Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies Chapter 1562: Gao Tianwu's Trial

Qinling Mountains, Wuyou Valley.

After the last great battle to wipe out the Ground Centipedes, the Tianyuan pit in Wuyou Valley was quickly dug open once again.

And the Ground Centipede clan was completely destroyed after that battle. Even though a small remnant still lurked underground, they posed no major threat to the humans above.

However, incidents of miners being devoured by Ground Centipedes while digging deep underground still occurred from time to time.

Near the mine pit stood a small, standalone house.

Gao Tianwu and his brothers, dispatched by Zhang Yi to oversee operations here, lived in this place.

They had been in Wuyou Valley for over half a year now.

Without a doubt, this was an incredibly cushy assignment.

Zhang Yi had indicated to them that they could take a portion of the Elemental Ore Veins to enhance their strength and improve their living conditions.

They knew that if they indulged in pleasure and immersed themselves in the happiness of the moment, they would eventually drift further and further away from Tianshui City.

Those lacking strength would never be given important responsibilities by Zhang Yi.

So even though the mountain was high and the emperor was far away, with Zhang Yi never once checking on their work, they never slacked off.

Aside from diligently monitoring the mining data and sending regular reports back to the shelter, they were also wholeheartedly focused on improving their strength.

There was no shortage of powerful Transcendents around Wuyou Valley.

Any single member of the Dragon's Roar Guard was likely stronger than the leaders of the three major bases!

Thanks to their status as supervisors appointed by Zhang Yi, everyone near the mine treated them with great respect.

Gao Tianwu was also skilled at handling people and affairs, quickly getting along with everyone there. Under the guidance of the Dragon's Roar Guard, the combat prowess of their group improved by leaps and bounds.

And they did not disappoint Zhang Yi's expectations.

In order to fully understand the conditions inside the mine, they voluntarily requested to descend into the pits and work alongside the miners.

Initially, the Shengjing management strongly opposed this.

After all, if anything happened to these people, it would be hard to explain to Zhang Yi.

But after Gao Tianwu's repeated insistence, along with his declaration that he would file a report to Zhang Yi absolving them of responsibility, the Shengjing management finally agreed to let them go down.

This time, they had ventured several thousand meters underground.

And it was there that Gao Tianwu and his brothers experienced that kind of desperate isolation!

In the pitch-black depths, oxygen was thin, and the faint light from their mining lamps shining into the dark shaft was so weak it was almost negligible.

On top of that, giant Ground Centipedes would occasionally crawl out from the rock walls, randomly picking a few unfortunate souls to devour.

Their first descent into the mine left them trembling with terror, their breathing becoming difficult. In the end, they had to sound the alarm and were quickly hauled back up by the people above.

But later on, Gao Tianwu gradually realized that this place was actually an excellent training ground for himself.

Whether it was tempering his mental fortitude and willpower, or improving his strength through battles with the Ground Centipedes.

This place was the perfect proving ground! It was a real battlefield!

After nearly a year, Gao Tianwu and his brothers had grown rapidly.

Especially Gao Tianwu himself, who had grown into a Transcendent with an ability index of 6000 points. By strength standards, he was now barely qualified to be an ordinary member of the survey team.

Gao Tianwu did not feel satisfied.

The stronger he became, the more he realized just how terrifying Zhang Yi was.

He wanted to become even stronger, so that when the day came for him to return to Tianshui City, he could rely on his own strength to carve out a place for himself!

On this day, Gao Tianwu had just climbed out of the mine with a few of his brothers.

He had a bloody Ground Centipede head slung across his back, and his combat suit was completely soaked through with blood.

A few miners followed beside him, uttering flattering words.

"Little Wu, we really have you to thank this time! Without you, there's no way we could have dealt with a monster like that!"

"That's right! Ever since you came, we've lost a lot fewer people!"

They showered Gao Tianwu with praise, their expressions utterly sincere.

In the past, descending into the mines was the work of ordinary people like them.

And when danger arose, all they could do was wait for death.

The Dragon's Roar Guard above would never come down to help them deal with the Ground Centipede problem.

After all, that creature reproduced far too quickly. Even when the top Transcendents from all the major districts had joined forces last time, they still hadn't managed to wipe them out completely.

As for the low-level Ground Centipedes that remained, the Dragon's Roar Guard couldn't be bothered. As long as they didn't cause too much trouble, losing a few miners was hardly a big deal.

Gao Tianwu smiled warmly at everyone around him, showing absolutely no airs.

"Easy now, easy. I only did what I could!"

Among the crowd was a young man with messy hair named Tian Cheng.

He pressed in closest, his face full of admiration as he looked at Gao Tianwu.

"Brother Wu, you're so amazing! When are you going to teach us a few moves too!"

Gao Tianwu laughed. "That's not something I can teach. It takes a bit of talent."

Tian Cheng glanced around, then mysteriously pulled a cigarette from his person and pressed it into Gao Tianwu's hand.

"Then tell us more of your stories! Especially about that [Chaos]! That one's good. I love hearing it."

Gao Tianwu looked at the cigarette and couldn't help but remark, "Oh ho, even a Tianye! Where did you get such a fine cigarette, kid?"

Tian Cheng let out a "heh heh" laugh, a hint of nostalgia flickering in his eyes. "Before the apocalypse, my family had money too."

Gao Tianwu pulled out a lighter and lit the cigarette. Having just returned from a great victory, he was in high spirits.

"When it comes to talking about the king of our Tianshui City, my big brother Chaos, that's a story that couldn't be finished in three days and three nights!"

Whenever Zhang Yi's deeds came up, Tian Cheng listened with rapt attention, a faint, meaningful smile playing on his face.

But this time, before Gao Tianwu could say much, a familiar voice sounded in his ear.

"Little Wu, long time no see."

Hearing the voice, Gao Tianwu immediately turned his head. After recognizing who it was, he exclaimed with pure delight, "Mr. Zhang!"

No one could have predicted Zhang Yi's arrival.

And the miners nearby, who had heard Zhang Yi's name from Gao Tianwu's lips many times over, now looked at the man himself with the kind of reverence one would reserve for a deity.

Some of them were eager to seize the opportunity. They knew that Gao Tianwu had once been nothing more than a villager from a small hamlet, and it was only after meeting Zhang Yi that he had risen to prominence.

If they could latch onto such a powerful connection as well, then even if they never achieved meteoric success, they could at least escape this godforsaken place for sure.

One word from Zhang Yi could change their lives forever.

Tian Cheng stared hard at Zhang Yi, a strange light flickering in his eyes. But quickly, he lowered his head, concealing it all.