Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 256

Before coming to this site, they had made some rough guesses, feeling that this stop might be related to animals or, if not, to a lake.
After looking at the scenic area’s map, they finally understood that “White Bird” did not actually refer to real birds here but rather to the mountain range across the lake. When viewed from above, the mountains in this large ecological park resemble a bird soaring in mid-air, with the two sides of the range spreading like outstretched wings around the lake at the foot of the mountains. Additionally, the mountaintop is covered in snow, making it look like a white bird, hence the name White Bird Lake.
The entire White Bird Lake Ecological Park covers a vast area, approximately twice the size of Paradise Island.
Currently, aside from Yu Zhenzhen, the other three all have cards from the previous stop with unused balances, but it is clear that the currency from the previous stop is not accepted here, nor are their phones compatible.
So far, the only comforting thing is that the four of them randomly appeared in locations close to each other, all near the scenic area’s relaxation zone map. A few messages and a short walk later, they managed to regroup.
Yu Xi has plenty of emeralds and gold in her spatial inventory, but at the moment, this place doesn’t even have a pawnshop, let alone a gold store. There are, however, some beautifully decorated jewelry shops, but after checking inside, they found that the stores only sell inexpensive decorative accessories, making it impossible to sell high-value gold or raw emerald stones there.
Since they had no money, they couldn’t even enter a small shop selling drinks, so they had no choice but to sit on a bench along the lakeside path for now.
“How about we find a tourist and ‘negotiate’ a deal to ‘sell’ them some gold?” Yu Zhenzhen suggested, looking at Ya Tong as she spoke. Even though she still couldn’t remember who Ya Tong was, why she knew her, or why she felt so familiar, she instinctively felt that if anyone in their group would agree with her idea, it would definitely be Ya Tong.
Ya Tong: …
So did she really look like the kind of person who would do this?
Lin Wu, upon hearing this, also immediately turned to look at Ya Tong and even chimed in, “You have more experience.” He was referring to their first meeting in the wasteland when she had made a strong entrance with the natives, intending to “trade” with them.
Ya Tong: …
She pulled out a cigarette, tilted her head to light it, then ruffled Yu Zhenzhen’s hair before saying, “Fine, you pick the person, and I’ll handle the rest!”
Yu Zhenzhen smoothed her now-messy hair and looked at Ya Tong with some confusion. For some reason, the whole sequence of her taking out a cigarette, lighting it, and then messing up her hair felt strangely familiar…
“Our accommodation costs for four people, plus supplies—an ordinary tourist probably wouldn’t have that much money,” Yu Xi said while the other three were still discussing. However, her gaze was already locked onto another group of people.
Lu Yong’s team, like the other survivors who had left the platform alive, had been wandering the massive labyrinth, lost, when they saw a towering blaze somewhere within. Soon after, they heard the arsonist’s threatening words.
To their astonishment, that group actually managed to use this method to force the “plant wall” to open a passage!
Later, when Lu Yong thought about it, he realized their mindset had been too limited. They saw the labyrinth and instinctively followed the “game rules,” but in reality, the phone’s hint only stated that they had to leave the platform within twenty minutes.
In the past, they had fought countless bizarre creatures on platforms that required physical endurance. Why had they suddenly been trapped by a labyrinth this time?
After that, his team took out a flamethrower and copied the method, successfully escaping the platform in no time.
Lu Yong still remembered the voice of the person who had set the fire and made the threat. That person had boarded the train at Paradise Island with them and had even happened to stay in the sleeper cabin next to theirs—clearly a team with formidable strength.
This time, his team got lucky. Upon arriving at White Bird Lake, one of their members unlocked unlimited currency. For the past three days, they had suffered on the train, eating instant noodles while smelling the delicious aromas of gourmet food coming from the neighboring cabin. They were practically depressed from it. So, they arranged to meet at a restaurant near the lake to finally have a proper meal.
However, just as Lu Yong arrived at the restaurant, before he could even take a bite of his first dish, he heard a familiar voice beside him say, “Want to trade?”
Half an hour later, at a bank in the tourist service area, both parties, satisfied with the transaction, bid each other farewell.
Yu Xi exchanged two gold bars worth 150,000 each and two fist-sized raw emeralds for a transfer of 1.6 million from the other party. The transfer was divided into four portions, each deposited into the newly opened bank accounts of Yu Xi and the other three.
For Lu Yong’s team, this deal was an absolute bargain. Back on Paradise Island, a pigeon egg-sized emerald had been exchanged at a gold shop for 350,000 in cash and a gold bar worth 30,000.
Now, just the two fist-sized emeralds alone far exceeded the value of that previous one by ten times, not to mention the additional 300,000 worth of gold bars.
Moreover, their currency was already unlimited, so it didn’t really matter how much they transferred.
On the other hand, for Yu Xi, emeralds were abundant in her spatial inventory. Once again, she simply chipped two pieces off the same large stone as before. They had already discussed how this money would be used—not only for covering their food, lodging, and daily expenses over the next 55 days but also for filling up Yu Zhenzhen’s spatial inventory.
Her ability was also spatial storage, with a capacity of 100 cubic meters. However, in the past two stops, there hadn’t been many opportunities to stockpile supplies, leaving her with only basic food, water, and essentials.
“Do we have anything else we need to stock up on?” Ya Tong asked. In her opinion, they had already made multiple bulk purchases on Paradise Island, acquiring nearly everything they needed.
“We’re still missing one thing, something we couldn’t buy back on Paradise Island,” Yu Xi said, gesturing toward the snow-capped mountains across the lake.
Lin Wu immediately understood. “Cold-weather gear.”
“It’s always better to be prepared. Since we can get it here, let’s fill up Zhenzhen’s space as well.”
Yu Zhenzhen nodded and hooked her arm around Yu Xi’s as they headed toward a ski equipment store. She hadn’t felt this way in a long time—like the excitement before a vacation, filled with anticipation and joy at shopping for a trip with family.
White Bird Lake’s ski resort was very famous, and the mountain temperatures were low. It was already late autumn, and in two weeks, winter would arrive, marking the peak of the skiing season, when many tourists would come for the experience.
There were numerous ski gear and winter clothing stores, both at the foot of the mountain and at the summit. They visited three or four stores, purchasing two to three full sets of protective cold-weather gear for each person. This included waterproof insulated snow boots, cashmere thermal pants, waterproof down pants, thermal underwear, insulated cashmere sweaters, windproof waterproof jackets, down coats, winter hats, goggles, hoods, and gloves—nothing was left out.
For inner layers like thermal underwear and socks, they bought extra for easy replacements.
Additionally, since the mountain had a designated camping area, the stores also carried winter camping gear. They bought several sets of windproof tents, thermal blankets, electric heaters, and heat packs.
Yu Zhenzhen figured that since they were already here, they should also get some ski equipment. If they encountered an emergency on the mountain, skis would be much faster than running on foot.
Her reasoning was solid, and no one could argue against it. So, they bought six sets of ski gear, with two extra as backups.
Because they had bought so much and there were too many people around, they couldn’t find the right moment to store everything in their space. To solve this, Lin Wu rented a large four-wheeled electric cart to temporarily hold their purchases.
Considering the low temperatures in the area, the electric cart was designed with pull-down windproof curtains on all sides, which were opaque—perfect for discreetly managing their supplies.
Next, they planned to first secure accommodations before heading out again to see if there was anything else they needed to buy.
Currently, there were various lodging options available at White Bird Lake. To the left of the lake was a forest area featuring treehouses and forest villas. To the right was a grassy region with pastures and indoor plantations, where most accommodations followed a farmhouse-style setup.
Along the lakeshore, there were numerous scenic villas, birdwatching treehouses, and fully enclosed bubble tents with transparent tops, allowing guests to stargaze at night.
These unique and picturesque lodging options were designed to help visitors feel closer to nature. However, after their experience with the “plant wall” at the platform—one that bled and wailed—they were now instinctively wary of anything involving plants.
Ultimately, they unanimously decided to drive the electric cart up the mountain and stay at a hotel near the ski resort. The high altitude was a plus, but more importantly, the vegetation was sparse.
Two hours later, the four of them checked into the most luxurious snow-view hotel at the mountain’s peak, booking a two-story family suite.
The snow-view hotel was the only five-star hotel on the mountain, and being at the summit, it naturally came with a hefty price tag. But money was no longer a concern for them. In fact, their only goal was to spend every last cent in their accounts before the 55 days were up.
Their family suite was on the twelfth floor, offering a panoramic view of the lake and mountains from the terrace.
The upper floor of the suite featured an open-concept bedroom and bathroom, with a king-size bed. Downstairs, there were two south-facing rooms, a living room in the middle, and a small bar area with an induction cooker. Each room had its own private bathroom.
Ya Tong and Lin Wu took the downstairs rooms, while Yu Xi and Yu Zhenzhen slept upstairs. However, all four of them wouldn’t be sleeping at the same time—one person still needed to stay on night watch. The temperature on the mountain was even colder than at the base, hovering around 0 to 5 degrees Celsius. Snow had already fallen, and there weren’t many tourists at the ski resort yet.
Still wearing thin T-shirts and jackets, the first thing they did after entering the suite was organize their belongings and change into winter clothes.
Yu Zhenzhen, being the most sensitive to the cold, immediately put on the newly purchased cashmere thermal set. The quality was excellent, and after putting it on, she no longer needed a down jacket—just adding a windproof coat was enough to keep warm.
The three with storage abilities distributed the winter gear, personal supplies, and food evenly among themselves to ensure that each person had accessible provisions, while the bulk of the items were stored in Yu Xi and Yu Zhenzhen’s space.
Ya Tong, as usual, could only look on enviously. She ended up taking out her newly bought large hiking backpack, carefully packing it with essential supplies, and leaving it with Yu Xi. That way, if anything happened, she could just grab the bag and go.
They had arrived at White Bird Lake around 1 to 2 p.m. After finishing all these tasks, it was already dark outside. Snowflakes were beginning to drift down again.
The hotel housed several restaurants, and they ultimately chose a self-service barbecue restaurant on the second floor. On a snowy day like this, there was nothing more satisfying than sitting around a grill, personally cooking skewers of lamb, chicken wings, pork cartilage, eggplant, scallops, chives, and corn.
The grill racks rotated automatically—once they placed their skewers on, they could just sit back and enjoy. They picked a table by the glass window, savoring the barbecue and drinks while chatting. At the same time, they also called a waiter and ordered an additional 3,000 to 4,000 yuan worth of raw skewers and matching portable grills for takeout, claiming they needed them for camping later.
Happy to have such generous customers, the waiter even brought them complimentary fruit platters from the restaurant manager.
As they were finishing dinner, Yu Xi noticed Lu Yong’s group entering the restaurant. She overheard them ordering 50 portions of every skewer on the menu—clearly indulging in an all-out feast.
From their conversation, Yu Xi learned that they had also checked into this hotel. Their choice wasn’t due to any concerns about plants but simply because it was the highest-rated hotel in the entire scenic area.
Yu Xi’s group didn’t approach them for greetings when they left. In fact, Lu Yong’s team had also noticed them upon arrival, but both sides tacitly chose to keep their distance.
Although the two teams had met multiple times, they were still just travelers. The lack of immunity to harm meant that no one could fully trust each other. Maintaining a respectful distance, acknowledging each other with a nod, and not plotting against one another was the best way to coexist.
Before heading upstairs, Yu Zhenzhen pulled Yu Xi along to the hotel’s supermarket, where they bought several large bags of snacks and entertainment supplies.
Meanwhile, Lin Wu and Ya Tong, accompanied by a barbecue restaurant staff member and a cart full of foam boxes, made a trip to the parking lot. They loaded the raw skewers and supplies onto the electric cart, and once the waiter left, Lin Wu swiftly transferred everything into their storage space.
By the time Lin Wu and Ya Tong returned to their suite and finished showering, Yu Xi and Yu Zhenzhen had also returned—with not just food but a huge bag of recreational items as well.
Inside the bag were playing cards, frisbees, Chinese checkers, Gomoku… and a full set of mahjong tiles.
Ya Tong: …??
Yu Zhenzhen placed the mahjong set on the living room’s square table and, with a serious expression, suggested, “Since we’re just passing time anyway, why not play some mahjong while keeping an eye on the local news?”
Lin Wu: …
At that moment, Lin Wu finally realized one undeniable truth—Yu Zhenzhen was definitely Yu Xi’s daughter.
And so, the four of them entered a relaxed, low-energy “mission” (or rather, vacation) mode.
For the next two to three days, they wandered between the mountain and the base, purchasing anything they found useful while keeping an eye on the situation at the stop.
However, since this was a B-level stop, things weren’t expected to deteriorate too quickly. So far, everything had remained calm.
On the morning of the fourth day, they woke up to find that a heavy snowfall had begun. Unlike the previous light flurries that lasted only an hour or two, this was a full-fledged snowstorm.
Even from behind the glass, they could hear the howling northwest wind.
Winter at White Bird Lake had arrived ahead of schedule.