Postman

"Ah!"

A scream, soaring to at least 70 decibels, made everyone frown. Zhao Ke snapped back to reality from his shock, his pupils focusing on a blurry figure in front of him.

"Get lost!"

Almost reflexively, he kicked out, followed by a muffled thud and a cry of pain.

The acrid, stinging air around them, mixed with the foul stench of some unknown beast's dung, instantly made Zhao Ke want to go crazy.

His sense of smell was incredibly sensitive, which was a huge advantage in some ways, but in this environment, it meant enduring at least ten times the suffering of others.

Before his eyes could fully adjust, Zhao Ke quickly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, covering his nose and mouth. At the same time, he gripped the fruit knife he'd hidden up his sleeve, holding it in a reverse grip.

After a few seconds, Zhao Ke's eyes finally adapted to the surroundings. He opened them, and the scene gradually came into focus.

To his surprise, however, this wasn't in front of his shop. It was a desolate wilderness.

The sky was dim and lightless. Even though it was daytime, the thick smog overhead made every breath feel like stuffing a mouthful of sand into his mouth.

Someone gagged and vomited, feeling a sense of suffocation, and it took them a long time to recover.

"What? Where is this??"

Someone finally regained their senses, looking around. The thick smog obscured their vision, only vaguely revealing that they were surrounded by a mountain forest.

Zhao Ke's brow furrowed. He quickly put some distance between himself and the others, then coldly scanned everyone's faces.

Three men and two women. Aside from the middle-aged burly man who was still on the ground, the other two men looked like students.

As for the two women, the one with long hair on the left was likely an office worker. Her tall figure, black miniskirt, and the mature aura she exuded clearly marked her as a beautiful woman.

However, at this moment, neither the sudden change nor the stinging, irritating environment left anyone with the energy to appreciate the beauty's looks.

In contrast, the younger girl with short hair on the right was far less impressive in both appearance and demeanor.

Though her eyes showed panic, the girl reacted quickly, covering her nose and mouth with her clothes and moving behind the female office worker.

"Damn it, you kicked me!"

The middle-aged man, in his oversized blue work uniform that made him look like a giant version of Mario, got up from the ground. His fierce gaze swept around him, then focused on the student behind him.

"N-no, it wasn't me!"

"Not you? Then was it a ghost!"

The middle-aged man stepped forward, his face a mask of anger, as if he intended to teach the university student a lesson. In reality, he knew it wasn't the student who kicked him, but he wanted to vent his frustration and save face.

"It wasn't me, don't... Ah."

The student hadn't finished speaking before the burly man punched him in the face, sending him to the ground. Seeing this, the burly man prepared to continue.

Just then, the burly man felt a weight on his shoulder, as if someone was grabbing him. His expression darkened, and he tried to shake the person off with a shrug.

Unexpectedly, the shrug didn't dislodge the hand on his shoulder. Instead, a light "snap!" sound made the burly man's expression turn grim.

The hand on his shoulder merely applied a little force, and a piercing pain made the burly man drop to his knees. His face turned red, and he could only gasp for air, unable to speak.

"Enough. We don't have much time. There's no need to waste it here." A deep voice suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention to a young man who had appeared behind the burly man.

The young man had one hand on the burly man, a cigar in his mouth. A diagonal scar ran across his rugged face. He wasn't overtly menacing, but he was certainly no good guy.

The scar-faced man's gaze swept over everyone's faces. His sharp eyes, like a viper's, sent a shiver down everyone's spine, making them feel uneasy.

The scar-faced man glanced at Zhao Ke out of the corner of his eye. The indifferent look sent a chill down Zhao Ke's spine. "Killing intent!" It was the look only someone who had killed before possessed, a fierce glint that, even if not deliberately displayed, was unmistakable.

"Hiss!"

The scar-faced man didn't seem to mind the murky air. He took a deep breath, smacked his lips, and said with slight disappointment, "Smog. The Imperial Capital's is still purer. This... the taste is too poor."

The others exchanged glances, their faces filled with suspicion, and looked at the scar-faced man.

At this moment, another young student nearby asked, "Who are you? How did we..."

"Don't speak. Listen to me."

The scar-faced man interrupted him, glancing at his wrist. "I'm not good with words, so don't speak while I'm talking."

"But..."

The student couldn't help but want to ask, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the scar-faced man's eyes turned menacing. The others hadn't even seen what happened.

In the next moment, the scar-faced man was beside the student, one hand gripping his throat.

"So fast!"

Zhao Ke's pupils constricted. He had been watching the scar-faced man's every move, but the speed of his attack was incredible. Zhao Ke hadn't even been able to track his movements.

"I said, don't speak when I'm speaking!"

His seemingly slender arm possessed astonishing strength. He lifted the university student beside him as if he were a chick.

This university student, named Qi Liang, was a sports scholarship student. He was 1.8 meters tall, a full head taller than the scar-faced man, yet he was lifted high like a chick. The scar-faced man's fingers were dug into Qi Liang's throat, leaving him no strength to resist.

Someone opened their mouth to object, but seeing this scene, they wisely shut their mouths.

"Slap, slap."

The scar-faced man delivered two slaps. Qi Liang's eyes spun, his cheeks swelled, and he couldn't even open his mouth. The scar-faced man casually tossed him aside like trash.

Zhao Ke watched the scar-faced man with cold eyes.

He paid special attention to the scar-faced man's arms. The lean muscles looked no different from an ordinary person's, but what chilled Zhao Ke was that.

This kind of hand could effortlessly lift another university student, who looked slightly stronger and about 1.8 meters tall.

Zhao Ke also noticed that the muscles on the scar-faced man's arm weren't tensed at all, indicating that lifting the other person seemed to be a piece of cake for him.

Seeing the fear on the faces of the others around him, the scar-faced man couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. He cleared his throat, his expression turning serious, and spoke as if reciting lines.

"Ahem, first of all, on behalf of all my fellow Postmen, I welcome you all. From now on, we are colleagues."

"I know you have many questions, but don't worry. In reality, did you receive a package? It might have been black, or it might have been white, but it had a very strange stamp on it. Receiving this package means that from now on, you will have another identity: a Postman."

Next, the scar-faced man began to explain in detail to everyone.

This is the horror space.

It is a world that only Postmen can enter.

To leave here, you must complete the tasks here.

After becoming a Postman, you will receive packages from the Post Office at regular intervals. Whether you receive or open them, you will enter this alien world, and you can only leave after completing the task.

Of course, while completing tasks, you will also receive Post Points as rewards and compensation. If you're lucky, you might even get a special stamp.

And Post Points are the foundation of a Postman. As long as you have enough Post Points, you can buy anything you want. Remember, anything, even powerful strength.

"Finally, one more thing. Your current identity is an intern Postman, so the difficulty won't be too high. As long as you find the task, leaving won't be a problem."

"Wait! You said Post Points can buy everything we want. Can they be exchanged for money?"

Seeing that the scar-faced man had finally finished speaking, the middle-aged man on the ground, lost in thought, suddenly asked.

"Money?"

The scar-faced man's lips curled up. He looked at the burly man, a look of disdain in his eyes, as if he were looking at a clown.

Despite his disdain, the scar-faced man patiently explained. He reached out and, as if by magic, produced a gold bar from somewhere. He weighed it in his hand and said:

"This gold bar weighs about two pounds, it's pure gold, and it's worth about two to three hundred thousand. You can exchange one of these gold bars for just one Post Point, and I guarantee the source is legal and legitimate, with no trouble in reality."

Upon hearing the scar-faced man's words, Zhao Ke could clearly feel the breathing of the people present quicken.

Indeed, compared to things they couldn't see, money was far more tempting. It seemed that as long as they could survive and return, they could become rich overnight. Under this temptation, even those who had been suspicious began to waver.

The scar-faced man raised an eyebrow. He had already received the reward for completing the novice guidance task, and a hint of joy flickered in his eyes.

"Gentlemen, my task is complete. The rest depends on your luck. If you're lucky, we'll meet again."

As the scar-faced man's voice fell, his figure gradually began to turn ethereal, disappearing bit by bit before everyone's eyes.

"D-disappeared!"

Seeing the scar-faced man vanish, the female office worker's face immediately turned grim, her eyes wide as she screamed.

"Pah, damn it, I bet this is a scam. Maybe it was a projection or something. Don't be afraid, everyone!"

The person speaking was the student who had taken the blame for Zhao Ke and had been beaten to the ground by the big guy in blue.

He walked to the spot where the scar-faced man had disappeared, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and continued:

"I think this is definitely a high-tech scam. That person must have been a projection or something. Listen to me, everyone, we... Huh? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

He trailed off mid-sentence, finding everyone staring at him blankly, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

Especially the female office worker, her face was deathly pale. She pointed behind him and said, "You... you... behind you."

The student was stunned, then seemed to understand, a confident smile playing on his lips. "Is there a ghost behind me? Heh, I told you it was a projection, it's..."

"Drip!"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a heat on his head. He reached up and touched something wet and sticky.

A low growl echoed in his ears, accompanied by a strong stench that assailed his nostrils, filling him with a bad premonition.

Gulp!

The student swallowed and slowly raised his head, looking at the gaping maw inches from his face. His expression froze: "Holy sh*t!"