A Post-Apocalyptic Journey to Another World

Amber glanced back, then left the bed. The flames gradually subsided, and its form slowly shrank. When it returned to Zhang Xi's side, it transformed back into an ordinary little dog, except its fur remained pure white, not yellow.

Zhang Xi picked up Amber, watching the red crescent moon between its brows slowly disappear, then placed the puppy back in his arms. He quickly looked at Huang Lin and, seeing that the old man, though in a sorry state, was not in mortal danger, breathed a sigh of relief. He had come seeking wealth, not to take his life.

Huang Lin is a seasoned veteran who has spent his entire life in the underworld. As an ordinary person, he was able to remain calm despite being specifically threatened by the aura of a silver-level eighth-tier magical beast, which shows his strong will.

Huang Lin's condition was not as good as Zhang Xi had imagined. His face was deathly pale, and his entire body was soaked in cold sweat.

He struggled to roll over and fell off the bed with a "thud!" After a few struggles, he went from lying down to kneeling. He kowtowed with a "thud": "Great Immortal, spare my life! I will never dare to impersonate an immortal to cheat and swindle again! Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life. I have an eighty-year-old mother to support and children to feed. I beg the immortal to forgive me!"

Amber's sudden transformation startled Zhang Xi. He had originally planned to threaten Huang Lin and steal some money, but the appearance of this "divine beast" had caused Huang Lin to misunderstand, so he decided to play along.

“You’ve been deceiving us cultivators by impersonating us, which is a capital offense. But I see you have potential, so I can’t bear to kill you.” Zhang Xi’s voice was hoarse and rough, and he really sounded like an old monster who had lived for a long time. After speaking, he walked to the sofa and sat down.

Huang Lin was incredibly clever; he realized the other party was keeping him around for their own purposes! He quickly kowtowed again: "Immortal, please feel free to give any instructions. Although I am incompetent, I can still help you with many small and mundane matters."

"You're teachable. I've come here for two reasons: first, to exorcise a demon, and second, to find something." Zhang Xi casually tossed him a phone card and a giant monster's tooth. "Take this card. Don't turn it off, 24/7, understand? I'll tell you what I'm looking for in a few days. If you find it for me, I can give you elixirs, teach you cultivation techniques, and even guide you onto the path of cultivation."

"Rest assured, Immortal, I will go through fire and water to serve you wholeheartedly." Huang Lin carefully put away his SIM card after saying this.

When he picked up the "huge icicle-shaped gem," he immediately felt a cool sensation emanating from the gem in his hand and flowing throughout his body. His spirits lifted, and he instantly recovered from the shock. Even more miraculously, he felt several years younger in an instant!

"Take this little gadget for now. Once you've completed the task I've given you, I'll reward you with the real treasure."

Zhang Xi chuckled inwardly as he watched Huang Lin, who was completely absorbed in his surprise. Wearing a troll's fangs could slightly increase willpower. This small boost was insignificant to ability users, but it was quite substantial for ordinary people.

Zhang Xi estimated the time and, not wanting to linger, got up from the sofa: "Also, give me some of your local currency!"

……

The moon was high in the sky, and the "immortal" had long since departed. Huang Lin, however, stared blankly at the SIM card and the "gem" in his hand. He thought of the strange portals, monsters, bestowed treasures, and demands for money that had appeared in various places, and suddenly slapped his forehead: "I understand!" Huang Lin felt he had seen an opportunity, a real opportunity!

In the suburbs of Pingyuan City, there are two of the only remaining urban villages. The journey from Mingyue Residential Area to Zhang Xi's home involves passing through one of these villages. This is also the only place in the city without ubiquitous surveillance cameras.

Zhang Xi turned into a small alley, looked around to make sure no one was there, took out his key, opened a small door, slipped inside, and casually ripped off the "prank voice changer sticker" that was stuck to his neck where his vocal cords were.

This is a rental house typical of urban villages. The landlord added several walls in the middle of a large house, dividing it into several small rooms, each with a small door leading outwards.

These small rooms are only five or six square meters, barely enough to fit a small bed, while the larger ones are only a dozen square meters.

The urban villages are mostly inhabited by migrant workers and college graduates who have gone out to work. Migrant workers live here mostly because they are reluctant to spend money, while college graduates live here mostly because they really don't have any.

China implemented the family planning policy and the policy of expanding the number of universities. These two policies directly led to a shortage of manual laborers and an overabundance of university students.

This has led to an awkward situation in the employment landscape: college graduates, raised at great expense by their families, face difficulties finding jobs, and even when they manage to get employment, the salaries are shockingly low. Meanwhile, there is a shortage of migrant workers engaged in manual labor.

Of course, a few outstanding university graduates are very promising, but most ordinary students from ordinary schools often can't find jobs even with their school diplomas.

I gritted my teeth and tried to learn a trade, but all the masters refused to take me on because I was too old. In the end, I had no choice but to work in customer service or sales, but the income was often not enough to cover my expenses.

Zhang Xi's rented small apartment was next to a couple who had just graduated from university.

I learned from our first meeting that they were both from out of town and came to Pingyuan City to study. After graduation, they had not been able to find suitable jobs and were too embarrassed to go home, so they had to rent a place here and do odd jobs while looking for work.

Thinking of the couple in dire straits, Zhang Xi couldn't help but feel grateful to her parents from the bottom of her heart. The reason they worked so hard was so that she wouldn't have to face such a predicament in the future.

He shook his head, dismissing these thoughts, took off his robe, and took Amber out of his arms. Ever since his transformation ended, Amber had been lying motionless in Zhang Xi's arms, which worried him greatly.

Zhang Xi carefully placed Amber on the wooden bed in the room and examined it closely. Apart from its fur turning pure white and its appearance being very tired and listless, there was nothing unusual about it.

It's likely that the young monster forcibly used its innate abilities, depleting its stored elemental energy, resulting in its weakened state. Recovering is actually quite simple; just replenish its elemental energy.

But this is Earth, where there is no elemental energy. The troll's core is indeed filled with elemental energy, but to absorb it, one must draw a specially trained energy-gathering array and use a special method. This method is suitable for humans, but not for trolls.

Helpless, Zhang Xi had to think of another way. Fortunately, he had confirmed that Amber was alright, so he prepared to go home. He rented this small room just as a backup, thinking that a cunning rabbit should have three burrows.

He had just reached the door when he suddenly heard suppressed moans from the couple next door and the creaking of their cheap wooden bed.

Zhang Xi sighed. These houses had extremely poor sound insulation, making even intimate moments incredibly stifling for the residents. Perhaps this disaster wasn't all bad for people like this couple; at least they didn't have to rely on their fathers' connections for everything anymore.

With enough courage and a bit of luck, one can rewrite their future. Lost in thought, Zhang Xi locked the door and hurried home.