The full moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the patch of forests and mountains down below.
From high above, you could see numerous settlements scattered across the land.
Some are placed in the middle of the forest, and some are hidden deep in the mountains.
As he followed the path on the map, he had to avoid large branches and roots that could potentially trip him.
The ragged clothes on his back were already drenched in sweat, and his breathing became unstable, taking in deep gasps of air that made him feel lightheaded.
If he did not take a break, he would eventually collapse.
There was a high chance that he wouldn't be as lucky as he was in previous escapes.
Needing a break, he had to hide before he ended up collapsing.
His legs slowed down as his eyes darted around, trying to find a suitable spot.
Up ahead, behind a few tall trees, was a patch of dry grass that led to a much larger tree almost 10 meters tall and the branches large enough to support a few people.
He was shocked.
Where had such a large tree come from?
This was his second time taking this path, so he was somewhat familiar with the surroundings despite the darkness.
He didn't recall seeing any trees like this before.
The bark of the tree glistened from the reflection of the moon, causing a silver tint, and the leaves seemed to be a shade of crimson red.
The tree stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the other trees in the surroundings, giving him an eerie feeling.
Trees are brown and green, at least to his knowledge.
Suddenly a blood-curdling scream came from behind him, still quite a distance away, but it was enough to send chills down his spine.
He had to hurry and hide.
Gritting his teeth and taking a gamble, he started climbing up the mysterious tree.
Despite being exhausted, he climbed up with ease like a nimble monkey.
After reaching the top and collapsing on a branch, he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep.
He was tired both mentally and physically.
Reflecting on his life, he had been through a lot.
The first settlement he belonged to was quite powerful.
They had enough food to eat, and security was more than a hundred times better than the settlement he just left.
He remembered the sturdy steel walls, tall watchtowers reaching the sky, and hundreds of guards armed to the teeth.
Too bad the fog does not discriminate.
At the time, he was only a child around 5 years old, scrambling around doing menial tasks with his mother.
One day, when he was accompanying his mother to collect water from the lake, they heard horrifying screams and loud noises coming from the settlement.
Fear took over them, and they both ran away.
Now at 13 years of age, he was alone.
He had wondered many times, why bother trying to survive anymore?
Only to close his eyes and remember his mother being torn to shreds, crying while looking at him one last time with love in her eyes.
Her last words were "Run and live!" as her neck snapped.
Taking a deep sigh, he curled into a ball, hugged his bag, and fell asleep.
The night would last for another few hours, and the sun would rise once more.
It was safer during the day for humans.
Most of the corrupted humans would bury themselves during the day.
They would literally dig like moles and hide underground.
No one knew why, and few dared to try to poke a hornet's nest.
Some corrupted humans continue to roam during the day, but it is rare.
A group of armed fighters could take out a few if encountered in the wild.
As Jiang Tao dozed off quietly, the red leaves rustled as if humming to a tune, and a suspicious branch of the tree slithered over to his body.
As if sentient, the branch hovered over him and observed for a moment.
A branch the width of a finger carefully examined him before deciding to act.
It shivered before tensing up, becoming hard and sharp like a needle, then pierced Jiang Tao's forehead.
His body spasmed briefly, and his eyes became wide open before becoming lifeless.
The branch drilled into his head, soaking itself in blood in the process.
It seemed endless as it crawled into his body, destroying it in the process.
However, the strange thing was that Jiang Tao was rapidly healing at the same time.
It roamed inside his body as if looking for something.
It wrapped around his bones, penetrated his organs, and mangled his flesh.
If he wasn't healing at the same rate his body was being destroyed, it wouldn't take long for him to become a pile of flesh and bones.
It was quite the gruesome sight, and it was unclear whether Jiang Tao was dead or alive.
The process continued until dawn broke, and the branch had disappeared.
Jiang Tao had no idea what he had just gone through, and luckily, he didn't feel any of it.
His eyes gradually opened to the morning sunlight, and making sure not to fall off the branch, he sat up slowly.
The first rays of morning light wrapped around him, urging him to rise and move forward.
Getting his bearings, he looked around atop the tree vigilantly for any dangers.
Being high up gave him a good vantage point.
After sighing in relief, he jumped down the tree.
With a thud, a few leaves and dead grass flew into the air upon impact.
It only occurred to him now how amazing he felt.
Despite sleeping for a few hours at most, he felt like he could run all day.
His body felt incredibly light, and his senses were more sensitive than usual.
He should be hungry by now, but he didn't feel hunger at all.
It was odd to say the least.
He decided to take a few bites out of his dried rabbit meat and drink some water anyway.
His burlap bag contained about half a kilo of dried meats, a water satchel, a map, and a piece of jade from his mother.
From head to toe, he was dressed in coarse cotton and animal hides.
Patting the dust off his clothes, he continued his short journey after inspecting the strange tree.
To his surprise, it was no longer silver and red but the familiar brown and green like the other trees, just still the same exaggerated size as before.
Was he only imagining things?
Shaking his head to dispel the useless thoughts, he hurried off.
It was useless to think about it right now, as he had to rush to his destination.
It had already been half a night since escaping the initial settlement.
Around four or five hours must have passed since then.
In a large clearing, he could see a settlement he had visited once in the past.
The dull walls made of iron and bronze reflected some of the sunlight.
The guards were already on duty, standing on the walls and some outside the walls.
Geared with leather armor, iron swords, and imposing crossbows, they looked quite fierce.
Noticing someone approaching, they readied their weapons as the guards outside approached the incoming guest.
A group of five men stood a meter away from Jiang Tao and eyed him from head to toe.
"Hey kid, did you come from the east?" A gruff guard stepped forward.
"Yes, I escaped from a settlement there." Jiang Tao replied.
"Sigh, a few of you arrived a bit earlier. I'm guessing you're here seeking refuge as well."
The gruff man approached Jiang Tao and patted him down before thoroughly inspecting his bag.
Although Jiang Tao didn't want to be shaken down like a criminal, he didn't have anything of value on him besides the small piece of jade.
If he could enter without trouble, he would put up with it.
"Alright, nothing dangerous on you. Since you have nowhere else to go, register yourself after entering and apply for work. You're quite lucky since we need more people lately."
Jiang Tao lowered his head as he approached the gates, sighing on the way.
He quietly wondered how long this place would last before he had to run off again.
After passing through the gates, an elegant stone building stood tall on the left of the walkway.
A wooden sign hung the words "Register Hall" indicating it was the right place to enter.
In a few steps, he opened the door and entered.
It was a similar process in every settlement, and basically everyone went through this process at least once.
A few men and women sat on wooden stools to one side of the room, all visibly distressed and anxious.
They carried a few bags with them, like Jiang Tao.
Two guards kept watch over these new residents while they were being sorted out.
"Did you come from the east? Here for refuge?" A soft voice spoke as an old gentleman approached Jiang Tao with a wooden board.
"Yes, Elder."
"Take a seat and wait to be called."
The elder scribbled a few lines on the wooden board as he left for another room.
The room they were in now was quite simple with some tables and stools, and a hallway led to some other rooms.
After some time passed, it was finally Jiang Tao's turn to be registered and sorted out.
He was called into another room for his registration.
The elderly man sat behind a wooden desk covered in paper and hides.
"Take a seat and tell me your name, age, previous settlement, and occupation."
"Yes, Elder. My name is Jiang Tao, 13 years old, and I came from a settlement named Lake Leaf in the southeast. I chopped wood for a living."
The elder scribbled down the information on a piece of hide, using ink and a makeshift pen.
Upon hearing the name of the settlement, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
It seemed this person didn't come with the others.
"Did you escape from somewhere else? I thought you said east before."
"Yes, my settlement was invaded by corrupt humans, and I barely escaped. I ran to a different settlement before arriving here."
In front of the Registration Hall elder, he had to be humble and respectful.
He had heard stories of people angering the people in charge of assigning jobs and housing, and it didn't go well for those people.
Jiang Tao didn't want to scoop excrement for a living.
"Oh, so it was you who warned those outside?"
The elder nodded slightly as he scribbled down some more words.
Jiang Tao, with his back straight and correct sitting posture, waited for his new life to be decided.
It seemed this place was much better off than the previous settlements, and he hoped he could live here for a while.
"Well, would you like to continue chopping wood or do something else?" Appreciating this young man, he decided to be nicer.
"I will do as the Elder suggests."
"Haha! Well, since you have experience in chopping, you can be a guard then." The elder smiled as he stamped a piece of hide.
Jiang Tao's face immediately darkened a bit.
Although being a guard provided better resources and housing, he could easily die patrolling the woods, not to mention that the guards must sacrifice their lives once they get invaded.
"Old geezer, why are you enlisting a kid to fight monsters?" He thought.
In the previous two settlements, he had always chopped wood or butchered meat for drying.
After thanking the elder for the opportunity, he left the registration hall with a scroll containing his information and house deed.
This scroll would act as his identification pass.
He would need to go to his new house and then immediately report for duty at the guard barracks.
To the west of the settlement was the residential area.
Wooden houses and stone houses mingled together on the streets with walkways made of crushed rocks.
Each house had a number and letter for identification, and people roamed around the streets, making it quite lively.
The younger children played together in random corners, and the adults rushed around as the day had just started.
Smaller settlements often focused on simply hunting and scavenging with no specialized jobs.
But in bigger places, there were even taverns for the residents.
After finding his new residence, he threw his bag inside and hurried to the barracks, not even bothering to inspect the stone house.
It was better not to waste time and go report for duty.
He was advised by the elder that the barracks would provide him with a uniform, and he would have to go through some training.
Quickening his steps, he headed towards the area with conspicuous flags waving in the air.
Unknown to Jiang Tao, a black seed inside his chest was thumping along with the rhythm of his heartbeat.