him—a stone axe, a wooden saw, and a few lengths of rope—and double-checked the watchtower's lock before heading toward the valley.Following the holographic map, the stream lay on the other side of the valley, and the path led through a patch of low-lying bushes. The plants along the way were eerily distorted: some had leaves as sharp as serrated blades, their edges glinting with a black sheen that left shallow cuts if touched; others bore flowers that reeked of a pungent stench, making his head spin if he breathed it in too long.Lucas picked his way carefully around the dangerous flora, silently grateful—the system's basic survival knowledge pack had covered these wasteland plants. Without it, he might've ended up poisoned or injured from a careless touch. "These plants are more of a pain in the ass than Brian Cole's mood swings," he muttered to himself, never slowing his pace.When he reached an open meadow, a rustling sound suddenly came from the grass, followed by the buzzing of flapping wings. Lucas froze instantly, gripping his stone axe tight and scanning his surroundings sharply—years of scraping by at the bottom had honed his sense for danger.In the next second, several giant locusts—about the size of small dogs—leapt out of the grass. Their wings glinted with a metallic sheen, their mouthparts sharp as sickles, and they hit the ground with a dull thud, their eyes glowing with malice. "Fuck… mutant locusts?" Lucas's heart skipped a beat. These things were way more ferocious than any locust he'd seen in documentaries.He didn't run—out in the open, he'd never outrun their powerful jumps; he'd just end up torn to shreds. Lucas took a deep breath, gripping the axe harder, and locked his gaze on the first locust charging at him. The moment it got close, he dodged to the side and swung the axe down hard on its wing.There was a crisp crack, and the locust's wing snapped. It let out a shrill screech and flailed on the ground, helpless. The other locusts went wild, swarming him, their buzzing growing louder by the second. Lucas darted around their attacks, looking for openings to strike back, his axe slicing through the air and felling locust after locust, their screeches echoing around him."Stay back! Do you really think I'm easy prey?" Lucas shouted, half to hype himself up, half to try and intimidate the mutants. The fight dragged on for a full ten minutes, and by the time the last locust fell, he was gasping for breath, a fresh gash on his arm oozing blood from a locust's bite.He leaned against a tree to catch his breath, patched up the new wound with the first-aid kit, then kept heading for the stream. After that fight, he knew better than ever—this wasteland ran on the law of the jungle. Only the strong survived.Walking along the stream for about half an hour, faint voices drifted to his ears. Lucas tensed up, sneaking behind a large tree and peeking out—by the stream, a group of raggedly dressed people were huddled around, filling containers with water. Their faces were worn and wary, and they held crudely made weapons—wooden spears, stone knives—looking like fellow survivors."People!" Lucas's heart raced. Surviving alone in this wasteland was next to impossible; joining a group would definitely boost his chances. But he didn't rush over—he had no idea if these people were friendly, if they'd shun strangers, or even rob him of his supplies.After hesitating for a moment, Lucas stepped out from behind the tree, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm, and called out in a gentle voice: "Hey, there! I'm not a threat—I'm just lost. Saw the water and thought I'd ask for a drink."The group spun around instantly, grabbing their weapons and closing in on him, their eyes filled with suspicion. A burly man with a beard, tall and menacing, stepped forward and growled: "Who are you? Where'd you come from? What do you have on you?"Lucas froze for a second, then realized—the system's language comprehension module was working. He could understand them, and they could understand him. He pushed down his nerves, forcing a warm smile, and said honestly: "Name's Lucas Witt. Got lost in the woods nearby. All I have is a little water and some protein bars—no weapons, no tricks."He kept his time-traveler identity to himself, didn't mention the system or his textbook knowledge. He just played the part of a lost survivor—loose lips sank ships. Hiding his strength and secrets was the smart move until he figured out who these people really were.The bearded man frowned, sizing Lucas up, his eyes scanning him like he was trying to spot a lie. "You alone?" he asked, his voice still cold."Yeah. Got separated from my group—now it's just me." Lucas nodded, his tone sincere. "I haven't eaten properly in two days. Can I get a drink? I won't take it for free—I can help with chores, fix tools, find food, whatever you need."The man fell silent, muttering a few words to the others beside him, then nodded at Lucas, jerking his head at a young girl standing nearby. She handed him a bottle of water, her voice soft, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "Here, drink. I'm Sophia, and this is our leader, Marco. We're survivors too—our camp's just up ahead."Lucas took the bottle, thanking her profusely, and chugged it down. The cool water soothed his parched throat. He smiled genuinely at Sophia. "Thanks a lot. Lucas Witt, like I said. If you'll have me, I'd love to stick around—promise I'll pull my weight, won't be a burden."Marco hesitated, studying Lucas. He was on the thin side, but his eyes were steady, and he had fresh battle scars—he didn't look like the type to slack off. Besides, in this wasteland, an extra pair of hands was always a plus. "Fine, you can come with us for now," Marco rumbled. "But remember—our camp has strict rules. Step out of line, and you're gone.""Thank you, Leader Marco! I won't let you down!" Lucas nodded eagerly, a weight lifting off his chest—he finally had a temporary roof over his head.Walking along the stream with Marco and Sophia, Lucas learned their story. They'd been part of a large shelter until it was overrun by powerful mutants. Most of the people there had died, leaving just over a dozen of them to wander, searching for a new place to call home."The world's getting more dangerous by the day," Marco sighed, his voice heavy with resignation. "More mutants, fewer resources. We've moved camp four times already—each time, we had to run from danger."Lucas listened quietly, nodding. He knew Marco was right—survival in this wasteland was a never-ending war with no硝烟. He thought to himself—with his textbook knowledge, he could help them build stronger defenses, start a garden, put an end to their wandering. It was a way to repay their kindness, and a way to build a safer place for himself too.After about half an hour, they reached the camp—a run-down farm surrounded by barbed wire, with a few low warehouses and houses, their walls pockmarked with bullet holes and worn thin. Two guards with wooden spears stood at the gate; when they saw Marco, they quickly opened the wire door."Leader, you're back," the guards said respectfully, their eyes darting to Lucas, curious and wary."Yeah. This is Lucas Witt—lost survivor, staying with us for now," Marco said, nodding at the guards. "Show him the ropes, find him a temporary place to sleep."The camp was bustling with activity—over a dozen people going about their tasks: some fixing broken weapons, some starting a fire to cook, others tending to the injured. A little girl sat in the corner, playing with a scrawny dog, her face lit up with a rare, innocent smile—jarringly out of place in this cruel wasteland."This is our camp," Marco said, gesturing at the scene, his tone flat. "It's shabby, and it's not safe, but it keeps the rain off our backs and lets us scrape by."Lucas nodded, his eyes sweeping over the camp's defenses—the barbed wire was flimsy, with gaps big enough for large mutants to squeeze through; the gate was just a rotting wooden plank, easy to break down; there were no traps or lookouts around. He made a mental note of the flaws, deciding to bring up improvements once he'd settled in.Over the next few days, Lucas adjusted quickly to camp life. He volunteered for the hardest work: fixing dilapidated houses, reinforcing the barbed wire, scavenging for food and firewood. He was quick with his hands and sharp-minded—using the system's tool set, he fixed the camp's broken tools until they were good as new, and even built a simple water-fetching device using basic lever principles, saving everyone time and energy.Slowly, the camp's residents let their guard down around him. They grew to like the quiet, hardworking young man who never complained. Sophia often saved him a bowl of hot food, the injured talked to him willingly, and the little girl pestered him nonstop to tell "stories from the outside.""Lucas, come try the stew I made," Sophia said one evening, carrying over a steaming bowl, a soft smile on her face. "It's mutant boar we hunted yesterday—it tastes a little weird, but it'll fill you up."Lucas took the bowl, his heart warming—it was the first hot meal he'd had since he'd arrived in this world. He took a bite; the meat was tough, with a faint gamey taste, but he ate it greedily, nodding at Sophia. "Thanks, it's great—way better than protein bars."Sophia smiled, sitting down beside him. "You know, you're really handy. You seem like you know a lot of stuff. Did you have a special job before?"Lucas hesitated, then smiled, being deliberately vague. "Just odd jobs here and there. Picked up a little handyman work—nothing special." He didn't say more, keeping his secrets close—now wasn't the time to reveal them.Just as Lucas was settling in, ready to suggest improvements to the camp's defenses, danger struck.In the middle of the night, a sharp alarm cut through the camp's silence—a signal they'd agreed on, meaning mutant attack. Lucas jumped to his feet, grabbed his stone axe, and sprinted out of his temporary shelter.The camp gate was in chaos. Over a dozen giant mutant wolves were slamming into the barbed wire, which creaked and groaned, ready to snap at any moment. The guards swung their weapons frantically, fighting back, but the wolves were too many, too ferocious—they were wearing down fast, most of them already injured."What's going on?" Lucas rushed to Marco's side, his voice grave."Mutant wolves! No idea how they found us!" Marco's face was grim as he swung his longsword, chopping down a wolf that lunged at him. "The wire won't hold much longer—we need to break out. Stay here, and we'll all get eaten!"Lucas nodded, scanning the camp quickly—the back gate was hidden behind low bushes, and the wolves were all focused on the front. Breaking out from the back would be their best shot. "Leader Marco, we escape through the back gate!" he shouted. "I'll hold them off—you take everyone and go!""No way, that's suicide!" Sophia cried out."We don't have time to argue!" Lucas said firmly. "Go now, or it'll be too late! Trust me—I'll catch up!"Marco looked into Lucas's steady eyes, knowing there was no time for hesitation. He nodded sharply. "Alright! Everyone follow me—back gate! Lucas, be careful!"Lucas gripped his axe, planting himself in front of the barbed wire, and charged at the oncoming wolves. He used his agility to dodge their bites, swinging his axe at their vital spots. He got more cuts and bruises, but he didn't back down—not when Marco and the others were counting on him to buy time.The fight lasted over half an hour. By the time Lucas chased off the last wolf and caught up with the group, everyone was gasping for breath, most of them injured, and the camp was in ruins.Lucas stared at the destroyed camp, a twinge of helplessness mixing with resolve. "Looks like we need a new place," he sighed, turning to Marco. "I know somewhere—an abandoned military base. It should have weapons and supplies, and the defenses are way stronger than this."Hope flickered in Marco's eyes. He nodded. "Let's go. We'll head to that military base. As long as we can survive, we'll take the risk."In the dark of night, a group of survivors trekked up the mountain path, toward the military base Lucas had mentioned. Lucas walked at the back of the group, staring at the pitch-black forest in the distance, making a silent vow. This time, he'd use his knowledge to build a truly safe, strong camp—no more wandering, no more being pushed around.(End of Chapter 2)