Prologue: The Three Ultimate Philosophical Questions and the One True Answer

"Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?" It is said that these three questions plagued Plato his entire life.

Yet, these so-called ultimate questions of Western philosophy troubled Zhang Qian, the grad school hopeful, for less than five minutes before he saw right through them.

A wolf with a coat of bluish-gray fur crept stealthily toward him through knee-high weeds.

Why on earth would there still be wolves near a university town in the twenty-first century? Zhang Qian couldn’t make sense of it. Just as, three minutes earlier, he couldn’t understand how a brief glance at his phone while walking had ended with him lost on the outskirts of campus.

But the instant he saw the wolf’s eyes, clarity struck him. If he kept pondering his identity and origins beneath this old tree, he could be quite certain that his next destination would be the wolf’s stomach!

His body jolted as if electrified, springing up from the ground. Instinctively, his left arm groped for the tree trunk behind him, while his right hand flailed desperately. “Go away, go away, get lost, get lost!” he cried, his voice trembling and pouring from his throat in a flurry. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead and temples.

“Strike to the east, jab to the west, animals don’t always need sharp teeth…” The lyrics of Joker Xue’s “Animal World” fittingly blared from his right palm.

Huawei’s convenience was no joke—its shake-to-play-music feature worked exactly as advertised. But at this moment, Zhang Qian would have preferred to be holding a ceramic-encased Xiaomi; at least that could be used as a brick in a pinch.

His feet hit the ground, but slippery leaves and wild grass nearly sent him sprawling. Fortunately, his left hand caught the tree trunk just in time to keep him from landing flat on his back.

“Strike to the east, jab to the west, animals don’t always need sharp teeth…” The phone’s volume automatically hit maximum, making him want to cry.

The wolf, clearly startled by this bizarre sound, paused its approach. Then, lowering its forelegs and digging its hind legs into the earth, it curved its body into a taut bow.

“Go away, get lost, leave me alone!” Zhang Qian’s voice had taken on a sobbing edge, his arms flailing mechanically.

The muscles in his thighs, electrified by adrenaline, tightened and quivered.

By length, he was easily one and a half times the wolf’s size. By weight, he was three times heavier. In the animal kingdom, such a size advantage would have meant overwhelming superiority. Yet, in a confrontation between human and beast, it was of little use.

Whether the wolf had grown used to the song or sensed Zhang Qian’s weakness, it began to inch forward once more. Fifteen meters. Ten. Five. Then it stopped, its forelegs sidestepping, its massive head pressed low to the ground like a bulldozer’s blade, eyes fixed on Zhang Qian’s throat, crystalline drool dripping from its bared teeth.

“System, activate!” In a flash of inspiration, Zhang Qian shouted out.

If checking his phone while walking could land him in a strange new world, perhaps he’d crossed over—and the companion system was a standard bonus for the transmigrator.

But no pop-up appeared before his eyes. The evening sunlight was dazzlingly bright. Northern temperate mugwort, dove tree blossoms, and poplars swayed gently in the early autumn breeze.

“Grandpa, save me!” He flipped his right hand, aiming the phone screen at the wolf’s eyes, and shouted as loud as he could, hoping for a miracle.

The legendary sage who always accompanied transmigrators did not appear. Instead, his thumb accidentally brushed the phone screen, abruptly silencing Joker Xue’s song.

The wolf froze, forelegs crouching even lower, body once more taut as a drawn bow, two green flames flickering in its triangular eyes.

“Ka!” Zhang Qian shouted, unleashing his final gambit. He twisted his waist and summoned all his strength, darting around the tree trunk in a smooth, fluid motion, his legs spinning like the blades of a windmill.

“Help me!”

Grass, trees, and rocky outcrops flew past behind him.

The wolf hesitated for a moment, then spread its four limbs wide and gave chase, relentless.