A Post-Apocalyptic Journey to Another World

Zhang Xi emerged from the temporary warehouse of the supply depot looking smug. It was nearly March; the ice and snow were beginning to melt, but the temperature showed no signs of change, instead growing even colder.

Zhang Xi walked unhurriedly towards the command post, tidying up his storage space as he went. One corner of the space was piled high with various colored elemental energy crystals, and on top of the pile were five silver-grade magic crystals. This was the compensation Li Xianda had given Zhang Xi.

Zhang Xi was very careful; the amount he took was just right—enough to cover up the deficit given Li Xianda's long experience in embezzlement and his skill in falsifying accounts. He couldn't keep taking it any longer! It would be easily discovered. He wasn't thinking of Li Xianda, but rather that if problems arose, it would easily lead back to him.

With the great catastrophe imminent, being suspected by the division's higher-ups at this time would be detrimental to Zhang Xi's upcoming plans. His next steps would require gaining sufficient favor from the division's leadership.

Zhang Xi looked at the wealth in his storage space with satisfaction. This was all his future capital, but it wasn't enough. Now that he had a second chance, he was going to wreak havoc in Pingyuan City. Contentment with modest wealth was not an option in the apocalypse. It was like rowing against the current; if you didn't move forward, you fell behind—there was no third choice!

Zhang Xi composed himself and walked towards the division headquarters.

……

Inside the division command post, all was silent. Division Commander Huo Mingde's face was so cold it could have been covered in frost.

Xue Gang brought back Huang Hansheng's body. This shrewd platoon leader ultimately met his end at Xue Gang's hands, but he was also quite resilient, refusing to surrender and save his life. When Division Commander Huo Mingde saw Huang Hansheng's body, he felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. The battle was already difficult, and the fighting was becoming increasingly dangerous; every soldier was precious. And now, someone had actually shot his comrade in the back!

He immediately dispatched people to investigate the mastermind behind the scenes. According to the initial intelligence from the investigators, the target was Li Yinglong and his son Li Xianda! However, he could not take action against them. Firstly, there was insufficient evidence, and arresting the police chief based on mere speculation would not be convincing in any way. Secondly, Li Yinglong already had a core armed force of over a thousand people under his command, with tens of thousands of peripheral members.

Although he didn't know how many of them were his die-hard loyalists, Huo Mingde couldn't take the risk. With a formidable enemy at hand, if fighting broke out within Pingyuan City first, it would inevitably cause huge losses, and it was even possible that the entire city would fall.

Huo Mingde looked at Xue Gang apologetically. He was about to speak when Xue Gang interrupted, "Commander! No need to say anything. I understand your difficulties. Besides, the mastermind behind this has already been exposed. Everyone is in the open now. I might be worried about them shooting at us from behind. Right now, they're nothing but chickens and dogs!"

Commander Huo remained silent, still somewhat remorseful. Wu Sheng, knowing his old partner well, simply spoke up: "Battalion Commander Xue, this matter will not be left like this. We will investigate to the end. However, for now, we are here to prioritize the battle situation and report on the summary of your fire reconnaissance."

Xue Gang's report immediately shifted the focus of the command center. The reconnaissance had uncovered new, stronger monsters—orcs—whose firepower, even with high-explosive dumdum bullets, required a sufficiently concentrated barrage to suppress.

Moreover, these orcs had a strong military character. Although their tactics were clumsy, their use of a feint attack from the front and flanking maneuvers against Xue Gang was enough to prove that these orcs were no longer pack beasts like the black wolves that appeared before, or primitive tribes that fought in groups like werewolves.

Now, Pingyuan City is about to face a genuine army from another world. This is no longer a simple monster invasion, but a war between civilizations!

……

When Zhang Xi arrived at the command post, the guards at the gate did not stop him and simply made way for him. Huo Mingde had promised Zhang Xi that he could enter the command post at any time, and the guards naturally knew this.

Xue Gang, who was analyzing intelligence in the command post, saw Zhang Xi and immediately ran over excitedly, hugging the boy tightly and shouting, "You're not dead! Haha, good! That's great!..."

Seeing his battalion commander's loss of composure, Huo Mingde shook his head. Xue Gang's talent was undeniable, but his personality was too mild, sometimes bordering on womanly compassion—the saying goes, "A kind heart cannot command an army." Xue Gang valued his soldiers too much, always going to the front lines to directly participate in combat. However, it was precisely because of this that Xue Gang earned the soldiers' love and Huo Mingde's appreciation. A commander's concern for the lives of his soldiers can sometimes be a double-edged sword; it remained to be seen how Xue Gang would handle it in the future.

Putting Xue Gang aside, Huo Mingde couldn't help but look at Zhang Xi and say with a smile, "There's always been a legend in the army that the bravest young men are always favored by Lady Luck, so they're especially lucky!"

The joy Zhang Xisheng brought was quickly offset by the intelligence he brought back. The orcs were larger than expected, and in terms of manpower, the alien race had gained an absolute advantage! In the recording magic stone, squads of armored orcs wielding axes emerged from the portal. As their numbers increased, people's hearts grew colder and colder!

After reviewing the images recorded in the magic stone, Wu Sheng spoke again: "The intelligence we received from Tianjing indicates that an organized army of undead has also appeared in the north! Those damned skeletons are like a tidal wave, killing one wave only to have another appear. Recently, even high-level undead have appeared! The pressure over there is even greater than ours."

"Monsters resembling the legendary demons have appeared in the northwest! They haven't shown any military characteristics, but their individual strength is extremely high! Now the whole country, no, the whole world, is on the defensive, and military forces are stretched thin everywhere. We can only adopt a defensive posture; we don't have enough troops to attack!" Huo Mingde said slowly. He was somewhat tired; the long hours of hard work had caused his body to age rapidly, but he remained calm and composed in front of his subordinates.

Huo Mingde said to Zhang Xi again, "You've done another good deed, young man. Merit is always rewarded. What do you want? Tell me." Zhang Xi didn't mince words and said directly, "Commander, I want some elemental energy crystals, those crystals that randomly appear when you kill monsters!"

“Oh! There are already a lot of those things in the warehouse. Go and get them, but you should discuss the quantity with Gao Longzhi. He values ​​those things a lot.” Huo Mingde said, “Any more?” In his opinion, those crystals were just pretty stones.

"I want to go home again!" Zhang Xi said.

"can!"

Zhang Xi quickly left the command post. Watching Zhang Xi's retreating figure, Huo Mingde pondered, "Home... how long has it been since I went home to visit?"

The old man quickly put aside these thoughts and ordered, "Order the troops remaining in the surrounding counties and cities of Pingyuan City to relocate the people to Pingyuan City. Also, continue to urge headquarters to replenish weapons and ammunition, increase the strength of the transport troops, and ensure the smooth flow of the transport lifeline!"

The division staff officer quickly jotted down Huo Mingde's orders. Afterwards, the officers all left. Only after Wu Sheng and the others had left did he say to Huo Mingde, "Pingyuan City is neither a grain-producing area nor a heavy industrial base. It has no production; all supplies must be obtained from outside. Old buddy, do you understand what this means?"

"I know!" Huo Mingde finally said, his face showing exhaustion, "But we are soldiers!"

(P.S.: Asking for recommendation votes will become a regular activity from now on, please don't find it annoying, please vote.)

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