First Exploration

The next morning.

Gao Jing rode his beat-up motorcycle to Pude Road in the south of the city.

In recent years, the domestic tourism boom had been just beginning to rise. More and more people traveled by car or went hiking, naturally driving the vigorous growth of related industries.

Pude Road had once had only two or three outdoor equipment shops, but now similar storefronts occupied nearly half the street.

Cloud City itself was a major tourist city, with many scenic areas nearby.

Gao Jing parked his motorcycle outside the "Wilderness Hunter" outdoor store.

He got off and walked into the shop, greeting a middle-aged man who was wiping down the shelves. "Uncle Fang, good morning."

The middle-aged man turned around at the sound and said with a smile, "Xiao Gao, you're here so early."

Gao Jing smiled back.

He had slept only four or five hours the previous night.

"Wilderness Hunter" was one of the earliest outdoor equipment stores on Pude Road. Gao Jing had done business with it before, which was how he had come to know its owner.

Uncle Fang did not waste words. "Come with me. I've got everything ready for you."

He locked the glass door and led Gao Jing into the back room.

A pile of items sat on the table inside. Uncle Fang picked up a crossbow and said, "Sagittarius C-Type Hunting Crossbow. Effective range of 120 meters, with a laser sight. It's ninety percent new—4,500 for you, and I'll throw in fifty bolts."

As he spoke, he set down the crossbow and drew out a black machete. "Ontario Machete. Well, it's an imitation, but I guarantee the quality. Brand-new, 1,100 and it's yours."

"This American-made multifunction military knife..."

After introducing every item, Uncle Fang finally said, "The total is 12,750. Just give me 12,700."

"Alright."

Gao Jing took out his phone. "I'll transfer it to you on WeChat."

The night before, he had called Uncle Fang and ordered a full set of outdoor exploration and hunting gear.

He had come to pick it up that morning.

Besides the crossbow and machete, there were jackets and pants, hiking boots, a backpack, a first-aid kit, a water purifier, and other necessities.

Though the total cost was considerable, it was better to be prepared than caught unawares.

After all, what he was about to undertake was no ordinary expedition.

Gao Jing did not haggle, because Uncle Fang would not cheat him.

The man's reputation was known far and wide within the circle.

"Xiao Gao."

Uncle Fang said earnestly, "It's fine to have some fun, but you absolutely must pay attention to safety."

Strictly speaking, both the hunting crossbow and the machete were controlled items. If Gao Jing had not been an acquaintance, Uncle Fang would never have taken them out for sale.

When Gao Jing had called to place the order the night before, Uncle Fang had questioned him repeatedly as well.

"Don't worry."

Gao Jing smiled. "I'm just using them to clear my head."

His excuse for ordering the items was that he had quit his job and returned to his hometown to rest for a while, planning to find some amusement in the mountains.

Uncle Fang nodded and said nothing more.

He had known Gao Jing for three years and understood his character quite well.

He knew Gao Jing was not the sort of person who liked to fool around recklessly.

After securing all the large and small bags to the back of his motorcycle, Gao Jing waved goodbye to Uncle Fang and returned to his rented room.

He did not rush into the new world to explore. Instead, he found a thick wooden board to use as a target and repeatedly practiced in his room, familiarizing himself with the hunting crossbow and mastering its use.

Gao Jing also searched online for information and videos on wilderness survival, studying them carefully.

No skill ever weighed a man down; one only regretted too little reading when the need arose!

Though the Copper Anchor allowed him to return at any time, guaranteeing his safety to the greatest extent possible,

the more knowledge he acquired, the more it would undoubtedly help him explore the new world.

It was not until the morning of the fifth day after obtaining the Copper Anchor that Gao Jing put on all his equipment and prepared to set out.

Gao Jing touched the Copper Anchor hanging on his chest.

Over the past few days, he had worn the necklace constantly, never taking it off even while bathing or sleeping. He felt his connection with the Copper Anchor growing ever closer.

The feeling was profoundly mysterious.

Even if the Copper Anchor were thrown somewhere far away, he could still find it again with perfect accuracy.

"Off we go!"

At the command of his mind, Gao Jing vanished from where he stood in an instant.

He appeared once more in the forest of the unknown world.

"Huh?"

Gao Jing, whose entire body was taut as he prepared to flee at any moment, froze for a second.

The thing he had worried about most had not happened. It had not turned to night here, nor had any wild beasts appeared nearby.

The scene before him was familiar. It was still the spot where he had first arrived, and time in this world seemed to have stopped at the exact moment he had left last time, only resuming when he returned!

That was interesting.

Gao Jing looked at the multifunction hiking watch on his wrist. Its displayed temperature, air pressure, altitude, and other data were all normal; even the compass function worked perfectly.

Naturally, there was no satellite signal. Otherwise, Gao Jing would have begun to doubt his life.

The time on the watch read 8:25:17 in the morning.

He carefully took a few steps forward.

The gravity was basically the same as on Blue Star. He did not feel any heavier or lighter.

Then he took out a Geiger counter and measured the surroundings.

The reading was normal.

Gao Jing could not help letting out a sigh of relief.

The air here was especially fresh. Perhaps because he was in a forest, the oxygen content was relatively high.

Beneath his feet was soil covered in fallen leaves and rich in humus. His boots sank several centimeters when he stepped on it.

But it did not affect his movement much.

Putting away the Geiger counter, Gao Jing began cautiously exploring this unfamiliar world.

His start was far from smooth.

Thick vines sprawled wildly across the forest, while countless bulging tree roots that crawled along the ground became the greatest obstacles in his path.

Even the sharp Mountain-Cleaving Saber found it difficult to cut through the tough vines. To conserve his strength, Gao Jing could only detour around obstacles that were hard to cross, climbing over them only when there was no way around.

The instant he climbed over one and jumped down to the ground, a buzzing sound suddenly reached his ears.

Gao Jing turned his head and saw dozens of blue-violet mosquitoes flying toward him at high speed!

Running into mosquitoes in a forest was perfectly normal, but each of these mosquitoes was larger than an adult's fist.

Their wings vibrated as they thrust out long, sharp proboscises, pointing straight at Gao Jing.

They were like miniature dive bombers!

Gao Jing was startled out of his wits.

Mosquitoes this big—were they planning to suck him into a dried corpse on the spot?

Gao Jing reacted swiftly. He immediately pulled out the mosquito repellent from the pouch at his waist and sprayed it at the incoming mosquitoes.

Clouds of mist sprayed into the air, releasing a heavy odor.

Since he could not be sure whether the repellent would work on the mosquitoes of this world, he was ready to return at any moment.

Fortunately, the mosquito repellent worked.

The purple mosquitoes loathed its scent. They all changed direction and swiftly vanished from Gao Jing's sight.

Gao Jing, whose nerves had been stretched taut, let out a long breath and hurriedly sprayed more repellent over himself.

He had spotted them in advance just now. If they had ambushed him, his jacket might not have been able to stop them.

The thought alone left him somewhat shaken.

Just after he finished spraying himself, another rustling sound suddenly entered his ears.

Gao Jing's gaze sharpened, and his entire body instantly stiffened!

Only a few meters away from him, a dark-red centipede as wide as a palm crawled out of the shadowy grass.

It swayed its head and tail, its countless legs treading over dead branches and fallen leaves as it leisurely crawled into a mud hole beside it.

It was at least over two meters long!

Gao Jing truly felt like he had stepped in dog shit.

He had once read online that the largest Giant centipedes on Blue Star were only a little over forty centimeters long.

Compared to the centipede he had just seen, those were practically first-year elementary school students.

Gao Jing looked again at the towering trees around him. Each one rose beyond reach, their tops nearly impossible to see.

Even the smallest tree he could find visually was too large for several people to encircle with their arms, and its growth pattern was clearly different from that of the giant trees.

Combined with what he had seen in his dream, Gao Jing arrived at a startling guess.

That was, every living thing on this planet—whether plant or animal—was enormous. Even mosquitoes, ants, and insects were ten or even a dozen times larger than those on Blue Star.

In other words, this was a truly Great World.

Like Blue Star enlarged tenfold!

And Gao Jing, who had appeared in this Great World, was undoubtedly a "small" man, like Gulliver arriving in Brobdingnag!

What the hell!

This deduction, which was highly likely to be the truth, made Gao Jing's scalp go numb and his entire body tremble.

His courage to explore the world nearly vanished completely.

Because the dangers he might encounter in this Great World were ten, even a hundred times greater than he had originally imagined!

Although the Copper Anchor could return Gao Jing to Blue Star instantly, there were too many unforeseen accidents.

Perhaps while he was struggling through the forest, a wild beast might suddenly come running by and crush him to death merely by passing through without meaning to.

He would not even have time to react!

What should he do?

Should he give up, or continue exploring? Gao Jing instantly fell into intense conflict.