Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 161

Thingyan
: May this new year bring you peace, joy, and the strength to embrace every challenge ahead.
✧˚ ༘⋆2025✧˚ ༘ ⋆
…
For Min Min, this was a nightmare. She never imagined that on the upcoming night of madness and bloodshed, she and her family would be outside with no safe cover.
November had always been her favorite season in Zhoucheng, with warm days and cool nights, filled with the refreshing scent of plants. Back then, she loved to take walks downstairs with her parents and younger brother after dinner. The four of them would talk and laugh, sometimes stopping by the nearby fruit shop to buy their favorite fruits, or heading to the supermarket to grab ice cream and chips, eating them quickly while being scolded by their mother.
But now, they were forced to leave their father behind, abandon their home, and flee the city. Those peaceful and warm times were gone forever, never to return.
Perhaps it was because she had managed to escape death from L City with the help of her classmates, and finally returned safely to Zhoucheng, that Min Min subconsciously began to trust those who were facing the same predicament.
However…
“Min Min, with your brother like this, we really can’t continue taking you with us…”
“Yeah, you’re putting everyone in danger. Hurry up and get him out of here!”
“Who doesn’t have someone infected in their family? It’s not just your family that’s unlucky! We’ve struggled to get this far, why should I risk my life for you!”
“Can you guarantee he’s not infected?! Can you guarantee that?! What can you use to guarantee it!?”
“Don’t beg us, we’re the ones begging you, please, we want to live. The shelter is right around the corner. I don’t want to be turned away because of infection!”
“Stop talking to them, we can’t eat or rest properly with him here. Get him out!”
“Hurry up! Are you planning to get everyone killed?! If you don’t want to throw him out, just leave without him!”
“Get out, just get out—”
“Get out—”
…
Those people were from her neighborhood, some even from the same building. In the past, when they occasionally met, they would smile and exchange greetings.
In the morning, after packing, she started checking the hallway through the peephole. There was a window in the hallway, but near the stairs, it was all in shadow. The elevator was worse—she could see three infected people hiding and resting inside from her current angle.
She felt that with their fighting strength, it would be impossible to reach the first floor safely without waking up the other infected, so escaping through the main entrance was nearly impossible.
Luckily, their apartment was on the third floor. So in the end, she decided to climb out the balcony with her mother and brother and escape through the outside of the building.
As long as they carefully avoided the glass windows of the lower two floors and didn’t get ambushed by hidden blood ghoul, they could safely leave in the sunlight. Her brother was part of the school’s mountaineering team, and she liked rock climbing too. They had professional ropes at home, so as long as they took care of their mother, they could land safely.
In the end, the family of three managed to leave the building safely using this method. During their descent, many people from the same building saw them. Some of the lower-floor residents followed their example, using ropes or tying clothes and bedsheets to create makeshift ropes, and all managed to escape.
Other people in the neighborhood were also packing to go to the shelter. Their neighborhood was located in the northern part of the city center. Whether they went to the eastern suburban shelter or the southwestern shelter in Pian Mountain, the distance was about the same.
The neighborhood and streets in the day seemed safe, as long as they avoided the bloodstains, human body parts, dark corners, and buildings with gaping holes.
They decided to head southwest to Pian Mountain shelter since the road there had fewer tall buildings, meaning fewer dangerous shadows. This suggestion came from Min Min, who had previously planned an escape route for Baicheng when they were in Di country.
Min Min was very clever. She knew that with no adult men in her family, they couldn’t be the main force in the group in terms of physical strength. But her intelligence could make up for the gaps. So during the collective action, she actively contributed ideas and plans.
Most of the residents parked their cars in the underground garage, but no one dared to go down there, as it was a gathering place for the infected. A few cars were parked on the ground level, but they clearly couldn’t fit everyone. Fortunately, someone found a bus on a nearby street that was still operational.
This kind of bus was better than a coach because the large windows let in plenty of light, making it impossible for blood ghouls to hide inside. After clearing the bodies off the bus, they set off. By this point, the temporary group was still harmonious.
But the journey to the suburbs didn’t go as smoothly as expected. Some roads were completely blocked by vehicles and bodies. It was clear that a brawl had broken out there during the night.
There were infected bodies, but even more were wearing combat suits and belonged to rescue workers. Several cars were piled up, with human bodies and severed limbs filling the gaps between the cars. Blood flowed out from the spaces between the cars like a waterfall, and the air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood.
The bus stopped. The group, fearful, watched the scene. They were so terrified that they didn’t notice the abnormalities of the vehicles. They urged the driver to leave the area quickly.
The bus kept taking detours. Originally heading southwest, it slowly turned east, trying to bypass the bloody area. Eventually, someone realized that their current position made the eastern suburban shelter closer.
In the end, the route was changed. The road to the east was somewhat smoother, although some sections were still blocked by cars, they could bypass them with minor detours.
Though no one said anything, Min Min could feel that the others were blaming her because it was her idea to go to the Pian Mountain shelter, which had caused them to waste time. It would have been better to plan to go east from the start.
By 3 or 4 p.m., when they realized they were still inside the city, panic spread among the group.
It was November, and the sun set early, disappearing entirely by 6 PM. If they were still outside by then, blood ghouls would find them in no time.
There was no way they could survive an entire night on the bus; they had to find a sturdy building to take shelter in and resume their journey after sunrise.
Due to the rushed plans and the fact that everyone was just an ordinary person with no apocalyptic survival experience or combat skills, they encountered two groups of blood ghouls lurking in the shadows while searching for shelter. The group fought back clumsily with self-defense weapons and fled in panic.
Min Min’s younger brother, Min Cong, was contaminated by a blood ghoul’s blood during the second encounter. The ghoul had lunged at their mother, and 13-year-old Min Cong, despite his limited strength, swung a baseball bat at it. The ghoul retaliated, gripping his entire face with its hand.
In desperation, Min Min summoned a burst of strength and struck the ghoul’s wrist with a cleaver. The blade got stuck in the bone, failing to sever the wrist, but it distracted the ghoul. Abandoning the cleaver, Min Min shoved a nearby shelf onto the ghoul, pinning it. She seized the moment to escape with her mother and brother.
As they stepped into the sunlight, the ghoul emerged from the shadows, snarling at her but retreating back into the darkness.
Min Min trembled as she shielded her mother and brother, guiding them back to the bus. In the rear seats, she inspected Min Cong’s face.
As expected, despite his mask and raincoat, infected blood had splattered onto his face. Their mother embraced him, crying silently. Min Min quickly replaced his mask, wiped off the blood with disinfectant wipes, and threw the soiled wipes and mask out the window.
She thought no one would notice, but someone had already observed their family’s strange behavior and even recorded her actions on their phone.
Later, their group was expelled from the sturdy shelter they had struggled to secure. Min Min had fought the ghouls at the forefront, while her mother and brother helped move bodies to clear the building. Despite their efforts, the accusation came only after all the work was done.
The accuser was a girl named Xiao Min, a neighbor of Min Min’s. About the same age, Xiao Min had been protected throughout the ordeal, as her parents were uninfected. Xiao Min hadn’t lifted a finger during their journey.
Min Min never liked the comparisons people made between the two of them due to their similar names, often to Xiao Min’s detriment. Despite this, Min Min had never confronted the gossipers out of respect. She knew Xiao Min avoided her and thought little of it—until now.
Min Min couldn’t understand why Xiao Min hadn’t spoken up earlier. Why wait until the shelter was cleared and it was almost sunset to drive them out? As they left with their belongings, Xiao Min followed, looking regretful and scared.
“I didn’t mean it,” Xiao Min said, trying to explain. “I just wanted people to see you’re not perfect, that you also lie and hide things. I didn’t think they’d actually drive you out…”
“Does it matter?” Min Min sneered coldly. “What’s done is done. Don’t expect me to say I don’t blame you. Remember, I’ll never forgive you.”
With that, she turned, supporting her mother and leading her brother away.
With only half an hour until darkness fell, where could they find another secure shelter for the night? There were only three of them now, and earlier, it had taken over twenty people to kill two blood ghouls and clear the building.
Eventually, two streets away, they spotted a barricaded area enclosing a hospital.
Before Yu Xi heard the commotion at the inpatient building’s entrance, she first heard gunfire and crashing sounds from some distance away, outside the hospital’s perimeter wall. She ignored it, as those sounds came from beyond the walls.
The inpatient building had two entrances: a rear door, which was a small, sturdy, single-door design prioritizing safety, and a front entrance featuring glass automatic sliding doors and double-paneled glass push doors for aesthetics and lighting.
The automatic sliding doors had been sealed when the hospital was first isolated. Outside this entrance, barricades were set up, leaving only the double doors for necessary personnel access. By afternoon, Yu Xi had locked and reinforced these doors after clearing the building.
All broken windows on the first floor had also been secured. As long as no one made excessive noise or turned on lights inside, the building was safe, and the blood ghouls outside wouldn’t try to break in.
However, peace inside the building didn’t mean trouble wouldn’t find its way to them.
When Yu Xi came to the first-floor lobby in protective gear, several disheveled survivors were banging on the glass doors. Some were wearing hospital gowns, likely patients whose hiding places had been compromised, forcing them to flee at night.
They glared inside, shouting threats: if the doors weren’t opened, they’d smash the glass and let the blood ghouls in, opting for mutual destruction.
Inside, three people—a medical staff member and two former patient companions—hesitated. They had held a meeting earlier to confirm if any partially infected but rational individuals remained inside and to arrange night watch shifts.
Everyone was terrified. The smallest noise outside sent them into prolonged panic. Now, outsiders wanted to enter, but the survivors inside hesitated, eyeing the bloodstained clothes of the people outside. Who knew if they were healthy or already infected?
The outsiders, desperate to survive, didn’t want to die. The building looked secure, with reinforced glass and tightly locked doors. They had spent the past two days moving between hiding places.
Previously, they had taken refuge in the outpatient building, but it was chaotic, with more people and constant movement. Many hadn’t found a suitable hiding place before disaster struck.
At night, they often heard screams, cries for help, and fighting nearby.
Some had witnessed someone falling out of a window during a fight, breaking their limbs but surviving, only to have a blood ghoul leap out of the same window, smashing into them like a crimson missile, tearing them apart.
Others had thought they were safe with family and friends, only to turn around and see a loved one ripping off their own face, crying out in pain.
As the number of uninfected survivors dwindled, those still alive were ruthless, often shoving slower or less capable people toward danger to save themselves. They had moved from one hiding spot to another, eventually ending up in a small supermarket near the hospital’s side entrance.
The supermarket offered water and food. It had only two access points: the front door and a narrow window in the storage room. They planned to rest overnight and stock up before heading to a shelter the next day.
However, that evening, they heard faint footsteps as outsiders entered the adjacent milk tea shop.
Thinking they were safe, they were caught off guard when fighting broke out near the road at midnight. There were vehicle sounds, footsteps, gunfire, and finally, monstrous roars.
This roar was completely different from the ones they had heard before. It sounded more like a monster than a human, enormous, heavy, and deafening.
They heard a crash, like something heavy falling from a great height and smashing into something.
They quickly realized what it had hit—people! The ones with guns, shouting to retreat and save others, followed by terrible screams. They huddled together, covering their ears, hoping that by ignoring it, the battle outside would soon end.
But the next second, there was a loud
bang
, and their shelter was struck by something, causing the wall and roof to collapse halfway.
In panic, they scrambled out of the crumbling building, only to discover that the object that had hit them was a military truck…
Peering through the gap in the barricade, they saw the streets outside filled with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Two blood-colored monsters, over three meters tall, stood amidst the blazing fires, lifting nearby vehicles and hurling them at the retreating rescue teams.
They were so terrified their hearts almost stopped. They barely knew how they escaped.
All they could think was
escape, escape…
They dared not make a sound, unable to consider whether there were other infected nearby. They crawled and scrambled across the entire hospital and eventually came upon the tightly secured building.
But the people inside dared not open the door!
They had no idea what was outside!
Finally, one of them couldn’t take it anymore, gripping an iron rod, ready to smash the glass door in front of them without thinking.
At that moment, a slender figure passed by them, took the keys from their hands, bent down to unlock the mesh gate, then pushed it open and unlocked the glass door.
The group rushed inside eagerly. The door was locked again, and ropes were swiftly and efficiently used to bind them, gagging their mouths and pushing them toward others.
“They’re all covered in blood. Find a floor to lock them up. We need to observe them for two days before deciding whether to release them.” Yu Xi wasn’t being charitable. She opened the door to let them in, not wanting them to stand outside and attract the blood ghouls.
One reason for locking them up was to observe, and the other was their threatening attitude earlier. The malice in their eyes was far from feigned.
Yu Xi didn’t trust them to walk freely inside the building, so they were to be confined.
“What about these three?” the night shift staff soon asked, noticing three others hadn’t been tied up.
The three were an elderly person and two young ones, looking weak and unsteady. When the others outside were threatening the group, these three had stood at the other end, terrified but too scared to make a sound.
“These three will come with me to the tenth floor. I’ll personally watch over them.” Yu Xi checked the main door one last time, confirming there were no infected nearby, then took the three of them to the tenth floor.
They quietly followed her, not making a sound until they reached the tenth floor and entered a vacant room. One of them finally spoke softly: “Xiao Xi?”
Yu Xi removed her mask and smiled at them. “Yes, it’s me.”
Min Min lay on the couch, feeling the rare sense of safety.
The soundproof glass in the private hospital room, combined with the fact that the monsters and battle outside had gradually moved to other areas, made the surroundings much quieter.
She had taken a shower, washing away the dirt and fatigue, changed into clean clothes, and eaten something.
Most importantly, her family of three was now in a safe place, and they hadn’t treated her brother as a monster-like infected person.
An hour ago, she had proactively told Yu Xi about the situation with her brother.
She had kept it a secret earlier because it had all happened so suddenly, and her brother seemed fine. She thought that as long as they stayed apart from the others, resting in separate rooms and watching over her brother, she could handle the situation.
She hadn’t realized that the fear of infected people had reached such an extreme. The news had said blood transmission, yet people were terrified of even breathing the same air as her brother, as if he had already turned into a monster, ready to attack them at any moment.
Knowing others’ fear and rejection, she felt she had to speak up and explain her brother’s situation.
Yu Xi nodded, her expression unchanged. She put her mask back on and approached Min Cong to check on him.
“Don’t!” Min Min hurriedly tried to stop her.
Min Cong quickly recoiled. “Sister, I might infect you…”
“It’s fine. I’m wearing protective gear, goggles, mask, and gloves. Even if I accidentally come into contact with your blood, I won’t get infected,” Yu Xi said softly, comforting the young boy who was about the same height as her.
He looked like Min Min, with a fair and delicate face, but his eyes and expression were filled with panic and despair.
“Don’t be scared. Let me check if you’re hurt.”
Min Cong looked at her and stopped backing away.
Yu Xi carefully examined his face, head, and neck. “…It seems your brother isn’t injured?”
“Right, he’s not. I was right beside him. I quickly struck the infected person’s wrist, but at that time, the ghoul grabbed my brother’s face. He got blood on his face…”
Yu Xi checked his hands again. “Was he wearing a mask?”
“Yes, and wind goggles too, but his forehead still came into direct contact with the blood.”
“Any wounds on his body? Did any other part of him touch the blood?”
“No.”
“If it was just surface contact, it’s too early to say he’s infected.” Yu Xi released him and turned to Min Min. “Here, the private rooms all have two separate rooms. Let your brother clean up, change clothes, and stay in a separate room. Lock him in for observation.
Even if he’s infected, he won’t become a fully mutated blood ghoul right away. In the first stage, there will be symptoms like skin itching and coughing. It’s only in the later part of the second stage that skin ulcers, loss of sanity, and pleading begin. The third stage involves skin and flesh detaching from the body, extreme pain, eye discoloration, and loss of speech… Normal infected people often start attacking others in the early stages of the third phase.”
“I understand.” Min Min nodded. Her father had mutated this way…
“As for how the blood infection spreads, it’s still being verified. A few people in this building who came into contact with the blood have also been isolated.”
“So, I might be healthy?” Min Cong, whose eyes had been dim, now showed a glimmer of hope.
“Mm.”
As Yu Xi nodded, the young boy couldn’t help but smile. “That’s great! If I’m not infected, I can still protect my sister and mom!”
“It needs to be verified,” Yu Xi reminded him.
But that was enough. Min Min supported her silently crying mother, forcing back the tears welling in her own eyes.
The phrase
needs to be verified
gave them immense hope.
Noticing the large backpacks they carried, Yu Xi refrained from offering them food or water and simply told them they could find her in the adjacent room if they needed anything. Being a hospital, each room had disinfectant and personal care items, making the conditions comparable to a five-star hotel.
Min Min escorted Yu Xi to the doorway, sincerely expressing her gratitude before recounting their harrowing experience in the milk tea shop. She included the collapse caused by the military truck and the sight of the massive blood-red monsters.
The next day, apart from those quarantined due to blood contamination and their accompanying family or friends, the rest prepared to leave the hospital for the eastern suburban shelter.
Late last night, some people on higher floors had witnessed the battle outside the hospital’s isolation wall.
Peeking cautiously through the curtains, they saw the enormous blood-red monsters. Their sheer size was terrifying, let alone their overwhelming combat strength.
Bullets were nearly ineffective, and bombs only forced the monsters to retreat temporarily. Yet, with a single throw of a vehicle, they crushed numerous people.
The mere thought of such terrifying mutations in the city made even the seemingly safe inpatient building feel fragile. Metal doors and walls would crumble with a single blow from those creatures.
Those planning to leave rose early, donning protective gear from the medical station and hastily departing with their packed belongings.
Among the medical staff, two were under quarantine for observation, while six were confirmed healthy. Initially, they planned to draw lots to decide who would stay behind, but one volunteered.
He was close friends with the two quarantined staff members and wanted to confirm their health before heading to the shelter.
His willingness relieved the others, leaving only him behind among the healthy staff.
Those who left had access to cars parked in the ground-level lot behind the inpatient building, increasing their safety.
After seeing the group off, the remaining medical staff hurriedly locked the doors. The number of quarantined individuals now exceeded the healthy ones in the building, and while fear was inevitable, his concern for his friends outweighed his terror.
Moreover, not all healthy individuals had left—the person who had saved everyone and lived on the top floor was still there.
Yu Xi never expected to stay in the inpatient building for so many days. Initially, it was to monitor Min Min’s brother.
She was also intrigued by the giant mutated creatures. Staying here was a way to lie in wait—if they reappeared, she intended to engage them.
“So, there are currently two evolved types of blood ghouls. One is intelligence-based, the other physical. Min Min mentioned their group initially planned to go to the Pian Mountain shelter but were blocked by piled-up vehicles and corpses, forcing them to change course and head east.
Infected capable of hurling military trucks likely require heavy weaponry to combat. But regardless of type, they all fear fire. The military’s flamethrowers might not reach a high enough temperature.”
She had
High-Temperature Perfume,
capable of instantly killing the black giant bugs that even bullets couldn’t harm. While it might not guarantee an instant kill on the massive mutations, it would ensure her survival.
“Mm.” Across the table, a slightly improved-looking man nodded while focusing on his fruit and vegetable salad.
Yu Xi: …
No matter how many times it happened, the novelty of chatting face-to-face with her system never wore off—even if he spoke sparingly.
“Want to go out for a walk?”
He looked at her and gently shook his head.
To him, regaining a physical form was extraordinary, especially in a world he had never visited before. The sun’s warmth, the sky’s color, and the scent of plants were entirely different from his past world.
Previously, he had “seen” things through her. Now, experiencing them firsthand through his senses was a world apart.
He enjoyed it, even in this apocalyptic setting, where he could spend an entire day sitting quietly by the window, observing the city outside.
“There are several supermarkets near the hospital. Most are medium or small-sized and above ground…”
“…”
Yu Xi propped her head on her hand, continuing slowly, “When the city’s residents evacuated, they left quickly, unable to take much. Many supplies were left behind and will soon be contaminated, especially fresh produce. Few people bother with vegetables or fruit. If we’re lucky, some supermarkets might have cold storage with dozens of boxes of fresh goods.”
“…” He stayed silent for two seconds before saying, “Let’s go after breakfast.”
And so, they established a routine: using the hospital as a base, clearing supermarkets of monsters, disabling surveillance cameras, and hauling away half the supplies during the day, while lying in wait for giant mutations at night.
Min Min’s brother quickly passed the observation period, and their family temporarily stayed.
Among the quarantined medical staff, one turned infected, while the other remained uninfected. As for the group who had entered the inpatient building that night, every single one of them turned.
Yu Xi removed the assumption that blood contact alone caused infection. Without an open wound, contact with blood did not lead to infection.
Days later, the news continued to play updates, announcing that the eastern shelter had fallen overnight, leaving no survivors.