Chapter 3 | Deep Mountain Trial

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The day hadn't even broken, and Chen Ye was already awake.

The rooster outside had just crowed, and the village was still immersed in a thin veil of night. His father was already up, sharpening a knife in the yard, the movements slow but steady. His mother was adding firewood in front of the stove, the firelight reflecting on her slightly tired face.

"Aren't you going into the deep mountains today?" his mother asked in a low voice.

Chen Ye paused for a moment and nodded, "I won't go too deep, just take a walk around."

He wasn't telling the truth.

Because he himself didn't know where he would end up today.

When he left the village, Wang Hu and Zhao Yan were already waiting under the old pagoda tree.

Wang Hu was carrying a hunting rifle, his expression a mix of excitement and nervousness, "Last night, I heard someone say there's a big guy in that old pine forest in the deep mountains."

Zhao Yan frowned, "Wild boar?"

"More than that," Wang Hu lowered his voice, "Someone said they saw a black shadow, bigger than a wild boar."

Chen Ye didn't speak, just slung his Type 56 semi-automatic rifle over his shoulder, confirming that his pistol magazine was full. After the system upgraded last night, he could vaguely feel a change—not a surge of power, but a more acute awareness of danger.

【Contract Space · Status Stable】

【Contractor Proficiency Threshold: 68%】

【Prompt: High-risk behavior can trigger enhanced feedback】

This line of information flashed through his mind.

Chen Ye's heart sank.

The system, for the first time, used a "prompt" to proactively remind him.

After the three of them entered the mountains, the air changed noticeably.

The forest was denser, the sunlight broken into fragments by the tree canopy, and the fallen leaves underfoot made a muffled, short sound when stepped on. Chen Ye walked in front, occasionally stopping to observe the ground and wind direction.

Suddenly, he raised his hand.

The three of them immediately stopped.

The bushes in front of them swayed slightly.

It wasn't the wind.

The next second, a grey-black wild boar charged out, its tusks exposed, its size clearly a size bigger than the one from yesterday.

"Disperse!" Chen Ye shouted.

Wang Hu moved sideways, Zhao Yan quickly lay down.

Chen Ye raised his gun, but at that moment, the system information refreshed crazily -

【High-Risk Target Locked】

【Risk Level: Medium-High】

【Trigger Contract Enhancement?】

Chen Ye didn't hesitate.

"Trigger."

A cold sensation surged from his back.

It wasn't a burst of power, but -

The world slowed down.

The wild boar's charge trajectory became clear, its footfalls, muscle exertion, and next direction were all deconstructed into lines.

Chen Ye pulled the trigger.

Bang——!

The bullet hit the shoulder blade, didn't kill it, but successfully caused the wild boar to lose balance. Wang Hu fired a supplementary shot almost simultaneously, and Zhao Yan threw a stone from the side, disrupting its vision.

The second shot.

The third shot.

The wild boar crashed to the ground, dust flying.

The forest fell silent again.

The three of them stood in place, panting.

Wang Hu swallowed, "That shot of yours... was too accurate."

Zhao Yan looked at Chen Ye, his eyes complex, "It wasn't luck."

Chen Ye didn't explain. His hand was still slightly numb, but in his mind, the system prompt had already popped up -

【High-Risk Confrontation Completed】

【Proficiency +12%】

【Contract Feedback Triggered】

【Slightly Enhanced Body Coordination】

【Increased Danger Prediction Ability】

At this moment, he confirmed one thing.

The system wasn't just a simple tool.

It was forcing him to face a more dangerous world.

After dealing with the prey, Chen Ye didn't immediately put it into the space, but instead let the three of them rest first.

"In the future, we have to cooperate on these matters," he said, "We can't each do our own thing."

Wang Hu nodded, "I'll listen to you."

Zhao Yan also said in a deep voice, "Next time we go into the mountains, I'll walk in front with you."

This wasn't a casual promise, but a sign of putting his life in his hands.

In the afternoon, they moved to the river bend.

The river was still calm, but Chen Ye saw immediately that something was wrong—the water surface was too still, no fish were surfacing, not even small ripples.

【Environmental Anomaly】

【Possible Causes: Artificial Interference / Overfishing】

Black market.

Chen Ye's eyes turned cold.

He cast a fishing line, but didn't expect to actually catch a fish. This trip was more like scouting. Sure enough, behind the reeds not far away, figures were swaying.

Not villagers.

He quietly signaled his brothers to retreat, while he stood in the open, like an ordinary fisherman.

Those figures soon disappeared.

On the way back to the village, the sky grew dark.

From afar, Chen Xue stood at the courtyard gate, and seeing the three of them return, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother, you don't look very well," she said softly.

Chen Ye rubbed her head, "It's nothing."

But he knew in his heart -

Today was just the beginning.

The deep mountains had begun to respond to his presence, the black market had already noticed them, and the system was no longer a silent bystander.

At night, Chen Ye lay in bed, his consciousness sinking into the space.

The space was larger than before, the air more "substantial," not like a simple storage room.

【Prompt】

【When the contractor bears enough risk】

【Space, will become a "survival domain"】【】

Chen Ye slowly opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling.

The mountain village of the 1980s, superficially calm.

But between the mountains, rivers, and human hearts, an invisible net had begun to tighten.

And he was standing in the center of the net.