84: Gao Laosan's transformation, the mutant of the Great Emperor Moth

Tang Ping's gaze sharpened, filled with bone-chilling coldness.

"Chu Ningxiang, very good."

This name belonged to Zhang Xile's wife.

She was a girl Zhang Xile met in the third year of the apocalypse, possessing an S-rank Talent!

Who would have thought that this person, who had shared Zhang Xile's bed for 46 years through the apocalypse, would betray him?

As for Zhang Xile's son, Zhang Xile only learned at his death that he was not his biological son.

The reason this son could inherit Zhang Xile's Shelter was due to a special extraordinary item, a card named "Magpie's Nest."

This card could steal the most precious item from someone else and make it one's own.

However, it required the user to become the closest person to the target and maintain that role for thirty-six years.

So, Chu Ningxiang pretended to be his wife, but after ten years, Zhang Xile's trust in her never met the requirement.

It was then that Chu Ningxiang gave birth to a child, but the child was not Zhang Xile's; it was hers and her lover's.

Chu Ningxiang's lover was also the second-in-command of the Tanghuang Base and Zhang Xile's sworn brother.

The final outcome was that Zhang Xile truly believed the child was his, and thus, as soon as the child was born, the "Magpie's Nest" trust index instantly maxed out.

Consequently, Chu Ningxiang and her lover jointly bided their time for thirty-six years, then overthrew Zhang Xile's family in one fell swoop, stealing his Shelter.

Relying on this Shelter with its vast cultivated land, Chu Ningxiang's family truly became a powerful force in the apocalypse.

As for Zhang Xile's family, they were exterminated, the first to die tragically being Zhang Xile's grandfather, the Divine Gun King ranked eighteenth on the Heavenly King List.

He died at the full moon banquet of his supposed grandson.

Tang Ping understood these events, and fury surged in his heart.

"Chu Ningxiang? How dare you cuckold my brother and steal my throne? Very good, just wait until I return to the past; I'll make sure you're dead!"

He continued to scroll through the historical records. The Tang Huang Safe Zone, renamed Heavenly Mansion Safe Zone, still existed and held an extraordinary status.

It cooperated with many Safe Zones, and relying on its million acres of fertile land, the Heavenly Mansion Safe Zone had amassed immense wealth, ranking among the top Safe Zones.

Originally, when Zhang Xile officially established the Safe Zone, his Shelter had already reached level 7, with a twenty-four-fold expansion, eventually turning the estate into 2.4 million acres.

This was equivalent to 1600 square kilometers of land.

Coupled with the hundred-thousand-acre estates of other level 7 Shelters, it could be said that the food supply in this area was more abundant than the combined output of the Star Glory, Xinghuo, and Vast Sea Safe Zones!

However, unlike the Star Glory Safe Zone,

Although the Heavenly Mansion Safe Zone produced enormous amounts of food, the grain prices within the Safe Zone were not significantly cheaper than in other Safe Zones.

This was because most of this grain was sold at high prices to other Safe Zones.

It could be said that one Heavenly Mansion Safe Zone fed dozens of large and small Safe Zones, yet it failed to feed its own residents. Many lower-class residents of the Heavenly Mansion Safe Zone still faced food shortages and were constantly at risk of starvation.

As for the grain merchants, they acquired acquired experience stones from secret lands through grain trade with other regions, not only accumulating vast wealth and resources but also possessing unfathomable foundations and strength.

The number of level six extraordinary families alone was twice that of the combined level six families of the Star Glory, Xinghuo, and Vast Sea Safe Zones!

Tang Ping exhaled a turbid breath and closed the post.

With him present, such things would naturally not be allowed to happen again.

As for Chu Ningxiang and her lover, they were from Luan City and would only arrive at Zhang Xile's base three years later.

Although he desperately wanted to kill them, he was beyond their reach for now.

Tang Ping first searched to see if Zhang Xile encountered any troubles in his early days.

He did find something: on the twelfth day of the apocalypse, a Treasure Dungeon appeared near the base. Because Zhang Xile learned about it late, he did not enter.

However, the ten people who entered all gained significant opportunities, and their levels surpassed many other players.

Three of them partnered to establish a base directly on the main road from Luan City to Zhang Xile's location, effectively choking off Zhang Xile's connection to the outside world.

Later, this caused considerable trouble for Zhang Xile, and multiple clashes resulted in heavy losses for him.

It wasn't until two years later, when Zhang Xile's grandfather broke through with his S-rank Soul-Severing Spear, that two of the three were killed and one fled, allowing Zhang Xile to fully enter a stable development phase.

Tang Ping's heart stirred. A Treasure Dungeon!

If he could inform Zhang Xile about this Treasure Dungeon in advance, allowing Zhang Xile's family to go to that location and wait for the Treasure Dungeon to open,

Then, with the opportunities from the Treasure Dungeon, Zhang Xile would certainly develop faster.

It would also prevent those three individuals from establishing their base later.

This would reduce a lot of trouble.

Tang Ping immediately searched for the location of the Treasure Dungeon. It appeared on a bridge outside a town, less than ten kilometers from Zhang Xile's location.

"With this Treasure Dungeon, Zhang Xile's family is at least guaranteed to reach level two, and perhaps with Zhang Xile's grandfather present, his entire family reaching level three would also be no problem!"

Tang Ping was also surprised that Zhang Xile's grandfather could reach such a high level.

After all, the value of being eighteenth on the Heavenly King List was self-evident.

After reviewing Zhang Xile's affairs, Tang Ping went to check the dungeons in Pingcheng City.

While he was recording, he suddenly felt an anomaly within the Shelter!

"What's going on?" Tang Ping immediately used his mental power to check the Shelter. Having just learned about the "Magpie's Nest" item, he was particularly wary of the Shelter, although he didn't believe the Xiao Family would possess such a good item.

"This is... it's Gao the Third!"

"He's about to hatch!"

Tang Ping noticed that the thing he had buried inside the Great Emperor Moth cocoon now showed faint signs of emerging.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the cocoon.

Soon, a piece of the cocoon fell off, revealing a small opening.

Following that, the small opening grew larger and larger.

Finally, a muscular adult man, appearing to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, emerged. He looked at least twenty years younger than before.

His height also exceeded two meters, and strangely, he had two pairs of wings on his back!

The wings were identical to those of the Great Emperor Moth he had seen.

Aside from the wings, Gao the Third's body showed no other bestial features, indicating a very successful mutation!

Moreover, Tang Ping clearly felt that the aura emanating from Gao the Third was not much weaker than that of the Great Emperor Moth, meaning his transformation was very complete.

Seemingly noticing his master's mental probe, Gao the Third clasped his fists: "Master!"