A Post-Apocalyptic Journey to Another World

After the test, Gao Longzhi instructed the group to conduct another test every week and told them that he would share his research findings with them the following week. He also asked them to go back and write a report on their breakthrough experiences and submit it to him the following week.

The others returned to their respective units to report for duty, but Zhang Xi stayed behind. His assistant brought over two steaming cups of coffee; Gao Longzhi handed one to Zhang Xi and drank the other in one gulp.

Zhang Xi didn't like coffee, but he still took a small sip. The moment it entered his mouth, he realized he'd been tricked by the old man. The coffee was clearly brewed with boiling water; it was extremely hot, and a stinging sensation shot through his tongue the instant it touched his tongue. And there wasn't a single drop of sugar in it.

Zhang Xi glared at the messy-haired man, barely suppressing the urge to spit in his face. He feigned composure and swallowed his coffee in one gulp. "If you old codger aren't afraid of getting burned, then I, a young man, am even less afraid."

Gao Longzhi looked at Zhang Xi with a half-smile. This young man was quite composed. He asked, "Zhang Xi, the test is over. Why are you still here? Don't you want to have a chat with this old man?"

Zhang Xi put the remaining coffee aside and said, "Commander Huo promised I could choose a set of equipment, so I've decided to look for it here." Without waiting for Gao Longzhi's reply, he strolled out of the testing room.

The two guards outside the testing room tried to stop him, but after glancing at Gao Longzhi's expression, they stepped aside. Gao Longzhi caught up with Zhang Xi and said, "Young man, this place isn't under your Commander Huo's jurisdiction. If you want a weapon, you can go to the armory to choose one. Also, you took the giant wolf's magic crystal, right? Shouldn't you return it to its rightful owner?"

Zhang Xi stared at the scientist in front of him in surprise and said, "Academician Gao, you are a highly respected scientist, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences! How could you say such illogical things? I killed that wolf, it was my trophy, and I generously gave it to you for free. You should be thanking me."

Zhang Xi walked to a water dispenser, picked up a cup, poured himself a glass of mineral water, and took a sip. The water was sweet, which perfectly diluted the bitterness of the strong coffee still lingering in his mouth. He continued, feigning ignorance, "Academician Gao, I'd like to ask, what is the use of this magic crystal you mentioned?"

“Those magic crystals contain some kind of energy substance. Unlike dangerous energy sources such as electricity and nuclear energy, they are gentle and pure. I have never seen such fascinating energy. Yes, fascinating!” When Gao Longzhi talked about Yuan Energy, all the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, as if Yuan Energy had transformed into a stunningly beautiful woman in his mind.

Zhang Xi ignored Gao Longzhi's fascination, feigning curiosity as he looked around. His true objective was clear: the nano-inner armor. Though called an inner armor, it was essentially a close-fitting vest, outwardly indistinguishable from an ordinary vest, but boasting astonishing defensive capabilities!

Due to its unique craftsmanship and scarce materials, fewer than a thousand sets of this top-tier armor, one of Gao Longzhi's most famous creations, were produced in the ten years following the apocalypse. All the high-ranking officials and warlords in China were willing to stop at nothing to obtain even one set.

This vest can protect against close-range fire from almost all developed firearms, including close-range bursts from sniper rifles and heavy machine guns.

It can also defend against any attack below the gold level. Of course, the attacks mentioned here refer to piercing and slicing attacks. If a gold-level warrior is wielding a warhammer, then it will be helpless against blunt force attacks from warhammers or maces.

If you were hit by a hammer from a golden warrior, it could guarantee that the wearer's body surface would not be damaged, but the huge shock would inevitably shatter the internal organs. So you can't blame a vest, can you?

After wandering around for a while without finding any trace of the nano-armor, Zhang Xi simply stopped and looked seriously into Gao Longzhi's eyes, saying, "Academician Gao, if I say that there is a reason why I gained power, are you interested in that reason?"

The old man, who was lost in his psychic fantasies, suddenly snapped out of it and blurted out, "Oh my god! I'm all ears!"

Zhang Xi changed the subject and asked, "Academician Gao, what is a famous principle in classical physics?"

“An equal exchange! I understand what you mean, young man, what do you want?” Gao Longzhi said seriously, “But young man, deception is not a good habit. I can give you what you want, but you have to tell me the truth.”

"Of course, once you get to know me, you'll find that I'm a very honest person!" Zhang Xi rubbed his nose and said, "You know what elemental crystals are? They're the crystals that condense on the bodies of monsters after they die. I happened to pick up some and coincidentally placed them on my navel. Over time, I found that my physique improved."

After listening, Gao Longzhi's eyes widened in disbelief: "That's it? It's that simple?" He found it somewhat absurd. His research team had spent months working on it, only managing to use the crystals to charge some small electrical appliances. There had been no progress on human applications. He hadn't expected it to be so simple.

"Oh, at least that's how I see it, and I believe others can benefit from it too; at least it's a possible approach, isn't it?" Zhang Xi said sincerely. Inwardly, however, he chuckled. This method was indeed effective, and almost effective for everyone, but it was inefficient, and its efficiency would decrease further as strength increased. The energy-gathering array, on the other hand, was dozens of times more efficient than this method.

Finally, after much deliberation, Gao Longzhi led Zhang Xi to a small, sealed warehouse. After opening the sealed door, a simple, unadorned black vest was displayed in a glass cabinet directly opposite the door. Gao Longzhi opened the cabinet, picked up the vest, and lovingly touched it, saying, "This is the only one made from the finished paper so far. You've got a good deal, kid!"

Zhang Xi put his vest inside his clothes, his eyes then drawn to a strange collection of pens in another cabinet. "What are these pens for? Miniature guns for secret agents?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, you're right and wrong. This thing is a money-burning joke, the most expensive single-shot armor-piercing pistol in history!" Gao Longzhi said with a wry smile.

Through Gao Longzhi's explanation, Zhang Xi finally understood the whole story.

This pen was actually a failed prototype in the development of a laser weapon. Why a failure? Because its only advantage was its penetrating power. Based on Gao Longzhi's description of the laser's intensity, Zhang Xi could confirm that anyone at the gold level or below would die instantly if hit in the heart.

However, as a weapon, it has more and more fatal drawbacks. First, it is expensive. As a price to pay for the miniaturization of high-power laser weapons, it can only be used ten times before it is scrapped, and the development cost of each one is as high as tens of millions of Chinese yuan.

There is no terminal computer aiming device yet. Even more critically, its lethality was too low in testing—yes, too low. In tests, an automatic rifle shot to the leg of a simulated human was crippling.

When a laser pen hits a simulated human's leg, the effect is a puncture, and the hole is so small that it doesn't even affect the person's ability to run if the leg bone isn't hit.

Which military unit would spend tens of millions to buy a weapon whose lethality is less than that of an automatic rifle? In the words of a lieutenant who participated in the test: "What's the point of such strong penetrating power? Do we hope that enemy soldiers will line up so we can poke a few more harmless little holes in them?"

What others see as trash is Zhang Xi's prized possession. Looking at the five pens, Zhang Xi was overjoyed. With a little modification, these could be made into hidden arrows; if used properly, they could be weapons capable of killing even a Gold-level expert.

However, Gao Longzhi had no right to dispose of these laser emitters, because although they were kept by Gao Longzhi, ownership had been transferred to the military and they were considered military assets.

Even though it's no longer legally important, it still represents a significant amount of property and can't be given away carelessly. The military also has higher-level financial audits, and losing these items will be considered embezzlement or misappropriation of substantial assets.

Zhang Xi thought about it and decided to make plans later; there would always be a way to get his hands on it.

P.S.: I'm updating at 3 PM today, please add to your favorites and vote!