Chapter 6 Familiar Fragments

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"Damn, this tree is really hard to climb."

Perched on a sturdy branch at the crown of the tree, Tao Yu experienced a slight wheezing.

Who knew what species this tree was? Being on the ground, he didn't feel the immensity, with many nearby trees of similar size, but climbing up, he discovered it was as tall as several-story building.

Moreover, with a gun and clips weighing over ten pounds on his back, it was quite a struggle.

It was only thanks to the "Basic Breathing Technique - Modified" that replenished his physical fitness, otherwise, he probably couldn't have made it up here with his former self.

Physical conditioning was indeed his weakness.

However, this tree climbing made Tao Yu discover yet another new advantage in himself.

It must be the boon of "[One Proof Forever Proof]"—even though he felt a bit tired and there was a clear strain on his stamina, his strength, reflexes, and various other abilities hadn't diminished in the slightest.

Soreness is soreness, but it didn't affect him, which was an odd contrast that he was still getting used to.

Too bad the sensation of fatigue and muscle soreness couldn't be offset by "Mental Immunity," otherwise it would be like cheating a bug in the system.

Thinking about it, pain and fatigue were the body's way of signaling itself, and to be able to block that with "Mental Immunity" would actually be troublesome.

Sitting on the branch with one hand hooked around the trunk to prevent falling off, Tao Yu looked at the receiver in his hand, now showing a glimmer of signal indication with some bits of tree bark on it.

This made him breathe a sigh of relief, the frequency had been pre-adjusted, the company's public frequency channel.

Standing up, he stretched his hand high above his head, surpassing the tree canopy and swayed it back and forth, finally hearing a voice from the receiver,

"...there is also another radio frequency here, but without the presence of Yuan Force, it is most likely an innate radio of the world fragment. We should try to gather in that direction as much as possible. I will update the broadcast info every day at noon, and the message will repeat until six in the evening..."

Upon hearing this indifferent, cold voice, Tao Yu was momentarily stunned. What was going on?

But soon, the voice finished and mechanically started repeating itself—it must have been set to a recording, repeating the broadcast like a loop.

"It is with great regret that we inform the inhabitants of Starshine City that we seem to have encountered a rare space-time anomaly event and did not complete the binding with the company's regional headquarters. Our items have not received any signal from the company..."

The talk's opening thunder indicated that the speaker was very likely one of the twins from the Floating City.

Being big shots born and raised in Rome, it was normal for them to have all sorts of exotic items and understandably, they could directly broadcast to all other members nearby.

If they couldn't receive any signal from the company's headquarters with their high-end equipment, then their judgment must be spot on!

A space-time anomaly event? What a pain! Why would he encounter such a low-probability event?

Err...

Immediately, Tao Yu thought of his own "Divinity." Could it be possible that this was caused by himself?

He then cast aside these complaints and continued to listen silently to the messages on the radio.

According to the siblings from the Suns, the distance from here to the company's station was at the very least 100,000 kilometers, which amounted to at least two or three times the Earth's equatorial circumference!

Even with the shortest estimate, there could be multiple world fragments in between. Given the danger and variability of the Abyss, this distance was an insurmountable gulf, not to mention the great possibility of it being even further with more world fragments!

So seeking the company's sanctuary for protection was out of the question. If one had the strength to cross such a vast distance, then what would they need protection for?

The damn company had lost the only good thing about it, crap.

However, there was another piece of good news—they had received broadcasts from another radio station, containing some incomprehensible language.

Together with their assessment that there were no enhanced signals powered by Yuan Force, it was quite possible that this radio station belonged to the native inhabitants of the world fragment.

While it might not be a meeting place for other companies, organizations, or races, at least there could be a place to rest. The presence of a radio station indicated the possibility of a local civilization, and there might be a chance to make contact.

Even if the language heard remotely might not be understandable at first, direct encounters with the natives could leverage the power of Yuan Force for translation.

This was one of the gifts from the world's will, allowing the Pioneers to travel conveniently through the worlds.

It's said that some mental power specialists don't need Yuan Force; they have the skill to communicate on their own.

With that radiostation at hand, relying on their basic foundation, constructing a new settlement temporarily could be quicker.

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"...Encountering a spacetime anomaly, you are indeed unfortunate, but being able to come here with us, that is your good fortune. With us as the core, we'll build a new company hub, and you will all become the founding members of that hub!"

The familiar pep talk concluded, and Tao Yu gained some new insights about the current situation.

However, at that moment, Tao Yu felt a slight tremor in the tree trunk.

The tree was thick, but once Tao Yu had almost reached the top, he was still keenly aware of the vibrations.

Looking around from the height, though many views were obstructed by branches and leaves, Tao Yu could sense the shaking of the branches in the jungle. Judging by the amplitude and frequency of the shaking, it seemed that something large was coming?

No, not just something large, but something long, something both large and long!

And then, the next moment, a huge snake's head emerged from around the corner obscured by the forest, its size rivaling that of a water barrel, completely overturning the normal proportions of a snake!

Even if a normal snake is long, it usually isn't very thick. The one that Tao Yu had eaten was three to four meters in length, but weighed only a little over fifty kilograms, and the weight of a python of about seven or eight meters was roughly the same as that of an adult human.

It wasn't impossible for two skilled adults to catch a seven or eight-meter python with their bare hands. A couple of slashes with a bayonet, and that python ended up as Tao Yu's meal.

But this one, with a head as large as a water barrel, completely overturned Tao Yu's understanding and brought an unspeakable sense of oppression.

At the same time, Tao Yu quickly searched through his memories of past life's movies and television shows.

It seemed he had seen similar works of fiction.

Yes, it was a snake of that kind!

At this point, Tao Yu felt a strange feeling inside.

The Abyss devoured many worlds, leaving a great number of world fragments, and the first to manifest were the various fantasy worlds.

After his current world had been invaded by the Abyss, he could tell from bits and pieces that many world fragments were stories and myths that circulated in this world.

However, over the years, many stories had faded away due to various controls, and Tao Yu could only obtain limited information from what his parents told him.

But whether through language or other means, Tao Yu could be sure that this was not Earth, and all the stories were unrelated to Earth.

Even his "Divinity" certification from the outer gods could be considered a recognition by the will of the world.

But why were there things similar to Earth's movies and television shows appearing here?

Was it a coincidental legend of the same kind? Or a fragment from Earth brought about by the spacetime anomaly?

Does this mean...

Earth has started to be devoured by the Abyss?

With memories and accumulations from his past life, Tao Yu wasn't short of wild guesses and inferences, and he had made some guesswork and deductions himself.

Even the spacetime anomaly might be related to this, related to him...

And then in the next moment, he saw the python, possibly attracted by the scent of snake meat, swallowed his pack and some debris nearby in one gulp.

"Damn it!"

Putting his speculation aside, Tao Yu sat firmly on the branch without a trace of fear. He lifted his AK-like rifle, aimed at the python, and then pulled the trigger.

Confident in the killing power of bullets on carbon-based organisms, Tao Yu didn't care about the monstrously sized python. As long as he could hit its vital points, it would die!

With his eyesight, there was no way he would let it get away, right?

Ratatat—

The pained python quickly coiled up and, with the pack and the roasted snake meat it had swallowed, left Tao Yu's line of fire instantaneously, leaving him sitting on the branch speechless.

I was sure I aimed at its head...

Who could have thought that, while the eyes and hands could keep up, the quality of the firearms couldn't?

The trajectory was just too erratic...