Chapter Three: The First Hints of Exploration

One month later, at eight in the evening, Qin Le began preparing his gear, getting ready to set out for his first exploration in half an hour.

Because the time difference in the new world was exactly opposite to theirs, the sun should now be rising there.

First came the special field jacket designed for dense jungle environments: waterproof, tough, breathable, and most importantly, equipped with reinforced armor at the wrists and ankles to fend off beast attacks. Next, a special raincoat that also offered protection against insects; its inner layer was insulated and could serve as a blanket. A backpack contained antibiotics, military rations, a water purifier, lighter, first aid kit, flashlight, compass...

His weapon was the Republic’s latest Blade Series Model 44 Assault Rifle, weighing four kilograms, nine hundred millimeters in length, chambered for 7.92mm rounds, with an effective range of four to five hundred and fifty meters. The Blade 44 was widely considered the king of rifles—its power, range, and stability eclipsed all other assault rifles. The large 7.92mm caliber assured that any target hit by it was either killed or crippled. Within five hundred meters, it would hit whatever it aimed at. Its only drawback was the high manufacturing cost, making it unsuitable for mass deployment.

He took five magazines, a demolition grenade and a fragmentation grenade, and a machete the length of half his forearm, mainly for clearing the way. Lastly, a gas mask—though not of the highest grade, it could protect against unexpected situations, such as natural sulphuric acid fields, preventing instant death from high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide. Of course, if they truly encountered such a place, survival would be unlikely.

Fully equipped, Qin Le gazed at himself in the mirror, his thoughts tangled.

“Perhaps I am the most unsuccessful traveler between worlds.”

Since arriving in this world, Qin Le had never considered changing anything, never tried to strive for something greater. He let things unfold as they would, treating everything as a game—a hyper-realistic virtual war game. Perhaps, he thought, death would be the moment he awoke from the dream.

He knew himself well. Lacking any cheats or supernatural advantages, changing the world was beyond his reach and will. Yet, words he had spoken years ago had inadvertently inspired the revival of his homeland, the Republic—two words both strange and familiar. His almost brutish teacher, together with a group of absurd yet endearing people, had forged a path through sheer determination.

Now, the cheat had finally arrived—albeit late. It was his turn to act.

“I lack the courage to be first, but my conscience tells me I must be the second.”

He had not hesitated to lead others to kill the dog emperor; now, he would hesitate even less.

...

In the center of the underground air-raid shelter, Qin Le found a cluster of bald men in white coats and a fully armed squad of soldiers.

From among the bald men stepped a scholar, refined in bearing, unlike the others. “Major, these four are your team for the exploration mission. Like you, they are elite soldiers.”

Qin Le recognized him. The man was Xuan Lü’s top scientist, the founder of many fields—radio, aviation, biology—the most advanced sciences of the era had come from his hands. Xuan Lü owed at least thirty percent of its technological edge over other nations in the last era to this man. If the world had any true genius, it was him—a genius, and a madman.

The four heavily armed soldiers in the squad took two steps forward into a line, straight-backed, left hands gripping rifles, right hands saluting crisply.

Four men and one woman, all tall and powerfully built, faces cold, eyes keen, exuding the aura of hardened veterans returned from the battlefield.

Their gear was almost identical to Qin Le’s, except the lone female soldier carried a sniper rifle. He recognized her—an old comrade.

Her features were regular, but years of training and war had left her skin rough and scarred, a deathly pallor making her look quite intimidating. The men fared little better, though their scars lent them a rugged resolve.

From left to right, they were Iron Fist, Fish Head, Firework, and Falcon.

Iron Fist, the largest in the squad, stood a full two meters thirty tall, his arms thicker than most men’s thighs—born with monstrous strength. Records showed that during the South Continent War, he had twisted an enemy’s head off with his bare hands and charged with a heavy machine gun.

His strength was astonishing; in the age of cold weapons, he would have been a killing machine, and even now, he was formidable.

Fish Head: a spy, with little recorded information except for extraordinary communication skills.

Firework: expert in demolition and infiltration; records showed that in the Far North, he led his team across the Celestial Pillar Mountains, destroying a key weapons depot of the Arctic Snow Nation after a thousand-mile raid.

Falcon: the only woman, Xuan Lü’s top sniper; during the mid-stages of the First World War, with only an old Blade-1 rifle and iron sights, she hit anything within three hundred meters. After the advent of sniper rifles and scopes, she became even deadlier—the enemy called her the Silent Reaper.

By war’s end, her confirmed kills numbered 1,010.

All four were veterans of the deadliest war in history—the First World War—survivors among the elite, standing at the apex of the battlefield.

The other soldiers, though lacking such dazzling records, were nonetheless the backbone of the exploration operation: the three-three system special operations infantry that struck terror into every nation.

During the First World War, this unit had repeatedly broken through enemy lines, forcing constant retreats, and had even seen squads of three or five soldiers take out two artillery positions—albeit with many circumstances at play. Their strength was undeniable.

Qin Le shouted, “At ease! Attention!”

Bang!

The soldiers moved with speed and precision, boots stamping in unison—they were as one.

“Check your equipment!”

The four soldiers immediately began checking their gear. After thirty seconds, they snapped to attention and said in unison, “Inspection complete, no issues!”

“Mission start.” Qin Le raised his right hand, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

Suddenly, a three-meter tall oval red portal appeared out of thin air. The view within was severed from its surroundings, showing a lush, verdant forest.

Without hesitation, Qin Le stepped through first. The other four followed close behind.

In preliminary exploration, fewer people made for easier maneuvering.

...

Towering trees, ten meters and more in height, stood densely packed, their layers of leaves forming a continuous canopy. Sunlight filtered through, scattering golden threads across the forest.

The smell of damp earth, mingled with the rot of leaves and wood, permeated the air. Green moss crept into every corner. The calls of insects and birds echoed endlessly.

This was the truest, most primal forest—not the idyllic paradise people imagined, but wild, decaying, dark, with danger lurking behind every moment.

Swish, swish, swish...

Surrounded by his team, Qin Le moved steadily through the jungle. The uneven terrain and slippery moss seriously hampered their progress.

The forest was even vaster than they had expected; after eight hours of walking, the trees remained as dense as ever, with no sign of an edge. If this continued, they would have to find a place to camp and continue tomorrow.

“Wait.” Falcon’s voice was hoarse. Everyone immediately stopped, eyes alert, fingers on triggers.

After a few seconds of silence, Falcon pointed right. “There’s water that way.”

“Let’s check it out.” Qin Le gave the order without hesitation.

Where there was water, the trees would be less dense—at least, not as completely blocked by thick leaves and tangled vines as here, where the sky and sun were hidden.

A few minutes later, as they drew closer, the others also heard the sound of water, which grew louder and clearer with each step. Pushing aside tall ferns, they finally saw a clear stream.

The water flowed gently over smooth pebbles, sunlight glinting off the surface.

“Keep watch. Falcon, climb high and scout. I’ll collect some water.” Qin Le knelt by the stream, took a test tube from his pack, and filled it.

Their main mission was to determine whether civilization, or intelligent life similar to humans, existed in this world. Sampling water, plants, and animals was secondary—if possible, they were to gather as many exotic specimens as they could.

Crack!

Suddenly, a crisp snap came from underfoot. Qin Le, puzzled, moved his right foot away, revealing a patch of white in the muddy print left by his boot.

“A bone?” He dug out a three-centimeter-long, gray-white bone, still clinging to some dirt. It looked exactly like a human finger bone, three segments held together by some substance, not yet separated, though cracks were already forming.

Qin Le stepped back, then glanced at Iron Fist, who stood like a small mountain. “Dig here.”

“Yes.” Iron Fist unhooked an entrenching tool from his pack and dug where the bone was found, turning up a large clod of dirt.

More pale bones appeared in the football-sized hole.

After ten minutes, a small pile of bones was excavated. From one piece of skull, it was clear—these were human remains.

Fish Head worked quickly beside the bones, piecing them together. Soon a relatively complete skeleton lay before them.

As they had guessed, it was human.

“All teeth missing, nine cracks in the jawbone, the longest three centimeters—likely struck repeatedly by a blunt object. The lower nasal bone shows sharp cut marks, likely made by a sharp instrument.”

“Five ribs fractured, major bones in all four limbs broken, both hands with two-centimeter holes—probably pierced by something sharp.”

Fish Head assembled the skeleton and analyzed it rapidly.

“The pelvis indicates it’s female; the size suggests an age of nine to thirteen years. Multiple severe bone injuries, at least ten fatal wounds.”

It was shocking. The extent of the injuries made it clear how much suffering the victim had endured. Unless the body was further damaged after death, it seemed certain she had been tortured to death.

The others wondered why a human skeleton was buried here. Given the destruction, it might be the result of a cult ritual. In their minds, only cults or corpse mutilators would do such things.

Another possibility was a live sacrifice by a primitive tribe.

Whatever the cause, it suggested human activity within a hundred kilometers. After all, even in their world, few would go far to dispose of a body; carrying one over a hundred kilometers was almost impossible.

“Pack it up.” Qin Le, though pitying the girl’s fate, knew the remains had to be collected.

The skeleton held great research value—it could confirm human DNA in this world.

“Yes.”

They bagged the bones, and, using the portal, sent them and the water samples back to their original world.

...

At that moment, Falcon, using her extraordinary physical skills, scrambled down from a ten-meter tree in a few quick moves and rasped, “Report—about five hundred meters southeast, there’s a tall stone tower.”

“Let’s go.”

The exploration team moved silently toward the southeast, soon spotting a tower rising above the surrounding trees.

The tower was constructed from massive stones, cylindrical at the base with windows. The upper section narrowed in five or six tiers, forming a lookout above the forest canopy.

Moss and vines covered the tower; most windows were blocked by creepers. The entrance was little more than a few broken boards, through which grass grew thick on the floor inside, the place desolate.

From its appearance, the tower had been abandoned for a long time, but the team stayed alert—after all, who would build a tower in the middle of such a desolate, primeval forest?

After a moment’s thought, Qin Le said, “Iron Fist, Firework, you two check it out. Don’t go deep—just look in from the entrance.”

“Yes.”

Iron Fist and Firework advanced, rifles raised, step by step toward the tower.

At the ruined doorway, Firework shone his flashlight into the dark interior, and in its white beam, they saw the inside clearly.

Moss-covered stone floors, heaps of rubbish and bones, and several small humanoid corpses.

Their first thought was of children, but looking closer, they realized something was off: the corpses had disproportionately large heads and sallow, withered skin.

A spiral staircase led up the center to the upper levels.

Smelling the stench, both men donned their gas masks, then Firework signaled: no present danger, requesting entry.

With Qin Le’s consent, Firework entered first, Iron Fist following. Minutes later, they returned and signaled the all-clear.

The other three emerged from the woods and approached the tower. The stench hit them, and they too put on gas masks.

“Goblins?” Qin Le thought immediately of the stories from his previous life.

Sallow skin, stunted bodies, exaggeratedly large heads.

Though not exactly as depicted in the movies, the resemblance was striking.

Five hundred meters away, by the river, they had found a human corpse; here, the tower was filled with goblin bodies.

Qin Le crouched by a headless corpse, prying from its grip a club resembling a spiked mace. Around the bodies, similar spiked wooden clubs lay scattered.

“Blunt weapons.”

He immediately recalled the wounds on the skeleton by the river.

“Sir, there’s a pile of human bones here.” Fish Head pointed to a corner.

A mound of white bones, topped with a pyramid of human skulls—a mountain of heads.

The dim shadows and pale skulls gave the place an eerie air.

Blunt weapons, broken bones, human remains, goblin corpses, rubbish-strewn floors, and torn fabric.

Fish Head squatted beside a relatively intact body. “Sir, these creatures’ corpses are very strange.”

Qin Le looked questioningly at him, as Fish Head punched the corpse—crack—it shattered like a pile of rubble.

The bizarre sight unsettled even these battle-hardened veterans.

“These bodies look badly decayed, but there’s no sign of giant maggots.” Fish Head removed his mask, sniffed a fragment of the remains.

“Rather than rot, they smell like withered leaves.”

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Suddenly, from the forest came the sound of leaves brushing together. From the direction opposite their arrival, a black shadow darted swiftly through the dense undergrowth.

“To the second floor,” Qin Le ordered without hesitation.

The team immediately moved inside, climbing the broken spiral staircase to the second level, which had windows—perfect for observation and shooting if needed.