Her brain froze.
"…Clothes?"
She looked down.
And finally noticed.
She was naked.
Completely naked.
The wind brushed against her skin. The forest suddenly felt far too open. Every leaf, every shadow, every possible gaze became painfully noticeable.
The realization hit her like a thunderbolt.
She had run around the clearing, even climbed a tree, all while butt naked?!!
Her face turned red.
Then white.
Then her vision went dark.
Shen Ningning passed out on the spot.
Weijie reacted instantly, catching her before she hit the ground. He looked down at her unconscious face, momentarily stunned.
"…Humans are fragile.." he muttered.
After a pause, his lips curved faintly.
"But troublesome."
He adjusted his hold on her carefully and turned toward the forest.
"First.." he said to himself, "we find you some clothes."
Hours later, Shen Ningning woke up with a start.
The first thing she did was instinctively check her body.
She froze.
Then quickly patted herself from head to toe.
Only after confirming that she was fully clothed did she finally heave a long sigh of relief.
"…Thank heavens."
At least her important bits were covered.
However, that relief lasted barely a second.
She lowered her head and her lips twitched violently.
The skirt she was wearing was far too short. Worse still, the fabric clung tightly to her body, stopping just below her chest.
Her entire belly was exposed to the air, and two very obvious folds sat there unapologetically, as if mocking her.
Shen Ningning closed her eyes.
She did not have the kind of hot body that could pull off such revealing clothes.
Nor did she have the confidence.
If this were her old world, she would not even step out of the house dressed like this, let alone walk around a forest full of savage beasts.
She opened her eyes again only to meet a pair of golden pupils watching her calmly.
Weijie was standing nearby, arms crossed, clearly observing her reaction.
Her scalp tingled.
She quickly sat up and looked around, changing the subject before she could explode from embarrassment.
They were in a clearing.
Or rather… what remained of one.
Broken wooden frames lay scattered across the ground. Burnt marks crawled up the remains of collapsed shelters.
Bones, both animal and unfamiliar were half-buried in the dirt.
There was no smoke.
No movement.
Not a single living soul in sight.
The place was silent to the point of suffocation.
Shen Ningning's heart sank.
"So this is it?" she murmured.
Her gaze swept across the ruins, disbelief slowly giving way to unease.
Why would the system send her here?
If there were no people left, then what was the point of rebuilding a tribe?
Unless…
A chilling thought crept into her mind.
Was this all a setup?
A place doomed from the beginning, meant to ensure she failed the mission, just so the system could punish her?
Her fingers curled unconsciously.
That was indeed its plan.
[Hehe]
-_-
"You bastard! I demand compensation.." she chided the system repeatedly in her mind.
Weijie broke the silence.
"There is no use staying here.." he said, his tone steady. "They are all dead. The fire killed them all. It is dangerous so you must avoid it."
-_-
He glanced at the ruins once more, then turned back to her. "We should go to my tribe. There are still people there."
Shen Ningning hesitated.
"My tribe is stronger," he continued. "But you must stay close to me."
She frowned. "Why?"
"There are not many women.m" Weijie said bluntly. "And far too many men."
Her eyelid twitched.
Before she could react, he added calmly, "But no one would dare covet my female. You have nothing to worry about."
Shen Ningning stared at him.
My female…
There was something awfully wrong with that name but she didn't say anything, if he even wanted to call her his dog, she wouldn't say anything.
"I will treat your wound when we get to my tribe. There are no herbs here, they have all been burnt down.."
Ningning stared at her foot and shrugged, she didn't mind if it left a scar, the uglier she was, the more they would stay away from her.
Shen Ningning still hadn't seen the face of this body or understood the type of beauty she was.
"Okay. Then can I get animal skin when we get there?"
Weijie nodded, he didn't see why not. They had many there, maybe he could get her more clothes too.
"Let's go, I'll carry you.."
Before Shen Ningning could respond, Weijie had already bent down.
Strong arms wrapped around her with practiced ease, lifting her as if she weighed nothing. Her body stiffened for a moment, then relaxed despite herself.
"…Fine," she muttered. "But don't drop me."
"I won't," he replied simply.
With that, he began walking.
The forest swallowed them once more, the ruins of the fallen tribe fading behind them.
Leaves crunched beneath Weijie's steps, steady and unhurried, while Shen Ningning stared at the canopy above, her thoughts finally settling.
Now that she was no longer in immediate danger, a certain irritation began bubbling up again.
"System."
[What is it, Host.]
Her eyelid twitched.
"You gave me an impossible mission," she said coldly. "Rebuild a tribe where not a single survivor exists. You wanted me to fail."
There was a brief pause.
[Correct.]
Her mouth fell open.
"…You admitted it just like that?"
[Failure would have triggered Forced Physical Conditioning.] The system's tone remained emotionless. [Probability of survival: 12.4%.]
Shen Ningning took a slow, deep breath.
"Alright," she said after a moment. "Then I want compensation."
[State your request.]
"You give me the reward now," she said decisively. "I'll still accept the punishment afterward."
The system fell silent.
For a full second.
Then another.
Weijie glanced down at her, sensing her stiff posture. "What are you thinking about?"
"Negotiating with fate," Shen Ningning replied vaguely.
Finally, the system spoke again.
[…Request under review.]
[…Approved.]
A translucent panel unfolded before her eyes.
[Reward issued: Starter Survival Pack.]
The first item materialized.
A thick book floated in front of her, its cover simple yet heavy with presence.
["Primitive World Survival Guide"]
Her pupils shrank slightly.
The moment her gaze landed on the publication date, her breath hitched.
—Year 3127, Month 9, Day 17—
The same date.
The same one she had seen in front of her where she first woke up… the day she bit a giant snake and got tossed aside like a sack of grain.
"So it wasn't random.." she murmured.
[All variables are recorded.]