Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 207

Yu Xi’s 20-square-meter studio was bustling with people today.
Xing Min, living nearby, arrived first. After Yu Xi asked Yinyin to inform her parents, Xing Min had come directly over. While waiting for the others, Yu Xi began stuffing her small single-door refrigerator with supplies.
Most of the meat in her storage was frozen, so she quickly defrosted it, removed the packaging, and neatly arranged it on plates.
With Xi Yuan and Jian Shou definitely coming, along with Yinyin’s family of three, there were already seven people. If Hei Mu and Yan Shang joined, as Xi Yuan had gone to ask them, that would make nine. She needed to prepare plenty of food.
She took out two portions each of M12 ribeye, chuck, and short ribs—1,000 grams per portion, totaling 12 pounds—enough for everyone.
Three packs of lamb chops, two packs of lamb skewers, two packs of sliced pork belly, and three packs of chicken wings were added. Since seafood was scarce within the fortress, she didn’t bring any.
She also gathered vegetables suitable for grilling: eggplant, zucchini, king oyster mushrooms, potatoes, and shiitake mushrooms. She added some leeks and enoki mushrooms, lettuce, and garlic to pair with the pork belly. Various barbecue sauces and seasonings were a must.
The meat went into the fridge, while the vegetables were placed in the sink for later preparation. Just as everything was in place, the others started arriving.
Yinyin’s family came first, with Yinyin clearly eager. After explaining the situation at home, she dragged her parents along with their food and drinks.
Yinyin’s mother, worried that the vegetable rice she’d prepared wouldn’t be enough for nine people, brought a pot, rice, vegetables, and meat to cook more. However, she was stunned by the sheer amount of meat and dishes Yu Xi had prepared. The vegetable rice was no longer needed; even the original portion might not be finished. She took the initiative to help wash and slice vegetables.
Yinyin’s father, under Xing Min’s direction, assembled a portable camping table and chairs. When Xi Yuan arrived, he brought a generous amount of fruit—apples and oranges, commonly grown within the fortress.
Yu Xi glanced at the quantity and immediately knew he’d spent a lot of work hours, likely pooling the purchase allowances of others.
“Both Hei Mu and Yan Shang are coming,” Xi Yuan ed. “Yan Shang has finished work and is on the way, meeting Jian Shou at the supermarket to buy alcohol and drinks. Hei Mu will be a bit late—he’s finishing up some dinner prep but asked us to save room since he’s bringing cake and desserts.”
“Got it.” Yu Xi was setting up snacks on another table when she noticed Xi Yuan watching her. She handed him a bag of chocolate chips and motioned toward Yinyin. “She wants to play chess. I’m busy for now—go keep her company.”
To Yu Xi, Xi Yuan and Yinyin were practically the same age. After all, if you measured time since their “birth,” Yinyin was older by a few years.
Xi Yuan: …
Reluctantly, he took the chocolate chips and walked toward Yinyin, who was sitting in the corner. He kept looking back at Yu Xi with every step, but she was busy chatting with Xing Min, paying him no attention.
Unwilling but obedient, he sat by the wall and decided to “entertain the child” as instructed.
Perhaps his distracted expression was too obvious—after all, few would bother hiding their emotions in front of a child. On his third glance back at Yu Xi, a soft, childish voice floated into his ears.
“I’d advise you not to overthink it. The fact that she asked you to keep me company means she sees you and me as equals.”
“…” Xi Yuan turned to meet Yinyin’s dark, unblinking eyes.
She tilted her head slightly. “Give it up. Yu Xi will never like you.”
Xi Yuan: …
Half an hour later, Jian Shou and Yan Shang arrived, carrying boxes of alcohol and drinks. It was Lunar New Year’s Eve, and nearly everyone with leftover work hours on their wristbands had made a trip to the supermarket.
No matter how the world had changed, they were still alive. Even though their families might not be complete like before, gathering with those who remained to share a New Year’s Eve dinner was still a blessing.
For now, they set aside their pain and worries. Perhaps, when the old year passed, the disasters would leave with it. Tomorrow, a new year would bring a fresh start.
They prayed this fractured planet would hold on. Amid the chaos, wars, and countless deaths, humanity’s perseverance remained unyielding. They hoped tomorrow would bring change.
When the second round of grilled meat disappeared in seconds, Hei Mu finally arrived. He brought several large boxes of cake and desserts, all handmade, adding a touch of sweetness and warmth to the dinner.
The nine of them sat around the low camping table, sharing food and laughter. Without discussing the disasters outside, they focused on happy memories, delicious food, and lighthearted stories.
While flipping lamb skewers on the grill, Xi Yuan glanced at Yu Xi and Hei Mu chatting with Yan Shang and Jian Shou.
This was the first meal the five of them had shared together in a long time. Xi Yuan silently hoped that by next year’s Lunar New Year, everyone would still be here. Even if Hei Mu and the others no longer had a subordinate relationship with Yu Xi, he wished they could live close by, face the challenges of the world together, and, most importantly, survive.
After the dinner ended, while the others cleaned up, Yu Xi went next door to Xing Min’s room and called Jian Shou, Hei Mu, and Yan Shang over to discuss the “damage immunity device.”
In her view, as the seven disasters unfolded, each subsequent one would only become harder to handle. She had already discussed with Xing Min that if the situation on the surface became untenable, they could use the high-altitude airships and ascend to the sky, avoiding the chaos below while completing their remaining tasks in a confined space.
This strategy would mitigate many man-made disasters. The airship, designed to hold 12 people, was compact yet sturdy. Even if its exterior, air filtration, and defense systems were destroyed, Yu Xi’s ice shield or Xing Min’s energy barrier could still protect it.
The most critical point, however, was that the fortress they currently resided in was designed to disassemble and ascend into the sky.
During the initial design, each cylindrical structure was built as an independent, airborne module. Although technical, fuel, weight-bearing, and connectivity issues between these structures remained unresolved, simulated flight tests had been successful. Actual flight tests were expected to take place after the New Year.
If the fortress successfully transitioned from ground to air, the airships could dock outside, creating a self-contained, fully independent space with a fallback option.
To ensure a smooth transition, many preparations had to be made in advance, including the arrangements for the four Subordinates.
Activating the “damage immunity device” and signing the official freeman agreement were essential. With humanity’s numbers dwindling and many Subordinates rebelling, the authorities’ stance toward Subordinates had shifted.
Each Subordinate had unique abilities, and those with technical or combat skills were in high demand. This shift in attitude was evident in the resolution of the incident involving the disgruntled parent. After investigations cleared Xi Yuan, the parent faced significant penalties: their wristband rank plummeted, and the couple was downgraded from a private double room to a crowded dormitory with forty occupants.
The authorities considered the altercation itself minor, but any attempt to incite conflict between Naturals and Subordinates warranted severe punishment. Their daughter remained in her original residence, but the family was forcibly separated, and her future became uncertain—all due to her parents’ actions.
This change in official policy prompted Yu Xi to revisit the topic of the freeman agreement.
Hei Mu remained silent for a long time. Yu Xi didn’t rush him, patiently waiting after posing the question.
Finally, he spoke slowly, “Will she come back?”
It was a startling question, but not entirely unexpected. Yu Xi had long suspected Hei Mu, the one who had been with “her” the longest, had already sensed something was amiss.
“She will—after I’ve done what I need to do and leave.”
“Thank you. In that case, there’s no need to dissolve the bond. I’ll wait for her return.”
Yu Xi met his steady, determined gaze, seeing for the first time the tenacity beneath his polite and reserved exterior. “Don’t worry. She will return, just as before, but stronger.”
“Just as before” referred to the body’s mechanical consciousness, unaffected by her presence.
“Stronger” meant that apart from her personal abilities and the resources within her space, all her skills would be inherited by this body.
Jian Shou was straightforward. After her question, he looked at her and stated, “You’re not her.”
It was a statement, not a question.
Yu Xi didn’t deny it. “You’re right, I’m not her. But she is a part of me. And don’t worry, she’ll return, stronger than ever.”
He sighed, as though releasing a long-held doubt. “It doesn’t matter. It’s all the same to me. My abilities can no longer be of much use to you. Please dissolve the bond. After the New Year, the military will start recruiting Subordinates. I want to go somewhere I’m better suited and contribute to this planet.”
“Understood.”
Yan Shang was the quietest of them all, still avoiding direct eye contact with her.
Yu Xi’s memory was too sharp. Even memories belonging to this body’s mechanical consciousness surfaced when triggered by certain people. Among the four Subordinates, Yan Shang was the only one who had a personal connection with this body—something that made Yu Xi instinctively avoid him.
It was just… too awkward.
After a long silence, Yan Shang finally spoke. “Have you asked Xi Yuan this question?”
Yu Xi: ?
“I know you haven’t asked him. I also know why you’re asking about dissolving the subordinate relationship…”
It was almost laughable. When he realized his feelings for her, he simultaneously became aware of something else. That awareness brought a deep, hopeless inferiority.
He understood why she distanced herself from him. Among the four of them, he was the one she would never love.
In recent days, he avoided her, not wanting to face a question like the one she posed today.
“If this is your wish, and if it will make things easier for you, I’m willing to dissolve the subordinate relationship.”
“…” Yu Xi rubbed her forehead, reminding him, “She will come back. She’ll be stronger than before and exactly the same as she once was.”
“That means nothing to me…” Yan Shang finally met her gaze, his face bearing a near-tragic smile. “Thank you. I’m willing to dissolve the subordinate relationship.”
Yu Xi looked at him, wanting to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
Three out of the four Subordinates had figured it out.
When Yu Xi returned to her room, she pulled Xi Yuan aside as he was tidying up and lowered her voice. “Do you know, too?”
“Know what?”
“You really don’t know?”
“What are you talking about, Yu Xi? Are you playing riddles with me?” He tilted his head curiously, scrutinizing her.
“Never mind…” She realized she shouldn’t expect too much from a teenager with a penchant for dramatics.
On the first day after the New Year, Yu Xi took Jian Shou and Yan Shang to retrieve their “damage immunity devices” and sign their freeman agreements.
From that day forward, the two of them became freemen, enjoying full independence and equal status with Naturals.
The aftermath of the global volcanic eruptions grew increasingly severe.
Volcanic ash spread across the atmosphere, creating a massive barrier that separated the ground from the sky. Temperatures continued to drop, acid rain fell, and earthquakes became frequent. The Earth’s crust was disturbingly unstable, and the fortress’s residents felt tremors almost daily, as if some unknown beast was stirring beneath their feet.
The beast still slumbered, but if it woke, it would unleash catastrophic disaster.
The fortress’s airborne test was conducted three times: two failures and one success.
Every day, waves of refugees arrived at the fortress—by plane, high-altitude airship, hover vehicles, jeeps, armored cars, or even on foot, wearing protective suits. They endured unimaginable hardships to reach what was considered a haven for humanity.
The situation outside had deteriorated to the point where resources were nearly nonexistent. Only large-scale shelters with self-sustaining ecosystems, capable of producing food, water, and protective materials, could survive. Smaller shelters, even those that escaped the volcanic eruptions, ultimately succumbed to extinction.
As the fortress’s population swelled, resources inside grew strained.
Xing Min had already given up his adjacent room to live with Yu Xi, but they were still among the best-accommodated residents in the fortress.
Jian Shou, the other Subordinates, and Yinyin’s family initially gave up one of their three double rooms, with Jian Shou moving in with Hei Mu and Yan Shang. Xi Yuan moved in with Yinyin’s family.
Later, they surrendered another room. Yinyin and Xi Yuan moved in with Yu Xi, while Yinyin’s parents shared a room with Jian Shou, Hei Mu, and Yan Shang.
The fortress, once a beacon of security, now had growing gray and black markets. For scarce resources, any transaction could take place, and any accident could happen.
Yu Xi understood it was almost time for them to temporarily leave the fortress and operate on their own.