Chapter 1

Chapter 1

During this period, what made Cloudy more distressed than being tired and hungry was her strong craving for rice... This craving, intertwined with her bland taste buds, made her feel like ripping out her own tongue.

"Sigh..." Cloudy sighed, bowing her head to continue fiddling with the long, thin, earthy roots in her hands. She had dug them up from a spot below the hill this morning. She didn't know what to call the roots of this plant, but after peeling the outer skin, there would be a slightly white, soft core inside. Chewing it was a bit bitter but left a sweet aftertaste, and it was very moist.

During this time, Cloudy considered this as her staple food. As long as she had the strength, she would rush down the hill to dig some up each day. If she was lucky, she might even find some wild berries, although they weren't very tasty.

It had been a month, and Cloudy, with empty eyes, chewed on the soft core. She estimated she had lost over ten kilograms in this month. If she continued like this, she might die from malnutrition. On the other hand, with a bit of luck, she might be torn apart by a carnivorous animal that invaded her cave on some night.

"Hmm..." She chewed on the roots, emitting a helpless sigh.

She didn't have time to daydream now. Cloudy had been very busy every day for this past month... This place was nothing like her comfortable rented apartment.

The place she was stationed at now was a small cave, naturally formed on a slightly sloping hillside. The hillside was covered with lush green grass, and looking up from the slope, one could see several huge protruding white rocks.

There weren't many tall trees, just a few sparse saplings and some low shrubs.

The cave where Cloudy lived was shallow, but its shape was unique. The entrance was small, requiring Cloudy to bend down and crawl in. After crawling about two meters inside, it would become relatively spacious, enough for her to lie down and store some miscellaneous items around.

When she first moved in, Cloudy used to block the entrance with collected stones every night, but she often woke up suffocating due to lack of oxygen, so she no longer did that.

The cave floor was covered with hay she had collected, and the top was filled with branches by her. Along the cave walls, she stored some extra fruits and roots, along with a bowl of water stored in a hard shell.

The cave was pitch black at all times, so Cloudy wouldn't enter until it was dark. Standing outside the cave and looking south, she could see a vast expanse of mountains covered with lush rainforests, where strange animals and plants resided.

That rainforest was where Cloudy initially "landed." It took her nearly half a month to leave there and find this small cave of her own.

Although there was no shortage of food on the other side of the rainforest mountains, there were simply too many bugs, large and terrifying. It took half a day to walk from where Cloudy lived to reach the rainforest, which was a good thing for her.

Gazing at the distant forest shining under the sunlight, Cloudy felt powerless.

She wasn't kidnapped or stranded in the wilderness due to an accident. It had been a month.
Cloudy died in a sudden collective accident. She only remembered people around her screaming, a blast of air pushing her and others several meters away, followed by intense pain that felt like her brain exploding.

After that, Cloudy lost consciousness. But when she opened her eyes again... she found herself lying in a dense forest.

At first, Cloudy thought this might be the so-called afterlife, and she was excited for a moment. But soon she realized something was wrong. She was very hungry, in pain all over her body... and there were always huge insects darting around in the bushes nearby.

This wasn't some afterlife world or a utopia. Cloudy wasn't sure where she had ended up, but it definitely wasn't her original world.

If she had to say... it felt like Earth from thousands or tens of thousands of years ago. How could she be so sure? Apart from being kidnapped and expelled by a tribe a month ago, the creatures here resembled those from her memory of the dinosaur era. Coming to her senses, Cloudy realized she had finished eating today's roots, which meant she had to start working.

The task was simple - making fire.

For Cloudy, this was definitely a challenge. In the past month, she had tried various methods she had seen in short videos - rubbing sticks together, striking stones... but none were successful.

But if she gave up, she would never eat roasted fish or meat again, no matter how many times she failed...

Today, Cloudy planned to use a wooden stick to make fire. Yesterday, she almost smashed her own fingers while trying to start a fire with stones. She arrived at the entrance of a cave where there were many wooden sticks and dry grass, all pulled from the nearby bushes.

Cloudy chose her work partner for the day, approached the workbench... which was just a circle made of stones, with the grass plucked out by Cloudy and covered with a layer of dried weeds.

She placed the dry grass on the weeds, then aligned a flat wooden stick against the dry grass and used another stick to rub against it, starting to rub vigorously.

Every day, Cloudy persisted like this for about two hours. As for keeping track of time... Cloudy watched the shadow of a stick standing next to the cave entrance. The time might not be accurate, but having a rough idea sufficed.

Making fire was definitely physically demanding. After about five hundred rubs, Cloudy felt her arms swelling and aching, feeling somewhat defeated. She angrily threw the stick on the ground, wiped the tears from her eyes, and muttered, "Why can't I get this to work!"

After cursing, she felt even more frustrated, got up, ran and shouted wildly on the hillside, then collapsed on the grass, crying loudly.

For Cloudy, having a breakdown like this was also a daily task. After crying herself out, she would get up and prepare to fetch water. She should have gone to get water this morning; there was only one bowl of water left in the cave... but Cloudy had overslept.

"Sigh..."
She got up, brushed off the grass from her knees, and then went to pick up her water basin next to the cave. This water basin... was actually a shell as big as two footballs.

At first, Cloudy was excited when she found this thing, thinking it was a turtle shell. But when she saw another creature carrying the same shell with countless limbs... of course, she wouldn't discard it. Having a vessel for water was crucial for her now, even if it meant washing the shell in the river multiple times as a form of psychological remedy.

Fetching water was quite a journey, starting with descending the hill towards the direction of the rainforest mountains. She wouldn't go into the rainforest to fetch water by the river recently, even though it was quicker and more convenient. A few days ago, she discovered huge animal footprints by the river and some bloodstains mixed in the mud.

Terrified, Cloudy no longer ventured easily into the rainforest. These days, she would collect rainwater from the broad-leaved plants on the outskirts of the rainforest or gather water from puddles in the grasslands, though it was troublesome, it was safer...

Rainwater, the cave, plant roots and stems, fire that wouldn't ignite... these things had been Cloudy's life for over a month.

Is she used to it? Of course not, she had become numb out of necessity.

Cloudy took her shell and grabbed a defensive wooden stick as she set out. It was probably around one in the afternoon, so she should be able to make it back home before dark.

Undeniably, the scenery along the way was very beautiful. When it wasn't raining, the sky overhead was as blue as a gem, the sunlight shimmered on the green slopes like a layer of mist. In the grassy carpet-like meadows, there were many colorful little flowers.

Whenever Cloudy saw them, she would pick the flowers and store them in a makeshift pouch made from her old short-sleeved shirt. These wildflowers were sweet to eat and provided some moisture, helping to moisten her mouth along the way.

As she picked flowers while descending, it was the only thing that could make Cloudy feel relaxed and happy since she arrived. She plucked a pale yellow, dandelion-like flower and threw it directly into her mouth. It was a bit sour, but after a while, a sweet taste would emerge.

Occasionally, bird songs could be heard from the distant rainforest... just as Cloudy relaxed enough to start humming a tune, she heard a strange sound from afar.

It wasn't like an animal sound, very deep but with a strong penetrating force. If Cloudy wasn't mistaken, perhaps it was the sound of a horn?

"..." Were those wild people blowing the horn? Cloudy stopped and looked in the direction of the sound, which came from the eastern outskirts of the rainforest. The horn sounded three times in total, two short and one long.

What did this mean? Based on Cloudy's knowledge, blowing a horn served as a warning or a celebration of something happening.

While she was still contemplating, the horn blew urgently a few more times. Now Cloudy was sure this was a warning... she picked up her shell and ran towards the east for a distance. From her position, she could see the edge of the rainforest, but the terrain difference meant she couldn't be spotted from the rainforest side, so she was safe.

The horn continued, growing more urgent, and the sound frightened the birds away.
The canopy flew away. Soon, besides the sound of horns, Cloudy heard the hurried footsteps, not the kind that humans could make, but those of a four-legged animal.

A huge four-legged animal burst out of the rainforest... It was only when Cloudy saw the animal that she realized the earlier sound wasn't from a horn but from the wail of this animal. It was adorned with many "people" wearing leafy clothes. Though not very clear, Cloudy could confirm that those people were the wild ones who had kidnapped her earlier.

The struggle with the four-legged animal didn't last long, probably having exhausted all its energy in the rainforest. The huge four-legged snake let out cries and fell to the ground. The victorious wild ones raised their spears or stone knives in jubilation.

Was it hunting... the first time since coming here that Cloudy had seen the locals hunting. Although she knew they couldn't see her, she instinctively crouched on the grass, poking her head out to observe the situation below.

The hunted creature looked like a huge crocodile to Cloudy, as she couldn't estimate its size from the distance, but according to the locals nearby... perhaps 7 to 9 meters long. After the giant crocodile fell, the locals were bustling around its body. Such a large prey couldn't be entirely dragged back to the village; they were likely going to extract the most valuable parts and take them away.

This was good news for Cloudy; the water-fetching task could wait... She planned to wait for the locals to finish their work and then scavenge.

The locals were very efficient, probably to avoid attracting larger beasts with the scent of blood. They bound the meat and scales with huge leaves and vines, heading back into the rainforest. From this distance, Cloudy could already see that even the bones of the giant crocodile had been taken away.

Once she was sure the locals had left, Cloudy grabbed her shell and ran downhill quickly; this was probably the fastest she had ever run... Finding some meat scraps or some skin and scales would be extremely helpful for her.

Though she couldn't make fire yet, she could try drying the meat... she had meat to eat! With this thought, Cloudy sped up even more.

After about an hour, Cloudy finally reached the wreckage. By now, many birds and insects had gathered on the remains, but Cloudy didn't care; she hurried over to claim what was hers.

The once roaring giant crocodile was now unrecognizable, leaving only a pair of ribs two people high in the grass. Blood and innards had stained the surrounding grass a murky dark red.

The locals had cleaned out the meat from the belly, taken all the skin and scales from the back, chopped off the tail entirely, left the limbs, taken the entire jaw of the giant crocodile, and even plucked out the sparse teeth from the upper jaw... the eyeballs were also removed.

The scene before Cloudy was undoubtedly shocking; she had never seen the carcass of such a huge animal, let alone one so brutally dissected. The stench overwhelmed her, causing her to retch continuously. She squatted on the ground for a while before mustering the courage to approach the birds.
Insects fight for the remains.

The minced meat is easily obtained, and the locals handle it quickly and not very carefully, so there are many small pieces of minced meat left on the surrounding grass. Cloudy quickly filled a basin with them, during which she also had to kick those bugs that came to snatch the minced meat at her ankle height.

She turned the bug shell filled with meat upside down on the clean grass beside her, then returned to the wreckage to start looking for bones. The large ribs were out of the question, she couldn't break them. Cloudy focused on the few sharp teeth left on the upper jaw.

It was only after coming here that Cloudy realized how convenient knives and scissors were... Although the beast's teeth were not as sharp as a knife, they were still very useful. Cloudy found a rock nearby and began to knock on the beast's teeth. After knocking them all down, she started searching the wreckage for pieces of bones she could take away.

At first, she was not used to it, but now she was very skilled in rummaging through the pile of entrails because the beast was injured during the hunt. In addition to scattered bone fragments, she could also find some very sharp stone arrowheads... This was very lucky. Cloudy raised one of the arrowheads, which was a somewhat blunt diamond shape.

Tying this to a tree branch, she now had a spear! Much better than a wooden stick.

A basin of minced meat, the beast's teeth, some bone fragments, and stone arrowheads. That was almost enough. After carrying these back to the cave, she had the next step to deal with; she couldn't waste too much time. Moreover, more and more birds and bugs were gathering on the wreckage.

She sorted out her spoils, putting the small things in her waist bag and the slightly larger ones in the bug shell.

"...!!"

Just as Cloudy was about to return, she heard a strange sound behind her, not an animal sound... It was a sentence made up of strange syllables and intonations, the voices of the locals!

She didn't want her spoils anymore, so Cloudy threw the bug shell on the ground and started running towards the bushes. The shouting behind her grew louder, as if they wanted her to stop.

After running a few steps, Cloudy felt her arm being grabbed by a rough hand. But because she had a brief contact with the locals a month ago, Cloudy knew she was unlikely to be in danger.

The local who grabbed Cloudy was saying something, turning her around to look at her for a while.

"..." Because of the language barrier, Cloudy didn't bother to speak. The man in front of her was taller than the locals she met a month ago, with darker skin, black and messy semi-long hair tied back, and a more slender and agile physique. She didn't know what the man wanted when he grabbed her, so she just stood there.

After muttering for a while, the man pointed to the bug shell Cloudy had thrown on the ground, then pointed to Cloudy.

Not understanding the meaning, she just nodded.

Seeing Cloudy nod, the man seemed more excited. He pulled Cloudy back to the wreckage and helped her put the scattered minced meat back into the bug shell, then muttered something.
Cloudy was at a loss, unable to understand what was happening. She recalled an inexplicable event from a month ago...

A month prior, Cloudy had not yet come to terms with the fact that she had traveled back tens of thousands of years after her death. However, the dense rainforest she found herself in, along with the continuous attacks from giant insects, were forcing her to accept it sooner.

She was dressed in tattered short-sleeved pants, her shoes long past their prime, as she stumbled through the rainforest, trying to escape. If only there was a flat plain where she could rest and gather herself, maybe then she could adjust her mindset.

It was during her frantic escape that Cloudy unfortunately collided with three locals.

At first glance, Cloudy realized she was fundamentally different from these people. It wasn't just about race or skin color; they were simply... completely different.

They were tall, standing at around two meters, with a deep wheat-colored skin tone, strong and slender limbs, human-like features but giving off a more beastly vibe, with large eyes... two of them had eerie pupils, long pointed ears resembling rabbit ears, thin enough to see red and blue veins. Their noses were high, mouths large, and teeth sharp.

As she was captured and taken away by these three individuals, Cloudy's mind conjured up many scenarios...

The first one involved a time-traveling woman with a system leading ancient wild people in agricultural technology advances.

The second one featured a martial arts expert woman, bound and displaying powerful skills upon returning to the tribe, defeating the leader, and becoming the tribe's leader.

The third one envisioned the time-traveling woman being turned into a roast by cannibals.

No matter how she thought about it, the third scenario seemed quite feasible.

Wasn't this just the plot of a low-budget R-rated movie? Cloudy screamed her lungs out on the wild man's shoulder, making the scene look even more low-budget, thanks to her screams.

However, Cloudy didn't end up as a roast. The turn of events was simpler and more mundane than she had imagined.

In short, Cloudy was brought back to the gathering place of these wild people outside the jungle. This place could indeed be called a tribe, or even a village.

There were walls made of a mix of wood and stone, separating the tribe from the wild forest. The houses in the tribe were constructed in a haphazard manner, ranging from rows of stone and mud houses to small tents sewn from animal skins. In the central area, there was even a building resembling a stilt house.

They had their own language, and a decent village. The level of civilization of these people was higher than Cloudy had initially thought. She couldn't understand their language, which was very strange and primitive, with few syllables. However, from their expressions and body language, Cloudy could tell... they were very puzzled by her presence.

Apart from the physical differences, Cloudy felt like she might be seen as an ugly, deformed child in the eyes of these locals. And indeed, Cloudy was correct. The three locals carried Cloudy to the stilt house at the center of the village, where she met a possibly respected figure.

After a series of incomprehensible words from that person, Cloudy was thrown out of the village. There were no special plot twists, she was just tossed out.
He left.

What did they say? What did the man in front of me say now?

Cloudy looked confused at the man in front of her who kept talking: "I don't understand..." Cloudy made a sound, and the man widened his eyes in surprise.

He also had three pupils in each eyeball, amber-colored... looking very scary. Cloudy shifted her gaze away. These locals didn't look like the wild people in textbooks, nor did they resemble any humans she knew, which made Cloudy a bit afraid to look.

The man still held her insect shell, a shell that Cloudy needed both arms to hold, but the man carried it as if holding a plate. He seemed very interested in Cloudy, grabbing her arm and talking non-stop. When he got excited, he released Cloudy's hand, using his rough, long fingers to poke Cloudy's lips.

"Are you asking me to speak...?"

Listening to Cloudy speak, the man widened his eyes again and perked up his ears, looking very excited: "Iguru!" The man started repeating this sound.

Cloudy found it all very strange but wasn't too worried because the man didn't seem hostile towards her... his behavior now was like when Cloudy used to suddenly see a squirrel jumping down from a tree while strolling on the street.

As it turned out, the man not only lacked hostility but was also full of enthusiasm for Cloudy. He suddenly bent slightly, picked up Cloudy, and placed her on his shoulder: "Hu zi!"

"...What are you doing?" Being suddenly two meters off the ground made Cloudy a bit flustered. She started to wonder what this guy was up to. She began to struggle, but the man was too strong, firmly holding her on his shoulder.

Something bizarre happened; the man carried her, holding her insect shell, and started running towards the hillside. The speed was incredibly fast, the wind blowing so hard that Cloudy couldn't open her eyes, the speed akin to riding a horse. Before long, Cloudy realized the man had actually brought her back to his cave entrance.

"How did you know I live here!?" Cloudy felt a chill down her spine. She always thought the locals didn't know she lived here... The man still seemed very cheerful, muttering "Hu zi" repeatedly, then he put down the insect shell and Cloudy, patting her back with his hand before walking away...

Cloudy looked puzzled at the man's confident figure running down the hill, not sure what to make of it all.