Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 110

The Star House simulation function has ended. Current star coin balance: 290.
Even though 50 star coins had been deducted, and the function only lasted a year, Yu Xi felt it was the most worthwhile expenditure she had ever made.
She had inquired extensively about the simulation function the day before and discovered that it, along with the one-click environment change, was the biggest surprise of the second Star House upgrade.
The simulation function essentially combined space compression and expansion technology with replication techniques. For instance, the marble bar counter between the kitchen and living room in the Star House looked polished and identical to the one in her actual apartment. However, touching it revealed that it was still made of the original Star House wall material.
Similarly, the wood floors appeared like real natural oak, but to the touch, they retained the texture of the Star House’s original material.
As long as she provided photos or videos for scanning, the Star House could simulate anything she desired—be it a European-style castle, a three-story villa, or a banquet hall.
Of course, the simulation was limited to interior scenes, and the building area had a maximum limit. For example, spaces exceeding 500 square meters would have inaccessible sections, appearing as part of a 3D mural embedded in the walls. These areas would be visible but unusable.
Buildings within 500 square meters were fully replicated in a 1:1 scale. Her current simulation of their apartment was roughly 180 square meters, so every detail had been faithfully recreated, indistinguishable from the real thing.
The stairs, floor-to-ceiling windows, and visibility conditions remained as before. Windows positioned along the outer walls worked normally, while others displayed misty views. The kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms were all functional.
This meant the house had power, the kitchen had gas, and clean water flowed from the taps. Although these utilities required a monthly fee of 1 star coin per resource, just like the water purification system, Yu Xi found the expense entirely worth it.
Whether during peacetime when she worked hard to earn money or now, struggling in apocalyptic worlds to gather star coins, her goal was always the same—to provide her parents with a better living environment.
In peacetime, a house with running water, electricity, and gas might not seem remarkable. But in the apocalypse—especially in a world where the living space was compressed and filled with dangerous creatures—a house immune to external harm, with constant temperature control, oxygen, automatic cleaning, and endless utilities, was nothing short of paradise.
And that wasn’t even mentioning the Star House’s teleportation and location-reset functions.
No wonder the second upgrade cost 400 star coins, equivalent to the price of a werewolf bloodline. It was expensive for a reason.
Afterward, Yu Xi placed various items—shelves, daily necessities, a washing machine, and toiletries—back into their original spots based on the layout of their actual home.
“System, remind me before the simulation expires during my next mission.”
No matter what, she would ensure she had the 50 star coins ready in advance. The biggest issue with the simulation was that once it expired, the space would instantly revert to its original 40-square-meter size. Any furniture or appliances placed inside would be compressed into the smaller space.
If there were too many items, it could potentially crush them all—and the people within.
“Yes, Host. Reminder set. You will be notified before the simulation expires during your next mission.”
Although the system’s reminder was reliable, Yu Xi also set an alert in her phone’s memo app for extra security.
After that, she left the Star House, ready to share the surprise with Yu Feng and Fan Qi.
In the apartment outside the Star House, Fan Qi and Yu Feng were busy working. Although Fan Qi had scolded her daughter a bit earlier, when Yu Xi mentioned wanting crab, she couldn’t resist taking action.
Since the situation outside was unclear and going out wasn’t an option, the two of them stood at the kitchen counter, hard at work. One cleaned and cut the crabs while the other prepared the spring onions, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, and other ingredients.
Fan Qi and Yu Feng were a bit bewildered as Yu Xi pulled them into the Star House. Their daughter had promised a big surprise, but why did it feel like they had just walked back into their apartment upon entering?
Aside from the absence of furniture, appliances, and movable decorations, the house before them was identical to their own.
“Mom, we’re inside the Star House. This is the reward I got for completing my mission this time,” Yu Xi explained, gesturing for them to turn around and look outside.
When Fan Qi turned, she saw that the outside was indeed their real apartment, complete with furniture. The interior, as her daughter said, was the Star House’s simulated replica of their home.
Yu Feng couldn’t help himself and leaned toward Fan Qi, whispering, “Are you sure our daughter hasn’t turned into some sort of immortal?”
Yu Xi: …
Because of that comment, Yu Feng spent the entire morning handling and cleaning a mountain of crabs alone.
Meanwhile, Fan Qi had no intention of staying in the kitchen. For many women, apart from shopping, one of the greatest joys is decorating and organizing a new home.
Though the new house was identical to their original apartment, Fan Qi’s enthusiasm and energy far exceeded what she’d had when they first set up their apartment.
She instructed Yu Feng to focus on the kitchen while she and Yu Xi began moving furniture, appliances, and decorations into the Star House replica.
The furniture and appliances, mostly less than a year old, had been carefully chosen and purchased at considerable expense. Previously, for safety reasons, they had been forced to abandon everything and sleep in a cramped tent inside the Star House. Now that the Star House had simulated their apartment, every piece had to be brought in without exception.
All morning, Yu Feng watched helplessly as one by one, the furniture, appliances, and decorations disappeared before his eyes. By the end, even the refrigerator, pots, pans, and kitchen utensils started vanishing.
Yu Feng: …
Am I still supposed to cook or not?
Inside the Star House, as the furniture and decorations were arranged back into their original positions, the simulated apartment gradually began to feel more like home.
The tent had long been packed away. Fan Qi laid fresh sheets on the beds in both her own and Yu Xi’s rooms, thrilled at the thought of sleeping in a proper bed again that night.
Her bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling windows were southeast-facing. Due to the Star House’s positioning, the southern glass provided a normal view of the outside, while the eastern glass showed a misty, obscured scene.
Fan Qi recalled her daughter explaining the window visibility conditions, understanding that the southern-facing simulation was actually aligned with the real apartment’s eastern-facing orientation.
But being able to live in her own room again, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, made such small positional discrepancies negligible.
Outside the windows, S City no longer displayed its former bustling streets. Instead, dense, towering greenery filled every corner, obscuring the ground and buildings below three stories.
Some of the trees were vaguely recognizable, while others were entirely unfamiliar, resembling only images from long-ago biology lessons.
Occasionally, enormous insects and birds could be seen flitting among the foliage, each one imposing enough to elicit a shiver.
The sky, however, was stunning. White clouds dotted the vivid blue expanse, resembling a painting.
Fan Qi felt a mix of awe and relief, her heart swelling with gratitude. Whoever had placed the Star House in the stairwell of her daughter’s apartment, she had to admit—it had saved their family. Without the Star House, the three of them would likely be like the others hiding in ruins: fearful, anxious, and living in endless despair.
This change in mindset made Fan Qi less resistant when she stepped out of her room and saw the black door on the back wall of her daughter’s room. She glanced at the curtain she had originally planned to use to cover the door but decided against it.
At lunchtime, Yu Xi enjoyed a delicious and spicy stir-fried crab. Naturally, the person who ended up cooking was Fan Qi. The apartment still had running water, electricity, and gas, though no one knew how long it would last.
With the apartment now nearly empty—most furniture already moved into the Star House—the family had their lunch at the marble bar counter. They planned to clean the kitchen after the meal and move the remaining items into the Star House. From then on, they could live entirely within its safety and comfort.
Though Yu Xi’s world had also turned into an apocalyptic scenario, it was fundamentally different from the mission worlds. Here, she didn’t need to complete tasks, and with the Star House’s protection, she had nothing to worry about.
It felt almost like a vacation.
Knowing she had a month to relax, Yu Xi’s tension, tightly wound since her return, finally began to ease. She decided to take the day off—no thinking, no planning. Tomorrow, she’d decide how to allocate her remaining 290 star coins.
In the afternoon, the three of them spent two hours continuing to tidy up, moving things piece by piece. They even took down the apartment’s curtains and installed them in the Star House.
Yu Xi rummaged through the Star House warehouse, selecting and placing everyday items, food, beverages, and snacks into the simulated apartment’s pantry, freezer, cabinets, drawers, coffee table, and food storage areas.
After finishing their chores, the three of them each took a bath. Fan Qi started a load of laundry in the washing machine, while Yu Xi and Yu Feng sat on the floor near the floor-to-ceiling windows playing a game of aeroplane chess. Yu Feng brewed some Pu’er tea, and Yu Xi brought over two cups of brown sugar boba milk tea for herself and Fan Qi. When Fan Qi joined them, she also participated in the game.
Dinner was a collaborative effort by the whole family, as Fan Qi wanted to test whether the simulated gas stove and sink in the Star House were fully functional. As expected, they worked perfectly.
After dinner, Yu Xi sliced half a watermelon, grabbed some yogurt and nuts, and placed them on the coffee table. They sat on the sofa together and turned on the TV.
Since the previous day, the TV news channel had been playing only pre-recorded content. Today, it switched to a unified official announcement in text format, advising citizens to remain indoors and avoid going outside.
The announcement also stated that rescue efforts were being planned and urged everyone to remain hopeful and patient. The emergency hotline was still operational, though external factors currently made it difficult to dispatch rescue teams immediately. Citizens in urgent need of assistance were encouraged to leave a message, and the authorities would do their best to respond.
The residents of S City were not new to being trapped indoors, nor to dealing with oversized insects and unnervingly dense vegetation. Most households had some ability to adapt, with enough food stored to last for a while.
Currently, the roads in S City were entirely broken apart by invasive plants, their surfaces cracked and unusable. Vehicles were no longer operable, and until official orders were issued, no one dared to take action against the plants. The only functioning mode of transport now was helicopters.
For emergencies like childbirth, sudden illness, or homes invaded by toxic plants or insects, helicopters were used for rescue missions. Alternatively, rescue teams traveled on foot.
However, venturing into the dense vegetation was highly dangerous, which is why the authorities urged citizens to stay indoors, secure doors and windows, and await further instructions.
The next morning, Yu Xi’s one-day break was about to end. Xu Yan posted a message in the apartment building’s group chat, requesting a representative from each household to gather on the tenth floor for a meeting.
Author’s Note:
The apocalyptic situation in the real world will gradually stabilize. For a detailed description of the apartment’s structure and appearance, refer to chapter 18, where this detail was foreshadowed.