Survival in the Apocalypse: Max Level Drop Rate with Abundant Resources

The atmosphere in the conference room became delicate the moment the five traitors were led out.

Those officers who had just been clamoring to recruit the four major families and exclude Shen Xi now all lowered their heads, their eyes darting around, not daring to meet Shen Xi's gaze. Deputy Commander Wang, Chief of Staff Zhao, Colonel Li, Major General Zhou... all five of them were mid-to-high-ranking officials in the military, holding real power.

And so Shen Xi called them out one by one, exposing their identities one by one.

The remaining officers were filled with shock and disbelief. Where did this player named Taichu get his information? How could he know so much about those extremely secretive dealings, those transactions that even the military couldn't uncover?

Someone secretly glanced up at the silver-gray figure.

Shen Xi remained standing in the same spot, her Starry Rhythm Uniform shimmering with faint starlight.

Finally, someone couldn't sit still any longer.

A colonel in his forties stood up, forcing a smile: "Great God Taichu, just now... just now we were confused. As you know, the four great families have been operating in the capital for many years, we... we were also deceived."

Shen Xi glanced at him but didn't say anything.

The colonel's smile froze on his face, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Several others quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Great God of the Primordial Beginning, we were all deceived by the four great families. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against us."

"Yes, yes, from now on, we will definitely cooperate fully with Lord Wu'an and with you!"

"The four powerful families are a scourge to the country and its people; we are irreconcilably opposed to them!"

In an instant, the conference room was filled with voices pledging their loyalty. Those who had just been speaking up for the four major families now wished they could tear their hearts out to prove their innocence.

Shen Xi looked at this scene with a sense of helplessness.

Compared to the meager benefits offered by the four major families, his own future and life were clearly more important.

That's just how people are.

Lord Wu'an stood before the long table, looking at his opportunistic colleagues, a deep disappointment and anger flashing in his eyes. But he didn't lash out; he simply took a deep breath and suppressed his rage. Now was not the time for reckoning; the zombie horde was still raging outside, and players were sacrificing themselves every single second.

Just then...

The sounds of a post-apocalyptic survival game echoed in the minds of everyone in Kyoto…

[Attention all players in the Kyoto area! Attention all players in the Kyoto area!]

In the conference room, everyone's expression changed instantly.

The sound didn't stop; it continued to roar.

[Due to special circumstances, a zombie horde will officially arrive in the Kyoto area in three hours!]

[Zombie Horde Size: SSS Level!]

[Estimated duration: 72 hours!]

[Due to the impending zombie horde, Kyoto is under complete lockdown! During the lockdown, no player may leave the Kyoto area! No outside player may enter the Kyoto area! The lockdown will continue until the zombie horde ends!]

【Players in Kyoto, please prepare to defend against the zombie horde!】

[After the zombie horde ends, the Kyoto area will receive corresponding benefits based on performance! Those who perform exceptionally well will receive special rewards in the post-apocalyptic survival game!]

[Countdown: 02:59:59!]

The conference room was deathly silent.

Everyone's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

A horde of zombies.

It was a horde of zombies.

This is not an ordinary siege of rotting corpses, but a real zombie horde, a large-scale regional disaster event officially recognized by the post-apocalyptic survival game!

And its scale is SSS level!

Shen Xi's pupils also suddenly contracted at that moment.

He suddenly looked up, a look of shock flashing in his eyes.

A horde of zombies.

He initially thought that the Gu family had simply used the corpse-luring grenades to attract scattered corpses from the surrounding area. Thousands, or even tens of thousands, of them, while troublesome, could be held off by Kyoto's defenses and the number of players, after paying a certain price.

But he never expected that the Gu family would trigger a zombie horde.

The zombie hordes in post-apocalyptic survival games are completely different from ordinary gatherings of rotting corpses.

If he remembers correctly, three conditions must be met simultaneously to trigger a zombie horde:

First, the defenses of a particular area must meet the standards acceptable for a post-apocalyptic survival game. This means that the area must have complete fortifications, a sufficient permanent population, a stable supply system, and enough players of a sufficient level to cope with it.

Second, the number of corpses must have accumulated to a certain level. Not a few thousand, not tens of thousands, but at least one hundred thousand, and after systematic assessment, it must have reached a level sufficient to threaten the survival of the area.

Third, and most importantly: among the rotting corpses, there must be a monarch-level rotting corpse capable of commanding ordinary rotting corpses.

Monarchical level.

That was the highest level of rotting corpse he knew of.

Possessing full intelligence, they can command, direct, and lead all the corpses under their command. Under the leadership of a monarch-level corpse, those corpses that originally only knew how to fight instinctively will become like a real army, with vanguard, main force, support, and ambush.

That was true hell.

Currently, Kyoto has not met any of these criteria.

Fortifications? While the outer defenses of Kyoto have been under construction, they are far from meeting the standards expected of a post-apocalyptic survival game. Although there are many players, the resource supply system has long since collapsed in the apocalypse, and they are barely surviving thanks to resource cards dropped by monsters.

The number of corpses? While there are many corpses around Kyoto, it's impossible for them to exceed 100,000. Only a little over a month has passed since the apocalypse; even with the rapid evolution of the corpses, they couldn't possibly have accumulated that many.

As for monarch-level zombies? That's pure fantasy. The Golden Lord is already the strongest known type of zombie. A monarch-level zombie would mean total wipeout for Kyoto players at their current average level.

None of the three conditions were met.

But then the zombie horde arrived.

There is only one explanation.

Shen Xi's gaze turned completely cold.

Family-oriented.

What exactly did that old bastard Gu Tianxin and his gang do?

Ordinary corpse-attracting grenades could never trigger a zombie horde as defined by the system. The Gu family must have used some unconventional method to forcibly trigger the conditions for the zombie horde's arrival. Perhaps it was the simultaneous detonation of a large number of corpse-attracting grenades, perhaps it was some special item he didn't know about, perhaps…

But no matter what methods are used, there is only one price to pay...

Kyoto, the entire city was buried alive.

"The Gu family..." Shen Xi squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth, "those bastards."

In the conference room, someone finally snapped out of their shock.

"A zombie horde?! The zombie horde mentioned in the system announcement?!"

"Three hours?! Only three hours?!"

"It's over...it's completely over...that was a zombie horde! A zombie horde as defined by a post-apocalyptic survival game! Not just any ordinary horde of rotting corpses!"

"The Gu family! It's the Gu family! It must be the Gu family! They're the ones who brought the zombie horde!"

"I'm going to kill Gu Tianxin! I'm going to kill that old bastard!"

The officers were all pale-faced; those who had just been pledging their loyalty were now completely flustered.

Lord Wu'an's expression was equally grim, but he forced himself to remain calm. He turned to the elderly man in the main seat: "Old Chief..."

However, he was stunned when he saw the old man's expression.

The elderly man, over seventy years old and the highest-ranking military commander in Kyoto, was still leaning back in his chair, his expression relatively calm.

"Shut up, all of you."

The old man's voice wasn't loud, but the meeting room fell silent instantly.

All eyes were on him.

The old man stood up, his seventy-something-year-old body still ramrod straight. His gaze swept over everyone present, then he spoke slowly, his voice steady:

"First, immediately order all troops at the front lines who are currently resisting the rotting corpses to fight and retreat, and to consolidate their defensive lines. The zombie horde will not officially arrive for three hours. Until then, we must concentrate our limited forces on the most critical defensive points and not waste our strength on pointless attrition."

"Second, broadcast the news of the zombie horde throughout the city. Instruct all players to immediately evacuate to the inner city of Kyoto and abandon the outer areas. Three hours should be enough for them to retreat."

"Third, activate the Kyoto underground shelter, prioritizing the accommodation of the elderly, women, and children. All players who are still capable of fighting should be assigned to the reserve team and deployed accordingly."

"Fourth, inspect all fortifications, especially the three lines of defense within the inner city. Immediately repair any gaps and reinforce any weak points. Inventory all ammunition, medicine, and supplies, and immediately requisition any that are insufficient from the warehouse."

"Fifth..." He paused, his gaze falling on Lord Wu'an, "Lord Wu'an, you will personally lead the team. Even if you die, you must guard the defenses leading into the capital and not let a single rotting corpse in."

Lord Wu'an stood at attention and saluted: "Yes!"

The old man nodded, then turned around and looked at Shen Xi.

His gaze met Shen Xi's gaze in the air.

The two looked at each other for a moment.

Then the old man spoke: "Taichu, what are your thoughts?"

Shen Xi fell silent.

It happened so suddenly; he hadn't expected the horde of zombies to descend in this way. Three hours... that's too long. While his own equipment and skills were decent, they were far from sufficient to face a true horde of zombies. As for Mingying, it goes without saying that although she had just donned the General's Battle Armor, the rest of her equipment was still silver-grade, and her skills had significant room for improvement.

We must maximize our own and Mingying's combat power within these three hours.

Without beating around the bush, he asked directly, "Where is the Kyoto Shopping Mall?"

The old man was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood Shen Xi's intention.

Lord Wu'an answered first: "Kyoto Shopping Mall? The closest one is on Heping Road in the East District. If you go at full speed from the military headquarters, it will only take twenty minutes to get there."

Shen Xi nodded and turned to leave.

"etc."

The old man's voice came from behind.

Shen Xi stopped walking, but did not turn around.

The old man looked at him, then asked a question that stunned everyone present:

"Primordial, do you have enough gold coins?"

Shen Xi's body stiffened slightly.

He turned his head and looked at the old man.

The elderly man in his seventies, the highest-ranking military commander in Kyoto, was looking at him with no trace of probing or calculation in his eyes, only sincerity.

Faced with the greater national interest and the life-or-death crisis of Kyoto, the first thing this old man thought of was not how to command Shen Xi or how to utilize his power, but rather how to help him first.

An indescribable emotion welled up in Shen Xi's heart.

Having lived two lives, he had witnessed far too much of the ugliness of human nature. He believed that the world was rotten to the core.

But at that moment, looking into the old man's sincere eyes, he suddenly realized that he might be wrong.

There will always be some people who choose to stand firm when it comes to the greater good of the nation.

Just like Liu Xinghui, he would give everything for Xinghui City.

Just like Lord Wu'an, who was prepared to risk his life to resist the zombie horde.

Just like this old commander, when the zombie horde was about to descend, his first thought was to prioritize upgrading the stranger with the highest combat power.

Shen Xi took a deep breath and couldn't help but admire the old commander.

"enough."

He turned around and walked out of the conference room.

Mingying followed closely behind.

Behind them, the old man's voice came again, this time with a hint of a smile: "If you don't have enough, just say so. Although the military isn't wealthy, they can still come up with tens of thousands of gold coins."

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