A Post-Apocalyptic Journey to Another World

Zhang Xi first contacted a distant relative who worked at the zoo. This guy was a gambler and was currently hiding from gambling debts.

It took a lot of effort to find out his whereabouts. I found him with 5,000 Chinese yuan.

After much effort, I finally traded 5,000 Chinese yuan and a note stating that the tranquilizer gun was only used for hunting wild game and that I would be responsible for any other problems that might arise, for a tranquilizer gun that would last me half a month and five large doses of anesthetic for numbing elephants.

They agreed to exchange money for goods one week later.

Actually, anesthetics are very cheap, not worth 5,000 RMB at all, but they are controlled substances and cannot be bought through normal channels. Moreover, anesthetic guns are not something you can just rent.

Zhang Xi wasn't comfortable selling online, so he had no choice but to resort to this method.

Zhang Xi also secretly mocked the guy. What use would that note be if he really used the tranquilizer gun to do something bad? It was just for his own comfort.

This is the third day of summer vacation. It's noon now, and the sun is blazing down, baking the ground. The temperature is ridiculously high.

Several young people working in Pingyuan City had no choice but to stand on the exposed side of the road waiting for a long-distance bus.

Waiting for the bus here through scalpers can save you tens of yuan compared to buying a ticket at the station, but don't expect any travel insurance or anything like that.

These young people mostly come from economically underdeveloped areas of China. As the economy grows, the gap between the rich and poor in China is widening.

These young men are almost all second-generation farmers. They came to Pingyuan City, a place with a booming economy, to make their fortunes. Every day, some people leave disappointed, while others arrive full of hope.

Because of the heat, everyone was anxiously craning their necks to look around, but there was a boy in the crowd who seemed completely unconcerned about the scorching sun. Although he was drenched in sweat, he remained very quiet with his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

Unlike others, Zhang Xilai was waiting for the bus not to save a few dozen yuan, but because he was under fifteen years old, did not have an ID card, and could not buy a ticket.

Scalpers don't have as many requirements as the train station; no ID card is needed, as long as you have money.

At 1:30 p.m. sharp, the double-decker bus stopped right next to the young people, and they quickly got on. The air conditioning was on inside the bus.

When it was Zhang Xi's turn, the young ticket seller, who was helping passengers with their luggage, stopped him: "Are you alone? Don't you have an adult with you?"

The ticket seller looked at the boy strangely. He looked to be no more than fourteen or fifteen years old. Everyone else was carrying a lot of luggage, but he was empty-handed.

Zhang Xi, without blushing or skipping a beat, said, "I looked like this when I was fourteen, and I still look like this now. There's nothing I can do about it, I don't look old, haha. You won't believe me, just look." After saying that, he took the bag from the ticket seller with one hand, walked to the back of the bus with ease, and stuffed the large bag into the luggage compartment.

The ticket seller's face immediately lit up. That bag must have contained at least a hundred pounds of something! Even she struggled to lift it, but this boy carried it like a bag of sponges, without any effort at all!

Forget it, it's better not to provoke this strange person. As long as he pays for the ride, that's fine.

……

Located in the southern part of China, in the Minnan Province, lies the country's only remaining tropical rainforest. Rarity makes it a valuable resource and a famous tourist destination.

In particular, some wealthy young men seeking thrills frequently come here to "poach." Unlike many years ago when poaching was done to make a living and get rich, the purpose of poaching now has become seeking excitement.

On the southeastern side of the Java Rainforest in Yunnan, there are a few human settlements in this region, and Java Township is one of the well-known villages.

Every year, many city dwellers come here to stay, purchase essential supplies for wilderness survival, and then venture into the mountains for "adventures."

That morning, Old Liu got up early to walk his dog, clean his gun, and tidy up his equipment—a habit he had maintained for many years.

After tidying everything up, I sat in the small thatched pavilion in front of my yard, smoking and lost in thought.

For city dwellers to go into the mountains, a guide is indispensable, and Old Liu is one of the guides in Java Township.

Unlike other guides, he was a hunter who was granted special permission by the state to legally carry firearms in order to support some of the ethnic minorities who made a living by hunting.

Old Liu is Han Chinese, but he is also a hunter by family lineage, so he can also carry a hunting rifle.

Summers in the south are scorching hot, so there are very few young people coming here for thrills lately, and the old man's income has also decreased. "It looks like I won't be able to send much money to my eldest daughter who works in the city and my youngest son who is in school this month," Old Liu thought sullenly.

"Uncle Liu! Uncle Liu!" Shanwazi's shouts from afar interrupted Old Liu's thoughts. He looked up and saw Shanwazi walking towards him with a boy about his age.

While the old hunter was surveying the area, Zhang Xi was also observing the local guide whom the mountain boy had described as the most skilled: short, probably only 1.6 meters tall, wearing a sleeveless coarse cloth shirt, his arm muscles were not well-developed but gave him a tough look.

But that face betrayed him; it was covered in wrinkles and deep furrows. The body of a man in his forties, the face of a man in his seventies. His eyes held a contradictory mix of the taciturnity and shrewdness typical of rural people.

Shanwazi ran over from afar and pulled Old Liu aside: "Uncle Liu, this is a big spender! Look, he gave me two hundred yuan just for asking for directions!"

After saying that, he took out two hundred yuan, waved it in the air, and quickly put it back in his pocket.

Upon hearing this, the old hunter perked up. The last wealthy man who had given the mountain boy two hundred yuan to ask for directions had made the old man five thousand yuan in two days.

Those young men originally said they would go into the mountains to hunt a wild boar and be paid 10,000 yuan, but they couldn't stand the mosquito bites and hardship after less than two days and gave up.

The five thousand yuan deposit is naturally non-refundable.

The boy was naturally Zhang Xi. Zhang Xi and Old Liu quickly settled the details of the hunting trip and other arrangements, and then they arrived at the dog kennel.

Zhang Xi wanted to buy a hunting dog.

Old Liu had successfully transformed from a hunter into a businessman: "My hunting dogs are famous for their quality in the surrounding villages, but there are differences in quality among them. The best ones can sell for tens of thousands of yuan on the market, while the inferior ones can be bought for a few hundred yuan."

"Well then, I'm an old man who also loves dogs. You can pick any dog ​​from here for just a thousand yuan. Whether you can find a bargain depends on your eye for quality." Old Liu said, giving Zhang Xi a sly look.

People have a gambling instinct, and the old man made good use of this to make money.

Actually, these dogs are specifically bred to fool city people; the inferior ones are indeed worthless and can be bought for a few hundred yuan.

Of course, there are good ones, but they are just ordinary hunting dogs worth about a thousand yuan. Real good dogs are not meant to be sold.

After listening to the old hunter's words, Zhang Xi became very interested. He picked up a stick and pretended to swing it outside the dog cage. All the hunting dogs immediately dodged and began barking wildly to express their dissatisfaction.

When Zhang Xi swung his sword at the last cage, he stopped. Inside the cage was a very small yellow dog, a common country dog ​​rather than a hunting dog.

These local dogs are only kept by ordinary farmers to scare away thieves, or many are simply kept to sell to dog meat shops.

Zhang Xi was somewhat disappointed, as none of the dogs in front of him met his requirements. With a try-it-and-see attitude, he suddenly swung the stick at the head of the half-grown puppy.

To my surprise, the puppy completely ignored me and didn't react at all. "Huh! It's so calm. It's like it knows I can't hit it through the cage."

Zhang Xi returned and called over Shanwazi: "Go get a fork and poke that little yellow dog's hind leg. I'll pay for it if you break it, it's okay."

Shanwazi glanced at Old Liu, and after the latter nodded in acknowledgment, he grabbed a fork and rushed towards the little yellow dog.

Just as Shanwazi was about ten meters away from the cage, the little yellow dog unusually raised its head, stared at Shanwazi warily, arched its back, and made a low growling sound, as if warning the other party not to come closer.

Zhang Xi immediately called out to Shanwazi, saying that he wanted this kind of dog. A mongrel was fine, as long as it was calm enough not to bark or howl, and alert enough to be aware of danger.

This kind of dog is extremely rare; it's practically a biological alarm clock! Zhang Xi felt incredibly lucky.

Old Liu felt incredibly lucky. This mongrel was found by Shanwazi, and Old Liu bought it for ten yuan to raise as a meat dog.

A meat dog might fetch a hundred yuan at most, but this clueless city kid offered a thousand yuan. Old Liu felt incredibly lucky.

Both the elderly and the young felt they had struck gold, and they even found each other more agreeable. In popular parlance, this is a win-win situation!