A Post-Apocalyptic Journey to Another World

Zhang Xi pulled Wang Ruilong aside and asked, "Why doesn't your mother drive you to school anymore?"

"Don't even mention it. Gasoline is rationed now, and my dad is reluctant to use it. He's saving it all up, saying it's just in case. My dad even bought an SUV," the chubby boy said with a grin.

Zhang Xi nodded; no one was a fool. Faced with this unprecedented and bizarre phenomenon, everyone was relying on their own abilities to make various preparations just in case. He thought for a moment and then asked Wang Ruilong again, "Is your family facing a food shortage right now?"

Hearing Zhang Xi's question, Wang Ruilong glanced around at the people, leaned closer to Zhang Xi, and whispered almost in his ear, "There's a secret little market in Pingyuan City that only people with special passes can shop there. Everyone who goes there is a big shot. The things are just too expensive. I'll try to get your family a pass."

Zhang Xi was taken aback and asked, "You can get your hands on that pass?"

“Of course I can’t, but my dad has connections, I can blackmail him. You’ve forgotten what I told you about your second aunt,” Wang Ruilong said with a wicked grin.

Zhang Xi also laughed and said, "You're such an unfilial son. My family still has some reserves, so the pass isn't urgent. I also have some inside information to tell you." His original intention was to provide some food for his good friend, but now it seems that it's unnecessary.

"What is it? Tell me quickly!" Wang Ruilong's gossip spirit was reignited, and he asked impatiently.

Seeing Wang Ruilong's eagerness, Zhang Xi stopped being mysterious and said directly, "We're going to have military training, and it's different from before—this time we can fire real guns!"

"Really? Oh yeah!" Wang Ruilong cheered, attracting a lot of attention.

Zhang Xi looked at Wang Ruilong and thought to himself, "Military training and combat will be the main part of my life from now on. My comfortable life is gone forever."

……

On the morning of the first day of school, the stirring and majestic national anthem resounded throughout Pingyuan No. 1 Middle School. A bright red flag slowly rose as the anthem played, and the students, standing in neat formations, sang along with the music.

In the past, during flag-raising ceremonies, some students would sing along, some would look at the national flag, and some would just sit there bored. But today, all the students' eyes were focused on the few people in military uniforms on the platform and the military off-road vehicles not far from them.

The heavy machine guns mounted on military vehicles, in particular, held a fatal attraction for teenagers in China, a country with very strict gun control.

As the national anthem's final, resounding note faded, the national flag was raised to the top. Hua Sixian, the principal of No. 1 Middle School, stepped onto the podium. He adjusted his glasses, smoothed out his protruding belly, tested the microphone, and announced loudly, "Students, the new semester has begun..."

Then, in his usual tone and style, the principal rambled on for nearly twenty minutes, only stopping when the head of the teaching department winked at him for the fifth time. He glanced at the soldiers sitting to the side and continued, "Now, let me introduce our guests. This is Battalion Commander Xue from our famous 18th Army. I believe everyone has heard of the 18th Army; from its very inception, the 18th Army was..."

Seeing that the principal seemed intent on speaking for another half hour, Xue Gang stood up and walked straight over. Hua Sixian, realizing the situation was amiss, quickly stopped talking and preemptively said, "Now, please welcome Battalion Commander Xue to speak. Let's give him a round of applause!"

Xue Gang stepped forward to the podium, saluted, and said, "Students, I only have one thing to say. Starting today, you will have an additional military course. Students over sixteen years old must participate, while those under sixteen years old may participate voluntarily."

"All participating students will receive certain benefits. For specific course arrangements and reward/punishment systems, please consult your counselor or class teacher. I want to emphasize that military training is different from your previous military training; it will be very tough. Please be mentally prepared. That's all I have to say. Thank you!" After saying this, he didn't linger and got into the car with another soldier and left.

The school leaders, who had prepared a welcoming banquet, were momentarily taken aback by this military-style approach and stood there dumbfounded. After a long while, the head of academic affairs finally announced loudly, "Dismissed!"

Wang Ruilong, pulling Zhang Xi along, rushed into the classroom with the excited crowd. Their homeroom teacher, Hang Yi, was already waiting inside. Hang Yi frowned as he looked at the excited students. The decision to conduct military training for the students, made at the all-night meeting the previous night, gave him a very bad feeling.

Only after the students gradually quieted down did Hang Yi begin distributing the new timetables, explaining as he did so: "Pass them around, one for each person, don't take more than one. The timetables will start tomorrow. Students who will be attending military classes will follow timetable A, and those who do not wish to attend will follow timetable B. If you have any questions, you can come and ask me directly. Please also tell your parents about the situation when you get home."

Zhang Xi picked up the timetable and glanced at it. It was supposed to be military class, but in reality, it lasted nearly five hours every day; the rest of the time was basically just rest time during student training. This arrangement was familiar to him; in his previous life, he hadn't participated in military training. This made his early survival extremely difficult, only gradually improving after he met Old Zhao.

In this life, he wants to make up for the lessons he missed. However, the current ordinary military training cannot help him improve his strength; it can only increase his military knowledge, which invisibly slows down his growth.

Zhang Xi became troubled again. Time was of the essence, but he couldn't think of a better or faster way to improve his strength. It seemed he could only try his luck again that night.

That night, Zhang Xi disguised himself again and went out, avoiding the patrolling soldiers and police. He returned to the suburbs and found that the original rift had disappeared. These rifts would gradually disappear over time as monsters passed through, exhausting their energy. The smaller the rift, the shorter its duration.

He then arrived near several of the original large fissures, which had become much smaller, and almost no monsters passed through them anymore. The number of soldiers guarding the area also gradually decreased. The troops that had been redeployed slowly advanced into the rural areas, recapturing lost territory.

Zhang Xi also passed by a temporary refugee camp, where farmers who had fled from poorly defended villages lived. They were generally well-ordered, and no chaos had occurred. They were waiting for the soldiers to wipe out the monsters from their hometowns so they could return as soon as possible.

Zhang Xi couldn't help but sigh, noting that countries around the world seemed ill-equipped to handle such a sudden invasion. He had seen online reports of protests and even acts of vandalism and arson in Western countries due to monsters destroying their homes. Compared to this, he wondered whether the Chinese people's forbearance was a good thing or a bad thing.

After wandering around all night, Zhang Xi had nothing to show for it except playing hide-and-seek with the patrol team. He returned home dejectedly with Amber in tow.

The next morning, Zhang Xi got up early, washed up, put on the camouflage training uniform the school had issued the day before, and rushed to the school. Many classmates had already arrived. They all seemed very excited, chatting excitedly together. This was the training location for the under-sixteen group, located in the northeast corner of the training ground. Almost all the students were there; the rare extracurricular activity combined with their curiosity about military life made the place packed.