A Post-Apocalyptic Journey to Another World

Gunfire still echoed in Liaocheng. On a highway outside the city, Zhang Xi, with Amber in his arms and Zhao Yu on his back, ran at top speed. It was getting late, and he had to get back to Pingyuan City before dark.

The off-road motorcycle had been abandoned; its engine was very noisy, so it could only be left at the bunker. Fortunately, Zhang Xi was now running quite fast.

Having been tossed and turned on Zhang Xi's back for so long, Zhao Yu had long forgotten her shyness. Ignoring the biting cold wind, she opened her big, round eyes and asked in amazement, "How can you run so fast? And you've been running for almost twenty minutes! Only a dog can run so fast for so long!"

These words made Zhang Xi stagger and almost fall. He replied irritably, "I'm a special forces soldier, a very special kind. And do you have to compare me to a dog? Can't you use another animal?" He regretted saying it as soon as he said it. Other animals wouldn't have been appropriate either.

"I've only ever seen dogs run! I've never seen horses or any other fast-running animals," Zhao Yu explained, fanning her long eyelashes. The girl was innocent and naive, unaware of anything inappropriate in her words.

Zhang Xi decided to change the subject. As he ran, he asked, "You insisted on following me just now. Were you planning to block the doorway with your body so that the militiamen wouldn't close it and would force them to come out and help me?"

Zhao Yu was slender, so even if he blocked the entrance to the bunker, he wouldn't be able to stop others from passing through, but the door definitely wouldn't be able to be closed.

The person on Zhang Xi's back immediately fell silent upon hearing Zhang Xi's question.

Zhang Xi didn't mind; on the contrary, he liked the other person's simplicity and straightforwardness. The two chatted casually as they ran. Zhang Xi maintained a speed of fifty or sixty miles per hour. He didn't run at full speed; in this desolate wilderness, conserving energy for unforeseen circumstances was a habit he had developed over many years.

After running for more than an hour, the two stopped to rest and eat something. Ten minutes later, they continued their journey and finally returned to Pingyuan City before dark.

……

Upon seeing the city, Zhao Yu, still shaken, began to worry about her father, but Zhang Xi comforted her. He explained to Zhao Yu that Old Zhao's family was definitely not going back, so he would most likely have to come to Pingyuan City. Zhang Xi patted his chest and promised to help find Old Zhao's way out.

Whether it was the comforting words that worked or the reality that could only be this way, Zhao Yu stopped repeatedly mentioning her father and went home with Zhang Xi.

Their son frequently runs away from home and doesn't come back all day; it's become a regular occurrence. Zhang Chunlei and Han Caiping are worried, but they don't know how to stop him. After all, their son seems to be doing quite well in every way.

But the fact that he brought home a young girl after only one day away was still unacceptable to the elderly couple. They immediately thought of the sensational news stories about underage pregnancies and births that often appeared online.

Her son had just turned fifteen, and the girl looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old—both were still teenagers. Her son was in a relationship! The situation quickly escalated.

The two were immediately isolated and questioned. After learning of the two elderly people's concerns, Zhang Xi was both amused and exasperated. Strictly speaking, he was already in his twenties—that was in his soul; in his body, he was indeed fifteen.

He had no choice but to lie to his parents, saying that he had rescued Zhao Yu while on a mission near Liaocheng, and that Liaocheng had been overrun by monsters, leaving her homeless, so he had to bring her back.

Zhang Xi was worried that Zhao Yu's testimony wouldn't match up, but when his parents compared their statements, they were almost identical, which greatly surprised Zhang Xi.

When Zhao Yu learned that the two of them had lied about the same thing, she winked at Zhang Xi playfully, then her face turned red as if she had thought of something.

Zhang Xi didn't pay attention to Zhao Yu's reaction. He had managed to get away with it. The little girl was naturally being taken care of by her mother. He went back to his room and fell asleep immediately. He had been busy for two days without a proper rest, and finally he could relax at home.

He cherishes the peaceful time he spends at home.

Nothing more was said that night. The old couple were kind people. Since they had already taken in Li, adding Zhao Yu would just be adding another bed and a pair of chopsticks.

Zhang Xi got up very early the next day. His parents rarely got to rest, so it was the perfect time for them to take the medicine. However, the changes in strength before and after taking the Giant Strength Potion were too drastic for ordinary people to adapt to.

Moreover, it was necessary to explain in advance that there were too many things to discuss. Fortunately, Zhang Xi had already discussed this with his parents six months ago when he was storing food.

To make his parents accept it more easily, he told a white lie, describing his experiences before his rebirth as a dream. Looking back carefully, his past life really did seem like a dream, or rather, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a dream.

Sometimes life is like a dream, and dreams are like life.

Early in the morning, perhaps because of the fright the day before, Zhao Yu was still fast asleep. The family, who were used to waking up early, sat together again. Zhang Xi brought up his ten-year nightmare again. Although he tried to simplify it as much as possible, the elderly couple still sighed deeply. Han Caiping kept gently comforting her son.

After the two elders calmed down a bit, Zhang Xi took out two bottles of purple strength potion and said, "Mom and Dad, this is a potion I made by collecting materials over the past six months based on my memories from my dream. I have already taken it, and it is indeed effective, and there are no side effects."

After explaining, he went on to describe some of the reactions that might occur when taking the medication, trying to be as detailed as possible to minimize the huge psychological impact on his parents before and after taking the medication.

The two elderly people held the potion, somewhat hesitant. If you were to give any modern person a bottle of gentian violet and tell them it was a magic potion, and ask them to drink it, almost everyone's first reaction would probably be the same.

In the end, Zhang Chunlei made the decision, saying, "Drink up, my wife. This is what our son worked hard for over half a year to earn; it's a token of his appreciation." With that, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

Tears still glistened in her eyes, but the thought of her son risking his life and going on dangerous sprees for the past six months to get this little purple potion for them filled her with comfort. At fifteen or sixteen, while other children were still going through their rebellious phase, her son had already begun to work hard for the family.

Han Caiping smiled and drank the medicine after seeing her husband drink it. How could she not trust her son? She was just waiting for her husband to make the decision. The couple were typical traditional lovers, always following each other's lead.

As soon as they drank the medicine, the couple felt a surge of heat that quickly permeated their bodies. Zhang Xi, who was watching over them, saw his parents' faces turn red, and steam slowly rose from their bodies, along with some dark brown sweat seeping from their pores.

The entire process will last approximately six hours. During these six hours, the body will absorb 80% of the drug's effects, and the user's strength will reach Bronze Tier 1. Over the remaining month, some of the remaining 20% ​​of the drug's effects will be absorbed to stabilize the body's strength.

For the rest of the time, Zhang Xi stayed by their side without leaving for a moment. When Zhao Yu woke up, she was startled. After Zhang Xi explained repeatedly, she obediently stayed by their side and even prepared towels and hot water to wipe the sweat from their faces and hands.

Six hours passed very quickly, and the two elderly people soon woke up. They were very unaccustomed to the changes in their bodies. Because their speed, strength, and nerve reactions had all increased dramatically, while their self-awareness of their bodies remained the same as before, they walked unsteadily and broke quite a few things.

Zhao Yu looked at this strange family. The well-behaved little girl didn't seem surprised. Zhang Xi's behavior in Liaocheng had already given her enough warning.

The world is so big, there are bound to be a lot of strange people, aren't there?

(P.S.: My grades are terrible, I won't even get any more recommendations next week, but I don't think it's because the book itself is bad, so I'll keep going. Please add it to your favorites and give it a recommendation vote.)

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