C1 Dongdong

"This cave seems rather intriguing."

Hans crouched down, examining the large, round black entrance before him. It was shrouded in darkness, so much so that his flashlight couldn't illuminate its depths.

He had set out for an adventure in the wilderness, never anticipating the discovery of such an odd cave deep within the mountains. Its perfectly round shape was oddly unnatural.

"Should I go in and have a look?"

A sense of curiosity itched at Hans' heart. He had a fondness for caves, and this peculiar one was irresistibly alluring. Without exploring it, he knew he'd be restless all night.

"Just a quick peek!"

Decided, he eagerly stepped inside. Darkness enveloped him, and a powerful suction tugged from every direction, threatening to tear him apart.

In an instant, the darkness and the force vanished. Hans' surroundings transformed dramatically, and he found himself amidst a range of mountains, unlike any he'd seen before, surrounded by towering ancient trees.

Out of nowhere, a deer sprinted by, closely pursued by an enormous leopard. They vanished from sight in a heartbeat.

"I need to get back!"

Hans had never seen a leopard of such size; it dwarfed even those in zoos, twice over. Surely, this wasn't a place for humans.

Turning around, he was met with a stark rock wall—no sign of the cave.

"What the—where's the cave?"

Desperately, Hans felt the rock face, his heart sinking as he realized the cave he'd entered was gone. Panic weakened his knees.

"I should've known this cave was no ordinary place. Damn, what now?"

His extensive outdoor survival experience helped him regain composure. That's when he noticed an unfamiliar bracelet on his wrist.

"What in the world is this?" He couldn't recall when the bracelet, made of a silvery-white metal that clung to his skin, had appeared. As Hans attempted to remove it, the bracelet morphed at his touch, projecting a pale blue holographic screen. A charming synthesized voice emanated from the bracelet: "Hello, I'm Blue, your virtual robot. Thank you for rescuing me from the space-time flux."

"What? Space-time turbulence?"

Hans's voice trembled as he swallowed hard, "Are we still on Earth?"

"No, we're on an unknown planet now. To get back to Earth, we need to reopen the wormhole. But I've been opening the wormhole for over half an hour amidst the space-time turbulence, and 99% of my energy is depleted. I can't open it again right now."

"What do we do?" Hans felt a surge of despair, quickly finding a hidden spot to take cover, to avoid becoming prey to wild beasts.

"Blue needs to reach 50% energy to open the wormhole. The charging method is quite straightforward; we just need to find a nuclear power station."

"A nuclear power station? This world must have one. Hang on, I'll go look for it." Hope sparked within Hans as he drew a dagger from his waist, planning to find a populated area to catch his breath.

Having served two years in the military and spent many more in outdoor exploration, Hans was well-versed in wilderness survival. After a perilous few hours, he finally spotted some smoke ahead.

"People! There are people ahead!"

Hans, filled with excitement, hurried towards the smoke. Breaking through the jungle, the landscape opened up before him, and his emerging smile instantly froze.

Before him lay a vast clearing at the base of a mountain, dotted with dozens of rudimentary thatched huts. Many individuals, clad in linen and animal hides, were congregating around a fire, cooking meat in clay pots.

In that moment, all eyes turned to Hans. A brief silence fell before someone suddenly bellowed, "Enemy!"

"You speak Mandarin!" Hans exclaimed, both shocked and relieved. He quickly tried to defuse the situation, "I'm not an enemy; I'm a friend. Please, hear me out..."

But they weren't interested in listening. Several burly men, brandishing large clubs, charged at him and bound him tightly to a wooden post.

Hans was confident in his ability to take down a few and make a run for it, but that would only create animosity, hindering any chance of a peaceful resolution.

"Listen up, guys. Since you all can understand me..."

"Hmm?" The burly man with the club glared, on the verge of losing his temper.

"No, no, what I mean is, since we all speak the same language, please give me a chance to explain. I'm not from around here; I've come from a very distant place." Hans quickly added, seeing the man's expression soften, "Take a look at my clothes. They're unique to my region. You don't have anything like this here, do you?"

Several dark-skinned women approached, admiringly touching his jacket.

Before long, the group, clad in animal skins, began to converse among themselves, seemingly intent on consulting someone of authority to decide what to do next.

Just as Hans breathed a sigh of relief, a massive Black Wolf leaped out of the jungle and bit off the arm of the nearest person.

More Black Wolves emerged, throwing the scene into disarray. The men grabbed their weapons to fend off the wolves, while the women and children fled into the safety of the thatched huts.

One Black Wolf, noticing Hans was bound and immobile, snarled and charged at him.

"Oh no!"

Hans was on the verge of despair, not expecting his arrival in this strange world to end so abruptly. He made a silent vow that if he survived this ordeal, he would never venture into caves again.

Suddenly, the metal bracelet on Hans's wrist transformed mechanically, revealing a cylindrical protrusion. A beam of energy shot from a small aperture, severing the ropes binding him. With no time to ponder his escape, and the Black Wolf nearly upon him, Hans quickly rolled to the side and drew his dagger.

Back when he was on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, he had encountered wolves, but he had simply ridden away on his motorcycle. Today was the first time he was this close to a wolf, and this one was twice the size of any adult wolf he'd seen before.

"Wuwu..."

The sound of a child's cry caught his attention. Hans turned to see a bare child standing beside him, bewildered and unsure of where to run.

Perhaps sensing an easy target, the Black Wolf abandoned Hans and charged at the child instead. Driven by a soldier's sense of duty, Hans leapt into action, tackling the Black Wolf to the ground. The two wrestled fiercely as Hans clutched the beast's neck, yelling, "Blue, hit it again!"

"Energy levels are low..."

Blue's adorable electronic voice chimed in, and Hans felt so frustrated he could almost spit blood. The wolf thrashed like a wild bull. Hans's dagger thrusts at the Black Wolf's neck merely scratched the surface, failing to draw blood.

Just then, Blue's voice offered timely advice, "The stomach is a wolf's most vulnerable spot, you know."

"Tell me about it!" Hans retorted. He pinned the Black Wolf's neck with one arm while the other hand reached behind and plunged the German-made dagger into the wolf's belly, slicing it open as if it were butter.

With a couple of pitiful howls, the Black Wolf ceased its struggle.

"Try to be tough now!" Hans taunted, slapping the Black Wolf's head. Looking up, he noticed a crowd had gathered around him, staring in stunned silence. It took a moment before someone finally screamed and ran off, "Chief, the warrior who slew the Black Wolf has emerged!"