With a thought, Yu Xi shifted all the supplies stacked in the Star House into its warehouse, leaving only the tent her parents slept in and two storage racks against the wall. The now-empty space looked a bit comical.
She quickly noticed that after the second upgrade, the Star House’s internal size hadn’t changed. During the first upgrade, it had doubled from 20 square meters to 40, so she’d assumed it would double again. Yet now, it remained at 40 square meters, with only the black door, the entrance, and a single door leading to the bathroom.
Fan Qi’s gaze had shifted away from her. She seemed lost in thought, as if considering something important.
Yu Xi gently tugged on her mother’s hand and softened her voice. “Mom, I’m back.”
Fan Qi snapped her head up, startled. “Back? Already? You were just about to leave!” She had been debating what advice to give her daughter to keep her safe without putting too much pressure on her, but now Yu Xi was already back.
“Yes, I’ve been and returned. I was there for three months, and I even brought back a ton of stuff for you!”
Fan Qi: …
Yu Feng: …
An hour later, freshly showered and changed, Yu Xi was firmly instructed by Fan Qi to get some rest. “We’ll talk after you’ve had a good sleep,” her mother insisted.
The early stages of the mission had indeed been relatively easy. The world’s characters had money, and in a world like that, money was practically a superpower. Unfortunately, the difficulty spiked when the world fragments invaded.
She thought she’d be exhausted enough to fall asleep instantly, but now that she was relaxed and alone in her room, she found herself wide awake.
…
Yu Xi: I remember during the beginner world, the apocalyptic scenario also had fragments from other worlds. That time, the apocalypse type was a tsunami combined with freezing temperatures. So generally speaking, the fragments that invade are of a different type from the original world, right?
System: Correct, Host.
Yu Xi was surprised. She hadn’t expected the system to respond, and though its tone remained cold and mechanical, an answer was better than none.
Yu Xi: So, what type of apocalypse fragment invaded the acid rain world this time?
System: Alien invasion. The original alien world was a high-tier mission world, but it was later destroyed and fragmented. The fragment fused with the acid rain world, upgrading its difficulty from mid-tier to mid-high-tier.
Yu Xi silently exclaimed in her mind, Wow. “You’re suddenly so detailed and methodical—it’s throwing me off.”
The system did not reply.
Yu Xi: Before, when I asked you about world fragments, you either gave very vague answers or didn’t answer at all. Why are you explaining so much now?
System:
The Host has already encountered fragments from high-tier mission worlds.
The Host is currently in her original world.
Yu Xi felt the system’s tone was different somehow, but she decided to take advantage of the opportunity. She had more questions.
Yu Xi: What’s hidden beneath the cylindrical metal staircase in the fourth underground level? What happened to that world after I left?
System:
The fourth underground level was originally a standard core laboratory. However, after fusing with the “alien invasion” fragment, the core lab was replaced by an alien reconnaissance spacecraft. History was rewritten, and the drug research lab became a research lab for alien civilizations. The blue-lit vacuum corridor you entered was already part of the spacecraft. The metal staircase led to the ship’s interior, where captured and studied alien creatures were housed. The vacuum technology and metal doors blocking you were alien technologies repurposed by researchers as the final security measure to prevent the aliens’ escape.
The shelter’s team accidentally released “Specimen No. 1,” an alien creature that contacted its mothership and transmitted the coordinates. The mothership then arrived on the planet. While you were unconscious and near death, the alien ship began attacking the entire planet. However, since you were trapped inside a similar alien spacecraft, you were shielded from the bombardment and survived until the mission ended.
Yu Xi froze for a moment. So, while I exited that world, the outside was being attacked by alien ships?
System: Correct.
Yu Xi: And after I left?
System: The mid-tier world could not withstand the high-tier mission world’s energy, even from a fragment. The imbalance caused the acid rain world to collapse and fragment further.
Yu Xi understood now. No wonder the system had said during her beginner mission that the difficulty remained manageable despite the fragment fusion. One reason was that the fusion had occurred before she entered, and the other was that both worlds were likely low-tier mission worlds.
Looking back on this mission, she realized that all the chaos began after the difficulty increase.
Yu Xi: Was this high-tier world fragment fusion an accident?
System: No.
Yu Xi:
Is someone controlling this?
System: The question exceeds the scope of allowable answers.
Yu Xi: …
So close.
She had been so close to uncovering some truth about the system and the missions behind it.
Yu Xi thought for a moment and decided to ask another question that had been on her mind: Was Lin Wu’s appearance in the acid rain world part of your plan, or was it unplanned?
System: Host, Lin Wu’s appearance was unplanned. The originally designated person was Leng Mian.
Leng Mian?
Yu Xi shot upright. Although a long time had passed, she had only traversed five worlds so far, and she remembered every person she encountered in vivid detail. Leng Mian was her teammate from the zombie world.
Yu Xi: But Leng Mian is a woman, isn’t Feng Xu a man?
System: Host, missioners from the System Tower traverse worlds in various ways. They can enter directly or assume pre-assigned identities, regardless of gender. Only after entering the Inner Tower and regaining a body can they choose how to enter missions.
She lay back down, staring at the top of the tent, mentally sorting through everything she had learned today. It was the most information she’d ever gathered in a single instance, and yet it left her feeling more confused.
The relationship between the Star House system and the System Tower was far more intricate than she’d imagined.
But with her current abilities, she could just manage mid-tier apocalyptic worlds. Anything more challenging seemed beyond her grasp. It all boiled down to the same conclusion—she wasn’t strong enough. Relying solely on her star tools wouldn’t suffice; she needed to become stronger herself.
With that thought, Yu Xi closed her eyes, “System, before I sleep, explain the two new functions unlocked with this Star House upgrade.”
System:
Yes, Host.
…
The next morning, Yu Xi was the first to wake up, as usual. Stepping out of the Star House into the apartment’s living room, she looked at the strange yet familiar green cityscape outside and let out a long sigh.
Though she had returned, it still felt like she was crossing between apocalyptic worlds.
Not feeling like cooking breakfast, she retrieved pre-prepared food from her space: coffee, chicken cutlet sandwiches, sausage croissants, century egg and lean pork congee, savory shrimp and tofu pudding, bone broth wontons, and fried dough sticks. A mix of Western and Chinese options—her parents could eat whatever they liked.
She also brought out two boxes of blueberries, the jumbo-size variety, sweet and satisfying to eat.
As she organized her supplies, her gaze lingered on the now-expanded 512 cubic meters of storage. Even with the substantial stash of materials, more than half the space was still empty. A strange sense of happiness filled her, mixed with an inexplicable dissatisfaction. She felt an urge to stockpile more, to fill the entire space to capacity.
Shaking her head, Yu Xi realized she might have become slightly obsessed with hoarding supplies.
Her parents, Yu Feng and Fan Qi, were up shortly after. Today, they seemed unusually focused on her, checking on her mood and physical state.
To them, Yu Xi had mentioned spending three months in a mission world, but from their perspective, only a few seconds had passed. They felt no emotional ripples from the separation—she was back safe and sound, with no injuries.
Still, they understood that those three months must have been tough for her and didn’t want her to feel ignored. Their extra care and attention were evident.
Yu Xi noticed that wherever she went, her parents followed. Initially, she had wanted to surprise them, but with them shadowing her constantly, she couldn’t make any plans. In the end, she decided to give them something to do.
She pulled out a foam box each of blue crabs and bread crabs that she had stockpiled in the acid rain world. Telling them she was craving
spring onion stir-fried crab
and
spicy stir-fried crab
, she asked them to clean and cook all the crabs. Once the lunch portion was set aside, the rest would be divided into meal prep boxes for later.
Fan Qi immediately dropped her affectionate gaze, gave Yu Xi a firm pat on the back, and said, “This girl! Trying to work your mother to death? If you didn’t want us following you, you could have just said so. Instead, you give me all this to do!”
Yu Xi: … *How could I forget? This is my *actual* mom… my
real
mom.*
Finally, Yu Xi managed to get some time alone and entered the Star House. She cleared out everything inside, including the supply boxes in the bathroom and other items already placed in the space, then spoke:
“System, activate the Star House simulation function.”
System: Yes, Host. The Star House simulation function costs 50 star coins per use, with a duration of one year in the original world’s time.
“Please provide any photo or video for the Star House to simulate.”
Yu Xi took out a stack of photos she had prepared earlier. They were Polaroid pictures she had meticulously taken that morning, ensuring every detail of the space was captured.
“Photos scanned. 3D model confirmed. Beginning simulation.”
Once again, her vision was filled with dazzling light. Instinctively, she closed her eyes. After about ten seconds, she opened them to find the Star House transformed into a tall, spacious, two-level interior.
The space was devoid of furniture or appliances, but the structure, fixtures, and color scheme were uncannily familiar.
It was their home. The exact replica of the two-story apartment her family lived in. The Star House had perfectly simulated it.
From now on, the Star House, which had once been a cramped shelter where they had to sleep in tents, was now a bright, cozy, and spacious apartment.
Even if the real apartment outside were to be destroyed along with the rest of the building, she would always have a place to preserve their home.
Author’s Note:
The foreshadowing from the previous chapter won’t all be explained immediately—it will unfold gradually as the main storyline progresses.
For now, the story focuses on the protagonist navigating apocalyptic worlds, stockpiling supplies, and completing missions.
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