Chapter 7
The moment the white light faded, Su Jing felt the ground beneath her feet suddenly sink – not the soft carpet of the hotel room, but hard ground with damp soil particles, and she could even feel the rough texture of grass roots under her feet.
She suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils contracting instantly, stunned by the sight before her.
All around her was a vast, seemingly endless meadow, each blade of grass over two meters tall, half a head taller than her shoulder, and as wide as a child's arm, with glistening dewdrops clinging to its dark green leaves.
Reflecting the faint light from the unknown source overhead, the densely packed grass stalks intertwine to form an impenetrable "green jungle," where even sunlight can only filter through the gaps in the leaves, casting scattered patches of light.
The air was thick with the smell of damp earth, mixed with a faint hint of the fishy smell of plants. It felt cool and refreshing when you breathed it in, a freshness unlike anything you'd ever experienced in this post-apocalyptic world—but behind this freshness lay a deadly danger.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
A muffled tremor suddenly came from afar, like a heavy truck rolling over the ground. Each tremor sent jolts up from the soles of my feet, and even the giant blades of grass around me swayed gently, with dewdrops falling from their leaves with a "whoosh".
Su Jing tensed up instantly. In her previous life, she had heard people talk about the dangers of the giant world, and that the sound of giants' footsteps was a warning of death.
She instinctively ducked behind a stalk of grass, but as soon as she was in the shadows, the vibrations grew closer, accompanied by heavy breathing—like a bellows pumping in her ears, the hot air rustling the grass above her. Su Jing held her breath, cautiously peeking out from between the grass stalks—
A giant, at least ten meters tall, was walking across the other side of the meadow. His skin was grayish-yellow, rough like old tree bark, covered with cracks of varying depths, and his bare chest was covered with clearly defined muscles, the arc of muscle contraction visible with each step.
His legs were thicker than the grass blades next to him, and when his feet landed, they could create a half-meter-deep pit, with the splashed dirt hitting the grass stalks with a "bang, bang" sound.
What was most frightening was the stone axe he carried on his shoulder. The blade was a full meter wide, with dark brown marks on the edge, whether from plant sap or something else, it was hard to tell. The handle was made of black hardwood, gripped tightly by the giant's large hand, and swayed slightly with each step.
Su Jing's heart pounded wildly, her fingers gripping the handle of the entrenching tool so tightly that her knuckles turned white—this was a first-tier Titan from the world of Titans? It was even bigger than she had heard of in her previous life; just that stone axe alone could easily cleave a person in two with a single swing.
She dared not look any longer, and quickly lowered her head, shrinking into a ball under the cover of the grass stalks, even her breathing became shallow—she was unsure of the giant's eyesight, but she absolutely could not risk being discovered.
Just then, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in my mind. Unlike the cold sound when I activated the system before, this time the voice had a subtle electronic prompt tone and a smooth, automatic translation feel:
[Doomsday Self-Rescue System - Mission Release]
Current instance: World of Giants (Beginner instance)
Core objective: Collect 100 kilograms of edible giant plants within 72 hours. The following types can be collected:
1. Giant Mushroom (Danger level: 0, edible, requires high-temperature cooking to remove trace toxins, main components are 23% protein, 18% carbohydrates, and 7% dietary fiber, can double physical strength)
2. Sweet grass root (Danger level: 1 (microscopic poisonous insects live on the roots, need to be washed), edible, slightly sweet when eaten raw, main components are starch 35%, water 50%, vitamin C 12mg/100g, can increase strength by 1 time)
3. Honey Fruit (Danger Level: 3 (Giant bees guard the fruit tree), edible, sugar content 40%, main components are fructose 25%, glucose 15%, water 30%, can increase speed by 1 time)
Instance rules:
- Avoid Tier 1 Titans (Danger level: 85, Attack: 120, Defense: 80, Cannot be fought, Survival rate <10% after being discovered)
- Avoid giant insects (giant ants: danger level 45, giant mantises: danger level 60, both are aggressive and should be avoided first).
Ranking Rules: The ranking is based on a combination of the weight of collected resources (60%) and survival time (40%). The top 10 will be awarded special abilities/resources.
Special Note: This system has enabled the functions of "automatic cross-world language conversion", "material composition analysis" and "hazard value assessment", which are only effective for the host Su Jing (pseudonym: I am the God of Wealth).
Su Jing was stunned—her system actually had these special functions? In her previous life, she had heard other participants say that the system only issued tasks and rankings, and never provided any information on material composition or danger levels, let alone automatic translation.
Could it be because of her dual uniqueness of being reborn and possessing spatial abilities? Whatever the reason, this is her advantage, and it must be made good use of.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The giant's footsteps were getting farther and farther away, and the vibrations were gradually weakening. He must have gone far away.
She slowly straightened up, patted the dirt off her body, and began to observe her surroundings—although the giant grass blades were dense, there were gaps at intervals, allowing her to see the vague outlines of the terrain in the distance. There seemed to be a slightly lower area where the grass blades grew more sparsely. Suddenly remembering that Chen Feng's corpse was still in her spatial storage, she immediately threw it out. "You'll stay here for the rest of your life, you scumbag!"
"Find the giant mushroom first," Su Jing muttered to herself. The system indicated that the mushroom's danger level was 0, making it the safest target. "It's safer to observe it from a hidden spot than to wander around outside."
She focused her mind and silently recited "enter the space"—the next second, the scenery around her suddenly changed. It was no longer a dense, impenetrable giant grassland, but the familiar empty darkness of the space, with only the outlines of the supplies she had stored before faintly visible in the darkness.
She didn't linger, staying in the space for only 3 seconds before immediately thinking "exit the space"—this was the safe interval she had tested, allowing her to observe the outside world without missing anything because she stayed in the space for too long.
The moment she exited the space, she keenly noticed something grayish-white peeking out from the gaps in the grass five meters to her right, shaped like an umbrella.
She immediately lowered her body and crouched down to slowly move closer—the closer she got, the larger the grayish-white patch became. When she got close, she could see that it was the cap of a giant mushroom.
The mushroom's cap is a full five meters in diameter, resembling a giant round table. Its surface is light gray with fine lines, the edges are slightly curled, and it is covered with transparent mucus.
The stem beneath the cap is a meter thick, darker in color than the cap, with a smooth surface, extending from the ground all the way to the bottom of the cap, and looks sturdy enough to be used as a pillar.
Su Jing's eyes lit up, and she quickly took out an entrenching tool, squatted down and tried to dig around the mushroom. The soil was very loose, but the mushroom's roots were very deep. She used the entrenching tool to dig around the mushroom stem little by little, and each dig required effort. Sweat quickly soaked the hair on her forehead.
After digging for about ten minutes, she felt the mushroom stem loosen. She quickly put down the entrenching tool, grabbed the stem with both hands, and pulled upwards with all her might.
"Thump!"
The mushroom stem, along with the soil from its roots, was pulled out. Su Jing lost her balance and staggered back two steps before grabbing onto a nearby stalk of grass.
She was panting as she looked at the giant, intact mushroom on the ground—it was at least two meters tall, with its stem and cap still covered in wet soil. She lifted it in her hand and estimated it to weigh at least fifteen kilograms.
Just then, the system notification sounded again, bringing detailed data from the material analysis:
[Material Identification: Giant Mushroom (Edible, doubles body strength)]
Hazard level: 0 (non-toxic, non-aggressive)
Composition: Protein 23.5%, Carbohydrates 17.8%, Dietary Fiber 7.2%, Water 50.5%, Trace Minerals (Calcium, Iron, Potassium)
Consumption suggestion: High-temperature cooking (boiling for more than 15 minutes) can remove residual trace amounts of alkaloids and avoid gastrointestinal discomfort.
Income space static area
Current collected weight: 15 kg; Total collected weight: 15 kg (100 kg from mission target, 85 kg remaining).
Su Jing was overjoyed—not only had she confirmed the mushrooms were safe, but she also learned how to store them. The system's special function was simply a lifesaver.
Without taking a break, she quickly used an entrenching tool to clean the soil off the mushroom's base, then focused her mind: "Store this giant mushroom in my spatial storage and categorize it under 'edible plants'."
The next second, the giant mushroom on the ground vanished into thin air. She used her mind to sense the space—the mushroom was now sitting steadily in the corner of the "edible plant area," surrounded by empty space with enough room to store more supplies.
The automatic categorization function of the space is also very thoughtful, preventing it from being mixed with the previous food and medicine, making it convenient to retrieve later.
She stood up, patted the dirt off her hands, and glanced into the distance—the giant's footsteps were no longer audible; all that could be heard was the rustling of grass.
She dared not be careless and used spatial concealment for another 3 seconds. After confirming that there were no traces of giants or giant insects around, she continued to walk towards the low-lying area she had seen before.
The grass was sparser there, making it easier to spot other edible plants. Su Jing gripped her entrenching tool tightly, her steps light and quick, her eyes scanning the gaps in the surrounding grass warily—
She knew this was just the beginning of the process; 15 kilograms was still a long way from the goal of 100 kilograms, and there were still more than 70 hours to go. She had to hurry while also avoiding the giants and giant insects that might appear at any time.
After walking for about twenty minutes, she suddenly heard a faint rustling sound ahead, as if something was crawling under the grass.
Su Jing immediately stopped, held her breath, and slowly hid behind a thick stalk of grass. Her right hand instinctively reached for the large cleaver in her spatial storage—although she didn't intend to attack, she had to prepare for defense.
She peered through the gaps in the grass and saw a small, black insect, about the size of her palm, crawling under the blades. Its exoskeleton gleamed metallically, and its antennae twitched rapidly; it didn't seem aggressive. Just then, the system notification sounded again:
[Biometric Identification: Giant Grasshopper (Harmless)]
Danger level: 0 (Non-aggressive, feeds on grass sap)
Composition: 18% protein (not edible, the shell contains indigestible chitin)
Note: This creature often appears in areas where there are no giants; it can be used as a "safe signal" for reference.
Su Jing breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew her hand from the machete—it seemed the system's danger assessment was very accurate, even able to identify such a small insect.
She continued walking, feeling more confident—with the system's special functions helping her, she could not only quickly find edible plants but also avoid dangers in advance, increasing her chances of completing the mission.
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