Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 247

Later, when Yu Xi thought back, she realized that the situation on Paradise Island began to change from that very night.
It was the first night of the waning moon.
The three of them stood in front of the now-empty villa, considering whether this was the work of other travelers.
If travelers were responsible, then it was just an isolated incident. But if it wasn’t, this disappearance could be part of the station’s event sequence—something that, if properly investigated, might trigger a task or provide a clue about the hidden station.
This time, they had only two attempts to locate the station, which meant it wouldn’t be easy to find. Luckily, being in a team gave them an advantage: with three members, they had a total of six confirmation attempts. If even one of those attempts was successful, all three of them could board the train together.
That was one of the few benefits of working as a team.
“I smell blood,” Yu Xi said suddenly.
Among the three of them, her sensory perception was the sharpest. Even so, she’d only just detected the faint metallic tang in the air.
“Where?”
“Inside the villa.” She handed each of them a mask. “Let’s check it out.”
All three of them had night vision, so the masks weren’t for concealment—they were to prevent anyone from identifying their faces.
The villa was at the end of the street, identical in layout to their own. Yu Xi led the way, following the barely perceptible scent of blood through the entryway and across the living room. She stopped when she reached the sliding door that opened onto the south-facing terrace.
The glass door was partially open, and in the corner of the terrace floor, a single bloody handprint stood out against the tiles.
Ya Tong pulled out her phone and snapped a photo.
Yu Xi’s eyes traced the faint trail of blood to the terrace railing. On the outer edge of the railing, near the bottom, she found two more smeared bloodstains.
She leaned over the railing. Below was a steep, four-story drop ending in a narrow strip of sand and then the open beach. There were no signs of disturbance on the sand—no footprints, no drag marks, nothing.
From the positioning of the bloodstains, it looked like the family of four had been attacked and then dragged over the terrace’s edge.
But Yu Xi remembered those boys. Both teenagers were tall and solidly built—too heavy to be subdued so quietly and removed so swiftly by an ordinary human.
And if it had been other travelers, why go to the trouble of hauling them away? Travelers only attacked locals for resources, not captives. They didn’t bother to clean up after themselves, let alone abduct people.
Which meant… this was likely an event tied to the station itself.
Lin Wu came back from searching the bedrooms. “Not travelers. All the valuables are untouched.”
That confirmed it.
With no more clues in the villa, the three of them went around the side, descending the slope to the base of the cliff. There, near a patch of tropical shrubs close to the sand, Yu Xi spotted another smear of blood.
The trail did lead downward. The bloody prints stopped just before the waterline.
The shoreline here was open and exposed, with no structures nearby for someone to hide behind.
Ya Tong stared out at the sea, frowning. “Could they have gone into the water?”
“If that’s the case, then we might be dealing with a non-human entity,” Yu Xi responded.
They combed the sand near the water’s edge, but the rising tide had washed away any trace of blood. The ocean’s natural saltiness masked any lingering scent.
As the sky grew pale with the coming dawn, they admitted defeat and returned to their villa.
Based on their past experiences, they knew that strange occurrences in a station rarely happened in isolation. If this was part of an event, there would likely be more disappearances.
The next day, they split up to gather more information.
Lin Wu and Ya Tong went out to check other residential areas along the cliffs and the water villas near the beach. Yu Xi stayed behind, keeping an eye on the neighboring villa and watching the news for anything unusual.
By mid-afternoon, they regrouped and shared their findings.
Ya Tong had visited the hotel district near Moonlight Bay on the west side. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary there.
Lin Wu had scouted every cliffside villa and water bungalow he could find. A few were empty, but there was no clear evidence that those residents had vanished under similar circumstances.
Yu Xi ed that the local news hadn’t mentioned anything suspicious. The villa next door had remained empty all day.
Frustrated by the lack of leads, they decided that the next day, all three of them would go out together to cover more ground.
But the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the sound of car engines and muted voices reached their ears.
The noise came from the neighboring villa.
Rounding the bend, they saw two black vehicles parked outside. Several individuals in protective suits were unloading equipment from the cars and heading into the villa. The gear looked like forensic tools for collecting evidence.
The morning sky was overcast and heavy, gray clouds pressing down on the island as though preparing to unleash a storm.
Near the cars, a few men in suits observed the scene in silence.
The entire group moved with methodical precision. They didn’t talk or gesture much, each person focused on their task.
Yu Xi noticed the slight shift in their expressions when they spotted the trio approaching. The suited men exchanged glances, clearly surprised that someone had appeared this early.
It made sense. The villa was at the end of a secluded road, and their arrival had been quiet—probably not expecting anyone to notice.
“Is something wrong?” Yu Xi asked, feigning curiosity and mild concern. With her youthful face and wide-eyed expression, she naturally gave off an impression of harmlessness.
“Nothing to worry about.”
The man who responded looked to be in his late twenties. His sharp features and cold gaze made him seem older. Without further explanation, he pulled out a badge.
“Police business. Please stay back.”
Police?
Native residents?
Was this part of a dialogue-triggered event?
Yu Xi didn’t press forward. She clutched the edges of her jacket, her expression shifting into a mix of confusion and unease.
“Officer, we’re tourists,” she said. “We don’t know what happened, but this is a little scary. If there’s been some sort of… incident, maybe we should find somewhere else to stay?”
The man gave Yu Xi a second, longer look before walking toward them. “You live next door?”
“Yes.”
“Did you hear anything unusual two nights ago?”
“What kind of noise?” Yu Xi blinked, eyes widening in mock innocence. Her lips parted slightly, her expression one of confusion and fear. “Officer, you’re scaring me… I get scared really easily…”
Lin Wu: …
Ya Tong shot Lin Wu a glance that said,
Just let her do her thing
.
The officer’s tense posture relaxed slightly. He pulled out his badge again and showed it to her more clearly. “Don’t worry. I’m Ron. It’s just routine questioning. If you or your friends know anything, just tell me. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Yu Xi nodded. “We’ve been here for a few days. We ran into the family who lived here once—they were curious about the hotpot we were having and asked where we bought the ingredients. We told them, but that was the only time we spoke. We didn’t hear anything weird that night. We were so tired from sightseeing that we went to bed early.”
She turned to look at Lin Wu and Ya Tong. “Did either of you hear anything?”
Lin Wu furrowed his brow as if thinking deeply before shaking his head.
“No, nothing.” Ya Tong’s face held genuine confusion. “What happened here? Did they leave or…?”
“Nothing I can share,” Ron said, tone crisp. “This won’t affect your safety. You can stay here without worry. If you do remember anything, though, call me.” He scribbled his number onto a scrap of paper, tore it from his notebook, and handed it to Yu Xi.
“Okay,” she replied, tucking the paper into her pocket. The trio turned and walked back to their villa.
“The people in the hazmat suits were collecting samples of the bloodstains,” Yu Xi said quietly once they were alone.
Ya Tong poured herself a glass of water. “So the police know what’s going on. They’re investigating in secret, which explains why there’s been no news coverage.”
“Yeah,” Lin Wu agreed. “Maybe other disappearances have happened elsewhere on the island, but the authorities are keeping it quiet.”
Yu Xi spread out the map across the dining table. Lin Wu circled the places he visited the day before; Ya Tong did the same. Most of the unchecked areas were in the northern and central parts of the island.
“We’ll split up tomorrow to cover more ground,” Ya Tong suggested. “If this is an event-related incident, more disappearances are bound to happen.”
Before heading to bed, she reminded them to watch for anyone tailing them. They had just spoken with the police; there was always a chance someone would decide to keep an eye on them.
The next morning, Yu Xi took the car and drove toward the Black Bora tribe’s village, the one that had been bothering her since their first visit. It was the farthest point from their villa, so Lin Wu and Ya Tong decided to walk into town and rent another car to explore the nearby districts.
Instead of following the coastal road, Yu Xi took the shorter inland route. This path cut through the island’s forested hills, requiring her to navigate narrow, twisting roads.
She remembered reading about these hills in the tourist brochure. There were waterfalls, natural pools, and cave systems hidden in the valleys below. Supposedly, one of the underground rivers here led directly to the sea.
Rain had been threatening all morning. Now, a crack of thunder split the sky, and fat raindrops began to hammer against the windshield. Yu Xi switched on the wipers and slowed her speed, eyes focused on the slick, winding road ahead.
Then she heard it.
A horn blaring from behind.
She glanced at the rearview mirror. A silver tour bus barreled toward her through the rain, headlights flashing. It was going far too fast.
Yu Xi’s pulse spiked. She slammed the accelerator and yanked the steering wheel to the right, swerving into the oncoming lane. The car’s tires skidded on the wet asphalt before finding traction against the gravelly surface near the mountain wall.
The bus roared past, its side mirror smashing against hers with a sharp crack. The impact jolted her car sideways, and sparks flew as the bumper scraped against the rock face.
The bus continued straight ahead, careening wildly along the narrow road.
Through the open window, she heard panicked voices:
“Stop! For God’s sake, stop!”
“Mommy, I’m scared!”
“Somebody call for help! Hurry!”
“There’s no signal! I already tried!”
“Why the hell won’t the brakes work?!”
The last voice came from the driver—a man’s voice, high-pitched and desperate.
“Shut up and pump the brakes harder, you idiot!” someone screamed.
“You think I’m not trying?! If I can’t slow this thing before the next curve, we’re all dead!”
The passengers erupted into terrified wails.
Yu Xi’s hands shook as she steadied the car. Her foot eased off the brake just long enough to follow the bus at a safer distance.
Ahead of them, the road curved sharply along the cliffside. There were no guardrails here—just a sheer drop beyond the bend.
The bus never slowed.
With a deafening screech of metal on asphalt, it hit the turn, skidded sideways, then launched off the edge.
Yu Xi’s heart stopped.
For a second, the massive vehicle seemed to float in the air.
Then gravity reclaimed it.
The bus plunged down the slope, bouncing and flipping as it crashed through brush and trees. After several sickening impacts, it disappeared into the thick forest below.
For a moment, she just stood there in the downpour.
Then her instincts kicked in. She ran back to her car and tried dialing the emergency services. No signal.
The rain crackled against the roof as she swore under her breath and tried again. Nothing.
Her other phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen.
[Event Detected: Investigate the bus crash. Identify the cause of the brake failure to receive a hidden reward.]