Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 165

It was difficult for people outside to enter the military base shelter, and likewise, it was hard for people inside to leave.
Fang Lei originally didn’t want to leave. From a normal person’s perspective, they had just arrived at an official shelter, their beds not even warmed yet—why would they leave so soon?
Yu Xi didn’t want to force anyone, and if someone didn’t want to leave, that was fine. After all, this was a solidly constructed shelter. Given the current situation, it was understandable for ordinary people to want to stay in a safe place until the infected outside were controlled.
Just as the five of them were sitting down, preparing to privately plan things, Fang Lei came over again.
His face looked bad, and he brought some news: this shelter only allowed people to enter, not leave. No matter the reason, anyone who wanted to leave was not allowed.
It turned out that when he was at the bathroom earlier, he passed by the exit and saw a boy and his father who were trying to apply to leave the next day, but they were rejected. He listened in on their conversation: the father and son had been part of the first wave of migration with their own car. On the car, besides them, were also their grandparents and other elderly people. Because the car couldn’t fit everyone, the mother and siblings had given up their seats to queue for a military vehicle.
They didn’t know that this separation would turn out to be a permanent one. The boy and his father couldn’t even confirm whether their family members had survived. They had their own car and wanted to ask the military personnel about the danger zones, planning to drive out and look for them the next day.
They even said they were willing to take responsibility for their actions, even if it meant encountering danger.
But the military personnel rejected them, stating that for safety reasons, no one except military personnel was allowed to leave the shelter. As for their relatives, anyone still alive in the convoy would return, whether injured or not. If they hadn’t returned, it was unlikely they had survived.
Hearing this, the father and son broke down in despair.
Fang Lei had witnessed such scenes many times today, but all of them had been before entering the shelter. It was only at this moment that he realized the shelter allowed entry but not exit.
“Then… it’s because it’s too dangerous outside, so they won’t let us leave?” Min Min’s mother didn’t want to think the situation was too bad.
Min Min’s bed was next to Yu Xi’s, right in the corner. After Fang Lei arrived, a thin, nearly colorless arc of light silently appeared around the corner, surrounding the group of people talking.
Yu Xi glanced at the man who was leaning back on the bed, eyes closed, resting. She spoke to him in her mind: “Can you handle this? Will it drain too much energy?”
【…It’s fine, it only has soundproofing effects, and the consumption is minimal.】
This news wasn’t a big deal for Yu Xi. At most, it meant leaving in a less obvious way, like “finding a way” to leave, for example, by knocking out a military driver. She and the system could use the 【Disguised Lipstick】 to wear military uniforms and hide the others in the vehicle.
But for Min Min and Fang Lei, this was a big deal.
This world had a low birth rate and a small population. The concept of human rights was taken far more seriously than in Yu Xi’s original world.
Here, people enjoyed absolute rights and freedoms, and even safety couldn’t restrict people’s will.
From this, it could be inferred that their refusal to let people leave wasn’t just about safety—it had to involve other reasons.
“If you leave, where do you plan to go?” Fang Lei asked.
Yu Xi handed him a piece of notepaper, on which she had drawn a small map of C country. The paper was small, but her drawing skills were excellent. The map clearly marked the cities of Zhou City, Pian Mountain, and their current location, as well as a few alternative cities and general routes.
Fang Lei recognized the cities. They were non-fallen areas, but to reach them, they had to cross large territories of fallen zones. While it was fine during the day, at night, when the infected were active, attacks were more likely.
Moreover, even during the day, it wasn’t 100% safe. Today’s chaotic battle was a perfect example.
“Yeah, it’s very dangerous. Although leaving is prohibited here, it’s still very safe for now. In such extraordinary times, using unconventional methods is understandable. We won’t force you, but if you choose not to leave, we hope you’ll keep it confidential.”
Yu Xi trusted Fang Lei because of his character. While others were only focused on escaping, he had voluntarily stayed behind to help his colleagues. His integrity was something she could rely on.
“No.” Fang Lei shook his head. “I’ll go with you.”
**
Fang Lei wasn’t a fool. What Min Min had noticed, he had also picked up on.
Earlier, the shock from the chaotic battle had been so overwhelming that he didn’t pay much attention, but when Min Min came to ask if he wanted to leave, he immediately remembered.
The person had a gun and was clearly a powerful figure. Calmly asking him whether he wanted to leave, how could he not appreciate the offer?
After a quick plan, Min Min, after getting a nod from Yu Xi, went over to Xiao Nan and Wu You to see what they thought. But they, having stayed in Pian Mountain before, were very satisfied with the current environment. They didn’t care about being unable to leave—after all, they didn’t want to go outside. It was too dangerous out there.
Min Min didn’t say much, just hugged them both and said goodbye in her heart. This wasn’t a final farewell; inside the military base, there were certainly landlines, and the signal should be restored eventually. Everyone had each other’s phone numbers, so they could always contact each other.
The next day, an inconspicuous small military vehicle blended into the convoy and drove out of the base through the security checkpoint.
Half an hour later, the convoy split at several intersections due to different mission assignments. The small military vehicle, following the planned route, headed northwest alone.
Once the vehicle was deemed safe, Yu Xi took out a wet wipe to remove the lipstick from her lips, and also wiped the driver’s mouth. While doing so, she couldn’t help but comment: “You know how ridiculous this stuff is, right? Every time I want to disguise myself, I have to put on lipstick. Do you know how I felt yesterday when I had to apply lipstick while crawling on top of a vehicle, surrounded by the infected?”
Once the lipstick was wiped away, her unfamiliar, ordinary appearance returned, and Yu Zhengqing’s face reappeared. The pale lips, due to her vigorous wiping, now had a hint of color, and her cheeks seemed slightly flushed, though it wasn’t clear whether it was from the rest or something else. With his angular side profile, he looked especially handsome.
But Yu Xi didn’t notice; she knocked on the rear door of the vehicle, and a window was opened from the inside. Min Min’s small face peeked out: “Is it safe, Xiao Xi?”
“Yes. There’s a town ahead. We’ll switch vehicles there; this one’s too noticeable.”
“Okay.”
An hour later, the military vehicle arrived at the planned small town.
C country was large with a small population, and the distance between cities was vast. Besides large expanses of farmland and forests, the most common feature between cities were such small towns.
These towns were usually far from highways, not very large, and it took about half an hour to walk from one end to the other. Despite being small, these towns had everything: residential houses, vacation cottages, supermarkets, and of course, cars.
The mountain near this small town had a hot spring, though not a very famous one, and the construction was less developed compared to other towns. Still, it was just right for Yu Xi and her group.
It was around 10:30 AM, and the weather was excellent. The sky was a clear blue without a single cloud, and the sun shone down with intense heat.
She had the system drive around the hot spring town, wanting to confirm if there were any survivors left. It was clear that the town had been ravaged by the infected; bloodstains, corpses, and severed limbs could be seen on the sides of several streets.
But soon, she sensed something was off.
She glanced at the person next to her, and he had likely sensed it too. He glanced at her, pressed the accelerator, and turned the car around, stopping in the center of the town’s small square.
The square wasn’t large, and around it were low, two-story buildings.
“Should we try?” he asked.
After Yu Xi nodded, he reached out and honked the car horn three times. The sudden sound of the horn echoed through the quiet town, still with three consecutive beeps. Not only did those in the back of the vehicle hear it, but anyone hiding in the town, even those survivors still hiding, would have heard it too. Similarly, the infected hiding deep inside buildings, avoiding the sunlight, must have heard it as well.
Yu Xi rolled down the window, stood on her seat, and swiftly climbed to the top of the vehicle. She took out an 【Air hairdryer】 and stood on the roof, scanning the surroundings in a 360-degree alert posture.
The surroundings were still silent. With her hearing, even if the infected were avoiding the sunlight and unwilling to come out, they would have made some noise in response to the horn. But now, there was nothing.
Yu Xi called the system in her mind: “Press it again.”
The next second, the horn sounded again, this time a prolonged blast. Yu Xi waited silently for a moment, but still, nothing.
In this hot spring town, there were no refugees, but there were also no infected.
She jumped off the roof and opened the back door of the vehicle: “Something’s not right here.”
She briefly explained her suspicions to the four people, “My brother and I are going to check a nearby building to rule out any traps. We won’t go far, just within this small square. But just in case—”
Yu Xi said as she took two handguns out of her backpack and handed them to Fang Lei and Min Min, quickly signaling how to use them. “Twelve rounds, automatic pistols. When not in use, make sure the safety is on. If we hear gunshots or cries for help, we’ll come back immediately.”
Having experienced life-and-death situations the day before, Fang Lei and Min Min were now able to accept the handguns without hesitation.
In such a chaotic world, these were life-saving weapons. They not only had to adapt, but also become proficient with them quickly.
Afterward, Fang Lei climbed up the canvas ropes on the military truck, holding a gun, to keep watch on the roof. Min Min sat by the half-open door of the vehicle, alert to the surroundings. Yu Xi and her brother quickly headed toward the building.
The two-story commercial building had shops on the ground floor and warehouses and lounges above. Since it was a resort town, the building was beautifully designed with carved beams and painted rafters, and the interior had good lighting.
When they entered the building, Yu Xi took out several ice bricks that had been pre-frozen and stored in the Star House warehouse—these ice bricks were saved before the water supply stopped in the hospital building.
She instantly transformed them into two ice layer shields, wrapping them around herself and System.
Previously, when they raided supermarkets in the city, they had done the same thing, and they were already familiar with this protective process.
In most cases, when they entered dark buildings, they would be ambushed by the blood ghouls. But today, after thoroughly checking the entire commercial building, they hadn’t encountered any attacks.
There had clearly been some tragic events inside the building—there was blood on the floor, shelves were scattered and overturned, and two windows were broken. But there was no one inside, no infected either.
Not reassured, they continued to check several other buildings, but the result was the same.
Half an hour later, they removed the ice shields and returned to the military vehicle, ing their findings. After discussing, everyone agreed that the situation was strange and decided not to stay too long. They planned to find a suitable vehicle, stock up on some uncontaminated supplies, and leave.
Although Yu Xi could go around and take out her RV, there were six of them, and staying in that vehicle would be a bit cramped. Furthermore, the RV was not very safe. Compared to comfort, what they needed now was a more secure vehicle.
For example, a truck or a vehicle with a higher chassis.
They slowly drove the military vehicle through the town, carefully observing the surroundings. To allow more people to check, Min Min also sat in the front driver’s area. Not long after, Min Min seemed to have noticed something and gently tapped Yu Xi, signaling her to stop.
At the intersection of the crossroad, there was a bank, with its parking lot right next to it. From their angle, they could just see a few cars parked in the parking lot.
Min Min pointed to the rear of a white square vehicle: “That looks like an armored cash truck.”
…