Trapped in a Mysterious Zone

"Splash, splash~"

Cirrus clouds veiled the blazing sun, bringing a moment of shade; waves battered the rocky shore, spraying foam without end.

Zhang Ming opened his eyes and found himself lying on a soft, sandy beach.

"Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?"

A violent wave of dizziness swept through his head, involuntarily turning him into a philosopher asking life's three ultimate questions.

Not far away lay a wrecked plane. Its nose, fuselage, and tail had separated, breaking it into three sections. The metal gouges left in the sand told the story of the disaster that had occurred.

"A plane..."

"Oh, the plane!"

Still dazed, Zhang Ming rubbed his temples with both hands. As the dizziness gradually faded, memories flooded his mind.

As a code monkey, he worked at a company with pretty decent pay and benefits. At the annual company party, he had miraculously won the grand prize: a ten-day trip to Hawaii!

Then joy had turned to tragedy. During the trip, his plane had crashed.

The reason for the crash had been strange, too.

As the captain had explained over the intercom, "Passengers, our satellite signal suddenly cut out during the flight, and we strayed off course. Despite searching for a long time, we have been unable to find the correct route."

"We're almost out of fuel. We've spotted an island and must make an emergency landing. The odds of successfully landing on a beach aren't good. May heaven watch over us."

As for the outcome, it was right before his eyes-a wrecked plane and dead passengers!

"How could this happen?!"

At that recollection, Zhang Ming nearly broke down.

He felt as though every cell in his body had stopped working. His heart no longer beat, his blood no longer flowed, and his mind was blank. Even his spermatogonial cells, capable of endless division, had stopped dividing.

His fabled trip to Hawaii, that dream destination full of big boobs, long pale legs, bikinis, essential oils, and sunscreen, had suddenly become an ordeal.

What about the tour the company booked for me? Can I get a refund? Was the captain full of shit? Did he have to land on the beach?

If GPS wasn't working, couldn't he switch to BeiDou?!

Wait, will the insurance company pay out? A million? Ten million? Enough for a down payment on a home?

I miraculously survived a disaster. Will I make it into Guinness World Records? Could I become an internet celebrity?

Me, miracle survivor. You, donate!

At that thought, Zhang Ming snapped out of the memories flashing through his mind and gradually came back to his senses.

The prospect of a seven- or eight-figure insurance payout and a future career as an internet celebrity miraculously gave him a little strength.

He got up from the sand and limped toward the pile of aircraft wreckage.

Steeling himself, he called out, "Is... is anyone there?"

"Is anyone still alive? Anyone alive? Is anyone there?!"

The pungent smell of blood hit him head-on. The scene inside the cabin was hell on earth.

All sorts of mysterious, sauce-like fluids made acid rise in his stomach and blood rush to his head.

Zhang Ming looked utterly sick.

Cold death assaulted every nerve in his body-not just the nerves in his brain, but those in his gut as well.

One moment, these people had been alive, praying, trembling in their seats, quietly crying, writing their final letters. The next, they were dead, reduced to flesh, hair, and crimson blood.

Zhang Ming tried to calm himself, but his heart only beat faster. Everything spun, as though the weight of the whole world were pressing down on him.

He could no longer be bothered to think about insurance or internet fame.

This... am I seriously the only fucking person alive?!

Suddenly, a burst of crackling microphone static jolted him out of his panic.

"(Static) Da* Airlines DS898, this is Eastern Airport... respond if you copy... respond if you copy!"

Zhang Ming abruptly collected himself and shouted toward the radio, "I copy... my name is Zhang Ming. My ID number is..."

"I'm a passenger on the plane. The plane crashed!"

"I'm on a small island right now. I'm a survivor. I'm still alive! Save... save me!"

The person at the other end paused, apparently not expecting all those repeated calls to actually receive a response.

After all, more than ten hours had passed since the plane lost contact.

"What's the condition of the aircraft? How many survivors are there? How large is the island? Are there any man-made facilities nearby?"

Pale-faced and white-lipped, Zhang Ming looked around and swallowed. "We flew over the Pacific Ocean for a long time. The GPS signal disappeared, and we found this island. Eventually, we ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing... the plane ended up breaking into three sections."

"Survivors... it looks like I'm the only one. I'll look again to see if anyone else is alive."

The voice on the radio asked, "What about the captain? Is he still alive?"

Forcing himself to look at the lurid mess inside the cockpit, Zhang Ming lifted a metal panel with his hands, sweat pouring down his head.

A foot fell in front of him.

The leather shoe had come off, exposing a black sock covered in blood.

Judging by the uniform, it belonged to a member of the flight crew.

The captain... was dead.

With a disaster this severe, he had no idea how he himself had survived.

In any case, he was still alive.

He turned his head away again and looked into the distance.

A golden sun hung in the blue sky. Sunlight rippled across the sea, making it shimmer gold. Rows of great waves rolled endlessly toward the shore. Plenty of palm trees and sparse clusters of shrubs grew near the beach.

Zhang Ming stood dazed for several seconds, his mouth dry. "The captain's gone... the blood has already dried."

"I haven't found any human settlements. I can see some tall coconut trees on the island. They might be a hundred or two hundred meters tall... these trees are ridiculously huge!"

Wait, what's that?!

A round green object fell from a tree with a thud and rolled toward the plane!

He froze involuntarily, holding his breath!

Looking closer, he realized it was a coconut!

But this green coconut was as big as a water vat and probably weighed a hundred and fifty kilos!

"What the hell is this?"

Zhang Ming was utterly bewildered. Did I fucking transmigrate? Am I in a land of giants? Or did my body shrink?

The person at the other end of the radio sounded confused, too. "Sir, please calm down first. Take a deep breath and focus."

On the verge of tears, Zhang Ming reached out and touched the coconut. It really did weigh a hundred and fifty kilos.

I hope this is

an illusion. Better yet, a dream!

He punched it twice. It was rock-hard.

The voice on the radio grew serious, adopting a very formal tone. "Mr. Zhang, according to the satellite signal we received, your current location is 10.33 degrees south, 140.45 degrees west. In theory, that's open ocean. There aren't any large islands there."

"We must now inform you of something. Today alone, thousands of earthquakes of varying sizes have occurred around the globe, including fifty-two above magnitude seven, six above magnitude eight, and one of magnitude nine."

"Our country has also been struck by some small and medium-sized earthquakes."

"Due to the frequent tsunamis, all flights and shipping have been suspended."

Zhang Ming swallowed, his heart lurching as a vague sense of dread crept over him.

The radio continued, "Please move to higher ground as soon as possible to avoid any potential tsunami."

"Until the disasters subside, it will be difficult for us to send enough personnel to rescue you, so you may have to live on that island for a while."

"The plane's checked luggage is in the lower cargo hold. There may be some supplies there."

"You need to gather survival resources as quickly as possible..."

Please, don't do this!

What they meant was: would he rather be Bear Grylls, energetically fighting for survival, eating one bug and staying lively for three days while searching for human settlements, or Ed Stafford, struggling to survive and missing all nine meals over three days?

Either way, pick one!

He was going to have to survive on a deserted island for a while!

Zhang Ming fell silent for several minutes.

He desperately wanted to shout, Please take me home!

But the other person kept saying, "I'm very sorry." This wasn't something a radio operator could decide.

"A large number of planes and ships around the world have lost contact. You're the only one we've managed to reach here... if we can send a rescue team, we'll do so as soon as possible. But obviously..."

"You're saying I'm one of the lucky ones? Fine. Fine."

Zhang Ming felt angry, yet utterly helpless.

Venting served no purpose. It would only slow his draw.

Silently, he limped toward the cabin.

"If I make it back alive, how much will the insurance company pay me?"

The other person paused, then explained, "Currently, domestic aviation accident insurance pays up to three million yuan. The airline's maximum compensation for someone killed in a crash is four hundred thousand yuan. For someone like you, who isn't dead yet, a payout of one or two million shouldn't be a problem."

"We'll pay your family as soon as possible..."

So living people get less than dead people...

Steeling himself, Zhang Ming crawled into the cabin and searched for survivors amid the ghastly scene.

It would always be better to have more people alive.

But he found no living people, only a case of unsold Evian mineral water on a service cart and a few bottles of drinks covered in red liquid.

Looking utterly hopeless and on the verge of tears, Zhang Ming said, "One case of mineral water from hell."

"Five bottles of Coca-Cola, Sprite, and orange juice from the underworld, plus bread, biscuits, and other snacks."

There wasn't much food, because the passengers had already eaten. To cut transportation costs, the damned airline would never carry much extra food.

He then headed to the cargo hold.

A huge hole had torn open there, and checked luggage of every size lay scattered haphazardly across the ground.

Zhang Ming dragged out several suitcases and, without caring what was inside them, ran toward higher ground.

He tried to recall all the wilderness survival documentaries he had seen. Starving Ed had survived on a deserted island for sixty days, but he couldn't remember any of the details. All he remembered was that the guy had finally eaten a fat, juicy roast sheep. Who knew whether it had been planted there?

As for Bear Grylls, he might have chosen to swim across the ocean...

After dozens of trips back and forth over more than three hours, he finally managed to move almost everything out of the cargo hold.

Exhausted, Zhang Ming returned to the radio. His hands and feet were going numb, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.

Only then did he notice the terrible pain in his thigh and tailbone.

Perhaps because he had pushed himself far beyond his limits, his mental state abruptly deteriorated. Every muscle in his backside, thighs, calves, and chest ached dully.

As the sun sank, waves surged higher and higher. The last few metal panels left behind had already been swallowed by the tide.

Zhang Ming swallowed. "Can I remove this radio? At this rate, the tide will flood this place."

"If water gets into the radio, it'll break, right? Then I won't be able to contact you..."

The operator on the other end sighed. "Without enough tools, you'll have a hard time removing it."

"Besides, the radio needs electricity to work. The current battery won't last much longer."

"Mr. Zhang Ming, our planet is undergoing drastic changes. The whole world is in chaos right now, and many people have died."

"I just received word that Hawaii was hit by a tsunami."

"Turn the volume all the way up and head ashore first. A tsunami could arrive at any moment."

"Oh, and if you have a radio receiver, you can try listening to satellite broadcasts. Look through the passengers' suitcases and see if you can find one."

Like a deflated balloon, Zhang Ming squeezed out his last words. "Tell my parents. Tell them I'm... still alive."

"My parents' phone number is... and their address is... I'm sure you can look it up."

"No problem... the aviation insurance payout will definitely go to your parents!"

After receiving that promise, Zhang Ming walked back ashore with a blank expression.

The sun was about to set. A blazing ball of fire hung on the horizon, dyeing the clouds around it scarlet. Even the distant seawater was red, looking just like a pool of blood.

This was an open rise. Towering coconut trees blotted out the sky, and several coconuts on the ground, each as huge as a water vat, made the place feel oppressive.

Tension and unease welled up inside him.

His stomach growled with hunger.

But he had so little food that he couldn't bear to eat a single bite.

As for whether the unopened suitcases contained any food, he still didn't know. Even if they did, there probably wouldn't be much.

Zhang Ming felt that life was far too hard. Without any warning, he had been thrown into wilderness survival. Disasters were erupting across the entire planet. Yesterday, he had still been dreaming of going to Hawaii to check out pretty girls. Today, those girls had all been engulfed by a tsunami, and he himself had

fallen into an unknown, mysterious world.

Everything left him with a sense of unreality.

Suddenly, Zhang Ming felt a flash of light in his mind!

A strange panel appeared inside his head.

[Physique: 15/21] (You're hungry and tired, but you can actually still move around.)

[Perception: 19/20] (Your perception is normal.)

[Mental strength: 9/20] (You're on the verge of a mental breakdown.)

[Lifespan: 24/88] (It's good to be young.)

[Total attributes: 149] (You couldn't be any more pathetic.)

Huh?!

Zhang Ming blinked, confirming that he hadn't misread it.

An avid reader of webnovels, he felt a tremor deep inside. Could this be my cheat?

It looks like... I can survive!