Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 18

Everyone spent two days trembling in fear, but fortunately, the earthquake did not recur and seemed to have completely ended.
In the first few days after the earthquake, there were various news and topics about the current situation and rescue efforts in the island nation. However, after a few more days, even these news items and topics lost people’s attention.
Netizens are always fickle. No matter how explosive a piece of news is when it first breaks, as time passes, most people stop caring.
Even though there were several earthquakes of varying magnitudes around the world in the following month, similar disasters occur every year, and not many people paid attention.
After staying at her place for two nights, Yu Xi’s parents returned to their high-rise apartment.
They had bought this apartment just over two years ago. It featured a five-meter-high loft with an area of over 100 square meters on the lower level and about 60 square meters on the upper level, extending across the entire east side of the apartment.
The entire south-facing wall of the apartment was made of floor-to-ceiling glass, from the top to the ground.
On the left side of the loft space, the southwest corner was an open study, facing south with floor-to-ceiling glass and west with a glass railing connected to the lower living room space, providing excellent lighting. The remaining loft space was divided into two bedrooms. Yu Xi’s parents stayed in the southeast room with better sunlight, while the northeast room was Yu Xi’s.
This new high-rise apartment was not only spacious and well-lit but also decorated in a stylish, light-colored, luxurious fashion, unlike some older people’s preference for dark, heavy wooden furniture.
When decorating, Fan Qi had followed Yu Xi’s preferences.
She had not expected her daughter to be so capable. A little over a year ago, after winning a prize in a painting competition and receiving a substantial cash award, Yu Xi combined it with her previous savings to buy a small loft apartment outright and moved out to live independently.
Whenever Fan Qi mentioned this to her friends, she always felt a mix of pride and reluctance.
After her parents returned, Yu Xi resumed her routine of self-defense and physical training, painting to earn money, and stocking up on takeout food.
Because she had stored a lot of rice, oil, instant noodles, compressed biscuits, and vacuum-packed canned food during her time in the novice world , she was now focusing on fresh vegetables, various meats, fruits, milk, and eggs—foods that were not easy to store.
Of course, the term “shortage” was relative to her stored hard food because these fresh foods were rarely available in the last apocalyptic world. Since she consumed them daily, the difference was noticeable over time. In fact, she still had plenty of these fresh ingredients in her Star House storage.
After returning, she inventoried the leftover takeout and fresh ingredients in the Star House storage and started focusing on stocking these items.
Because she didn’t have to visit the supermarket daily or go to many places, she didn’t rent a car this time but borrowed her father’s five-year-old car after discussing it with him.
First, she found an excuse to put a one-way window tint on the car, then cleaned out the trunk and began her shopping spree.
Every three days or so, she would visit a different type of supermarket.
The first was a wholesale supermarket, where she mainly bought fruits and various domestic and foreign snacks and beverages.
She bought five boxes each of cherries, rose grapes, and passion fruits, four boxes of fresh durian, and packed them on-site.
She bought five tubs of family-sized original Snickers, five bags of family-sized black sugar oatmeal sandwich cookies, five boxes of family-sized chocolate-flavored rice cakes, five boxes of family-sized marble cakes, ten boxes of assorted flavors of Pocky sticks, five packs of scallion-flavored soda crackers, and five boxes of milk hazelnut wafer cookies.
She also bought two boxes of 100 small packs of mixed nuts, two boxes of 50 packs of small individually wrapped spicy gluten, five large bags of 32 packs of seaweed, five large bags of cumin-flavored beef jerky, five cans of one-kilogram mixed nuts chocolate, five boxes of 12 cans of walnut milk, five boxes of 30 small bottles of Coca-Cola, five boxes of 30 small bottles of Mirinda, five boxes of 30 cartons of room-temperature milk, and five boxes of 12 small cups of vanilla and chocolate ice cream.
Since all the items were in bulk, although the quantity was mostly five of each, it equaled ten times the amount from other supermarkets.
She tried to choose individually wrapped snacks, so it would be convenient to place them in her backpack or pocket after unboxing.
Later, she found that purified water was on sale, so she used her phone to order ten boxes of 5-liter, 8-bottle packages of purified water, ten boxes of 24 bottles of 550ml bottled water, and eight boxes of 200 pieces of 100-gram solid alcohol blocks from the supermarket app, with delivery to her home.
These large quantities of water were very heavy and could not be delivered at once, so she placed split orders.
During her time in Flower City, the rented apartment had unstable water, electricity, and gas, often stopping for several hours. Solid alcohol blocks, combined with a windproof alcohol stove and a flameless cooking pot, were life-saving.
A 100-gram solid alcohol block could burn for about 50 minutes. With a daily consumption of four blocks, one box could last for 50 days. With eight and a half boxes left in the Star House storage, it could last for about 475 days, which was sufficient for now.
Of course, she could also buy fruit and snacks online using apps, but it wasn’t as fun as pushing a shopping cart in a physical store, wandering between two to three-meter-high shelves, and picking out snacks. The only downside was that the shopping cart wasn’t big enough, so she had to fill it up, check out, load the car in the garage, and then return to the store entrance.
Two days later, she went to another supermarket famous for selling various delicious cooked foods, fresh meats, seafood, unique desserts, and pastries. This supermarket was not far from her apartment, located in the basement of a newly opened shopping mall.
This supermarket was renowned for its fresh foods, offering many items not available in other supermarkets. For example, beef was categorized into barbecue beef and hotpot beef, further subdivided by the specific part of the cow.
For hotpot beef, the cuts included: chuck roll, chuck tender, brisket, and short plate. The beef was also graded by marbling, from M1 to M9, with higher numbers indicating better quality and higher prices. M9 and above were not available here, so she usually bought M4, occasionally splurging on M9.
For barbecue beef, the cuts included: marbled, short ribs, ribeye, tenderloin, thick-cut tongue, and fatty beef slices. Different cuts had different tastes and satisfaction levels, mainly depending on personal preference. She preferred ribeye, marbled, short ribs, and tongue for barbecue.
At this supermarket, she filled a cart with various boxed hotpot beef, barbecue beef, whole cuts of beef, lamb rolls, lamb spine, lamb ribs, chicken wings, drumsticks, boxed eggs, sausages, and bacon.
Next, she moved on to fresh seafood. This supermarket combined a seafood market with a processing section, allowing customers to buy seafood and have it prepared for a small fee.
She could cook simple dishes herself, such as steamed fish, soy sauce shrimp, spicy crab, salt and pepper mantis shrimp, stir-fried clams, and garlic steamed scallops and oysters. However, some dishes requiring special techniques were better left to professional chefs, such as typhoon shelter crab, XO sauce squid, seafood stew, spicy crayfish, and baked cheese lobster.
Yu Xi selected and specified the cooking methods for the seafood requiring special preparation, then continued to shop while the kitchen prepared and packed the dishes.
Since she was there, she also bought various ready-to-eat foods, sashimi, desserts, pastries, and fresh dairy products. Many of the ready-to-eat items were produced in-house, known for their freshness, delicious taste, and reasonable prices.
Her favorite was the yellow rice cake, sweet, sticky, and cool, so she bought twenty boxes, clearing the shelf. She also got five boxes each of fresh mochi, mochi cheese sticks, and custard puffs, telling herself this was just the second supermarket and she still had many more to visit.
Finally, she bought many semi-prepared dishes with all the ingredients and seasonings included. These semi-prepared meals could only be stored for one or two days, making them less convenient than frozen meats for most people. But with the Star House storage’s permanent preservation feature, she didn’t have to worry about the shelf life.
As for vegetables, seasonings, common meats, and fruits, she planned to buy them at a wholesale market, where they were fresh, abundant, and cheap.
The third supermarket she visited specialized in household items and kitchenware. Although small, it offered many creative household items not available elsewhere.
For example, solar-powered adhesive lights that didn’t require electricity or batteries could stick anywhere on walls or ceilings. Another item was a high-capacity power bank that could charge a phone over ten times after a full charge. She also found hand-crank flashlights, which solved the battery problem entirely, as long as the user had the strength to turn the crank.
She also came across a multi-functional survival kit that included N95 masks, a multi-tool knife, a collapsible water bottle, a compass, a whistle, a lighter, durable candles, a rubber raincoat, a small first-aid kit (with common medicines like for colds, fevers, diarrhea, antibiotics, band-aids, bandages, iodine, etc.), a groundsheet, ropes, and a flashlight.
The backpack itself was waterproof, spacious, and very sturdy, making it useful for carrying other items as well. She bought three sets, leaving one in the Star House storage and giving the other two to her parents, packed with five days’ worth of compressed biscuits and chocolate. She explained the use of each tool and had them place the bags where they could easily grab them in an emergency.
Having just experienced an earthquake, Yu Feng and Fan Qi didn’t think she was wasting money and seriously familiarized themselves with the function of each item.
Next, Yu Xi remembered the issue of fuel. Based on her previous experience, she decided to add fuel to her stockpile. She found a gas station that sold portable fuel tanks and bought six 30-liter tanks of gasoline while refueling her father’s car.
These 180 liters of gasoline could fully refuel the car three times, enough to cover over 2,000 kilometers under normal conditions.
…
“System, you know, for the organic female life forms on G Blue Star, shopping and stockpiling at the supermarket is probably the most enjoyable part of the apocalypse mission—except for the high cost, which is the only downside. So, next time, pick a simpler task with more star coins, okay? With more star coins, I’d be more willing to exchange them for our currency, and that would allow me to buy even more. This would make me more enthusiastic about apocalypse missions.”
【……】
She continued to stockpile takeout twice a day for breakfast and dinner, but the portions were reduced from ten servings each time to four servings each time. This was because she had a full month to prepare this time and wouldn’t know the type of the next apocalypse world until the last day. She had no clue about the next mission. If the next apocalypse world hadn’t experienced a disaster or if her identity had savings, she could continue to stockpile various food and supplies in the apocalypse world.
Additionally, she spent time in the Star House storage researching the currently available star tools in the Star House Mall. Among the dozen or so technological tools (the fantasy ones were too expensive and temporarily excluded), most had names that sounded strange, like the 【Translation Gum】 and 【Disguise Lipstick】.
For example, 【Dizzying Powder】: apply the powder to a target (or yourself) to induce a sense of vertigo and dizziness lasting one hour.
“This is pretty useless. If I have time to apply powder to someone, I’d be better off using a stun baton to knock them out!” Yu Xi commented while browsing. “Why do all these products have names associated with female items? Was the person who designed these things a pervert?”
【……】
And that 【Translation Gum】, which seemed like an invincible tool, turned out to only work in front of a single target. If there were two people from different countries in front of her, no matter how she spoke, it would come out in her native language, and neither would understand.
No wonder these things were cheap, mostly priced at 2 to 3 star coins. 【High-Temperature Perfume】 was a bit more expensive at 6 star coins.
“There’s also this 【Powerful Anti-Glycation Pill】. Does it make you prettier if you take it—” Yu Xi’s voice trailed off as she read the description.
【Powerful Anti-Glycation Pill: single-use item, enhances overall physical attributes by 50% (permanent), enhancements can be brought into the apocalypse world. Price: 20 star coins. Limit: 5】
“What does enhancing physical attributes by 50% mean?”
【Strength, stamina, endurance, speed, vision, hearing, recovery, jumping ability, and all other abilities you possess will be increased by 50% based on your current level.】
Yu Xi: ……!!
Oh my, isn’t this the miraculous elixir humans have always dreamed of!?
20 star coins were a bit pricey, but the enhancement was permanent. For example, if she currently needed 11 to 12 seconds to run 100 meters, taking this 【Powerful Anti-Glycation Pill】 would allow her to reduce that to 7 to 8 seconds, faster than the world champion!
Not to mention the increase in stamina and endurance would also boost her speed, and if her vision and hearing were enhanced by 50%, she would become like a human with superpowers!
“Can this 【Powerful Anti-Glycation Pill】 be used multiple times?”
【Yes, each use enhances 50% based on the host’s current level. The limit is five times.】
So the effect increases more dramatically each time. For example, if her current stamina is set at 100 units, the first use would increase it by 50%, making it 150 units. The second use would be based on 150 units, adding another 75 units, making it 225 units.
The effect is unimaginable. Even with the limit, after using it five times, she would become a “superhuman”!
Yu Xi didn’t hesitate and immediately spent 20 star coins to buy the 【Powerful Anti-Glycation Pill】. Then, she noticed another star tool called 【Air Hair Dryer】. The name alone didn’t pique her interest, but the description did.
【Air Hair Dryer: pink handheld model, one charger can fire 100 air bullets. Fingerprint lock and laser sight included. Price: 8 star coins. Effective only in the apocalypse world.】
Yu Xi: ……!!!
Ahhhhh! Buy buy buy!!!
“I don’t understand, why does such an almost infinite ammo, auto-aiming artifact only cost 8 star coins?”
【This is a relatively common technological product. As long as the technology is there, it can be mass-produced. Powerful Anti-Glycation Pills are similar to genetic drugs, with a much more complex manufacturing process.】
“So in your world, is technology the least valuable thing?”
【Host’s question is out of range.】
Yu Xi chuckled softly and stopped wasting time asking questions. She raised her hand and clicked to purchase the 【Air Hair Dryer】.
The 【Air Hair Dryer】 was about 10cm long with an 8cm handle, very small and delicate. She first registered her fingerprint, making it usable only by her. The usage was straightforward: fingerprint unlock, aim at the target (a laser point appears), and press the button with her index finger.
She set up a soda can in the kitchen to test it, but the Star House system stopped her.
【It is not recommended to use in confined spaces.】
Yu Xi: ……
Remembering the effect of the 【High-Temperature Perfume】, she decided not to proceed.
The 【Air Hair Dryer】 required a charger to function. The charger was sold separately for 8 star coins, but buying the hair dryer included one fully charged, giving her 100 air bullets. Once these were used up, she would need to buy another charger.
“Can’t I recharge it myself?” she asked, already feeling the pain of spending more star coins.
【None of the worlds the host has encountered so far have a source to recharge the charger.】
Yu Xi pondered this and figured it meant that while the worlds she had encountered so far didn’t have the capability, future ones might. For example, the world from which the Star House system originated.
So she boldly speculated, “The Star House doesn’t belong to this world’s technology. Does it have a charging source inside?”
This time, the Star House system didn’t evade her question and gave a definite answer.
【Once the Star House is upgraded, it can recharge.】
“It takes completing three apocalypse missions to upgrade the Star House. I guess this is your way of encouraging hosts to complete tasks.” Yu Xi understood.
In summary, after upgrading the Star House, many functions currently unavailable would be unlocked. Asking more questions now would be pointless; it was better to focus on stockpiling and preparing for the next mission.
With the 【Air Hair Dryer】 in hand, Yu Xi spent some time getting a membership at a shooting club, practicing three times a week. Even with the laser sight, it never hurt to improve her aim.
The month passed quickly. Compared to last time, her physical fitness had significantly improved thanks to the 【Powerful Anti-Glycation Pill】 and her various physical and combat training.
If she used to be confident handling two normal adult males barehanded, she could now handle four to five simultaneously.
In her Star House storage, there were now six more aluminum shelving units like the last ones, each 2 meters high, 1 meter wide, and 30 centimeters deep, suspended neatly above the previous shelves. They held a wide variety of takeout food, drinks, milk tea, desserts, bread, cold snacks, fresh vegetables, river and sea seafood, meats, eggs, fruits, semi-prepared dishes, and various seasonings, as well as pots, pans, and personal hygiene products.
In short, all non-boxed items were here, organized to perfection—a visual feast for anyone with OCD.
The rubber boat she bought in the last world was also deflated and stored with other tools on the shelves.
On November 6th at midnight, she appeared in the Star House to receive the world information.
【Second Apocalypse World:
Difficulty: Medium-Low.
World Type: Bio-Apocalypse, Type: Zombies (Primary).
World Identity: High School Senior.
World Tasks: 1. Escape from the school and safely reach home (Reward: 20 star coins), 2. Rescue your in-world parents and bring them safely to Shelter 28 (Reward: 80 star coins).
Task Failure: Death.】
Yu Xi: ……
So, it has finally come. Fortunately, this was the second task, and the system had unlocked the mall. The 【Powerful Anti-Glycation Pill】 and 【Air Hair Dryer】 gave her some sense of security.
For the last twenty-four hours, she stayed home watching zombie movies and TV shows, from “Resident Evil” to “Dawn of the Dead,” from “World War Z” to “Train to Busan,” from “The Walking Dead” to “Kingdom,” and even rewatched a few classic scenes from “Sweet Home”…
She let her eyes and ears fully adapt to their appearance and sounds.
At midnight, she entered the Star House five minutes early to start world traversal.
When Yu Xi regained consciousness, she found herself in a classroom. Around her, there were occasional whispers, both male and female, but mostly the sound of pens on paper.
She looked around and saw that most of the students were working on their exercises, though some, like her, were resting on their desks. This seemed to be a self-study class. She was seated near the window, in the fourth row from the front. Turning her head to the right, she could see the playground and other buildings outside.
The air was stuffy, and the constant sound of cicadas came from outside. It must be a summer afternoon, with the sky overcast, hinting at an impending rainstorm.
This time, no one called her name. Yu Xi lay back on the desk, processing the new world settings in her mind.