A Post-Apocalyptic Journey to Another World

Zhang Xi came to the black market mainly to buy some fuel and off-road motorcycles. Bottled gas can be bought in this black market. This kitchen gas, which was phased out 20 years ago, has now been revitalized.

However, it's a bit expensive; a 50-gram gold bar is needed to buy just one small jar. Considering that my parents are getting old and need to have a hot meal every day, this amount of money is still worthwhile.

Once he returns from visiting Old Zhao, his parents will be able to enter the Bronze Realm, and then it won't matter whether they eat hot or cold food. Zhang Xi walked along, head down, lost in thought. Just as he was about to leave the stall area, a faint, familiar glow caught his eye. He turned and immediately saw something familiar: the Demon Wolf Stone!

Not far away, a long-haired young man spread a small square blanket on the ground, on which were placed several oddly shaped, pale yellow stones that shimmered with a faint fluorescence.

A crowd gathered around, asking questions out of curiosity, but most shook their heads and left after asking. Zhang Xi went closer, picked up a stone, smelled it, and a look of understanding appeared on his face. It was indeed the Demon Wolf Stone!

"How much is this?" Zhang Xi asked, putting down the stone.

The young man glanced at Zhang Xi. How much money could a teenager possibly have? He replied dismissively, "One fifty-gram gold bar, no bargaining!"

Wang Ruilong squatted down, picked up a stone, and weighed it. It was lighter than an ordinary stone. He smelled it and found it had a strange fragrance. He was about to put it on his tongue to taste it when Zhang Xi stopped him. Wang Ruilong looked at Zhang Xi in confusion, then turned and asked, "It's so expensive, what's the use of it? To use it as a light bulb? It's a bit dim, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this question, the long-haired youth was visibly embarrassed, as he had no idea what it was.

He didn't know, but Zhang Xi did: the renowned Demon Wolf Stone was an essential item for living and traveling in the apocalypse. Without it, mercenaries couldn't even sleep in the summer.

The reason is simple: the Stone of the Demon Wolf is made from the excrement of the Demon Wolf's offspring, a powerful insect repellent, and can be considered an otherworldly version of a super mosquito coil!

The turbulent and impoverished life of the past six months has forced some unwilling young people to embark on an adventurous search career.

They ventured into abandoned villages in search of food and valuables, such as grain stored in outbuildings or gold jewelry belonging to young wives. Amidst the monsters' constant attacks, many rural households were left without a single person escaping, their possessions lying dormant in their homes.

Most of these people acted in groups, but a few were lone wolves. The long-haired youth was one of the lone wolves; he dared not venture too far from the city, searching only within a half-day's journey to the outskirts. At first, things were fine, but as time went on, he found less and less.

Two days ago, he ventured to a more distant place, but still found nothing by nightfall. On his way back, he discovered these fluorescent stones in a patch of grass.

These stones reminded him of many legendary rare and precious materials. He took the stones home and tried various methods, such as burning them, soaking them in water, and even swallowing them directly without any regard for the consequences, but nothing changed.

Finally, out of desperation, they tried to sell it on the black market to make a profit, but this wish has also been thwarted so far. Many people are curious, but not a single one is willing to pay. If it were cheaper, perhaps some people would be driven by curiosity to buy it, but it seems unlikely that anyone would be so bored as to spend a gold bar on a tiny, egg-sized, glowing stone of unknown use.

Zhang Xi took out a few compressed biscuits and said, "How about this, you tell me where you found these things, and these three biscuits are yours."

Without hesitation, the long-haired youth snatched the biscuit, stuffed it into his pocket, and said, "I advise you not to go to the edge of a man-made forest near Xiangzhuang in the northern suburbs of Liaocheng. I wandered there by mistake myself. There are wolves there, not the wolves of our world, but those giant wolves!"

Zhang Xi took out his phone, checked the map, and immediately found Xiangzhuang's location. He showed it to the long-haired youth to confirm if it was indeed Xiangzhuang on the map. After receiving confirmation, he was secretly pleased—it was on his way!

Just as Zhang Xi and Wang Ruilong were looking at the Demon Wolf Stone at the stall, someone else was also watching them.

One of them was a tall, muscular man, wearing only a thin coat even in the dead of winter, unbuttoned and left open. Underneath, he wore a thermal sweater that was clearly a size too small, constricting his chest and making his trapezoidal face look even more comical. Despite being a strong, muscular man, he appeared utterly ridiculous.

If Zhang Xi saw this, he would definitely recognize him. This is Li Chengyu with the big chin that he beat up. In fact, Zhang Xi and Wang Ruilong privately call him "Ailerou Li Chengyu".

Li Chengyu, his lips purplish-blue, stared coldly at the two men in the distance. He said to one of the officers in front of him, "Cousin, I think the market is getting worse and worse. Even a penniless wretch like Zhang Xi can come here!"

The young man whom Li Chengyu called his cousin was half a head shorter than him and stood ramrod straight. If Li Chengyu's tightly bound body looked like a big lump of meat, his cousin looked like a pillar or a benchmark.

This is a typical military stance; even a three-year-old child can tell he is a soldier because he is wearing a uniform and has shoulder insignia, indicating he is a captain.

He is Li Chengyu's cousin, Li Xianda. Li Xianda has a straight, hooked nose and can be considered a handsome young man, but his eyes are gloomy and occasionally flash with a cold light. Coupled with his natural dark circles under his eyes, he looks more like a playboy who has drunk too much than a soldier.

Li Xianda smiled at his cousin and said, "Cousin, you know this person too? Zhang Xi, a student soldier, has only been training for less than half a year, but he has already become a favorite of that hothead Xue Gang. Even Commander Huo often mentions him!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengyu exclaimed in surprise, "This kid has gotten to this level? And he's even hanging out with Xue Gang! Cousin, Xue Gang is your mortal enemy!"

“No, dear cousin, Battalion Commander Xue Gang and I are close comrades-in-arms, not enemies!” Li Xianda immediately interrupted Li Chengyu.

Li Chengyu immediately nodded, indicating that he had misspoke, but in his heart he thought, "You and Xue Gang are close comrades-in-arms? You must want to kill him, right?"

Li Chengyu's uncle is Li Yinglong, the director of the Pingyuan City Police Bureau. Since marrying the only daughter of a high-ranking military official, Li Yinglong's career has been smooth sailing.

He had four sons, all of whom were sent to the lower ranks of the army to gain seniority. Thanks to his father-in-law's connections and careful management, the other three sons should all be powerful officers leading troops under their command, while only the second son, Li Xianda, still holds the nominal title of staff officer in the division headquarters.

Li Xianda had actually worked hard enough, but unfortunately, he encountered Xue Gang, a situation reminiscent of the frustrating situation of "why did Heaven create both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang?" Adding to his woes was the rigid and unyielding superior, General Huo. After losing the competition with Xue Gang for the battalion commander position, his career took a downturn, and he's now stuck at the rank of captain.

Li Chengyu understood this point and immediately made a plan. His father had told him directly that he must cultivate a good relationship with his uncle's family, and ideally, become one of their people. Choosing sides is often more important than personal ability and talent, a point Li Chengyu deeply understood, having been taught by his father's words and actions for a long time.

Li Chengyu said to Li Xianda, "Cousin, I'm going to see what kind of person Xue Gang's henchman is!" He then walked over to Zhang Xi. His words were clearly a declaration of allegiance to Li Xianda; Zhang Xi was no one's follower.