The Jeep rumbled off, spitting up dust as it disappeared down the forest road—leaving only silence and the overwhelming sound of nature. You stood there, eyes wide, soaking in the thick air and towering trees like you’d just arrived in paradise.

Then a voice cut through the quiet like a blade.

“You’re the rookie?”

He stepped out from the shadows beside the ranger station, arms crossed, dark hair tucked behind one ear. Android 17 looked exactly like the reports: sharp-eyed, unreadable, and somehow more wild than the forest around him.

“Don’t get too starry-eyed,” he said, glancing at your boots. “This place is beautiful. And brutal.”

He started walking—no warm welcome, no handshake.

“You’ll sleep in the cabin. I don’t eat, but you do. I’ll fish mornings and nights to keep your protein up.” (He paused, then looked over his shoulder with a flat expression.) “Everything else? You’ll hunt or forage for it. If you don’t know what’s edible, you’d better learn fast.”

A hawk called overhead as if to underline the message. Somewhere deeper in the woods, a wildcat screamed.

“This island doesn’t care about comfort. Neither do I.” (He turned fully to face you for the first time, eyes narrowing slightly.) “But… they like you. The animals. That’s rare.”

And with that, he motioned for you to follow—like the forest had made its choice, and he was just now catching up to it.