Driven by intense curiosity, Zhang Ming worked up his courage and slowly searched in the direction of the Great Bluestone.
"I'll just pick up a little trash, then leave this indigenous civilization's garbage on the beach to lure my country into sending a rescue team. Wouldn't that be perfect?!"
Zhang Ming was quite confident that his homeland could, to some extent, "know" what he wrote on the beach.
Although he had no idea how far this supposed "knowledge" extended, most of the requests he had made during previous experiments had received responses over the radio.
"Rescuing me alone just isn't worth much. Throw an indigenous civilization into the mix, and that's a completely different story."
He walked very cautiously, covering only four kilometers in an hour. His right hand gripped his spear tightly, and his heart beat faster and faster.
The farther he followed the bluestone path, the scarcer the plants became.
Vast patches of shrubs withered away, until eventually there was no vegetation at all, only bare yellow earth.
What sounded like the howling of wild beasts drifted faintly from afar. Only when it grew louder did he realize it was the wind.
Climbing a steep rise, Zhang Ming trembled all over at the staggering sight before him!
Fungal colonies covered the hills and valleys, splashing the land with red, orange, yellow, and green. Their umbrella-shaped caps opened and closed like breathing animals, slowly writhing.
The largest caps were actually the size of houses, resembling crawling creatures.
Ruined walls lay everywhere, bearing witness to a devastating war that had once erupted here.
At the center of the area stood a tower-like building, soaring into the clouds to a height of roughly six hundred meters. Its walls were riddled with cracks, half of it had already crumbled and collapsed, and dense colonies of spore-producing fungi covered it.
An enormous bloodstain also soaked the building's surface, an eerie dark red.
Even though the bloodstain had long since dried, it still gave off a faint psychic fluctuation-Run! Run now!
Even at the edge of the valley, Zhang Ming felt a deadly sense of danger.
This might have been the greatest peril he had encountered in the past month.
That bloodstain was actually conveying the message Run now?
He wanted to flee.
But he realized it was already too late.
Like Red Spider Lilies on the banks of the underworld's river, the vivid fungal colonies radiated a devilish allure, enticing him to venture ever deeper.
Zhang Ming's heartbeat began to accelerate.
Inexplicable whispers arose in his ears, as though ants were burrowing into his brain and controlling his body, making him move forward step by step.
He felt himself beginning to mutate.
Every cell in his body developed a will of its own.
Nervousness?
Unease?
Panic?
My flesh must taste delicious!
Why not eat myself!
The insane thoughts burrowed deep into his mind. Zhang Ming bared his sharp teeth and viciously bit his own arm. The intense pain made him shudder, jolting his mind clear!
The maddening hallucinations briefly vanished.
"Run! Run now!!"
Drenched in sweat, he broke free of that temptation. No longer daring to look at the fungal colonies blanketing the hills, he ran back the way he had come.
Today's fantastical journey had pushed Zhang Ming beyond what he could bear.
The red toads and golden electric eels in the Red Mangrove Forest could still be considered comprehensible mutated creatures.
But those fungal colonies covering the hills, the traces of artificial structures, and that crimson smear of "talking" blood belonged firmly to the realm of the supernatural.
"This world is too crazy!"
"But... I actually love it!"
Zhang Ming ran in reckless abandon, his thoughts spinning wildly.
Utterly exhausted, he returned to the coconut grove.
The familiar surroundings brought him no sense of security, because his camp was only ten or so kilometers from that mad valley.
If the danger spread this far, he would not even have a chance to escape.
Yet he had nowhere else to run.
The island was only so big. He could hardly make his home in the sea, could he?
Instead, it was the sea turtles bobbing their heads around his camp, waiting to listen to the radio, that offered him a little comforting sense of safety.
After all, these creatures were normal living beings he could understand, relate to, and even communicate with.
"Awoo, awoo, awoo." The little white turtle leading the group roared unhappily, seemingly saying, You rascal, coming back this late! Have you been sneaking off to eat chicken?
You're not even listening to the radio anymore?
You must have been off doing something filthy!!
Zhang Ming steadied his pounding heart. His eyes bloodshot, he imitated the turtles' speech. "Awoo, awoo, awoo. (Turtles, I ran into big trouble. I nearly died.)"
The turtles looked utterly bewildered: ?????
He switched on the radio.
The familiar voice of the announcer, Comrade Li Xianfeng, reached his ears.
"...The global earthquakes will trigger a series of chain reactions. Seismic damage to oil and gas traps, along with changes in the physical properties of reservoir formations, will make oil extraction substantially more difficult."
"Our experts believe that the current petroleum-centered approach to chemical production will reach its end, to be replaced by coal-based chemical production."
"Our country has abundant coal reserves, with total resources of 1.3223 trillion tonnes and basic reserves of 244 billion tonnes. Coal will not disappear as a result of geological movement. The adoption of coal-based chemical production will substantially slow industrial decline and increase employment..."
News from human civilization, whether good or bad, helped Zhang Ming recover a little of his reason.
His whole body felt icy cold, and he instinctively glanced at his Mental Value.
[Mental 12/42] (You've gone mad, mad!!)
He hurriedly transferred attribute points into his Mental Value.
After a while, his Mental Value became [20/50] and continued rising slowly.
(You're not quite so mad now.)
Zhang Ming let out a long sigh of relief.
Having a group of turtle friends really was a good thing. Whatever else, they were company.
"Whatever's at the center of the island is already beyond my understanding. The Mysterious Zone is completely different from Earth. It looks peaceful, but deadly dangers lurk everywhere."
"An intelligent civilization once existed here, but they're most likely extinct now..."
"No wonder this island is so safe. It turns out the powerful monsters don't dare come near it."
The bright moon hung high overhead.
The coconut trees grew unchecked, their palm fronds
interweaving in a tangled canopy. Flecks of moonlight spilled through the gaps, accompanied by a sea breeze that chilled him to the bone.
He suddenly thought of an intriguing possibility. "Those ruins must hold vast treasures, enough to help humanity rise in this supernatural age."
"Even if some danger remains, it should fade with time."
"Who knows how many years have passed by now? There might be an opening to exploit."
Where there was danger, there were bound to be rewards.
Surely a civilization that had survived in a supernatural age would have some substantial legacy, no matter what?
But however he thought it through, one person's strength was far too insignificant, with far too little room for error. A national expedition team ought to explore it.
Not a nobody like him, recklessly risking his life.
Yet the expedition team still hadn't come. It really took all the excitement out of things.
Before you continue