Ch 171: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Elder Xu and the others were startled, immediately pressing their backs together as they scanned their surroundings. Where was this? A tropical rainforest?

Massive trees towered around them—so thick that even if they encircled one, they wouldn’t be able to hold hands around it. Looking up, the trees stretched into the sky, their tops completely out of sight.

Each of them had a pinhole camera attached to their collars, linked to their phones. Xu Wen’an, Elder Xu’s son, quickly checked the footage, repeatedly confirming that they had indeed been transported from their room to this forest in an instant.

Before this, they had come up with numerous theories about the so-called dimensional travel. One idea was that advanced technology had tricked people into believing they had crossed into another world, when in reality, they had just been moved to a pre-arranged set.

They had even speculated that settings like “interstellar worlds,” “apocalyptic wastelands,” or “ancient times” could all be simulated using wirework and props. They had planned ways to test and expose such deceptions.

But now? What were they looking at? Where on Earth could such enormous trees exist? Even if such a place did exist, it was nowhere near their city. No matter how advanced technology was, there was no way they could have been transported to another country in just a few seconds.

Even the satellite phone had no signal. This… this might actually be real dimensional travel.

This was beyond their understanding. Fortunately, Shen Yunxuan had some experience now. She quickly reminded them, “This wilderness feels really unsafe. Could there be wild beasts here? I already told you before—if we die here, we won’t be able to return. As long as we stay alive, no matter where we are, when the time is up, we’ll return together.

“So if we ever get separated, remember—your top priority is staying alive! Even if you’re seriously injured, you can be treated once we’re back.”

Xu Wenyu, Elder Xu’s daughter, pulled Shen Yunxuan close and positioned her and Elder Xu in the center of their group. “Don’t worry. We’ll protect you.”

Shen Yunxuan obediently stayed in position. She was good at business, not combat—it was best to leave the action to them. This was exactly why she had chosen to align with the government.

But before they moved out, she gave them a reminder. “If you see anything that doesn’t exist in our world, collect it! These things count towards earning dimensional coins. The more coins we have, the higher we can level up, allowing us to access better worlds and more advanced resources. And only with more coins can we buy portable storage spaces, powerful weapons, and advanced medicine.”

The team responded in unison. They glanced down, noticing unfamiliar plants and flowers, and immediately started plucking a few samples. Using a compass, they identified the north and began moving in that direction. One of Elder Xu’s subordinates, Liu Heng, carried a thermal imaging device and carefully scanned the surroundings.

Ten minutes later, he suddenly signaled for everyone to stop. Hesitantly, he said, “I think… there’s a chicken in that bush?”

He was unsure because the high-tech thermal imaging device had auto-identified the heat signature as a chicken. But on the display, the figure was enormous—almost as tall as a human.

The group exchanged glances. Elder Xu’s other subordinate, Zheng Song, who had the best combat skills, made a hand gesture. He quickly untied the rope from his wrist and silently moved toward the target.

Shen Yunxuan watched nervously as Zheng Song got into range and fired a tranquilizer dart. The heat signature on the device dropped instantly.

The group rushed over, pushing aside the dense foliage, only to find—indeed—a chicken.

A ridiculously massive chicken.

Nearby, a nest of equally oversized eggs sat undisturbed.

Xu Wenyu swallowed hard. “This wild chicken… is as big as an ostrich. And the eggs… they’re almost as big as my head!”

Shen Yunxuan took out a large bag and quickly stored the giant eggs. Then she looked at the tranquilized chicken and asked, “We can’t bring living creatures back, so what about this one?”

The group thought it over. This was clearly a wild animal with no owner—meaning it was fair game for research. Zheng Song swiftly and efficiently dispatched the chicken, drained the blood, and handed it to Shen Yunxuan.

As she stored it, she muttered, “Good thing you guys are here. If I encountered a chicken this big alone, wouldn’t it have chased me down?”

The team imagined the petite, untrained Shen Yunxuan being pursued by a giant chicken and couldn’t help but feel sympathetic. She must have been terrified in the apocalypse world too. Most of them were old enough to be her parents or grandparents, and they couldn’t help but offer her a few words of reassurance.

They continued forward and soon discovered a river. Zheng Song used a net to scoop up a fish—nearly two meters long. And this was just an ordinary fish in this world.

Working together, they hauled the fish onto the shore, killed it, and stored it away. Just as they were about to move on, Zheng Song spotted another fish—one that looked different. He quickly moved to catch it.

But this time, the moment the net touched the fish’s head, it snapped its jaws shut—biting clean through the net.

With terrifying speed, the fish lunged toward the shore—aiming straight for Zheng Song!

It moved incredibly fast, its razor-sharp teeth gleaming. The entire group was startled.

Liu Heng immediately fired a tranquilizer dart, and only then did Zheng Song manage to pin the fish down before it could slip back into the river. After an exhausting struggle, they finally subdued it.

Shen Yunxuan stored away yet another species.

After this encounter, Elder Xu’s expression grew serious. “This world is more dangerous than we expected. So far, we’ve only encountered relatively non-aggressive creatures—chickens, fish. But what if we run into lions or tigers? The consequences could be disastrous.”

Everyone became even more cautious. If chickens were the size of ostriches, how big would the predators be? Regular tranquilizer darts might not be enough—they would need stronger animal-grade sedatives next time.

Despite their extensive preparations, it still felt inadequate. Next time, they would need to be even more thorough.

As they moved along the river, they collected several types of fruit—some the size of apples, others as large as watermelons, all growing in the trees.

Of course, no one dared to eat them yet. They harvested everything while wearing gloves, avoiding direct contact. Who knew if these alien fruits were poisonous? Everything needed to be taken back for professional testing first.

Shen Yunxuan was thrilled—these were all things that didn’t exist in her original world, and they weren’t just garbage; they were intact items! That should mean more dimensional coins, right? She carefully collected different plants and even chopped off some tree branches—the thinnest ones were still thicker than her arm.

Before long, the thermal imaging device picked up another signal. This time, the creature was in the trees. Just as they spotted it, it suddenly took flight, making everyone’s eyes widen in shock.

“Is that… a pterosaur? Is it really a pterosaur?”

“It looks like… it might be… What do we do? Do pterosaurs eat people?”

Everyone tensed, gripping their guns as they pressed against the tree trunks. This seemed to be a juvenile pterosaur, but even as a juvenile, it was still enormous compared to them. The creature circled above them, its vast wingspan casting an intimidating shadow. Their first instinct wasn’t excitement at seeing a legendary creature—it was sheer fear at encountering an unknown monster.

Elder Xu immediately gave an order. “If we face a crisis, protect Xiao Shen at all costs and ensure she returns home. Any survivors must report her situation truthfully to our superiors. Understood?”

The weight of those words settled over them, but they all nodded firmly, their gazes unwavering. They were soldiers—after witnessing firsthand that everything Shen Yunxuan had said was true, they fully understood the immense value her system could bring to the nation. They would do everything in their power to keep her safe.

Shen Yunxuan knew they were acting for national interest, but in this moment, she was still deeply moved. She reassured them, “I’ve had decent luck so far, and this is only a Level 1 dimension. It shouldn’t be that dangerous. Just stay cautious and survive until our return time. I’ll make sure we all get back.”

They were all mentally prepared now. Seeing the pterosaur, they couldn’t help but think of the dinosaur era. If they had really traveled to the age of dinosaurs, their survival chances were slim. A world filled with giant predators was no joke.

Luckily, the surroundings seemed relatively safe. If necessary, they could just hide and wait until it was time to return. Liu Heng swept the thermal imaging device around and reported, “No other life forms nearby. What do we do about this… pterosaur?”

Zheng Song aimed his tranquilizer gun. “Should we… take it down first?”

They couldn’t afford to wait until the creature decided to swoop down on them. Elder Xu gave the order. “Everyone, fire together.”

Several tranquilizer darts shot out simultaneously at his command. The pterosaur let out a loud screech before crashing to the ground with a thunderous impact.

Dust filled the air, making them cough as they waited for it to settle. Once the air cleared, they cautiously approached to study the legendary creature.

Xu Wenyu immediately started snapping pictures, recording videos from every possible angle to ensure they could reconstruct the creature’s size and features back home.

Squatting beside it, Shen Yunxuan frowned. “I thought pterosaurs didn’t have feathers?”

Xu Wenyu replied, “I think scientists still haven’t fully determined that.”

Shen Yunxuan didn’t dwell on it. She quickly pulled out a small pair of scissors and snipped off a few feathers, carefully storing them. Every little piece of unfamiliar material was valuable—nothing should go to waste. As for whether they should kill the pterosaur and take it back, no one even considered it. Perhaps because it was a mythical creature, they just couldn’t bring themselves to do it.

At that moment, Liu Heng suddenly tensed. “New life forms detected—six of them. No, twelve! Coming in from the front left, flying fast!”

Everyone turned to look at the thermal imaging screen, where the approaching creatures were significantly larger than the pterosaur they had just downed. More alarmingly, they were traveling in pairs—one riding atop the other.

Shen Yunxuan’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait… are those people riding pterosaurs? And if those are people… they’re huge! Giants?!”

Tension gripped the group. Xu Wen’an and Xu Wenyu kept their tranquilizer guns ready, while the others switched to live ammunition. Shen Yunxuan instinctively touched the grenades strapped to her body. She was the weakest in combat here, and she was genuinely terrified. At this moment, she swore to herself—once they got back, she would train hard. Maybe she wouldn’t become a special forces soldier, but she had to at least become a competent fighter. Otherwise, she’d never be able to protect herself.

Soon, the massive creatures arrived. Six figures leapt down from their enormous pterosaur mounts, gripping bows and spears as they studied the group with sharp, wary eyes.

Now that they were closer, Shen Yunxuan and the others got a clear look. These were indeed giants—each one towering at nearly three meters tall. They were incredibly muscular and dressed in primitive attire, looking somewhat like the Na’vi from Avatar, except their skin tones were the same as humans.

“Ula ula ula…”

The leading giant said something in a commanding tone. Shen Yunxuan and her group exchanged uncertain glances—there was a language barrier.

Shen Yunxuan tentatively gestured as she spoke. “We don’t understand your language. We mean no harm. We’ll leave now.”

One of the giants suddenly grew angry, pointing at the unconscious pterosaur on the ground and glaring at them. “Ula ula!!!”

Shen Yunxuan and her team followed his gaze—looking at the mounts the giants had just dismounted—then back at the downed pterosaur.

Oh.

Oh no.

So pterosaurs were their mounts? Like partners? Did they think Shen Yunxuan’s team had killed this one?

Shen Yunxuan quickly nudged Xu Wenyu. “Wake it up, fast!” Then she frantically waved at the giants. “It’s okay! It’s fine! It’s just sleeping!”

She mimicked a sleeping motion—closing her eyes and resting her head on her hands. Elder Xu and the others remained on high alert, weapons ready. But the giants seemed to understand Shen Yunxuan’s gestures. Their leader narrowed his eyes as he watched Xu Wenyu take out a small bottle of smelling salts and wave it under the pterosaur’s nostrils.

Slowly, the creature began to stir.

The giant immediately stepped forward and crouched beside the young pterosaur to inspect it. Shen Yunxuan and her group instinctively took a few steps back. Having a three-meter-tall giant so close was quite intimidating.

Xu Wenyu hesitated for a moment but still bravely recorded the entire scene on video. The giants didn’t seem to notice or care about what she was doing.

A minute later, the small pterosaur woke up, stumbling to its feet in a daze, nearly toppling over. Shen Yunxuan quickly gestured, “Don’t worry! It just needs a bit of rest, and it’ll be able to fly again.”

It was unclear whether the giants understood, but they exchanged a few more words in their language—“Ula ula ula”—before stepping forward and reaching out as if to grab them.

The group immediately shielded Shen Yunxuan and retreated cautiously, speaking in hushed tones.

“What do we do? Do we fight?”

“Where would we run? They ride pterosaurs. They’d catch us in no time.”

“The little pterosaur definitely called for them earlier. If we fight, we might alert even more giants.”

“And at that point, the giants will see us as enemies.”

“So what’s the plan? Do we go with them?”

Shen Yunxuan thought for a moment and said, “We can go with them for now. If they haven’t killed us on sight, they probably want to interrogate us or at least bring us somewhere safe first. Just like the base soldiers in the apocalypse brought me back to their base—it’s not necessarily hostile. We’ve been here for an hour already. If we can hold out another two or three hours, we might be able to return. It’s worth the gamble.”

Elder Xu agreed. “Given our current situation, fighting or fleeing isn’t wise. Let’s go with them and see where we end up. It’ll also help us understand this world better. If things truly become dangerous, we can use smoke grenades to create confusion and escape.”

After discussing, Shen Yunxuan gestured to the giants again. “No fighting. We’ll go with you.”

At the same time, they put down their weapons and took a few steps forward to show their willingness to cooperate.

This gesture seemed to be understood by the giants, who refrained from using force. Instead, each of them grabbed one of the group members and hoisted them onto their pterosaurs. With a long howl, the pterosaurs took off into the sky!

Shen Yunxuan’s hat was instantly blown away. She didn’t have time to retrieve it, instead clinging tightly to the pterosaur’s feathers. Laughter erupted behind her—one of the giants was clearly amused by her fear. To make things worse, the giant deliberately made the pterosaur loop in the air.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Yunxuan forced herself to stay calm. There was no use getting upset at a giant. Thankfully, after that, they flew normally. Compared to the massive pterosaur, she was tiny, and as long as she held onto the feathers, it felt surprisingly stable. Gradually, she relaxed.

Bravely, she straightened up and looked forward.

What a breathtaking view!

The vast blue sky, the towering trees, and the countless vibrant flowers and plants—it was stunning. In the distance, animals roamed freely, and beyond them, green mountains and pristine waters stretched into the horizon. This was a sight utterly impossible to find on Earth—a pure, untouched prehistoric paradise.

She saw Xu Wenyu excitedly taking photos and videos, recording every detail of this magnificent world. The others also looked on in awe. Shen Yunxuan thought to herself, Well, now they’ll have no doubts about me anymore. Nothing beats experiencing it firsthand.

The pterosaurs were incredibly fast. In less than ten minutes, they began their descent. No wonder the giants had arrived so quickly before.

A crowd of dozens of giants gathered, curiously observing them. The adults stood around three meters tall, while the shorter ones were still at least two and a half meters. Judging by their attire, the taller ones were likely men, while the shorter ones were women.

The giants didn’t immediately approach, only watching with interest but also some hesitation. Seeing this reaction, Shen Yunxuan and her team exchanged glances, secretly relieved. At least these giants didn’t seem like mindless killers. They appeared relatively peaceful.

Then, from the crowd, a more elaborately dressed figure stepped forward. This individual wore multiple layers of wolf-tooth necklaces and a feathered crown—clearly, the leader.

The giant warriors who had brought Shen Yunxuan’s group back said something to the leader. After giving the humans a long look, the leader waved a hand, and soon, several other giants came forward carrying fruit, handing one to each of them.

This was the smallest fruit Shen Yunxuan had seen in this world so far—about the size of a cherry. She and Elder Xu exchanged puzzled looks.

“They want us to eat it? We don’t even know what it is. What do we do?”

Elder Xu hesitated as well. It was unwise to eat something unfamiliar. But the giants were watching them expectantly, clearly waiting for them to eat. Refusing might not go over well, but eating could be risky. Although the giants didn’t seem hostile, they were obviously not the same species—what if their food was toxic to humans?

One of the giants seemed to notice their hesitation. To reassure them, he took a fruit himself and ate it, then gestured from his mouth to his ears while repeating, “Ula ula.”

He gestured a few more times, emphasizing the motion.

Shen Yunxuan guessed, “Is he saying that if we eat this, we’ll be able to understand their language?”

Xu Wen’an was skeptical. “Is that even possible? We’re from another dimension entirely. If this actually works, it’s basically magic.”

Xu Wenyu shrugged. “Traveling between dimensions is already magic. A fruit that works as a translator doesn’t seem that far-fetched. Should we try it?”

Liu Heng didn’t hesitate—he popped the fruit into his mouth. “I’ll go first. You guys wait.”

Elder Xu instinctively tried to stop him, watching Liu Heng nervously. Liu Heng touched his neck and said, “It melted the moment it entered my mouth. It’s gone.”

The giant across from them suddenly smiled. “The Tonguefruit dissolves instantly upon contact with the mouth. That’s correct. Now we can speak to each other.”

Liu Heng’s eyes widened in shock. He stammered excitedly, “I-I-I can understand her! She’s speaking Mandarin! I can hear it perfectly! My god, this is incredible!”

“Really?” Xu Wenyu asked in amazement. “Are you feeling anything unusual?”

Liu Heng shook his head. “No, I feel completely fine.”

Hearing this, the giant explained, “The Tonguefruit grows from the sacred springs of each tribe. It has no harmful effects. It is a gift from the heavens to allow us to communicate.”

Liu Heng translated this for the others. Shen Yunxuan and her group exchanged glances. “Then let’s eat it.”

All of them consumed the Tonguefruit simultaneously. Seeing this, the giants immediately began bombarding them with questions.

“Who are you? Why are you so small?”

“Where did you come from? Why have you entered our lands?”

“Why did you harm the little pterosaur?”

“The things you keep raising in your hands—are they weapons?”

Shen Yunxuan and her group were stunned. A single fruit had made communication seamless. If they could take this back and cultivate it, would they never need to learn foreign languages again?

Moreover, if this world had such a miraculous fruit, could there be others with extraordinary properties? Shen Yunxuan and Elder Xu exchanged excited glances, both thinking the same thing.

Elder Xu saw the potential for benefiting their country, while Shen Yunxuan saw the opportunity to accumulate a fortune in dimensional currency—this was definitely a profitable find!

Zheng Song was the first to explain, “We didn’t harm the little pterosaur. The things in our hands are tranquilizer guns. They only put the pterosaur to sleep. It suddenly flew toward us, and we didn’t know if it was going to attack, so we acted out of fear.”

The most furious giant pointed at Shen Yunxuan. “Then why were you holding something near the little pterosaur’s body?”

Shen Yunxuan felt embarrassed. “I’ve never seen a little pterosaur before. Its feathers looked so special, so I took a few as souvenirs.”

The giant whistled to call the little pterosaur over for an inspection. Upon seeing that only a few feathers were missing and that there were no injuries, he believed her.

At this moment, the giant who had given them the fruit smiled. “So you like feathers? Our tribe has all kinds of feathers. We can give you some as keepsakes.”

Shen Yunxuan’s eyes lit up. “Thank you! I love collecting things I’ve never seen before. I can trade my belongings with you. You are truly kind people.”

Whether or not they were kind, she figured it was best to flatter them first.

After listening to everything, the chief finally spoke. “Where are you from? Why do you know so little? I have lived here for over fifty years and have never seen people like you.”

Shen Yunxuan immediately replied, “We come from another continent. We were out exploring when we encountered a storm while traveling over water. The rain and winds were too strong, and in the darkness, we lost control of our direction. All we knew was that we were drifting farther and farther from our homeland. Eventually, we lost consciousness, and when we woke up, we found ourselves in the forest where we met you.”

“Another continent? There’s another land beyond the waters?” The giants were stunned. They had never heard of such a thing.

Shen Yunxuan took out her phone and played a video for them. It was footage they had recorded while testing their camera in a garden. The chief and the surrounding giants were astounded to see moving images on the screen. When they saw the faces of Shen Yunxuan and her team, as well as the short trees, flowers, and the intricate buildings in the background, they could no longer conceal their shock.

The chief blurted out, “Are you divine envoys?”

Shen Yunxuan quickly waved her hands. “We are just people from another tribe, not divine envoys.”

It was dangerous to be mistaken for divine beings—what if they were asked to perform miracles or conduct rituals? And since they would be leaving soon, she didn’t want to risk tarnishing whatever sacred image the giants had in mind.

The chief sighed in awe. “The houses in your tribe are beautifully constructed and sturdy.”

Shen Yunxuan praised in return, “The Tonguefruit from your tribe is also incredible. If possible, we could exchange knowledge. That would be a form of cultural exchange between our tribes. What do you think?”

The chief’s eyes lit up. “You’re willing to teach us? Of course! Come, let us discuss this in detail.”

Elder Xu and the others were left speechless. Shen Yunxuan had just fabricated a story out of thin air and managed to negotiate a deal!

At that moment, they all silently wondered—had she ever deceived them before?

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆