New Friends

Tall trees towered overhead, creating a sultry rainforest atmosphere. It should have been the hottest time of the day, and the jungle radiated intense heat. The air was thick with humidity, and occasional mosquitoes added discomfort to the challenging environment.

Enduring such conditions was a test of resilience. Normal individuals would struggle to persist, succumbing to dehydration, heatstroke, or even unconsciousness. Weakness set in, accompanied by hallucinations or illness. Survival in rainforests presented a formidable challenge, with the outcome often hinging on luck.

"Do not move.

A Russian voice broke the ambient sounds behind Varion. He surmised it meant to stay still and turned to face a Siberian-looking man holding a distinctive blue-flamed torch.

"You also... came down from the sky," Varion gestured a free fall motion.

Nick raised his gun. "Tell me, where are we?"

Varion shrugged. "If I knew, I wouldn't be here like you."

"You?"

"Didn't you notice? Look up." Varion signaled.

As they looked up, they observed parachutes opening at low altitudes from time to time. Clearly, they were not alone. The situation left Nick perplexed. He had been fighting in the Middle East moments ago, and now he found himself in a vast forest. Such a massive jungle was unfamiliar in the Middle East.

"What do you know?" Nick Lay inquired.

Varion teased, "Hey, guess what?"

Rolling his eyes, Nick Lay couldn't shake the feeling that Varion was not making this situation any clearer. Furthermore, his past experience in the original play made him cautious about trusting others.

"What's your plan? I mean, it's best to act in groups," Nick Lay suggested.

Varion replied, "How do I know if you will shoot at me? After all, trust is a very expensive thing. Do you think people like me will have trust?"

"That's your business," Varion retorted, stepping out on his own with a knife in hand. The knife resembled a ring-head knife, slightly shorter, made of a special alloy, complementing his tactical protective clothing in black.

Taking a moment to assess, Nick eventually followed. After walking for a few minutes, Varion raised his left hand in a fist, signaling to stop. Nick, hand on the trigger, observed two figures 50 meters ahead of them, facing each other with guns.

"A drug dealer and a mercenary?" Varion remarked, surprised. "You know them?"

Nick shook his head and responded, "No, people in our industry have a keen sense of these things. Those who do this regularly can be easily identified. The taller one is clearly experienced, probably a professional. The richest one is likely the boss. The other one seems to be from Moxic, many of them are involved in the detergent business."

"Good."

However, before they could discuss further, the situation quickly changed. The two individuals on the opposite side noticed Nick and Royce squatting there. In an instant, their guns were aimed at them, shifting from potential allies to perceived threats.

"I said you can lower your weapons. If we were your enemies, you'd be on the ground by now," Varion declared, gesturing towards the Gatling gun in Nick's hands.

Royce raised his automatic rifle, realizing the potential danger. He understood that if Nick had opened fire, they wouldn't have stood a chance. The massive ammunition chains and the rate of fire from the Gatling gun could easily wipe out anyone in their vicinity.

"Who are you?" questioned the drug dealer, still skeptical, maintaining a firm grip on his two pistols.

No one responded immediately, and the tension continued to escalate. Meanwhile, the parachutes in the sky were still descending, and another unfortunate person landed nearby, meeting a grisly fate.

"What the hell is going on? One moment I was in Moxie!" exclaimed one of the newcomers.

Royce chimed in, "I was at sea. In a flash, I woke up here."

Nick added, "I had a light on the battlefield. So, we've all been abducted? What's the point of kidnapping us? They should be after the wealthy, not us."

Royce shook his head, "No, they're after us."

"What's the meaning?" questioned Varion.

Varion pointed to the vegetation around them, "Haven't you noticed? While the plants and trees here resemble Earth's, there are distinct differences. Look at this, it's not something found on Earth."

Royce squinted, "I find your identity intriguing. We are either soldiers, mercenaries, or people with guns. You don't seem to fit any of those categories, and individuals with knives are a rare sight nowadays."

At the mention of his name, Varion responded with a smile, "Well, you can consider me a scientist, Varion Zar."

The drug dealer, asked, "Are you the chairman of Krypton Technology?"

Both Nick and Royce turned to look at Varion. The drug dealer appeared incredulous, "No, don't you know him? In just a few months, my net worth has skyrocketed by tens of billions of dollars. I was planning to kidnap him for ransom, but unfortunately, he appeared here before I could execute my plan."

"Scientist? Wealthy individual? Still carrying Swords?" Royce voiced his skepticism, considering that in their world, where guns dominated, such attributes didn't add up.

Varion casually shrugged, "It's just a hobby. But what I said earlier might be true. This place is probably not Earth anymore."

Royce remained skeptical, "You're concluding that this isn't Earth based on some grass and trees?"

"No, do you see any water around here?"

Doubtful, Royce handed over his water bottle and placed it in a small pit on the ground. Observing intently, he raised his hand and put a leaf on it. The next moment, Royce fell silent.

The leaves continued to spin on the water surface, revealing that this leaf was affected by different gravitational forces, something impossible on Earth.

"What's going on? Why do you all have this expression? This can't really be Earth, right?" Nick nervously swallowed.

"I'm afraid it's worse."

The drug dealer was bewildered, asking, "What do you mean? What could be worse than this?"

Royce pointed out, "Who brought us here?"

His words left the other two in instant shock. If this wasn't Earth, what did the people who brought them here want? Was there danger, and were they even sure?

"Wait, maybe she knows?"

As Nick looked up, a woman with a high-precision sniper rifle stood behind them, the muzzle aimed in their direction.

"Fuck..." the drug dealer cursed silently, oblivious to the fact that he was now at gunpoint.

"Hey, can you put the gun down?"

The woman shook her head. "This isn't the rainforest I'm familiar with. I found numerous parachutes and corpses. I think you might know something."

The woman's name was Isabel, a specialized sniper from Israel. While usually decisive, this unfamiliar place stirred a sense of panic within her.

Regardless of the reason, staying here was clearly not a good option.

The soggy jungle made walking extremely difficult, and Varion felt a hint of annoyance. Damn, his shoes were new, and this felt like a total waste.

"Our scientists don't seem suited for such an environment!" Royce observed and remarked.

"Scientists?" Isabel looked at Varion in surprise.

....

Free members can get a combo of 6+ advanced chapters from my books FOR FREE.

Join my P*atreon for early access to 60+ chapters ahead of the public release. 

Link : pa*treon.com/thebookaddict (Remove the *)