It was their third day wandering in the wilderness. It was now night， with faint starlight overhead and the moon shyly hiding behind the shallow clouds. Although the earth was not brightly lit， the visibility was not low. On such nights， Wu Fan could still see his slender fingers clearly when he reached out.
They set out at night and rested during the day. The nighttime temperature was tolerable， but the daytime was truly terrible. Exposed to the wilderness without a force field， it felt no different from walking in a sauna. And then there was 22， who would say，“I think，“when he wanted to express his opinion on something.
“I think it's too dangerous to travel during the day. We need to avoid their scouts. Fortunately， they don't have extra strength on the ground. The sky is our main concern， but luckily， the forces in the sky should be able to hold them back for a while“，22 said.
Wu Fan didn't care about all this. In fact， when he set out with 22， he was just bewildered， deeply worried about his uncertain future. He dared not guarantee that 22 would keep his promise and let him go home， just like Cha did.
On the first day when they left (it felt more like a kidnapping to Wu Fan than a joint departure， as he shuttled between two forces in this strange world， neither of which was friendly to each other)， he felt anxious and restless， walking ahead of 22， muttering under his breath.
Since setting foot in the outside world， new suffering had come. The base had high walls， and the sky was always filled with leaden gray clouds. Occasionally， the sun would peek out， and the quetzalcoatlus would appear and disappear in the clouds. The ground was littered with minerals， dark and gloomy. He had a premonition that all of this was manipulated for some purpose， because the ground outside was yellow-brown， the sky was cloudless for miles， and the scorching sun beat down on the road. The small bushes and unknown wildflowers were wilted. The air was hot and dry， as if breathing it would burn the entire respiratory tract.
This was probably one of the reasons they had to rest during the day and travel at night.(22 never said this， it was just Wu Fan's guess， but from the first day， 22 fixed a time to replenish water， which indicated the situation. He usually started at 10 in the morning， when the sun had already shown its power， and continued until 5 in the afternoon. Actually， it was still very hot after 5 o'clock， and it was not until around 7 o'clock that the situation improved. But 22 seemed to think it was unnecessary after that. He would give Wu Fan a red reagent every hour from 10 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon.)
“If you don't want to suffer too much， try this，“he smiled， handing the strange crimson liquid to Wu Fan.“Apply it all over your body， you'll feel much better，“he added kindly.
For the first time， Wu Fan didn't reach out to take it. He instinctively avoided it， feeling angry and glaring at 22. Apart from resenting the man in front of him for not knowing what kind of future he would lead him to， he was also annoyed that 22 had grabbed his arm when he was unwilling， leaving a terrifying gash where Cha's claws had once left a mark， and then aggravating it， causing him to grit his teeth in pain.
Unexpectedly， the wound scabbed over quickly. If it weren't for the bloodstains that hadn't completely dried on his clothes and the small black mark on his skin， he would have doubted whether he had been injured before.
It seemed that 22 understood something. He showed his white teeth and blinked his brown eyes.“If you still mind my previous behavior， please allow me to apologize. It was not my intention， but...“He deliberately shook the liquid in his hand.“I think if you need it later， you can tell me.“
Wu Fan hated him. He secretly swore that no matter what happened later， he would never beg 22 for mercy. But his pride was set aside about two hours later.
“Sir， I don't know if you still have any of that，“he almost looked at 22 with a flattering expression.
“You mean this?“22 smiled， handing the test tube to Wu Fan.“Here.“
Wu Fan took it without any expression， just turned his head and hummed. He hated 22， and he would never thank him， no matter what.
Strictly speaking， 22 was not a bad guy. At first， he was cold and used a laser gun to point at Wu Fan's waist， saying，“Let's go， hurry up， we need to escape and not waste a single second.“
But later， after a few hours， Wu Fan found that things were not like that. The coldness seemed to be a disguise， and 22 was very talkative， almost a chatterbox.
“Alive， finally alive. It was so uncomfortable， but it's all over now. A year， a year of suffering is finally gone.“he stretched and sniffed vigorously， as if to take in all the free air.
His words made Wu Fan realize that he had been locked in the base for a long time (at first， Wu Fan thought he had been captured just like himself not long ago). He stared into 22's brown eyes and curly hair (he didn't know where he found a little water to wipe his previous dirty face， although it was still not very clean， it was much better than before. Before， he could only see a faint outline of a person， but now he could at least recognize a human face with a different exotic charm).
22's skin had turned yellowish-black due to exposure to the wind and sun. His face was thin (whether it was originally like this or due to long-term malnutrition， Wu Fan suddenly thought about how much he weighed now， but he was sure that he had lost weight compared to before he was invited here. The terrible food couldn't possibly make someone gain weight). His nose was high， his cheeks were sunken， and his cheekbones protruded. His eyebrows were thick and dense， like two Chinese characters written with a brush:“一”.
Likewise， the thick and curly hair was probably due to long-term neglect， making it look messy， like a large bird's nest.
Incredibly， 22 had a robust physique， and his sturdy muscles filled the prisoner's clothing to the brim. His appearance was rugged， and when he stood upright， he seemed like a piece of art carved by a skilled craftsman. Clearly， he hadn't been like this before; he used to hunch over like a dead dog. But no matter what， his current image made Wu Fan greatly change his impression of him.
After walking for a few hours， 22 was like a chatty child， curious and unfamiliar about everything around him.“Oh my god， look at what I found. I think that's Plantain， that's Ageratum. What's that shrub called?“He pretended to think for a moment.“That's a leguminous shrub. I found something. I think that's a sand python passing through it. How amazing，“he exclaimed.
Wu Fan didn't understand what was so surprising about a snake. He followed 22's gaze and caught a glimpse of a flowing tail， which disappeared into the bushes in an instant.
For a moment， he felt a little sympathetic towards 22.“That place (the dinosaur base) is truly a living hell. It can drive people crazy，“he thought to himself.
But his sympathy didn't last long. When 22 started rambling about things like“Populus， Aloe， Willow“and other plant names that he either knew or didn't know， or“It's really lush. I think the color is so refreshing，“all Wu Fan could think of was covering his ears or silencing 22， but the latter was clearly much more difficult than the former (22 was much stronger than him， and he didn't think he could resist that kind of physique， especially with a laser gun hanging from his chest). He had no choice but to cover his ears.
“Please stop，“he prayed in his heart， because he found 22's voice to be very penetrating. Even if he stuffed his ears， the incessant voice would still seep into his mind through the gaps in his fingers.
Finally， he found a way. After taking the initiative to ask 22 some questions，“Who are you exactly? Where are you taking me?“
22 smiled slightly and said for the first time，“Who am I? I think that's a good question. Who am I exactly? You'll understand later.“After saying this， he fell silent.
But the old habits die hard. About half an hour later， he started another round of rambling.
So Wu Fan naturally asked some embarrassing questions， the most frequent of which were those two:“Who are you exactly? Where are you taking me?“
Each time， 22 would smile and then remain silent for about half an hour. Several times， Wu Fan clearly saw his throat move， as if he wanted to speak but hesitated. However， he quickly suppressed this impulse with an even bigger smile. This left Wu Fan feeling somewhat frustrated. He was undoubtedly conflicted; he wanted 22 to tell him the truth about some things， but he was also afraid of knowing those truths.
With this conflicting mindset， he managed to hold on for over two days. During these two days， Wu Fan gradually adapted to wilderness survival. During the day， they would hide in the bushes， behind boulder-like rocks (which was the worst， as when the sun reached a certain height， they had to find a new place to shield themselves from the sun)， or in certain rock crevices and sand walls， whether they were man-made or naturally formed.
Of course， this also meant that they would inevitably encounter snakes， insects， and ants. The first time Wu Fan and 22 hid in the bushes， a black-spotted python happened to crawl over his ankle， scaring him pale.“It's okay， relax. It's not a big deal，“22 reassured him， picking up a dry branch next to him and flicking the snake away to the side.
As he watched the patterned long creature slowly move away from him， Wu Fan's jittery heart finally settled down. After hesitating for a moment， he spoke，“Thank you，“and almost imperceptibly added the word“Sir“with a special tone.
Another time， they took shelter in a rock crevice. Just as Wu Fan was about to sit down， 22 sternly said，“Don't move.“So Wu Fan could only awkwardly maintain a half-squatting position and look at him innocently.
“Alright， I think you need to move slowly， little by little. You don't have to move fast. Yes， that's it， move slowly，“22 instructed.
Wu Fan didn't know what 22 was up to， so he just followed his instructions， half-squatting and moving slowly.“Great， now you can stand up straight，“22 said， then Wu Fan dared to stand up slowly.
“What's happening， sir?“he was very puzzled.
22 didn't explain anything， he just held his hand and said，“I think we can't stay here. Below us is a fire ant nest.“
Wu Fan didn't understand what fire ants were， but as he left， he had seen a small mound on the ground with a brightly colored ant emerging from it.
“Fire ants usually carry a deadly neurotoxin. As long as you're bitten by them， I think you'll feel like you're being cooked alive，“22 explained when they reached a new resting place under a grove of short poplar trees.
“Chirp chirp，“a sweet call came from above the two men's heads. Wu Fan looked up to see a small bird standing on a tiny branch， observing them.
The little bird had pearl-sized eyes， an orange beak， a small body adorned with black and purple feathers， and a red crest on its head， as if marked intentionally.“Is everything alright， sir?“Wu Fan looked at 22 with great concern.
“I think it's fine， of course it's fine，“22 said， patting his head and adjusting his hair， which had a section that wouldn't stay down no matter how much he tried to flatten it.
“That's a tiny finch. It's quite strange; in the human world， this type of bird is abundant， but in this world， it's an endangered species. By the way， the tiny finch in this world is the natural enemy of fire ants，“22 explained.
Wu Fan stared at the little bird， feeling somewhat distracted for a moment. Suddenly， a kind of hope arose in him.“Fly， fly far away，“he really wished the little creature in front of him could spread its wings and fly high. He was very envious of it.
After that， Wu Fan started to become more silent. Even when 22 rambled on and on， he couldn't be bothered to interrupt. He cowered to one side， lost in thought， with a recurring idea in his mind:“How good it would be if I could also have a pair of wings.“
22 perhaps sensed his thoughts or felt he had talked enough， so he gradually quieted down.“I think we should eat something，“he said， handing a vial of Nutrient No. 5 to Wu Fan， who looked at the old orange prison uniform and the spotted stains. He was once again lost in thought.
22's clothes were of various colors—gray， orange， black， and mixed with some red. Orange was its original color， gray was mainly dust， black (Wu Fan thought part of it was mineral slag stuck in the fibers， while the other part was the residue of dried blood)， and the red part was from the recent injuries he had suffered.
Both the nutrient and the strange crimson liquid were carried in the four extra-large pockets and one smaller lining of the prison uniform， and they were filled to the brim. Wu Fan speculated that 22's recent injuries might have come from this.
He stared at the murky blue liquid and immediately felt a bit queasy. Even just looking through the glass， he couldn't control his stomach， which churned at once.
“Drink up. After drinking it， I think we need to start moving，“22 said， downing the liquid with his eyes closed.“It's really awful，“he complained， spreading his hands and urging Wu Fan，“It's very awful， but there's no other way. I think it will take some time to get back to headquarters.“
“Headquarters?“Wu Fan seemed to have caught on to something suddenly， and his furrowed brow relaxed.
22 suddenly whistled absent-mindedly， looking up into the sky.“You mentioned headquarters just now. What exactly is headquarters?“Wu Fan squinted， staring hard at 22's face， which tried to evade his gaze.
“Alright， don't look at me like that，“22 was somewhat unnerved by his gaze.“Yes， headquarters. I think it's more accurate to say it's one of the many branch divisions under headquarters， but it's our squad's territory， and we all call it headquarters.“
“Squad? Who else is there besides you?“Wu Fan's gaze was sharp as a hawk's， his voice growing louder. At this moment， 22 was willing to open up， which was like a godsend to him.
“45， do you know why you were brought here? I mean， to this world，“22 didn't directly answer the question， instead redirecting it to Wu Fan.
“What's the connection between the two?“he furrowed his brows again， pushed aside the slanting bangs on his forehead with his right hand， and the smoky breeze gently swept over his hair. A drop of cold sweat trickled down his nose as he asked this question; deep down， he vaguely felt these seemingly unrelated questions might have a common answer.
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“They said I'm some kind of savior，“he slowly opened up after a two-second pause.
“Well， yes， a savior. But I think things are much more complicated than you think，“22 said as he handed a vial to Wu Fan.“Drink it，“he said softly.
Wu Fan raised the vial， removed the cotton stopper， and drank it all. His expression of distress didn't seem like he was drinking any nutritional liquid. Instead， it seemed like he was drinking the deadliest poison in the world.
“I've finished，“he raised the transparent test tube and smacked his lips， not leaving a single drop inside， covering his mouth， trying to suppress the urge of nausea.
“45， do you really believe what they said?“22 suddenly leaned in close to Wu Fan and lightly patted his back.
“I don't know，“Wu Fan honestly answered.
“Don't you feel that your emotions are sometimes off when you enter this world?“22 again approached his face， and Wu Fan could feel the heavy breath of the other person. He shook his head.
“Don't you sometimes feel dizzy? Sometimes things don't feel quite real， like in a dream，“22 said， lightly touching Wu Fan's spine with his right hand.
A sharp pain， tingling， and an electric sensation made Wu Fan's brain immediately feel dizzy. The world in front of him suddenly became blurry， as if a thick fog had formed in front of his retina. Wu Fan almost instinctively closed his eyes and rubbed them gently， refocusing his gaze in front of him.
Snake pupils， snake lips， fangs， green skin， and fine scales—a giant-sized dinosaur man in an orange prison uniform stood in front of him.
He didn't quite believe his eyes， so he rubbed them again， but the dinosaur man was still there. Not only that， the dinosaur man also took out a mirror， and Wu Fan stared at his reflection in the mirror.
A dinosaur man with green skin， snake eyes， snake lips， eye sockets and forehead covered in scales， was now gaping in disbelief， revealing a long tongue and triangular-shaped teeth.
Wu Fan felt as if he were drowning， waves of fear assaulting him from all sides. He trembled all over， his stomach spasming. The dinosaur man in the mirror also kept shivering， his face pale， as if experiencing something extremely terrifying.
Wu Fan's mind suddenly exploded. After about two seconds， it seemed to exceed the limit he could endure. His vision darkened， and he fainted.
When he woke up again， 22 was sitting in front of him， chewing on a leaf.
“What happened?“he touched his slightly aching head.“I seemed to have had a hallucination just now， sir. I actually saw you turn into a dinosaur man.“
22 was first stunned， then burst into laughter.“Oh， buddy， that wasn't a hallucination at all.“
“This joke is not funny at all， sir，“Wu Fan suddenly felt very angry.
22 laughed even more heartily， the sunset's afterglow reflected in his brown pupils. The sunlight shone on the upper half of his face， making him look both sacred and lonely. He once again straightened his messy curly hair， but the part on the top of his head still wouldn't stay down， and some dust and dandruff shook off everywhere.
For a moment， Wu Fan felt that he was so real， but at the same time， he felt that it was unreal. Just a few days ago， he was just an ordinary high school student， quietly studying in the classroom during evening self-study. His impression of foreigners from foreign countries was still based on books and the media. Now， a genuine foreigner was standing in front of him， saying the same things to him.
Something gripped Wu Fan's heart. He had always felt that something was wrong， but he couldn't put his finger on it before. Now he finally understood why Cha had said the same things to him; they had almost no language barrier. And of course， there was the man in front of him， 22.
Anxiety made his right leg tremble uncontrollably again. He grabbed a strand of hair at his temple and rubbed it repeatedly.“I'm Chinese. What country are you from， sir?“His voice was slightly trembling.
22's smile grew broader.“I'm an American， or I used to be.“
“Used to be?“Wu Fan shook his head， trying to process this statement.
“Indeed， I used to be，“22 continued with a smile in his eyes.
“Oh， America， it must be very beautiful. I haven't been there yet，“he said， his forehead glistening with sweat， speaking each word with great effort.
“Yes， it's quite beautiful，“22 exclaimed. Then he changed the subject，“The ancient Chinese were very wise. I learned an idiom called 'mu yi cheng zhou'.“
“It means that when things have developed to this point， like wood being made into a boat， whether you believe it or not， it's already a fact，“22 explained.
“That's enough!“ Wu Fan shouted， like a cat with its tail stepped on. He closed his eyes， trying to regulate his breathing.“It's not true， it's not true，“he muttered under his breath， attempting to dispel the unsettling thoughts from his mind.
“You actually understand Chinese idioms， that's really impressive. I suppose you are very interested in Chinese culture. Let me tell you， China is one of the world's four ancient civilizations， with a history of five thousand years...“he continued， with a beaming smile.
22 knew that it was just a forced smile.“I don't speak Chinese， and I do have some understanding of Chinese culture， but only a little. I can say 'nihao ' or 'henhao'， but this level of understanding is not enough for me to communicate with you seamlessly， is it?“22's words were like a heavy blow.
“Why do we have no language barrier then? I believe you already have the answer in your heart， don't you?“he asked in return.
The weather was lovely， with a clear sun and a gentle breeze， much like 22's smile. Perhaps at other times， Wu Fan would have liked it， but now， in his eyes， that smile was so cold， more chilling than ice buried in the polar regions.
His fragile nerves finally gave way， and he collapsed to the ground， gasping for breath， drenched in sweat.
“I don't think it's really that bad， is it?“22 continued，“Your fear is just a pretense. Of course， you would be afraid. Anyone in this situation would inevitably feel fear， but can this fear really defeat you?“He seemed to think that Wu Fan's behavior was just a poor performance.
From between his fingers， 22 produced a small object， about the size of a thumb， square， and black. Wu Fan was very familiar with the material this thing was made of. He had been dealing with it every day for some time now—Orichalcum steel.
“Orichalcum steel is truly amazing，“22 sincerely praised.“Its functions are versatile. Do you know what it can do?“He winked at Wu Fan.
For some reason， Wu Fan remembered a sentence Cha had told him， and he couldn't help but get excited.“It can change memories， it can change memories.“
He suddenly stood up from the ground.
“That's right， one of its functions is indeed to change， or more accurately， to correct memories.“
“So my memory is...“he was so eager， hoping that the truth he was expecting would come out of 22's mouth.
But soon he regretted it. He really wished he could find something to tightly seal 22's mouth， or even cruelly sew the man's mouth shut with a needle and thread， so that he couldn't say the next words， because that would be too cruel for him.
“However， I'm sorry to say that I don't think there is any trace of your memory being altered， not even the slightest. Everything you have seen and experienced is real，“22's words were so plain， yet they made his heart race.
“Come on， mate， if everything is real， then how do you explain your current appearance?“Wu Fan didn't want to believe it， and he dared not believe it. As long as there was a glimmer of possibility， he would do everything to refute what the other person was saying.
“I think it's because of this，“22 placed the small object in front of Wu Fan，“because of this chip.“
“What's so curious about this? It's just a piece of scrap metal，“Wu Fan snorted， trying hard to appear composed and indifferent.
“It can not only correct memories， but also alter cognition. If you still remember， as I believe you do， the sky in the base is always the same， overcast， with occasional sunshine， never raining， neither too hot nor too cold.“
“But that doesn't prove anything. It's just typical weather，“Wu Fan kept licking his dry lips， his throat parched， his blood cold as ice.
“Really? Doesn't it imply anything?“22 glanced at him with a hint of amusement.
“That kind of atmosphere can bring heavy psychological pressure， causing most people to lose their resistance， right?“
“Altering cognition can adjust a person's emotions. The intelligent mainframe does just that. It generates scenes that match your cognition and presents them on your retina， attempting to deceive your brain.“
“That's absurd. What exactly is this intelligent mainframe?“Wu Fan had heard Cha describe it as a supercomputer， similar to AI in the human world but with many completely different aspects.
“It's hard to say exactly what the intelligent mainframe is. Some describe it as a super terminal， a giant calculator that seems to be able to solve all the world's problems. Of course， there's a more fitting description—it's the manager of this world， always able to handle all the 'small matters' that occur in this world.“
“Compared to the existence of the intelligent mainframe， I think transforming hominids into a crawling species is not that remarkable.“
“Such a trivial matter， such a trivial matter，“Wu Fan's face flushed， hysterical.
“What about the numbers? What's the significance of the numbers， our designations?“His eyes widened in anger， shouting frantically.
“Those numbers represent the experimental subject plan，“22 calmly continued，“I think， as I just said， your identity is a bit complex.'Savior' is not enough to encompass it. Those who know of your existence call you the 'Star of Hope.'“
“Star of Hope? What's the difference in all of this?“
“I think there is. Currently， only a very small number of people know of your existence， but as time goes on， more and more people will know about you. You are the object of contention for various forces. Possessing you is equivalent to holding hope.“
“I don't understand.“Wu Fan shook his head desperately.“I'm just an ordinary high school student， so ordinary in the human world. In the third year of junior high， I liked a girl in my class. I wrote her a love letter and put it in her drawer， but the next day she handed the letter to the class teacher. So， that afternoon， in the teacher's class， I had to face his scolding， the ridicule of the whole class， and the angry look of the girl.“
“In the first year of high school， my mother told me that if I could perform well in the final exams， she might consider buying me a smartphone. You can't understand the attraction it had for me. I started studying hard， reading diligently. I woke up at half past five in the morning and rested at one or two in the morning. I thought my efforts would bring enough rewards， but in the end， my grades only improved by five places， far from my mother's requirements.“
“I always thought I was just a roadside weed or an ordinary pebble in the ditch， thinking that I would eventually live a plain and uneventful life. Perhaps in the future， I would have a wife， a child， or perhaps nothing at all.“
“But now， suddenly someone tells me that I am the savior， I am the Star of Hope， I can save a world，“Wu Fan's mouth twitched with a bitter smile.“No， please spare me. I don't have such great aspirations. I am inherently just a small person. Such great things should be done by those great peop people，not me“.
“45， this number represents the Savior Plan，“22 continued expressionlessly.“The Savior， or the Star of Hope， has nothing to do with your identity. It never cares about what kind of person you are， noble or lowly， talented or obscure.“
“Mate， it chose you， and that is your destiny.“
“Who chose me? Who?“Wu Fan's neck turned red.
“Did it consider my feelings? Does it know that I don't want this kind of destiny? I want to go home，“Wu Fan choked，“as a human.“
He suddenly felt like crying. His eyes gradually moistened， desperately trying to squeeze out tears， as if only a flood of tears could cleanse the sadness in his heart. But when his sorrow reached a limit， he suddenly couldn't cry， like a concert reaching its climax， but all the music abruptly stopping.
“I think it's suppressing your emotions， that chip.“22 placed his hands on Wu Fan's thin shoulders.“Listen to me， I promise you can go back， you will， as a human.“
Wu Fan looked into those brown eyes. He had seen that look not long ago， when a dinosaur man had said the same to him， claiming they would live and die together.
Thinking of Cha， a few words almost slipped out of his mouth， cautiously and without hesitation:“Is there anything I can do for you， sir?“
“Your brain has limits， determined by your previous human thinking. Mate， I think it's best for you to maintain your current cognition. Perhaps one day， when you are completely familiar with this world， you will find that it's not as terrifying as you think， but I don't want you to have that day. Trust me， you will definitely go back， back to the human world as a human.“
22 emphasized the words “human identity“heavily. His large hands on Wu Fan's shoulders transmitted a warm and powerful force， undoubtedly making Wu Fan feel a strong sense of goodwill towards him.
“I will go back， sir. I will definitely go back， sir. As a human，“Wu Fan nodded solemnly.
Suddenly， faint footsteps were heard in the woods. A bird landed on the back of a raised hand， a terrifyingly white hand. The person wore a black and oversized robe， the hood completely covering the upper half of his face.
He crossed his hands， gazing at the traces under the tree. Someone had rested here for a while. The ground had a tangle of trampled wild grass and two uneven footprints.“It has begun， everything has begun. His plan is about to be implemented，“he murmured， his voice hoarse， filled with fear and panic.
A gust of wind made his robe rustle loudly. On the back， a symbol， a coiled serpent， fluttered in the wind.