The Trembling World
chapter-330

TL: xDh20, LifeisaJourney

Happy Thanksgiving!

Looking closely at the gaping hole in the sky, along the edges it looked as if something was holding back the tumultuous clouds. Liu Gan was a taken aback by what he saw.

“This can’t be a wormhole, warping of space and time, right? It is too upsetting that there aren’t any airplanes, otherwise we could try to see if it would take us back to the real world,” Han GuangMing stated sadly.

Being trapped for prolonged periods of time in The Trembling World or any horrifying game would result in players developing fantasies of being able to return back to the real world. The longer they remained here, the more it felt impossible to go back to the people they loved - their family members and friends.

“No, that is only an cloud canal, you are overthinking it.” Liu Gan shut down Han GuangMing’s fantasy. Liu Gan wasn't in the mood to play around.

Yin He hadn’t made it back to shore for three days. She should've reached the shore long before he woke up. Since she wasn't here, there were only a few possibilities. The most probable one was that she had reached the shore earlier than they did and was on her way to the Biochemical Intelligence Research Center.

Wei Liang and the other two scientists hadn't been able to contact Su Nina. The mothership's attack was very sudden, and the explosion split everyone up. Whether the people were alive or dead, no one could confirm for sure.

The mothership deserved to be destroyed!

This wasn't the first time Liu Gan had been hunted down by the mothership. Liu Gan clenched his fists as he looked up toward the sky. There would be a day when he would fly into space and destroy the controller, or take over the spaceship.

That was not something he could presently accomplish. With his current abilities, it was for the best if he left the area to group up with Yin He at the Biochemical Intelligence Research Center.

“From what I have heard from them, they said we know each other? And you saved my life?” The nervous question came from Jiang JinYuan who had walked over.

Jiang JinYuan’s memory had gaps in it. He only remembered volunteering to join an expedition, and when he arrived he joined up with these people. The thing was, his body wasn’t his own, the wrist watch had another person’s name, and all his personal belongings were missing. Everything was very strange to him.

“When I have time, I will explain it all to you, but this isn’t the right time for that.” Liu Gan wasn’t in the right mood to do extended talking.

“Sounds good.” Jiang JinYuan accepted the answer honestly. In the last three days he had learned a few things. The man in front of him was the leader for this group. Since he was a friend of the leader, everyone treated him with respect, but Jiang JinYuan was uneasy with this type of treatment.

...

Deeper inland was a large plot of jungle trees. The trees lasted until they reached the precipice with very steep slopes. There was a waterfall above them which split into several meandering pathways that took different routes. There were streams that flowed alongside the cliff, which would eventually dump the water into the sea.

To get over the mountain range and further inland, the only way up was by climbing. Even though it was quite steep, it wasn't a problem for Liu Gan. He could easily make it over. After climbing to the top of the cliff, Liu Gan pulled vines off the trees and reinforced them by interweaving them. Using these braided vines was more than enough to lift up the people that couldn't climb by themselves.

The PDA was also missing, or at least it wasn't in Liu Gan’s care. Whether it was lost or in Su Nina’s care was unknown. Liu Gan tried to recall from memory the map that he had seen on the PDA. Even though he couldn't remember most of the map, he was able to guess their approximate location. To reach further inland, he had to traverse this jungle first.

Without taking breaks, the entire group climbed over the cliff and started to make some distance in the jungle.

For those without wilderness training, it felt like they were walking in circles since every tree matched the last tree they walked by. It was easy to get lost. After climbing over the cliff, they thought that they could pass through the forest after walking for a short time. They didn't think that after walking for half an hour, there would still be jungle trees.

A never-ending jungle.

After another half an hour of walking, they were still working the jungle.

Liu Gan wasn't in a good mood. He hadn't spoken much since his last conversation with Jiang JinYuan. Without much instruction, Liu Gan continued to lead the group forward. The entire group’s morale was low, but no one spoke up. Like robots they just silently followed behind Liu Gan - running, jumping, climbing.

Jiang JinYuan’s new body was quite capable. In the real world, the former owner could've been an athletic competitor. Even though the memories of the previous owner was wiped clean, his body still retained the conditioning of the previous owner. Since he was at level 5, Jiang JinYuan didn't have much trouble keeping up with the speed of the group.

Wei Liang and the male and female scientists also demonstrated frightening capabilities. They each had a wristwatch, which meant they weren't originally scientists. Su Nina must have taken these players as specimen bodies. Before Su Nina ‘brainwashed’ them, they were quite capable. There was no one lagging behind and they were moving at a relatively fast pace.

“Elder Liu, how can we leave this area?” Han GuangMing asked as he caught up to Liu Gan.

Some people were worried about Liu Gan’s state of health. As Liu Gan had just woken from his three full days of coma, they were wondering if he had a plan. After separating from Vice-leader He, they wanted to know where their destination was. To them, it seemed like they were walking in circles. So they asked Han GuangMing to be their representative and ask Liu Gan.

If they were stuck in the jungle when it got dark, there would be some level of danger. If they remained by the sea, they could catch shrimp, clams, and other seafood. There was also a clean stream to supply fresh water. The natural setting of the rocks would provide a good temporary campsite.

However, it was a different setting in the jungle. Surrounding them were trees reaching unimaginable heights. Naturally the dim setting gave off an eerie feeling. There were bizarre sounds that seemed like they came from mythical creatures living in the jungle.

“It’s very simple. You watched it take place. Remember when we climbed up the cliff, we passed by the downstream current, it was flowing into the sea. Then, if we followed it upstream back to the source, we would reach the inland. As long as we follow in the direction along the brook, we will be fine,” Liu Gan replied to Han GuangMing. Clearly, he wasn’t as clueless as he had looked. Everything he had done was with a purpose.

“Then, how will we find that stream? There are only trees here, I can’t see any traces of flowing water…” Han GuangMing continued to ask.