Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Xinjiang Devil City, also known as Urho City, is a famous 4A-rated tourist attraction. While exploring the area with the Decoding Science Program Team, I spoke to the camera, talking absolute nonsense with a straight face.
“The recent rumors about the Man-eating Snake incident are all fake. These are just ordinary Sand Snakes.”
The next second, the ground gave way. The entire Program Team plummeted into a pit of snakes.
Devil City is a classic example of Yardang landform, characterized by steep mounds and exposed rock layers that create a magnificent, colorful spectacle. Because it sits in a wind gap, whenever the wind picks up, it sends sand and stones flying, creating eerie, shifting shadows. The air currents whistle and swirl through the hills, producing sharp, shrill sounds that make one’s skin crawl.
Recently, a bizarre event occurred at the scenic spot, adding a touch of the supernatural to the already mysterious Devil City.
“Look, everyone! This skeleton likely belonged to a sheep, and it’s been picked completely clean. So, what does the legendary Man-eating Snake actually look like? And where must we go to find its trail?”
Not far away, a girl with twin ponytails squatted on the ground, lecturing grandly over a set of bones.
Jiang Haoyan and I stood nearby, barely holding back our laughter.
This was beyond ridiculous. The girl had bought that sheep at the market just this morning. She’d used the meat for a hotpot and then had someone deliver the cleaned bones out here just so she could stand there and spout nonsense with a straight face.
These influencers will really do anything for traffic.
Devil City had successfully hit the trending searches because of the “Man-eating Snake” incident. A tourist had gone missing while venturing deep into the heart of Devil City. The search and rescue team spent two days looking before they finally found him on the brink of death.
He had been lying on the sand, eyes fixed in a blank stare, frantically claiming he had seen many Man-eating Snakes.
He described the snakes as having a strange appearance with two rows of sharp fangs, claiming they gnawed on human flesh like animals.
Everyone thought he had suffered a mental breakdown until he pulled up his pant leg. Where his calf should have been, there was nothing left but a section of grim, white bone.
“They’re coming… they’re coming! Stay back-stay away from me!”
The footage was broadcast by the media, and the public went into a frenzy. Countless influencers and bloggers flooded into Devil City to search for traces of these Man-eating Snakes, making the location an overnight sensation.
The matter even caught the attention of the television station in City B.
The Decoding Science Program Team was dispatched to the area to film a live science-based program, aiming to debunk these outrageous rumors once and for all.
Zhu Tanjian was the director of the Program Team.
He was Professor Zhu’s cousin and a very cautious man. I happened to need a favor from him, so in exchange, he asked me to come along for the shoot just in case.
The Program Team included experts, explorers, and even a foreign wilderness survival specialist.
None of them approved of Zhu Tanjian bringing me along.
“A delicate young girl like her? Can she even handle the hardship? What if something happens?”
Zhu Tanjian gave a bitter smile.
“She’s an Earth Master; she’s not as weak as she looks. I’m older than you all, and I’ve experienced more. Even though our show is called ‘Decoding Science,’ I know that there are some things you simply can’t solve with science alone.”