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

The morning sun was warm, but it couldn't dispel the chill in the air.

Shen Xi left the old neighborhood where her rented apartment was located and embarked on the provincial highway leading to Xinghui City.

He walked this road in his previous life.

That was to escape Starshine City and avoid the crowds.

He was in a terrible state at that time and nearly died on the roadside several times.

In this life, the direction is reversed.

Similarly, the mood is the opposite.

Behind them, screams and cries could be faintly heard from the direction of the city.

Someone discovered mutated, decaying corpses undergoing the first wave of real-world slaughter.

But he ignored it.

The provincial highway is flanked by rolling hills. Early summer sunlight filters through the poplar trees along the roadside, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The air is filled with the scent of grass and wildflowers. If it weren't for the occasional screams, it would truly be a wonderful morning.

Shen Xi carried the bone battle axe and walked at a leisurely pace.

Xinghui City is to the east, about 120 kilometers away.

In the past, it would have taken only half an hour by high-speed rail.

But now, with traffic paralyzed and communication cut off, these 120 kilometers can only be covered step by step on foot.

He had considered stealing a car. If he encountered danger along the way, driving would make him too conspicuous, and walking would risk encountering lone zombies. If he were to accidentally stumble upon a hidden instance, that would be even better.

Shen Xi was fully aware of this.

In his previous life, after leaving the dormitory of rotting corpses, he followed the crowd in a daze and fled. As a result, he encountered three waves of rotting corpses and two robberies by villains on the way.

Although he survived, all his supplies were stolen, and he almost died.

In this life, the roles have been reversed.

Now, thanks to his improved physique, he walks extremely fast, covering five kilometers in a short time.

Farmland and scattered villages began to appear on both sides of the provincial highway.

As I was walking, a figure suddenly appeared lying down in the middle of the road ahead.

Wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, he lay there motionless.

Shen Xi did not approach rashly.

He stood at a distance and observed carefully.

The man's back was not rising and falling, so he had been dead for some time.

However, there was no blood on the clothes and no obvious wounds on the body.

"Playing dead?"

"It's still a trap!"

Shen Xi narrowed her eyes, picked up a pebble from the ground, and threw it forcefully.

A pebble hit the man's leg.

The next second, the "corpse" suddenly sprang up!

It was a distorted face, with cloudy eyes and black drool dripping from the corner of its mouth. It let out a low growl, and on all fours, it pounced on Shen Xi like a wild beast!

[Rotting Corpse - Common (Level 2)]

Strength: 14, Spirit: 8, Agility: 11, Constitution: 15

The system message is finally here!

Shen Xi sighed helplessly; the system was far too slow to respond.

He only took out the corpse's claws when the rotting corpse was within three meters of him.

The rotting corpse's claws tore through the air!

"Snap!"

Five jet-black claw blades pierced through the rotting corpse's chin and penetrated the top of its skull!

Black blood spurted out instantly!

The corpse twitched twice, then hung limply on the claws, and remained motionless.

Kill 1 level 2 rotting corpses, experience points +8.

A ball of light rose from the corpse.

Shen Xi casually scooped up: [Fried Chicken x1]

He flicked the black blood off his claws, kicked the corpse aside, and continued on his way.

I had walked less than two hundred meters when I heard hurried footsteps ahead.

Three figures rushed out of the village by the roadside—two men and one woman—covered in blood, their faces filled with terror.

Upon seeing Shen Xi, they were initially stunned, then rushed over as if grasping at a lifeline:

"Brother! Help! There are rotting corpses in the village! Lots of them!"

"Please, please save us! We've been chased all this way!"

"You're a player, right? We are too! Let's team up! Let's survive together!"

Shen Xi stopped and glanced at the three of them.

There were two men and one woman, all in their early twenties. One of the men was wearing a security guard uniform and was holding a rubber baton; the other man was fat and panting heavily, with nothing in his hands; the woman had disheveled hair, was barefoot, and had bloody cuts all over her feet.

"How many people are chasing you?" Shen Xi asked.

"Three, three!" the security guard gasped. "No, four! We managed to shake one off!"

"How far did you run?"

"It's right behind us! We'll be there soon!"

Shen Xi nodded.

Then, he walked past the three men and continued forward.

The three of them were stunned.

"Hey! Where are you going?" the fat man shouted. "There are rotting corpses over there!"

"I know," Shen Xi said without turning her head.

"You knew that, yet you still went?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Shen Xi did not answer.

He has already seen it.

At the village entrance ahead, four rotting corpses were trudging towards them with faltering steps. They were still wearing farm clothes, one of them even wearing an apron, suggesting they might have been cooking before they died.

Four.

Both are level 2.

Shen Xi took out the bone battle axe and quickened her pace.

The three people behind him stared in disbelief at his retreating figure.

"He...he's gone mad?" the woman murmured.

"Run! Take advantage of him drawing the attention of the rotting corpses!" The security guard was the first to react, grabbing the two of them and running in the opposite direction.

But the next second, they stopped.

Because Shen Xi had already run into a rotting corpse.

Whirlwind Slash!

The white bone battle axe drew a pale, deathly arc in the air!

"Puff puff puff puff!"

The four heads flew off almost simultaneously!

Black blood rained down!

The four corpses crashed to the ground, without even having time to let out a complete roar.

Shen Xi stopped spinning, shook the black blood off the axe blade, and bent down to pick up the four floating orbs of light.

[Mineral water x2] [Compressed biscuits x1] [Energy drink x1] [Men's shirt x1]

The process of storing it in the storage space is incredibly smooth.

The three people behind him stood there in astonishment, their mouths agape.

"Holy... shit..." the fat man managed to squeeze out two words.

The security guard swallowed hard; his legs were trembling.

The woman with disheveled hair knelt down immediately.

Shen Xi ignored them and continued forward.

As he passed the three people, the security guard suddenly spoke:

"Boss, boss! Please carry us! We can fight, we can take on anything!"

Shen Xi kept walking.

"Following me will only hasten your demise."

The three of them turned pale.

They could only watch the figure carrying the axe walk further and further away until it disappeared at the end of the road, speechless for a long time.

……

10:00 AM.

Shen Xi has already walked twenty kilometers.

He encountered seven waves of rotting corpses along the way, ranging from two or three to five or six, all of which he slashed down.

Experience points: 235/500.

There are 265 points needed to advance from level 5 to level 6.

The storage space was accumulating more and more supplies: over a dozen bottles of mineral water, and compressed biscuits, bread, and canned goods piled up to half a person's height. Some strange items also popped out: a rusty kitchen knife, a broken flashlight, half a roll of toilet paper…

The [Heavenly Explosion Rate] is currently playing its negligible role.

Others might kill ten corpses and get nine empty drops; he kills ten and is guaranteed to get ten items.

Even junk, when piled up, can become a fortune.

Ahead, we came to a three-way intersection.

Shen Xi stopped and observed the terrain.

The road on the left leads to the mountains; it's winding and narrow. The road on the right is a national highway; it's wide, but it's a longer route.

In my memory, the survivors around Starshine City in my previous life mainly traveled along the national highway because the road conditions were good and it was easy to travel in groups. But precisely because so many people traveled this route, there were also more rotting corpses and villains on the road.

Although the mountain road is difficult to travel, as long as you cross the mountain in front, you can take a shortcut into the northern district of Xinghui City, which is at least half a day faster than taking the national highway.

Shen Xi did not hesitate and turned directly onto the mountain road on the left.

The mountain road was indeed difficult to travel.

The road was full of potholes, and there were dense trees on both sides that blocked out the sun. Even though it was daytime, the light was as dim as dusk.

The air was filled with the smell of damp, decaying leaves, mixed with a faint, fishy odor.

Shen Xi slowed her pace, holding the bone battle axe horizontally in front of her chest, and scanned her surroundings.

This kind of environment is perfect for hiding decaying corpses.

After walking about two kilometers, a dilapidated gas station appeared on the side of the road ahead.

Two gas pumps lay askew, and shards of glass and bloodstains were scattered on the ground. The convenience store door was wide open, but it was pitch black inside, and nothing could be seen.

It's best to stay away from buildings whose situation is unclear, so Shen Xi didn't go in.

He simply avoided the gas station and continued uphill along the mountain road.

I've only walked less than a hundred meters...

A crisp "crack" sound came from behind.

Shen Xi suddenly turned around!

A head peeked out from behind the door of the gas station convenience store.

It's not a rotting corpse.

are people.

A bald man with a face full of scars, holding a rusty machete, was squinting at Shen Xi.

Immediately afterwards, three more people came out of the convenience store.

A tall, thin man held a steel pipe; a short, stout man carried a wrench; and a bespectacled, refined young man had empty hands, but a dagger tucked into his waistband.

Four people.

The bald man sized up Shen Xi for a moment, then grinned:

"Wow, hiking alone in the mountains? You've got guts."

Shen Xi didn't say anything.

Seeing that he remained silent, the bald man assumed he was afraid and became even more arrogant, slowly surrounding him with his three companions:

"Brother, it's not safe to travel alone these days. How about this, pay some protection money, and we'll escort you down the mountain, okay?"

"Protection fees?" Shen Xi raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." The bald man brandished his machete. "I don't need much, just half of your supplies. The food, the drink, and that axe—it looks pretty good, keep those too."

The tall, thin guy chimed in, "If you know what's good for you, just hand it over obediently to avoid getting hurt. The four of us are all level 2 players, we've killed zombies before, you can't beat us all by yourself."

The short, fat man chuckled, slapping the wrench against his palm.

Only the bespectacled, refined young man remained silent, his eyes darting towards the bone battle axe in Shen Xi's hand.

Shen Xi glanced at them.

Four Level 2s.

Their equipment consisted of machetes, steel pipes, wrenches, and daggers—not even bronze-level.

Their skills are unknown, but judging from their cowardly appearance, they'll probably only have one or two useless skills at most.

He withdrew his gaze and said calmly:

"Are you sure you want to rob me?"

The bald man was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "What? You want to fight back? Brothers, let's teach him a lesson!"

Before he finished speaking, the tall, thin man was the first to rush forward, swinging the steel pipe in a wide arc and smashing it down on Shen Xi's head!

Shen Xi turned to the side, and the steel pipe grazed past his ear.

At the same instant, he raised his left hand, and the rotting corpse's claws gripped the wrist of the tall, thin man holding the steel pipe!

"Snap!"

The bones are shattered!

"Ah...!" The tall, thin man's scream was abruptly cut off by Shen Xi's second strike.

Bone battle axe sweeps across!

The axe blade sliced ​​across his neck!

Blood spurted out!

The tall, thin corpse slumped to the ground, its head drooping at an eerie angle.