The golden sunlight poured in. Ethan Fang was already awake.
He hadn't slept well last night; his mind was uneasy. Many others hadn't slept either.
Although the system made everyone adapt quickly, fast acceptance didn't mean there was no fear or panic… the mechanism didn't include that function.
Ethan took a sip of mountain spring water. Through the window, he saw the two wolves outside hadn't left. He frowned."Damn, they're still here."
Mia Su also woke up, lazily turning over and sitting on the edge of the bed."What do we do, Senior? If we can't get out, how do we find resources?"
Ethan remained calm."Wait, let me observe first."
He looked through the window. The wolves were small, even skinny—about the size of an adult rural dog.
Ethan grew up in the countryside, loved running around the mountains as a child, often did part-time jobs, and kept fit. He wasn't particularly muscular, but he had confidence to deal with one wolf—just one.
Small wolves like these weren't very dangerous; an adult man could handle them. They seemed slightly hungry and weak.
"Alright, get up and help me," he instructed.
Mia Su quickly rose, but when she saw Ethan, her face instinctively turned away.
Ethan, a normal man, experienced a morning physiological reaction—an erection. He noticed the awkwardness, swallowed, and averted his gaze.
Patting his face, he muttered:"Calm down, Ethan. Focus on surviving—don't lose your mind."
He handed Mia a shard of glass."Take this. Cut the straw mat into strips about the width of my forearm."
Mia nodded, blushing."Okay!"
She cut the mat, and Ethan wrapped it around his forearm several times to make an arm guard.
"Good. I'll throw a wooden block out, and you open the door. As soon as a wolf comes in, close it immediately. Remember, if two come, I can't handle it."
Mia took a deep breath and nodded seriously."Got it."
He threw a wooden block, which clattered on the ground. Both wolves ran toward it."Quick, open the door!"
Mia pulled the door open. One fast wolf abandoned the block and charged toward the door. The other lingered near the wood, sniffing.
A white shadow lunged in. Ethan was ready, arm guard up.
Mia tried to close the door, but the second wolf blocked it. She braced the door with her shoulder and foot, trapping the first wolf.
The white wolf howled, struggling, claws scratching the door—unable to enter.
"Senior, I can't hold it much longer!" Mia shouted.
The wolf bit Ethan's arm, but the straw guard protected him. He pulled the wolf forward, flipped it onto its back, and pinned it.
Strong arms locked around the wolf's neck; the other hand wielded the glass shard, stabbing at the throat. Blood flowed.
The wolf thrashed, nearing death. Ethan turned and used the door to expose the second wolf's neck, slicing it with the shard.
The battle lasted less than a minute. Mia wondered if Ethan was a professional killer.
Breathing heavily, Ethan sat down. He had survived his first wolf fight—and won.
A clear voice sounded:[Ding! Congratulations, you are among the top 10 million humans worldwide to kill ferocious beasts. You gain a Talent.][Detected: double kill in under 3 minutes with your teammate. Each of you receives a unique Talent.][Note: Only the top 10 million gain exclusive Talents. Others receive basic Talents.]
"Ah? A Talent!" Ethan exclaimed.
He calmed down to check.
[Talent 1: Appraiser Expert – Your map automatically marks two resource chests daily. Your appraisal becomes advanced, revealing extra properties.][Talent 2: Deadly Hunter – In combat, you enter a frenzy, reactions triple, adrenaline surges, opponent weak points appear in sight.][Note: Prolonged use causes fatigue and drowsiness, but rest restores.]
"Wow, that's nice!" Ethan said.[Assign your Talents.]
"I'll take Talent 2," Ethan decided."Then I'll take Appraiser," Mia replied happily.
Both realized that having two Talents in one team was rare and useful. Resource guidance and combat enhancement were both valuable.
"Senior, what about the wolf carcasses?"
Ethan lifted them onto the table and handed Mia the shard."Help me disassemble them. All this meat will keep us fed for a few days."
Mia, who had grown up in a village and seen butchering, worked confidently. Legs, meat, hearts—everything was chopped and stored in the inventory.
The inventory had 10 slots, each holding 100 units, with no spoilage.
"Not bad. We can use the inventory efficiently. After disassembling, we can search for chests."Mia smiled."Yes, Senior!"
The wolves were thin. Each weighed about 40 jin; edible meat totaled less than 20 jin per wolf.
"Senior, these wolves are weak… not much meat!""Yes, but meat is meat. If they were stronger, we might not have won."Mia agreed.
Normally, an average wolf weighs 36–54 jin. The largest North American gray wolf reaches 140 jin. The difference was huge.
[Ding… the 10 millionth Talent assigned. Others receive basic Talents. The Chaos Star survival journey begins!][In 3 days, famine strikes. Herbs and fruit trees fail, but wild animals survive. Famine lasts 60 days.][To avoid starvation, start gathering food immediately…]
They paused, realizing the urgency."Senior, we need to stock 60 days of food in 3 days. In 7 days, the shelter loses protection…"Ethan's expression turned serious."Yes. With our Talents combined, survival should be possible."
The game interface showed:[Current Temperature: 26°C, Weather: Clear][Famine arrival: 3 days remaining][Newbie protection ends: 7 days remaining]