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

The battle in the southern district has come to an end.

Shen Xi stood on the scorched earth, watching the last wisp of golden-red flame slowly die out in the night wind, turning into wisps of smoke and dissipating into the air. He took a deep breath, his nostrils filled with the smell of burning and the lingering heat, but more than anything, he felt a vague and inexplicable sense of disorientation.

One minute.

Only one minute has passed since the Vermilion Bird projection descended.

More than ten thousand corpses, including elites, leaders, and even the special-form mutants that poured out of the portal, were all gone. Not even ashes remained; they were vaporized and evaporated instantly.

Is this the power of a legendary being? Or is it merely a projection of a descending consciousness?

Shen Xi's lips twitched slightly. He recalled how he had fought desperately among the horde of zombies for so long, only managing to kill a few hundred. The Vermilion Bird projection, however, had easily wiped out his many times greater achievements in just one minute. This gap was beyond what effort could bridge.

"I'm the one who's been boosted... no wonder he's so strong." He murmured, a bitter smile in his voice.

If he had known that the Kyoto Glory Badge summoned the consciousness of the Vermilion Bird himself, he would have used it from the beginning. Why would he have needed to charge into the horde of corpses and hack and slash for so long? But then he thought, if he hadn't charged into the horde of corpses first and attracted all the rotting corpses together, no matter how large the fire rain's coverage was, it would have been impossible to wipe them all out at once.

Therefore, his charge was not in vain, but rather paved the way for the harvesting of the Vermilion Bird projection.

Having figured this out, Shen Xi felt much better.

With a slight thought, he opened the list of merits.

A crimson light screen unfolded before their eyes, and lines of golden names slowly appeared. Only a few hours had passed since the zombie horde began, and most players were still desperately fighting for their first rotting corpse, their merit points pitifully few. But the number following the top name was glaringly obvious and suffocating.

[Kyoto Zombie Horde - Merit Ranking]

1st Place: Primordial Beginning - 8675 points

2nd Place: Lord Wu'an - 189 points

3th place: Naro - 154 points

4th place: ...

Eight thousand six hundred and seventy-five.

The second place only has 189.

Shen Xi himself was taken aback. He knew he would only receive 10% merit points from the corpses killed by the Vermilion Bird projection, but the sheer number of corpses was overwhelming. Over ten thousand corpses—even 10% would still amount to thousands of kills. Meanwhile, other players were still fighting tooth and nail to kill a single ordinary corpse.

The gap is beyond description; it's not even a chasm.

He closed the merit ranking list and shook his head. He had over eight thousand merit points; he wondered what he could exchange them for in the merit shop. He'd have to check it out after the zombie horde ended.

Now, it's time to take stock of the spoils.

Shen Xi lowered his head, looking at his right hand. Three golden-red feathers had landed there, now slightly warm. He could feel the three feathers simultaneously resting on his right palm and beginning to burn. Golden-red flames rose from his palm, without any burning sensation, only warmth. The flames burned slowly, as if melting something, or perhaps nurturing something.

Shen Xi stared at the golden-red flame in his palm, watching it dance at his fingertips. A few seconds later, the flame began to shrink, from the size of a fist to the size of an egg, and then from the size of an egg to the size of a fingernail. The instant the flame completely extinguished, three items appeared in his palm.

The first item is a fragment.

It was about the size of a palm, completely black, and covered with cracks. When it lay quietly in Shen Xi's palm, it gave people an indescribable sense of oppression, as if it were not a fragment, but a mountain, a sea, or a world.

Shen Xi was shocked.

Fragments of Pangu's Axe.

This familiar aura, this familiar feeling, is exactly the same as the two fragments he obtained in the Crimson Hatchery. With a slight thought, the axe-shaped mark on the back of his hand instantly lit up, golden light surging from the mark and resonating with the fragment in his palm.

The fragment trembled slightly, then transformed into a black stream of light, disappearing into the mark on the back of his hand.

[Pangu Axe Fragment (4/9) → Pangu Axe (Fragment - Initial Form)]

[Collect all four fragments to unlock one layer of the seal on Pangu's Axe!]

Attack power: 88-108 → 98-118

【特效1：破界——无视目标50%防御→55%防御，对副本、结界、领域类技能造成额外300%→350%伤害】

【Special Effect 2: Heaven Opening - Attacks inflict the "Heaven Opening" effect, dealing 50% true damage (this stacks with the Heaven Opening class talent to become 100% true damage)】

【特效3：吞噬——击杀目标后，有20%→25%概率永久夺取其1%全属性（每只怪物仅生效一次，对领主级以上怪物概率翻倍→50%）】

【Special Effect 4: ? ? ? — Not yet unlocked (requires collecting all six fragments)】

【Special Effect 5: ??? — Not yet unlocked (requires collecting all nine fragments)】

Shen Xi's eyes lit up.

攻击力提升了10点，破界无视防御从50%提升到55%，对副本结界的额外伤害从300%提升到350%。吞噬的概率从20%提升到25%，对领主级以上怪物从40%提升到50%。

Four fragments are enough to provide such a boost. If all nine fragments were collected, and the true form of Pangu's Axe were restored, how powerful would it be?

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and looked at the second item.

It was a ball of flame.

It had no physical form, only a fist-sized, golden-red flame suspended in the palm of your hand. It burned slowly in the air, without temperature or sound, only an indescribable life force flowing within the flame.

Shen Xi reached out and touched the flame. The moment her fingertips touched the flame, an information panel appeared before her eyes.

【Name: Chaos Fire】

[Type: Special Item]

[Quality: Legendary]

[Effect: After being absorbed by the Primordial Pearl, the host can permanently master the power of fire. All fire spell damage +50%, fire spell cooldown -30%, fire spell cost -50%. Unlocks the Chaos class hidden skill tree "Path of Fire".]

[Note: This is the primordial fire of heaven and earth, containing the power to incinerate all things. Only those who inherit the Chaos legacy can wield it. Anyone else who touches it will instantly turn to ashes.]

Shen Xi's breath caught in her throat for a moment.

Legendary.

Moreover, it's not equipment, but a primordial item. After being absorbed by the Primordial Pearl, he can permanently master the power of fire. All fire spell damage increases by 50%, cooldown is reduced by 30%, and cost is reduced by 50%. It also unlocks the Chaos class's hidden skill tree, "The Way of Fire."

He currently only has three skills in his Chaos class: Lightning Chain, Lightning Barrier, and Fireball. Unlocking the Path of Fire would mean he could learn more and stronger fire spells. Fireball is only Bronze level, yet it has such power. What if it were Silver, Gold, or even Legendary fire spells?

Shen Xi licked her lips and carefully stored the Chaos Flame into her storage space. She couldn't devour it now; she'd have to wait until the zombie horde was over and find a safe place. (Prefer science fiction? Click here)

The third item was a feather.

It is entirely golden-red, about a foot long, with faint flame patterns flowing along the edges of its feathers. Holding it in your hand, you can feel a warm current flowing from the feathers, spreading down your arm and throughout your body.

【Name: The Vermilion Bird's Origin Feather】

[Type: Special Item]

[Quality: Epic]

[Effect 1: Rebirth from Fire - Stamina recovery speed +20%, Mental energy recovery speed +20%]

【Effect 2: Exorcism - Duration of negative effects reduced by 20%, and damage taken from elemental attacks reduced by 10%】

【Effect 3: Vermilion Bird's Blessing - Can be activated actively, grants immunity to all fire damage for 10 seconds, cooldown 24 hours】

[Note: This is the Vermilion Bird's natal feather, forged through ten thousand years of fiery tempering. Only those recognized by the Vermilion Bird are qualified to possess it. This item has bound itself to its owner; it cannot be discarded, traded, or stolen.]

Shen Xi stared at the line of instructions, a slow smile spreading across her lips.

Epic-tier item. Three effects, each practical. +20% stamina recovery speed means he can last longer in battle. +20% mental energy recovery speed means less pressure on skill cooldowns and consumption. -20% duration of negative effects means the impact of control skills like poison, paralysis, and fear on him is greatly reduced. -10% damage taken from elemental attacks means that elemental attacks like fire, ice, lightning, and poison will be reduced by 10%.

Shen Xi examined the feather from all angles, pondering where to put it. Hang it around her neck? Too conspicuous. Tie it to her wrist? It might fall off. Hide it inside her clothes? Inconvenient.

Just then, the Kyoto Rhythm uniform suddenly lit up.

A silvery-gray light surged from the uniform, enveloping Shen Xi completely. He was stunned for a moment, not yet reacting, when the special effects of the Kyoto Rhythm uniform automatically activated.

[Kyoto Concealment: When equipped, all armor and accessories except weapons can be hidden, and you can actively enter a state of complete invisibility for 30 seconds.]

It's not invisible.

It is attachment.

The golden-red feather trembled slightly in his hand, as if sensing something, then transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the location of his heart. At that moment, a lifelike Vermilion Bird pattern slowly emerged at the location of his heart.

It seems ready to take flight, so lifelike.

Shen Xi looked down at the Vermilion Bird pattern on her chest and reached out to touch it. It was warm to the touch, and the pattern was slightly raised.

It can be removed at any time.

It couldn't be more convenient.

Shen Xi nodded in satisfaction.

Shen Xi took a deep breath, suppressed her excitement, and looked up into the distance.

The rotting corpses in the southern area have all been cleared out, and the teleportation portal has been destroyed by Suzaku, so no more rotting corpses will appear. However, fierce battles are still raging on the eastern, western, and northern sides, with Lord Wu'an struggling to hold out on the eastern defensive line.

He had to go and provide support.

As for that chaotic fire, we can devour it after the zombie horde ends. Time is of the essence now; players are sacrificing themselves every minute.

It's time to leave.

Behind them, on the scorched earth of the southern district, the last few golden-red flames slowly died out. A gentle breeze swept through, stirring up wisps of ashes and lingering warmth.

About ten minutes after Shen Xi left the South District, a team of five hundred people rushed over from the East District.

Leading the group was a major in his early thirties, his shoulder insignia bearing the rank of major, his face filled with anxiety. His name was Liu Tiejun, one of Wu Anjun's most capable lieutenants, responsible for flank protection of the eastern defense line. Half an hour earlier, Wu Anjun had received an urgent report of an emergency from the southern district and had urgently dispatched five hundred men to lead in support.

"Hurry! Keep up! Don't fall behind!" Liu Tiejun shouted as he ran. "The southern district is about to collapse! General Wang's men have been holding out for over an hour. If we don't go to their aid soon, something terrible will happen!"

Five hundred people ran frantically.

Five hundred people ran frantically.

When they crossed the last street and rushed to the outer edge of the southern defense line, everyone was stunned.

Scorched earth.

The ground was covered in scorched earth.

Stretching from their feet all the way to the city walls, the entire plain was burned to a charred ruin. The ground cracked, the rubble melted, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of burning. There were no rotting corpses, no bodies, no black blood, not even a trace of battle.

Only scorched earth remained.

There was also a faint, lingering warmth in the air.

Liu Tiejun stood frozen in place. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

The five hundred men behind them were also stunned. They looked at each other, staring blankly at the scorched earth before them.

"What...what's going on?" a soldier muttered. "Wasn't the South District supposed to be in a state of emergency? Where are the corpses?"

"More than ten thousand rotting corpses? Are they all dead?"

"Who killed him? How did they kill him?"

"Look over there!" another soldier pointed to the center of the plain. "There are people there!"

Everyone turned their heads at once.

In the center of the plain, General Wang was leading the remnants of the southern district to clean up the battlefield. To call it cleaning up the battlefield was a bit of a stretch; there wasn't much to clean up. The rotting corpses had all been burned to ashes, leaving not a trace. All they could do was carry back the bodies of their comrades who had fallen in the early stages of the battle.

When General Wang saw Zhao Tiejun arriving with his men, he paused for a moment, then greeted them with a wry smile.

"Major Liu, you're too late."

Liu Tiejun swallowed hard. "General Wang, what... what happened? Where's the corpse?"

"They're all dead." General Wang pointed to the sky above. "Killed by Taichu."

Liu Tiejun was stunned: "Taichu? Alone?"

"It's not just one person," General Wang shook his head, "there's also Suzaku."

"Suzaku?!"

"Yes, it's the Vermilion Bird you know," General Wang sighed. "Summoned in the beginning. In about a minute, more than ten thousand rotting corpses were all burned to ashes."

Liu Tiejun and the five hundred men stood still, like statues.

They recalled the towering flames they had seen on the road earlier. The golden-red pillar of fire shot straight into the sky, turning the entire sky the color of flames. At the time, they thought it was some kind of secret weapon being used by the Southern District defenses, but little did they know, it was the work of Tai Chu.

One person wiped out more than 10,000 rotting corpses.

Liu Tiejun's lips twitched, and his voice was hoarse: "Where is Taichu now?"

General Wang pointed to the capital city behind him: "They said they went to another region, but I don't know exactly where they're going to provide support."

Liu Tiejun fell silent, then turned around and looked at the five hundred people behind him.

"Brothers, did you hear that? The Primordial God single-handedly wiped out over ten thousand rotting corpses in the Southern District, and now he's off to provide support in other areas. We may not be as powerful as him, but we can't just stand here doing nothing!"

He gripped his sword tightly.

"Let's go! We're heading back to the East District!"