Chapter 5: Captured


    The bustling prosperity of Barbarian City was something Han Ming had not anticipated. It was almost no different from the human world, teeming with people and activity. Street vendors lined the roads, and various shops dotted the area, with weapon and equipment stores being particularly abundant, likely due to the city''s unique geographical location. Patrols of soldiers frequently marched through the streets, and Big Head informed Han Ming that all these soldiers were warriors, which left Han Ming utterly astonished.


    "Are these soldiers as powerful as the two at the city gate?" Han Ming asked curiously.


    "No, only those who have reached the second rank can become city gate warriors. These patrol soldiers are all first rank. In this world, the military is the most powerful force. The minimum requirement to join the army is to reach the level of a first rank warrior, and it''s the dream of most men to one day enlist. It symbolizes strength and powerful backing," Big Head explained.


    Han Ming pondered for a moment and then asked, "Isn''t it said that mages hold a higher status? Why is the military considered the most powerful?"


    Big Head chuckled, "To be honest, I don''t know all the details, but I do know that mages don''t belong to any country. Each nation has a mage guild, and mages take orders directly from their guild. They exist in a transcendent state. Because of their rarity, the overall strength of a country''s mage guild isn''t as great as the military, but the military would never dare to provoke the mage guild lightly. Mages are extremely protective of their own. The biggest conflict I know of between a mage guild and the military happened in a major city of our country. The mage guild summoned mages from other guilds in different countries and directly destroyed over fifty large cities and more than a hundred small and medium-sized cities in our country. It wasn''t until the queen herself publicly apologized to the head of the mage guild that the matter was settled. Because of this incident, our country''s strength was significantly weakened. Neighboring countries seized the opportunity to provoke and harass us, attempting to invade. Currently, our country is actually in a state of war. To be honest, it''s not that our military couldn''t defeat the mage guild, but the losses from a direct confrontation would be too great. It''s not worth it."


    Han Ming was dumbfounded by Big Head''s description. This so-called mage guild was truly formidable. He learned that it would take about ten days to walk from one end of Barbarian City to the other. The sheer size of the city was overwhelming, yet over fifty such large cities and more than a hundred smaller ones had been destroyed. Even in the human world, such large-scale destruction was rare during wars between nations.


    After a day of exploring the city, what surprised Han Ming the most were the massive airships that occasionally flew overhead. These airships were similar to those in the human world but much larger. The biggest ones were the size of several football fields, casting vast shadows as they passed overhead. Each airship was pulled by a dozen flying beasts, moving at impressive speeds. This was the primary mode of transportation in this world, and Han Ming found it fascinating. His first impression of this world was that everything was enormous.


    By evening, the two realized they might have to sleep on the streets since neither of them had any money. Fortunately, they had prepared some food, so they wouldn''t go hungry. That night, they camped outside the city, as sleeping on the streets within Barbarian City was strictly prohibited—a rule similar to the human world. Han Ming noticed many people resting outside the city, with groups gathered around campfires, drinking, eating, and laughing loudly. He sighed inwardly, realizing that poverty existed in every world. These people were clearly mercenaries, but to save money, they chose to spend the night outside the city.


    The two gathered some dry wood to start a fire and slowly roasted the meat they had prepared. This time, they didn''t have to eat flavorless meat, as Big Head had traded some animal teeth and claws for a small amount of salt and spices earlier in the day.


    Big Head was amazed by Han Ming''s lighter. He admitted that when he first saw Han Ming use it, he thought Han Ming was a fire mage, which had frightened him. In this world, people used flint to start fires. After hearing Han Ming''s explanation, he relaxed and became curious about Han Ming''s world, finding the strange lighter quite exquisite.


    After chatting for a while, the two applied insect-repellent herbal juice and went to sleep. The surrounding noise gradually died down.


    In the middle of the night, Han Ming woke up to relieve himself. The campfire had gone out, leaving only faint embers crackling softly. The number of city gate warriors had increased from two to four, and several giant fire cages above the gate illuminated the entrance brightly.


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    After finishing his business, Han Ming zipped up his pants and prepared to return. Suddenly, a hand covered his mouth, and his consciousness faded. He knew nothing more.


    When he woke up, he found himself lying on a wooden floor, surrounded by many young men and women around his age. Some were anxiously asking each other what was happening, while others were still unconscious. It was a massive room entirely made of wood. Through the window, he could see the sky outside, with birds occasionally flying by. Han Ming was stunned—was he on an airship?


    As Han Ming looked around in panic, a girl slightly younger than him cautiously approached and asked nervously, "Do you know where we are? Why am I here?"


    Han Ming glanced at the girl. She was rather plain-looking, but her large, watery eyes were quite endearing. She appeared to be a year or two younger than him, dressed in the unique clothing of this era, which suggested she was relatively well-off.


    "I don''t know either. I woke up here," Han Ming replied, shaking his head. In truth, he was more confused than anyone. Being an outsider, he knew little about this world, so it was best to speak as little as possible.


    The girl sighed in disappointment but then smiled and said, "Hello, my name is Weier. What''s your name?"


    As she spoke, she spread her arms. Han Ming, thinking she wanted a hug, eagerly opened his arms and embraced her, gently inhaling the scent of her hair.


    The girl, Weier, quickly pushed him away, her face red with anger. "What are you doing?"


    Han Ming was taken aback. "I''m Han Ming. I thought you wanted to hug me?"


    Weier looked at him curiously. "Are you a foreigner? Spreading my arms is a gesture of goodwill, showing I have no weapons."


    Han Ming awkwardly scratched his head and apologized, wishing he could bury his face in the ground. How embarrassing.


    Weier smiled, not too bothered. The redness in her cheeks faded. After all, Han Ming was quite handsome—even in the human world, he was considered a super hunk, no less attractive than any celebrity. It seemed that good looks were an advantage everywhere. His clothing, so different from this world''s attire, also made Weier less suspicious of him.


    Han Ming scanned the room, estimating there were at least a hundred people. He couldn''t understand what was happening.


    Just as everyone was growing more confused, the airship began to descend. Soon, Han Ming felt a slight tremor, indicating they had landed.


    A wooden door at the end of the room opened, and a middle-aged man in black entered. He glanced around and said in a hoarse voice, "Follow me," before turning and leaving.


    The group exchanged uncertain looks, unsure of what to do. After a moment, someone finally took the lead and walked out. Seeing this, the others followed.


    Han Ming looked at Weier and said, "Let''s go see what''s happening."


    Weier nodded, and the two followed the crowd.


    They found themselves in an enormous, endless canyon. Strange, black plants grew everywhere, creating an eerie atmosphere. After disembarking from the airship, they were surrounded by a dozen or so black-clad men. The leader nodded to the others, who then approached the captives and began dragging them away.


    Some struggled, only to be struck on the neck and knocked unconscious. The black-clad men dragged the unconscious youths to a nearby cave entrance and threw them inside, sealing the stone door behind them.


    The crowd grew restless. Everyone realized these black-clad men were not friendly. A few tried to escape, but without exception, they were knocked out and dragged away, thrown into individual small caves. Gradually, the number of people around them dwindled.


    Han Ming sighed bitterly. Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it. He had already experienced many strange things, so one more wouldn''t make a difference. So many stronger young men had been knocked out—what chance did his skinny arms and legs have?


    A soft, smooth hand gently grasped Han Ming''s right hand. He turned to see Weier looking at him anxiously, whispering, "What should we do?"


    Han Ming shook his head, indicating he didn''t know. He whispered back, "Don''t be afraid. These people didn''t capture us for no reason. With so many of us taken, they''ll eventually give us an explanation."


    Weier could only nod helplessly.


    Han Ming cooperated fully, not resisting as a black-clad man led him into a cave. Just as the stone door was about to close, he saw Weier watching him nervously. A warm feeling spread through his chest. In this unfamiliar place, having someone care about him was incredibly important. He had already resigned himself to his fate. Everything that had happened felt so unreal. Even though he had been in this other world for a while, he still couldn''t fully adapt. Deep down, he struggled to believe it was all real. Even his fear felt numb.


    Han Ming had said that these people would eventually give an explanation. But "eventually" was taking far too long.


    Rubbing his sore backside, Han Ming slowly stood up. The cave was pitch black. He gently touched the stone door in front of him, the only way he could feel grounded in reality. He had no idea how long he had been here. There was no sound, no light, no sense of time. His eyes were useless in this darkness.


    The prolonged isolation was driving Han Ming mad. He even wished for a rat to appear, just to break the monotony.


    He felt a tightness in his chest, his mind blank. It was as if he were floating in the vastness of space. Silence, silence, silence...


    But there were no stars here. Only emptiness.


    Every so often, the stone door would crack open slightly, and someone would toss in a small piece of meat and a water pouch. But this only happened in the dead of night, and the door would close almost instantly. Han Ming would desperately try to catch a glimpse of the outside, even if it was just the black-clad men. Anything to break the monotony.


    This was inhuman torture. No one could endure such conditions for long.


    Han Ming had screamed, kicked, and thrashed wildly, but the only response was silence. Always silence.


    Each day, he could only talk to himself to keep from losing his mind. He began to reminisce about his life, from childhood to the present. He remembered his parents taking him shopping, sneaking apples to the girl next door, and how he would struggle wildly every time his parents took him for vaccinations, only for his father to smack his head and scold him for not acting like a man.


    He recalled beautiful music, the laughter of classmates, the taste of delicious food, and even the people he disliked. From cursing them to sighing, he realized that if he could leave this damned place, he would even apologize to those he once hated. All past grievances seemed so trivial compared to his current plight. Everything—joy, anger—was part of life. Being able to truly experience life was a blessing.


    Han Ming finally understood this deeply.


    Softly, he began to hum songs he had sung countless times. He regretted not learning more songs, as they were his only way to pass the time. The empty, lonely cave echoed with his solitary singing.


    Tears streamed down Han Ming''s face once more.