“Ah—!”
A scream pierced through the sky. As the sound echoed, countless birds in the vicinity took flight, fluttering their wings in a frantic escape.
A long-eared rabbit, just about to forage for food, didn’t hesitate for a second before spinning around and diving into its underground burrow.
Seeing the meal that was practically in its mouth slip away, a giant wolf crouching in the bushes flashed a look of annoyance. It turned its head toward the source of the noise with a look of pure displeasure.
Bai Ning, whose fall had been partially broken by the forest canopy, snapped several more branches before slamming heavily onto the ground. The impact left her seeing stars, her entire body radiating sharp pain.
Fortunately, the forest floor was covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves, and the branches had slowed her momentum. Otherwise, given the height and speed of her fall, she probably wouldn’t have felt any pain at all—she would have gone straight to meet her ancestors.
Though she was still alive, the agonizing pain told her exactly how severe her injuries were.
Her face was deathly pale. Bai Ning bit her lip hard, ignoring the throbbing pain as she struggled to lift her head to survey her surroundings.
Looking at the dense jungle, a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes, followed quickly by a wide-eyed look of disbelief.
This… What was going on? Had she transmigrated again?
Again? Why would Bai Ning say “again”?
It all started on the day her winter break began. She was just an ordinary university student who, after the semester ended, had excitedly packed her bags and hopped on a high-speed train home.
After getting off the train, she caught a ride-share. She was less than five kilometers from home when, due to the dark, slippery roads and brake failure, her car collided with a large truck coming from the opposite direction.
And just like that, the tragic Bai Ning was crudely snatched away from her loving parents and brother.
When she opened her eyes again, she found she had transmigrated.
She had arrived in a world that had just entered the apocalypse. The streets were filled with zombies and screaming crowds.
She was terrified, but she calmed down quickly, thinking back to all the apocalyptic novels she had read. Following the “survival guides” from those stories, she checked everything in the room, locked the doors and windows tight, barricaded them with tables and cabinets, gathered all the edible food, and hid inside.
She also didn’t forget to check her body. She realized it was a “soul transmigration”—her original body had likely been crushed beyond recognition by that truck. Thinking of the state her parents and brother would find her in, Bai Ning couldn’t help but crouch in the bathroom and sob her heart out.
In the days that followed, she hid in that room, watching the world outside collapse into a zombie paradise. She felt fear, horror, and despair, but she endured every time.
Relying on snacks scavenged from the room and food stored in the fridge, she stubbornly held on for over a month until the official rescue arrived.
She followed the rescue team to a government base, where she squeezed into a single room with a dozen other people. She survived day-to-day by taking odd jobs at the base and digging for wild vegetables in the “safe zones” nearby, living a hand-to-mouth existence.
She thought that was how life would be from then on. As long as she persisted and hung in there, things would eventually get better.
But she never expected that after only three short months, a zombie horde would arrive. At the time, she happened to be outside digging for vegetables with her roommates.
As they scrambled back in a panic, one of her roommates accidentally tripped. For some reason—Heaven knows what she was thinking—Bai Ning actually turned back to help her.
The result was predictable… The story of the “Farmer and the Snake” played out once again.
She was violently shoved into the arms of a zombie by that very roommate!
As she closed her eyes in despair, waiting for the zombie to sink its teeth into her, she suddenly felt a sensation of weightlessness, as if she were falling indefinitely.
When she finally opened her eyes and regained consciousness, she was in this completely foreign place.
Aside from transmigrating again, she couldn’t think of any other explanation.
“Sss…”
The sharp pain in her body jolted Bai Ning out of her daze. She snapped back to reality, looking at the unfamiliar scenery. She was in no mood to admire it.
In a place with such dense vegetation, animals were bound to be plenty. If she couldn’t find a place to hide, ending up in the belly of a beast was a very real possibility—especially since she was currently bleeding, and the scent of blood would easily attract predators.
She tried to move. A surge of agony shot through her right arm and lower leg. She couldn’t tell if they were fractured or worse.
Ignoring the pain, Bai Ning used her left hand to prop up her upper body and scanned the area. All she could see were towering trees reaching for the clouds and thick undergrowth.
Listening closely, she could hear the distant roars of unknown animals.
How miserable. During her last “start,” she at least had food, water, and a roof over her head. This time? Broken limbs, the middle of nowhere, and not even four walls to call her own.
Bai Ning gave a bitter laugh. She lowered her body and, using the strength in her left hand, began to crawl forward.
As long as she wasn’t dead, she had to find a way to survive. Only by living was there hope!
Pale and drenched in sweat, she felt the sting of perspiration dripping into her wounds. She rubbed her forehead against her arm to wipe the sweat from her eyes and looked at the distance ahead. Good, she was almost there.
A mere ten meters felt like it had taken centuries to crawl. Her legs had lost all sensation.
Bai Ning forced herself into a sitting position. She picked up a wooden stick from the ground and measured it against her leg; the length was decent. She placed the stick against her likely fractured leg and pulled a handful of nearby wild grass.
The grass here grew thick and tough—it would suffice as a makeshift rope to set her leg.
With only one arm and one leg functional, Bai Ning used both her teeth and her hand, struggling for a long time before she managed to secure the leg. Her clothes were soaked through, covered in mud and leaves—she looked utterly pathetic.
When Beichuan arrived, what he saw was a strange beastman with their back turned, busy doing something unknown.
After studying the figure, a hint of disdain flashed in Beichuan’s eyes. Such a scrawny beastman… even the females of his tribe were stronger than this.
There was the scent of blood—was he injured?
But what was that “animal skin” on his body? Why was it so strange? He had never seen anything like it.
Beichuan didn’t rush forward blindly. Instead, he cautiously and quietly circled around to the side.
“A female?!”
Beichuan’s pupils dilated in shock.
How could it be a female!
Why would a female be all alone in the forest? And she was injured!
Beichuan looked around in disbelief, and after confirming there were no other beastmen nearby, he fixed his gaze back on the female in front of him.
Bai Ning had just finished wrapping her leg. After a brief moment to catch her breath, she prepared to bind her arm.
As she reached out for a nearby stick, she suddenly felt something wasn’t right—it felt as though she were being watched.