Age: My Small World

The base was located near the desert, and even within an oasis, so as soon as Yang Jun stepped outside, he saw a desolate scene in the distance, which was completely different from the Northwest landscape he remembered watching videos of.

It's not quite a desert; the nearest desert is still hundreds of miles away. What truly surrounds the oasis is a desolate wasteland.

Yang Jun walked out of the oasis, his footsteps slowly landing on the cold earth.

In this northwestern region, the temperature difference between day and night is extreme. During the day, the temperature can easily reach 20 or 30 degrees Celsius, but at night it can even drop to a terrifying sub-zero temperature, which is difficult for people to adapt to.

Yang Jun wrapped his coat tighter to keep the cold wind from getting on him.

His attention began to fall on his surroundings, not missing anything that could move.

At that moment, a languid figure came into Yang Jun's view.

"Is this thing a cat?"

Yes, under a withered tree not far from him, a small orange kitten was lying lazily, its little paws licking its mouth.
Yang Jun cautiously approached, wanting to find out what was going on.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived, the cat's eyes widened, staring at him with incredibly sharp eyes, as if it regarded him as a large wild beast invading its territory.

The kitten slowly moved backward, and once it reached behind the tree, it immediately took off running.

However, at that moment, something seemed to be blocking its path, as if obstructing its way.

Immediately, the cat rolled on the ground, letting out a series of shrill cries.

Yang Jun approached it, withdrew his control over his perception, and then picked it up in his palm.

The kitten wasn't big, not even half the size of a regular house cat, but its adorable appearance and agile movements made Yang Jun quite fond of it, so he decided not to let it go.

"It shouldn't be a house cat..."

Yang Jun dodged the cat's sudden, heavy bite; among domestic cats, only a very small minority dare to attack humans.

This little guy is wild and untamed; I reckon he's never encountered a human since he was a baby.

"Here you go, little one. I'll give you a good meal first, and then I'll send you to a nice place to live."

Yang Jun took the kitten with him and used his mental power to slightly restrain it, making it difficult for it to escape.

He wrapped a piece of raw meat in the spiritual water and held it to the kitten's mouth.

The little thing sniffed hard with its nose, and then its eyes widened considerably.

Then, without Yang Jun having to feed it, it simply stuck out its tongue and snatched the food away.

"Hehe, eat slowly, so you can eat this kind of good food every day from now on."

He had already figured it out; the little creature was probably a sand cat, a species that lives in the desert and hunts small animals.

Sand cats are very small, even smaller than ordinary kittens, and only weigh two or three kilograms when they grow up.

In the future, he certainly wouldn't be able to take the Sand Cat away so easily, but now he doesn't feel any guilt. Maybe with his care, the Sand Cat family can flourish in the future.

"Now that we have you, let's find another male cat, otherwise you'll definitely be bored in the small world."

He likes to pair up small animals, which not only improves the reproductive efficiency of the group but also enhances the happiness of the little creatures. After all, animals also need happiness, and that's how the world becomes a better place.

Holding a cat in his left arm and casually carrying a bamboo pole in his right, he gradually walked further and further away in the desert.

The desert is not entirely devoid of any living creatures.

For example, there are sand cats, sand lizards, and even rats.

Unfortunately, after walking for half a day, Yang Jun didn't even see a rat's nest.

He had originally wanted to try what a desert rat tasted like.

"Huh? Why is there another mountain over here?"

After walking for half a day, and crossing a rocky mountain, a desolate mountain peak suddenly appeared in front of Yang Jun.

The mountain peaks were devoid of vegetation and moisture, only jagged, sharp rocks, resembling a stone mountain and adding to the desolate atmosphere. "Perfect timing to go up and see this natural wonder of the Northwest Gobi Desert."

Once his curiosity got the better of him, he ignored the steepness of the mountain and just kept climbing.

It wouldn't be accurate to call it treacherous; at least Yang Jun felt as if he were walking on flat ground.

His footprints were not deep; often, before he was about to enter the sand, he would have already taken a step forward.

After walking for a while, Yang Jun let out a long breath.

"Phew... I've gained quite a bit of experience with the plum blossom step."

It turns out that he was deliberately walking on the sand using the plum blossom walking technique, taking the opportunity to practice and indeed making a lot of progress.

"Um?!"

Suddenly he stopped again, and then his senses probed downwards along a boulder.

Behind four or five huge rocks, he saw a dark cave.

As the cave descended to the side, his perception extended all the way, almost reaching a hundred meters in length, yet he still couldn't see what lay at the end of the passage.

"However, there seems to be moisture in the cave, so there must be groundwater down there."

After thinking for a moment, Yang Jun simply threw out the two giant bears.

"Hey you two, could you help me move some things?"

Immediately, the two giant bears became his tools, painstakingly moving four or five huge rocks away for him.

"Huff..." The two giant bears couldn't help but catch their breath.

Seeing this, Yang Jun handed over two drops of spiritual water.

"Drink."

Knowing their thirst for the spiritual water, Yang Jun flicked it into the mouths of the two bears.

They casually smacked their lips and then swallowed the spiritual water whole.

"Ouch..."

In that instant, the two bears' eyes changed, and they wanted to hurry back to their cave.

"Hold on."

Yang Jun sent them directly into the cave in the small world. Seeing that the two bears were safe and sound, he felt relieved.

Two adorable kittens also entered.

Yes, Yang Jun went to great lengths and finally found a matching male and female cat. With two adorable kittens, his trip wasn't in vain.

But since we've already come this far, we still have to go up the mountain. Even just standing on the summit and letting out a few shouts in the wind can effectively relieve stress.

Before heading to the summit, he wanted to explore the cave.

The cave entrance wasn't small; Yang Jun could walk straight through it. But at one point, the entrance suddenly narrowed, forcing him to hunch over to move forward.

The further you go in, the denser the moisture becomes.

After walking about a hundred meters, Yang Jun's senses finally began to register a premonition.

"Now we can finally enjoy the satisfaction of having access to water."

Fifty meters away, a simple pool of water is located right on the only way.

Water continued to drip from above the passage, indicating that this pool had formed over countless years, a truly remarkable feat. (End of Chapter)