Chapter 1: What Crime Has Been Committed?

Damn it!

Who’s pulling at me?!

Don’t they know I haven’t really slept in days?

Gu Xiaomai tried to lift her hand to swat away whatever was disturbing her precious sleep, but no matter how hard she tried, her arm wouldn’t move. Instead, the force tugging at her only grew stronger.

She woke with a start, eyes snapping open to see a thin, dirty-faced boy squatting beside her, his clothes patched atop patches. He was shaking her by the shoulder.

Seeing her awake, the boy grinned, revealing two small, sharp canine teeth. “You’re up! Brother Chen said we’re leaving soon, you’d better get up!”

With that, the boy didn’t wait for her reaction and went to stand beside another youth not far away.

Gu Xiaomai was completely at a loss, having no idea what the boy was talking about.

She had just pulled several all-nighters and, after submitting her thesis at the last possible moment, had gone home to catch up on sleep.

So why was she lying on the ground now?

Her body felt weak and cold, her head was foggy, and there was a stabbing pain where her heart was—but it was still within her tolerance.

She forced herself to sit up. Not far ahead stood a group of people dressed in rags, each clutching a sack tightly. Their faces ranged from numb to frightened, with a faint trace of hope, perhaps?

She looked around. On either side was barren land, dust and dead grass swirling in the wind, with only a few tender green shoots clinging to life. Not far behind her was a wall gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.

A wall of gold?

Gu Xiaomai rubbed her eyes, half-blinded by the glare, and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.

Heavens! Was this place really so extravagant?

She wanted to pry a piece loose and take it with her!

Chasing away such untimely thoughts, she glanced again between the golden wall behind her and the ragged people in front of her. The jarring contrast between poverty and opulence was overwhelming. Where on earth was she?

“Come get your nutrient packs. We need to depart soon.”

“Two per person, that’s for the journey. Keep them safe—if you lose them, you’re on your own!”

“Now! Line up!”

Gu Xiaomai looked toward the source of the voice. The ragged group began lining up, while nearby, several people in vivid red uniforms stood with guns, maintaining order.

Her eyes widened, heart pounding.

Guns?!

Why did these people have guns?

She swallowed nervously, trying to force her muddled mind to work. Had she been kidnapped in her sleep and trafficked to some lawless borderland?

Unable to make sense of her current predicament, her instincts told her to keep her head down and go along with the crowd, at least for now. She should listen and line up for the nutrient packs.

After a moment’s rest, Gu Xiaomai struggled to her feet, only to realize something was terribly wrong—this wasn’t her original body.

The old knife scar left by her father’s strict training was gone from her soft, fair left hand, and she’d shrunk a good deal in height.

A strange place, a stranger’s body.

A dreadful thought crept in—had she really transmigrated after all those sleepless nights?

If she’d known this would happen, why had she slaved away at her thesis?

All that effort, for nothing!

She thought of the body she’d left behind—would anyone take care of it? Would her family’s ancestral knife fall into the hands of her greedy aunt?

But it was all moot now. Could she even return?

The only thing that mattered was figuring out what was happening and how to survive. The body she was in now looked like it could drop dead at any moment.

Thinking back to what the boy with the sharp teeth had said, it seemed the original owner of this body was supposed to travel with this group.

But compared to the others—small, dark-skinned, wearing rags—this body was unscarred by labor, dressed in clean, whole clothes (though now dusted with dirt from lying on the ground). She looked out of place here, as did her attire.

With no memory of this body’s past, she had no choice but to totter over to where the line had formed.

Luckily, by the time she arrived, only a frail old man stood ahead of her; otherwise, the wait would have been unbearable.

She sized up the man distributing the nutrient packs. His skin was dark, a savage scar running from his brow down the entire left side of his face. He wore bright red clothes, somewhat like a military uniform, but in a color she’d never seen used for such. A broadsword was strapped to his back, and his belt bulged—probably with a gun. He looked like someone not to be trifled with.

Soon, it was her turn.

“Name!” barked the voice that had earlier ordered them to line up.

Not knowing the original owner’s name, Gu Xiaomai had to take a gamble, mumbling quietly, “Gu Xiaomai.”

The man merely glanced at her, marked something on his paper, and she breathed a sigh of relief—the original owner must have shared her name.

She accepted the nutrient packs.

Immediately, she felt the stares of those around her, as if their eyes could pierce her hand.

Her scalp tingled. Without hesitation, she gulped down both packs at once; only then did the prickling sensation subside.

As soon as she finished, the man stepped back, mounted a small rise, and shouted, “Gather—up—!”

The crowd, clutching their rations, converged once more.

“I am your leader, Wei Gang. Whatever brought you here, you now have only one identity—members of the E4 Pioneer Squad. You have one task—follow orders!”

He swept his gaze over the group. “If you get hurt or die, it’s your own responsibility!”

“You all know the dangers of the wasteland. If you’re hellbent on testing how deadly the corrupted creatures are, go ahead—but don’t drag anyone else down with you.”

“Our mission is urgent. We must reach the logistics camp by nightfall tomorrow. Move out—!”

At his command, those in red began organizing the crowd into a marching formation.

Gu Xiaomai scanned the group, spotting the boy with sharp teeth—and another youth at his side.

She sidled closer to Wei Gang, not blocking his path, but keeping near.

He noticed, but said nothing. His only requirement was that everyone follow orders and don’t cause trouble. As long as he got these people safely to the E4 outpost of the Eastern Frontier Corps, his job was done.

As the two boys passed, Gu Xiaomai quickly joined them.

She flashed a sweet smile at the boy who’d woken her. “Thank you for waking me earlier. What’s your name?”

He grinned back. “I’m Corn. And you?”

“I’m Gu Xiaomai,” she replied, then looked toward the other youth.

He, like Corn, had a dirty face, but his bright, phoenix-shaped eyes held a steadiness and determination beyond his years.

“You must be Brother Chen, the one Corn mentioned. Thank you for asking him to wake me.”

Jiang Chen’an nodded slightly.

“May I walk with you?” Gu Xiaomai asked tentatively. In an unfamiliar place, she figured she needed someone to help her get her bearings.

Jiang Chen’an nodded again. “Of course.”

Seeing his agreement, Corn grinned. “It’s good to have company on the road. Xiaomai, are you not feeling well? You’re out of breath after just a few steps, and you look awfully pale.”

Gu Xiaomai touched her own face. “Yes, I’m not feeling well.”

“Oh, that’s rough! We’ve got to hurry for a day and a half, and as soon as we arrive, they won’t let us rest—we’ll be put straight to work.”

“Where are we going? What kind of work?” she asked.

Corn looked surprised. “We’re a pioneer squad, of course we’re going to open up new land. Didn’t you know?”

Gu Xiaomai wasn’t sure whether to nod or shake her head.

If she shook her head, she’d stand out, since everyone here presumably knew their purpose. But if she pretended to know, she might get caught later.

Fortunately, Corn didn’t wait for her answer. He studied her for a moment, then asked, “You’re so young—what did you do to get sent here? Didn’t your family have enough points to spare you?”

“Out on the wasteland, you have to deal with extreme weather and corrupted creatures. Someone like you probably won’t last a few days before…” He trailed off before finishing the grim thought.

Every word landed like a blow to Gu Xiaomai’s nerves, filling her with dread.

This sounded all too much like the settings of apocalypse or wasteland novels she’d read.

If that was true, she almost wished to die again—maybe, if she was quick enough, her body back there would still be warm and she could return.

What a miserable way to begin!

Her head ached.

She pressed her bloodless lips together and said, half-truthfully, “I’ve been sick lately, my mind is foggy. I don’t remember what happened, or if I committed a crime to end up here. Do you know how I got sent to this place?”

Corn replied, “We all waited inside the east gate of the base overnight. When the gates opened, we were led out. You were brought over by the patrol after Captain Wei arrived.”

Given the state of this body, Gu Xiaomai guessed the previous owner had indeed committed some offense, but what could a pampered girl have done? Or perhaps she’d been falsely accused?

She’d even been slotted into this group ahead of schedule, unable to wait for the next batch of pioneers.

Though the sun was up and the air warming, Gu Xiaomai felt only a chill, as if a shroud of mist enveloped her, blocking out all warmth and clarity. She shivered to the bone, her heart growing colder with each breath.

Suddenly, she staggered and collapsed forward.

Jiang Chen’an, who had been watching her closely, reacted instantly, stepping forward and catching her before she hit the ground.

Corn, who’d been walking ahead, jumped in alarm. “You scared me!”

He quickly checked to see if she was still breathing. “Brother Chen, she’s alive.”

Both boys let out a sigh of relief—alive was good enough.

Passersby glanced at the three of them, but no one said a word.

Jiang Chen’an and Corn helped Gu Xiaomai out of the line. Jiang Chen’an said, “Go ask Captain Wei what we should do now.”