Chapter One: Making Fire by Rubbing Wood

"Help! Help—!"

In a dark, dense jungle, a young man in his twenties was frantically running forward. His handsome face was twisted with fear.

The "rustling" sound coming from the thick bushes not far behind him followed closely, getting nearer and nearer.

The young man seemed to sense something as well. Beads of sweat broke out densely on his face. He was running out of strength, his steps slowing, and despair began to show in his eyes.

Just then, a beam of light appeared ahead of him. He couldn't help but feel a surge of hope. Although he didn't know what that beam of light meant, he used the last of his strength to dash madly toward it.

Just as the light was right in front of him, he suddenly tripped. With a cry of "Ouch," he fell forward, rolling several times before stopping. The beam of light shone directly into his eyes, and he instinctively squinted.

However, this beam of light was not the road to heaven, nor was it the dawn of escape—it was just an ordinary ray of sunlight. He had simply reached the edge of the jungle—no, he had rolled out of the jungle.

In that instant, a sudden commotion erupted in the grass, followed by a roar. A huge gray-furred beast with two long tusks burst out of the bushes, pouncing at the young man.

"Ah—!"

The young man screamed in terror.

Whoosh!

In a flash, the young man saw a white streak pass before his eyes, striking the tusked beast above him. There was a painful howl—the beast seemed to be hit by a powerful force and was sent flying backward.

Having narrowly escaped death, the young man was utterly exhausted, lying weakly on the ground, gasping for breath. Suddenly, it grew dark before his eyes, as if something was blocking the sunlight. He mustered all his strength to look up and vaguely saw a bare-chested man staring at him coldly.

"Help me...!"

He tried to raise his hand, but soon let it fall. His vision went black, and he fainted.

……

"Ah!"

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a wrinkled old face, and it was right in front of him. He was so startled he screamed like a frightened girl.

"Ah...!"

His sudden scream seemed to startle the old face as well. The old man opened his mouth and screamed too, his body trembling as he stumbled backward, nearly falling several times.

Only then did the young man see clearly: it was an old man who looked about seventy or eighty, with white hair and beard, as white as snow. Some bone ornaments dangled from his messy hair like pendulums. His eyes were sunken but spirited, his face ruddy, and his gaze sharp. He was bare-chested, with a "skirt" around his waist—actually just a simply sewn piece of animal hide. His long legs stuck out, thin as sticks, ribs protruding so much they could probably play a melody. In his right hand he held a withered wooden staff, matching his figure perfectly.

Before the echoes of their cries faded, the young man heard a sudden commotion at his feet. Instinctively looking down, he cried out again in shock. There was a boy crouching at his feet, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with loose, thick, shiny black hair. His eyes were pure and clear, black and white, full of liveliness. As the boy ran forward, he kept sneaking glances back at him. Unlike the old man, the boy's bright eyes were not filled with fear, but with curiosity.

"Who are you people?"

As soon as he spoke, the young man realized he couldn't move at all. Looking down, he saw he was tied to a big tree with a vine. Shocked and angry, he looked up: "Who are you, why did you—!"

Halfway through, he stopped abruptly.

The young man stared wide-eyed in terror at a spot ten paces ahead.

Dozens of people were quietly watching him—children, girls, women, old people, and strong men. The children were almost all naked, and most of the men wore only a piece of animal hide or a leaf in front to cover themselves. By comparison, the old man from before was actually dressed more decently—at least his "skirt" looked like a very crude piece of clothing. But the real shock was the women: quite a few of them were also bare-chested, their large breasts unmoving in the breeze, heavy and full. Of course, some were wrapped in animal skins.