85: Chapter 85, Tier 5! The Epic Threshold!

The second floor was the residential area.

At this moment, the projected image suddenly zoomed in.

Before their eyes were two spacious, brightly lit luxury corridors covered in thick wool carpets.

On both sides of the corridors were high-tech alloy electronic doors.

"Beep—"

The simulation pushed open one of the doors.

What greeted them was an independent suite measuring a full sixty square meters!

Cream-colored leather sofas, massive floor-to-ceiling viewing windows, and an independent bathroom with separate dry and wet areas.

There was even a brand-name ultra-soft king-sized bed that, even before the transmigration, would only be found in top-tier hotels.

Most absurdly, a black honeycomb-shaped device was embedded in the wall facing the foot of the bed.

"That is..."

As an internet-addicted young girl, the younger twin sister Lin Weiyu's eyes instantly widened, and she almost pressed herself against the light screen.

"An internal circulation holographic entertainment system?!"

Li Taiping nodded with a smile. "That's right. As long as there's enough energy, you can even experience virtual reality in there."

"Hiss—"

A collective sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed across the deck.

In this post-apocalyptic world where people had to risk their lives just for a sip of clean water, in an era where everyone struggled like rats just to survive, they could actually lie in a holographic suite and play virtual reality?

It was like everyone else was still chewing on tree bark while you were already sitting in a Michelin-starred restaurant complaining that the steak wasn't tender enough.

This extreme sense of contrast made The girls feel like their brains were trembling.

"These conditions..."

Chu Mengyao took a deep breath, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

"Even my family's manor halfway up the mountain is far inferior to this in terms of technology and comfort."

She was a rich young lady born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and her standards were extremely high.

If even she said so, the sheer quality of these living conditions was evident.

"Don't be in such a hurry to marvel; there's still the level above."

Li Taiping's eyes crinkled with a smile as he swiped up again.

The image rose to the third floor.

This was an absolute restricted zone, the heart of the entire "Many Children, Many Blessings", and the absolute domain belonging solely to Captain Li Taiping.

If the second floor was a five-star hotel, then the third floor was a heavenly palace in the clouds.

The space of the entire floor had been opened up into several massive functional areas.

Besides the ultra-luxurious master bedroom—which was so large you could ride a bicycle inside—and the open-air balcony with its own heated pool,

the most eye-catching feature was a massive platform extending from the stern.

That was a helipad.

Though it was empty now, that striking 'H' symbol showcased the future ambition of this ship—air superiority!

Next to the helipad was a sky garden encased in special bulletproof glass.

Exotic flowers and rare plants vied for beauty, and there were even a few mechanical butterflies, generated from who-knows-where, fluttering about.

"Now this is living..."

Su Mei looked at the glass observation deck that offered a 360-degree panoramic view of the entire ocean, her eyes dreamy.

She could almost imagine herself wearing a silk nightgown, holding a glass of red wine, and snuggling in Li Taiping's arms to watch the sunrise.

However, just as all The girls were immersed in this luxury, the image suddenly froze on a room next to the master bedroom.

It was a room... filled with warm, cozy tones.

Pink and blue wallpaper, corners piled with plush toys, and soft anti-fall mats covering the floor.

There were even several high-tech-looking smart cribs with built-in lullaby functions.

The air froze in that instant.

The faces of The girls, who were still somewhat shy, instantly flushed red all the way to their ears.

"T-this is..."

Yun Jinxin stammered, her eyes darting around, not daring to look at Li Taiping at all.

"A nursery."

Li Taiping stood with his hands behind his back, speaking with complete confidence.

He even swept a somewhat scrutinizing gaze over the lower bellies of all The girls present.

"After all, our ship is called 'Many Children, Many Blessings'. This is a core functional area, the room with the highest future utilization rate, bar none."

"Pah! Shameless!"

Xia Zhi turned her head away, but the tips of her ears were tinged with pink, and her fists were tightly clenched.

Su Mei, however, had eyes like silk. She boldly stepped forward and breathed softly:

"This ship's design is truly thoughtful... I just wonder which sister's child will be the first to lie in that first crib?"

As soon as she said this, the originally shy atmosphere instantly became subtle.

Though The girls were embarrassed, a strange light flickered deep within their eyes.

In this apocalypse, being able to bear offspring for this powerful man meant not only a stable status but also... the deepest bond.

Was this just a nursery?

This was clearly a gladiatorial arena for the harem to vie for favor!

Li Taiping felt a secret thrill as he watched their varied and colorful expressions.

Only with competition comes motivation.

"Alright, the tour ends here."

Li Taiping stopped while he was ahead and waved away the light screen, but he didn't immediately close the system panel. Instead, he conveniently clicked on the upgrade preview for the next rank.

The current rank-four Many Children, Many Blessings was already comparable to a Yangtze River-class ultra-large cruise ship.

He was very curious: after rank four, what could this ship evolve into?

[Rank 4 · Many Children, Many Blessings → Rank 5 · Many Children, Many Blessings]

The moment those densely packed promotion requirements popped up, Li Taiping's originally relaxed expression suddenly froze.

His pupils constricted slightly.

Holy cow!

Isn't this jump in difficulty a bit too large?

[Promotion Requirements:]

[1. Captain's Life Level increased to: epic grade (Incomplete)]

The first requirement alone was enough to douse the flames of hope for 99.99...% of Survivor worldwide.

epic grade!

One must know that currently, the vast majority of people were still struggling at normal grade, and good grade was already the top tier.

And epic grade—that was truly standing at the peak of the pyramid, a level higher than Excellent Grade!

Looking further down, the material requirements were enough to make one's scalp tingle.

[Promotion Materials:]

[1. energy stone (Normal) x5000 (5000/5000)]

[2. energy stone (good) x500 (500/500)]

[3. energy stone (Excellent) x50 (4/50)]

[4. Power Engine (Excellent Grade) x5 (2/5)]

[5. Fuel Filter (Excellent Grade) x1 (0/1)]

[6. High-Precision Nautical Compass (Excellent Grade) x1 (0/1)]

[7. Power Core (epic grade) x1 (1/1)]

[Rank 5 Promotion Reward: Randomly rescue four new crew members.]

"Hiss..."

Looking at this long list of astronomical material requirements, Li Taiping's eyelids twitched wildly.

Fifty Excellent Grade energy stones!

Five Excellent Grade Power Engines!

And two Excellent Grade core components he hadn't even heard of!

Most exaggerated of all, it actually required an epic grade Power Core!

"This difficulty... the road ahead is truly long and arduous."

Li Taiping gave a bitter smile.

However, he didn't feel discouraged.

Things that seemed as difficult as reaching the heavens to others were not necessarily out of reach for him.

As for the epic grade level, as long as he had enough time and resources, he would reach it sooner or later.

Excellent Grade energy stones and items, though rare, weren't completely impossible to obtain.

As for that single epic grade Power Core... one just happened to be lying in his backpack!

"It seems the gains from this dungeon are even more critical than I imagined."

He thought to himself, his gaze falling on the promotion reward column.

Rescue four new crew members.

Seeing this, an expectant look involuntarily appeared on his face.

The rank-four reward—rescuing three new crew members—he hadn't even had time to claim yet!

That meant three brand-new beauties!

Not only did it mean he could experience new... pleasures,

but more importantly, it represented three brand-new, unknown, and powerful Talents!

He had already fused who-knows-how-many broken Talents into himself; he was practically a walking bug.

He really didn't know what kind of surprises were waiting for him next.

Even more critically, as long as the number of crew members reached ten, the Talents of all The girls on his ship could collectively advance from good grade to Excellent Grade!

What kind of terrifying, game-breaking buff would that be?

He was already a bit impatient.

"Alright, ladies."

Li Taiping closed the virtual panel and looked at The girls, who had also snapped out of their surprise. He cleared his throat and announced loudly:

"Let's set aside the tour of our new home for a moment. Now, are you ready to welcome our new members?"

"New members?"

The girls' eyes lit up upon hearing this.

Su Mei's eyes curved even more, a playful smile playing on her lips. Her gaze looked as if she was already calculating how to "train" the newly arrived sisters.

Yun Jinxin and the twins were the most active, chattering away about what the new sisters would look like.

Li Taiping stopped keeping them in suspense. He strode to the control console in the center of the deck and heavily pressed down on the three "Rescue" buttons that were flashing with golden light!

"Hum—!"

Three brilliant pillars of golden light descended from the sky, landing precisely in the center of the deck.

Within the light, three graceful silhouettes slowly coalesced into form.

Everyone's gaze was fixed intently on those three clusters of light, filled with curiosity and expectation.

...