Cheng Jun's Thoughts

Cheng Jun had been back from her overseas studies for over six months.

However, she was incredibly lazy. Despite being a "sea turtle" (overseas returnee), she had truly become a homebody turtle.

After she spent half a year being a shut-in at home, her father finally couldn't take it anymore and pushed her into the company.

The work was boring, and she feared boredom above all else.

A dull, uneventful life couldn't give her any satisfaction; she craved something different, something exciting.

...

"This is a bit too exciting, the joke's gone too far..."

In the darkness, Cheng Jun gradually regained consciousness. Upon opening her eyes, she immediately sensed something was wrong.

She wasn't lying in her soft bed at home, but instead had awakened among ruins and rubble.

The uneven stones beneath her pressed painfully against her spine, constantly reminding her this wasn't a dream.

Standing up, she carefully avoided the debris as she walked outward.

A thick patch of shrubs blocked her path. As she pushed aside the branches, fragments of sunlight pierced through the darkness as she crawled out in a crouching position.

"Is this still Earth? Have I traveled through time?"

Before her stood dilapidated high-rises, their walls covered in vines and green plants, creating a psychedelic mix of green and purple hues.

The aged streets, with moss filling the gaps between bricks, held a strange beauty.

It was like an ancient oil painting.

The surroundings were deathly quiet as Cheng Jun walked dazedly into the sunlight.

The sunlight cast a veil over the scenery, reminiscent of the AAA games she used to play.

Questions flooded her mind like a tidal wave.

She had fantasized about time travel countless times, but those were just fantasies - she never dared hope they would actually come true.

Looking down at herself, she was wearing her work clothes: a professional dress suit with high heels.

"Well... at least I'm not in my nightgown."

Frowning, she took off her high heels, her delicate toes touching the floor.

She held the shoes upside down and knocked off the heels.

After putting them back on and walking a few steps, although uncomfortable, at least she could run if needed.

Then she grabbed the edges of her skirt with both hands and pulled hard.

With a ripping sound, she transformed the knee-length dress suit into a qipao-style dress, her white legs occasionally visible as she walked.

She had consumed plenty of games, novels, anime, and movies in her daily life.

The scene before her was clearly abnormal, and in case of danger, the dress suit and high heels would only hinder her escape.

This modification at least increased her chances of survival.

Taking a deep breath to steady her emotions, Cheng Jun forced herself to accept reality and began carefully exploring her surroundings.

Leaning against a weathered car roof to look inside, she found the driver's seat empty.

"Is anyone there?"

Cheng Jun called out softly as she walked, the sunny weather giving her courage.

This was basic human instinct - somehow being in sunlight made people feel safe from ghosts and monsters.

Suddenly, a faint rustling sound reached her ears.

Turning her head and listening carefully, she quickly identified the direction of the sound.

In the shadows, a convenience store's door gaped like an open mouth, waiting for her to enter.

Cheng Jun stood at the boundary between sunlight and shadow.

After hesitating, she decided not to go in.

Whether in horror movies or disaster films, foolish supporting characters always died alone.

Cheng Jun wasn't sure if she was the protagonist or a supporting character, but she didn't dare take the risk.

After brief consideration, she crouched down, picked up a small stone, and threw it into the convenience store.

"Squeak!"

A strange cry accompanied a black shadow darting out.

It moved so fast she couldn't make out what it was.

Cheng Jun's heart had already jumped to her throat, and startled by this sudden development, she instinctively let out a scream.

"Ah!"

...

The sharp female scream traveled far in this deathly quiet environment.

When it reached Shen Yi's ears, he immediately turned and ran toward its source.

If his guess was correct, the voice's owner was likely Cheng Jun, whom he was looking for.

The scream was very urgent, suggesting she had encountered some danger.

Although the situation was unclear, Shen Yi couldn't just ignore someone in need.

Without any hesitation, he began running, and thanks to his physical prowess, he moved very quickly.

Carefully avoiding obstacles, Shen Yi maintained his speed.

Within five minutes, Shen Yi arrived in the vicinity.

The scream had only lasted briefly before stopping, so he could only judge the general direction.

He had come as fast as he could; if something unfortunate had happened, he could only express regret.

Fortunately, upon turning the street corner, he saw a woman crouching on the ground.

Looking her over, her clothes were somewhat tattered but there were no obvious injuries, which made Shen Yi breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Running over in a few steps, he asked softly:

"Are you alright?"

Cheng Jun had also noticed Shen Yi's figure, her eyes flashing with joy - regardless of anything else, finding another living person to communicate with was always relieving.

"I'm fine. Where is this place?"

She refused Shen Yi's helping hand and stood up by herself.

Although he had seen Cheng Jun's projected image before, seeing her in person still stunned him.

He had to admit, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, at least in terms of appearance.

Her features were as delicate as if crafted by Nüwa herself, with fair skin and a tall, proportionate figure.

Bare-faced, with slightly furrowed brows, she stared directly at Shen Yi.

The dust on her forehead gave her otherworldly face a touch of mortality, making her even more alluring.

Seeing her frown, Shen Yi cleared his throat and replied: "I don't know."

"What happened here?"

Cheng Jun asked, full of questions.

"I don't know."

Two consecutive "I don't knows" made Cheng Jun pause.

"Aren't you from here? How come you don't know anything?"

Mainly because Shen Yi's attire was misleading - he was fully dressed and carrying a backpack.

Plus, she had already assumed she was a time traveler, so naturally she viewed Shen Yi as a local.

"I woke up here mysteriously about ten minutes ago, I don't know any more about this place than you do."

Seeming afraid she might misunderstand, Shen Yi added:

"I only came running when I heard your cry for help."

This answer made Cheng Jun sigh, thinking they were both travelers to this strange place.

"Thank you. Like you, I just opened my eyes and found myself here. What's your name?"

"Shen Yi, and yours?"

In this dreamlike situation, Shen Yi didn't bother using a fake name.

"Cheng Jun."

Cheng Jun answered while brushing dust off her dress.

"What did you encounter just now?"

Shen Yi asked, eager to learn more about this world.

Mentioning this made goosebumps appear on Cheng Jun's arms.

"I couldn't see clearly, it was a black shadow that flashed by, not very big, possibly a rat."

She wasn't afraid of snakes, but rats were her greatest fear. The shadow had moved too quickly to see clearly; she was just guessing based on its size.

Cheng Jun's words made Shen Yi thoughtful - he hadn't seen any animals, not even insects, on his way here.

"This rat might not be ordinary..." Shen Yi pondered silently.

Making a mental note of this location, Shen Yi decided to leave for now given the unclear situation.

Cheng Jun was quick to adapt and sharp-minded.

This place was strange and eerie, but at least she had a "fellow traveler" beside her, so for now they could only stick together.

She was very clear about her position - just a physically weak woman.

In their small group of two, she needed to at least secure the position of "the brain" to have value.

"What are your plans now?"

Cheng Jun asked him.