Wu You lay on the bed, his mouth unconsciously open wide enough to fit an egg.
What is this? Is it alien technology or a creation of the gods?
The system is currently displaying two options: 1. Newbie Navigation Task (mandatory) 2. Lottery.
In just a moment, Wu You's surprise turned into excitement. If it wasn't a dream, then it was an opportunity given to him by God.
Thinking of the chance to win a prize, I didn't immediately accept the newbie quests; instead, I chose option two: the prize draw.
The screen transformed into a series of question marks that flashed by like light. Just one second later, a large question mark appeared on the screen, and then, in a flash, it turned into a card.
Congratulations on obtaining a one-time item: Lucky Alchemy Card, Rarity (Silver), Description: Increases the success rate of alchemy on a specified creature by 30%.
Then the screen only showed the beginner quest as an option, and Wu You didn't know where the items he drew went.
After hesitating for a long time while lying in bed, Wu You finally decided to accept the novice navigation task.
System prompt: Based on the user's current situation, a newbie navigation task has been automatically generated. This task will involve the use of basic functions such as beast capture and bio-alchemy. You will be teleported to the system's built-in beast-hunting space - Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain shortly.
Wanshou Mountain: Although named after ten thousand beasts, it is home to countless rare and ferocious beasts. Although called a mountain, it contains all kinds of landforms such as mountains, rivers, grasslands, and swamps.
Friendly reminder: You can only capture a target if you touch it when it is not resisting.
Beginner quest: Find and capture two wild beasts, successfully synthesize your first alchemical creature, and you can choose to leave the Beast Mountain upon completion.
Quest Rewards: 3 Alchemy Energy, 2 Alchemy Creature Storage Slots.
Transmission initiated.
Wu You barely understood these meanings before he disappeared from the bed in the bedroom.
...
When Wu You realized what was happening, he was already on a vast, withered yellow grassland. He stood up and looked into the distance. The grassland on one side seemed to stretch endlessly. Turning around, he saw a forest not far away.
A hot breeze blew by, causing the vast grassland to undulate, even though it was still midday.
Am I really not dreaming?
Wu You couldn't help but rub his eyes. A gentle breeze brought a dry blade of grass that brushed against his face, and all the sensations told him that it was real.
Calming himself down, Wu You wandered aimlessly across the grassland, pondering how to complete the beginner's quest while the target showed no resistance.
Should they beat him into submission or knock him unconscious? Wu You thought of the anime Pokémon he watched when he was a child.
Looking into the distance again, the most visible animal was a herd of antelopes; I didn't see any other animals. Perhaps there were other animals, such as predators, hidden under the tall grass.
Suddenly realizing with a jolt that he might now be a target for capture!
The first priority now should be self-preservation. Going up into the trees might be a good option, and the trees you can see are the forest.
For the sake of his life, Wu You immediately began to jog with difficulty.
...
Behind the withered grass in the distance, a pair of cloudy amber eyes were watching Wu You as he moved. Compared to the herd of agile antelopes, Wu You, who was slow and seemed unbalanced, was clearly an easier target to catch.
The predator lay motionless in the grass, its massive body undulating in the wind. Its withered yellow fur was mottled, and there was a hideous laceration on the muscle of its left forelimb, from which pus and blood flowed intermittently.
This is an elderly male lion who was driven out of its territory by the pride it had ruled for six years some time ago, and they have welcomed a new lion king.
Wu You moved forward with difficulty; the withered grass was higher than his knees. This kind of movement was much more difficult than what was shown in the outdoor programs on TV.
As he passed by a herd of antelopes, the antelopes nearby leaped away at the sight of him approaching, their agility so great that Wu You felt no desire to capture them.
The wind changed direction, blowing from the direction of the forest towards the grassland, and then blowing in the opposite direction.
The entire herd of antelopes suddenly became uneasy.
Although I've never eaten pork, I've seen pigs run. I've watched plenty of Wild Weekends on Animal World since I was a child. The commotion of the antelope herd couldn't possibly have been caused by Wu You. They were more curious about him than afraid of him, so there's only one explanation for this situation.
The predator is approaching, right behind us.
Run! The forest is already in sight.
At this point, it was too late to hide. The fact that the antelope could smell the scent meant that the predator was not far away, so Wu You suddenly increased his speed.
A roar came from behind, and the sudden change in wind direction exposed the predator, which leaped out of the grass and chased after Wu You.
Wu You knew something was wrong when he heard the lion's roar, and he glanced back as he ran.
Good heavens, it was a lion, and it was coming straight at him.
Wu You started running like crazy. The large patch of grass before entering the forest began to shorten, from knee-deep to just calf-length.
Wu You would look back every few steps he ran, afraid of being suddenly tackled, but he began to realize something was wrong after he ran into the low grass.
He didn't know the exact speed of the lion, but it was definitely many times faster than a human. From the moment he first spotted the lion until now, he had run from the deep grass to the short grass and was soon able to enter the forest. Although he was out of breath, he should still have enough stamina.
Logically speaking, I should have been caught and tackled long ago. Although it sounds strange, that's how things should have unfolded.
unless!
As Wu You ran, he turned back and carefully observed the lion. Sure enough, there was a dark red patch on its left foreleg thigh, a terrifying wound that could not be ignored, causing the lion to limp when it ran.
The injury was not visible because it was hidden by grass in the deep grass, but when the lion ran into the open area of low grass, the injury was almost immediately obvious.
Wu You's heart began to burn with excitement. What better opportunity could there be for a severely injured lion? Under normal circumstances, it would be almost impossible for him to catch the lion.
Then, Wu You began the process of fleeing while observing, the allure of catching the lion even making him forget the other potential dangers here.
Wu You boldly made a sharp turn while running. The lion, due to its severe leg injury, indeed had difficulty changing direction and even fell down.
Gradually, Wu You discovered that the lion was almost entirely covered in wounds, with three festering sores. Its fur was incomplete, and its body was emaciated, clearly indicating that it had not eaten for a long time.
Even a layman like Wu You could tell that this was an old lion nearing its end. But even so, if he dared to approach, he would instantly become a delicious dinner for the old lion.
The old lion's already limited strength was almost completely exhausted. Although Wu You was also so tired that he just wanted to collapse and rest, he still had the ability to move around.
Every now and then, someone would throw a stone at the old lion from a distance, eliciting a weak roar from the lion.
Wu You could finally confirm that the lion couldn't eat him for the time being, but he couldn't just wait idly, otherwise he wouldn't be able to stop it from recovering some strength and preparing to continue catching him or run away.
While trying to figure out a solution, Wu You searched all his pockets and only managed to pull out half a pack of cigarettes, a piece of chocolate, and a lighter.
The wind direction on the grassland is constantly changing, and now it is blowing from the forest towards the depths of the grassland.
This is the Mountain of Ten Thousand Beasts, not the territory of any country. I shouldn't get caught setting a fire here, right? Besides, the opportunity is fleeting. I can't wait for the wind to change direction, or I'll be committing suicide by setting fire to the mountain.
Wu You silently walked to the safest reaction distance from the lion, then bent down to light the lighter.
The dry grass caught fire almost instantly and the fire spread at a terrifying rate, instantly turning the surrounding temperature scorching.
As Wu You watched the rapidly spreading fire, he wished that the animals on the grassland could escape the flames, and even more so that the old lion would not be burned to death.
When the old lion saw the flames coming towards it, it instinctively tried to escape, but its injuries were too severe and it was exhausted. It struggled to take two steps before collapsing to the ground and being caught by the flames, letting out a series of pitiful roars.
Five minutes later, the grassland fire, which had formed a wall of flames, spread deeper into the grassland.
Thick smoke billowed across the grassland, and intense flames illuminated half the sky, as all the animals fled for their lives.
Wu You covered his mouth and nose with his left hand, enduring the scorching air, and tiptoed towards the old lion's location, where only a charred object with the outline of a lion remained.
Upon getting closer, the lion remained completely still, appearing as if it had been burned to death. Unwilling to give up, Wu You placed his hand on its body, enduring the burning sensation, and selected "confirm" in the capture options that popped up in the system.
Spots of light enveloped the lion's charred body. Moments later, the entire lion vanished in the form of light dust, and the system notified the user: "Capture successful. Material obtained: Male Lion."
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