translator: xiin

editors: celtic & juurensha

Wu Jin's situation at this time was quite similar to that of a stray cat dragging along a plastic bag.

He was dragging his parachute canvas, along with miscellaneous branches and leaves, through the hills.

The sky gradually grew dim. The distant landscape condensed into a silent, dark shadow, and the damp, earthy smell of the soil was richer than it had been earlier.

Over the past half an hour, Wu Jin had already tried all the ways he could think of to save himself.

First, he had tried falling in order to deliberately trigger the emergency rescue mechanism.

Then, he spent a lot of effort digging in an open area and attempted to write SOS and call for help from the outside world.

Half an hour later, however, not only had he completely lost the trust of the law enforcement machine, he had also lost a precious shovel in the process of digging out the letters.

He had gone from being a vibrant lead dancer to a completely exhausted marmot.

"Final warning, requesting contestant 300012 to enter battle within five minutes."

Wu Jin muttered under his breath as he set down the waterproof canvas, then turned back and solemnly retorted, "Contestant 300012 has clearly been working very hard!"

In the next second, his eyes turned wide in astonishment.

Further along in the direction he had been headed, he could hear the sounds of water flowing along a riverbed--as well as the sound of gunfire and bullets.

"!!!" Wu Jin unhesitatingly tossed his parachute away. He made a m.u.f.fled sound, then turned around and ran back the way he'd come.

The sounds of gunfire in the distance paused, and the sound of two or three pairs of footsteps quickly approached Wu Jin.

Wu Jin's heart was beating so fast it was at its limit.

According to the prompts provided by the wrist watch on his right arm, the selection process for the Crosson reality show audition was very simple and straightforward--

Contestants were only equipped with the most basic of survival tools at the start of the compet.i.tion, and all the survival and combat resources they would need were scattered all over the map.

The last 10 contestants to survive would be promoted to the next stage.

This reminded Wu Jin of the 80 dollars an hour real-person CS he had once purchased through group buying.

The difference was that this audition map was far beyond anything he had ever known.

Judging from the sound of gunfire behind him, it seemed that the fight he had run from was extremely fierce.

This was the exact opposite of what Wu Jin had predicted would happen half an hour ago.

The entire map was very large. Given the stipulation that the remaining survivors would win, and there was no reward for kills in this compet.i.tion, the strategy of remaining in the woods was far better than engaging in head-to-head conflict, and there would be no possibility of large-scale gunfights.

Unless--the resources that could be obtained were rich enough to make the players take the risk despite the danger to their lives.

How could that be possible?!

While he was still speculating, a bullet suddenly shot out from behind him and struck the pile of fallen leaves two meters away from Wu Jin.

Wu Jin's brain instantly whited out, and all thoughts and deliberations regarding the rules of the game disappeared, leaving only scenes of b.l.o.o.d.y slaughter.

A small Wu Jin.

Soft and powerless, lying there on the ground.

With a hole in his forehead that had a tiny spurt of blood spraying out, like a little blue whale spraying water from its blowhole.

Wu Jin: "AAAAHHHHH--"

The lighting in the woods was poor and the lush canopy of the trees could barely be seen against the evening sky. Everything around him turned into streaks of shadows during his rapid dash to escape.

By the riverbank, someone whispered a command, "South 4, attack from the flank."

The barrel moved, and two dark shadows quickly swept to the left. Hard-soled hiking shoes fell silently onto the ground, but when the trigger of the gun was pulled, there was a slight noise as a bullet was pushed into the chamber.

Wu Jin's ear bones vibrated slightly, and he made a sudden, subconscious change in direction, rolling to hide behind a tree in a move that showcased his extremely outstanding dance group breakdancing skills.

At the same time, the trigger snapped, and the bullet hit the exact spot he had just vacated.

The commander of the makes.h.i.+ft hunting team was left dumbfounded, "What kind of action was that just now?!"

The sniper was also at a loss for a moment, "I've never seen… never seen that kind of tactical evasion before."

While they were still shocked, Wu Jin had already disappeared into the depths of the dense forest in a panic.

A quarter of an hour later, Wu Jin, who had finally confirmed that he was now safe, collapsed to the ground red-eyed. He felt both indignant and wronged!

He wanted to go home! He wanted to call the police!

Just wait, after he got out, the headlines for tomorrow's newspaper will be

!

However, even before Wu Jin could come out of the woods, hunger, cold, and thirst all came to find him.

The parachute canvas had been discarded during the one-sided gunfight just now, and his starter kit only had one dry biscuit that had been wrapped in plastic, rope, and some metal blocks that he didn't know the purpose of.

Water sources near the riverbank were always guarded. Looking down from the hill, the light of a campfire was reflected in the river in the far distance, along with a crescent moon that hovered amidst the sparkling waves.

If it had been a week ago, Wu Jin would definitely have moved a small stool over and taken out his guitar to write songs about the beauty of nature when he saw this scene.

Now, however, there was only hunger and the cold.

Wu Jin sat down on a tree stump and looked at the campfire in the distance again; his belly growled enviously.

Who could've known that in the next second, the crack of a gun would ring out by the campfire.

At the foot of the hill, the two men standing by the river quickly entered the woods to investigate, letting out shrill screams as they were suddenly taken by surprise.

Immediately after, two silvery white spheres tumbled out of the dense woods, rolling and bouncing before they plummeted into the river.

Wu Jin fell into a daze when he saw this scene and couldn't help but bite down on the only dry biscuit he had in order to get over his shock.

However, it did nothing to alleviate his hunger at all.

Most likely because he was fiercely hungry, the dry biscuit seemed very delicious. In the dark woods, there was only the faint sound of rustling plastic, and--the unexpected cracking sound of footsteps from hiking boots as they trod on broken leaves.

Wu Jin's back suddenly stiffened.

The sound was very light, and the interval between each step was exactly the same.

The person was coming from the direction of the mouth of the riverbank.

The floor of the conifer forest was a mess of dirt and scattered leaves, and Wu Jin wondered how the sound of footsteps could be so light; it was almost like a water ghost climbing out of the river. He recalled the sound of gunfire from the foot of the hills just now--from beginning to end, he hadn't seen a single hint of a third person by the campfire.

Wu Jin was practically one with the tree stump as he huddled pitifully on the hill and stared dead ahead.

Even so, he could only hear the other person's footsteps and couldn't hear their breathing at all.

All he knew was that they were facing his direction.

There was a click, like the safety lock on a gun had been released.

Wu Jin's pupils contracted sharply.

The sound of metal mechanical components moving slightly came from behind him. It seemed to be ten centimeters away from his ear--

He could tell that the trigger would be pulled in the next moment.

Wu Jin's face was deathly pale, "Save me ahhhhhh--this is all a misunderstanding--"

The gun barrel felt scorching as it rubbed over the teenager's small curls.

The muzzle was still pressed against him. Half of Wu Jin's pale, white silhouette was exposed in the moonlight. Both of his eyes were squeezed shut, and he looked like a little rabbit spirit that had just grown out of the tree stump.

His hand was still holding a half eaten dry biscuit in a death grip, and the supplies spread out at his feet could be considered the most pitiful out of everyone there.

The man tsked, "Where did this little rabbit spirit come from?"

His voice was very deep and a little hoa.r.s.e, his tone cold.

Wu Jin desperately shook his head.

Then, he quivered and trembled as he turned around.

It was a tall man who looked to be about twenty six or seven years old. His facial features were deep and powerful, and he looked extremely captivating. When he lowered his head, the sharpness between his brows made him appear like an eagle in the mountains.

Unlike the contestants he had seen in the airplane cabin, he didn't have any exaggerated, protruding muscles. However, it was like being hit by a sharp bayonet once he approached.

There was no hint of warmth in the man's eyes.

Wu Jin only glanced at him once before immediately lowering his head again. In this instant, he thought of the water ghost again. Water ghosts wouldn't have this kind of appearance, but--normal people didn't look at other people like that, either.

The man held the gun with his left hand, and the forearm exposed by his rolled up sleeves looked firm and powerful as he easily kept the gun there, resting on Wu Jin head. His actions were as casual as pinching a rabbit's ears. "So weak. What did you come here for?"

Wu Jin replied very sincerely, "I went to the wrong place."

"Went to the wrong place?"

"I was originally supposed to partic.i.p.ate in the XX Idol Show…"

The faint shadow of laughter appeared on the man's face.

It wasn't until this moment that the man finally showed a hint of normality.

Wu Jin kept feeling like he had seen this face before somewhere. His memory had always been very good, and regardless of whether it had been on a screen or in a poster, once he'd seen it, he would always be able to recall it. However, this time, he was unable to remember anything.

The man asked, “Can you cook?"

Wu Jin: "Ah?"

The next second, Wu Jin finally recovered his wits and hurriedly nodded several times.

The slightly warm gun barrel was finally moved away from his small, soft curls.

Wu Jin unhesitatingly handed over the supply bag that he was compelled to give up.

The man fished out the silvery black metal block from inside his bag, then ripped open a compartment from the backpack and pulled out a section of the fibers, twisting them together and laying the tangle on top of a pile of dead leaves. The man was over 1.8 meters tall, and his body carried a sense of hidden deterrence even while he was bending down.

Right then, an extra dagger suddenly appeared in his hand.

Wu Jin: "!!!"

The man: "Stand a bit to the left."

Wu Jin obediently stood to the left and cleverly made himself smaller.

"Stand straight." The man ordered again, "Block the wind."

Wu Jin tried hard to stretch himself out.

In the next moment, the dagger in the man's left hand struck across the metal block and sparks flashed, lighting up the dreary night. The fibers ignited and caught fire and scattered sparks over the pile of leaves, gradually gathering into a small cl.u.s.ter of flames.

The textbook method for lighting a fire.

Wu Yu looked on, dumbstruck. A long time after the man had casually tossed away the metal block, he finally mustered up the courage to speak up, "Big brother, do I… have to keep standing here to block the wind?"

The man hadn't expected him to ask this question and gave Wu Jin a second look. His gaze made it seem as though he was staring at a useless little animal. "As you like."

Wu Yu saw that he hadn't rejected his call of 'big brother', and finally felt a tiny sense of security from having someone cover for him. He quickly picked up the metal block that had been tossed to the side, utilized the dregs of leftover knowledge he had picked up during his high school chemistry cla.s.s, and was immediately filled with awe.

It turned out that this was precious 'Mg' magnesium; it was a magnesium bar!

Seeing the man looking his way, he hurriedly blinked his eyes and opened his lips to express his loyalty, "Big brother, there's still such a big piece. It might still be useful tomorrow night…"

The man put the dagger away; the blade that swayed in his hand made Wu Jin quake in his boots. "The game will have ended by tomorrow morning."

Wu Jin was bewildered, "Ah? Why…"

"Because I have things to do in the afternoon."

Wu Jin was filled with awe. He couldn't help but lean a little closer to the fire, wanting to be useful and block the wind so that the vigorous campfire could set off the glory of this big boss.

In the firelight the man was setting up a long pole for cooking.

With this, Wu Jin finally remembered the value of his existence and asked in a small voice, "Big brother, what are we eating tonight?"

The man raised his gun and aimed at a rabbit behind the bush. His voice was indifferent. "Your kind."

i found fanart omg~