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

Inside the iron cage, the emaciated little corpse suddenly opened its eyes.

It had a pair of scarlet eyes, like two rubies tempered in flames for a thousand years. They lacked the murky madness of ordinary decaying corpses, possessing only an almost eerie purity. It slowly turned its eyes, its gaze piercing through the iron bars of the cage, through the dim light of the secret chamber, as if looking at something.

The old man immediately noticed its unusual behavior.

He lunged at the iron cage, his greyish-white eyes fixed on those scarlet eyes, a near-mad excitement emanating from his turbid pupils. His breathing became rapid, his withered hands gripping the cage bars, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Excellent! Excellent!" The old man's voice was hoarse and trembling, filled with barely suppressed elation. "That's the look in his eyes! Arrogant, indifferent, looking down upon all living beings! This is the aura a Dark King should possess! You've finally begun to awaken!"

He was so excited he was incoherent, pacing back and forth in front of the iron cage, muttering to himself, "All my hard work over the years, the essence of hundreds of rotting corpses, and the catalyst of a few drops of spiritual liquid—it was all worth it, absolutely worth it!"

But the next second, he suddenly stopped.

Because he discovered a chilling truth: the little rotting corpse wasn't looking at him at all.

The old man's face instantly darkened.

He closed his eyes, and his mental energy began to perceive.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes.

"The altar's power is weakening," the old man said in a somber voice. "There's something wrong with the underground palace."

"What is that idiot Gu Tianxin doing?" His voice grew colder. "If he doesn't dare to act recklessly, then someone has broken in. Who would dare to cause trouble at my Gu family's residence at this time?"

He was silent for a moment, then a name suddenly flashed through his mind.

"It must be that guy who posted the regional announcement a few days ago cursing Gu Tianxin." The old man's eyes were full of contempt. "What was his name again? Tai Chu? Ha, number one on the China region ranking list, what a prestigious title. The Gu family is really getting worse and worse. The head of the four great families has been forced to this point by one person. How shameful."

He turned around and looked again at the small, decaying corpse in the iron cage. Its crimson eyes remained fixed on the distance, still not looking at him.

The old man's eyes became fanatical.

"If we could capture the number one human in China alive and offer him to you as nourishment, you might grow into a true king much faster. The essence of a level 30 human powerhouse is more useful than a hundred ordinary corpses."

He reached out and, through the bars of the iron cage, gently touched the cold skin of the small, decaying corpse with his fingertips.

"Wait for me." The old man's voice softened, as if speaking to his child. "I'll go and capture him alive right now. Soon, you'll be able to eat the most delicious food."

The moment the words left his mouth, the old man's figure vanished from the spot.

Without any warning, he vanished into thin air, as if he had never existed. His speed was comparable to that of Shen Xi during that period.

The Gu family's secret base, second floor.

The military forces surged in like a tidal wave, advancing simultaneously from four large entrances. The sound of footsteps echoed through the passageways, and the torchlight illuminated the darkness as if it were daytime. The Gu family's disciples were utterly unable to withstand this overwhelming onslaught, and were scattered and defeated in a single encounter.

"Over here! There are still survivors over here!"

"Don't let them escape! Block the passage!"

"ah……!"

Screams, pleas for mercy, and the clanging of swords mingled together. Some of the Gu family members raised their weapons to fight back, only to be hacked to death in the next second. Others knelt and begged for mercy, but were still met with cold blades. Some turned and ran, but were stabbed through the heart by those who caught up with them after only a few steps.

A blood-soaked disciple of the Gu family rushed out from the depths of the second level, staggering towards the stone steps leading to the third level. His left arm had been severed, and blood was still seeping from the cut. His face was ashen, and his eyes were filled with terror.

"Master Steward! Master Steward!" he shouted hoarsely as he ran, his voice echoing through the corridor. "The military has broken in! Tens of thousands! The first floor has already fallen! The second floor is about to collapse too!"

The third floor is the domed hall.

Gu An stood in front of the white marble platform, his face ashen.

After hearing the scout's report, he swayed and almost fell. He reached out to grab the edge of the stone platform, barely managing to steady himself. His mind was a mess, a jumble of thoughts churning wildly.

"The military... tens of thousands of people..." Gu An murmured, his voice hoarse, "Tai Chu... they came together..."

He finally understood.

Gu An gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Where exactly did things go wrong?" His voice was filled with resentment. "How did the military know our location? How did they know the exact locations of the four large entrances and exits? And the secret room... how did Tai Chu find it, given how well it was hidden?"

The underground palace is in complete chaos. Tai Chu is moving too fast; they simply can't keep up. The military has also suddenly intervened, with a massive army pressing in. If they fight head-on, the Gu family will surely perish.

Gu An took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Now is not the time to assign blame; the immediate priority is to escape.

As long as the old master is alive, and as long as the core members of the Gu family are still around, the Gu family still has a chance to rise again. As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood.

After thinking it through, Gu An suddenly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the Gu family members who were still huddled at the edge of the hall.

"Everyone, heed my command!" His voice boomed through the domed hall.

The surviving members of the Gu family all raised their heads and looked at him.

"First team, immediately go to the second floor to provide support! Hold off the military at all costs! Delay them for as long as you can!" Gu An's voice was cold and brooked no argument.

About a thousand people stepped forward, their faces filled with fear, but they dared not disobey orders and gritted their teeth as they rushed toward the second floor.

"Second team, form a suicide squad!" Gu An's voice was even colder. "Your mission is to stop Tai Chu!"

Several hundred more people stepped forward, their faces ashen and their legs trembling. To send them to stop Tai Chu was tantamount to suicide. But no one dared to refuse, for the consequences of refusal would be worse than death.

"Third team, the 100 strongest cultivators, follow me to the fourth floor!" Gu An's voice carried a hint of urgency. "Take the old master and the other high-ranking members, and evacuate through the secret passage! Quickly!"

One hundred elite disciples stepped forward. Most of them were core members of the Gu family, well-equipped, and all at level 15 or above. Although they were filled with fear, they could at least maintain basic combat strength.

Gu An turned around and strode towards the entrance to the fourth floor. After taking only two steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back at the hundreds of assassins about to face their deaths.

"etc."

There was a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Then, he pulled a small remote control from his pocket and took a heavy wooden crate from the cabinet behind him. Opening the crate, he found a hundred fist-sized bombs neatly stacked inside. These were high-explosives that the Gu family had been secretly manufacturing since before the apocalypse; each one was enough to destroy a three-story building.

"One for each of you, tie it to your body." Gu An's voice was icy. "When Tai Chu appears, rush up and perish together with him."

A collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the group of assassins.

Some people instinctively took a step back, but most remained rooted to the spot, motionless. It wasn't that they weren't afraid of death; it was that they knew the consequences of refusal would be worse than death.

The bombs were distributed one by one, strapped to the waists of each assassin. Gu An held the remote control; a single press of a button would detonate all one hundred bombs simultaneously. Even if Tai Chu were incredibly powerful, he couldn't possibly survive such a dense barrage of explosions.

"Master Steward, everything is ready." A trusted aide leaned over and whispered.

Gu An nodded, about to lead the 100 elite soldiers into the fourth level...

"boom!!!"

The stone door on the fourth floor was suddenly pushed open from the inside.

Instead of opening slowly, it was blasted open by tremendous force. The two heavy stone doors slammed violently to the sides, crashing against the walls with a deafening roar, causing the entire domed hall to tremble.

Everyone froze.

They all turned their heads in unison, looking towards the entrance to the fourth floor.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a silver-gray figure emerged from behind the door.

In the beginning.

He really did come to the fourth floor.

"Tai...Tai Chu..." Gu An's voice trembled. He subconsciously took a step back, his finger pressing on the button on the remote control. "Don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I'll detonate it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Xi interrupted.

"Detonate?"

"Give it a try."

The moment the words left her lips, Shen Xi moved.

Bloodthirsty Thrust!

His body shot out like a cannonball, covering fifteen meters in a single stride. The Pangu Axe swept across, and a dark golden arc of light exploded in the air!

Gu An only felt a blur before his eyes, and the silver-gray figure was already in front of him. Those cold eyes were inches away.

"you……"

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but it felt like a stone was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.

The axe flashed.

"Click."

Gu An's head flew off with a thud, black blood gushing from his severed neck, splashing several meters high. The headless corpse froze for a moment, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The remote control slipped from his hand, fell to the ground, and shattered.

The entire room fell silent.

The 100 elite disciples stood there dumbfounded, their minds blank. They hadn't even had time to see Shen Xi's movements before Gu An was already dead.

Shen Xi did not stop.

His body spun like a top, the Pangu Axe drawing a deadly arc in the air. Death Whirlwind, activated! In the first circle, the axe light exploded, sending over a dozen heads flying simultaneously. In the second circle, more than twenty fell to the ground. In the third circle, over thirty were cut in half at the waist. In the fourth circle, a bloody gash was torn open in the densest part of the crowd. In the fifth circle, the last wave of attackers had their heads sliced ​​off.

A few seconds.

More than a hundred people were all killed.

Shen Xi stopped spinning and stood in the center of the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood. The automatic cleaning function of the Kyoto Rhythm uniform was running at full speed; the black blood on the silver-gray uniform decomposed and disappeared at a visible rate. He didn't even glance at the corpses, and turned to walk deeper into the fourth level.

The scene on the fourth floor was far more complex than he had anticipated.

This is not a simple secret room, but a vast underground space. The dome is over ten meters high, constructed of steel frames and glass, through which moonlight streams down, casting a cool glow on the ground. The space is divided into numerous functional areas, including living areas, storage areas, training areas, and even a small planting area.

Even more bizarrely, this place has its own light source and climate system.

The glass dome overhead allows sunlight and moonlight to filter through, and the walls are inlaid with countless luminous crystals that automatically light up at night, simulating daytime illumination. In a corner, a complex water circulation system pumps groundwater up to irrigate the planting areas. The crops thrive, producing a bounty of vegetables, fruits, and grains.

"Is this... about creating your own little world?"

Shen Xi frowned slightly.

The Gu family's ambitions were far greater than he had imagined. They didn't just want to build a shelter underground; they wanted to create an independent, self-sufficient little kingdom. It would have light, a suitable climate, the ability to sow seeds, build structures, and maintain its own ecological balance. Internally, it could even be self-sufficient, forming a complete closed loop.

Given enough time, that old bastard Gu Tianxin might actually turn this place into a paradise.

Unfortunately, he met Shen Xi.

This grand plan could no longer proceed after Shen Xi's arrival.