Chapter 1, Hunger
Sitting on the ground, I turned my head to look at the tree that had saved my life. This tree appeared quite strange, completely bare of leaves, and even its bark had been stripped away. Looking around, the entire world was a desolate yellow hue; the hillside was devoid of greenery, filled only with withered wild grass, and the fields were also sparse with wild grass, lacking any crops.
The sun hung high in the sky, bringing only heat and thirst to Zhang Chu. As he faced the long road ahead, his confidence dwindled with each step. If he could not find a village soon, he would starve or die of thirst in this wilderness, or perhaps be eaten by some wild beast. Amidst the arduous journey, the sun rose to its zenith, yet he still saw no signs of human habitation.
What a desolate place this is! How is the greenery managed? Zhang Chu's mind was still incessantly replaying useless statements.
Zhang Chu fell from the sky, but fortunately landed on a large tree full of branches. As he passed through the branches, they tore his clothes while also slowing his descent. Zhang Chu landed gracefully on the ground in a posture reminiscent of a swan descending, with his backside facing backward.
I need to first understand what this place is. Thus, Zhang Chu wandered aimlessly in the wilderness, and after a long time, he did not encounter a single person. Gradually, an ominous feeling arose, and a strong message came from Zhang Chu's stomach; he was hungry
The desire to survive prompted Zhang Chu to make a bold decision. He tightened the rope and gradually approached the wolf that was hanging upside down from the window frame. He then tied the rope around his waist and, holding the other end of the remaining rope in both hands, lunged at the wolf, quickly wrapping the rope around its neck. With all his strength and the weight of his body, he pulled down hard. The window frame could not bear the load and collapsed entirely. Zhang Chu paid no mind to this, as he pressed his entire body onto the wolf, continuously pulling on the rope wrapped around the wolf's neck with all his might.
Wandering aimlessly between the hills and fields for a day, another night passed. During this time, Zhang Chu carefully sampled the creatures in the mountainous fields, and afterward, he fell into complete despair; there was truly nothing edible here. As time went by, Zhang Chu's hunger grew increasingly intense, and his consciousness began to blur intermittently. He longed for someone to appear or to discover something edible. The sun gradually rose, nearing its zenith, and Zhang Chu forced himself to search towards the end of the sky. Finally, a moving object appeared in the distance, and it was approaching this way, getting closer and closer.
The wolf struggled unwillingly, constantly twisting its body and scratching with its sharp claws, leaving a series of bloody marks on Zhang Chu's body. Zhang Chu endured the pain, tightening the ropes repeatedly. Gradually, he felt his hands becoming numb, his arms losing strength, and his consciousness becoming somewhat blurred. Just as Zhang Chu thought he was about to lose consciousness, the wolf's claws gradually lost their strength and stopped moving. Zhang Chu's spirit was lifted, and his hands gripping the rope regained strength, increasing the force of the tightening. The wolf ceased to move under Zhang Chu's tight grip. After confirming that the wolf was truly dead, Zhang Chu suddenly collapsed to the ground, a sense of exhaustion filling his entire body, and he fell into a drowsy sleep.
It is great that it is just one person, as this makes it possible to find the way and walk out of this wilderness. However, that living creature is getting closer. It is not a person, but a dog. The dog approaches and sits on the ground, staring at Zhang Chu. Having a dog around is a good sign, indicating that the village is not far away. Yet, something seems off; the dog's eyes are bloodshot, revealing a fierce glint, its tail is stiff, and its ears are erect. Could it be a wolf? It would be better to leave quickly. Something still seems off; the dog's eyes are bloodshot, revealing a fierce glint, its tail is stiff, and its ears are erect. Could it be a wolf? It would be better to leave quickly.
An entire afternoon had passed, and as the sky darkened, Zhang Chu had yet to encounter a single person, while the wolf persistently followed its rare source of food. Suddenly, the terrain ahead became somewhat level, revealing a small village. Although it consisted of only a simple row of a few houses, it still brought hope to Zhang Chu. He mustered his spirits and walked into the village, but apart from the dilapidated houses, there was not a soul in sight, nor anything useful to be found. Once again, hope had been dashed, and Zhang Chu felt all his strength being drained away in an instant. Hunger and fatigue washed over him, and his consciousness began to blur. The image of the wolf gnawing at his neck after he fell asleep started to emerge in his mind.
Looking at the barren wilderness, Zhang Chu truly felt like crying without tears, never expecting that surviving the fall would lead to dying of hunger here
Having finished his complaints, Zhang Chu then remembered to check himself. His clothes had been torn into strips by the branches, completely unrecognizable from their original form, and there was a risk of exposure with any movement. Fortunately, after moving around a bit, there were no signs of fractures, and he had no issues walking or moving.
I am an angel who fell from the sky, fortunately landing without my face hitting the ground. After calming the pain that radiated from beneath me, Zhang Chu found that the boring phrases he often saw online automatically surfaced in his mind
After sucking for a while, a sensation arose in Zhang Chu's stomach, and reason returned to his mind. The metallic scent of wolf's blood awakened Zhang Chu's sense of taste. He also knew that he should not consume too much raw food, so he stopped sucking and made the wound on the wolf's neck larger to collect the blood into a broken jar. Now that there was food, the next problem was how to cook it.
This cannot go on any longer. As Zhang Chu walked, he tore his clothes into strips and then tied them together to make a rope. He fashioned a noose from the rope and, when he passed by a dilapidated house, he turned and struggled to crawl through the broken window. He deftly threaded the rope through the upper window frame and then spread the noose over the window opening. Sitting beneath the window, he held the end of the rope and gasped for breath. After a moment of calm, Zhang Chu forced himself to listen to the sounds outside, but there was nothing. When he passed by the dilapidated house, he turned and struggled to crawl through the broken window again, threading the rope through the upper window frame and spreading the noose over the window opening. Sitting beneath the window, he held the end of the rope and gasped for breath. After a moment of calm, Zhang Chu forced himself to listen to the sounds outside, but there was nothing. Just when Zhang Chu thought the wolf had left, a faint sound reached his ears, and the wolf's head appeared in the broken window. Zhang Chu quickly tightened the rope in his hands, but it was still a moment too late; the noose only caught the wolf around the waist, and the wolf struggled, hanging upside down from the window frame, letting out unwilling howls.
Zhang Chu continued to walk in the wilderness, but this time, a wolf that was so hungry it could barely walk followed behind him.
Zhang Chu held onto the rope, unwilling to let go, as both sides remained in a stalemate. The wolf's strength was waning, and Zhang Chu was also on the verge of giving in. Even more alarming was the sign that the section of the rope rubbing against the window frame was showing signs of wear and tear.
But soon, Zhang Chu was awakened by the hunger in his stomach. Dragging his heavy legs, he desperately searched both inside and outside the house for anything edible or usable, but he found nothing to eat, only a broken clay pot and half a piece of a porcelain bowl. Finally, Zhang Chu turned his gaze to the dead wolf. He eagerly used the shard of porcelain to cut the wolf's neck, and at last, the wolf's skin broke, and blood flowed out. Without hesitation, Zhang Chu pressed his mouth to it and began to suck. In his heart, there was only one belief: as long as there was food in his stomach, he would not die. Zhang Chu eagerly used the shard of porcelain to cut the wolf's neck, and at last, the wolf's skin broke, and blood flowed out. Without hesitation, Zhang Chu pressed his mouth to it and began to suck. In his heart, there was only one belief: as long as there was food in his stomach, he would not die.
When Zhang Chu saw its erect ears and stiff tail, he was certain that it was a wolf. The wolf had likely gone a long time without food and had become quite weak. However, it was unwilling to give up on the moving prey before it. The wolf assessed the strength of both parties, refraining from recklessly charging in, yet it remained undeterred, following Zhang Chu from a short distance, waiting for an opportunity.
Just when Zhang Chu was about to collapse, he saw a person sitting under a withered tree in front of him. Indeed, it was a person; Zhang Chu saw it very clearly. The person was sitting against the trunk of a withered tree by the roadside, gazing up at the sky. This invigorated Zhang Chu, and he quickly ran over, calling out, "Fellow villager, fellow villager." However, he swallowed the words he was about to say next, for it was indeed a person, but it was a dead one. The person had their mouth open towards the sky, and their two eyes were nothing but two black holes, appearing to have been dead for quite some time; it was already a corpse. This invigorated Zhang Chu, and he quickly ran over, calling out, "Fellow villager, fellow villager." However, he swallowed the words he was about to say next, for it was indeed a person, but it was a dead one. The person had their mouth open towards the sky, and their two eyes were nothing but two black holes, appearing to have been dead for quite some time; it was already a corpse.
When Zhang Chu woke up again, it was already noon the next day. After consuming some wolf blood, he inspected the village once more. This appeared to be an abandoned village for reasons unknown, devoid of any inhabitants and lacking any usable resources. Moreover, he discovered scattered corpses that might have belonged to those who were killed. The village not only lacked food but was also extremely dangerous. Disheartened, Zhang Chu returned to the previous house, where he would still face the issue of survival. He could only make long-term plans. Using a shard of pottery, Zhang Chu carefully skinned the wolf and removed its entrails, which needed to be consumed quickly to prevent spoilage. He prepared the entire wolf, cooking the useful entrails in a jar and roasting the wolf meat over the fire, wrapping it in tattered clothing, hoping to preserve it for a few more days. By the time all this was done, night had fallen again. Zhang Chu gazed at the dark sky, his mind in disarray, unable to comprehend how all this had happened or what he should do to escape his current predicament. He couldn't help but reminisce about his previously mundane life, realizing how happy he had been back then. Ultimately, Zhang Chu fell asleep amidst the chaos. The next morning, he woke up early and quickly made a decision: he must leave this place and find a location with people. With the wolf meat on his back and a jar containing the preserved embers in hand, Zhang Chu left the deserted village and walked down the road.