Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 139

Yu Xi didn’t answer whether she would leave. Instead, she asked, “What will happen to this fragment world in the future?”
[If it were a complete world, rain wouldn’t cause a rapid rise in water levels. However, floods would still spread across every city. The combination of tsunamis and low-level flooding would mix construction debris with corpses, leading to plagues. But since land still exists, conditions would eventually improve. Humans would gradually adapt to the hurricanes, heavy rain, thunderstorms, and tsunamis. Initially, they would evacuate to high-altitude areas and eventually construct sturdier, more waterproof buildings.]
Yu Xi was puzzled. “I asked about the fragment world.”
[No.]
“What?”
[Fragment worlds have no future. The very existence of a fragment world is a bug. The rain will continue to fall, and one day, all the land will disappear. All resources humans need will be buried beneath the deep sea, and civilization will collapse. When the fragment world no longer holds any resources, humanity will slowly perish. The world’s energy will be depleted, and the entire fragment world will shatter into dust and vanish into the universe.]
Yu Xi stood frozen, unable to process what she had just heard.
“…So, if a fragment world is destined to disappear, what’s the point of me and Ya Tong coming here to complete this mission?”
This time, the Star House system fell silent for a long while before speaking again. The silence seemed to imply it was deciding whether to tell her the truth.
[Do you remember the last post-apocalyptic world? That world was supposed to be a regular acid rain apocalypse. However, fragments of other high-difficulty worlds suddenly appeared and merged with the acid rain world, forcibly increasing the difficulty. In the end… you nearly died.]
“Yes, but luckily Lin Wu was there—though it was unplanned. He saved me in the end.”
[…]
“So what you’re saying is that the fragment fusion, which increased the world’s difficulty, wasn’t a coincidence?” She recalled asking the Star House system after returning from the acid rain world if something was orchestrating events behind the scenes. At that time, the system had replied that it was beyond the scope of the question and gave no answer. “Are you willing to tell me the reason now?”
[I don’t know the exact reason, but it seems you’ve been targeted by the System Tower
.]
The answer sent a chill down Yu Xi’s spine.
She… had been targeted by some vast and unknown system?
[Fragment worlds are bugs and are difficult to monitor. While you are in a fragment world, the System Tower cannot find you.]
“So you’re saying that this time, I came to a fragment world to hide?”
[Yes. If you appeared in a normal mission world, you would be found again.]
“And if they find me?”
[You will be erased.]
Yu Xi didn’t sleep all night. She kept replaying her conversation with the Star House system.
What she thought about the most were those final words.
“But aren’t you my system? You’re different from the System Tower. Why can the System Tower still find me and erase me when you exist?”
[Because all mission worlds belong to the System Tower’s domain. In those worlds, I am limited. Therefore, you cannot travel into someone else’s body or enter a world with your original body; you would immediately be treated as a bug and removed.]
[You can only inhabit the version of “yourself” that exists in the post-apocalyptic worlds.]
[Only the “you” who exists as a pre-programmed mechanical consciousness can avoid detection.]
…
Only now did Yu Xi finally understand why the Star House system had once said that only the version of “Yu Xi” in the post-apocalyptic world surviving would allow her to return to that world.
Because, unlike the System Tower’s task executors, if the post-apocalyptic world was like a game, she had only one fixed “account” she could log into.
This “account” was pre-arranged by the Star House system, ensuring she wouldn’t be detected by the System Tower. Any other “account” (i.e., native inhabitants of the world) she tried to log into would immediately be discovered.
Thus, she could now be absolutely certain: the Star House system and the System Tower were two completely opposing entities.
In post-apocalyptic worlds, the Star House system was restricted. That’s why, even when Yu Xi asked questions, the system often wouldn’t answer—because there were many things it simply couldn’t help her with.
She had to rely on herself.
Before getting out of bed, Yu Xi asked, “After leaving this fragment world, will my next apocalypse mission be in a complete world or another fragment world?”
[I will do my best to connect you to fragment worlds. Please continue to improve yourself.]
“Got it. When I return this time, I’ll prioritize buying abilities.”
[Would you like to exit the current post-apocalyptic world?]
“No.”
[World Task refreshed!]
[World Task: 1. Rescue 0/10 humans in the mission world (completion rewards 100 star coins). 2. Assist in establishing a research institute to develop new hurricane-resistant and waterproof materials for construction (completion rewards 200 star coins). Task failure will not result in death, and you can exit this post-apocalyptic world at any time while not in combat.]
Since the first task overlapped with the shelter-building mission, the upper limit this time was ten people, with 10 star coins per saved individual.
Having decided to stay, Yu Xi felt a little more at ease. She quickly dressed in sportswear, washed up, and laid out breakfast on the suite’s dining table. Ya Tong, Yu Zhenzhen, and Chen Lei, along with his son, also got up around the same time to eat and prepare for the day’s work.
After six months of consecutive disasters, they had managed to identify certain patterns:
Winter storm season was ongoing, with hurricanes primarily coming from the northwest of the peninsula.
The cruise ship was now anchored on the southeastern, leeward side of the highlands, near a steep cliff face that blocked most hurricane winds.
The ship’s reinforced hull could withstand torrential rains and thunderstorms.
Waterspouts were rare, but if one occurred nearby, the refugees would be evacuated in batches:
Some would escape to the raft flotilla.
Others would climb the soft ladders suspended from the cliff and shelter inside a cave carved horizontally into the rock about 20 meters above the cruise ship.
In such cases, Yu Xi could still retract the cruise ship into her warehouse.
Both Yu Xi and Ya Tong understood that the refugees’ safety depended entirely on them, so neither could afford to leave for now. Ya Tong originally planned to scout for a suitable land location to establish a secondary shelter to ease the cruise ship’s burden.
However, Yu Xi now knew that the land in this fragment world would eventually disappear. Establishing a research institute was also necessary to prepare for the long term, which required collaborating with the official forces.
The government undoubtedly understood that something was deeply wrong with the world. The increasingly isolated Lushan Peninsula and its shrinking landmass were glaringly obvious signs.
Yu Xi’s plan was to reveal selective information to align their goals and maximize cooperation. After all, over the past few months, the cruise ship shelter had become a sanctuary that many people dreamed of reaching.
However, no matter how good something was, there would always be detractors:
People rejected by the cruise ship spread rumors claiming it was dictatorial and oppressive, that refugees were brainwashed and forced to work without pay, and that the ship’s management exploited them.
While rational individuals dismissed these rumors, there were always a few gullible ones who spread unverified information, further fueling distrust.
This resulted in two main groups:
Refugees who had boarded the cruise ship fully understood the truth and nearly worshipped Yu Xi and Ya Tong.
A portion of highland residents harbored prejudices, preferring to scrape by on the highlands rather than seeking opportunities on the cruise ship.
As for the government, their attitude remained ambiguous.
After breakfast, Yu Xi and Ya Tong discussed the situation privately and decided to take on the role of “diplomats” themselves.
Their plans lacked the necessary research personnel and equipment. While equipment could be retrieved from underwater locations, most prominent researchers were under government protection and busy developing solutions to combat the disasters.
The negotiation process went smoothly overall. The government was also reaching its limits—they knew the Lushan Peninsula was shrinking, piece by piece, and they were aware of the invisible force confining the region.
An alliance was formed. Both sides trusted each other about 60%, but that was enough.
In addition to building a highland shelter and research institute, the two sides began collaborating on shipbuilding.
No one was better suited for this task than Yu Xi. The southern coastal waters contained large, near-completed cargo ships and various mechanical tools submerged underwater. Only Yu Xi’s transportation-space ability could move such massive objects quickly to the highlands.
To increase efficiency, Yu Xi temporarily stored her RV in the cruise ship’s warehouse, freeing up two slots in her transportation space.
She monitored the weather closely, traveling only when there were no hurricanes or storms. With her yacht, she could take a direct route to the southern coast, as the flooded cities allowed her to bypass roads and go straight through the submerged areas.
Sometimes, she brought Ya Tong along to dive into the cities on their way, searching for large materialwarehouses. Other times, they followed secret leads provided by the government to locate hidden resource points inaccessible to ordinary people. depended entirely on them, so neither could afford to leave for now.
The materials obtained were split: the officials took 60%, and the remaining 40% was left for Yu Xi and her team to manage.
Sometimes, Yu Zhenzhen would ask to accompany Yu Xi. She had been learning to cook from “Qu Yichen” and Chen Lei, and even though the trips only lasted about a day, she still prepared every meal for Yu Xi with care.
In her own words: “My mom is saving the world. I’m not capable of big things, so I’ll do the small things well, at least so you don’t have to worry about these trivial matters.”
“Mom protects the world, and I protect my mom.”
Looking at the girl who shared her own features, Yu Xi felt something subtle and warm—different from how she felt toward her parents, siblings, or comrades.
Ultimately, the reason she chose to stay, to work hard to save this fragment world, was because she wanted to protect her.
Yu Xi didn’t want Yu Zhenzhen to live in a world without a future. No matter how small this world was, she hoped Yu Zhenzhen could live in peace and happiness.
At that time, Yu Xi never imagined she would spend a full ten years in this world.
Over those ten years, she completed several world tasks.
By the time the last piece of land in the fragment world disappeared, what was once the highest peak of the peninsula—Luyuan Peak—had become part of an underwater mountain range.
At that point, twenty colossal ships built with hurricane, rainstorm, thunderstorm, and even waterspout-resistant materials had been completed. Each ship could accommodate 100,000 people.
These new ships were effectively floating cities, with fully functioning resource circulation systems: hospitals, police stations, fire departments, prisons, restaurants, agriculture, aquaculture, research facilities, and manufacturing plants.
Human ingenuity is boundless—faced with survival, people can always create miracles.
By then, based on her character’s age in this world, Yu Xi was 47 years old.
Ya Tong had left six years earlier, after the first massive ship successfully launched and withstood the tests of typhoons, rainstorms, and lightning.
Yu Xi was deeply grateful that Ya Tong had stayed four extra years, knowing it was for her.
Before Ya Tong left, Yu Xi revealed the truth about the two systems: she was not from the System Tower’s world; her system was different, seemingly in opposition to the System Tower.
“So, the chances of us meeting again are slim, aren’t they?” After some thought, Ya Tong told Yu Xi that she had three remaining S-level world tasks. If she completed them, she could enter the Inner Tower.
If Yu Xi’s system had a way, she might be able to guide Ya Tong back again someday, and together, they could uncover the truth of the System Tower.
After Ya Tong’s departure, “Qu Yichen’s” body continued to function with mechanical consciousness, but unexpectedly, Qu Yichen’s original consciousness returned six months later, driven by sheer willpower.
To him, the past four years have of memories were hazy, as though viewed through a fog, but he still knew what had happened: his parents’ tragedy, the cruise ship sanctuary “he” built, and how many people it had saved. Most importantly, his feelings for Yu Zhenzhen had never changed.
Unfortunately, Yu Zhenzhen had married Chen Shengxin a year earlier.
Though disappointed, Qu Yichen gave her his blessing and returned to his research work.
After celebrating her 47th birthday with her family, Yu Xi finally left the fragment world. Before departing, she once again warned Yu Zhenzhen and Chen Shengxin to never cross the boundary line.
In recent years, with all the land submerged, the time-loop boundary had shifted from previous transportation hubs to the waters surrounding Lushan Peninsula. Crossing that boundary—whether by person or ship—meant never returning.
Everyone had accepted that the world was isolated and understood the danger of the boundary line. The government had built water lighthouses to mark the border, yet many radicals had attempted to challenge it, and none ever returned.
Yu Xi didn’t know whether Yu Zhenzhen would be content living in this aquatic world for the rest of her life. However, having experienced the time-loop zones, Yu Xi knew what lay beyond.
From her perspective, Yu Zhenzhen was now married and would soon have children—a family of her own. In such circumstances, Yu Xi believed she wouldn’t take unnecessary risks.
At the time, Yu Xi didn’t realize that sometimes, reality unfolds differently from our expectations.
When Yu Xi returned to the real world, it felt like a lifetime had passed.
[The sixth post-apocalyptic world task has been completed. Star Coin balance: 1580.]
[The next task will begin at midnight on the 7th of next month. Please collect the world data by midnight on March 6th.]