129: Another world

Lin Luo felt his entire skeleton let out a groan of being overburdened; the power of that Air Cannon far exceeded his imagination. He forced himself to take a breath, and before the second attack came whistling in, he violently kicked off the rock wall behind him, using the recoil to accelerate his descent toward the side and below.

The wind howled in his ears, and the dark green sea of trees below rapidly enlarged in his field of vision. Finally, he smashed heavily onto the massive, canopy-like leaf of a towering ancient tree like a cannonball!

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, the elastic leaf surface only cushioned him for a moment before it could no longer support him, allowing his body to continue falling downward.

"Crack..."

His back slammed hard against a thick tree trunk below, and sharp pain shot through his entire body. He tumbled out of control, finally falling powerlessly onto a thick leaf on a lower level, like a bird with broken wings.

The world spun around him.

The violent shock made his vision go dark, and his internal organs felt as if they had shifted out of place. Had it not been for that last sliver of Spiritual Energy in his Dantian instinctively protecting his heart, his internal organs would likely have shattered by now, and he would have perished here.

He lay on the slightly swaying leaf, gasping for breath, with every inhalation pulling at the pain across his body. Looking up, the sky was fragmented by layers of strange, massive leaves.

"At least... I survived."

Before he could finish letting out that half-breath, he realized with a shock that he was confined as if by invisible shackles—his consciousness was clear, but his body was so heavy he couldn't move an inch. Even more alarming was that his breathing had become unusually sluggish; every breath felt like fighting against a viscous resistance, and his internal organs felt a distinct sense of oppressive bloating.

The gravity here was absolutely abnormal.

Crisis followed crisis.

A sharp sound of flapping wings approached. A giant insect about the size of a human suddenly appeared—it looked like a dragonfly, its compound eyes flickering with a cold metallic luster. Its pair of hideous, serrated mouthparts kept opening and closing as it charged straight at the immobile Lin Luo!

An intense sense of crisis instantly broke through his physical constraints. Lin Luo gritted his teeth, forcing his pained body to move by sheer will, rolling away at the last second. He scrambled toward the thicker trunk beneath the leaf, trying to find cover.

But more flapping sounds rang out from all directions. Looking around, dozens of similarly massive strange insects were emerging from the shadows of the forest, their compound eyes all locking onto him, the intruder.

Lin Luo leaned against the trunk, cold sweat soaking his back. Under the constraints of the abnormal gravity, every dodge consumed a massive amount of energy, not to mention trying to mobilize his sluggish Spiritual Energy. Faced with the frenzied assault of the insect swarm, he could only dodge frantically based on combat instinct, struggling to maneuver among the branches, soon finding himself overwhelmed.

Just as he was on the brink of despair, the world suddenly went dark.

A giant palm covered in silver fur tore through the sky, sweeping across with an overwhelming Aura. The insect swarm, which had been so fierce just a moment ago, was scattered like dust before this absolute power.

Lin Luo clung tightly to a branch and looked up, his breath catching in his throat—

A silver-backed giant ape, as towering as a mountain, stood between heaven and earth, its fur flowing with a mercury-like luster. Its low breathing caused the entire forest to tremble slightly.

Suddenly, a bone-chilling roar echoed from deep within the dense forest. The giant ape instantly entered a combat state, its massive body exploding with agility that defied its size. It actually kicked down the towering ancient tree Lin Luo was on, swinging the entire giant tree like a war club!

"Boom!"

The giant tree, carrying the force of ten thousand tons, smashed toward a beast emerging from the forest. The monster resembled a lion or tiger, its mouth full of interlocking fangs glinting coldly, its two curved canines looking like the scythes of a death god.

Lin Luo took the opportunity to roll out from the falling canopy, hiding behind a rock and holding his breath.

Before he could steady himself, the "tree club" swung by the giant ape swept through with destructive power. The rock he was hiding behind was instantly shattered like a fragile eggshell, and he was thrown flying by the massive impact.

As the world spun, he slammed heavily onto the muddy ground. Before he could recover, a deafening crashing sound filled his ears—

Without him noticing, the surroundings had been enveloped in a dense curtain of rain.

And this was by no means ordinary rain.

Each raindrop was incredibly massive, its diameter comparable to his head, falling at a staggering speed. They hit the ground with a dull boom, instantly leaving deep craters.

Lin Luo crouched low in a pathetic state, knowing he had to escape immediately. He gritted his teeth, spotted a relatively sparse gap in the rain curtain, funneled his remaining strength into his legs, and lunged forward—

The moment he passed through the thick water curtain, a strange sensation of being peeled away washed over his body. As if passing through an invisible membrane, the deafening sound of the storm behind him stopped abruptly.

He stumbled a step to steady himself and turned back in astonishment.

Behind him was an incredibly clear boundary. On that side of the line, the storm raged like a waterfall, the destructive raindrops battering the earth into a pockmarked mess; on this side, the sunlight was warm, a breeze blew through the lush jungle, and everything was peaceful and serene.

The seemingly peaceful meadow before him was dotted with countless toads that had bird beaks. They lay quietly among the grass, and though they looked strange, they exuded a harmless dullness.

"They look weird, but they shouldn't be dangerous..."

Just as this thought flashed through Lin Luo's mind, the toad closest to him suddenly opened its beak—deep within its throat were rows of densely packed, sharp teeth!

"Gaa—!"

With a piercing screech, the toad suddenly catapulted upward, its bird beak wide open, lunging straight for his ankle!

Like a signal, the "Bird-Beaked Toads" across the entire meadow instantly boiled over. They all opened their hideous mouthparts, letting out one screech after another, jumping and biting at Lin Luo from all directions!

"No way, is there anything in this hellhole that's actually harmless!" Lin Luo growled as he dodged frantically.

"Young man, it won't do to barge into the Gourmet World alone without being fully prepared."

Lin Luo looked toward the voice and saw a tall man standing by a tree. He had a Pompadour hairstyle and wore a black tight-fitting combat suit that outlined his lean, powerful physique, holding two uniquely shaped Anesthesia Guns in his hands.

Before his voice had even faded, the man had already acted. The dual guns spat out a dense flurry of Anesthesia Needles, covering the field like a precise swarm of bees. Under his sharp and elegant assault, the ferocious Bird-Beaked Toads were almost instantly subdued, collapsing unconscious on the ground.

"This beast is called the Bird-Beaked Toad; they have a habit of moving in groups," the man's steady voice echoed in the forest. "Once they encounter danger, they call for countless companions to come as reinforcements."

As if to confirm his words, a dense rustling sound suddenly erupted from the distant woods. In an instant, countless Bird-Beaked Toads surged from all directions like a tide, opening their tooth-filled beaks and letting out heart-stopping screeches.

Faced with this overwhelming assault, the man unhurriedly stepped forward. The Anesthesia Guns in his hands were as steady as a rock, every pull of the trigger precisely hitting a target. Even surrounded by the beast tide, his steps remained composed, each shot perfectly striking the most threatening individuals.

In just a short while, the area around him was filled with sleeping Bird-Beaked Toads.

"Strong, ridiculously strong..." Lin Luo witnessed this man's methods; even in his prime, he could never have performed with such ease in such a dangerous situation.

Just then, that deafening roar echoed again from the distance. Two massive figures that blotted out the sky broke through the dense forest—it was the two giant beasts that had been fighting earlier! Wherever they passed, towering ancient trees fell like blades of grass, and the aftershocks of their battle whipped up a gale that sent Lin Luo flying several meters again.

"Tsk, how annoying."

The man casually pulled off his outer garment, revealing his lean physique. He tapped a certain spot on his shoulder, and his entire body suddenly trembled violently, as if some restraint had been released. His muscles expanded and swelled in an instant, and within a few breaths, he transformed into a colossus level with the giant ape, a terrifying pressure spreading out like something physical.

"If you want to fight, get lost," his low voice rumbled like thunder, "monkey and kitten."

The giant ape and the lion-tiger beast let out threatening growls, but they instantly froze at the man's shout of "Shut up!" The two massive creatures actually bristled like startled house cats and fled back into the depths of the forest in a panic.

After gaining a brief moment of peace, the man invited Lin Luo to rest by the campfire. He efficiently started a camp fire and skewered several snail-like insects to roast. As the grease dripped into the fire with a sizzling sound, an indescribable aroma of meat filled the air.

This aroma made Lin Luo feel a long-lost sense of intense hunger—especially after entering this world, his body's craving for food had become exceptionally sharp.

During the break, from the other's self-introduction, Lin Luo learned that this powerhouse was named Jiro, a "Gourmet Hunter" who lived by searching for the world's delicacies. This special class of professionals could not only adapt to various extreme environments but also possessed terrifying strength beyond common logic. Through special cultivation methods, they could even undergo an Awakening of various incredible abilities.

"The area you're in right now," Jiro said, turning the skewers in his hand while his gaze swept over the perilous jungle, "is an undeveloped region called the 'Gourmet World.' A Gourmet Hunter without enough strength couldn't survive here for even a day."

As he spoke, he handed a golden-brown, fragrant meat skewer to Lin Luo. Lin Luo took it and took a small bite; the rich meat aroma instantly exploded in his mouth, making him exclaim, "Delicious!"

It was a unique flavor he had never experienced before—the meat was elastic yet full of juice, and every chew released layers of rich savoriness. Aside from the most direct word "delicious," he couldn't find a more suitable term to describe this experience that shocked his taste buds.

"Speaking of which, I'm quite unlucky," Lin Luo took another large bite and couldn't help but remark. "Falling from ten thousand meters up, if I hadn't luckily landed on thick leaves, by now I'd probably be..."

He shook his head and didn't continue, but recalling the dangerous experience just now, he still felt a lingering fear.

"I happen to be heading back now," Jiro said, tidying up the campfire and glancing at Lin Luo. "Just follow me."

This experienced Gourmet Hunter really couldn't bear to watch this "scrawny" unlucky boy fend for himself in the Gourmet World.

Hearing this, Lin Luo's eyes flashed with joy and gratitude: "In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Jiro."

Jiro waved his hand dismissively, while Lin Luo sped up his eating, finishing the remaining roast meat in a few bites.