From Robinson Crusoe

Mountains, grasslands, snowfields, glaciers, forests, rocky beaches...

Amidst the snow-covered landscape, a man and three tigers, along with the gullies carved out by the cart, made their way forward.

As the weather grows warmer, gentle breezes sweep across the land, reshaping it from a lifeless wasteland. Grass seeds begin to sprout beneath the snow, migratory birds that had been heading south turn back, and many creatures gradually cross the border and return to this vast land.

……

The sun was shining brightly, and the grassland, after the snow melted, turned a withered yellow.

The firewood burned, and the flames glowed red.

Chen Zhou sat on the animal skin, holding a wild duck skewered on a wooden stick, and carefully roasted it.

A three-headed saw-toothed tiger lay not far from the campfire.

A few days ago, they crossed the border and arrived outside the challenge zone.

Compared to the challenging areas that are still covered with a lot of snow, this place is warmer, has less snow on the ground, and even has unfrozen rivers.

Giant and large herbivores such as mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, and giant deer can be seen everywhere here.

The wilderness belongs to the sawtooth tigers, and under Chen Zhou's deliberate guidance, they have begun to attempt to hunt alone.

During the hunt, Tiger Cub 1 and Tiger Cub 2 performed only moderately well, while Tiger Cub 3 was quite exceptional—

It is not only smarter, knowing how to avoid being observed by prey, but it also learns from experience, so you rarely see it fail to hunt because it repeats the same mistake.

In addition, Tiger Three's stamina is much better than its older brothers. When the chase begins, it is always the first to sprint and the last to finish running.

Chen Zhou suspected that Tiger Three's strange behavior was related to the injection. After all, it was a medicine manufactured by the Time and Space Administration to treat humans. Apart from Paul, who was "stubborn", probably no one would waste such a precious injection on a saw-toothed tiger.

However, it's not a bad thing that Tiger Cub is so intelligent and has so much energy.

At least this way, they can feel more at ease after Chen Zhou leaves. Tiger Big Brother and Tiger Second Brother can at least have enough to eat every day by following this "promising" younger brother, and at worst, they won't starve to death.

……

Having been cared for for almost the entire winter, spending its days holed up in its den eating and drinking to its heart's content, the three-headed sawtooth tiger still managed to accumulate a lot of fat, even during its growth period.

After leaving the cave to begin hunting, the saw-toothed tiger finally burned off some of the fat it had accumulated through a lot of exercise, and its physique became healthier.

While Chen Zhou was resting by making a fire, the three-headed saw-toothed tiger did not lie on the ground to rest as usual without any guard.

After resting for a while, Tiger Cub stood up, his legs straight, and observed a small group of mammoths in the distance of the grassland, while Tiger Cub Two and Tiger Cub Three continued to lie on the ground to rest.

They rely on this rotating guard system to monitor animals on the grassland, which helps them avoid danger and allows them to keep track of the prey's movements at all times.

With the wind constantly blowing, those standing downwind can capture useful information from the scent particles carried by the wind, thus determining the approximate location of their prey.

This habit was deliberately cultivated by Chen Zhou. He hoped that after he left, the sawtooth tigers could stand at the top of the food chain like their wild counterparts, or even perform better.

As it turns out, with the guidance of "human beings," the most intelligent of all beings, coupled with their already excellent physical qualities and intelligent brains, the sawtooth tiger was indeed able to gradually transform from a hothouse flower into a tenacious wild grass, just as Chen Zhou had hoped.

In recent days, Chen Zhou has stopped interfering with the sawtooth tiger's hunting, and all hunting operations have been carried out in cooperation with the sawtooth tiger.

To date, their hunting success rate has reached 50%, meaning they succeed on average once every two ambushes. For a predator, this is an extremely high success rate.

Before leaving the challenge area, the sawtooth tigers relied on Chen Zhou for food, but now Chen Zhou is able to benefit from them and occasionally eat some fresh wild game.

Seeing his former little ones grow bigger and stronger, their hunting skills becoming increasingly proficient, Chen Zhou felt relieved, but at the same time, he also knew—

The time for me to leave has come.

"Third child."

Chen Zhou took the red box off the cart and placed it beside him, then waved.

Tiger Three, who had been lying on the ground, heard the call and reluctantly stood up, slowly walked to his side, and poked his big head out.

"Moo~"

The calls of the sawtooth tiger are far from the gentle calls of a domestic cat. Apart from the roars of anger and the intimidating roars when hunting, their calls are mainly of two types: a soft "howl" and a "moo".

Perhaps because their voices are too rough, sometimes when they call out, they don't sound like tigers at all, but rather like old oxen.

He stroked Tiger Three's rough, hard, and thick fur. Facing another separation, even though Chen Zhou had been preparing for this moment, he still felt a little reluctant.

"Hey buddy, it's amazing how much you've grown up. I've been with you for so long, it's time for me to go today."

After I'm gone, you must take good care of your two older brothers. You're the smartest of the three..."

Even though he knew Hu Sanwa couldn't understand, Chen Zhou still kept repeating it like an old father—

Paul insisted on saving the three-headed saw-toothed tiger. At first, he didn't care much about the three little creatures and wasn't very interested in them.

But people are all made of flesh and blood. They've been together every day, raising the three-headed sawtooth tiger from the ground up to this size. It's impossible not to have feelings for it.

Especially when the sawtooth tigers are nearing adulthood and no longer need care, they even take the initiative to guard him as their "leader".

As he fell asleep at night, Chen Zhou would always see the sawtooth tiger faithfully guarding his side when he woke up. That sense of security and reliance often reminded him of Fu, his loyal old companion.

Decades have passed since Lai Fu's departure, and in that long time, Chen Zhou felt that he no longer felt sad about it.

A vibrant life, endless tasks, intense challenges, and the constant struggle for survival...

These things filled his heart, including Paul and Bicker.

Until his partner left, he was alone again.

As Chen Zhou sat in the wilderness, he lit a campfire and, after a long time, used the simplest seasonings to roast a delicious duck.

He took a bite, gazing at the food on the wooden skewer, and felt as if it were yesterday, as if he had returned to many nights on the deserted island, smelling the charcoal from the burning campfire, and the unique scent of the big dog warmed by the sun.

At that moment, at this moment.

Tiger Three couldn't understand the leader's words, but he could sense Chen Zhou's emotions.

It nudged Chen Zhou with its big head, then stuck out its tongue to lick Chen Zhou's face.

Having eaten meat all day long, the saliva of the saw-toothed tiger naturally has a foul smell.

For Chen Zhou, who has a sensitive sense of smell, this smell has always been his least favorite. However, this time he did not push Hu Sanwa away, nor did he refuse.

After expressing his affection, Tiger Three Cub lay down on his side next to Chen Zhou, exposing his belly.

Chen Zhou smiled, pounced on Tiger Three, rubbed the warm, fluffy creature, and played with it for a while before getting up and opening the red box.

……

The two vials of medicine and the contract were presented in the box. Chen Zhou suppressed all his smile and picked up the instruction manual for the golden medicine to read it.

Type II gene-edited drugs (defensive)
Main functions: 1. Enhance tissue toughness and improve the tear resistance, puncture resistance and blunt force resistance of skin, muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and visceral membranes.

Second, it increases bone density and improves the bones' resistance to bending and fracture.

Third, the damage repair is accelerated, mainly manifested in the increased speed and efficiency of hemostasis, inflammation control, and tissue regeneration (skin, muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel) after physical injury.

Fourth, it increases pain tolerance, enhances the nervous system's perception of pain signals, raises the response threshold to pain signals, and inhibits some pain transmission.

Fifth, it optimizes energy reserves and metabolic capacity, allowing for more efficient use of energy and faster metabolism of waste products during the recovery process.

6. Improves body structure (joints, fascia, etc.), enhancing the body's ability to cushion and disperse impact.

Notes:
1. Before injecting this drug, please be sure to inject the 'STITCHRI' type gene editing drug in advance.

This gene-modifying agent can prevent you from experiencing severe rejection reactions after injection.

II. Side Effects Description:

This medication has the potential for significant side effects.

The side effects of systemic, multi-gene modification are extremely complex and unpredictable, and the risks are extremely high. The Rift Tribunal cannot guarantee the success of gene modification after injection.

The injection must be performed by a person who is conscious and completely voluntary. The Division of Boundaries will not be held responsible for any accidents that occur.

It should be noted that possible side effects after receiving the injection include—

1. Cancer.

2. Loss of function of important genes leading to organ failure or metabolic diseases.

3. Unpredictable developmental or physiological abnormalities.

4. Abnormal targeting effect.

5. Overexpression: Even if the editing results are correct, excessive gene expression may lead to side effects such as excessive tissue fibrosis and hardening.

6. Incorrect expression location: The gene is activated in a tissue or cell type that should not be expressed, which may lead to ectopic ossification of soft tissue.

7, 8, 9, 10…

"15. Changes in pain threshold may cause recipients to overlook serious harm and delay treatment."

16. Increased metabolic burden: Maintaining high-strength tissues and accelerating repair requires more energy and nutrients, which may lead to metabolic stress.

17. Ethical issues: The effects of gene editing are permanent. After receiving the injection, the individual's health, aging rate, and offspring will all be affected, which may raise ethical concerns.

............"

The side effects outweigh the benefits of injectable modification drugs.

It begins with the dreaded disease of cancer and continues with a long list of topics, including social ethics, social equality, and the recognition of human identity.

Chen Zhou had initially thought this thing had only benefits and no drawbacks, but after reading it, he couldn't help but hesitate—

"Is the Time and Space Administration giving out rewards or using me as a guinea pig?"
Completely voluntary?

Well said!

"If you don't want the injection, then take me back! You're just being a hypocrite, doing the deed and then claiming it was voluntary. What a load of rubbish!"

After cursing under his breath, Chen Zhou wished he could break the vial and throw it on the ground.

But reason still controlled his body. No matter how much he hated the Time and Space Administration, or the so-called Rift Tribunal, he couldn't destroy the potion, since it was his only hope of going home.

After receiving the injection, head to "Ambrose." Even if you fail to complete the contract mission, staying there for ten or eight years is better than staying in this prehistoric wasteland. At least there you can find people to communicate with.

Here, the closest creature is the three-headed saw-toothed tiger.

He sighed, put the golden potion back, and then took out the azure blue potion.

Like the type II gene-editing agents, this agent belongs to the series II, but its function is to enhance reactivity.

The instructions for this drug are also densely filled with various functions and precautions. And like the defensive modification drug, the reactive drug also requires an effective period of anywhere from one week to half a month.

It's impossible to become a superhero with a single injection, like in the movies.

Looking up at the sky and then down at the red box for a while, Chen Zhou knew he had no way out.

However, before officially injecting the drug and signing the contract, he cautiously took out the contract and began to browse through his "indenture".

Unfortunately, the Tribunal for the Rift did not provide any further information in the contract.

In the instructions for the drug, they were meticulous about everything, but they were extremely sparing with words about Ambrose and the murderous family that was entrenched there. They didn't mention a single thing about the era, Ambrose's location, the specific number of people in the murderous family, their military deployment, or even the specific members of the family.

It can be said that after signing the contract and setting off, he had to investigate intelligence alone in unfamiliar territory.

Moreover, judging from the place name, he is most likely heading to a Western country.

In a place dominated by white and black people, the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar Asian face would likely attract a lot of unnecessary trouble and make the killer family more likely to notice.

Gritting his teeth, Chen Zhou could feel the full malice of the Rift Tribunal even through a piece of parchment.

"Damn it, at worst I'll just stay put after I get there. Anyway, there's no time limit in the contract. As long as the killer doesn't come after me, what does it matter how long the mission lasts..."

Knowing that the Tribunal of the Rift would not leave any loopholes for him, Chen Zhou still secretly vented his anger in a very self-deceptive manner.

He put down the contract, rubbed Tiger Three's belly again, and then decisively picked up the medicine and injected it in the order of gold first and then blue.

As the metallic liquid inside the syringe disappeared, Chen Zhou felt a chill run through his body.

The chill was far below minus sixty-five degrees Celsius, yet it made him shiver more than the extreme cold outside, to the point that he uncontrollably chattered his teeth and began to tremble.

Waves of pain, accompanied by an icy chill that seemed to freeze the entire body, spread to every inch of skin and even every cell.

Chen Zhou collapsed beside the campfire, still conscious, though his vision was becoming increasingly blurry.

The leaping flames seemed to have encountered a whirlpool in the deep sea, swirling and spreading their red color, engulfing the heavens and the earth.

In an instant, the vast grassland still covered with snow and the flickering flames disappeared, replaced by dense vegetation, a somewhat uneven asphalt road, and metal road signs shrouded in the night.

The paint on the road sign had long since peeled off, and it was crookedly stuck on the side of the road. Two rusty Arabic numerals and a few English letters "Route 66" could still be vaguely seen on it.

The chirping of insects echoed, dragging Chen Zhou from the dead of winter into the height of summer. The asphalt road was releasing the heat it had absorbed during the day, but this could not dispel the chill he felt.

Gritting his teeth, Chen Zhou forced himself to stand up using the trees around him. Faced with this unfamiliar territory, he dared not rashly walk onto the road.

He's currently undergoing genetic modification, and his combat strength is less than one-tenth of what it used to be. If he were to encounter a serial killer at this time, he would likely lose his life. For now, it's best to hide and gather intelligence once his body has recovered somewhat. (End of Chapter)