Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 182

Yu Xi is a vice president of a large corporation at the age of thirty.
Compared to her body in her original world, this world’s version of “Yu Xi” is slightly taller, standing around 169 cm. While her own figure was already attractive, this “Yu Xi” boasts an even better physique—curvaceous, slender-waisted, and with long, straight legs, embodying a mature and elegant aura.
Her facial features, already exquisite, are even more alluring here: rosy lips, white teeth, long black curly hair, and a beauty mark beneath her eye. Even when silent, her gaze exudes an irresistible charm.
With such beauty and an exceptional intellect, Yu Xi has lived under the envious gazes of others her whole life. Graduating with top scores from a prestigious university and backed by her family’s strong financial background, she invested in and joined a company post-graduation. After the company went public, she became one of its vice presidents.
This position of power, coupled with her natural charm, attracted countless men vying for her attention. Initially, Yu Xi considered having a traditional relationship and marriage. However, given the societal norms of this world—where most men preferred submissive and obedient women—strong, high-ranking women like her weren’t typically seen as marriage material but as short-term companions.
Over time, Yu Xi abandoned the idea of traditional relationships and marriage.
But this is a fair world—women who desired capable and loyal partners weren’t left empty-handed.
These partners often came in the form of
“Subordinates”
—artificial beings created through genetic extraction and advanced biotechnology in laboratories.
The term “Subordinate” signifies servitude and subordination. They are a lower class than natural humans, with their gender, appearance, height, skin tone, and even voice fully customizable.
Characteristics
:
Subordinates are “born” at the equivalent of 18 years old.
They undergo six months of training before entering society.
Subordinates come in various types: nanny-type, worker-type, bodyguard-type, and companion-type.
For instance, nanny-type Subordinates are often plain-looking and slightly overweight, while companion-types are designed with the most attractive features and physiques.
Legal Rights and Restrictions
:
Subordinates possess limited rights; their only guaranteed right is the right to life. Killing a Subordinate is punishable by law.
Subordinates lack freedom and can be legally bought and sold. Upon purchase, they are implanted with a device to prevent them from physically harming their owner.
They cannot marry humans or reproduce, even though their anatomy allows for normal sexual interaction.
Subordinates age, get sick, and can receive medical treatment. If their owner wishes, they can even grant them freedom or a proper burial.
From Yu Xi’s perspective, Subordinates are akin to human pets—or perhaps even more tragic.
The creation of Subordinates ties closely to the world’s background. This planet is twice the size of Yu Xi’s original world, with vast territories and over two centuries of global peace.
As society grew increasingly comfortable, a curious phenomenon emerged: a decline in the desire to reproduce. Over time, humans experienced a sharp drop in fertility rates, leading to a dramatic population decrease.
Unable to resolve the fertility crisis, scientists sought alternative solutions, culminating in the birth of the first Subordinate 40 years ago.
Today, Subordinates are an integral part of human society, especially companion-types, which are highly sought after for their beauty, obedience, and loyalty. They make perfect partners without the expectation of mutual exclusivity.
While most commoners purchase second- or third-hand Subordinates due to affordability, brand-new ones fresh out of training are prohibitively expensive, making them a luxury for the elite.
The nations here have no clear borders. While technology is advanced, weapon manufacturing is underdeveloped. This shortfall becomes critical when the apocalypse arrives, as the world initially lacks the means to produce weapons capable of eliminating large-scale threats, plunging the entire planet into chaos.
Four months ago, apocalyptic visions began appearing in “Yu Xi’s” mind. However, these memories were fragmented, leading her to initially dismiss them as unusually vivid dreams. Over the following month, she encountered numerous moments of déjà vu, and the images from her “dream” persisted, refusing to fade from her memory.
It was only then that “Yu Xi” started realizing something was off. She began actively trying to piece together these fragmented memories, even consulting a psychologist to aid her recall. Eventually, she managed to restore about 70% of the visions.
In these recollections, “Yu Xi” saw the apocalypse unfold. She survived for over a month before succumbing to a newly emerged threat known as the “Red Lotus.” She vividly remembered her brutal death, even reliving the excruciating pain of her body being torn apart. While the psychologist dismissed it as a mere nightmare, “Yu Xi” quietly began preparing for the worst.
After all, she had the money. Even if these visions turned out to be baseless dreams, it would only cost her a bit of money.
Using her memories as a guide, she scouted safe locations, purchased land, and constructed a specially fortified survival villa while stockpiling vast quantities of essential supplies.
Two weeks ago, the survival villa was finally completed, and the supplies were in place. “Yu Xi” then began deliberating whom to bring into the villa.
Her mother had passed away early, and her father had succumbed to illness a few years prior. With no other family and no close friends due to her busy work schedule, she had recently ended a brief relationship with a natural human.
Understanding human unpredictability, “Yu Xi” decided to choose companions she could rely on. She opted for two companion-type Subordinates, one housekeeper-type Subordinate, and one bodyguard-type Subordinate, along with herself, making five occupants in total for the villa.
Though “Yu Xi” had only ever briefly dated natural humans, this was her first time considering companion-type Subordinates. With her wealth, status, and appearance, she decided to spare no expense. Rather than purchasing second-hand Subordinates, she ordered them brand-new from the factory.
In her memory, the first disaster of the apocalypse was set to occur three weeks later, leaving insufficient time for a custom-designed Subordinate. She filled out the order form, specifying her desired traits for the companion Subordinates, and personally interviewed each candidate.
“Yu Xi” was very particular, spending two weeks reviewing numerous Subordinates before finalizing her choices two days ago.
With everything set, she planned to indulge herself in the final days of peace, enjoying the decadence of this world.
One of the two companion-type Subordinates she selected was a tall, elegant young man named Yan Shang. Handsome and exuding a warm, refined aura, he had already caught her attention. Two nights ago, after spending the night with him, she brought him to a nearby club.
In this world, architectural styles were diverse. Her apartment was on the 18th floor of a high-rise, while the club was on the 8th floor. Taking him “out” was merely a pretense to continue their indulgence in a different setting.
Unfortunately, not long after arriving at the club, she mistakenly drank a spiked beverage in the private lounge of a corporate board director she knew. She had been semi-conscious and groggy ever since.
This room was her private suite, and the man kneeling before her was Yan Shang. From his appearance, it seemed he had been taking care of her during her two days and nights of semi-consciousness.
Yu Xi glanced at the open collar of his shirt and the faint red marks on his neck, then slowly pressed her hand to her temple.
It was evident that during those two days, she hadn’t been entirely unconscious. Judging by the dark circles under Yan Shang’s eyes, things must have been… eventful.
Pulling the blanket slightly aside, she noted the emptiness she felt.
Well, some things didn’t require deductive reasoning from his appearance. The vividness of certain memories confirmed enough.
The endurance and stamina of Subordinates were indeed remarkable. Yan Shang was her first companion-type Subordinate, so her lack of restraint was somewhat understandable.
Mechanically designed to act according to preset characteristics, she reminded herself not to be overly critical.
Still, she couldn’t help but wonder: Why did this have to happen now?!
“Yu Xi” had her fill of fun, but now she was left to clean up this mess, feeling utterly speechless.
Yan Shang, after not receiving any response for a while, finally looked up. Evidently, Yu Xi’s expression and behavior made him misunderstand. He leaned closer, placing his fingers gently on her temple to massage it.
“President Yu, is your head hurting? The staff at the club mentioned there might be some lingering aftereffects upon waking. How about we head back to rest?”
Yu Xi still didn’t respond. She had just arrived in this world and already felt like giving up.
She tried to recall the address of the survival villa “Yu Xi” had built. While she knew the location, the villa’s exact appearance remained shrouded in the fog of her fragmented memories.
This world had an explosive start, but it was clear that “Yu Xi’s” rebirth had brought her numerous advantages. All she needed to do now was visit the villa, inspect its structural integrity, inventory the stored supplies, and make additional preparations as necessary.
As Yu Xi mentally sorted through her memories, she scanned the room, trying to locate her clothes.
Suddenly, a deafening rumble came from outside the window.
The sound was like thunder striking a flat plain or perhaps the cracking of something solid. The accompanying crash of falling debris suggested it might be a building’s wall breaking apart.
Yu Xi’s heart sank. What was happening? Had the disaster arrived ahead of schedule?
She desperately searched her memory for any apocalyptic scenes. This advanced world truly lived up to its reputation, with catastrophes of incredible scale and destruction.
Unable to find her clothes, Yu Xi, frustrated and anxious, wrapped herself in a thin blanket and dashed toward the window.
“President Yu?” Yan Shang, puzzled, immediately followed her.
Yan Shang
Yu Xi yanked open the heavy blackout curtains, revealing a vast floor-to-ceiling glass window. From the vantage point of the eighth floor, the cityscape that had been veiled in the fog of her memories now lay entirely exposed before her.
It was daytime outside, and judging by the sun’s position, it was around 4 or 5 in the afternoon.
The dim, decadent atmosphere of the room, suited only for the night, dissipated as daylight flooded in. At the 11 o’clock direction from the building, a massive collapse had occurred.
The epicenter was a shopping mall, adjacent to a plaza and pedestrian street. She remembered that today was the weekend, and this time of day was when the area would be most crowded.
Office workers, after a busy week, would have arranged to meet friends or take their families out for a stroll, watch movies, and enjoy meals. What should have been a lively and cheerful scene was now a nightmarish place filled with screams and chaos.
The ground—had split open!
The once-smooth surface seemed to be wrenched apart, creating a massive fissure that stretched east to west and north to south with terrifying speed. It was as if the earth itself had opened a black maw to hell.
Buildings within the affected area toppled like toy blocks, collapsing into rubble. The walls of the structures were as fragile as biscuits, crumbling at the slightest force.
The people inside the collapsing buildings, barely comprehending what was happening, were swallowed by the gaping ground beneath them.
As they fell from several stories high, they were struck by falling debris, crushed, or squeezed into contorted shapes. Some were pierced through the chest by sharp objects, their struggles ceasing almost instantly.
The destruction churned up massive clouds of white and gray dust. Yet, the fissures in the ground showed no sign of stopping. Yu Xi could almost see something emerging from the depths of those cracks.
At that moment, the previously locked suite door was suddenly kicked open.
A tall, muscular man strode in, his black tailored suit accentuating his stern and commanding presence. His expression was grave and resolute.
“President Yu! There’s trouble nearby; we need to leave immediately!”
Yu Xi recognized his chiseled and strikingly cold face. This was Jian Shou, her bodyguard-type Subordinate, who had been by her side for nearly three years.