Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Arrogant Jungler, Giving Up

The young man's name was Adrian. He used to be a student at a university in China.

When poor, focus on self-improvement; when successful, contribute to the world.

Adrian, whose name means "wealthy or rich", embodied this idea of contributing to the world.

The concept was noble, but his unscrupulous roommates preferred to call him by his nickname: "Boy Adrian, the Jungler," or simply "Arrogant Jungler."

This was because whenever he played a certain computer game, he exclusively chose the role of a jungler. And he was terrible at it, as if he were a master of failure. Every time a game started, his roommates would mock him, saying, "Arrogant Jungler, just give up."

He had grown accustomed to it. After all, it was all in good fun, and as long as it made everyone happy, he didn't mind. Of course, a big part of it was because he couldn't fight back.

The beginning of Adrian's journey in this world traced back to a morning when their entire 404 dorm room collectively overslept.

On that day, all four of them had ignored breakfast without any prior agreement. It wasn't until nearing noon that Adrian, along with two other roommates, managed to coax their roommate Ren into going to the cafeteria to get food in exchange for a hearty "88."

However, Ren became unreachable. He didn't answer calls, reply to messages, or even go online.

In general, it wasn't unusual for a phone call to go unanswered; perhaps the person hadn't heard it and would pick up later.

But Adrian was starving and decided to go out to eat and check on Ren. He left only two lazy roommates behind, waiting foolishly in the dorm room.

As Adrian put his right foot outside the dormitory door, he lost consciousness.

When he woke up, Adrian found himself lying face down on a wooden board, surrounded by an endless sea.

His first instinct was to pat his pocket. The familiar touch assured him that his phone was still there, which provided some comfort.

Next, Adrian started wondering if he was dreaming. He tried pinching himself like they did on TV when encountering unbelievable situations.

However, as he pinched his thigh, he already had an answer. Who would think of pinching themselves when they were dreaming?

Feeling the pain, Adrian tried to remain calm. Either he had time-traveled or encountered some supernatural phenomenon.

There was water all around, and no reference point to confirm his location.

Adrian took out his phone and checked. It had a full charge of 100%, indicating that fully charging his phone before leaving was a good habit.

He glanced to the side and saw no signal. Not good.

He pulled down the status bar to confirm. Both Wi-Fi and mobile data were turned on, but it seemed there was really no signal.

Adrian tried to call his roommates, then a few emergency numbers, but all he heard was the message "Out of service area."

Now Adrian was getting worried.

He realized that either he'd be lucky and find land or some rescue soon, or he'd have to resort to wilderness survival like Bear Grylls.

Accepting reality took a little time, but due to skipping both breakfast and lunch, his rumbling stomach urged him to do something quickly.

First, Adrian checked his own condition:

"Other than being very hungry, there's nothing else uncomfortable. Well, being this hungry in this situation is already uncomfortable enough, right?"

Next, he had to confirm his belongings. Even in wilderness survival, you needed some suitable tools.

He was still wearing the clothes he had on when he left: a long-sleeved T-shirt, a black jacket, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Adrian gauged the current temperature; it seemed fine, and he shouldn't freeze.

Then he took everything out of his pockets and laid it out in front of him: a campus card, the keychain for Room 404, along with a nail clipper, ear spoon, and a Luo Tianyi pendant.

He had only intended to go to the cafeteria for a meal, so he didn't bring much with him. Including his phone and the wooden board he was on, these were all his current possessions.

Adrian looked at his phone, campus card, and keychain, lost in thought:

"Can I really survive with just these things?"

...

"Hungry..."

Adrian weakly lay on the wooden board, his eyes fixed on the sea, hoping to see a fish or two swim by.

He pulled out a shoelace, expended quite a bit of effort, and fashioned a crude fishhook out of a small keychain. He tied a nail clipper to it to serve as a weight, then proceeded to fish without using bait.

Unfortunately, he didn't catch anything until nightfall. He had already lost his appetite in the afternoon due to hunger, but now his stomach felt like it was on fire. The sea breeze had chapped his lips as well.

Adrian had reached the point of desperation, attempting to draw a Mickey Mouse portrait on the wooden board.

Unfortunately, no representatives from Disney arrived in a helicopter to sue him for copyright infringement.

"If I can survive this, I'll definitely wake up on time in the future, eat on time, maintain a balanced diet, and not waste even a bit of food..."

While Adrian had a clear mind, he tied the "fishing line" to his hand. He turned over and fell into a drowsy sleep.

In the early hours of the morning, the faint moonlight was blocked by thin clouds, and stars twinkled in the sky. A shooting star streaked across the night sky, leaving a beautiful, fading trail.

The screen of Adrian's phone in his pocket lit up quietly, as if responding to something. However, it got stuck at the lock screen—no one had entered the password.

The whole world seemed awkwardly silent for a moment. Just then, a slight wave rolled under him, causing the wooden board to sway. By chance, the keychain from Room 404 landed on the phone screen.

Virtual keys on the screen began to dance madly, as if trying to crack the password.

As the first rays of morning sunlight spilled forth, both the phone and the key shattered simultaneously. They, along with the campus card, turned into specks of light that merged into a purple circular magic array on the back of Adrian's left hand.

A purple pattern slowly formed within the magic array. Chaotic yet orderly lines intertwined, resembling an abstract combination of the school emblem and the key.

A burst of purple light scanned Adrian's entire body. Then, a semi-transparent screen about the size of a phone emerged above the magic array.

In the top left corner is a photo with simple information next to it.

Name: Adrian

Age: 18

Introduction: Former student of Jiangcheng University of Science and Technology. Went out in search of food and to find a missing roommate. Suspected to have crossed into a different world due to a roommate's casual wish upon a shooting star.

The screen remained for thirty seconds, dimming, then transitioned to another page like switching screens on a phone.

At the top is the time, displayed prominently as 05:05.

Below is the circular magic array on the arm, with the edges resembling a progress bar. About ninety percent of it is bright, while the remaining portion is dim.

[Energy levels are sufficient. Shall summoning begin?]

[Yes (30s)] | [No]

Adrian clearly couldn't respond. After thirty seconds, the translucent screen shattered into dots and fell around Adrian, forming a magic circle with a one-meter diameter.

A blue light emanated, and a figure standing less than a meter tall appeared at the center of the magic circle.

It was a cat, predominantly blue with white on its paws, tail tip, and around its mouth.

At the moment, the cat stood on its hind legs, carrying a wooden stick on its shoulder. The stick had a small red cloth bundle tied to it, giving it the appearance of setting off on a journey.

The magic circle's light dissipated, and the dots flew back above Adrian's wrist, forming a screen:

Name: Tom

Formerly Known As: Thomas, Jasper

Also Known As: Tom Proud Sky, Fake Maturity, Second Young Master, Big Potato, etc.

Introduction: A magical cat from the world of "Tom and Jerry." Appears to possess immortality. One day, Tom's original owner brought home a robotic cat and successfully chased Jerry away temporarily. However, Tom, who could never catch Jerry, was kicked out of the house by his owner.

This page didn't last long before a pop-up appeared:

[Energy levels below 3%, will shut down in 30 seconds. Please recharge promptly.]

Tom curiously stared at the screen, looking left and right. He turned his attention back to Adrian once the screen disappeared.

He saw that Adrian's face was pale, and his lips were dry, lacking much color. His condition didn't seem too good.

Tom immediately set down his own belongings, knelt on Adrian's chest, checked his heartbeat, examined his eyelids, and even opened his mouth to inspect his tongue coating...

After a series of what looked like professional checks, Tom swiftly opened his little bundle.

Inside, there was a bottle of milk, three cans of fish, and a stack of green bills.

Tom pondered for a moment, picked up the milk, licked the cap, and threw it aside. Then he turned the bottle upside down and directly inserted the opening into Adrian's mouth.

Normally, someone being force-fed milk like this would choke, but strangely, Adrian didn't. The milk smoothly gurgled down his throat into his stomach.

With a "pop," Tom pulled the bottle from Adrian's mouth, lifted it high, and opened Adrian's mouth, shaking the bottle up and down.

Two drops of milk trickled from the bottle's mouth, landing on Tom's tongue.

"Sip~ Ah~" Tom smacked his lips in enjoyment, then put down the bottle and crouched obediently by Adrian's side.

After a while, Adrian opened his eyes. Habitually, he reached beside him and realized he couldn't find his phone.

Only then did Adrian recall his situation and sat up abruptly, saying, "It would've been so much better if I woke up in the dorm."

Muttering to himself, Adrian noticed the cat beside him.

Why did the style of this cat seem so familiar?

"Tom?" Adrian tentatively called out.

Tom quickly nodded.

Adrian looked at the glass bottle beside Tom and realized he wasn't as hungry as he was yesterday. There was also a lingering taste of milk in his mouth. He asked, "Did you give me milk to drink?"

Tom nodded again, grinned, and exposed a row of small white teeth.

"Thank you, Tom!" Adrian instantly felt a sense of security. No matter where he was, as long as Tom was here, he should be able to survive.

Tom first, then the world, _______!

Just drifting at sea—give Tom a surfboard or a fishing rod, and even sharks wouldn't stand a chance.

(End of this chapter)