Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Chapter 1: The Unknown

"I have arrived!"

Atop the peak of Qiong Muztag Mountain in the mid-section of Kunlun Mountains range, clouds entwined around the summit, blending seamlessly with the snow atop the mountain.

A voice, full of vitality and brimming with excitement and joy, traveled through the mist and snow, echoing far and wide. If there were fellow mountaineers who relished the challenge of high peaks, they might resonate deeply with this exclamation.

"I have arrived…" This phrase, akin to marking one's presence in a significant location, held an extraordinary depth of meaning for every climber. It represented both an endpoint and a new beginning.

Gazing down at the sea of mountains enveloped in a vast expanse of white, the person who made this bold proclamation was a young man with a crew cut. He had a sturdy build, not overly muscular, with eyebrows sharp as swords, exuding a vigorous aura. Despite his slightly squinted eyes, a vibrant energy could be seen shining through, indicative of his eagerness for the days ahead.

Perhaps it was his sword-like eyebrows that lent him an imposing air, but as if to counterbalance this intensity, his right eyebrow was marred by three claw-induced scars. His lips were thin, which somewhat softened his otherwise striking presence. His skin was a light shade of wheat, adding to his masculine charm.

Overall, he could be described as handsome, though the scar on his right eyebrow slightly detracted from his overall appeal.

This man was named Luo Lie, a gourmet whose approach to food was anything but ordinary. More than a connoisseur of fine dining, he embodied the spirit of an adventurer.

He stood at the summit of Qiong Muztag Mountain, arms spread wide as if he were a giant bird embracing the fierce wind and the chilling air. Squinting his eyes, he seemed to revel in the harsh environment that defied human habitation.

Given his altitude, Luo Lie's attire was alarmingly light, consisting merely of a thin set of black sportswear, accompanied by a simple backpack that was far from a professional climber's gear.

This sight would appear utterly bizarre to any mountain climbing enthusiast.

Among the mid-section of the Kunlun Mountain range, there are eight peaks over 6000 meters high, one of which was Qiong Muztag Mountain where Luo Lie stood. It was an iceberg, reaching an elevation of 6920 meters. At such a height, the air was thin, and the temperature could easily plummet to minus 38 degrees Celsius.

Imagine the concept where one's breath could freeze before even hitting the ground, yet Luo Lie, dressed in mere sportswear, seemed unaffected by the extreme cold and did not require the assistance of an oxygen tank.

"Phew…"

Luo Lie exhaled a breath of warm air, which instantly turned into frost. He placed his hand above his eyebrows, gazing into the distance at another mountain peak far ahead, which seemed to be his actual destination, while this peak served merely as a temporary vantage point for the climb.

"The Unfrozen Lake mentioned by Uncle Atamu is said to be at the highest summit. Though it's only a legend, the world is full of wonders!"

Luo Lie slightly bent down, picked up his backpack from the ground, slung it over his shoulder, and leapt down the steep snow slope, transforming into a shadow sliding down the snowy incline.

This scene was truly astonishing, thankfully unseen by others, or it would have been considered nothing short of miraculous.

A year ago, Luo Lie scoffed at legends spun from mere words. As an explorer, he only believed in what he could see with his own eyes. However, a year later, he came to trust in the legends that have been passed down through the ages, not all of which were unfounded, such as the Unfrozen Lake known only to the older generation of the Uighur people.

The turning point came a year ago, a time when he nearly lost his life, marking a new beginning for him.

The Kunlun Mountains are home to countless peaks. Luo Lie first came to these mountains a year ago, embarking on his first climb with a reckless spirit of 'you won't die if you don't court death'. His failure was inevitable, as he was unprepared and lacked team support. Despite his good physical condition, the failure to summit was obvious.

However, Luo Lie was fortunate. When his strength failed and he tumbled down the slope into a gorge, he miraculously landed on a cliff that jutted out from the mountain. His fall was cushioned by a small, green tree growing there, saving him from instant death. He broke four ribs and both his arms and legs were cleanly broken.

Though not dead, he was stranded in a place where neither heaven nor earth could hear his cries, and with severe injuries, he could only wait for death.

This is where his fortune truly showed

 itself. Like a protagonist in a novel who survives a great disaster only to encounter a miraculous fortune, the tree that had cushioned his fall bore a crystal-clear white fruit, about the size of a baby's fist.

Thinking he'd rather not die hungry, Luo Lie, with the last of his strength, picked the fruit and swallowed it without regard for poison, and thus he survived.

This incident was something he never shared with anyone, as it was the fundamental reason for the changes in his body.

After descending from the mountain in a superhuman manner, Luo Lie touched the jade stone hanging in front of his chest, considering it a talisman. After every risky adventure, he would touch it a few times.

This jade stone, excavated from the rocky base where the small tree grew, was round and about the size of a quail egg, pure white and translucent without a single flaw.

Luo Lie did not regard this stone as an ordinary object. He even believed that this stone was the root cause behind the birth of that miraculous fruit.

After consuming the fruit, not only did his injuries heal instantly, but within a day, he could distinctly feel the life energy floating within his body, seemingly a sensory ability bestowed by the fruit.

This 'vitality' emanating from his body was initially weak, but perhaps guided by an instinct for life, without anyone's teaching, Luo Lie managed to master how to strengthen this life energy within him, making it more vigorous.

Luo Lie named this method 'Qi Cultivation'.

He believed the so-called 'Qi' to be the essence of life energy, not unique to him but present in all beings, from the mightiest beasts to the most ordinary humans and even the tiniest ants, all possessing this life-like Qi, which he now cultivated.

The magnitude of one's ability is directly proportional to the breadth of their heart.

Keeping the secret of his miraculous experience to himself, Luo Lie's dreams had now become his goals. He sought to venture into 'forbidden zones' for humans, to explore unseen lands, encounter undiscovered entities, and collect unknown ingredients.

A week later, he reached a peak of 7500 meters. Surrounded by mountains, a lake appeared before him, as smooth as a mirror, roughly covering an area of over twenty thousand square meters, about the size of 50 basketball courts.

"This must be it, the Unfrozen Lake."

Looking at the calm lake reflecting the white clouds in the sky, Luo Lie smiled excitedly and leapt down the snow-covered slope, quickly reaching the lake's edge.

Lakes at high altitudes are seen as springs of life to wildlife, with their waters usually clear and often surrounded by flocks of birds and frequent visits by wild animals. However, at altitudes above 7000 meters, no life could be seen around the lake.

The Unfrozen Lake, a legend among the Uighur people, was located here, appearing more like a crater surrounded by towering mountains. Unless one climbed even higher peaks, this lake would be difficult to discover.

Luo Lie did not know the exact location of the Unfrozen Lake; he found this lifeless lake by wandering from one mountain to another, eventually stumbling upon it in a crater-like terrain.

"With such low temperatures, it should have frozen over, but…"

Luo Lie dropped his backpack at his feet, crouched down, and dipped his hand into the water. It was ice-cold to the touch, yet not a single ice crystal could be felt. He smiled slightly, a glint of excitement in his eyes.

"Dead or alive, let's find out."

A surge of excitement filled his chest as he stripped off his sportswear, revealing a dark one-piece diving suit underneath—he had come prepared.

Casually tossing aside his clothes, he bent down to retrieve a headlamp resembling a miner's lamp from his backpack. Turning it on, a focused beam of light shot into the distance.

After securing the lamp to his forehead, he also pulled out an underwater camera to hang around his neck and a pair of goggles. With just these preparations, he fearlessly dived into the lake without any additional equipment such as an oxygen tank.

Upon entering the water, the chill enveloped his body like layers of ice, yet it was within Luo Lie's tolerance.

The water was crystal clear, allowing the light to reach far. There were no water plants, no debris, no sign of life.

Logically, with such clarity, sunlight should illuminate the lakebed clearly, but once Luo Lie entered, he discovered that the bottom was shrouded in darkness, utterly silent.

Whether it was the eerily quiet and dark world of the lakebed or the piercing cold water, even Luo Lie, endowed with extraordinary abilities, couldn't help feeling a chill spreading from his heart.

"I can't feel any presence; there must be no life here."

Without using any tools, he dived directly to a depth of two hundred meters, where the light from his head

lamp finally reached the bottom.

"Hmm?"

Bubbles gurgled out of Luo Lie's mouth and nose.

"Is that... a ruin?"

Clearing his vision with the light, Luo Lie's eyes widened in shock behind his goggles.

How could there be ruins in such a place?

If this were a desert or deep in the mountains, it wouldn't be surprising, but this was the bottom of a lake at an altitude of over 7500 meters.

Suppressing the shock rising in his heart, Luo Lie continued to descend until he reached the architectural ruins at the bottom. Without hesitation, he took several photos with his camera.

"This is an astonishing discovery."

Excitedly contemplating, Luo Lie hadn't yet fully explored the ruins when he was drawn to some unknown symbols on a stone pillar. He approached and, using the headlamp's light, tried to decipher these mysterious symbols.

"They look like hieroglyphics." Luo Lie gently touched the symbols on the pillar, curiosity rising in his mind.

At that moment, Luo Lie's body suddenly shuddered. Unbeknownst to him, a powerful and indescribable life force had appeared behind him!

Luo Lie's heartbeat accelerated as he turned around, but before he could see anything clearly, he found himself engulfed in endless darkness.

His consciousness did not pause or rest; the sensation transmitted from his body was indescribable, as if he had instantly stepped onto solid ground from a state of weightlessness in space. The feeling was peculiar and terrifying.

One second, he was enveloped by the heavy pressure of water; the next, he was covered by various hard objects emitting a foul stench.

The darkness remained, but he was now in a different world.

He had no idea what had happened. Holding his breath, he struggled to push aside the unidentified hard objects, climbing upwards.

Regardless of what had occurred, he was certain of one thing: he was no longer at the bottom of the lake but in an unknown location.

After climbing for a while, he pushed aside something resembling an old-fashioned television, and light flooded his vision, causing Luo Lie to squint. After a moment, he emerged, adjusting to the brightness.

At that moment, he finally realized where he was: amidst mountains of garbage, having just pushed aside an old, discarded television.

"Where is this?"

Luo Lie looked around at the many piles of garbage emitting smog and the barren land in the distance, utterly bewildered.

Suddenly, Luo Lie felt a gaze from below. Turning his attention downwards, he saw three people in white protective suits looking up at him, their expressions hidden behind gas masks.

"Human, protective suit, garbage pile?" After identifying their attire, three words popped into Luo Lie's mind, oblivious to the changes in his own body.

The sunlight, weakened by the smog, reflected off the protective goggles of the three below, revealing a bare-chested, black-haired boy standing atop a garbage mountain, staring blankly at them.

Although this place accepted everything, including life and corpses, life here usually meant infants abandoned among the trash. It was rare to see a child around ten years old.

Perhaps sensing the unusual gaze from the people in protective suits, Luo Lie glanced down at his own body and was shocked.

Being naked was not the main issue; the problem was that his private parts seemed to have shrunk in the cold wind!

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