James Carter tried hard to stay calm, pondering an almost impossible possibility.

He checked his belongings, cursing over a hundred times in his mind, unsure whether he should say it out loud.

Normally, people who enter the rainbow-colored pillar of light are well prepared. Food, water, and a change of clothes are essential. Those who are a bit more advanced also bring various adventure tools, including weapons like knives and guns.

But James Carter... it was practically a spur-of-the-moment trip!

All his possessions were as follows: a cell phone, a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and five hundred yuan in cash.

The phone worked, but there was no signal or internet, so it could only be used to take photos or listen to music.

The lighter also worked. James Carter lit a cigarette and pondered life.

The hunger in his stomach brought tears to his eyes before he could even speak.

Never mind whether he could get out of this primeval forest—just the problem of filling his stomach was enough to make him feel on the verge of collapse.

“Woof woof!”

A big black dog ran over from a distance, affectionately rubbing against James Carter’s pant leg.

“Dahei!”

James Carter was overjoyed, feeling the warmth of meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

Weiwei loved animals. A year ago, James Carter and his girlfriend had adopted this stray dog of indeterminate breed. Now, in this unknown world, Dahei still stuck by his side, and James Carter was deeply moved.

“Woof!”

Dahei tugged at James Carter’s pant leg, as if trying to lead him somewhere.

Animals’ instincts far surpass those of humans, so James Carter chose to trust Dahei and headed in the direction indicated.

Ten minutes later, man and dog arrived at their destination.

Ahead was a clearing in the forest, littered with fallen leaves and bearing signs of a recent struggle. Torn pieces of clothing were scattered nearby, and on the ground lay a pair of brand-name hiking boots, with a bloodied human foot still inside.

Hiss!

James Carter gasped, his hair standing on end.

He hadn’t seen the fight itself, but he could imagine how brutal it must have been. Without a doubt, some human had been attacked by an unknown creature, torn to pieces, with only the feet inside the sturdy hiking boots remaining intact.

James Carter even suspected that the victim hadn’t just been killed, but had probably been eaten by the unknown creature!

A wave of unease surged in his heart, and James Carter quickly picked up a machete lying on the ground.

This machete was no ordinary blade—it was the famous jungle machete used by the US military during the Vietnam War, eighteen inches long, hence the name “Eighteen Chop.” Thanks to its outstanding practicality, it’s still highly regarded by survivalists and knife enthusiasts worldwide. Judging by this knife, the deceased had been a fairly professional outdoor adventurer.

James Carter felt immense pressure, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

If even such a professional ended up as nothing but two soles, how many days could he survive?

He had a gut feeling that whatever killed that adventurer was definitely not human.

Fear comes from the unknown, and James Carter couldn’t even imagine what kind of thing had hunted that person.

“Woof!”

Dahei barked again, leaping vigorously under a large tree.

James Carter looked closely and saw a huge tree hollow about three meters above the ground.

Gripping the Eighteen Chop tightly, he walked over to the base of the tree.

After carefully surveying the area, James Carter stuck the machete into the ground and tried to climb the tree.

At this moment, James Carter, known as the “muscle demon” on the basketball court, showed off his physical prowess. With an impressive leap, he grabbed the edge of the tree hollow with both hands and easily pulled himself inside.

The hollow was spacious, and inside was a bulging hiking backpack.

When James Carter opened the pack, his eyes instantly grew moist.

“Brother, what a stroke of fate!”

No matter who the original owner was, at this moment, James Carter just wanted to express his heartfelt gratitude.

Inside the backpack were biscuits, canned food, bottled water, a compass, a lighter, a flashlight, and a Swiss Army knife—all things James Carter needed most right now. In addition, there were two sets of sportswear, two brand-new pairs of underwear still in their packaging, and two pairs of new socks, also unopened.

Looking further, James Carter was deeply impressed by the professionalism of the backpack’s original owner.

He took out a book-sized first aid kit containing disinfectant alcohol, bandages, Band-Aids, and other emergency supplies. In another plastic box was a bottle of shampoo and two bars of soap. There were also several tin boxes shaped like cigarette cases, filled with salt, chicken bouillon, and other seasonings for outdoor cooking.

James Carter found a wristwatch in the backpack, which not only showed the time but also the date. Checking the expiration date on the biscuits, he saw they wouldn’t expire for another year, so he didn’t hold back—he tore open a box and wolfed them down.

After eating and drinking his fill, James Carter took out the compass, trying to find a direction out of the forest.

He was quickly dumbfounded—the compass needle spun wildly, unable to point in any clear direction.

“Stay calm, bro, you have to stay calm!”

James Carter forced himself to remain composed, taking a deep breath.

He searched the side pocket of the backpack and found a ballpoint pen and a palm-sized diary.

“Awesome, bro! Did you really have to go this hard, even keeping a diary like Uncle Lei Feng?”