Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 133

Three days later, Eastern Coastal Region.
It had only been about twenty days since the apocalypse began, but the eastern coastline of the peninsula had already become a submerged dead city.
For reasons unknown, after nearly one-third of the buildings in several cities on the eastern coastline were collapsed by the tsunami, the seawater that flooded the cities did not recede. Instead, it continued to rise with the successive days of heavy rainfall.
Now, in several of the lowest-lying cities, the water level had risen to the seventh or eighth floors. In some areas, due to the depressions in the terrain, seawater had backed up and could not drain, causing the water levels to rise even higher.
At this level, apart from a few tall buildings, almost all the structures in the city were completely submerged.
Considering each floor is about 3 meters, the water surface now is approximately 22–24 meters deep from the ground level of the city.
Without any equipment, the average person can dive to a depth of about 10 meters, while a professional diver can reach 15–17 meters. However, with proper training and equipment (including an oxygen tank), a depth of two or three hundred meters is also achievable.
Yu Xi and Ya Tong both knew how to dive. While they weren’t particularly professional and didn’t have all the necessary diving gear, their physical fitness made diving to such depths entirely feasible.
The building they were at was located on the edge of the city, a commercial building with thirteen floors, and the waterline reached the sixth floor.
…
One day ago,
after driving over the hill ahead, the group of five could go no further.
What lay before them was a shimmering water surface, and further on, buildings submerged in water.
The local residents had already evacuated at the onset of the disaster. The rain had been relentless, never ceasing, and the water surface under the overcast sky appeared gray, steadily rising at an imperceptible speed.
Chen Lei and his son had been traveling with “them” for several days and had roughly figured out that “they” were after supplies, but they still didn’t understand why they had chosen to come to the most dangerous eastern coastline.
The area ahead was all water, and the closer they got to the coast, the deeper the water became. There was no way the car could go any further.
Ya Tong found a spot nearby to park the car, put on a raincoat, and got out. She retrieved an electric inflatable dinghy from the car (space) and began inflating it with an electric pump. In just a moment, a dinghy large enough for several people to sit in appeared.
Yu Xi looked at the size of the dinghy, then silently returned to the car and pulled another dinghy from the Star House warehouse, inflating it with the same electric pump.
Chen Lei and his son helped tie the two dinghies together, with the electric one in front and the manual one behind. By using the thrust from the front dinghy, they could move the rear one.
Ya Tong and the others took four or five waterproof-looking bags from the car and tossed them onto the front dinghy. She then signaled to Chen Lei and his son, pointing to the dense high-rise area at the end of their line of sight.
She explained that today’s mission was to reach that area before nightfall because they would stay there for the night.
“We’re not playing around. Somewhere in these waters ahead is a secret seed storage. It’s underwater now, but when it was built, waterproof measures were used. We want to see if we can retrieve those seeds.”
Chen Lei understood the group had their own plans and, upon hearing “seeds,” immediately understood the situation.
With the entire peninsula in such a dire state and no external aid in sight, relying on what they had was a matter of survival. Preparing for the future was important. Some vegetable seeds could be grown indoors, as long as there was suitable soil and light.
Potatoes were rich in carbohydrates and could replace staple grains.
Lettuce had a short growth cycle and could survive in hydroponics.
…
Moreover, seeds were small and easy to carry. Acquiring a large quantity of various seeds would be far more useful than obtaining rice or pasta.
Three days later, five people, dressed in raincoats, boarded the dinghies with their belongings. Ya Tong started the motor, and the first dinghy sliced through the water, towing the second behind as they made their way toward the cluster of high-rise buildings that was their target.
The area had seven or eight high-rises, ranging from nine to over twenty stories. Only two or three stories of the shortest buildings protruded above the waterline, making the scene look precarious.
Ultimately, Yu Xi and Ya Tong chose a thirteen-story building. Its intact glass windows above the waterline suggested that the interior might be in better condition and less damp, making it suitable for temporary shelter.
Most of the local population had evacuated during the initial wave of rescues when relief efforts were still strong. Although they had left in a hurry, most managed to escape with their lives.
As a result, while the water near the building was littered with floating debris, there were no visible corpses. It was possible that bodies had either sunk to the bottom as the water levels rose or drifted further out with the typhoon.
Yu Xi retrieved a glass-breaking tool from her bag and swiftly removed an entire pane of glass. She jumped into the building first and helped the others get inside. They then broke through a larger glass wall, pulling the two dinghies into the building for safety.
Situated on the edge of the city, the commercial building had many unleased office spaces, leaving more than half of the interior vacant. The rented offices showed signs of an abrupt evacuation—tables and chairs overturned in haste.
Since this area had not been hit directly by the initial tsunami and the evacuation was orderly, there were no bodies inside the building. However, most of the structure had been submerged, and the interior carried a pervasive damp smell that wouldn’t dissipate.
Their timing couldn’t have been better. Most people were preoccupied with fleeing to safer locations, and while resources were tight, the scarcity had not yet reached a critical point. Few would risk returning to these cities to scavenge for supplies.
As for capable rescue teams, they were overwhelmed and unlikely to come here. In a month, if conditions on the Lushan Peninsula hadn’t improved, civilians might start forming their own teams to search for supplies.
Yu Xi and Ya Tong located a safe staircase and climbed to the twelfth floor, settling in a room facing east.
The room had once been part of a clubhouse, complete with sofas and a suite for resting. Though dusty, it was far better than the accommodations they had endured along the way.
…
Yu Zhenzhen, who had mild OCD, had been staying in luxury hotels in the highlands since evacuating early with Yu Xi. She was used to being nagged into daily showers by Yu Xi.
The journey from the central region to the east over the past two days had been exhausting for her. There was no chance to bathe, and she had been sleeping in the car when tired, eating sandwiches and burgers when hungry. A rare treat was hiding in the car to eat a bowl of beef noodle soup.
Everywhere was flooded, and their route had been winding and roundabout. With both Ya Tong and Yu Xi eager to reach the eastern coastline quickly, they had been driving almost continuously, resting only four or five hours at night and taking turns finding their way.
What should have been a five- to six-hour journey stretched into two grueling days.
So even though she still couldn’t shower that night and had to sleep in a dark, unfamiliar building, the fact that she could lie on a bed meant that Yu Zhenzhen slept soundly.
Once Yu Zhenzhen was asleep, Yu Xi and Ya Tong grabbed a bag of supplies and went to the next room to talk to Chen Lei and his son.
Over the past two days, the father and son had behaved well. They avoided causing trouble, didn’t give unnecessary suggestions, and hadn’t questioned the group’s decision to come to the eastern coastline.
The supply bag contained 20 bottles of mineral water, military rations, instant rice, self-heating hotpots, canned luncheon meat, and a bag of dehydrated vegetables. Additionally, there were lighters, candles, thermal blankets, multifunctional knives, stun batons, a bottle of 100 water purification tablets, and some basic medications.
“What’s this?” Chen Lei was surprised by the completeness of the supplies and didn’t dare reach for it. “We still have our own supplies. On our way up, I also noticed vending machines in some offices with snacks and drinks. Xin Xin and I were planning to scour the building tomorrow to gather what we can eat and use.”
“These are for backup,” Ya Tong explained. “Tomorrow, we’ll temporarily split up. We’ll leave one dinghy for you. Wait here for two days. If we don’t return by then, head back to the hill and drive to a safer area on the peninsula.”
It wasn’t that Ya Tong didn’t trust them, but they had only been traveling together for a few days. Even if she could explain the source of Yu Xi’s yatch, how would she justify their underwater mission to retrieve supplies?
Leaving Yu Zhenzhen alone on a dinghy with them wasn’t something they could be entirely confident about. It was safer to have them wait in a nearby area while Yu Xi and Ya Tong carried out their plan.
If the worst were to happen and the typhoon returned, they could quickly come back to pick up Chen Lei and his son. If the two were too scared to wait, they could use the inflatable boat to leave the area and drive somewhere safer to take shelter.
Earlier, they had noted a few inns near the hill. Although these had been battered by the wind and rain and were now abandoned, their location made them a reasonable option for temporary shelter from the storm.
Chen Lei had no idea how the three planned to use a dinghy to reach such deep waters, locate the warehouse, and safely retrieve the seeds. Still, he realized it might actually be safer for him and his son to stay put rather than join them.
After all, he had initially prepared himself to volunteer for the dangerous task of diving into the water to help. Without any proper equipment, this would have been incredibly risky. Now that he only had to wait, he felt a sense of relief.
Chen Shengxin, his 21-year-old son, a shy young man, had remained silent while his father spoke to the others. However, upon hearing that they would stay behind to wait, he couldn’t hold back. “What about Zhenzhen? Is she going with you? Wouldn’t it be safer for her to stay behind?”
The implications of his words were far too obvious, and Yu Xi turned her head to give him a long look.
The boy was good-looking—rosy lips, white teeth, and a clean-cut appearance. He had shown bravery back at the hotel, saving people despite facing armed intruders and even getting injured in the process.
But unfortunately, he lacked a bit of common sense.
Chen Lei, somewhat exasperated, patted his son’s back, signaling him to drop the topic. “Of course, she’ll stay with her family. That’s not something you need to worry about.”
Both sides reached an agreement. At Ya Tong’s insistence, they left the supplies with Chen Lei and assured him that they would return in two or three days. No matter how long it took, he promised to wait for their safe return.
…
The dinghy cut through the water as Chen Lei and his son watched them leave.
They took Yu Xi’s manual inflatable boat, leaving the electric one behind for the father and son. After all, as ordinary people, they would need the faster, motorized boat in case of an emergency.
From the building, Yu Zhenzhen could feel the intense gaze following her departure. She turned back twice, each time seeing Chen Shengxin standing at the building’s broken opening, waving at her.
“…” Yu Zhenzhen let out a long sigh.
Ya Tong glanced at her, while Yu Xi reached out to pinch her soft cheek. “What are you sighing for, kid? Don’t worry. Once we get farther away and have some cover, you can board the boat.”
“It’s not that,” Zhenzhen said, holding her cheek, her tone tinged with helplessness but also a touch of confidence. “It’s just… sometimes being too beautiful is a curse. Look at me—I haven’t showered or washed my hair in three days, and I didn’t even wash my face this morning. Yet that guy still looked at me like some lovesick fool…”
Yu Xi: …
Ya Tong: …
With a blank expression, Ya Tong paddled the boat with one hand while reaching for a cigarette with the other. This kid was too much. She needed nicotine to suppress her growing frustration.
…
Twenty minutes later, Yu Xi signaled for Ya Tong to stop paddling. Then, she released her brand-new, unused three-story yacht onto the water before them.
“Holy crap!” Ya Tong, who had been holding an unlit cigarette purely out of habit, stared at the ultra-luxurious white-and-wood yacht. Once again, she was shocked by Yu “Doraemon” Xi. “This is what you call ‘not very big’?”
“Seventy-five feet long, single-operator capable, maximum speed of 20 knots, shallow draft, and fuel-efficient,” Yu Xi said, recounting the specifications as she recalled them. “It has three decks with panoramic windows. The flybridge can be fully enclosed with glass doors for a sealed space.
“The lower deck features two suites with en-suite bathrooms, a regular bedroom, and a large storage room. The main deck includes a lounge with sofas, a fully equipped kitchen, indoor and outdoor dining areas, and another storage area. The top deck has a helm station and additional indoor and outdoor recreational spaces.”
Yu Xi paused to recall the introduction she had seen when the character from the acid rain world purchased the yacht. “Oh, and be careful boarding—it’s stocked with complete maintenance tools and forty to fifty boxes of supplies.”
After finishing, Yu Xi paddled the dinghy around to the back of the yacht and approached the rear deck.
She climbed aboard first, ready to take the dinghy’s rope from Ya Tong, but paused when she saw her “daughter” and Ya Tong sitting in the boat with identical expressions, clapping like seals in amazement.