When Tong Xiaorou heard Jiang Cheng, she didn't dare to say anything. She turned over a stone with her sister and sat down on the side that wasn't too hot.
The sun beat down mercilessly from the cloudless sky, the scorching heat pushing the temperature to well over fifty degrees. It was a truly terrifying environment.
Beneath their feet, the ground was cracked and barren, with no sign of grass. Any patches of greenery that had once existed had been excavated. Scattered about the desolate terrain, towering trees of two to three meters in diameter stood lonely, but most of them had withered away. For the few remaining trees, their bark had been stripped away within a range of two to three meters above the ground, and the area above was left barren and desolate, with dry leaves clinging to the crown. There was simply nothing left to eat.
Regardless, even if he wanted to, Jiang Cheng couldn't bring himself to eat old tree bark or leaves. He couldn't fathom how those surviving in the wilderness were able to stomach it.
Based on his recollections, Jiang Cheng knew that the world had been in the grip of a drought for almost a decade, with no crops yielding any harvest.
However, this harsh reality applied only to the wilderness.
In this world, there were also camps, which housed upper-class people who were protected by high barriers. These camp settlers possessed advanced technology and practiced soilless cultivation of plants. However, this method still required water, and so even the camp settlers had limited food supplies. The smaller camps could only sustain a few hundred settlers, while the larger ones could accommodate up to ten thousand people. The majority of the population was left wandering in search of food and water.
The original owner of Jiang Cheng's body used to live in a small camp with his family, and things weren't too bad for them. After his father passed away, his mother took in Tong Xiaorou, who was only twelve years old at the time, and Yaya, who was a newborn. Both were considered child brides that his mother had found for him.
However, the camp was located in one of the driest regions, and it had been attacked by the Wildlings three years ago. All the food and resources had been taken away, and the camp was destroyed. Those who survived fled and moved all the way to an area with more rainfall.
During their migration, the family faced numerous troubles and dangers. After the original Jiang Cheng's mother was injured once, she fell asleep and never woke up again.
For the past three years, the previous owner of Jiang Cheng's body had brought Tong Xiaorou and Yaya with him as they traveled a long distance, probably thousands of miles, to a place called the Dafan Basin. On the map, it was an area with the most abundant rainfall, a tropical rainforest. However, even this place was affected by the drought, as evidenced by the withered giant trees.
Jiang Cheng sighed as he finally managed to sort through the memories of the original owner "What a pain... Why did I suddenly transmigrate?" He couldn't even recall what he was doing before he transmigrated.
Based on the memories of the previous owner of his body, Jiang Cheng was aware that the dangers of this world were not limited to just drought, lack of food, and other humans. There were Evolvers in this world, and those who failed to evolve properly were known as Mutants. Additionally, there were frightening creatures that would emerge at night.
In summary, when great calamities struck, there were monsters to contend with!
Evolvers, also known as Awakened ones, possessed various abilities, but many of them would use their powers to oppress and bully others, leading to a state of chaos everywhere.
In the midst of this harsh reality, Jiang Cheng noticed Yaya fumbling around on the dry and cracked ground. Then, she picked up a small stone and was about to put it into her mouth.
"Hey, don't eat that," he quickly intervened, slapping the stone away from her hand to prevent her from consuming it.
Yaya was startled and retreated behind her older sister, looking at him with a terrified expression.
"Please don't hit her. If you want to hit someone, hit me instead," Tong Xiaorou hurriedly got up and said. Although she was also very afraid, she still firmly protected the sister behind her.
"No, no... I did not mean to scare you," Jiang Cheng said, trying to explain. "But you can't eat stones, you'll die."
Yaya, who was hiding behind Tong Xiaorou, said pitifully, "But I'm so hungry..." When she said that, she did not dare to look at Jiang Cheng.
Tong Xiaorou quickly apologized as she was still afraid that Jiang Cheng would hit her sister, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, she's just a child and doesn't know any better.... I know you haven't eaten for a long time. It's all our fault..."
As Tong Xiaorou spoke, memories of her harrowing escape flooded back to her. Looking at her famished sister, who was so desperate that she wanted to eat a stone, sadness overwhelmed her. She covered Yaya's ears, lowered her head, and spoke in despair, "Why don't you just eat me? But please, make sure Yaya gets some. Just don't tell her..."
"Shut up!" Jiang Cheng berated Tong Xiaorou. While staring at her in disbelief, he thought, 'Eating people? That's not something I would ever do! I come from a peaceful world and have received a decent education. I'd rather starve than resort to that!'
Tong Xiaorou trembled without making a sound, her delicate body quivering with fear. Even though she had come to terms with the possibility of death, she was still terrified.
Jiang Cheng sighed deeply. 'What kind of messed-up world is this?' He was deeply disturbed by the fact that cannibalism was not even considered strange in this world.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess. Six years ago, my mother promised that you would always have food," he said regretfully.
This was also the reason why the original owner of Jiang Cheng's body insisted on bringing the two girls along. He had done so out of filial duty, but he had never really cared for Tong Xiaorou. It was all just a sense of responsibility.
Tong Xiaorou couldn't help but feel a little surprised when she heard this. The Jiang Cheng she knew had never apologized to them before.
"Just don't simply eat anything. Don't think of suicide. I will find food, trust me!"
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and felt his body getting weaker and weaker. Then, he looked at the sun that had begun to set in the west and made up his mind.
'I have to think of a way to solve the current situation! If only I could become an Evolver...' As soon as he thought of this, he suddenly felt as if he had been electrocuted. Goosebumps rose all over his body, and his entire brain was numb. His hair stood on end as if something was awakening.
Suddenly, a panel slowly materialized in Jiang Cheng's mind, displaying the words:
[I find myself in this cannibalistic world, feeling uneasy and in poor physical condition. I must find a solution to my current predicament, and so I've decided to embark on the path of evolution. But first, I need a guide, the key to unlocking the path of evolution. I must place my palm on a tree and reflect on my past experiences.]
The words slowly faded away, as if on a gradient layer.
Jiang Cheng was taken aback. A glint of light flashed past his eyes. He then tried to follow that vague feeling. He then placed his palm on the giant tree that had lost its bark before him, and began to recall his past life. As he did so, a sudden kind of enlightenment, like an epiphany, dawned on him.
Various scenes from his previous life played out in his mind like a slide show, until he focused on one particular game.
In the next moment, as if he had been blessed, Jiang Cheng felt a surge of power emanating from deep within his body, spreading through his arm and into the tree in front of him.
[Small Log +1]
[Experience +1]
The single experience point was like a pebble falling into the water, causing ripples.
Then, he saw words and numbers appear on the panel in his mind:
[Jiang Cheng (Rank 0): LV.0 (1.00%)]
[HP: 0.4]
[Gathering (Level 0): I can gather anything with my hands. With just a touch, I can extract the materials I want with my will.]
[Fusing (Level 0): I can fuse different materials, leaving random characteristics]
[Item Box: 1/10]
This was his own status. At the bottom, a new caption appeared:
[The path of evolution has begun, but I'm still a quasi-Awakened. I can't directly obtain food for the time being. I will be considered a true Awakened after attaining Level 10 and Rank 1. At that time, I will no longer have to worry about food.]
[ I realized that by collecting resources, I can gain experience points to level up. To unlock my gene lock and become stronger, I still have to work hard.]
These words appeared and then slowly disappeared. In the end, only personal information was left on the interface.
Jiang Cheng was surprised again.
There was already a wood log in the first of the ten slots in his Item Box. He took it out and found that the log thick as an arm was one meter long. It was of good quality and could be used as a stick.
Tong Xiaorou looked at the stick with bewilderment, unsure of where it came from, but opted to remain silent and observe.
Jiang Cheng put away the wood log and placed his hand on the tree again. With a thought, he said, "Collect."
[Small Log +1]
[Experience +1]
[Small Log +1]
[Experience +1]
...
He could collect a wood log almost every second. More and more logs filled his inventory, and his accumulated experience points increase as well. With every experience point, his experience bar progressed by one percent. After a couple of minutes, he had collected another 99 logs, filling up his experience bar. He felt a slight warmth in his body, and his level went up from zero to one. He noticed that his HP had increased from 0.4 to 0.5, but he didn't feel any significant improvement in his physique or strength. However, the dizziness he had been feeling earlier had subsided a bit.
With that, Jiang Cheng's eyes gleamed with determination, and he continued to collect the wood logs.