Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Gaps in Time

Wu You was dressed in a custom-made field training uniform, carrying a simple backpack. In his hand, he held a sharp machete, and an M16 rifle hung from his pack. Not far from him were Little Black and another strange creature.

This creature was about half the size of Little Black, with eight spider-like legs, two pairs of compound eyes on its head, and two flexible antennae above them. A scorpion-like tail with a barbed tip, shimmering with a hint of metallic sheen, swung behind it. Its speed was in no way inferior to Little Black’s, and it traversed rocks and trees with equal ease.

Flying lower in the sky was the ever-useful Ghost Leech Mosquito, while higher above soared a white eagle-like beast, similar in size to a bald eagle. Besides a raptor’s usual features, its tail bore three long, unique feathers, each half the length of its body, swaying as it flew.

All four were advanced black-iron creatures. Little Black and the Ghost Leech Mosquito needed no further mention, but the Velvet Spider Scorpion was particularly remarkable—not only did it adapt to all terrain, but within twenty meters, it could spit a bio-fiber net with strong adhesive and paralytic effects. Its tail hook served both as a sharp cutting blade and as a venomous stinger.

It was an alchemical creation, combining velvet worms, wolf spiders, and Palestinian deathstalkers. Though it was the only second-level alchemical creature not yet reaching the bronze grade, Wu You was thoroughly satisfied with it, having deliberately suppressed its potential during alchemy.

Another creature, the White Eagle, was created through the alchemy of a golden eagle and a rattlesnake. The three long tail feathers were filled with numerous cavities, acting as infrared receptors. Not only did it possess superb vision, but it could also detect infrared thermal images within several hundred meters.

With these four black-iron creatures clearing the way, plus Wu You’s current strength, reflexes, and the M16 on his back, his safety in Beast Mountain was all but assured.

Wu You had been inside for more than half a day. Starting from the place where he’d fallen from the waterfall, he searched along the river, circling the area for a long time without any trace of the brown bear.

He was now heading toward the spot where he first encountered the bear—beneath the huge stone where he once sheltered from the rain. He planned to search in reverse order of his encounters and locations; if he still found nothing, there would be nothing more he could do.

Finally, after a dozen minutes, he reached the base of the massive boulder. Yet, there was no sign of the mountaineering pack he’d lost.

Had some other animal dragged it away, or had the brown bear returned again?

Just as Wu You was about to turn away, a small corner of something protruding from the earth caught his eye. He squatted down for a closer look, his heart giving a sudden jolt.

It looked like the end of a backpack strap.

With Little Black’s help, they quickly dug out the object buried in the soil—a battered mountaineering backpack. Apart from the small piece of torn strap above ground, the rest was half a meter deep in the dirt.

The entire pack bore numerous cuts and tears, but, being made of high-quality nylon, it showed little sign of actual decay beyond being filthy.

Everything inside was already gone.

Wu You’s brow furrowed in concentration.

When he first entered Beast Mountain, the system’s three-dimensional navigation map hadn’t given him any odd feelings, but once inside, he sensed something was off.

Why was that?

Several memories suddenly flashed through his mind.

The first time he entered Beast Mountain had been a harrowing ordeal lasting several hours, yet only a short while had passed in the real world when he returned. The second time, a near-death experience stretched over half a day, but barely a few minutes had passed outside.

Back when he first received the system, everything had felt so fantastical that he’d just blamed the system and hadn’t thought more on it. But after returning from the Eastern Domain, Wu You had begun to ponder the issue of time, though he hadn’t delved deeply into it.

Now, seeing the state of the mountaineering pack, it was clear that no animal would be so bored as to bury it, and there were no obvious drag marks. It seemed more like it had been gradually covered by soil over time, and to reach this state...

Could it be that, since his last entry, several years, perhaps even decades, had already passed inside Beast Mountain?

What exactly was the nature of Beast Mountain’s existence? Was this place a gap in time, drifting outside the normal chronological flow?

Wu You once again thought of so-called deities and recalled the classic film "Interstellar" he’d seen long ago.

None of this was a problem he could solve now, nor was there any need to try.

But this led to a new conclusion: the brown bear he had once hated so deeply was most likely long gone. Forests and landscapes could withstand the erosion of decades, but animals usually could not. Considering a bear’s lifespan of twenty to thirty years, and that the one he’d encountered was not young, even if it hadn’t died from disease or battle, it would likely have decomposed by now.

So be it. Since that was the case, he would focus on his primary mission here: capturing materials.

First on the list—a tiger.

As the traditional "king of beasts," Wu You had long been fascinated by tigers. But in the past, he hadn’t had the strength to capture one in Beast Mountain, and smuggling one in the real world was both impractical and dangerous.

A tiger with a "king" mark on its forehead was crouched atop a rock, eyes locked on a group of elk grazing not far below.

The wind from above carried away scents, while the rock blocked the tiger from view. The elk grazed warily, scanning their surroundings. If nothing unexpected happened, the herd would lose another member today.

A hundred meters above, a pair of pale gray eyes watched everything unfolding below.

Wu You gave the order, and both the Ghost Leech Mosquito and the Velvet Spider Scorpion launched their attacks.

The tiger felt neither assault nor pain, but swiftly lost control of its limbs, its eyelids growing heavy. Of the elk, all except one—who happened to dart behind a tree—were ensnared by sticky white webs.

Pain and numbness from the silk quickly sapped their strength, leaving them helpless.

Wu You watched it all unfold from the distant trees.

Both the elk and the tiger would be his.

Minutes later:

Notification: Capture successful. Material obtained: Male Bengal Tiger.
Notification: Capture successful. Material obtained: Male Elk.
Notification: Capture successful. Material obtained: Male Elk.
Notification: Capture successful. Material obtained: Female Elk.

After capturing the last elk, Wu You stood up.

Next was the Andean condor, or the Andean vulture.

Vultures all have hearty appetites and powerful digestive systems, capable of digesting even bones. Zoologists had once conducted an experiment: weaving a soft metal cage from fine metal chains, placing fresh meat inside, and letting a vulture swallow it. Less than a minute later, when the cage was retrieved, all the meat had been digested.

Such is the ferocity of their digestion.

The Andean condor, being the largest vulture—and the largest flying bird in the world—was especially notable for both its digestive prowess and longevity.