Outside the door is a desolate and dilapidated oriental town.
Green bricks and green tiles, antique style.
There are only a few streets horizontally and vertically, and rows of one- and two-story single-family houses form a residential area. Only the most prosperous main street in the center of the town is composed of two or three-story "high-rise buildings".
But at this moment, the green bricks and red pillars were covered with unknown plants, with flowers of different colors blooming.
The streets were filled with decaying carriages, overturned stalls, rusty metal equipment and collapsed brick houses.
Occasionally, a strange little animal will jump by.
Although there are human creations everywhere, there are obviously no traces of human activities for a long time...
This was a once beautiful town, belonging to Qingyang County, Ningzhou, during the Dalu Dynasty, called Anning Town.
This is an oriental town that is still in the Middle Ages.
In this world, the ancient civilization of the East has not been destroyed by foreign races and foreign powers, nor has the development of science been restricted by corrupt Confucianism and ignorant kings.
In this world, the East invented the steam engine earlier than the West and took the lead in triggering the Industrial Revolution.
As production efficiency has been greatly improved, various processes have developed rapidly, and steam locomotives have even been manufactured, railways have been laid between counties and counties, and exchanges and technologies have been deepened with the Western world, completely changing the people's way of life...
Such an ancient dynasty was able to survive the Industrial Revolution smoothly mainly due to three reasons:
First, behind this technological revolution is the support of a powerful dynasty in its prime!
Second, this world has a unique mineral resource called fire crystal, which can provide cheap and efficient energy.
And thirdly...this world has a group of special people who protect it!
Some of them can lift huge boulders, some can move at speeds that are difficult to discern with the naked eye, some can soar freely in the sky, and some can dive into the deep sea and swim faster than fish...
Yes, there are supernatural powers in this world!
This is an era where swords and guns go hand in hand, and trains and horses race!
This is a world where supermen and mortals cooperate, monsters and gods coexist!
The heroic man walking in the green forest carries a ghost-headed sword in his left hand and a revolver in his right hand!
Unfortunately, as soon as he raised his gun, the scholar-looking guy wearing a turban across from him opened his mouth and spit out a big fireball.
The postman who delivers letters rides a horse in the mountains and switches to a bicycle when he reaches the town.
But when there are urgent and important documents, they will be transferred directly to his colleague who can fly. It only takes less than a day to fly from the border fortress to the capital!
The workers in the factory were tightening screws on the ship while talking about the legend of the fox fairy and the female ghost.
But when encountering large parts that often weigh several thousand kilograms, the tallest guy in the factory will stand up, pick up a big iron lump with one hand that ten people can't move, and jump onto the two-foot-high workstation. Tighten the platform and install it...
However, for such a capable expert, his income is no more than others. Why should this guy always over-tighten and deform the good parts, so he always has to compensate for the losses...
In such a prosperous dynasty, Zhang Lang's hometown, Anning Town, was just an inconspicuous town.
This place is not too far from Qingyang County and is built close to the river. Although it is small and not as prosperous as the county town, it is located on a major transportation thoroughfare, with stations and docks readily available, and some of the novelties popular in big towns. It can also be seen here.
People are keen to pursue the trends in the county and live a leisurely life. They are not as busy as people in the city, nor are they as isolated as the more remote countryside...
In short, this is a peaceful and peaceful town where people live and work in peace and contentment.
Just like its name describes.
At least it used to be...like...
Zhang Lang quietly walked through the dilapidated streets when he suddenly caught a glimpse of an agile little animal jumping out not far away!
The animal was about the same size as a dog, but it had a head like a cat, ears as long as a rabbit, and a long tail behind its butt. It stood on two slender hind legs, jumping forward like a kangaroo.
"Long-eared jumping cat!"
The name was chosen randomly by Zhang Lang. He raised his crossbow to take aim, but the jumping cat disappeared into the alley after a few clicks.
Zhang Lang immediately followed him and walked through the alley, but lost track of his target.
In front of him was a three-story building, with a huge gourd sign painted on the rusty and crooked signboard on the roof.
This is the only hospital in Anning Town.
Zhang Lang and his sister Zhang Ya were both born here.
Babies born in this world will be tested for their abilities.
After all, babies can't hide themselves, they can breathe fire and burst into flames when they cry, and they can pinch the nurse with a strong grip...
As for those with tails and gills, you can tell the difference from ordinary people at a glance.
After these babies with special abilities are discovered, they will be registered and monitored by the imperial court's "Department of Special Abilities".
Zhang Lang was also born as a superpower, and his superpower is extremely strong regeneration ability.
But luckily, his powers didn't attract attention.
After all, who could bear to hurt a cute baby?
If you were born in a county or even a capital city, for the sake of rigor, you might even try a knife.
But places like Anning Town can just muddle along.
In this way, Zhang Lang slowly grew up as an ordinary person.
Even Zhang Lang himself did not discover his own abilities for a long time...
It is inevitable for children to bump into each other, and Zhang Lang was once a restless kid. However, this kid was born with excellent motor skills. He rarely fell down when running and jumping, and he never suffered any serious injuries.
Occasionally I broke my knee or something, but it healed before I could get up, and it looked like it was just stained with some dirt.
Therefore, in his impression, he seemed to have never shed blood...
Until he was twelve years old, his parents took him and his sister Zhang Ya, who was five years younger, on a trip. While riding a steam train home, he unfortunately encountered the Department of Supernatural Persons chasing a fugitive with powerful superpowers. The battle between the two sides spread to the train, causing a major accident.
At the moment the carriage overturned, Zhang Lang only had time to protect his sister beside him. When he reacted, his parents had been crushed to death by the deformed carriage. His sister was protected by him, but she had no external injuries. She was just knocked unconscious by the shock.
As for himself, a steel bar penetrated his thigh...
In Zhang Lang's memory, this was the first time he was obviously injured. At that time, he even thought he would die of blood loss...
In order to let his sister live, he endured the severe pain and pulled out the injured thigh. It was at that time that he saw with his own eyes the scene of his wound healing...
It turns out that I am also a person with superpowers, and I have never heard of it before, a person with regenerative abilities!
After being rescued, Zhang Lang decided to conceal his abilities.
Although he was young at the time, he knew that with such an ability suitable for combat, he would probably be recruited by the court to do some special work.
His parents are dead, and he is the only one who can take care of his sister.
…………
Zhang Lang sighed, looked away from the hospital's gourd sign, turned to look at the machinery shop diagonally across the street, and walked slowly over.
The walls of the store are covered with plants, the window sills are covered with thick dust, and the rusty signboard is painted with eye-catching signs of wrenches and gears.
Zhang Lang still remembers the boss here, a short, muscular old man with a bald head and a loupe stuck in his eye socket.
The crowded machinery shop does not have business every day. This old man always liked to get half drunk, and then use his rough voice to instruct Zhang Lang to do this and that, and Zhang Lang did learn a lot from him...
Yes, this is where Zhang Lang found his first job!
His parents died and the family had no source of income. Zhang Lang dropped out of school for the sake of his sister. Apprentices from the machine shop come here to process various parts for the factory.
This was only during the day, and he had to go out to work at night. Sometimes he went to the dock to do loading and unloading, and sometimes he went to watch the shop for people. He did heavy labor every day and supported his sister's education.
Although in the eyes of others, the burden of life is too heavy for a teenage child. But Zhang Lang himself didn't feel it was very hard.
Firstly, it's because Zhang Lang is far less delicate than ordinary people.
In addition to providing him with a nearly immortal body, the regeneration power also greatly improved his endurance!
As long as he has enough food to replenish energy, he can work for a long time without getting tired, and he can also stay energetic for several days without sleeping. This allows him at a young age to undertake high-intensity work that even adults cannot bear, and gain A fairly considerable income...
Secondly, my sister is very smart and suitable for studying. Even the teachers in the school praised her for her articles, which were also hung in the corridor display board as a model essay.
Zhang Lang was very proud of this, so he made a copy of it and read it to everyone he met.
For the sake of the excellent Xiaoya, and for Lao Zhang's family to produce a female scholar, he felt that it was worth all the hardship and fatigue.
In this way, time passed year by year, and finally, Xiao Zhanglang survived the most difficult period and became Da Zhanglang.
Because of his hard work, after becoming an apprentice, he was recommended by his master to work in a factory on the outskirts of the town. With establishment, the job was stable and the salary increased, making the life of the brother and sister no longer so tight.
And what about Xiaoya?
Zhang Lang walked away from the dusty machinery shop and turned to look at a dilapidated building not far away.
Looking at the building with the plaque toppled and half of the roof collapsed, who would have thought that this was once the only newspaper office in the town and the main source of information for the residents of the town.
At the same time, this place also provided Xiaoya with her first and last job!
At that time, Xiaoya graduated from a high school. With her smart mind and excellent writing, she passed the interview and obtained the qualification to work in this newspaper.
It's a decent job!
With a high income, no need to do heavy manual labor, and the opportunity to meet more people from all walks of life, it would be best to find him a suitable brother-in-law...
Zhang Lang felt happy from the bottom of his heart when he thought of the bright future. On the night when Xiaoya was accepted by the newspaper, this brother, in a rare act of generosity, took her out for a nice meal to celebrate!
"right here!"
After passing the newspaper office, Zhang Lang saw the plaque of Zhiweizhai!
This is the most expensive hotel in town!
That night, Zhang Lang brought half a month's salary and his sister, and stepped in here with some trepidation.
At that time, Zhang Lang was only worried about his wallet...
But he didn't expect that what he was about to experience would be a real nightmare!
