...
She finally awoke from her slumber.
But she couldn't open her eyes. She was so weak that even the weight of her eyelids was too much to bear. Her body didn't feel like her own; she couldn't move.
It was as if her will had been separated from her body. Her thoughts could no longer command her physical form.
— Or did she even have a body anymore?
Lou Xinrui was instantly seized by panic.
*I want to wake up, I want to wake up, I want to wake up…!*
Perhaps driven by a survival instinct, this thought became unprecedentedly strong. Then, at a certain moment, as if a previously disconnected interface had been reconnected, she still had no strength, but she could begin to perceive her surroundings.
The air was a mix of breeze, soil, the dampness of water, and the scent of grass blades. Her ears could hear the sound of leaves rustling in the wind, and also a rustling noise coming from not far to her left, like something alive moving. Her body could feel that she was lying flat on her back, on a surface that was hard and uneven, with a very thin mat separating her body from the ground.
— This wasn't her home.
*What's going on? I remember I was sleeping in my regeneration pod… Where is this…?*
No one could answer her.
*Kidnapping?*
And this feeling of being unable to move, it seemed like the reaction to being injected with a muscle relaxant or something… Most importantly, this place, so close to nature, surely couldn't be near a town… Could it be in some nature reserve?
Before she could finish her thoughts, the environment around her first began to change. The sound of several footsteps approached this place. More precisely, they were approaching the living thing that was moving on her left.
"You're here, Doctor," a woman's voice came from that direction. The thing that had been moving earlier must have been this woman.
*Doctor? Is this a hospital?*
But what kind of hospital would be in a place like this?
"Mm. Has anyone woken up?" This time it was a young man's voice. He must be the 'Doctor'.
"Doesn't seem like it. You should check."
The man called 'Doctor' acknowledged, took a few steps in her direction. After a rustling sound, there was a brief silence — that was probably him checking. Then another rustle and footsteps, the Doctor repeating the process, getting closer and closer to her.
It wasn't until the fourth check that his voice came again. This time, what he said sent a chill down her spine: "This one is dead. Take her out."
The few people who had followed the Doctor did as he said, lifting the person he had checked before, and their footsteps gradually faded away.
*…I didn't hear that wrong, did I? He, that 'Doctor', definitely said 'dead'…*
What truly frightened her wasn't just the content of those words, but the indifferent tone in the Doctor's voice as he said them, and the lack of any reaction from the people around him, as if they were completely used to it.
Now she understood at least three things. One, there were certainly quite a few other people lying here like her, arranged in a row on the ground. Two, some of these people had already died, and after death, they were carried away from here. Three, the Doctor and that woman were most likely the 'people in charge' here…
*Could it be there was an earthquake or some other natural disaster while I was sleeping, and we were rescued and put in collective care?*
Just as she was thinking this, the Doctor was checking on each person one by one. He had discovered another dead person, and before she could prepare herself, the Doctor arrived by her side.
*— Find me, I'm still alive! Please, save me!*
Lou Xinrui chanted in her heart, but she had no strength to say it out loud.
She couldn't help but hold her breath, her physical awareness concentrating on the sense of touch like never before. She felt the Doctor first take her left wrist to check her pulse. Confirming she had a pulse, he pressed two fingers onto her right eyelid, then the finger underneath flipped her eyelid open.
…She sensed light. Tears welled up in her eyes from the sudden stimulation.
Probably because he had to examine many people, the Doctor's movements were a bit impatient and rough. Uncomfortable, she instinctively squinted.
This was a reflex everyone had. The Doctor didn't make a judgment based solely on this. He carefully examined her pupil, realizing she was looking in his direction.
"Are you awake? If you are, look at my finger." He raised his index finger and moved it left and right, waiting until he confirmed Lou Xinrui's eye was moving to follow his finger.
Because of the tears in her eyes, she couldn't see her surroundings clearly, only a vague outline of a figure. Although it was uncomfortable having her eyelid flipped open, she still tried her best to do as the Doctor said.
"— Yanzi, she seems to be awake," the Doctor called out in the woman's direction, letting go of her hand. The woman named 'Yanzi', accompanied by a rustling sound and footsteps, came to her right side.
"Hey, are you awake?" the Doctor asked. He quickly noticed Lou Xinrui didn't react at all. After a pause, he added, "She's very weak, Yanzi. Go get some sweet tree sap."
"Okay," Yanzi's voice was very young.
Although she couldn't open her eyes to see, she could hear Yanzi's footsteps walking outwards. The Doctor sat her upper body up, someone else immediately placed a cushion behind her, and then she was laid back against it.
"It's alright. The reason you can't move right now is just because… you've been unconscious for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied a bit. With some walking, you'll be able to move like usual soon." The Doctor's voice at this moment was like that of any ordinary doctor comforting a patient, without any of the previous coldness.
*So it wasn't because of some unknown drug.*
— One problem solved, but then more questions surfaced.
*Wasn't I sleeping at home? It was a very ordinary day. But why was I unconscious for so long that my muscles atrophied? Are the other people here also unconscious? What event caused so many people to fall unconscious? If I hadn't woken up in time, would I have died in my sleep like that person carried out just now?*
Lou Xinrui's heart trembled, and she was deeply confused, but she had no strength to voice it. At least she now confirmed that the Doctor and Yanzi, along with their group, probably wouldn't harm her for the time being.
Yanzi's footsteps returned at the right moment, approaching her.
"You feed her."
Yanzi didn't speak, probably just nodded. She supported Lou Xinrui with one hand and brought a bowl to her lips with the other, carefully using the rim to part her lips. Lou Xinrui used what little strength she had to open her mouth slightly, letting Yanzi pour the contents in bit by bit.
This 'sweet tree sap' wasn't actually very sweet. It was semi-fluid, with a texture somewhat like honey, but the taste was slightly bitter. However, it left a slight sweetness after swallowing, probably why it got that name.
"You haven't eaten for too long, drink this first to sustain you," the Doctor explained from the side. Then he said to the people nearby, "She's awake now. Leaving her here might risk infection. Could you carry her to…"
"My place," Yanzi interjected. "We're all women, it's more convenient to stay together."
"Mm, take her to Yanzi's room."
A male voice from the side acknowledged, and then she felt herself being lifted. They headed towards the exit. After just a few steps, she sensed light — they must be outside now.
The sound of leaves rustling in the wind, the smells of soil and water were even more pronounced. She could even clearly hear the crunching sound of footsteps on leaves.
By now, none of that mattered anymore. She already had a premonition of the change in her surroundings and, as if trying to escape, forced herself not to think about it…
---
**Yanzi.**
Hearing the Doctor's voice, Yanzi snapped out of her thoughts. She turned towards him and asked with a smile, "How is that girl who woke up yesterday?"
The Doctor, accustomed to doing routine checks on newly awakened people, exhaled and said, "No more problems. Probably due to that special regeneration pod she was sleeping in when found, her condition is very good. It's just that her muscles have atrophied a bit from disuse. I'll leave the next step to you. Walk her around the camp a bit to help restore muscle function."
"But what about here…?" Yanzi hesitated, looking towards the row of women who hadn't woken up yet, lying in the room.
"Ask someone else to help. That girl is the youngest among those who have woken up here. She's probably still a minor, her mentality more fragile. It's better for her to be with someone relatively familiar like you."
"I understand." Yanzi nodded, said goodbye to the Doctor, and headed to her own room, where the girl had been placed.
Actually, compared to the other unconscious women here, Yanzi was more concerned about the girl. But a sense of duty made her stay to look after the unawakened ones.
The girl who woke up yesterday looked to be under 18, with a slender build and waist-length hair. When she first woke up, her face unconsciously showed unease and fear.
This was normal. Most of those who could wake up in this camp were physically strong individuals, mostly between 20 and 35 years old. Even among these people, some had reacted hysterically upon learning their situation. Without a doubt, this girl was the youngest conscious survivor so far. That, and the fear on her face at the time, was what made Yanzi pay her special attention.
Now, Yanzi entered the room and saw the girl sitting on the bed. Noticing Yanzi had come in, she turned to observe her with a questioning look.
*Seems she's regained a bit of strength,* Yanzi thought. She used a gentler tone than usual to greet her: "Hello, do you remember me? We met yesterday. I'm Yanzi."
"I… re-mem-ber your voice," the girl nodded, her voice a bit hoarse, probably from not speaking for too long. She spoke haltingly. "Hel-lo, I am… Lou Xinrui."
Yanzi could feel the girl's hesitation in the momentary pause before stating her name, so she gave a comforting smile. "Then can I call you Xiao Rui? In the future, when others ask your name, just say Xiao Rui. It's a special custom in our camp. We just need a title; your real name is only for you and your important people to know."
"…Okay," Lou Xinrui gave a weak, puzzled smile.
This custom had started shortly after the camp was first built. For modern people, it was necessary to be cautious. Initially, none of them trusted each other, not even willing to exchange real names. So everyone used a sort of online nickname. By now, it had become a peculiar tradition.
"I'll go get you some food and water. Can you wait here for me?"
Lou Xinrui nodded, watching Yanzi leave again. She returned quickly, holding two objects that looked like gourds in her hands.
Yanzi knelt by the bed, put down what she was carrying, and used the gourd containing water to feed her. "You haven't eaten in a long time. It's better to drink some sweet tree sap first to settle your stomach."
Lou Xinrui drank the water silently, slowly. The unease she had felt earlier was temporarily soothed by Yanzi's gentle care. She wasn't without doubts. Ever since she had gained a bit of strength, sat up, and observed this place, doubts had been lingering in her mind.
The room was circular, about five meters in diameter. The walls were covered with what looked like bark from logs. The ceiling was very high, its top invisible because the light didn't reach it. The floor was packed earth. There were several things that could barely be called beds—mats of dried straw—and the one she was lying on was one of them.
And through the holes carved into the walls for light, she could see outside… a very 'large' forest.
This 'large' wasn't describing the forest's expanse, but the size of the trees. Every tree outside seemed like it had grown for ten thousand years in a primeval forest. There were hardly any trees with a diameter smaller than two meters — this led her to a thought: *Could I be in some kind of fairy tale land of Lilliput?*
Yanzi watched her finish the water and asked, "Can you get up now? I'll help you walk around a bit. It'll help your muscles recover faster."
"Okay." Lou Xinrui let Yanzi help her up, moving like a baby just learning to walk, stumbling slowly step by step towards the room's exit.
As she stepped outside, the light seemed to dazzle Lou Xinrui's eyes. She squinted for a moment, and when she adjusted and opened them again… before her truly was a forest of gigantic trees! She turned her head and, unsurprisingly, found that the room she just left was merely the hollow interior of a giant tree.
"Where… is this…?" she finally asked, her voice soft.