Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 124

The sun was setting quickly. The radio in the car was on the entire time, and Yu Xi kept switching between several news stations while driving, trying to glean some useful information.
Ominous events aren’t entirely unpredictable—especially natural phenomena. Weather forecasts often contain some hints, however small. In the apocalyptic world, minor natural events tend to escalate several times beyond normal expectations. This amplified portion of the phenomenon often eludes weather predictions, becoming precursors to impending disasters.
People are often unprepared for these disaster warnings, easily falling into their traps if they aren’t careful.
When Yu Xi heard on the news about thunderstorms in certain eastern and southern parts of the peninsula, she immediately began checking the distance to the next rest stop on her GPS.
Whether it was thunderstorms or heavy rain, staying in the car was generally safe. But on a highway, such safety diminished significantly. Heavy rain could impair visibility for drivers, and even if she parked in the emergency lane, it wouldn’t guarantee complete safety—especially if a typhoon were involved.
Yu Xi glanced sideways at Yu Zhenzhen, who was sleeping soundly, leaning against the slightly reclined seat. She had the physique of an ordinary person and had been enduring exhaustion all afternoon since leaving the time-loop zone. Not long after they got onto the highway, she had succumbed to sleep and was now deep in slumber.
Yu Xi didn’t wake her and instead silently accelerated.
A streak of lightning flashed across the distant sky, and in the rearview mirror, Yu Xi caught sight of dark thunderstorm clouds pressing down in the distance. The storm seemed to have already begun, but it was still far from their location.
Nevertheless, Yu Xi didn’t let her guard down. Overtaking cars along the way, she finally reached the exit ramp and pulled into a rest stop fifteen minutes later.
It was just past dinnertime, and the rest stop was still bustling. She drove straight to the fuel station to top off the car’s tank before finding a parking spot far from the station, next to a building. After parking on the open ground outside the building, she rolled up all the windows tightly.
The distance from her car to the building was only a few steps. This precaution was in case the thunderstorm brought strong winds; if conditions worsened, staying indoors would be safer.
She reclined her seat slightly, took out a cup of latte, and sipped it while reviewing all the information related to the Lushan Peninsula.
For some reason—perhaps due to the rules of this fragmented world—none of the people living here seemed to notice the world’s peculiar state. Or perhaps some unknown force was smoothing over these abnormalities.
For instance, Yu Xi could browse information about other regions online and even book hotels via the internet or by phone. But in reality, the hotels on the other end didn’t exist—they were in other fragments of the world, possibly already merged with a complete apocalyptic world.
Residents of the fragmented world couldn’t leave their designated zones, yet airports, train stations, bus terminals, and even seaports saw people leaving daily. Where were they going?
Could those who fell into the time-loop zones ever return? Would the families waiting for them in the fragmented world notice something was amiss when they didn’t come back?
Yu Xi thought of the travelers she had seen arriving at the airport earlier. She had clearly watched them walk out of the terminal.
She posed a question to the system in her mind: “If people from this fragmented world can’t leave, why can outsiders come in?”
“What you saw were travelers moving within the fragmented world itself. Blue City is located in the western part of the Lushan Peninsula, near its edges, but the peninsula also has eastern, southern, northern, and central regions, as well as a surrounding sea.”
Even though the system explained this, Yu Xi still had countless questions in her mind.
“Host, fragmented worlds operate differently from complete worlds. Don’t get too caught up in trying to decipher this world’s mechanisms—many of your questions will have no answers.”
Yu Xi nodded silently. She could understand that; after all, the very existence of a fragmented world was a mystery. A world already destroyed and split apart by the apocalypse—how could it still persist in fragmented form?
If the apocalypse had destroyed the world, why was the time period she arrived in set just before the apocalypse?
So many paradoxes.
The one thing she was certain of was that other time-loop zones existed in this fragmented world. For example, transportation hubs that connected Lushan Peninsula to the outside world—airports, bus stations, train stations—could all potentially become time-loop zones.
It was as if an otherwise intact piece of land was riddled with trap-like holes. On the surface, these traps looked no different from their surroundings, but stepping into some areas was equivalent to falling into a black hole.
In these areas, the rules of time and space are redefined. People become deeply trapped without realizing it, and when the cycles reach a certain extreme, they may die because their bodies can no longer endure it.
Or perhaps, there are outcomes even worse and more unimaginable than death, but she couldn’t speculate on that.
All she could do was mark these black hole zones on the map and avoid falling into them.
A sudden crack of thunder streaked across the nearby sky. The rain came fast and furious, with no transition or warning, pounding on the car roof like a percussion instrument.
Around the rest stop, travelers who had stepped out to refuel, relax, smoke, chat, or shop in the convenience store were caught off guard by the sudden downpour.
Some cursed while scrambling to find shelter, others dashed into the building in a few quick strides, and some instinctively ran back to their cars—only to be completely soaked in just a few steps.
Under a nearby awning, two men and a woman huddled together uncomfortably due to the narrow space.
“This damned weather! My phone clearly said it’d be sunny here.”
“Wow, this rain is something else. Maybe a typhoon’s about to hit. Does that mean we’ll get a few extra days off?”
“Use your brain! This weekend is already part of the national holiday. We’ve been on an extended break anyway.”
“Damn, if only this rain had come a few days earlier.”
“Stop complaining already. Look at everyone else—they’ve gone inside the building or back to their cars. We’re the ones stuck here under this tiny awning. We were just lazy earlier, but now this rain looks like it’ll last for a while. What should we do?”
“What’s the rush? Thunderstorms come and go quickly—ten minutes tops. Unless you want to run back to the car yourself right now.”
The woman naturally didn’t want to run to the car alone. The rain was so heavy, and the car was in the opposite direction. If she ran now, she’d be drenched head to toe.
Figuring that the thunderstorm would pass quickly, she decided to wait under the awning for now.
However, twenty minutes later, the rain hadn’t eased—in fact, it seemed to have intensified.
The downpour was accompanied by rolling thunder, and lightning flashed across the sky, as though slicing it open.
Amidst the commotion, Yu Zhenzhen finally woke up. She stretched her slightly numb limbs in the passenger seat and quickly realized where they were.
The car’s windshield was obscured by the torrent of rain, but Yu Xi hadn’t turned off the car, so the wipers were running, allowing for a faint view of the outside.
They weren’t on the highway anymore, nor had they reached Lushan. It seemed they were in some sort of building complex—likely a rest stop along the highway. Yu Zhenzhen was puzzled. “Why aren’t we moving?”
“The rain’s too heavy; driving wouldn’t be safe.”
The heavy rain didn’t hinder Yu Xi’s visibility. She noticed that since the rain had started, no cars had left the rest stop. Instead, more vehicles had arrived to seek temporary shelter.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Yu Zhenzhen took off her shoes and hugged her knees, shrinking slightly at the sound. She tried her best to endure, not uttering a single cry, as though not wanting to show weakness in front of Yu Xi.
Yu Xi said nothing. She simply turned on the car’s music, letting soothing melodies fill the interior and drown out the roar of the thunder.
Yu Zhenzhen pursed her lips, didn’t speak, and turned her head toward the window.
Just as she turned her face to the car window, a lightning bolt struck nearby with a deafening boom, accompanied by the sound of someone screaming in agony.
“What happened?” The girl’s face turned pale with fear. She had never heard such a wretched cry in real life before. Instinctively, she reached out to unlock the car door.
A slender, lustrous hand swiftly and silently reached out, pressing down on her fingers.
“What’s going on?” Yu Zhenzhen asked, both startled and anxious.
“Danger,” Yu Xi signaled her to look ahead. The windshield was the only place Yu Zhenzhen could see outside. Through the heavy downpour, there were flashes of piercing, slender, and twisted light beams falling intermittently, striking the roof of the rest stop, the trees, and the cars.
It was lightning.
“Wait for the storm to pass.”
Yu Zhenzhen remembered. They were both inside the car. “What should we do?”
“As long as you don’t open the door or the windows, we’re safe.”
The other person nodded belatedly, recalling what she had learned in school. She had been too panicked earlier and had completely forgotten everything.
But it was clear that Yu Zhenzhen was not the only one who had forgotten what she had learned in a critical moment.
After the thunderstorm, the three people who had been sheltering under the sun umbrella roof lay motionless in the rain, one man’s entire arm scorched from the lightning strike.
The other two, slowly waking from their dizziness, screamed in terror when they saw their companion in such a condition.
The two of them, now completely unconcerned with the rain, tried to lift their injured friend and drag him into the building. But the distance was too far, and both were struck by the lightning as well. Their bodies became limp and weak. Even using all their strength, they could only drag him a meter or two.
“How could this happen?” The woman cried in panic. The three of them were good friends. Although they often argued and bickered, they were all good people. Now, their companion was hurt because of the rain earlier, when they protected her by standing in the middle, with the others taking the outside positions.
The other man put down his injured companion and shouted toward the building, hoping someone would come help them. “The lightning’s stopped, the rain’s lighter, please, someone help us!”
But the rain hadn’t completely stopped. The people inside the building had just witnessed the terrifying scene outside, and no one dared to go out.
While the two were in a panic, a car stopped near them. Two people jumped out and quickly helped their unconscious companion, supporting him as they hurried toward the building.
In another car nearby, two people also got out, each helping a man and a woman, quickly following the others toward the building.
Yu Xi simply helped move him into the building and didn’t stay. She wasn’t a doctor, just lending a hand.
“Thank you,” the man and woman who were helped in by the others quickly thanked Yu Xi and the people next to her.
“It’s fine, call an ambulance,” Yu Xi glanced at the two people who had helped, a father and son who, even when the rain started, chose to run back to their car rather than stay under cover. They had a strong sense of safety, and now, after the thunderstorm had passed, they were quick to help others.
Yu Xi gave them a brief look and left in a hurry.
The rain had lightened a lot but hadn’t completely stopped. Many people hesitated, wondering if they should stay a bit longer at the rest stop until the rain stopped entirely before leaving.
Yu Xi returned to the car. Yu Zhenzhen seemed relieved when she saw her safely inside, but when Yu Zhenzhen looked at her again, she lifted her chin, huffed arrogantly, and turned her head away. “Always sticking your nose into other people’s business.”
Yu Xi didn’t say anything. Just as she was about to start the car and leave, the father and son who had helped earlier hurried over.
Yu Xi lowered the window.
“Sorry to bother you. Are you planning to leave now?” They seemed uncertain whether to leave. The rain had indeed lessened, but most of the people in the rest stop appeared to be staying a little longer.
At this moment, when they saw Yu Xi’s car preparing to leave, they thought to ask, “Why not stay a little longer? What if it thunders again?”
“From the looks of it, the thunderstorm should have passed, so we want to leave early. Anyway, the car is safe whether it thunders or not, as long as the rain isn’t too heavy and doesn’t affect visibility,” Yu Xi replied.
This was indeed one reason, but the other reason she wanted to leave immediately was that she knew she couldn’t afford to delay. The closer it got to 10 AM tomorrow, the worse the situation would be. Who knew how long the next downpour would last? If they could leave now, they should. It would be safer to reach a higher altitude sooner.
“That makes sense,” the other person nodded, thinking her reasoning was quite reasonable.
After that, they both politely nodded at each other. Yu Xi raised the window and drove off.
The remainder of the journey went smoothly. Over an hour later, she exited the highway and began driving uphill.
Luyuan Peak was a well-developed tourist area, with a wide, well-maintained road leading up the mountain. The rain had continued, but it had turned into a light drizzle.
The moisture in the air relieved the heaviness, and Yu Xi cracked the window open. The fresh, water-scented air from outside entered, calming her restless mind a little.
Another half hour later, she arrived at her destination, the Luyuan Scenic Resort Area.
This place was located on a plateau halfway up the mountain. Beyond this point, cars couldn’t go any further, and they had to walk. But it was all part of the scenic area, including the highest peak, Luyuan Peak.
The flat plateau at about 1500 meters above sea level was cooler than the lower areas. However, Yu Xi and Yu Zhenzhen were wearing sportswear that Yu Xi had bought in the Acid Rain world, a lightweight three-piece set. It was comfortable and breathable in the heat and warm enough in the cold.
She parked the car in front of the reserved hotel. As soon as she got out, she heard a familiar, joyful voice coming from the side.
“Zhenzhen, how come you’re here? Didn’t you take a temporary leave because of family matters? What a coincidence! We arrived in the evening. Besides me, there are a few classmates from my class here too, and my parents are here as well.”
The other person’s joyful voice abruptly stopped when they saw the person on the other side of the car. “Uh, Yu… Teacher Yu?”
Yu Xi:…