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

The moment Shen Xi's hand touched the iron door on the third floor, the notification sound of the post-apocalyptic survival game suddenly appeared in his mind. He was startled by the sudden sound, his hand hovering in mid-air, his brows furrowing slightly.

To be honest, he thought there wouldn't be any more missions this time. From the moment he entered the Gu family's secret base, he had been waiting. He fought his way through the first level, still waiting. He slaughtered everyone on the second level, still waiting. Now, just as he was about to enter the third level, the mission finally arrived.

"This system is terrible, the latency is too high."

Shen Xi complained, but still opened the mission panel. A blood-red light screen unfolded before her eyes, and lines of large golden characters slowly appeared.

[Mission Name: The Demise of the Gu Family]

[Mission Type: Faction Annihilation - Unique]

[Mission Description: The Gu family, the head of the four great families of Kyoto, is a centuries-old, deeply entrenched clan. After the apocalypse, instead of serving their country, the Gu family colluded with the rotting corpses, breached city defenses, and unleashed a zombie horde to attack the city, causing the deaths of countless players. Currently, core members of the Gu family are hiding in a secret base in the north of the city, attempting to prolong their existence. As their sworn enemy with a blood feud, you have a responsibility to personally end this wicked family.]

[Mission Objective: Completely eliminate all core members of the Gu family within their secret base.]

[Quest Rewards: Experience +5000, Gold +5000, Reputation +1000, Gold-grade Equipment Box x1, Free Attribute Points +10]

[Task Time Limit: 24 hours]

[Failure Penalty: Level -2, two pieces of equipment randomly dropped, and the remaining forces of the Gu family will relentlessly hunt down the host.]

[Note: If the Gu family is not eradicated, the consequences will be endless. Eradicate them completely, leaving no one alive.]

"The reward is pretty good, but come out now..."

But before he could finish speaking, a familiar golden light forcibly entered his field of vision.

[Buzz...! ...

[The Domination System has intervened!]

[Detection indicates the host is about to engage in a final battle with the Gu family!]

[Task being forcibly modified...]

In a fleeting moment, a brand new line of large golden characters appeared:

[Mission Name: Annihilate the Gu Family]

[Mission Type: Area-Specific Faction Elimination]

[Mission Description: The Gu family's continued existence will bring endless trouble. As an avenger with a blood feud against the Gu family, you must personally end it all.]

[Mission Objective: Kill Gu Tianxin, Gu Yunting, and other core members of the Gu family, dismantle the Gu family's fighting force, and completely annihilate the Gu family's power. Leave no one alive.]

[Task Rewards: Experience +10000, Gold +10000, Reputation +2000, Gold-grade Equipment Box x2, Free Attribute Points +20, Normal Boost Draw Card x2]

[Task Time Limit: Unlimited]

[Failure Penalty: None]

[Special Note: Go ahead, show the Gu family what true despair is. Remember, leave no one alive.]

"Leave no one alive."

"That suits me perfectly."

He turned off the panel and reached out to push open the heavy iron door.

The iron gate slowly closed behind us with a dull thud.

Shen Xi stood at the entrance to the third-level domed hall. Just as he was about to step forward, an anomaly suddenly appeared in the vision of his Eye of Truth. Behind the east wall of the hall, there was a space he hadn't noticed before. It wasn't a passageway, nor a secret room, but a small mezzanine hidden within the thick rock walls.

"They've kept it well hidden."

Shen Xi did not rush to find the Gu family.

Meanwhile, the second layer.

When Gu An rushed out of the secret room, his legs were trembling.

He had lived for over seventy years, serving three generations of the Gu family. What storms hadn't he weathered? He thought he would never be afraid of anything again. But the spy's words just now instilled in him a fear that came from the depths of his soul.

"More than a thousand people... all dead?"

Gu An's voice trembled as he gripped the collar of the spy in front of him tightly, his fingers turning white from the force.

The scout's face was deathly pale, his lips trembled, and his eyes were unfocused, as if he had been terrified by something. His voice was hoarse and broken:

"They're all...all dead...more than a thousand people...not a single one escaped..."

"How is this possible?!" Gu An hissed, "How could over a thousand people all die when they surrounded and killed one person?! Even Tai Chu couldn't possibly..."

"He's too strong," the scout interrupted him, his voice filled with fear. "Terrifyingly strong. He just stood there, did nothing, and glanced at us. And then...and then everyone started killing each other."

"What?!" Gu An's pupils suddenly contracted.

"He glanced at us," the scout repeated, his body trembling violently. "Just one glance. Then everyone's eyes changed. They went berserk, hacking at the people around them. Blood and flesh flew everywhere... I... I was the furthest away, that's how I escaped..."

Gu An's back was soaked with cold sweat.

What exactly is the Primordial Beginning? A single person, without even making a move, merely glanced at it, and thousands turned on each other, resulting in the complete annihilation of the army. Such methods were beyond his comprehension.

"Master Steward, he... he's gone to the third floor now." The scout's voice was even lower. "We... we can't stop him..."

Gu An's expression changed completely.

The third floor. The old man is on the third floor.

If the Primordial One were to break into the third level...

Gu An dared not think any further.

"Everyone! Everyone!" his voice was urgent. "First floor, second floor, everyone who can still fight, follow me to the third floor! Hurry! Hurry!"

Gu An led the group, stumbling and running towards the third floor.

The third floor, the east wall.

Shen Xi stood before the seemingly ordinary rock wall, the golden light of his Eye of Truth swirling in his pupils. His gaze pierced through the thick rock layers, revealing the scene behind the wall: a small, secret chamber, about twenty square meters in size. There was no furniture, no decoration, only a pool of water in the very center.

The pool water was crystal clear, its surface as still as a mirror, emitting a faint fluorescent glow within the enclosed room. A hazy mist drifted inside, so faint yet giving an illusion of holiness and purity.

Shen Xi frowned slightly.

He reached out and pressed his hand against the rock wall; it was icy cold to the touch, but he could feel that it was hollow behind. He groped along the rock wall and quickly found a hidden mechanism: a protrusion that looked no different from the other rocks, but when he pressed it, he could feel a slight elasticity.

"Click."

A faint mechanical sound. A crack appeared in the rock wall, then slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a narrow passage. At the end of the passage was the secret chamber.

Shen Xi stepped into the secret room.

The moment he stepped inside, a cool breeze swept over him. It wasn't cold, but refreshing, like a mountain breeze in the morning brushing against his cheek, carrying an indescribable freshness. He took a deep breath and felt himself become more energetic.

"This is……"

His gaze fell on the pool of water.

The pool water was crystal clear, so pure that not a single impurity could be seen. Beneath the surface, a layer of fine white sand could be faintly seen on the bottom. These pebbles shimmered faintly in the fluorescent light, like tiny pearls. And the mist drifting in the sealed room was rising from the surface of the pool water.

But what really caught Shen Xi's attention was not the pool water, but a jar placed in the corner of the secret room.

It was a small earthenware jar, only about the height of a palm, entirely black with no decorations on its surface. The mouth of the jar was sealed with a wooden stopper, which was covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating that it had not been opened for a long time. At the bottom of the jar, some milky white liquid could be vaguely seen slowly seeping out, flowing down the jar and pooling on the ground.

Shen Xi walked over, squatted down, and carefully examined the pool of liquid.

It's milky white, thick like honey, and has a faint, delicate fragrance. The fragrance is so faint that it's almost undetectable, but every trace carries an indescribable vitality.

"What is this?"

Shen Xi reached out to touch the pool of liquid, but stopped just before his fingertips made contact. Instinct told him that this thing was not simple and should not be touched casually.

With a slight thought, the Primordial Pearl appeared in his palm.

A jet-black bead, the size of a longan, floated above the palm, its interior swirling with chaotic energy. The instant the Primordial Bead appeared, the mist in the secret chamber suddenly began to surge. The previously still mist, as if summoned, began to drift towards the Primordial Bead.

One wisp, two wisps, three wisps... The mist grew thicker and denser, converging from all directions to form a miniature vortex around the Primordial Pearl. The vortex spun faster and faster, drawing the mist into the Primordial Pearl, where it was then condensed, compressed, and purified within the pearl's chaotic space.

A few seconds later, a drop of milky white liquid seeped from the surface of the Hongmeng Pearl, slid down the pearl, and dripped into the earthenware jar on the ground.

"Clatter".

The crisp sound was exceptionally clear in the silent, enclosed room.

Shen Xi was stunned.

He looked down at the earthenware jar. At the bottom, where there had been only a tiny amount of milky-white liquid, a drop had appeared. Then, a second drop, a third drop, a fourth drop… The thicker the fog, the more liquid condensed. The fog in the sealed room thinned at a visible rate, while the liquid in the jar increased rapidly.

The bottom layer is thin, then it becomes one finger deep, two fingers deep, three fingers deep...

When the last wisp of mist was absorbed by the Primordial Pearl and condensed into the last drop of milky-white liquid, falling into the ceramic jar, the mist in the secret chamber had completely disappeared. The air became fresh, and the hazy, illusory feeling was gone, leaving only the faint shimmering of fireflies on the surface of the pool.

Shen Xi picked up the pottery jar and weighed it in her hand.

Half a can.

Originally, there was only a little liquid at the bottom of the jar, but now, thanks to the Hongmeng Pearl, it has condensed into half a jar. This milky white liquid has accumulated in at least half of the jar.

"This is good stuff."

Although he didn't know what the liquid was, the fact that the Gu family kept it in a secret room and sealed it in a jar meant it was definitely not an ordinary item. Moreover, judging from the amount accumulated at the bottom of the jar, the production of this substance was extremely low; it must have taken countless years to accumulate such a small amount.

Shen Xi put the jar aside and turned her gaze back to the pool of water.

The pool water was still clear, still pure, and still shimmering faintly. But at this moment, looking at the pool water, a ridiculous thought suddenly popped into his mind.

"This...could it be for taking a bath?"

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. A secret room, a pool of water, mist, and that jar of unknown milky white liquid... wasn't this the setup used by ancient nobles for bathing and health preservation? It was just that the fact that the Gu family hid such a thing here seemed particularly strange.

Shen Xi picked up the earthenware jar, uncorked it, and brought it to his nose to smell. A delicate fragrance, tinged with sweetness, filled the air, invigorating him. With a slight thought, he tilted the jar, and the milky-white liquid slowly poured into the pool.

The moment the liquid enters the water, the entire pool of water begins to change.

The crystal-clear water, starting from the bottom, turned milky white at a visible speed. The milky white spread upwards from the bottom of the pool, like a blooming white flower, layer upon layer, petal by petal, dyeing the entire pool a pure milky white. The fluorescent light in the pool also changed accordingly, from a pale white to a warm, milky white halo, enveloping the entire enclosed room in a soft glow.

What Shen Xi didn't know was that if the Gu family saw this scene, they would be heartbroken and accuse him of wasting resources.

That jar of milky white liquid was the culmination of the Gu family's centuries-long collection. It had been collected since the time of the Gu family's patriarch, passed down through generations, each carefully accumulating and preserving it. Over a hundred years, they had managed to amass just that one jar. After the apocalypse, Gu Tianxin originally intended to leave this liquid for the Gu family's most talented members, as it was said to significantly enhance physical attributes, cleanse meridians, and even alter innate talents.

But now, Shen Xi has poured them all out.

It was poured into the pool. I planned to use it as bathwater.

If Gu Tianxin knew about this, she would probably die of anger on the spot.

Shen Xi didn't think that much about it. Looking at the milky-white pool of water, he felt his body releasing a signal of longing. It was a primal, instinctive desire, as if every cell was calling out, urging him to enter the pool.

"Is it really for bathing?"

Shen Xi hesitated for a moment, then began to take off her clothes and pack her equipment.