James Carter opened the diary and was quickly drawn in by its contents.

The further he read, the more grave his expression became.

“December 14, 2013. After struggling for a year, I finally couldn’t resist stepping into the rainbow-colored pillar of light. What exactly is inside those pillars? I don’t know, and I don’t care. With nothing left to live for, I was already prepared to die.”

“December 15, 2013. I arrived in a brand new world—a primeval forest, larger than any nature reserve I’ve ever visited. The magnetic field here is chaotic, and compasses don’t work. For some reason, I feel an inexplicable sense of fear.”

“December 18, 2013. This so-called world of evolution is truly unbelievable! I saw two strange beasts. After one beast devoured the other, it actually changed—I could clearly sense it growing stronger. Could the ‘Path of Evolution’ conveyed by that will refer to evolving through constant killing and devouring?”

“December 24, 2013. Damn it, even the plants in this world are alive! By ‘alive,’ I don’t mean just full of vitality—they can actually attack humans and animals like man-eating plants! Today I encountered my first human companion, but before I could greet him, I saw him get entangled by a vine. The strange vine squeezed him until he was covered in blood, frantically absorbing his flesh and life force. In just a few minutes, he turned into a dried corpse, and in the end, even his bones and skin were completely devoured by the vine... I’m terrified. This Christmas Eve is anything but peaceful.”

“December 27, 2013. I never expected a little bird flying overhead to suddenly attack me. I’ve been poisoned... This toxin is terrifying—I feel as if I can sense the call of death. I left half my remaining food in a tree hollow, hoping it might help any humans who pass by in the future...”

“December 28, 2013. Am I really going to die? I’m so unwilling! I saw a giant wolf. Strangely, I felt an urge to fight it, as if something inside its body was attracting me. Either way, I’m doomed—let me die an honorable death in battle! Farewell, Charles, my love.”

Chapter 3: Absorbing Genes

At the end of the diary, there was a signature: David Bennett.

This person was somewhat well-known on a certain backpacker forum, having traveled to many places both in China and abroad.

But David Bennett truly became widely known among netizens because of a public confession.

One day before the great catastrophe, David Bennett made a heartfelt declaration of love for someone on the forum.

The person he confessed to was named Charles Bolton.

You know, when a man confesses to another man, it always sparks heated discussion online.

During that time, many netizens were debating two questions:

How “open” is Charles Bolton, really?

And just how “tight” is David Bennett?

No one expected that, after being rejected by Charles Bolton, David Bennett would enter the rainbow pillar of light with nothing left to live for.

To James Carter, whether David Bennett was straight or gay didn’t matter—death is the great equalizer.

“Damn, even the plants are alive. This tree hollow isn’t going to swallow me whole, is it?”

After reading the diary, James Carter shuddered all over, grabbed his backpack, and jumped out of the tree hollow.

He slung his hiking pack over his shoulders, stuffed his folded Swiss Army knife into his pocket, then grabbed the eighteen-section chopping knife and said seriously to Big Jack, “It’s getting dark, Big Jack. Can you find a safe place for us to rest?”

Big Jack looked at him in confusion, clearly not understanding what he meant.

James Carter gave a wry smile—he was probably expecting too much from Big Jack.

He made a decision: absolutely avoid getting close to any plants in the forest, and strode forward.

After walking a few hundred meters, Big Jack let out a strange cry and suddenly leapt up.

Above James Carter’s head, a black vine coiled around a tree branch suddenly moved, snaking toward the back of his head like a venomous serpent. Luckily, Big Jack noticed in time and pounced, biting down hard on the tip of the black vine.

James Carter broke out in a cold sweat, frantically hacking at the vine with his eighteen-section knife, chopping it into several pieces.

“Squeak squeak!”

Sure enough, the black vine was alive, letting out cries of pain.

James Carter decided to go all the way—he put his hiking pack on the ground and jumped up, wildly hacking at the nearby vines.

Only when all the vines within a ten-meter radius had been cut did he stop, drenched in sweat.

“Woof!”

Big Jack suddenly barked excitedly, ran over, and picked up a tender, vibrant green piece of vine, happily chewing on it.

James Carter was astonished—normally, Big Jack only ate meat and bones, not even touching dog food, but today he was eating plants?

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he spotted something shiny at the base of the vine.

He used the tip of his knife to pry it out—it was a crystal about the size of a fingernail.

Holding the small crystal in his palm, James Carter felt a strange energy inside, drawing him in.

At that moment, the vast, majestic will in his mind spoke:

“Activate E-level Evolution Technique. Evolutionary creature crystal can be refined.”

At the same time, a surge of heat flowed through James Carter’s body.

That heat followed a specific pattern, carrying a sense of profound mystery.