Chapter Ten: Dongfeng Town

Thirty miles outside the city of Meng in Qingshan Province lay a small town called Dongfeng. In earlier days, Dongfeng was one of Meng City’s three major towns, directly supporting a fifth of the city’s economy and renowned across Qingshan Province as a model district for traditional medicinal herb cultivation.

But now, its former prosperity was nothing but a memory. Ever since a spatial rift appeared in the northern part of Qingshan Province—one of the ten permanent rifts linking to other worlds within the borders of China—the entire province had been swept by disaster. Even the military units sent to protect and evacuate residents suffered heavy losses; countless civilians perished during their evacuation, and the province was transformed into a world of catastrophe.

No one had imagined disaster would arrive so swiftly. Barely three months after the spatial rift appeared, swarms of spider monsters swept across the land. People, once anxious about their future, became prey in the jaws of these creatures. Government collapsed, order vanished, hope was lost—all at once, the world crumbled.

It was midsummer, right at noon; the sky, which should have been bright and sunny, was instead shrouded in a faint gray mist. Paired with the desolate, ruined appearance of the town, an oppressive atmosphere settled like a pall. The town appeared utterly deserted; at least, there were no signs of human activity. Whether the residents had left with the migration convoys or had become food for the creatures from another world was unknown. Not only were humans gone, but all signs of other life had vanished as well.

In stark contrast to the absence of people and animals, the plants here had grown extraordinarily lush. Some had even undergone inexplicable changes, defying human understanding.

At that moment, ripples suddenly stirred in the void just outside the gate of the elementary school. Slowly, a spiraling vortex formed, and a shadowy figure began to emerge. At first, the figure was indistinct, but as the vortex intensified, its outline grew clearer, gradually taking on a human shape.

A barely perceptible sound echoed from the void, then the vortex abruptly halted, ‘spitting’ out a staggering human figure. This was Shen Lie.

Shen Lie looked utterly disheveled. Not only had his clothes vanished, but his hair was ragged and patchy, as if chewed by a dog. His body was covered in wounds and smeared with blood. He rolled across the ground for a while before finally managing to stand, his first action being to raise a black metal object across his chest defensively. This black metal item, resembling a short spear, had served him well in the other world; it was incredibly tough and nearly indestructible, clearly no ordinary artifact.

“Is this… Earth?” Shen Lie muttered.

He broke into laughter, wild and uncontrollable. “Ha! Ha ha ha! I made it! I’m finally out!” Regaining his composure, his gaze fell upon the black plaque above the elementary school gate—Dongfeng Town First Elementary School—and he laughed with liberating joy.

The past few months had been extraordinary for Shen Lie, filled with experiences he could never have imagined. After escaping from the underground hall, he expected to have to cautiously avoid the terrifying giant insect, only to find it had disappeared. Thus, he managed to slip through the spatial rift without incident.

But it was only after emerging from the golden hall’s space that he realized the true danger lay beyond it—in the world he had first entered through his bathroom. At first, leaving the space of the golden hall didn’t seem so bad, but as he moved away from the rift’s edge in search of food, water, and a way back to Earth, he faced life-and-death crises many times. Fortunately, his body was imbued with unnatural strength, and both his speed and senses had become far sharper, aided by a bit of luck. He managed to survive, and when he was cornered by more than ten spider monsters, he stumbled upon a small, mobile hidden rift—just as he had when he first arrived—and emerged here.

Taking a deep breath of long-lost, pure air, Shen Lie calmed his wildly beating heart. Though Earth might not be entirely safe now, it was far better than the monster-infested other world. He estimated that no more than three months had passed since he left Earth. However dire humanity’s situation, they should still hold dominion here. The spider monsters were formidable, but not invincible; creatures like the giant insect were rare—he hadn’t encountered another like it in all this time.

Once he’d recovered, Shen Lie dropped his defensive stance and began to survey his surroundings. This was an ordinary street. Judging by the architecture and the school plaque, he concluded this was a small town, though the name Dongfeng was unfamiliar, not among the towns near his home city, Songling.

He glanced back at the spot in midair where he had emerged; the small vortex had already disappeared. Shen Lie didn’t know how these hidden vortexes differed from the official large spatial rifts. In all his time in the other world, he’d only encountered this one. He even suspected this hidden rift was the same as the one that had appeared in his bathroom, since it moved about—he’d chased it for quite a while before finally slipping inside.

He tossed aside the white block in his other hand, then reconsidered and picked it up again. This white object was a plant from the other world—buried underground, with only a bit of gray stem protruding, no leaves or flowers. If not observed carefully, it would be impossible to spot.

It looked clean and white, but its taste was sour, astringent, and carried a repulsive odor. Still, it was the only edible thing he’d found in the other world, and he dubbed it “Big White Root.” Had he not stumbled upon it, he would have died of hunger and thirst, no matter how strong he became.

Instinctively, he tried to slip the Big White Root into his pocket—only to realize he was nearly naked. His legs tightened in embarrassment. Facing spider monsters in the other world, nudity was no concern; but here on Earth, such a spectacle would ruin his reputation forever. He needed clothes, and fast.

Seeing no one about, Shen Lie hurried behind a roadside ornamental tree. He didn’t know what species it was, but its leaves were exceptionally large. He reached out to pluck one to cover himself until he found proper clothing.

“Huh?” His hand grasped the leaf, but he couldn’t tear it free. Since his physical transformation, his strength had increased immensely—he could easily overpower any living boxer. Yet now, he couldn’t even pull off a single leaf. It made no sense.

He eyed the tree with suspicion, then stared in surprise. He hadn’t noticed before, but now saw clearly: this wasn’t an ornamental tree at all, just an ordinary elm!

“Mutated?” Shen Lie circled the tree, frowning. After his journey through the other world, the idea of a mutated elm no longer surprised him. He extended his hand again, and his palm glowed faintly gold. Grasping a large leaf, he gave a forceful tug.

This time, the leaf tore free easily, though the branch it came from shuddered as if in pain. Shen Lie grimaced at the sight.

It was clear now: Earth was no longer the Earth he remembered. Sighing, he continued to pluck leaves, then twisted them together to form a makeshift apron, tying it around his waist.

With his modesty secured, Shen Lie crossed the street and entered a shop at random. It was a grocery store. After months of eating nothing but Big White Root, his digestive system was nearly ruined; he needed flavorful food to revive his sense of taste.

The door was ajar; Shen Lie pushed it open and went inside. He searched everywhere, but found no food, water, or drinks—not even beer or liquor. What he did find was a large patch of dried blood near the entrance, a silent testament to tragedy.

Ordinarily, such a sight would disappoint him, but instead it filled him with hope. Everything in the store was mostly intact, except the food and drink, which had been taken entirely. This suggested there might still be people stranded in the town—a hopeful sign for someone with no knowledge of the current situation.

Shen Lie left the grocery store and continued on to a clothing shop. The place was a mess, clothes and pants strewn everywhere, several half-filled plastic bags, and blood splattered all around. He didn’t bother to dwell on what had happened; he simply found two suitable pieces of clothing, replaced his leaf apron, and walked out.

He searched a few small supermarkets, fruit shops, and restaurants, finally finding some food and a few bottles of beer hidden away. He ate and drank his fill, packing the rest into a backpack.

Satisfied, Shen Lie began wandering the streets, entering every building he encountered. After searching several without finding anyone, he took to calling out loudly.

“Is anyone here?”

“Anybody?”

No answer came, but a sharp screech resounded from the other side of the street. Shen Lie tensed instantly, darting into a nearby building for cover, then running up the stairs to the second floor, peering anxiously through the window.

He knew that sound all too well—the piercing screech he’d heard nearly every day in the other world. It was the cry of a spider monster.