Beast Whisperer Rise of the Nation - Chapter 1: The System in My Mind

Chapter 1: The System in My Mind

The October wind carried a hint of chill.

Jiang Shiyan sat on a large rock, gazing absently at the endless sea before her, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

"System, when can I leave this cursed place?"

[I have no idea, dear.]

"Could you at least call me something else, like Yanyan?"

[No, honey.]

Jiang Shiyan: "..."

Just a month ago, Jiang Shiyan had been a temporary worker at a zoo. One day, she was forgotten in the tiger enclosure while cleaning. The staff in the control room had accidentally opened the gate, releasing all the tigers.

Seeing a stranger, the tigers became alert and aggressive. As she tried to flee, Jiang Shiyan tripped into a ditch, hit her head, and lost consciousness on the spot.

When she woke up, she found herself lying on a shoreline with memories that weren’t hers.

She had somehow traveled through time.

Her soul had entered the body of an unfortunate girl with the same name. This girl had been foolishly in love, tricked by her boyfriend into going on a cruise to watch dolphins, only for him to push her into the sea under the guise of taking a photo.

Before Jiang Shiyan could fully process the plot twist, which felt straight out of a novel, a mechanical voice echoed in her mind:

[…Zzz...Zzz...System check initiated… Human from Blue Star detected, alive, identification complete…]

What on earth?

Jiang Shiyan, bewildered, slapped her ears, thinking she was hallucinating.

[Loading complete. Would you like to bind to the Wanshou Fan System?]

Startled, she jumped up, looking around. "Who… who’s talking?"

[I am the Wanshou Fan System, codename 'Shoushou.']

"Where are you?"

[In your mind. Do people on Blue Star not bind to systems?]

Without thinking, she replied, "No binding."

[Okay, suitability checked at 100%. System binding initiated…]

"…!"

This system is insane!

After the system successfully bound itself to her, a transparent screen appeared before Jiang Shiyan's eyes, offering a detailed introduction to the Wanshou Fan System. It felt just like the character creation menu of a game, complete with initial setup options.

While picking a voice package, Jiang Shiyan accidentally clicked on Taobao’s customer service voice.

"You selected the wrong one!" she cried, panicking.

[Sorry, dear. Once selected, changes are not allowed.]

Jiang Shiyan: "..."

[Would you like to open the new member gift pack?]

Still doubtful about this strange system, Jiang Shiyan hesitated. But when a gift box popped up on the screen, she instinctively clicked to accept it.

[Congratulations! You’ve unlocked the animal language skill and gained the ability to understand the speech of three animals. Please cherish animals and nature!]

…

In the following month, Jiang Shiyan gradually unlocked the languages of two or three more species. By now, she could communicate easily with almost every animal on this remote island.

It was only then that she truly realized—this wasn’t a dream.

Today marked the sixty-fifth day of her survival on this isolated wilderness island.

[Xiao Yanyan, Xiao Yanyan! There’s a boat approaching! A boat is coming to shore!]

A seagull landed on Jiang Shiyan’s shoulder, excitedly chirping.

A surge of energy rushed through her, and she immediately leaped up, racing toward the shore.

Tears of joy welled in her eyes when, through the gaps in the grass, she saw two cruise ships docking.

Thirty-five days. Over eight hundred hours!

God knew what kind of life she had endured!

If she hadn’t suddenly gained the ability to communicate with animals and find food with their help, she would’ve starved on this forsaken island.

The people disembarking from the ships were glamorous—handsome men and beautiful women, accompanied by photographers carrying cameras. Some even wore work badges.

Jiang Shiyan glanced down at her ragged clothes. Though tattered, nothing indecent was exposed. She pondered for a moment, quickly formulating a plan.

As she suspected, the new arrivals were part of a crew filming a wilderness survival show. They had carefully chosen this uninhabited island as the backdrop for their reality show, aiming for an authentic survival experience.

While the director was explaining the survival game’s rules, someone pointed to a distant spot and asked, "Is that smoke?"

The director and crew turned toward the rising plume of black smoke, instantly alarmed.

Was someone else on this deserted island?

Impossible.

This island was located deep in the sea, and local fishermen had warned that it was full of snakes. Few people dared to come here. There were even rumors of wild men living on the island. For the sake of ratings, the production team had taken a gamble, bringing a group of amateur contestants here, armed with medical professionals and specialized equipment.

The crew ultimately decided to investigate.

If they encountered a real-life savage, the ratings would explode!

Cautiously, cameras in hand, they approached the source of the smoke. To their shock, they saw a lone figure squatting there, tending to a fire, muttering to herself.

"Who's there?" one of them asked, mustering the courage.

Jiang Shiyan glanced back, and a sudden look of surprise flashed in her eyes. Without a second thought, she jumped up and dashed toward the group.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Her face, blackened by smoke from the burning wood, and her tattered clothes made her look like a wild creature to the film crew. The instant they saw her running towards them, several of the more timid female participants screamed in terror, mistaking her for a savage!

Jiang Shiyan immediately stopped and frantically tried to explain, "Wait! I’m not dangerous… I’m not a savage…"

"A savage that can talk?!" one of them exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.

Jiang Shiyan’s expression faltered for a moment: "..."

“I’m not a savage,” she said, trying to maintain her composure. “My name is Jiang Shiyan. I’ve been stranded on this island for a month! Really, you have to believe me. My ID number is—"

"Hold on, Jiang Shiyan? That name sounds familiar... Wasn’t there a missing person notice online for someone with that name? A girl..." someone in the crowd suddenly spoke up.

One of the crew members stepped forward, gripping a stick for protection. He pointed it at her cautiously and asked, “Are you really not a savage?”

“...”

Jiang Shiyan’s patience was wearing thin.

Savage? You’re the savage! Your whole family are savages!

After nearly losing her breath trying to explain, Jiang Shiyan finally convinced them she wasn’t some wild woman. She even persuaded them to call the authorities.

Although there was no cell service on the island, the crew had a satellite phone and quickly got in touch with the police.

Filming was temporarily halted because of her unexpected appearance. After a brief discussion, the production team agreed to send her back to the mainland first.

Before starting the fire that alerted them, Jiang Shiyan had already said her goodbyes to the animals on the island. After all, she had survived the last month thanks to their companionship and help.

On the boat, the program director approached her privately, speaking frankly. "Xiao Jiang, we rescued you. Once you’re back, could you give us a shout-out online? You know, thank our show to help boost our ratings?"

Jiang Shiyan, being a sensible person, hesitated at first, as her instinct was to reject the idea. But she also knew that if the production team hadn’t chosen this remote island for their show, she might never have been rescued. It wasn’t an unreasonable request, so she agreed without much fuss.

“Don’t worry, Director Tang. I would have done it even if you hadn’t asked. Your crew saved my life. Of course, I’ll show my gratitude!”

Director Tang smiled, satisfied. “Great.”

Once they reached the shore, the first thing Jiang Shiyan did was approach the police waiting for her.

"Officer," she said, her voice firm, "I want to file a report. Someone tried to murder me!"