Volume 1 Chapter 37: The Contaminated Dinosaur

Not long after, Li Yan walked into the cave.

Everyone turned to look at him simultaneously.

In his left hand, he dragged a deer-like creature, while his right hand grasped a handful of unknown plants.

To sustain these twenty-five people, he had used the temporal locator's scanning function to confirm that the creature was edible before hunting it. Of course, he had also reported the situation to Yue Chengze.

The handful of plants—or rather, herbs—was meant to treat the several members of the team who had been poisoned.

Quite a few people had been poisoned; although it was not immediately fatal, they certainly would not survive without timely treatment.

"Teacher Zhao, you and some of the boys prepare this creature, then roast it and share it with everyone."

"These are medicinal herbs. Find a couple of stones, crush them, and apply the paste to the wounds..."

Li Yan carefully explained how to use the herbs in his hand.

Soon, everyone sprang into action.

They were simply too starved, swallowing their saliva audibly as they watched the meat roasting and sizzling with fat.

Fortunately, most of these people were students, possessing relatively high levels of compliance and discipline.

Had they been seasoned members of society, a fight probably would have broken out long ago.

Li Yan sat quietly in a corner, watching some apply medicine while others ate.

A faint smile touched the corner of his lips.

Perhaps this was one of the purposes of joining the Order of Time and Space.

Though they transcended time and space, they also protected the people of these parallel worlds.

At that moment, Ye Lele limped over to Li Yan, holding a piece of freshly roasted meat in her hand.

"Old Bai, have some."

Handing the roasted meat to Li Yan, Ye Lele wore a smile on her face.

"I'm not hungry. You guys eat, it's fine."

Ye Lele insisted, "No, you have to eat too. You've protected us all day, you must be hungry. This deer is enough for all of us, don't worry."

She assumed Li Yan was worried the food wouldn't be enough and wanted them to eat first.

In truth, however, Li Yan felt no hunger while wearing his combat suit, as the garment automatically replenished his energy.

Teacher Zhao walked over as well. Compared to the bewildered students, he appeared much more resolute.

"Old Bai, you should eat a little too. Whether we survive the days ahead depends entirely on you. If anything happens to you, none of us will make it."

The students, who had been devouring their food voraciously, all looked toward Li Yan. Their eyes carried reverence and deep reliance upon him.

Seeing this, Li Yan realized he had no choice but to eat.

"Alright then."

In truth, the meat was not particularly appetizing. Lacking salt, it tasted bland and was somewhat tough.

Yet, to the students from Nanjing Jiaotong University who had been starving for ages, it was a delicacy.

Seeing Li Yan finish eating, Ye Lele sat down beside him.

"Old Bai, can I lean on you to sleep? It'll make me feel safer," Ye Lele asked.

Because Li Yan spoke very little and kept a stern expression on his face at all times, he gave off a somewhat unapproachable vibe.

Among the many people present, quite a few female students actually wanted to curry favor with Li Yan.

Everyone knew Li Yan was their hope for survival; as long as they could stay alive, they were willing to give up a great deal.

When faced with danger, human beings often alter many of their personality traits and bottom lines.

Yet Li Yan remained perpetually solemn, inspiring both fear and respect.

Only Ye Lele dared to exchange more than a few words with him.

Li Yan felt helpless inside. In truth, he was quite talkative.

Especially since among this group of teachers and students from Nanjing Jiaotong University, quite a few possessed above-average looks.

Which man has never fantasized about suddenly transforming into a savior, with numerous young maidens throwing themselves into his arms?

Yet the Order of Time and Space did not permit him to do so.

Yue Chengze had given him strict and repeated injunctions to keep his distance from the people of World 87.

If he became too deeply entangled, memory confusion would occur when his memories were wiped later on.

Li Yan glanced at Ye Lele and nodded slightly in agreement.

Several female girls looked on with envy.

In such a perilous world, how wonderful it would be to have a powerful man capable of protecting oneself and providing a sense of security!

After all, only a short while ago, a cruel reality had taught them a lesson: in circumstances like these, anyone who still prided themselves on female independence and acted like pampered princesses would simply die—die in the most thorough sense of the word.

Carnivorous dinosaurs would not spare you just because you considered yourself a delicate princess; on the contrary, they would only find you more delicious, leaving not even a scrap of bone behind.

Ye Lele initially leaned against Li Yan's shoulder to sleep, but soon wrapped both arms around his arm and drifted into a deep slumber.

This must have been the most peaceful sleep she had experienced since arriving in this world.

Not long ago, they had not dared to sleep at all, terrified that a man-eating dinosaur might suddenly appear and devour them.

Some companions had even fallen asleep only to be bitten by strange, venomous insects, subsequently dying amidst agonizing screams.

During this brief period, they had witnessed far too much death, bloodshed, and terror.

Time passed quickly. Early the next morning, Li Yan led the group out once more.

Fortunately, Aaliya's team was also heading toward their location, a mutual convergence from both directions.

Through the communication device, Li Yan learned that Aaliya's side was having a hard time as well.

They had suffered numerous attacks along the way while also escorting many ordinary people from World 87.

After scanning with the temporal locator, they discovered that a location roughly midway between their two factions was relatively suitable for human survival.

Thus, they marched toward that destination, where many other survivors from World 87 were also gathering.

As for Yue Chengze and his group, they had been driven far to the north. If they were to escort ordinary people to rendezvous with the others, it would probably take a year or two.

Xu Tianhao and his group had it even worse. Situated even further away in a tropical rainforest, the venomous insects and fierce beasts there were far more ferocious.

The crucial issue was that the survivors accompanying them were a group of stubborn individuals who utterly refused to obey instructions.

Despite their protection, quite a few of those people had already been eaten.

Xu Tianhao cursed, "Damn it, these people are practically not fully evolved yet. Not only do they refuse to follow orders, but they also run around everywhere. Several have already died."

Leader Gu of the third team chimed in, "If worst comes to worst, just abandon them. Perhaps they'll have a better chance of survival on their own. My side is full of troublesome folks who have zero regard for hygiene. They defecate everywhere, it's completely speechless."

The third team had arrived in this world the earliest, and their group was also the largest.

By now, they numbered over five thousand people, with still more following far behind them.

There was no help for it; all the inhabitants of World 87 had been transported to this realm, and countless others were scattered in unknown locations.

They could only save as many as they could.

Once the higher-ups of the Order of Time and Space found them, they wouldn't have to struggle like this.

Five days later, Li Yan and his group finally arrived at the sanctuary recommended by the temporal locator.

This was a flat expanse of land, divided into two parts by a flowing river.

At this moment, they saw quite a few people erecting makeshift shelters on the flat ground, with some even constructing a defensive wall out of stones.

Though human beings were exceedingly fragile, they were filled with wisdom.

As long as they found a suitable place to survive, they would continuously build fortifications and arm themselves with tools.

The framework of a tribe had already taken shape here.

The group led by Li Yan now numbered over eighty people. Keeping these people alive had driven him to distraction.

"Team Leader Aaliya, we have reached the destination. How much longer will you need? Do you need me to come and meet you?" Now that they were here, gathered alongside many other humans, their survival capability had multiplied manifold.

The eighty-plus people under Li Yan's leadership could merge with this community, allowing him to free up his hands.

Aaliya replied, "We should be there in a day, no need for assistance for now."

Yet, just as her voice fell, chaotic noises echoed through the comms.

"Not good! Fierce dinosaurs are chasing us, run!"

"They're carnivorous tyrannosaurids, everyone run for your lives!"

Terrified shrieks rang out, transmitting directly into Li Yan's ears through the communicator.

One team member said in an anxious, panicked tone, "Team Leader, wait—these dinosaurs have mutated! They've been contaminated!"