Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 168

There were too few armored vehicles patrolling near the quarantine zone, and the number of blood ghouls was overwhelming. Without using searchlights for fear of attracting more infected, visibility was severely limited, making it impossible to clear the blood ghouls efficiently.
When Min Min was startled awake, Yu Xi had already taken out six sets of protective suits, goggles, and 3M masks, urging everyone to put them on quickly. Once the group was fully geared up, Yu Xi distributed weapons: two military daggers and a long knife to Fang Lei, Min Min, and Min Cong, along with two magazines each for Fang Lei and Min Min.
“Fang Lei and Xiao Min, follow me. Min Min’s mom and Xiao Cong stay in the middle. My brother will cover the rear,” Yu Xi instructed.
Fang Lei placed the magazines in his pocket. “I’ll take the rear instead.”
“Don’t worry. My brother isn’t weak,” Yu Xi assured him, pulling out a handgun and two magazines from her backpack and handing them to “Yu Zhengqing.” She mentally transmitted to him, “There are too many blood ghouls. Save your energy wherever possible.”
“Understood.”
Before leaving the tent, Yu Xi reminded the group, “There are too many people here. Remember, no matter what, the six of us must not get separated. If this quarantine zone fails tonight, we’ll escape—no heroics.”
Everyone nodded, strapped on their backpacks, and gripped their weapons tightly.
Outside the tent, chaos reigned. The refugees were like fresh bait trapped in a cage, trembling with no place to run.
“Damn it! Just half a day left before we get into the safe zone! What the hell is going on now?” someone shouted, a mix of fear and frustration in their voice. Fueled by anger, the man dismantled his tent poles and iron pegs, hastily crafting a weapon. With adrenaline pumping, he charged toward the iron fence and began stabbing at the infected outside.
The blood ghouls, retaining some intelligence, dodged the attacks. It took the man considerable effort to pierce the slimy, bloodied neck of one blood ghoul, but the wound wasn’t fatal. The blood ghoul seemed oblivious to pain and reached toward the man through the iron grid.
As the blood ghoul’s arm got stuck in the fence, its flesh scraped off, leaving bloody chunks on the grass inside the enclosure. The sight nearly made the man vomit. He instinctively stepped back, but before he could react further, a flash of steel sliced through the infected’s forehead and was swiftly withdrawn.
The wielder of the Tang sword was fully suited in protective gear, their slender build suggesting a woman. Beside her were two younger individuals, one tall and one shorter, both similarly dressed. One carried a long knife, and the other held a military dagger. Their movements were slower than the blade wielder but clean and precise—striking the eyes or mouth when the forehead proved too tough to pierce.
In mere moments, several blood ghouls near this section of the fence had been taken down.
“Go for the eyes and mouth—they’re easier targets. Strike quickly, preferably by surprise. They may have intelligence, but they’re not particularly clever,” the woman with the Tang sword said before moving to another part of the fence where more blood ghouls were gathered. She didn’t linger, instead spreading her efforts to alleviate pressure on different sections of the fence.
The two young individuals followed closely behind her, maintaining a half-step distance. Behind them, two smaller figures moved carefully—one seemingly a child and the other an older adult. The child also carried a dagger, keeping watch on the chaos within the fence.
At the very rear of the group was a tall, composed figure. He appeared calm, but his sharp gaze kept all five ahead of him in sight while remaining vigilant of the surroundings.
This was a tightly coordinated team, their synergy evident. A bystander, observing them in awe, couldn’t help but feel envy. He had once traveled with companions, but the harsh realities of the apocalypse had exposed human frailty. Trustworthy partners willing to guard one’s back were a rare treasure.
Inspired, the bystander adopted the group’s tactics, feinting to distract an infected before plunging his makeshift weapon into its eye. The infected flailed briefly before collapsing, and the man retrieved his weapon triumphantly. Yet he muttered under his breath, “How the hell did those kids manage to smuggle such weapons into the quarantine zone?”
As more infected fell, the man turned to the huddled refugees and shouted, “Stop shaking! Be men and fight! Hiding won’t save your families. If this fence falls, we’re all dead!”
Encouraged, one person stepped forward, then another. Soon, more refugees followed suit, dismantling their tents to craft weapons and joining the fight against the infected.
While the Low Risk zone fought to protect itself, chaos erupted in the High Risk zone as the fence was breached. Bloodied figures poured in, ecstatic at their breakthrough, and the screams of refugees filled the air.
The armored vehicles initially stationed across all three zones rushed to suppress the outbreak in the High Risk zone. Sensing the absence of deterrence, the blood ghouls surrounding the remaining zones shifted toward the weakest parts of the fences.
Yu Xi sheathed her Tang sword and retrieved a silenced pistol from her backpack. “Switch weapons,” she instructed.
The infected concentrated near the southeastern fence. Yu Xi took the lead, quickly dispatching two of them with precision shots. Her instincts suddenly screamed danger, and without hesitation, she raised her left hand. Ice bricks materialized in her palm, rapidly expanding into a shield that protected her and her team.
Crack, crack, crack— four bullets struck the ice shield, embedding themselves and fracturing the surface. Yu Xi swiftly repelled them and scanned the direction of the shots, narrowing her eyes. The bullets weren’t from outside the fence but within.
Her gaze sharpened as she tossed a bottle of [High-Temperature Perfume] to her system and left the shield with her group. “Stay close to my brother. If things go south, retreat. I’ll handle this.”
The system’s voice echoed in her mind: “Be careful! The fact that he survived itself is suspicious!”
Yu Xi:
“I know. You conserve energy; I’ll take care of him and return quickly.”
Encased in ice armor, Yu Xi darted through the chaotic crowd, swiftly intercepting a figure clad in black from head to toe. The individual blended seamlessly into the night, but the heavy scent of blood around them was unmistakable.
The area outside the iron fence was swarming with blood ghouls, and the air was thick with the stench of blood. Yu Xi hadn’t noticed the peculiar scent until she intercepted her target.
The figure, who had been keeping his head low, slightly raised it. Under the brim of his hat, a pair of red eyes glinted.
His eyes were different from those of ordinary infected and unlike the intelligent blood ghoul she had encountered at the hospital. His sclera remained white, but his originally black irises had turned a vivid blood-red.
The crimson irises gave him a beast-like appearance. When he locked his gaze on her, it felt like being targeted by a venomous snake—his cold, inorganic stare heightened her vigilance.
“Long time no see, Yu Xi,” he said, his voice raspy and broken, rough and unpleasant to the ear.
“It hasn’t been that long,” she replied curtly, raising her gun without hesitation and opening fire. Whether he was infected or not, or why he knew her name, none of it mattered. His earlier ambush had made his intentions clear: he still wanted to kill her.
On the battlefield, there was no room for reminiscing.
The figure moved at lightning speed, activating a protective energy shield to block her shots as he retreated. She advanced in pursuit, continuously pulling the trigger, determined to deplete his shield’s energy.
Lin Wu and Ya Tong had once explained to her the mechanics of shields: their duration depended entirely on the defense points of the activated card. Since she had already destroyed his bonded weapon, any defensive cards tied to it had been rendered useless. This shield was likely tied to a new bonded weapon, meaning it all came down to who had more resources—her bullets and ice abilities, or his remaining defense points.
When her magazine was empty, Yu Xi swapped to a fully charged [Air Hairdryer], unleashing relentless energy shots.
This time, the man—Lou Rui—visibly faltered. Each shot seemed to drain his shield significantly.
He had only survived that day because his heart was slightly more leftward than usual, and “Yu Zhengqing’s” blow hadn’t been fatal. However, falling from the ninth floor into a city swarming with infected was a death sentence.
He had been bitten while desperately escaping, barely clinging to life. Despite using numerous healing cards, he couldn’t stop the virus from spreading. When he woke again, he found his mind intact, still able to access his inventory and its cards, but his body had undergone horrifying changes.
His skin continuously ulcerated, itching and peeling off in large chunks. Healing cards could temporarily repair the damage, but it would soon recur. His irises turned crimson, his voice became hoarse, and he developed an extreme sensitivity to the scent of blood.
But the most terrifying change wasn’t physical—it was his inability to connect with the system or access the store to purchase new cards.
Terrified and desperate, he decided to complete his assigned mission in this world, targeting the manager of Pian Mountain Refuge. However, his chosen target had outsmarted him, feigning weakness and setting an inescapable trap. He was captured and subjected to endless experiments.
His dullened pain sensitivity became his only solace as he endured day after day of torment. During a stormy night, he escaped when a giant blood ghoul inadvertently destroyed the machine restraining him.
Now, Lou Rui could feel the human part of his consciousness being gradually devoured by something animalistic. He wasn’t evolving like an intelligent blood ghoul; instead, he had been clinging to life with healing cards.
He didn’t know how much longer he had but was certain of one thing: even if he killed Yu Xi, he would never return to the System Tower. Still, he couldn’t stop himself. He wanted to drag her down, break her, and trap her in this world with him before he lost all humanity.
The [Air hairdryer] shots drained the last of his defense points, forcing him to evade. Several times, her shots came dangerously close to hitting innocent refugees.
The southeastern fence had been breached, and infected were pouring in. Refugees fled en masse toward the gate near Yu Xi’s position, desperately trying to escape the quarantine zone.
Seeing the chaotic influx, Yu Xi switched her weapon to the Tang sword, better suited for close combat in the dense crowd.
Lou Rui paused when he saw the sword. His movement faltered as memories resurfaced. He recognized this sword—it had once belonged to Lou Rui in their shared world. He had traded it for a military dagger, but the sword remained, gifted to Yu Xi by Lou Rui’s mother during their first meeting.
He recalled how Yu Xi had saved Lou Rui’s mother with this very sword during an ambush.
Scenes from the past flashed through his mind. If only he could return to those days—when he was still a passionate youth, still human.
The sword’s swing brought him back to reality. He dodged, but his pupils suddenly dilated.
“Watch out—” he shouted.
During battle, Yu Xi heightened all her senses to their peak, enabling her to detect any incoming attack instantly. Almost at the same moment Lou Rui shouted, she redirected her Tang sword , slamming it into the ground to leverage its momentum and leap high into the air, narrowly avoiding an ambush.
She landed in a roll, stabilizing herself in a half-kneeling position. A sharp ice sword materialized in her palm and shot forward with precision, pinning a blurred, moving figure to the ground.
The infected, a speed-type blood ghoul, flailed its limbs wildly in an attempt to break free, but the ice sword held firm. Had she not amplified her physical abilities fourfold, matching its speed, the ambush might have succeeded.
Without hesitation, Yu Xi moved in for the kill, delivering a shot that shattered the blood ghoul’s head.
When she turned back, Lou Rui’s retreating figure was disappearing into the distance—not toward the fence, but heading for the opposite side of the quarantine zone where Xing Min and the others were located.
Yu Xi: Be careful of Lou Rui’s ambush—
Her mental warning was cut short by a massive explosion from the other side of the quarantine zone. Her heart skipped a beat as she sprinted at full speed toward the blast. She knew Xing Min’s protective shield could withstand such an attack, but the energy expenditure would be significant. In an area teeming with infected, any moment of vulnerability could be catastrophic.
She released all restraints on her speed, transforming into a blur, and reached the black-clad figure in an instant. Without hesitation, she drove her Tang sword deep into his body. At the same time, her protective ice layer erupted into sharp spikes that embedded themselves into him, penetrating deeply.
Before his blood could spray, she retreated swiftly, leaving the ice spikes embedded in his body. Last time, Lou Rui had survived a fatal blow to the heart. This time, she wasn’t taking chances. His body, now riddled with spikes like a pincushion, collapsed to the ground, motionless.
The smoke from the explosion dissipated, revealing a faint golden shield encasing Xing Min and the others, who were unharmed.
The other four members looked pale and alarmed, while Xing Min, who had activated the protective shield, was ashen-faced and barely standing. As Yu Xi approached, he collapsed gently into her arms.
Not far away, Lou Rui lay on the ground, struggling to move a finger. He weakly removed his mask, revealing a face riddled with decay and bloodstains.
Beneath the mask was a self-mocking smile as his cracked lips moved silently:
“I’m sorry… I wanted to hurt you.”
“In this world where only the strong survive, I didn’t know how to hold onto my humanity…”
“If you can, don’t lose yourself. Stay strong…”
He seemed as if he wanted to say more, but ultimately, he remained silent, his gaze fixed on her until life left his body.
The battle at the quarantine zone triggered a cascade of events. That night, more infected swarmed out of the fallen zone, encircling the quarantine area and launching a frenzied assault on the barricades. Bullets were exhausted, weapons destroyed, and the barricades fell one by one.
The blood ghouls, in overwhelming numbers, continued their relentless advance. Chaos erupted as people scattered in all directions. Infected breached the fences, climbing slopes and slaughtering anyone in their path.
Amid the chaos, infected and uninfected humans mingled, leaving even armed personnel unsure of where to aim their weapons.
City alarms blared, and emergency broadcasts echoed across all media:
“Do not leave your homes. Secure all windows and doors. Stay quiet and prepare defensive weapons. Protect yourself. Avoid injury. If exposed to infected blood, isolate the victim immediately…”
The non-infected regions, already anxious about the news from the fallen zones, watched in dread as the infection crept closer. The day they feared had arrived.
Outside the quarantined zone, Yu Xi abandoned all pretense, releasing the armored transport vehicle from her storage space. She ordered everyone to discard their contaminated protective gear and get on board.
Before the region completely fell, the vehicle roared to life, speeding westward and disappearing into the night.
A Week Later: Qing City, Non-Infected Zone
This was the last city before Yu Xi’s group reached their intended destination and one of the few relatively safe cities remaining in the nation.
After the catastrophic events at the quarantine zone, the advanced detection methods from Pian Mountain Refuge were finally adopted by the non-infected regions.
Quarantine zones outside cities were dismantled. Refugees now only needed to provide blood samples and identification to pass through the barricades.