Apocalypse Gachapon

Hoo~

Ye Zhongming awoke from his brief slumber, his previous exhaustion completely gone.

Ever since he saw the glow on Denali’s peak two days ago, the Cloud Peak team had been advancing rapidly. But when they reached the mountain’s base, they found the entire peak enveloped by a mysterious force—no matter what method they tried, they couldn’t enter.

The Cloud Peak team had no choice but to set up camp where they were.

With no way of knowing when this place would open, Ye Zhongming had made some preparations.

The first was crafting equipment using materials gathered along the way, including some obtained from Alamos.

Though he had promised Alamos high-level gear, Ye Zhongming naturally kept a portion of the materials for himself. In this regard, he never hesitated or let morality restrain him.

Being called greedy and unscrupulous was better than being called a fool.

Among these materials were some of the highest-grade—materials from Level 9 lifeforms.

There were materials from the Bear King, the Snow Wolf King, some obtained from Alamos, and others acquired from the Blue Secret Realm.

If time had permitted, Ye Zhongming would have carefully studied the properties of these materials, planned the equipment he wanted to craft, and considered various blueprints and contingency measures in case of mishaps during the forging process.

After all, these materials were extremely rare and precious—once lost, they could never be recovered.

But the current situation made Ye Zhongming feel a sense of urgency.

After Denali’s peak lit up, dozens of factions arrived at the mountain’s base within just a few hours.

Any organization capable of obtaining information about the Mountain Crown Wheel was naturally not weak—even the weakest among them would rank within the top fifty in the national region.

After personally scouting the area, Ye Zhongming even spotted a few teams that demanded his full attention.

Gyanendra, the Motley Crusaders, and the Cannibal Chain were already known to him, but apart from them, he also discovered other factions that warranted caution.

The first was a massive war group that appeared loosely organized, but whose members all seemed exceptionally fierce. What caught Ye Zhongming’s eye was that this group had a cavalry unit numbering over ten thousand, mounted on four-legged creatures with four massive, blade-like horns. Each stood several meters tall, and though their evolutionary levels varied, Ye Zhongming, who commanded his own cavalry, knew just how terrifying a force like this could be once they charged.

If caught in their path, evolved who lost their mobility would be left helpless.

The other evolved in this group were also highly leveled. ᴡ ᴏᴠʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs ᴀʀ ᴘᴜʙʟsʜᴅ ᴏ N0velFire.et

The second faction that drew Ye Zhongming’s attention was an all-female team, much like the Female Guards. Such groups were exceedingly rare in the apocalypse.

Ye Zhongming didn’t know why these women had banded together to form such a team. Still, after observing them for over ten minutes, he noticed that this faction—numbering around four thousand and referred to as the “Women Camp”—didn’t seem opposed to interacting with other groups. Though their numbers weren’t the largest, their camp was the liveliest among all the surrounding factions.

Many people inside were trading and engaging in… activities that Ye Zhongming couldn’t quite comprehend.

This faction left him somewhat puzzled.

The third team also appeared to be a coalition, but this one was eerily silent and gloomy. Whenever their leader—a mountainously obese man—appeared, the entire group would fall into complete silence.

Even from a distance, Ye Zhongming could sense extreme danger emanating from this massive figure.

He was also the only one who reacted to Ye Zhongming’s scouting, though he couldn’t pinpoint his location.

The last faction was one that Ye Zhongming couldn’t even begin to understand—a group composed entirely of metallic lifeforms. He saw no humans among them, yet over ten thousand mechanical beings stood silently at the mountain’s base, most half-buried in snow. This tide of metal would immediately swallow any living creature that ventured too close.

Ye Zhongming spent the longest time observing this group, racking his brain for any information from his past or present life that could explain them, but nothing came to mind.

One thing was certain: these mechanical beings couldn’t have come here on their own. They had to be controlled by an evolved—one who undoubtedly possessed an extremely powerful bloodline or skill in this regard. And that person would inevitably become a formidable opponent in the battle for the Mountain King Wheel.

It was precisely because of these powerful factions that Ye Zhongming chose to craft equipment while waiting for the mountain to open. It was rushed, but he believed the risk was worth it.

Success and failure sometimes went hand in hand—other times, it all came down to luck.

This time, Ye Zhongming’s luck wasn’t exactly good, but it wasn’t bad either.

He used up nearly all of his Level 9 materials to craft three pieces of equipment that would be useful to him.

None of them were large, but Ye Zhongming felt they were worth it.

On the far left was a box of bullets.

There weren’t many—only five. But the colors shimmering on them would send a shiver down the spine of anyone who saw them.

Four gold… and one purple.

These five bullets were called the “Linked-Heart Five Rounds.”

They were based on a bullet blueprint.

Ye Zhongming had never crafted them before because the required materials were too precious and the success rate too low. For something so extravagant—where increasing the success rate meant using even rarer materials—the King of Cloud Peak had always been hesitant.

They were simply too luxurious. Cloud Peak already had micro-engraved bullets, which offered better cost-effectiveness.

But this time, Ye Zhongming had no choice. He crafted these immensely powerful one-time-use rounds, which, when paired with the Harvester Mimic Shooter, would deliver devastating force. Even a Level 9 lifeform would be in mortal danger if struck by the strongest bullet.

In the middle was an accessory of gold grade.

Previously, Ye Zhongming hadn’t used his “Mental Recovery Necklace” much because his mental energy reserves were vast, and the Soul Refining Technique gave him top-tier natural recovery.

But in recent battles against Level 9 lifeforms, he had frequently relied on high-consumption equipment and skills—such as the “Soul Shattering Bone Staff” or “Cloud Slice.” This made him realize just how crucial mental energy was in combat.

With his stock of mental recovery potions running low, this upgraded gold-grade necklace would effectively solve that problem.

On the far right was a small round shield.

In the past, Ye Zhongming would have scoffed at defensive gear. But this time was different. Not only were there unknown dangers waiting for him within the Mountain King Wheel’s mystical space, but the surrounding competitors were also formidable. This arm-mounted shield would grant him greater flexibility and initiative in battle.

And there was one more reason he had full confidence in this shield.

It was purple-grade.