Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 172

“Slap!”
A crisp sound of a slap shattered the silence.
The man who had earlier tried unsuccessfully to get
oden
stood there, covering his cheek with a dumbfounded expression. “S-Shao… Shao-ge… why did you hit me—”
Before he could finish, Shao Liang leaned in close, his face tense. “Hit me back!”
“…”
“Come on! Hit me back!”
“Shao-ge… boss…” The man’s voice trembled as he addressed him, his hand shaking as he lightly brushed against Shao Liang’s face.
Enraged, Shao Liang kicked him. “What are you doing, scratching an itch? Hit me here! Harder! Keep going!”
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Three loud slaps echoed through the tense air. Frightened by Shao Liang’s shouting, the man finally mustered all his strength. The force of the blow caused Shao Liang to stagger, his head snapping to the side, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked disheveled and pathetic.
Yet, in the next moment, Shao Liang rushed toward the spot where the silver RV had been, scrutinizing it as if trying to confirm whether the vehicle had genuinely vanished or was merely a trick.
“What the hell is going on!” he shouted, though his legs were trembling. “Damn it! What just happened?!”
His team members stared at him with equally terrified expressions, unable to find words to explain.
“How would we know!”
“Could it… could it be a ghost?” someone on the beach muttered hesitantly.
The people who had successfully traded immediately opened their black bags to check their contents.
“The food’s still here!”
“Mine too!” Someone unwrapped a loaf of bread and took a bite. “It’s real food! It’s edible!”
“Mine’s real too! It’s actual milk!”
The people who had completed their trades were ecstatic. They didn’t care who had given them the items or how—they were just grateful to have food. Hunger took priority over all else.
Meanwhile, those who had been waiting in line but hadn’t gotten their turn turned their angry gazes on Shao Liang.
“Shao-ge, that wasn’t right. The shop was running fine, and you chased them away…”
“Yeah! My mom hasn’t been feeling well for days. I was hoping to trade for medicine—it’s a matter of life and death!”
“Shao-ge, this isn’t fair. You need to give us an explanation!”
“Or how about you trade things for us instead?”
“Yeah, Shao-ge, get us something too…”
Shao Liang had no intention of providing for them. “Get lost! That wasn’t a shop! That might not have even been human!”
“But it doesn’t matter what it was! The items they gave us are real, and we only traded things we didn’t need!”
“They were helping people, and you drove them away for no reason. Even if you’re Shao-ge, you can’t just shirk responsibility…”
“Shao-ge, I was sent by Sister Wei to trade for supplies. Now that I couldn’t, you owe her an explanation!”
“Yeah, my team leader sent me too…”
“Shao-ge…”
On any other day, no one would have dared confront Shao Liang without a legitimate reason. But now, fueled by their anger and the surreal event they had just witnessed, the crowd’s collective courage surged. They surrounded him, refusing to let him leave.
An hour later, far from the cliffside hotel, the silver RV slowly emerged from a forested area and stopped at a fork in the road.
The effect of the
Disguise Lipstick
would last 24 hours, and Yu Xi didn’t want to waste her Star Coins. She also didn’t feel like returning to the cliffside, so she picked a new location.
The surrounding plants, under her ability’s influence, conveyed messages to her, letting her know there were two human gathering points nearby—essentially makeshift shelters.
After parking the RV, Yu Xi moved from the driver’s seat to the interior, opening the left-side window as usual. She turned on the power for the soup pots and switched on a small electric fan to waft the enticing aromas of
mala
and bone broth into the air.
Returning was instantaneous and visually impressive. But every time she reappeared, she still had to walk on her own legs to the new location, which she found mildly annoying.
Fortunately, with the upgraded storage space for vehicles, the silver RV could now be stored and retrieved at will. Without it, her supplies-filled Star House warehouse—spanning 888 cubic meters—wouldn’t have had room for the vehicle.
It was just past six in the evening, and the seaside sky was still bright. Through the window, the sunset painted a beautiful scene.
Yu Xi lay on the bed at the back of the RV after pulling up the sliding glass window and mesh screen. She took out a tablet and a cup of iced brown sugar bubble tea, then opened
World War Z
, a movie she had skimmed through previously but wanted to rewatch in detail.
A mutated seagull circling in the sky caught the scent of the delicious aroma wafting from the forest near the silver RV. Flapping its wings, it locked onto the vehicle and dove straight down.
Its mutated beak, now long and sharp enough to pierce walls, had made it a formidable predator. Prey scuttling on the ground rarely escaped its deadly strikes.
But just as it reached the roof of the RV, a thick branch lashed out and struck it hard.
“Smack!”
The seagull was sent tumbling to the ground with a heavy thud, dizzy and disoriented. After a moment, it managed to fly again, its small eyes warily observing the scene below. The tree beside the RV slowly retracted the branch it had used to swat the bird.
If the seagull had been more observant, it might have noticed the unusual activity around the RV before its failed attack.
For instance, several vibrant red mutated pitcher plants near the rear of the RV were emitting scents to attract insects. These scents diverted small mutated bugs from bothering the RV, trapping and digesting them instead. Larger mutated insects were handled by green vines coiled around the mutated tree, which wrapped around and dragged them away.
These mutated plants worked silently and tirelessly, creating a peaceful and quiet space around the RV.
Inside the RV, Yu Xi was multitasking—watching a movie while communicating with the plants and keeping an eye on her surroundings. She felt rather impressed with her industriousness. “Even during rest, I’m honing my plant abilities. How hardworking am I? Even I’m moved by myself.”
[…]
“…” Yu Xi sensed the system’s speechlessness and found herself at a loss for words as well.
The mental shield she had activated with 20 Star Coins to block the system’s presence had expired. Although she had urged it to leave before, she hadn’t renewed the shield.
Should she activate it again?
[I don’t recommend it. First, you’ve been back for over a week, and there’s less than a month left. From a cost-efficiency standpoint, it’s not worth it. Second, you can only hear me now. Surely it’s not that uncomfortable?]
“You have a point.” The first reason was particularly convincing—20 Star Coins for a month was indeed pricey.
[…]
As Yu Xi and the system exchanged words, a survivor passing by was lured by the enticing aroma of
mala
oden
. Despite the RV’s sudden and mysterious appearance, they couldn’t resist.
“Excuse me, is anyone there? I’d like to trade.”
Yu Xi paused her movie, got up briskly from the bed, and got ready to work.
By 9 p.m., the remaining
oden
had all been served. The sky was now completely dark, and the silver RV’s window was lit with a warm, small camping lantern.
Outside, a line of survivors in protective suits waited to trade, drawn by word of mouth. Both nearby shelters were located in hotels, though these were less luxurious than the cliffside ones. Most were two- or three-star establishments with low-rise buildings and coarse gravel beaches.
While this area was less populated before the apocalypse, the relatively stable conditions after the mutations led many survivors to seek refuge here. The proximity to the forest, however, meant frequent nighttime attacks by mutated insects, making this location viable mainly for the strong and young.
The survivors here were slightly better off than those at the cliffside hotel. Most groups were evenly matched in strength, leading to a relatively harmonious coexistence. As a result, Yu Xi traded fewer items here. Still, the survivors gladly accepted anything she offered, as all trades involved exchanging items they didn’t need for things they did.
Yu Xi, however, had her preferences. Those offering fresh large crabs or mutated abalone received more generous trades, while those with less useful items, like jewelry, were still rewarded fairly based on value.
At 9:10 p.m., Fan Qi sent her a message, letting her know that supper was ready and asking when she’d be back.
Yu Xi replied with two words: “Right now.”
She pulled out a new piece of cardboard, wrote “Closed” in bold black letters, and stuck it in the RV window.
“Closed?” The people at the front of the line were surprised. “Already?”
“Any objections?” Yu Xi asked coolly.
“N-no!” The person quickly waved their hands, clearly more tactful than the arrogant Shao Liang from before. They knew better than to complain—this barter system was already a one-sided benefit for them. If she wanted to rest, how could they object?
“We were just wondering… will you come back?”
“Depends on my mood.” Yu Xi replied flatly, closed the window, and headed to the driver’s seat. She started the RV, reversing slowly and carefully steering before driving into the dark forest behind her.
The crowd silently watched the RV disappear, their concern growing.
The forest was filled with mutated plants, which were generally harmless if left alone. But what if the RV brushed against one and provoked it?
Unable to hold back, a few people ran toward the forest to warn her. But upon entering, they found no trace of the RV on the narrow forest path.
The RV… was gone?
While the survivors debated late into the night over the RV’s mysterious disappearance, citing theories and evidence, Yu Xi had returned to her simulated apartment. She was enjoying a drama while eating spicy crayfish.
Fan Qi’s supper included fresh scallop and rib mushroom congee, spicy-sour seaweed salad, and chilled cucumber and wood ear fungus.
Yu Xi hadn’t eaten dinner, but after a few bites of tangy and refreshing spicy seaweed salad, her appetite was piqued. Silently, she brought out two servings of crayfish and invited her parents to join her for a little indulgence.
The family moved the crayfish to the coffee table in front of the sofa, turned off the main lights, and left only a few floor lamps on in the living room. They connected the tablet to the large TV and started a comedy movie they all enjoyed.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the moonlight glistened on the sea’s silver waves.
Inside, the family of three enjoyed a serene and peaceful moment together.
News about the “Limited-Time Star House” spread to nearby shelters within four or five days.
It quickly became apparent that the clever and perceptive far outnumbered the arrogant and presumptuous. A simple glance at the items in the black bags revealed the truth: this so-called barter was overwhelmingly in their favor.
Who would run a business like this in the apocalypse, giving away more than they received?
No one. Not before the apocalypse, and certainly not after.
Thus, people concluded that the
Star House
existed to do good deeds.
Rumors also circulated that the shopkeeper wasn’t always the same person. Sometimes it was a middle-aged woman; other times, it was a young, handsome man. Regardless, the shopkeeper shared similar preferences, such as seafood and gold, silver, or jade items.
Even if someone brought nothing valuable—perhaps just a coconut—the shopkeeper would still trade with them, never being picky or rejecting anyone except troublemakers.
However, if someone traded fresh seafood or jewelry, they might receive an unexpected bonus.
For instance:
A glass of refreshing iced lemon tea
A double-scoop ice cream with powdered sugar and chocolate chips
A slice of matcha cheesecake
A grilled lamb set meal
A small box of plump, red strawberries
A carton of fresh eggs
All were items that had become impossibly rare on South Sea Island, the kind of delicacies that made mouths water just hearing their names.
The
Star House
was first ed near the cliffside hotel’s shelter. It seemed initially intended to operate for 24 hours, but it left after just over an hour due to one person’s interference. Since then, it had never returned to the cliffside hotel area, instead appearing sporadically at five or six other shelters, staying three to four hours each time.
Xiao Zhi relayed these stories to Yu Xi when he came to deliver fresh seafood.
Sister Wei, having received so much from Yu Xi previously, had been pondering how to return the favor. However, her team lacked the ability to gather valuable items. Although many of her team members had traded at the
Star House
that day, their trades were comparable to Yu Xi’s previous gifts, and Sister Wei felt they weren’t worthy as a return gesture.
Remembering Yu Xi’s interest in seafood, Sister Wei instructed Xiao Zhi to deliver a haul of large sea crabs and shellfish they had managed to collect during low tide.
The mutated sea crabs had grown to two or three times their original size, with massive claws that were difficult to catch but satisfying to eat—a respectable offering.
Xiao Zhi, still hesitant to enter the hotel, paced nervously at the usual spot on the beach. Luckily, Yu Xi, feeling lazy, hadn’t opened the shop that day and came down directly.
“…Anyway, it’s all Shao Liang’s fault,” Xiao Zhi said, beginning his usual rambling. “He’s only the leader because he’s friends with someone at the official shelter, so he always gets what people need during trades. Skill-wise, he’s nowhere near as good as Sister Wei.
“But lately, things haven’t been going well for him. One of his capable team members had a falling out with him because their kid got sick—high fever, vomiting, diarrhea—and Shao Liang didn’t have any medicine. The team member remembered that someone in our group had traded for medicine at the
Star House
, but it had already been used to treat another child.
“In desperation, the team member searched everywhere for information on the
Star House
, even spending food to ask around. They eventually found the RV at another shelter and traded for medicine just in time to save their kid…”
Xiao Zhi shared the seafood and couldn’t resist telling Yu Xi every recent rumor he had heard. He found it puzzling that her family of three lived alone in the hotel—humans were social creatures, and in such a dangerous world, this was even more true.
Yu Xi, unwilling to take the seafood for free, gave Xiao Zhi a six-pack of cola. Though he had promised Sister Wei not to accept anything in return, he forgot the promise immediately upon seeing the “joyful sugary drink.”
Excited, he accepted the cola, thanked her profusely, and ran off in high spirits.
Two days later, after letting her parents enjoy floating ice fishing, Yu Xi set out on her mountain bike, planning to venture further inland toward the South Sea Island interior.
Using the Disguise Lipstick, she transformed into an 18- or 19-year-old boy with a tall, slim frame and striking blue eyes—a rather attractive mixed-race look. Wearing a backpack, mask, and baseball cap, she pedaled down the coastal highway.
As she moved away from the beach, the vegetation grew denser. The road was heavily damaged by plants, and the once-towering buildings on either side were now encased in greenery, with broken glass and rusted window frames barely visible.
Beyond the city, the environment became more harmonious, resembling a tropical rainforest. At the foot of the mountains, there was edly an old air-raid shelter now converted into an official refuge.
Yu Xi, concealed in the greenery, swapped her mountain bike for the RV. Just as she prepared to start the engine, she heard cries for help coming from the nearby forest. Mixed with the calls were bursts of male laughter.
Frowning, she got out of the RV and walked quickly toward the sound. Before she could reach it, the laughter abruptly turned into pained screams, followed by a woman’s anxious voice checking on the person calling for help.
Yu Xi paused, surprised. She recognized the woman’s voice.