A Post-Apocalyptic Journey to Another World

Huang Hansheng was very depressed today because he was leading the worst team he had ever led in his life on a mission. His sallow face was taut and expressionless, making his already sickly appearance even worse.

Those twenty-odd police officers were probably venturing out of the city for the first time since the monster invasion. They were as timid as chicks just out of their nests. Just now, a wild rabbit had suddenly run out from the side, and one of the police officers actually screamed like a woman. Huang Hansheng didn't discriminate against women, but it was because that guy's scream was so high-pitched and thin that if you closed your eyes, you would really think it was a terrified woman screaming.

Those thugs were certainly bold, but their boldness was misplaced. Dozens of them huddled together, striding forward recklessly, adopting the exact formation of gang fights in those old gangster movies. The group was a chaotic mess; anyone with eyesight could spot them from a distance. What kind of ambush was that?!

He can't just abandon these guys; he has no one left to rely on. The dozen or so men he has are not enough to keep Xue Gang occupied. If he wants to keep Xue Gang trapped on the mountain for a short time, he needs enough manpower, or rather, enough cannon fodder to take the fall.

Li Xianda's original task for him was to follow behind Xue Gang, find an opportunity to expose Xue Gang to the monster, and then he only needed to cut off the enemy's retreat. The rest would naturally be Xue Gang's reconnaissance failure, the annihilation of his entire army, and his unfortunate death at the hands of the monster. The script was good, and he was in the shadows while the enemy was in the open. He could choose when and where to strike at his leisure. However, this only worked if Xue Gang didn't discover him.

Huang Hansheng had no choice but to let the group of heroes follow at a distance, while he led his men and police officers ahead. Of course, the guy who screamed was kicked out. The other police officers were alright; after all, they were all Li Yinglong's confidants. Apart from being a bit timid, their basic tactical skills were passable.

Huang Hansheng led his team to the foot of the mountain. Suddenly, the nearby bushes rustled, and a short man emerged. This man moved with superhuman speed, proving he too was a soldier who had pushed the limits of human endurance. However, he was not among the few people Zhang Xi had seen during the test.

"How is it, monkey?" Huang Hansheng asked.

The man called "Monkey" took several deep breaths to catch his breath, showing how fast he had run. He said, "Something's not right, Platoon Leader Huang, we can't find Xue Gang and the others!"

"What!" Huang Hansheng exclaimed in surprise, "They couldn't all have gone up the mountain; they must have left a reserve team. Have we been discovered?" Huang Hansheng turned around and glared angrily at the police officers behind him.

Thinking of the group of thugs further behind him, it would be a miracle if they weren't discovered. Huang Hansheng sighed. He still had no one to rely on. Li Xianda was just a quartermaster with no soldiers under his command. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought these idiots with him no matter what.

"Platoon leader! If they're not in front, they're likely behind us. We're surrounded!" the deputy platoon leader warned.

“I know, but we can’t do anything about it. We’re no match for Xue Gang!” A cold glint flashed in Huang Hansheng’s eyes. “However, they haven’t attacked us yet because we’re too close to the monsters. They don’t dare to fire!”

"We can't just sit here and wait to die!" the platoon leader reminded them.

"Of course, we still have one chance," Huang Hansheng said. "Fire! Lure the monster over, and we'll still have a chance to survive. When the monster attacks, we can escape in the chaos!"

“That’s too dangerous. Can we escape the monsters’ pursuit in the wild?” a soldier asked.

"Even if we can't escape, at least Xue Gang will be the same. If we don't do this, we're doomed!" Huang Hansheng gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

……

After resting for a while and regaining his strength, Zhang Xi poked half of his body out from behind a rock halfway up the mountain, looked around, and continued to climb. The trees on Mount Maling became increasingly sparse as the altitude increased. At first, Zhang Xi could use the low bushes for cover, but as the altitude increased, the terrain became steeper and the bushes became sparser, with some places even consisting of bare rocks.

Zhang Xi's progress became increasingly difficult. He was nearly discovered several times, and once he was even forced into a crevice in a cliff. Fortunately, he had had similar experiences in his previous life, and with his Bronze-level strength, climbing the cliff was not difficult for him. He simply continued climbing upwards along the cliff.

At the top of the cliff where Zhang Xi was, the mountain slope gradually flattens out, forming a huge natural platform. He climbed to the edge of the platform, chose a secluded corner, peeked out, and immediately retreated.

The monsters on the platform made Zhang Xi nervous—orcs! The platform was an orc camp! These green-skinned monsters, covered in stiff, needle-like hairs, were more like another kind of human than orcs.

Unlike werewolves and lion-men, orcs bear no trace of wild beasts; they resemble the Hulk from movies and TV shows. These green giants, with fangs protruding from their mouths, have a particular fondness for spitting on their enemies' faces during battle, then watching their foul-smelling saliva cause them to retreat in disgust.

These guys were born with a bronze-level foundation, and even the weakest child among them was at least bronze-level, making them individually powerful. Their only weakness, however, was their poor discipline.

Orcs live in tribes, and relations between different types of orc tribes are not harmonious. Even among the same species of gray werewolves, different tribes often clash. If different types of orcs are seen fighting together, it's usually because a powerful tribe has subjugated some weaker ones. The gray werewolves, golden-maned lionmen, and leopard catmen on Mount Maling are likely groups subjugated by half-orc tribes.

There were at least thirty orcs on the platform, each at the peak of the Bronze realm, with one or three even reaching the Silver realm. They exerted immense pressure on Zhang Xi, even making Amber in his arms restless. And this was just one spot. Zhang Xi looked up at the distant mountains, wondering how many more orcs were on them; in any case, the number would only increase.

This was the only way. The information recorded on the magic stone was enough. Zhang Xi quietly retreated down the cliff. He had only retreated about twenty meters when an emergency call notification suddenly came through his helmet. Zhang Xi answered the call and said, "This is Zhang Xi. Please speak."

On the other end came Long Wenzhang's anxious voice: "Zhang Xi, report your current location. The battalion commander has ordered all reconnaissance teams to retreat immediately! We have been targeted by a group of unidentified armed men."

"I'm currently on a cliff at an altitude of 300 meters," Zhang Xi said, glancing at his Beidou navigation system. "Has there been a firefight? I haven't heard any gunfire here."

"The reserves have surrounded them. There has been no exchange of fire yet, but the battalion commander is worried that they will fire first, which would put our reconnaissance team on the mountain in danger. He has ordered us to retreat immediately!"

"Understood!" Zhang Xi ended the call and sped down the stairs.

Just as they retreated a few steps, a huge explosion suddenly came from the foot of the mountain in the distance, followed by a barrage of gunfire!

"Damn it!" Zhang Xi was shocked. He had gone too deep into enemy territory, the monster had been alerted, and he couldn't retreat!

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