High-level martial arts: Invincibility starts with basic archery.

Chapter 1 No Prey

It was getting late, and soon night would fall, completely enveloping the entire land.

Chen Fan stood in the crowd, just like most people, standing on tiptoe and gazing intently at the distant horizon.

Deep in the wilderness, the roars of ferocious beasts could be heard from time to time.

If the hunting party cannot return to the fortress before nightfall, they will face endless darkness and ferocious beasts that could attack at any moment.

Suddenly, Chen Fan felt a tight grip on his arm. Looking down, he saw his mother beside him, her face pale, clutching his arm with helpless eyes.

"Mom, don't worry, Dad and the others will be back soon, right now."

He comforted her softly.

The woman nodded, then looked up, gazing eagerly into the distance.

Chen Fan glanced around and saw that the faces of the hundreds of people were filled with anxiety and panic.

He sighed inwardly, not knowing why, he had just taken a nap on the subway and woke up to find himself transported here. Today was his second day in this world.

This world is similar to my previous life, except that ten years ago, the world underwent a dramatic change. Birds and beasts, including flowers, plants, and trees, all changed. They not only grew larger but also became cruel, bloodthirsty, and extremely aggressive.

Among humans, there have emerged awakened individuals whose mental strength far surpasses that of ordinary people. They are able to control wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. Some top-tier awakened individuals are even unafraid of firearms and can destroy an entire town from their previous life with a single strike.

Of course, the awakened ones are a very small minority. Where they live, cities gradually form, attracting survivors to go there. It is said that some large cities are just like they were ten years ago, with electricity, internet, delicious food, and clean water. People still take the subway to work and work from nine to five, just like in the past.

Resources are ultimately limited, and the vast majority of ordinary people are not qualified to enter cities, not even small ones. They can only build fortified villages to protect themselves and resist ferocious beasts.

Not to mention electricity, even the most basic safety of life cannot be guaranteed. They lack food, medicine, energy, and daily necessities, and walk on the edge of life and death every day.

For example, the original owner of the body couldn't bear the hunger any longer, so he ran away, ate some unknown wild fruit, had a high fever for three days, and eventually died, allowing the other to take over the body.

"Could it be that something really has happened?"

He couldn't help but clench his fist.

Just then, excited shouts came from the nearby wooden watchtower, which was seven or eight meters high: "They're here! They're here!"

"Really!"

"Where? Where? I can't see it?"

"They have a higher vantage point and a wider view, but we'll soon be able to see it too."

"Great, I'm finally back."

The crowd erupted in cheers. Looking into the distance, they saw small black dots slowly appearing on the horizon, getting closer and closer. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and their smiles grew even wider.

However, as the procession drew closer, the smiles on people's faces gradually froze.

A group of more than ten people were seen, carrying bows, arrows and spears, looking disheveled. Some of them were being helped along, while others were being carried. Even those who were walking normally had more or less bruises on their bodies.

It's clearly visible, but there's no prey.

Some astute observers noticed that the number of people was actually a few short.

The group slowly approached and stopped in front of the suspension bridge. The leader had a square face and a stern expression. There were several bloody wounds on his right arm, but his face was full of remorse.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The man licked his chapped lips and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, this time we encountered two mid-level ferocious beasts. They attacked suddenly, and we not only lost our original prey, but also Zhu Zi, A Hua, Xiao Gao, and the others..."

Before he could finish speaking, several people in the crowd felt a dizzying sensation and fainted.

A commotion immediately broke out in the crowd, and those around quickly lifted the unconscious person up and took him home.

The other members of the hunting party also lowered their heads in shame, not daring to look into the eyes of the elderly, women, and children.

Chen Fan's body trembled slightly.

dead?

Three people died at once.

It seems that in the original owner's memory, this was the time with the most casualties.

The square-faced man who was in charge was the original owner of the body's father, the leader who led everyone to build this earthen fortress.

Scattered sounds arose, some were soft sobbing, some were sighing, and some were offering words of comfort.

The hunting party slowly entered, and the drawbridge in front of the gate was also raised. The entire camp was surrounded by a wall more than three meters high, making it seem impregnable and giving people a rare sense of security.

The injured man's wife and children were heartbroken to see their husband so badly injured, but they were also secretly relieved when they thought of the people who had gone out with him that morning but never came back that night.

Those who suffered only minor injuries left with their families. Before long, it was completely dark, and the entire camp was plunged into darkness, with only the faint moonlight allowing them to see their surroundings.

"Guodong, your arm."

The woman grabbed the square-faced man's right arm, tears streaming down her face.

Chen Fan walked over. Having only been in this world for a few days, he was still not used to his new identity.

"I'm fine."

Chen Guodong shook his head, blaming himself, "It's all my fault. If I had discovered those two beasts sooner, Zhu Zi and the others wouldn't have... wouldn't have..."

"Snapped!"

A strong, powerful hand patted his shoulder, and a bald, burly man comforted him, saying, "Guodong, this isn't your fault. Blame this damned world. We survivors will all have our day sooner or later."

"Go home and get some rest."

He patted the latter on the shoulder again, then grinned at the serious-looking Chen Fan, and went home with his family.

"Dad, let's go back first."

Chen Fan said, "My younger brother is still at home."

Chen Guodong was taken aback, then nodded.

The entire earthen fortress fell into a deathly silence. In the nearby house, firelight flickered, and crackling sounds and weak voices could be heard from time to time.

"Mom, I'm hungry. I want to eat some more."

"Go to sleep, you won't be hungry when you're asleep."

"But I'm so hungry!"

"Listen to me, if you eat those things, there really won't be any left to eat."

The sound gradually faded away.

Chen Guodong's face showed increasing guilt.

Chen Fan caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye and sighed inwardly. Although the original owner's father was a man of few words, he was an upright and kind person.

Every time there was prey, it was divided equally among the villagers to support the elderly, women, and children, to the point that they themselves were struggling to make ends meet, causing many to complain.

Lately, we've had bad luck; there's been very little prey, and the entire village is short of food. Everyone is starving.

Winter is just around the corner. If things continue like this, we fear that a tragedy of cannibalism might actually occur.

(End of this chapter)