Off to the army

Enlisting was as easy as pressing a button. No, really. The government has all of your information so there aren't any fields to fill out. I liked this in particular because they are being really transparent.

All they asked was your reason for enlisting and like two confirmation buttons. After that, they simply inform you that if you pass the test you will become a part of the exalted. Then it was just a tab with a GPS location for the test.

With that done, I have nothing else to do. I browsed through my phone but all of its apps are rather lackluster.

[Waste Miner Extreme!!!]

Was a game that my alternate self for some reason bought. The graphics were pretty good for a mobile game but the gameplay was… dull, it was clear they were compensating for something.

A lot of tapping. It was pretty much a clicker game where you mine waste. Now, I have nothing against clickers but those are usually IDLE clickers. In this one, you literally have to tap away until the skin on your fingers peels off. I wonder if that has anything to do with being exposed to radiation...

So I decided to take a nap instead.

"Lights out, Current time is 7:00 PM. All residents are advised to stay indoors"... And some more loud gibberish woke me up from my pleasant nap.

The lights that illuminated the entire city were put out indicating that the night had truly come. Unfortunately, I took a nap so I can't sleep now. Thus, against my better judgment, I played "Waste Miner Extreme!!!" for the rest of the night to pass the time.

I was so focused on the game that I forgot I didn't eat anything that entire day. Due to the long periods of starvations, the humans here likely have a smaller stomach. It means it takes less food to become full. Still, I need to eat.

I got up and scoured my fridge which only had some old noodles. Needless to say, disappointing. In the first place, why are there noodles in my fridge? With no choice, I used my hurting hands to prepare the noodles.

As I was admiring the bland taste of apocalypse noodles…

"Rise up, Current time is 7:00 AM" And there goes my night… On the plus side, I earned the title waste king! Meh, I'd say that's accurate.

I took a shower, got myself ready, and... did not head to work. Maybe the population size is simply small, or maybe no one wants to be a soldier. Regardless, my appointment was for today.

I exited my apartment, down the narrow stairwell, and continued down main street. Unlike last time, however, I took a left turn after reaching Sector B. The infrastructure was starting to become increasingly unfamiliar to me but with service, I could now use the GPS application.

It's a weird phenomenon. With my apartment as a focal point, the traits of the parallel world become more pronounced after passing a certain radius. It makes you wonder if there is some sort of scientific explanation for me being here and how my being here might have affected this world.

The looks of the area were gradually improving. The apartments actually looked suitable to house human beings compared to my apartment which is so pointlessly cramped. Well, the point is actually to be as cheap as possible.

"Hey, you!" An officer suddenly called out. I was simply following the GPS so I failed to notice the gate in front of me.

"Good morning officer." I said in response with an amicable smile. It garnered weird looks from the plump man which solidified my thought of happiness being a rarity here.

"State your identification and destination." The officer who wore a nasty expression said.

"I want to enlist into the army." I said matter of factly. You see, in order to register I need to pass what's essentially a toll booth or so it would seem. My GPS didn't tell me this after all.

The man scoffed after hearing my response. My thin body and sickly expression made my answer seem ridiculous.

"Alright then young man, that will be 100 merits" The man said with a smug smile.

He ignored my identity and asked for an exorbitant sum. I could obviously understand what was going with my vast worldly experience. But I wasn't too keen on going through with it.

This area as I said previously is actually quite desolate. The foot traffic is miserable. This booth is most likely rarely used and therefore this man must not make much. The government wouldn't pay the man to do essentially nothing after all.

"That's too expensive. I'll just find another booth" I shrugged helplessly. Truly a pity, walking here was only depressing and grey.

"Good luck with that, every gate will be the exact same. I am giving you a bargain." The officer said with his still smug expression.

Now, I had no way to verify his story but it was likely so. I don't see why one gate would be more corrupt than the other or more trafficked than the other since apart from people like guards everyone here was equally poor and the population equally dense.

Instead, I turned around to observe the gate blocking the road. It was similar to those found when entering private areas like mansions rather than actual tolls. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen any cars here.

"Can't you cut that in half at least? I may as well give you my kidney if you insist I should pay such a large price." I told him as I got closer to the gate.

"Hmph, are you saying you won't be becoming a soldier then? It seems like you don't have any confidence in your outcome." He was still acting pretty smug. He clearly also believed I would become a soldier and come back to exert revenge.

"Welp, I'll see you later then" I said with a grin. I jumped at the gate before the plump officer had a chance to hold onto me.

"Hey! You-... Get back here!" He screamed at me who was at this moment hopping down to the other side of the gate.

I looked back and saw the officer entering his booth and exiting to this side through a door. Unfortunately for him though, I am much faster.

I ran forward for a bit more before bringing out my GPS, I quickly turned left and was left slightly stunned.

Before me stood a vast expanse of grass and paths leading up to a grand building. Unlike all of the other dark colors here, this building was painted white. It was a welcome breath of fresh air.

I ran with more vigor than before. Although I didn't tell the man my identity I did tell him where I was going. If I don't get inside before he has a chance to catch up, assuming he is still chasing, I will be in trouble.