Chapter 1: A Frightening World

"On February 19th, 2005, a gigantic beast, standing over 100 meters tall and resembling a furious ape, emerged in the outskirts of Dongdu. It rampaged through the city, leaving a trail of destruction."

"After causing hundreds of thousands of casualties, it was eventually besieged and killed by three fleets from the federal base."

"During the battle, the garrison expended a total of one million-equivalent nuclear bombs, one hundred and fifty cruise missiles, and destroyed fifteen fighter planes..."

"On the morning of June 1st, 2005, a three-kilometer-long behemoth, resembling a whale, materialized in the skies above Hancheng, inducing widespread panic."

"Fortunately, this colossal creature was relatively non-aggressive and existed for only fifteen minutes, resulting in relatively few casualties."

"During its brief presence, the behemoth vanished, disregarding multiple federal missile bombardments..."

"On August 3rd, 2005, a gargantuan serpent-like creature, approximately one kilometer in length and akin to a mythical python, emerged in the city of Laer in the Aohedi Sea, causing chaos."

"This monstrous encounter led to millions of casualties but concluded with the creature departing with minor injuries."

"Throughout these incidents, the military consumed three million-equivalent nuclear bombs, 320 other missiles, five warships, and vast quantities of ammunition."

"Thus, a new era commenced..."

In the year 2055, during the evening hours, a sixteen-year-old boy sat in his room before a computer screen with a solemn expression. He was meticulously examining information about the Age of Mythology, which he had found on the internet.

After a lengthy contemplation, Chen Chu rubbed his temples with a headache and muttered, "What kind of perilous world is this?"

Having arrived in this world just half a day ago, Chen Chu had discovered that, by sorting through the original owner's memories, this world's history, technology, and civilization closely resembled his previous world. But everything had taken a dramatic turn several decades ago, with the arrival of colossal creatures reminiscent of mythical beings.

With these monstrous appearances and disappearances, the entire world had undergone a profound transformation. Those folk cultivators, who had disappeared with the advent of firearms, had reemerged. After decades of development, some formidable practitioners were capable of withstanding missile bombardments, sinking aircraft carriers with their physical might, and tearing apart these colossal creatures. They were immensely powerful and fearsome.

In this backdrop, while various federal countries pursued more advanced technologies and weaponry, the winds of cultivation also blew strong.

However, these were not the sources of Chen Chu's headache.

Although it was his first time experiencing travel without prior knowledge, with the wisdom of an adult, he had swiftly come to terms with it, even in the midst of the world's chaos.

The issue lay elsewhere...

With this thought, Chen Chu turned his gaze towards the glass water tank beside him.

To be precise, he was observing the small white newt resting on a rock inside, measuring a mere ten centimeters in length, with four limbs and six pinkish horns.

In this world, as the economy thrived and living standards improved, the pet market had flourished, offering an array of exotic creatures. Beyond the commonplace cats and dogs, lizards and pythons were now popular choices. Some even fancied keeping ants and insects as pets.

The original owner of this room had rather unconventional tastes. He had chosen to raise a hexagonal newt, a creature that inhabited both land and water, and had even provided it with an elaborately designed crystal glass enclosure.

Yet, these particulars weren't the crux of the matter.

The issue at hand was that, at this very moment, Chen Chu was experiencing a strange sensation within himself.

One aspect of his being sat on a chair as a human, while the other was a peculiar sensation of lying on all fours and breathing through gills.

However, compared to controlling a human body, manipulating this smaller, unfamiliar form felt somewhat uncoordinated. Chen Chu hesitated to move much while resting on the rock.

It was as if a single-core processor had suddenly been tasked with managing dual-core processors, with processing capabilities lagging behind.

Moreover, this unexpected addition of a 'body' left Chen Chu feeling bewildered.

He couldn't fathom what had caused this situation, why he had been transported through time, and whether the well-being of the six-horned newt would impact him.

Furthermore, what purpose did this palm-sized 'body' serve? It seemed hardly substantial enough to sustain him.

In the midst of these thoughts, Chen Chu sat in his chair, pondering, though to little avail.

At this juncture, a thickheaded young man entered the room, pushing the door open and calling out to Chen Chu, who was still seated at the computer, "Hey, bro, it's time to eat."

"Alright, I'm coming." Chen Chu stood up.

Currently a high school freshman at the age of sixteen, he had a thirteen-year-old younger brother, Chen Hu. Their mother, Zhang Xiaolan, worked as a middle manager at a metal smelting company. As for their father, he had reportedly passed away from illness early in their lives, without any unusual circumstances.

Chen Chu had lost his father due to illness, and there was no dramatic storyline involving his father vanishing when he was a child, only to return more than a decade later, nor was there a secret tale of his father hailing from a wealthy family and leaving them for some undisclosed reason.

Upon reaching the downstairs dining area, Chen Chu's younger brother, Chen Hu, had already set the table. A woman in her forties with a gentle demeanor, Zhang Xiaolan, sat beside him.

Observing Chen Chu as he took his seat, Zhang Xiaolan inquired with concern, "Ah Chu, how are you feeling now? Will you be able to attend school tomorrow?"

"I'm fine," Chen Chu replied.

Zhang Xiaolan sighed in relief, nodding as she spoke in a gentle tone, "Good, you really gave us a scare this time."

Chen Chu had been frail and prone to illness since childhood, in stark contrast to his younger brother, who was robust and enjoyed sports. Even a slight cold could escalate into a high fever or more severe ailments like nephritis or pneumonia. His fever had spiked to 43 degrees when he was discovered in the morning after falling ill the previous night.

At the time, both Zhang Xiaolan and Chen Hu had been alarmed. Even the doctors had believed he might not survive. However, only Chen Chu knew that he had not only survived but was now feeling better than ever.

Zhang Xiaolan continued with concern, "After dinner, remember to take your medicine."

"I will," Chen Chu replied.

"Also, if you still feel unwell, let's go to the hospital."

"Yes." Chen Chu chose to remain relatively quiet at the dinner table to prevent any unwanted attention. However, given the original owner's introverted and reticent personality, neither Zhang Xiaolan nor Chen Hu detected anything amiss.

After their meal, the still-ailing Chen Chu returned to his room. Chen Hu headed out to play with his friends, carrying a basketball with him, while Zhang Xiaolan stayed behind to tidy up the kitchen.

Upon returning to his room, Chen Chu picked up a plate of thawed shrimp from the refrigerator. This

was meant for the hexagonal newt—or rather, for 'him.'

In the fish tank, the white hexagonal newt, measuring ten centimeters, raised its head. Its tiny, black sesame-like eyes observed the large clip slowly descending from above.

The newt's vision was exceedingly poor, and from its perspective, the arm extending over the glass tank and the over 20-centimeter-long clip appeared colossal.

The shrimp meat grasped by the clip was nearly half the size of its head.

Chen Chu instinctively manipulated the hexagonal newt to open its mouth and swallow the shrimp meat whole.

This sensation of self-feeding was somewhat disconcerting, causing him to subconsciously lick his tongue.

The taste seemed pleasant. The tiny, white head of the newt blinked.

Despite their small size, newts were voracious eaters, typically consuming food equivalent to one-third of their body size before stopping. But this time...

Chen Chu meticulously picked up the torn shrimp meat one by one, while the newt continued opening its mouth to devour them. It behaved like a voracious black hole, constantly receiving and processing its intake.

In a short span, the hexagonal newt consumed an amount of food equivalent to its entire size.

Chen Chu felt an unusual sense of fullness in the newt and a warmth spreading through its body, accompanied by an itching sensation.

His entire body itched.

As Chen Chu scratched his head, the tiny newt released a tiny cry, much like a child's whimper, though it was too faint for anyone to hear.

To Chen Chu's astonishment, the hexagonal newt began growing visibly before his eyes. Its length extended from ten centimeters to eleven centimeters in the blink of an eye.

While one centimeter might not seem like much, this rapid growth occurred in an instant.

With this remarkable digestive ability and growth rate, Chen Chu found himself not only unafraid but rather excited.

If it were merely an ordinary hexagonal newt, limited to a maximum size of around 30 centimeters, what use would it serve, even if he could control it at will? It would be insignificant in a world where nuclear bombs detonated and powerful practitioners sunk aircraft carriers.

But now, it seemed he glimpsed a ray of hope for the future.

Suppressing his excitement, Chen Chu retrieved more shrimp meat from the downstairs refrigerator and continued feeding the newt whenever he sensed its hunger.

Soon, the shrimp meat, which was twice the size of the newt, was depleted once again. At this point, the newt conveyed a subtle sensation of satiety.

Simultaneously, the growth sensation returned, and warmth suffused the newt's body, accompanied by the itch.

Transparent text then appeared before Chen Chu's eyes.