Volume One, Chapter Six: The Terror in the Cave

As the last rays of sunlight vanished, the entire earth was engulfed by an unfathomable darkness.

Pitch black, as if an immeasurable abyss was ready to swallow everything whole!

Zhuang Fan was startled to find that there was no moon in the sky, not even a single star.

(The terms “sun” and “moon” were merely habitual references for Zhuang Fan.)

“This other world is truly bizarre,” he muttered, a sense of unease creeping over him regarding his uncertain future.

Within the regional chat, the conversation had become a chaotic uproar.

“Can’t see a thing! What do we do now?”

“Guess where I am right now? I’m damn well hiding up a tree! And it seems like some monster is clawing at the trunk below!”

“Ha! Good luck with that.”

“Damn it, what’s wrong with this higher power, dragging us to this godforsaken place to suffer?”

“I’d rather endure hardship here than be a beast of burden back home!”

“Well, it’s not all bad here, just no short videos to scroll through. [Image]”

“Whoa, that’s awesome! Can you take me along?”

“Impressive, already got a wooden house built so fast.”

“Boss, how do you gather wood so quickly?”

“Guess, guess! Haha…”

Zhuang Fan paused at this message, quickly clicking the image attached.

It showed a neat, square wooden house.

Though small, it was a world apart from the crude cave he currently inhabited.

“Sure enough, there are real experts here. Building a wooden house like that must’ve taken hundreds of units of wood.”

He was filled with envy.

Unfortunately, the survivalist who posted it remained tight-lipped about how to acquire such a large amount of wood in a short time.

So far, Zhuang Fan only knew that ten units of branches could be exchanged for one unit of wood.

Otherwise, one had to craft an axe and chop trees themselves.

He continued scrolling through the chat, hoping to glean some useful survival tips.

A fleeting message caught his eye: “Crunchy and crispy, tastes like chicken! [Video]”

Zhuang Fan initially thought someone was recommending an edible delicacy.

But when he opened the video, he nearly retched.

A brave soul was shown holding a plump, chunky bug, popping it straight into his mouth.

Juices burst out with the first bite.

Liquid splattered everywhere.

Finally, he licked his lips, clearly savoring every last bit.

Zhuang Fan’s stomach churned instantly, and he hastily closed the chat channel.

Earlier, he had considered trying to cook some bugs tomorrow to see if they were edible.

Never expected someone to eat them raw. That was something else.

Having done so much work, he was already a bit hungry.

Now, after seeing that, his hunger grew even more intense.

With nothing to eat, he could only endure the gnawing emptiness.

---

He covered himself with large leaves, using them as a makeshift blanket.

Zhong Xiahan lay not far away, already asleep and softly snoring—proof she was utterly exhausted from the day.

Zhuang Fan had noticed her frailty; she had been pushing herself the entire journey.

After gathering some wild grass and fashioning two small nests, she lay down and quickly fell asleep.

Though Zhuang Fan longed to share the space with her, he knew she would never agree.

He neither wished nor dared to force the matter—after all, she had mentioned possessing a self-destruct skill.

She could revive after self-detonation, but Zhuang Fan had no resurrection attempts left.

“The night temperature can’t be above 15 degrees Celsius. How can anyone sleep in this?”

The cold wind kept blowing in, causing Zhuang Fan to shiver uncontrollably.

Curled up into a ball, he still struggled to keep the chill at bay.

“As the saying goes, a thousand layers of blankets can’t compare to body warmth; belly to belly beats any mattress.”

“When will that girl want to cuddle with me? Any girl will do—I’m not picky about looks,” he daydreamed foolishly.

Suddenly, he thought of his ex-girlfriend.

Tang Lingli.

They had attended the same school.

A chance meeting in the library had sparked their love.

After graduation, they made the resolute decision to stay in the bustling city of Shen to build their future together.

Back then, they rented a tiny twenty-square-meter room.

Zhuang Fan worked hard by day and moonlighted as a deliveryman at night.

Tang Lingli didn’t work but studied at home, preparing for civil service exams.

Three years passed, and she finally succeeded.

Zhuang Fan was overjoyed and reserved a table at an upscale Western restaurant to celebrate.

After a satisfying meal, he went to settle the bill.

It cost him nearly a month’s salary.

Though painful to spend so much, on such a happy day, he didn’t mind.

Unexpectedly, on the way home, Tang Lingli hesitated before telling him her family had called.

They said that if they wanted to continue their relationship, Zhuang Fan had to buy a house in the city.

He was stunned, speechless for a long moment.

Tears slipped down his cheeks unwillingly.

He knew this was just an excuse for Tang Lingli to break up.

Five years of love ultimately lost to reality.

That night, she was unusually forward.

By dawn, she had quietly packed her bags and left.

He did not try to stop her.

Recalling those moments, a heavy sadness weighed on Zhuang Fan’s heart.

The cold of his body was nothing compared to the biting chill within.

Slowly, he drifted back to sleep.

---

In a haze, the crisp “ribbit ribbit ribbit” shattered the silent night.

At the same time, his stomach growled loudly in protest.

Zhuang Fan awoke instantly.

Frogs?

Images of tender, juicy stir-fried frog flashed in his mind.

It had been his favorite dish once.

His mouth watered uncontrollably.

Two faint blue lights then glowed inside the cave.

Zhong Xiahan also woke, and both simultaneously opened their virtual interfaces.

“Shall we take a look?”

“Let’s go!”

Using the faint glow, they cautiously approached the cave entrance.

Zhong Xiahan wanted to step outside immediately, but Zhuang Fan prudently held her back.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered.

“Don’t rush, let’s observe first,” he replied softly.

Peering cautiously through the clutter blocking the entrance, he scanned outside.

“Ribbit ribbit ribbit~”

The frog calls came again, but Zhuang Fan froze.

The sound seemed distant yet remarkably clear.

Curious, he picked up a stone and gently tossed it toward one side outside the cave to test.

Suddenly, the croaking stopped abruptly, plunging the surroundings into eerie silence.

Slowly, he grabbed another stone and threw it again.

At that very moment, the previously calm and dark distance exploded without warning.

A massive blood-red tongue shot forward like a thunderbolt!

“Bang!”

With a deafening roar, the tongue plunged straight into the solid mountain rock.

This unfathomable force triggered a cataclysmic tremor, shaking the entire cave violently.

Pebbles and dust rained down from the ceiling like droplets.

Zhuang Fan was dumbfounded by the terrifying spectacle.

Almost instinctively, he fumbled to close his virtual interface.

He then pressed Zhong Xiahan tightly against the cave wall, tensing every muscle, afraid to move.

Beside him, Zhong Xiahan was equally terrified, her face pale as death.

One hand covered her mouth tightly; the other gripped Zhuang Fan’s arm with desperate strength.

In this moment of overwhelming fear, they clung to each other involuntarily.

A suffocating atmosphere filled the cave, their rapid heartbeats clearly audible to one another.