Chapter 75: The First Journey Through the Forest

On the specially designed hospital beds in the laboratory, two tall, blue-skinned Na'vi lay motionless, while nearby, the relatively short laboratory staff, wearing oxygen masks, busied themselves monitoring various data. Through the laboratory’s glass window, another room could be seen, filled with even more personnel carefully operating computers.

“Mainframe connected!”

“Fusion at forty percent!”

“Attention, link successful!”

Ma Jun’s head felt hazy, as if struck by a heavy hammer. The next moment, he opened his eyes to find the world utterly changed.

Everything his eyes beheld appeared sharper; a small human face leaned close, the tiny pores on the skin unusually clear.

“How do you feel, Mr. Ma Jun?” a staff member inquired with concern. “You’ve successfully linked to the Avatar. Do you feel any discomfort?”

Ma Jun shook his head and sat up, spreading his hands to feel the new body.

“It’s incredible!”

Though he had linked virtually many times, this was the real thing, and the sensation was entirely different.

“Jake, don’t get excited—we need to test some sensory reflexes!”

“Jake, you need to sit down immediately. You need time to adapt to the Avatar!”

Turning his head, Ma Jun saw Jake standing once again, looking thrilled and deeply relishing the experience.

“This is amazing!” Jake exclaimed, walking around excitedly.

“Sedative, one thousand milligrams!” The staff, alarmed by Jake’s behavior, hurried to restrain him.

But Jake paid no heed to their pleas, pushed open the hatch, and, tail dragging behind him, stumbled out.

“Don’t worry, folks!” Ma Jun stood, stretching his body. “He’s just too excited—there won’t be any trouble. Leave it to me now. You all stay here!”

With his extensive linking experience, Ma Jun quickly adapted to his new form. Performing chest-expansion exercises, he walked out the door.

Outside, a group of Avatars were active; some played basketball, others trained by climbing obstacles.

It seemed the company, despite the high cost of creating Avatars, was not stingy in cultivating more.

The sunlight was a bit harsh; Ma Jun shielded his eyes with a large hand, touched his broad nose, and took a deep breath.

“What fresh air!”

By now, Jake was running—something he hadn’t done in a long time.

Ma Jun performed a set of warm-up exercises on the spot, then readied himself and set off at a sprint. He vaulted over a rail with one hand and quickly caught up to Jake.

At first, Jake's run was unsteady, but he soon accelerated, dashing into a patch of plants, savoring the moist earth beneath his bare feet, breathing deeply with his head thrown back, utterly enraptured.

“Hey, how does it feel?” Ma Jun patted Jake on the shoulder, smiling.

“It’s fantastic!” Jake replied, his face alight with happiness.

“I heard you were a Marine. Interested in a spar?” Ma Jun grinned, heading for an open area.

“Hey,” Jake hesitated but followed.

“Do you remember why you became a soldier?” Ma Jun asked, rotating his wrists and ankles.

A look of reminiscence crossed Jake’s face. “To temper my will.”

“And then?” Ma Jun pressed on. “Beyond honing your will, have you seen the state of human society? I don’t want to lecture, but when you have the ability, why not do more for humanity?”

“Do more?” Jake frowned in confusion.

“Watch my fist!” Ma Jun suddenly punched, knocking Jake to the ground.

“Hey, that was a sneak attack!” Jake scrambled up and charged at Ma Jun.

Ma Jun dodged nimbly, seized Jake’s arm, pulled it forward, and with a twist, sent Jake tumbling again.

“Again!” Jake stood, full of fighting spirit.

After more than ten minutes, Jake, rubbing his arm and stomach, panted, “Are you sure you’re a scientist? You look more like a boxer!”

“Hahaha, let’s go sit over there.”

The two walked off and sat on the edge of a field.

“I have a question for you,” Ma Jun said, swinging his braid onto his shoulder.

“What is it?”

“Suppose you were born into a broken family, your parents gravely ill, your siblings lost to vice and addiction. Would you abandon them and leave, or would you try to change things first?”

Jake wasn’t a fool; he understood the meaning behind Ma Jun’s words. After a long silence, he replied decisively, “If I had the ability, I’d do everything I could to save them!”

“Good!” Ma Jun nodded in satisfaction. “See, the sky is dark now, but tomorrow will be a fine day. Remember to get up early—we’ve got work to do!”

Pandora, in many ways, resembled a tropical rainforest on Earth, filled with forests and countless species living together.

A twin-rotor aircraft weaved its way through the jungle. The machine was not built for beauty—perhaps the design improved its power, but safety was sorely lacking. If just one rotor failed, the aircraft would crash.

Deep in the forest, the plane landed smoothly.

Controlling their Avatars, Ma Jun and Jake leapt from the aircraft.

“So, what do you think? The environment here is rather novel, isn’t it?” Ma Jun asked, glancing around.

Cradling his gun like a curious child, Jake replied, “Yes!”

Sunlight filtered through dense leaves, dappling the ground, while the forest resonated with the calls of beasts and insects.

The pair explored cautiously, Ma Jun occasionally stopping to squat and collect plant samples with an air of expertise.

“Hey, look over there!” Jake said tensely.

Ma Jun turned to see blue-skinned monkeys with clownish faces, nimbly climbing the branches.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and one monkey fell to the ground. Ma Jun lowered the weapon and went to pick it up.

“Nice shooting!”

“Thanks for the compliment,” Ma Jun replied with a slight smile. “Take out the gear from your pack—we didn’t have enough for breakfast!”

“We’re actually going to try eating this?” Jake said, rummaging through his bag.

“It’s worth a try,” Ma Jun nodded. “I need to taste them to see if they’re suitable for inclusion in Life One!”

So, while Jake set up the stove, Ma Jun drew a sharp knife and began skinning and cleaning the monkey.

Soon, the Pandora monkeys were roasted and ready.

They were large—over a meter tall—with lean, tender meat from years of activity, almost no fat, dense muscles that were quite enjoyable to eat, though with a slightly sour taste.

After sampling a little, the two lost their appetites and moved on, continuing their scientific research.