Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 234

Their footsteps pressed against the ground, producing faint, creaking sounds.
The floor was littered with shattered glass. Every window and glass wall in the area seemed to have been deliberately destroyed, and even reflective surfaces had been covered in various ways. But despite these efforts, the eerie presence in this place could not be suppressed.
As they moved forward, it felt as if something in the darkness had been stirred awake.
Soft, rustling noises echoed around them, like unseen creatures crawling past in the shadows. Though no one was visible, an overwhelming sensation of being watched sent chills down their spines. Now and then, faint breaths floated through the air, tinged with unsettling laughter—both male and female.
The whispers seemed to be right next to their ears, but each time they turned around, there was nothing behind them.
Yu Xi and Lin Wu quickly realized that the sounds were coming from the fragments of broken glass scattered across the ground. Unlike the subway incident where shattered glass suppressed the “Mirror World,” the destruction here had the opposite effect—something had broken free from inside.
Perhaps someone had attempted to stop the eerie phenomenon in the laboratory by breaking the mirrors, but instead, the amplified sounds of destruction triggered an uncontrollable disaster. Chaos erupted, people turned on each other in frenzied violence—until there was no one left alive.
In one of the larger laboratories, Yu Xi found a stack of burnt papers inside a safe.
It was a researcher’s journal, recording their experiments in finding a way to enter a parallel world.
But in the end, the experiment failed—no, it completely spiraled out of control. Instead of accessing a parallel dimension as they had imagined, they had unknowingly opened a door to something else.
It started with researchers pouring corrosive chemicals on their own hands and faces during experiments.
Then, one night, someone vanished into thin air inside the lab. Two days later, their bloated corpse was discovered submerged in a chemical solution tank.
At night, staff members felt as if they were being watched. Their reflections in the mirrors began to lag behind their movements, freeze unnaturally, or even display different expressions.
One person lost control. Then another. More and more succumbed to madness. Eventually, they realized the truth—their mirrors were not mere reflections.
They had brought the “Mirror World” into reality.
This world defied logic, filled with darkness and a sinister force. They had unleashed it, but now, they had no way to close the door.
No one knew why this had happened. The executives in charge of the project covered everything up, cutting off all communication between the research team and the outside world.
They were trapped inside.
The researcher who wrote the journal ed experiencing unexplained blackouts each day, losing several hours of memory at a time. Reviewing the security footage, he was horrified to find that during those missing hours, he was fully conscious—moving, acting—yet he was not in control of his own body.
Something else was.
—They want to come out… completely emerge from that world…
—In the end, we will all become them…
The final entries in the journal were scribbled in a chaotic mess. The researcher had likely realized what was coming. He had tried to document everything, but whenever he lost consciousness, the entity controlling his body attempted to burn the journal.
Luckily, he had regained control just in time to salvage part of it.
Knowing he wouldn’t last much longer, he decided to lock the remaining journal pages in the safe before ending his own life.
No one knew the password to his safe. No one even knew he had hidden a journal inside.
He had hoped that one day, when the company’s higher-ups came to clean up the mess, they would find his records. No matter how grim the situation was by then, at least some information would be preserved—a small attempt to atone for their sins.
But clearly, after his death, no one had come to clean up the lab.
Instead, the situation inside spiraled into total chaos. Bloodstains marked the facility, the surviving researchers descended into madness, and eventually, this place was abandoned—completely erased from existence.
Perhaps someone had believed that sealing off this place would also seal away the truth about the “Mirror World.”
But in the end, the “Mirror World” still spread, slowly consuming Wu Kong City.
Congratulations. You have discovered the origin of the “Mirror World.”
Hidden reward unlocked: “Easter Egg” function activated.
Easter Egg (Activated): Fragment Collection Rate (0%)
Yu Xi stared at her phone screen, frowning. After all their effort, the hidden reward she received was something called “Easter Egg Activation”? And she still had to collect these so-called fragments herself?
Even worse, she had no idea what these fragments even looked like.
Would it have killed the system to give her a hint? How was she supposed to collect something she didn’t even know existed?
Meanwhile, Lin Wu was far luckier this time. His hidden reward was the addition of a new skill—Spatial Storage.
Although the space was only ten cubic meters, it was a permanent skill, meaning he could use it at any other station.
Both of them had also received “Mirror World” Immunity as a reward.
Even though their surroundings were terrifying, the eerie environment could no longer affect them in any meaningful way.
But they would not act rashly. Burning down the laboratory entirely would be easy, but whether that would hinder the “Mirror World” or accelerate its spread, they had no way of knowing.
After all, they weren’t experts in scientific research. Both agreed that it would be best to leave the situation to the authorities.
Yu Xi carefully placed the scorched pages into a document bag. After putting them away, she started taking photos of the surrounding lab with her phone. “In the end, how many disasters in this world are truly natural? More often than not, it’s humans who create them.”
Even at the very beginning of a crisis, there were always those who, driven by selfishness, would try to cover it up rather than solve it. They would suppress the truth at any cost, even human lives—until the disaster spun completely out of control.
She planned to keep copies of all the information they found. If the authorities failed to act, she would expose everything online. At the very least, people had the right to know what they were facing. More importantly, they needed to learn how to avoid triggering the “Mirror World.”
Only by reducing the frequency of its appearances could the situation be contained.
Before leaving, Yu Xi suddenly thought of something. “Could this place be the station location?”
“I was just thinking that too,” Lin Wu replied. “But if this is the station, the entry requirements are way too high. Ordinary travelers wouldn’t be able to get in.”
“Would there be only one station in the same world?”
“There are two. One for arrivals and one for departures. The arrival station generates random exit points, but the departure station has only one entrance. Of course, I’m not completely sure—that’s just based on the information I’ve gathered so far.”
“Then there’s a 90 percent chance this isn’t the station.” She met Lin Wu’s gaze.
They both understood each other’s thoughts. There was a 90 percent chance this wasn’t the station—but that also meant there was a 10 percent chance that it was.
Both of them considered whether to use one of their limited confirmation attempts to check this location. In the end, they decided to give it a try. The hidden lab was a highly significant site, making it worth the risk.
“I’ll do it. I have experience with confirmations,” Lin Wu said, leading Yu Xi to the center of the lab. He tapped “Confirm Station” on his phone, and a pop-up appeared: Please stand still. The scan will use the traveler as a central axis to detect nearby structures (…)
He explained to Yu Xi that to confirm whether a building was a hidden station, the system performed a scan centered around them. Normally, it could detect a station within a 50-meter radius.
If the scan found a station, it would lock onto its location. Upon leaving, the phone would guide them to the correct door or passage leading into the hidden station.
A few seconds later, the ellipsis in the pop-up was replaced with text: (No departure station detected. Remaining confirmation attempts: 1. Returning to the main screen in 5 seconds.)
So this wasn’t the hidden station after all.
Lin Wu put his phone away and said to Yu Xi, “Let’s go.”
The two retraced their path to the thirty-first floor. Their exploration was complete. Guard duty was optional at this point—they still had to find the station, so naturally, they intended to leave.
But before departing, both Yu Xi and Lin Wu were still curious about the “inside” the security guards had mentioned the night before.
After returning the riot gear to the unconscious guards in the storage room, they put on hats and masks to cover their faces. Then, they woke up one of the guards for questioning.
It happened to be the same guard from yesterday. Having been knocked out twice at the same post, he was already on edge. Lin Wu alternated between scaring him and coaxing him, and soon enough, the man spilled everything.
The “inside” wasn’t the hidden lab as they had suspected.
It referred to a group of special containment rooms within the lab area—used to house and restrain people who had succumbed to the madness of the “Mirror World.”
These individuals had been captured from various incident sites by “Nuo’Ai” in an attempt to study the phenomenon and find a solution. But they had become test subjects in the process. Sometimes, during experiments, they would suddenly turn violent and attack the staff, with the security personnel being the first to suffer.
The experiments were often dangerous. Even guards who had started off normal could be affected. If their emotions spiraled out of control, they would never be able to leave.
As a result, these labs constantly needed new security personnel. Most of the time, replacements were drawn from lower-floor guards, but occasionally, they would recruit from those guarding the outer experimental zones.
Of course, this wasn’t something openly discussed. But when you worked in the same place long enough, certain things became obvious.
The “Brother Ying” they had mentioned earlier? He had been sent into the inner labs. And he never came out.
Yu Xi recalled seeing job listings for security positions at Nuo’ai Corporation online. Now, she finally understood why they were constantly recruiting.
Before leaving, she casually asked, “So, are all of ‘Nuo’ai Corporation’s laboratories in this building?”
The guard hesitated before shaking his head. “No… not all of them.”
An hour later, under the cover of night, Yu Xi and Lin Wu followed a route Yu Xi had memorized, arriving at a different building.
During the subway incident a few days prior, she had trailed the so-called ambulance and police cars to this location. That night, she had followed a bus from here to Nuo’ai Corporation.
If this building also contained a Nuo’ai Corporation lab, then the hidden station of Wu Kong City might be located here.
Given that the departure station is unique, it couldn’t be placed near multiple “Mirror World” incident locations. Not everyone triggered the “Mirror World” in the same place.
From what they had observed so far, after multiple landmark buildings or surrounding areas triggered the “Mirror World,” the vehicles that took away affected patients and involved civilians would always end up here. Both she and Lin Wu had been led to this location in the past. This suggested that other travelers who followed the events at different landmark buildings might also trace the source back here—like tracking the origin of multiple converging rays, all pointing toward the same place.
She had initially assumed that this place was merely a transitional clue leading to the next location. But what if it wasn’t that complicated? What if this place was the answer itself? If that were the case, then even novice travelers—those who failed to escape in time and were brought here by the people from Nuo’ai—could still confirm the station from within.
With three confirmation attempts remaining, they decided to be more cautious this time.
According to Lin Wu, departure stations were always in a hidden state, and the 44-day limit applied only to the travelers who had arrived in this batch.
Each arrival station welcomed new travelers daily, and every day, those whose time limit had ended would enter the departure platform to leave.
“So we just need to observe for 24 hours to see if anyone goes in and never comes out—that should give us a rough idea of what’s going on.”
Yu Xi understood his logic. This area wasn’t exactly bustling with people. The building itself was only seven or eight stories high, not a residential complex. It housed a few struggling small businesses on the verge of shutting down.
To maintain secrecy, Nuo’ai personnel always traveled by car, using the underground parking entrances and exits, never revealing their faces.
If individuals entered the building alone or in small groups, acting cautiously, and were never seen leaving, then this place was worth investigating.
“Right.”
“Alright, let’s do it. I know a good place to monitor the area.” Yu Xi didn’t choose the second floor—too low, with too many blind spots. If they were looking for travelers, they wouldn’t expect them to waltz in through the front door. They needed a higher vantage point for full visibility.
On the seventh floor, Yu Xi found an ideal observation window. She set up two foldable camping chairs, a small folding table, positioned the binoculars carefully, and then, with a serious expression… took out an extra-large family meal bucket.
Lin Wu: …
“Work is work, but you can’t neglect your stomach.” She also brought out two cups of milk tea.
Lin Wu: …
They monitored the building from midnight until the following evening. Aside from the occasional Nuo’ai vehicles going in and out of the parking lot, they saw 15 people enter the building through the main and side entrances—none of whom ever came back out.
Yu Xi and Lin Wu had plenty of patience, so they continued watching until 3 or 4 a.m.
During these late hours, under the cover of darkness, nearly 30 more people hurriedly slipped into the building through the side and main entrances.
Yu Xi finished the last cashew nut from the snack bag, clapped her hands, and stood up. “Alright, let’s go.”
“I’ll handle this part.” Having watched Lin Wu operate the scanner once before, Yu Xi found an ideal center point for scanning while avoiding the security cameras.
A moment later, the pop-up on her phone displayed: Hidden departure station detected. Location recorded. Arrive at the departure station within one hour before the countdown ends and follow the phone’s guidance to enter.
With the hidden station found and both of them holding tickets, the next 30-plus days simply required them to survive in Wukong City.
Now that Lin Wu had a spatial inventory, and after hearing about his previous station experiences, Yu Xi felt deeply that they still didn’t have enough supplies.
So, with the help of “unlimited currency,” they booked stays at four different five-star hotels over the following month. Each hotel was chosen for its proximity to well-stocked shopping centers or large supermarkets.
Lin Wu reorganized his inventory, taking some frequently used items out of tightly packed storage boxes. He also stored his heavy-duty motorcycle in his inventory—since Yu Xi’s car was sufficient for transportation.
Following Yu Xi’s lead, he ordered meals from restaurants and packed plenty of fresh, ready-to-eat food into his storage space. Unlike Yu Xi, his body wasn’t as resilient, so he made sure to stock up on external wound treatments and medical supplies. He also purchased a full set of survival gear, mirroring Yu Xi’s choices.
Meanwhile, Yu Xi used Wu Kong City’s shopping app to locate extreme sports gear stores. She bought several small drones, high-altitude escape descent devices, wingsuits for midair gliding, and diving equipment with oxygen tanks.
All of this was preparation for extreme environmental conditions. She also had two bottles of sunscreen spray, but with only 16 uses between them, it was best to plan ahead.
She decided to dedicate all ten of her inventory slots to fuel storage. After testing to determine the maximum container size that could fit inside, she purchased ten identical fuel barrels and placed them in her inventory.
Next, they drove to the outskirts of the city, where the gas stations were less crowded. As before, she tried using her ability to transfer fuel directly into the containers within her inventory.
Since drawing too much fuel at once inside a gas station could attract attention, they visited multiple stations, accumulating small amounts each time. Eventually, they managed to fill all ten large fuel barrels and transferred them into the inventory.
Seven contained gasoline, three contained diesel.
Because only sealed containers could be stored in the inventory, she ensured all the barrels were properly sealed. However, fuel couldn’t be extracted directly from the inventory.
For Yu Xi, this wasn’t a problem. Whenever she needed to use the fuel, she would transfer the entire barrel to her spatial storage, where she could then extract the fuel as needed.
To make access easier, she also bought ten 50-liter portable fuel containers, filled them using the same method, and stored them in her space.
Additionally, she restocked her supply of ten half-cubic-meter water storage tanks, filling them with warm water before placing them in the inventory. Combined with the ones she already had, she now had a total of ten cubic meters of stored water.
Whenever they weren’t engaged in special operations, Yu Xi and Lin Wu would either dine at restaurants or order takeout. They continued stocking up on food supplies based on the remaining space in their inventories.
Coffee, milk tea, snacks, energy bars…
Various convenient sportswear, shoes, and daily hygiene items like disinfectant and hand sanitizer…
While passing by a creative home goods store, Yu Xi even bought two foldable laundry buckets and two portable toilets. These didn’t take up much space and weren’t likely to be used often, but they were for emergencies.
Lin Wu: …
He would rather stockpile more clothes. As for the toilet… he was a man and had experience setting up makeshift outdoor facilities.
With five days remaining, both Yu Xi and Lin Wu received the same message.
Current station “Wu Kong City” has been upgraded from C-level to B-level.
Remaining time: 4 hours, 14 minutes, and 23 seconds.
The two left their temporary hotel, got into the Jeep, and drove to the departure station.
In recent days, information, photos, and videos about the “Mirror World,” Nuo’ai Corporation’s hidden laboratory, and the internal experiments had stirred up a storm online.
The leaks weren’t just from them—many other travelers had contributed as well.
Wu Kong City, which had once appeared relatively peaceful, had now entered a state of chaotic disorder.
With the breakdown of order, Yu Xi and Lin Wu suddenly realized that revealing the truth of the disaster was a double-edged sword.
Many people now understood the key factors that triggered the “Mirror World” and became more cautious, trying to avoid their simultaneous occurrence.
However, extreme groups went on a rampage, smashing mirrors, glass, and reflective surfaces throughout the city.
Supermarkets were packed with long queues as civilians desperately hoarded food and water.
Many were on the verge of a mental breakdown, leading to several large-scale “Mirror World” attack incidents.
But some people managed to suppress their emotions, stocked up on supplies for their families, and locked themselves indoors.
For many travelers who had just arrived in Wu Kong City, those without “unlimited currency” found it easier than before to gather resources.
Veteran travelers acted frequently. Since most didn’t have spatial storage, they spent their remaining days indulging in food, drinks, and entertainment before their time ran out.
For Yu Xi and Lin Wu, the biggest advantage was the opportunity to acquire some firearms amid the chaos.
They managed to obtain several handguns, tear gas grenades, hand grenades, bullets, crossbows, and electric batons—though, within the city, these were about the best weapons they could get their hands on.
They set out for their destination three hours early, even though it was only a 20-minute drive away. This was to avoid any unexpected delays caused by city unrest.
The roads were littered with trash and smashed vehicles. Every few blocks, they spotted official personnel in riot gear—at this point, the city was barely holding together through sheer force and firepower.
In just twenty minutes, they encountered two waves of rioters attempting to smash their car windows. But as soon as Yu Xi pulled out a handgun, the attackers quickly backed off.
After half an hour, they arrived at the street where the hidden station was located.
Yu Xi drove the car into a hidden corner of a nearby building. Both of them got out, carrying moderately sized backpacks. After locking the doors, Yu Xi instantly filled the Jeep’s interior with boxes of supplies before storing the entire Jeep, along with the supplies, inside her spatial inventory.
With the Jeep stored away, her space was now 90% full.
Yu Xi was very satisfied with her stockpile. She found an empty room in an abandoned building, pulled out two foldable camping chairs, and placed two hazelnut lattes on the table.
Lin Wu, meanwhile, set up a foldable camping table and took out two double-layer cheeseburgers and a box of fried chicken wings—prepping their last meal before departure.
Remaining time: 1 hour, 0 minutes, 0 seconds.
Both of their phones vibrated at the same time. A directional arrow appeared on the screen, guiding them.
They quickly packed up their things, put on masks, checked their weapons, and followed the arrow into the opposite building.
The first-floor rooms of the building were mostly vacant. They walked down the left hallway until they reached the far end, then turned a corner to arrive at a stairwell entrance.
As soon as they stepped into the stairwell, the surroundings suddenly changed. Yu Xi realized they were now inside the departure hall of the station.
Like the arrival hall, the station’s walls and ceiling were filthy and aged, and the dim lighting flickered eerily.
Lin Wu pulled out his crossbow and glanced at Yu Xi. “Ready?”
Yu Xi gripped the Tang sword that had appeared in her hand and nodded.
Without hesitation, the two quickly headed toward the boarding gate.
Endless Train Boarding Rules:
One person, one ticket.
After confirming the station, all travelers may enter the platform.
Those without a ticket cannot board.
(Note: Tickets can be stolen.)