Mercenaries in Two Worlds

Okay, this wasn't sent by 1024. It was just a message from a former college classmate asking if I wanted to play an online game together.

Zhang Qian replied, "No, the computer is broken."

The laptop screen then displayed a message: "Please prepare yourself, you are about to travel through time. If Mr. Zhang needs to return to Earth, he can touch the gem pendant around his neck ten days from now and silently say, 'I want to go home, 1024 Top-Tier Dimensional Super-Dimensional Light Brain Master.' The gem will charge up for ten minutes and then automatically bring you back."

Zhang Qian hurriedly changed into a tracksuit, took a deep breath, and said, "Okay, let's go!" Suddenly, a burst of light appeared on his body, and then he vanished into thin air.

It felt like a fleeting moment, yet also like an eternity. Zhang Qian landed on solid ground, stumbled, but thankfully his back was strong enough to prevent him from falling flat on his face. Looking at himself, he saw no changes, just like on Earth, except for an antique ring on his bare left middle finger and a fiery red gemstone around his neck. This ring was supposedly from the spatial realm, but Zhang Qian had no idea how to use it. A swirling mass of data churned in his mind, likely from some kind of analytical quantum computer. He couldn't sense it unless he thought about it; otherwise, he truly couldn't live a normal life.

Stopping thinking about these "magical artifacts" that he could see but couldn't use, Zhang Qian looked around and saw a dense forest.

"What the heck is this 1024? Why doesn't it teleport me to a crowded place?" Zhang Qian looked helplessly at the forest that resembled a tropical rainforest.

Before Zhang Qian could finish complaining, "misfortune" showed him that it was never alone.

"Roar!" A sound came from behind Zhang Qian, startling him. He turned around in fear and saw a beast that looked like a lion on Earth, but more than twice the size, with its whole body purple, baring its teeth and glaring at Zhang Qian.

"What the hell? Am I going to die?" When Zhang Qian saw the beast, his heart turned cold and his legs started to tremble. He felt nothing but despair and fear. With his two legs, it was clear that he couldn't outrun this ferocious four-legged creature.

Suddenly, the grass trembled, and with two howls, two small purple beasts emerged and rubbed against the large lion's legs.

"Hmph hmph hmph," the large lion licked the fur of the two small animals, then nudged them with its head, trying to push them back into the grass.

Zhang Qian was astonished to discover that he actually understood that "humph" sound; it meant "Go back quickly." He instantly remembered 1024's mention of the universal language system; it turned out this system could understand not only human language but also animal language.

For some reason, a strange language automatically appeared in Zhang Qian's mind, as familiar as Mandarin. He opened his mouth and said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm just passing by," the sound coming out as a low growl, like a wild beast.

The lion's face showed surprise, just like a human's, and it said, "You understand our animal language?"

"Yes, I just got lost here." Then, glancing at the two small beasts, he continued, "Big brother, don't worry, I mean no harm, I just don't know how to get out."

Seeing that the ferocious lion was finally not so fierce, Zhang Qian quickly explained, hoping that the beast would not tear him apart. He prayed to all the gods he knew in his heart, and also included 1024 in his prayers.

"Hmph, I see you don't have any spiritual power. Tearing you apart is as easy as crushing an ant." The lion had a human-like expression of contempt on its face. It didn't have much ill will towards humans, nor did it have much affection for them.

Zhang Qian's face twitched, and he decisively admitted defeat, saying, "Yes! How about I go first?"

There's always a way out. The unfortunate Zhang Qian was teleported to the depths of a deserted forest, and then he just happened to run into the mouth of a large beast. Although he was looked down upon by the beast, at least he knew animal language and could negotiate with the beast to spare his life.

"Human flesh is so sour, I don't like to eat it either, you can leave!"

Upon encountering a picky beast, Zhang Qian was delighted and lifted his leg to leave, only to hear the lion roar again, "There are many second-tier beasts like me in this forest, but not all of them are as merciful as I am."

Startled by the obvious hint, Zhang Qian seized the opportunity and asked, "Brother Lion, could you take me out of here?"

"Hmph, as long as you do me a favor, this little thing is no problem at all." The lion looked at Erin and snorted. This lion was quite cunning; it could even exchange benefits with people.

"What help? I'm completely helpless."

"Follow me." The lion led its two cubs deeper into the woods, seemingly unconcerned that Zhang Qian wouldn't follow.

Zhang Qian hesitated for a moment, then remembered the lion saying that there were many wild beasts as powerful as him here, and felt a sense of panic. For the sake of his temporary safety, he finally decided to follow it.

After walking for a while, Zhang Qian followed the three lions to a cliff. One of the lions was drooling as it stared at a giant bird's nest at the edge of the cliff, then looked at Zhang Qian as if to say, "You know what I mean."

"Okay! I get it. Human flesh doesn't taste good, but bird eggs do, right?" Zhang Qian looked at the giant bird's nest and felt a little scared. Not to mention that it was more than ten stories high, one could imagine how big the mother bird must be. If he were discovered, he would be doomed.

"This...is too high! Besides, isn't this also bad? What if they come back? You're a mother too, you should be understanding." With the spirit of pushing it away if possible and delaying it if not, Zhang Qian still hoped that this big lion would change his mind.

"Hmph, this dead bird took my child before, so what if I eat its eggs?" The lion revealed a resentful expression, just like a human. "They won't be back until evening. Hurry up and climb up this vine before it gets dark. You can get out of here as soon as possible. Once it gets dark, I can't guarantee you'll survive those blood-sucking, evil beasts."

"It seems I have no choice. I hope you're not lying to me." Zhang Qian said with a bitter face, pulling on a thick, arm-like vine that hung down from the top of the cliff. It looked very sturdy.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Qian wasn't one to procrastinate, and he climbed up the vine. Having grown up in the countryside, he had often climbed trees, bamboo, and cliffs to raid bird nests and collect honey, so this was a return to his old ways.

After huffing and puffing for about half an hour, Zhang Qian finally arrived at a crevice where the bird's nest was located. He glanced at the nest and was startled, almost losing his grip on the vine. "My God, what kind of bird egg is this? It's as big as a washbasin!"

There was only one snow-white egg in the bird's nest, but it was enormous, unlike anything Zhang Qian had ever seen in his life.

"Huh, what kind of fruit is this?" Zhang Qian suddenly smelled a mouthwatering fruity aroma.

Beside the bird's nest stood a lovely green tree, on which was a bright green fruit the size of a marble.

Adhering to the principle that a thief should never leave empty-handed, Zhang Qian picked the fragrant fruit and put it into his pocket.

The egg was a bit difficult to tie up. After fiddling with it for a long time, Zhang Qian finally managed to secure it with a green vine and fasten it around his waist. The egg weighed at least twenty pounds, which made Zhang Qian feel a bit strained, so he carefully and slowly climbed down the rope.

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