The Postman

"Ah!"

A scream that shot up to at least 70 decibels made everyone frown. Zhao Ke snapped back to reality at the first instant, his pupils focusing on a blurry figure in front of him.

"Get lost!"

Almost reflexively, he kicked out. Immediately, Zhao Ke heard a dull thud and a pained cry.

The acrid, pungent air around them, mixed with a foul stench from what smelled like wild beast dung, instantly made Zhao Ke feel like he was going crazy.

His sense of smell was freakishly sharp, giving him a huge advantage in some aspects, but in this environment, it meant enduring at least ten times the suffering of others.

Before his eyes could fully adjust, Zhao Ke quickly took a handkerchief from his pocket, covering his nose and mouth. At the same time, he gripped the fruit knife he had hidden in his sleeve in his palm.

After a few seconds, Zhao Ke's eyes could finally adapt to the surroundings. As he opened them, the scene gradually became clear.

However, to Zhao Ke's surprise, this wasn't in front of his shop. It was a wilderness.

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

Someone opened their mouth and couldn't help but vomit, even feeling suffocated. It took a long time for them to recover.

"What? Where is this??"

Someone finally woke up, looking around. The surroundings were obscured by heavy smog, and they could only vaguely make out a mountain forest.

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

There were three men and two women. Aside from the middle-aged burly man lying on the ground, the other two men looked like students.

As for the two women, the one with long hair on the left appeared to be a white-collar worker. Her tall figure, black miniskirt, and mature aura clearly marked her as a beautiful woman.

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

In comparison, the younger girl with short hair on the right was far inferior in both appearance and demeanor.

Though her eyes showed panic, the girl reacted quickly. She swiftly used her clothes to cover her nose and mouth and quickly moved behind the white-collar woman next to her.

"F*** you, you kicked me!"

The middle-aged man, in his loose blue work uniform that made him look like a giant version of Mario, got up from the ground. His fierce gaze turned back to glare at his surroundings, then focused on the student behind him.

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

"Not you? Then was it a ghost!"

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

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

Before the student could finish speaking, the burly man punched him in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Seeing this, the burly man intended to continue.

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

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

With just a slight squeeze from the hand on his shoulder, a piercing pain made the burly man half-kneel on the ground. His face turned red, and he could only gasp, 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 at some unknown point.

The young man had one hand on the burly man and a cigar in his mouth. A diagonal scar ran almost across his rugged face. He wasn't exactly ferocious, but he was definitely no saint.

The scarred man's gaze swept over everyone's faces. His sharp eyes, like a viper's, made everyone's hearts tremble, feeling uneasy all over.

The scarred man glanced sideways at Zhao Ke. His indifferent gaze sent a chill down Zhao Ke's spine. "Killing intent!" It was the kind of fierce look only someone who had killed before had in their eyes. Even though the other party wasn't deliberately showing it, that look was unmistakable.

"Hiss!"

The scarred man seemed unfazed by the murky air around them. He took a deep breath, smacked his lips, and said with slight disappointment, "Smog. The Imperial Capital's air is still purer. This place... the smell is too bad."

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

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

"Don't speak. Listen to me."

The scarred man interrupted him with a hand gesture. He glanced 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 scarred man's eyes instantly turned sinister. Everyone hadn't even seen what happened clearly.

The next moment, the scarred man appeared beside him, one hand grabbing his throat.

"So fast!"

Zhao Ke's pupils tightened. He had been watching the scarred man's every move, but the speed of his attack was incredibly baffling. Zhao Ke hadn't even been able to track the trajectory of his movements.

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

His seemingly thin arm possessed astonishing strength. Like he was grabbing a chick, he lifted the student beside him.

This student, named Qi Liang, was a sports scholarship student. He was 1.8 meters tall, half a head taller than the scarred man. Yet, he was lifted high like a chick by the scarred man, whose fingers were clamped around Qi Liang's throat, leaving him no strength to resist.

Someone opened their mouth, wanting to stop him, but after seeing this, they wisely shut their mouths.

"Slap, slap."

The scarred man slapped Qi Liang twice. Qi Liang's eyes went starry, his cheeks swelled, and he couldn't even open his mouth. The scarred 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 slender muscles looked no different from an ordinary person's, but what shocked Zhao Ke was that.

Such a hand could easily lift another college student, who looked slightly stronger and around 1.8 meters tall, with no effort.

Zhao Ke also noticed that the muscles on the scar-faced man's arm weren't even tensed, indicating that lifting the other person seemed effortless 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, on behalf of all my fellow Postmen, I welcome you all. From now on, we are colleagues."

"I know you have many questions, but it's okay. In reality, did you receive a package? It might be black, it might be white, but it had a very strange stamp on it. Receiving this package means that from now on, you will have another identity: that of a Postman."

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

This is the Terror Space.

It's a world 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 them or open them, you will enter this strange world, and only by completing the tasks can you leave.

Of course, while completing tasks, you will also receive Post Points as rewards. And if you're lucky, you'll get a special stamp.

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 great power.

"Finally, one more thing. Your current identity is that of 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, thinking of something, suddenly asked.

"Money?"

The scar-faced man's lips curled up. He looked at the burly man, his eyes showing disdain, 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, worth about two to three hundred thousand. And this kind of gold can be exchanged for one Post Point, and its source is guaranteed to be legal and legitimate, with no trouble in reality."

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

As expected, compared to things they couldn't see, money was more tempting. It seemed that as long as they survived and returned, they could become rich overnight. Under such temptation, even those who had been suspicious before began to waver.

The scar-faced man raised an eyebrow. He had already received the reward for completing the newcomer guidance task, and a hint of joy appeared 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 finished speaking, his figure gradually began to fade, disappearing bit by bit before everyone's eyes.

"Dis... disappeared!"

Seeing the scar-faced man vanish, the female office worker beside him's face turned grim. Her eyes widened as she screamed.

"Pah, damn it, this must be a scam. Maybe that 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 was beaten up by the large man in blue.

He walked to 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 ashen white. 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, he felt a warmth 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, giving him a bad feeling.

Gulp!

The student swallowed and slowly raised his head. He looked at the gaping maw just inches from his face, his expression freezing: "Holy sh*t!"