A Post-Apocalyptic Journey to Another World

Year 9 of the Red Moon Calendar, night.

In a small town in the northwestern mountains of the former Huaxia Kingdom, a group of mercenaries is setting up a battlefield.

It's almost June, and the weather, which should be hot, is surprisingly cool.

Since the Great Cataclysm, the sun has never appeared in the sky again; instead, twelve red moons have taken its place.

Without the sun, there would naturally be no seasons, but people still stubbornly continue to use the old, outdated calendar and timekeeping methods.

This mercenary group consisted of about fifty people and was clearly a random, unorganized group. Their weapons were a mixed bag, including not only firearms such as assault rifles, sniper rifles, and mortars, but also melee weapons such as swords and shields.

The mercenaries were setting up traps and firing positions in the ruins on both sides of the city passageway. Each of them moved with skill and efficiency. More than fifty people were busy in an area of ​​several hundred meters, but they did not make a sound.

At a sniping position behind the mercenary group, a young man in his twenties was tidying up a flag. It was the flag of their Black Wolf Mercenary Group, with a lifelike black wolf head painted on it. The wolf's crimson eyes seemed to be staring at everyone who looked at the flag, ready to pounce and devour them at any moment.

The young man carefully folded the flag and put it into a small box. Then he picked up a heavy sniper rifle next to him and began to clean it.

He had fair skin and was somewhat thin, making him stand out among a group of dark-skinned, burly mercenaries. His companions often said that he didn't look like a mercenary, but more like a student or an intern at a research center.

"Hey, cowardly Xi!" A flippant shout from afar made the young man, who was carefully checking his guns, look up. He saw a group of people carrying cold weapons and wearing leather armor walking towards him.

Walking in front was a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a full beard. Every hair on his beard stood up like a black steel needle. His right arm was severed at the elbow, and in its place was a metal hook.

Beside the burly man was a tall, thin young man with a punk hairstyle and a nose ring. The word "Cowardly Joy" came from the punk-haired man.

The young man nicknamed "Cowardly Xi" was named Zhang Xi. He immediately went up to the bearded man and called out to him affectionately, "Old Zhao! The brothers from the fire support team are in position."

Old Zhao, the leader of the Black Wolf Mercenary Group, nodded in satisfaction and said, "Come on, accompany me to check the various firing points." After saying that, he took the lead and walked out.

The punk-haired youth, chewing betel nut, leaned in again and said loudly, "Coward Xi, you've hit the jackpot, you know?" He winked and continued, "Little Yue from the heavens has announced that if you can kill a wolf with your bare hands, she'll sleep with you for a month for free! Oh my god, that slutty Little Yue, just thinking about her makes me tremble with pleasure!"

"Cowardly Xi, you need to seize this opportunity, you know? Every time I finish a mission, all the rewards I get are only enough to sleep with her once. Damn, Xiaoyue is too popular!" The punk-haired youth spat out the chewed betel nut, then stuffed two more into his mouth and continued chewing.

Zhang Xi ignored the punk-haired man's teasing, but a voice from the group behind them scoffed, "Come on, you lecherous Joe. Bitches love money, girls love pretty girls. Zhang Xi may be prettier than us roughnecks, but Xiao Yue, that slut, is known for only caring about money!"

Punk turned around and looked at the guy who had contradicted him, the deputy captain of the stormtroopers, his second-in-command, Tank Duve, a Eurasian.

The punk-haired guy scoffed and said, "What do you know? You're so narrow-minded! Xiaoyue only cares about money. She and Abe Risa, the top courtesan from across the street in Japan, have set up a bet: if Xiaoyue kills a wolf with her bare hands within a month, she can win half of Abe Risa's savings. That's a lot of money!"

"Oh my god, poor Xiaoyue, he's doomed!" Du Wei exclaimed dramatically, covering his face with his hands. "Coward Xi would never take the risk, not even a regular black wolf, let alone the alpha wolf, because he's afraid of accidentally contracting rabies!"

Du Wei's performance drew laughter from the group of stormtroopers behind him.

Zhang Xi shook his head with a wry smile. The captain and vice-captain of the assault team always joked about him, the fire support team captain who was unwilling to fight monsters hand-to-hand, before every major battle.

The joke itself wasn't funny, and it had been told countless times, but the stormtroopers still laughed. The reason was simple: they used short jokes to ease the tension before the battle.

Looking at his group of young men, the regimental commander, Lao Zhao, laughed and said, "Alright, Qiao Feng, Du Wei, stop laughing. Zhang Xi has his own reasons and choices."

He waved to Zhang Xi and asked, "How much more money do we need for the travel expenses?"

Zhang Xi stood up, slung his gun behind his back, followed Old Zhao, and replied, "We're still missing a level 5 elemental energy crystal. A few more missions should be enough."

"If you go to the United States and don't find your parents, come back immediately," Old Zhao said as he walked to a firing point and inspected the mortar.

Zhang Xi gave a bitter smile: "Old Zhao, I only have enough money for a one-way tour fee, I can't come back."

"Yeah, those officials are really greedy! They charge so much for just a ride. But there's nothing we can do. The journey from China to the US is long, and we have to pass through several chaotic forests. Only the official convoys that travel there once a year have the capability to reach the US safely. Each convoy has five superhumans on board. There are also many gold and silver level experts," Old Zhao nodded and said.

Zhang Xi squatted down and helped Lao Zhao move the mortar a bit, saying, "I plan to go again next year. First, I don't have enough money now, and second, maybe I'll have a stroke of luck next year and even raise enough money for the return trip."

Old Zhao laughed and said, "No need to wait until next year. The longer it drags on, the less likely you are to find your parents. Zhang Xi, we're going to pull off a big one this time. Qiao Feng, Du Wei, and a bunch of brothers have agreed to use all the money from this job to help you with your travel expenses."

"This!" Zhang Xi's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. He blinked hard, forcibly suppressing his emotions, and said, "My brothers risk their lives to make a living. I can't take their money!"

"Take it. They'll squander their pay on women or at the casino anyway. Just think of it as saving money for them. You can pay them back later." Old Zhao sighed, stood up, and walked to the second floor of a ruined building, where another firing point was located.

Zhang Xi followed behind Lao Zhao, when suddenly he thought of something and quickly followed up, saying, "Lao Zhao, the reward for this mission is so high, and the mission details haven't been registered with the Mercenary Guild. I'm a little worried. It's better to take some precautions."

Old Zhao replied, "I understand, but we're not the only mercenary group that's taken on this mission. There's the Rose and Wine Mercenary Group, the War Wolf Mercenary Group, and more than a dozen other groups, big and small. It's quite a force. I'm sure the employer won't dare to renege on the deal. Besides, we're only doing an outer encirclement mission; we won't be involved in the main battle. Don't worry."

Zhang Xi was about to say something when a deafening explosion suddenly came from more than ten kilometers ahead. Then, the sky in the distance burst into various colors of light like fireworks, and bursts of energy vibrations came from there.

Old Zhao's expression suddenly turned serious. Such a large-scale operation had been launched? It seemed that there was more than one superhuman involved in the battle.

He touched the steel hook on his right hand, then casually drew a broadsword with a glowing red light from its sheath at his waist. He shouted, "Brothers of the assault team, get to the front! Zhang Xi, provide fire support!" With that, he charged ahead.

The assault team that had been following not far away, led by Qiao Feng, let out a unified roar: "Awooo!" They also drew their weapons and followed suit, their weapons even faintly glowing.

Zhang Xi also rushed towards a sniper platform on a rooftop.

A man covered in blood, wearing camouflage, was clutching his chest and staggering toward the small town. Despite his serious injuries and unsteady steps, he was still moving at an astonishing speed, covering over a hundred meters in the blink of an eye.

Just outside the city, the man suddenly stopped, frowning, clearly having discovered an ambush. He turned around and looked back worriedly, then observed the mountains on both sides of the town. Gritting his teeth, he rushed towards the town.

Old Zhao, who was lying in ambush not far away, looked at the blood-covered man and muttered to himself, "There were ambushes in front and pursuers behind, but in the end, he still chose my place as the breakthrough point. This man's judgment is very accurate."

The Wolf Warrior mercenary group responsible for the ambush on the mountain is stronger than us, but getting past me will be much harder than getting on the mountain, hehe!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Several heavy sniper shots rang out in the distance. Before the gunfire even reached him, the man noticed and began to dodge. The immense kinetic energy of the sniper bullets kicked up clouds of dirt and rocks on the ground not far behind him.

These firearms have undergone continuous improvement and enhancement, greatly increasing their firing power. After dodging five bullets in succession, the man was still hit in the left leg. He staggered, but quickly adjusted his posture and continued to rush towards the city.

The bullet that hit the man was fired by Zhang Xi. He and five snipers formed a sniper network. The six of them cooperated well and fired at the same time, almost blocking all of the target's escape routes.

Zhang Xi immediately pulled back the bolt and aimed again. His sniper rifle was a specially enhanced new product; even a low-level Gold rank cultivator couldn't withstand a direct hit from it. Yet, the man was only knocked back by the immense kinetic energy.

In other words, he was at least a high-level Gold, while the strongest member of the team, Lao Zhao, was only a low-level Gold. Zhang Xi couldn't help but worry.

Seeing the man rushing closer, Old Zhao stood up from behind a low wall of a ruined building and shouted, "Brothers, after we finish this job, we can rest for half a year and do nothing. Follow me!" After saying that, he charged forward with a huge broadsword in one hand.

The group of assault team members followed closely behind, led by Qiao Feng and Du Wei.

Old Zhao rushed in front of the man and slashed him horizontally at the waist with his sword. The man suddenly swayed and used a strange movement technique to bypass Old Zhao.

Old Zhao was shocked! Advanced skill! He immediately turned and gave chase, shouting, "Be careful! Don't engage him head-on! Use hit-and-run tactics to entangle him!"

The man bypassed Lao Zhao and faced Qiao Feng, the punk-haired man, directly. This time, instead of using the strange movement techniques he had used before, he threw a punch at Qiao Feng, his fist gleaming with a metallic sheen. Qiao Feng, seeing this, yelled and raised the small round shield on his arm to his chest, retreating rapidly. However, he was still struck by the punch and sent flying more than ten meters away.

Qiao Feng grinned, this little round shield was his treasure, and now it had been smashed with a dent, but he rushed back and shouted, "Good news, Lao Zhao, he has a physical enhancement type of superpower, and he hasn't fully awakened it." Golden peak experts usually awaken some superpowers, but their strength is worlds apart from that of true superpowered individuals.

"I know!" Old Zhao rushed back and exchanged another blow with the man, suffering a minor loss with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. After repelling Old Zhao, the man charged at another member of the assault team outside the encirclement. This member was weaker and reacted too late, getting punched in the right chest. His entire chest caved in and deformed, and he lay on the ground, his life hanging in the balance.

The man broke through the enemy's encirclement and was about to speed away when a bullet shot ahead of him in his escape route. He was hit again and staggered, and was caught up and entangled by Lao Zhao.

After a fierce struggle, the assault team gradually became familiar with the man's strength and attack methods. Centered around Lao Zhao, Qiao Feng, and Du Wei, they constantly harassed and attacked the man, but avoided a direct confrontation. Having cooperated for many years, they were in sync, covering each other's movements as they advanced and retreated. For a time, the man was helpless.