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

Chapter 27 Bloodstained Iron Cage

Delving into the best science fiction novels,

The screams from the backyard of the city lord's mansion echoed one after another, carrying far away on the night wind.

Shen Xi lay in the shadows of the opposite rooftop. Among his useless supplies was a telescope, which he was now watching the human tragedy through.

One girl after another was dragged out and thrown into that iron cage.

The roars of rotting corpses, the girl's screams, the soldiers' laughter, Gu Yunfei's excited cheers...

It all blended into a symphony of hell.

Five.

Five girls in total.

The oldest was just over twenty, and the youngest was only fifteen or sixteen.

At this moment, they all lay motionless in the iron cage. The wounds on their bodies were horrific, and blood stained the floor at the bottom of the cage. The rotting corpse lay between them, tearing at them with its jaws, its murky eyes filled with greed.

Gu Yunfei stood outside the cage, watching this scene, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Interesting, very interesting," he murmured. "So this is how corpses eat people..."

The adjutant beside him, and the Lion Legion men protecting him, remained expressionless at the scene. Clearly, this second young master of the Gu family was even more perverted than his eldest brother in private.

Just then, a man who looked like a team leader hurriedly walked into the backyard and whispered a few words in Gu Yunfei's ear.

Gu Yunfei's eyes lit up instantly.

"What did you say? Liu Xinghui's secretary? A man?"

"Yes." The captain nodded. "He's in his thirties, hiding in the sewers of the city lord's mansion. Our men caught him. He said his name is Chen Ming, and he's Liu Xinghui's personal secretary, having worked for her for five years."

Gu Yunfei's breathing became heavy.

Liu Xinghui ran away, but he had been holding back his anger.

Now, her people are in his hands.

Although it wasn't her, but...

"Quickly, bring it up to me!" he waved.

Soon, several soldiers escorted a middle-aged man into the backyard.

The man looked to be around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, wearing glasses and a refined appearance, dressed in a wrinkled shirt and trousers. Despite his disheveled appearance, there was a stubborn light in his eyes.

Chen Ming.

Liu Xinghui's private secretary had been with her for five years and was one of the people she trusted most.

He narrowly escaped the incident at the city lord's mansion last night and hid in the sewers. He had hoped to find an opportunity to contact his former subordinates in the city defense army, but he was unexpectedly spotted by a patrol.

At this moment, he was brought before Gu Yunfei, looking up at the young man with a sinister air about him, his eyes cold.

"Liu Xinghui's secretary?" Gu Yunfei circled him twice with interest, looking him up and down. "He's quite good-looking. It's a pity he's a man."

Chen Ming remained silent.

Gu Yunfei leaned closer to him and lowered his voice: "Tell me, where is Liu Xinghui hiding? Tell me, and I'll spare your life."

Chen Ming stared at him, a mocking smile suddenly appearing on his lips.

"I don't know, and I don't want to say!"

Gu Yunfei's face darkened.

Chen Ming continued, "City Lord Liu has treated me like family. Five years of kindness have made me, Chen Ming, owe her my life. A person like you will never understand what loyalty is."

Gu Yunfei's eyes turned sinister.

"Loyalty?" he sneered. "Fine, then I'll see how long your loyalty lasts."

He waved his hand: "Throw him in."

The soldiers were stunned.

The adjutant's expression changed drastically: "Young Master Gu, he's Liu Xinghui's secretary. We can only get information out of him if he's alive..."

"Shut up." Gu Yunfei glared at him. "Didn't I already ask him? He doesn't want to talk. What's the point of keeping him here? To waste rice?"

He pointed to the iron cage: "Throw him in, let my little darling have some fun with him."

"But Young Master Gu..." the adjutant tried to persuade him further.

"Throw him in there!" Gu Yunfei practically roared.

Inside the cage, the rotting carcass, having just devoured the fifth girl, lay panting in a pool of blood. Its cloudy eyes darted about, fixed on the people outside the cage.

Chen Ming's expression finally changed.

He looked at the iron cage, at the corpses lying haphazardly inside, and at the rotting carcass with its mouth full of blood; his pupils contracted slightly.

But he did not beg for mercy.

There was not even a struggle.

He simply took a deep breath, straightened his wrinkled shirt, and then strode towards the iron cage.

"Don't touch me, I'll go in myself!"

Chen Ming straightened his clothes and walked into the iron cage with his head held high.

Gu Yunfei was stunned.

The surrounding soldiers were also stunned.

They have seen countless ways to die, and countless people break down, beg for mercy, and weep bitterly in the face of death.

But this is the first time I've seen someone so fearless, walking straight into a rotting corpse.

Chen Ming walked to the iron cage, stopped, and glanced back at Gu Yunfei.

There was no fear or anger in those eyes, only an inexplicable contempt.

"Young Master Gu," his voice was calm, "do you know why City Lord Liu was able to hold onto his position in Starshine City for ten years, while your father could only stay in the military region?"

Gu Yunfei's face turned ashen.

Chen Ming laughed.

That smile was quite radiant.

"Because she has people like us."

"People who are willing to die for her."

As soon as he finished speaking, he opened the door and stepped into the iron cage.

The rotting corpses, smelling the scent of living people, roared and pounced!

Chen Ming did not dodge.

He abandoned his usual humble demeanor and instead went to meet it. The moment the corpse bit his shoulder, he grabbed its head tightly with both hands!

"You beast, let's die together!"

He used all his strength to slam the rotting corpse's head against the bars of the iron cage!

"Bang!"

The rotting corpse cried out in pain and struggled, but Chen Ming held it too tightly. Its teeth were deeply embedded in his shoulder, and blood flowed down his shoulder, staining his shirt red, but he just wouldn't let go.

"Bang!"

Another one!

Even a level 2 ordinary corpse couldn't withstand the full force of a grown man's impact; its skull instantly cracked open, and black blood spurted out!

Chen Ming's face was contorted with pain, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"Come on! Didn't you want to eat me? Come on!"

Three times!

Look around!

Fifth!

……

Chen Ming didn't use any fancy attack methods; he only used the simplest and most brutal method: ramming!

Each strike was delivered with all his might, accompanied by the screams of the rotting corpses and Chen Ming's roar!

The soldiers outside the cage were stunned.

Gu Yunfei was also stunned.

The struggles of the rotting corpse grew weaker and weaker, its head was deformed, and black blood flowed all over the ground.

Finally, after more than twenty impacts...

"Snap!"

The skull of the decaying corpse was completely shattered.

Its body twitched twice, then it slid softly to the ground and remained motionless.

At the same time, Chen Ming also collapsed.

His shoulders were bitten to shreds, his body was thoroughly scratched, and a large gash appeared on his abdomen, staining half of his body red with blood. He lay on the ground, looking at the dumbfounded crowd outside the cage, a faint smile still lingering on his lips.

His smile was full of sarcasm.

"Young Master Gu...," his voice trailed off, "your...little darling...is dead..."

"Lord Liu... will avenge us..."

Gu Yunfei's face was completely distorted.

"You bastard!" he roared, grabbing the bars as he rushed to the cage. "Get the fuck up! Get up!"

Chen Ming did not answer.

He lay in a pool of blood, his eyes fixed on the night sky, where a few stars twinkled.

"Lord Liu..." he murmured, "Chen Ming... is no longer able to serve you..."

The sound grew weaker and weaker until it disappeared completely.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Everyone stared at the iron cage, at the man lying in a pool of blood.

For a long time, no one spoke.

Gu Yunfei stood by the cage, his face ashen.

"Young Master Gu..." the adjutant cautiously stepped forward, "This..."

"roll!"

Gu Yunfei kicked him away and strode away.

Behind them, in the iron cage, lay the corpses of five girls and a male secretary, lying silently. Beside them was the rotting corpse with its head shattered.

Moonlight shone through the clouds, illuminating this human tragedy.

……

The rooftop across the street.

Shen Xi put down his binoculars; he had witnessed the entire process.

He had originally planned to scout the area for one night and make his move the next night, but now he has changed his mind.

I glanced at the moon hanging high in the night sky; it was about 1:30.

Shen Xi slowly stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff body. He opened his storage space and checked his equipment one last time.

Corrupted Bone Battle Axe: Durability 62/65.

The Mine Owner's Bone Blade: Durability 58/60.

Stormcloak: Intact.

Ghost Child's Rag Doll: 1 use remaining.

All skills are highlighted.

Supplies are plentiful and the condition is excellent.

He took a deep breath and jumped.

……

Southeast corner of the city lord's mansion.

Shen Xi, like a cat lurking in the night, silently scaled the wall.

He covered the barbed wire with a canvas, so it didn't make a sound when it landed.

He lay in the shadows in the corner, waiting for the patrol to pass by.

A group of soldiers walked by, yawning and looking listless.

Shen Xi waited until they were far away before getting up...

Suddenly, a long-lost mechanical voice echoed in my mind.

[Buzz...!]

The voice was grand and deep, carrying ancient majesty, and resonated directly in the depths of his soul!

Shen Xi froze.

A golden light exploded in my consciousness, and a familiar golden light screen forcibly cut into my field of vision.

[Domination System]

[Host detected entering the core area of an enemy force, triggering revenge mode!]

Shen Xi's pupils contracted slightly.

Domination System.

This system hadn't appeared since he left the Corpse Dormitory. He'd thought it was just a perk for newbies, but now it's back.

Text flowed across the golden screen:

[Host detected as about to launch a preemptive attack against enemy forces...]

[The conditions are met...]

[Revenge quest generating...]

A moment later, lines of golden text appeared on the light screen:

[Revenge quest generating...]

【Mission Name: Crimson Night】

[Mission Objective: Eliminate all hostile units inside the City Lord's Mansion]

Current number of hostile units: 276

[Task Time Limit: 24 hours]

[Quest Rewards: 1 Common Golden Finger Draw Card, 1 Bronze-level Equipment, 1 Agility Enhancement Potion]

[Failure Penalty: None]

[Domination Quest, accept?]

Shen Xi was stunned.

Regular cheat code draw card?

He clearly remembered that the first time he received a super cheat code, he drew the [Heavenly Evolution Burst Rate], an existence that defied the heavens.

And now, another one? Even though it's just an ordinary one.

There are also bronze-level equipment and attribute potions...

Shen Xi stared at the golden light screen, her pupils slightly contracting.

276 people.

The entire City Lord's Mansion, Gu Zhengxiong's direct subordinates, and the core of the Lion Legion are all here.

276 lives lost.

Shen Xi's lips curled into a cold smile.

In his previous life, Gu Zhengxiong relied on this power to advance to the God of War in the third year of the apocalypse, becoming a regional overlord.

In this life...

"We must annihilate this once mighty lion army in its infancy," he murmured.

A thought crossed my mind.

[Task accepted!]

The golden light screen shone brightly:

[Host has been detected to have accepted a task; temporary buff is in effect.]

[All attributes +10%, lasts 24 hours]

[Revenge mission accepted!]

Current progress: 0/276

Countdown: 23:59:59

[Enjoy the slaughter, host!]

There's also a reward: all attributes will increase by 10% within 24 hours.