Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 333: (Extra 7)

The visitors were a few residents from the lower floors of the building, hoping to pay and temporarily stay with them.
Due to the continuous torrential downpours, the underground garage on the bottom level had been half-flooded two days ago. While most residents were distressed about their cars soaking in water, the ground-floor residents were more worried about their homes.
Although the news and official experts had been reassuring people, promising that the rain wouldn’t last forever and everything would return to normal once this wave of extreme weather passed – encouraging everyone to stay home and wait for rescue – that was advice that only applied to safe and sturdy high-rises, and only when supplies were sufficient.
In these five days and nights of being trapped, the rescue teams had only come by once. At that time, the water hadn’t yet risen this high. Braving the rain, trucks made rounds from neighborhood to neighborhood delivering supplies. However, due to a lack of manpower, they couldn’t deliver to each household individually. Residents had to bring their property certificates or lease contracts along with their ID to the property office to claim supplies themselves.
Some residents complained bitterly while wading through water to get their share, saying the rescue work was inadequate — but later, they didn’t even get the chance to complain.
The rain was too heavy, and with the entire nation in crisis, there were far more people on the brink of death whose lives were at risk. With limited rescue resources, it was inevitable that the truly desperate would be prioritized.
Many residents in the community grew restless as the second round of supply deliveries never came. Their increasing complaints were rooted in anxiety — especially among residents of the lower floors who watched helplessly as water levels crept higher day by day. With everything falling apart, and no further distribution of supplies, it was unlikely help would come swiftly if water damage made homes unlivable.
This looming threat had already been raised by several low-floor residents in the neighborhood chat group two days prior.
Unfortunately, property management had no way of resolving the issue. Several security guards had already taken leave and gone home when the rain first started. The management company wasn’t responsible for just this one complex — its owner and staff were already overwhelmed, unable to keep up with each residential community.
Besides, the flood was considered a force majeure event, and even if someone tried to hold them accountable afterward, it wouldn’t be practical to hold them responsible.
Thus in the chat group, the few remaining property management staff only expressed their hardship and helplessness — acting even more pitiful than the residents. At that point, the residents’ complaints were just emotional venting; they couldn’t actually solve anything.
Eventually, many lower-floor residents of several buildings formed a separate group chat. After holding a few meetings online and discussing face-to-face, they decided to relocate upward — temporarily moving into higher floors that wouldn’t be flooded any time soon.
This particular residential area was in a more remote location. The housing prices weren’t cheap, but supporting facilities hadn’t kept up. The one perk was that the units were fully furnished — great for convenience-seeking families or renters — so the occupancy rate was only around seventy percent.
Their plan was to temporarily relocate to those unoccupied upper-floor apartments.
Of course, when the topic of actually moving in came up, opinions diverged again. Some people thought they could just break into any empty apartment and move in — after all, these were special circumstances. If the owner had an issue later, they could simply offer compensation when it was all over.
However, others were more thoughtful and considered the details. First, there was the issue of safety. They would have to break the locks to get in, rendering the front doors useless. Second, because of the hail, storms, and heavy rain, many of those empty units likely had damaged windows — owners hadn’t had time to repair anything. Moving in meant they’d have to fix things themselves.
And finally, those empty units had no water, electricity, or gas — no beds, cookware, or household items of any kind. Living there would be extremely inconvenient.
So instead, they decided it’d be better to ask to stay in units already occupied — places where people were still living, like those with smaller households, or for example… like the place Yu Xi and Yu Zhenzhen lived. With stainless steel louvered panels installed on windows and balconies, it looked about as secure as it could get.
With a target in mind, while others were still searching floor by floor for empty apartments, a few of these residents packed their valuables and necessities, took the elevator straight to the eighth floor, and knocked directly on the doors of 805 and 808 — either one would do, as long as someone agreed.
After confirming through the peephole that there was no danger, Yu Xi handed the matter over to Yu Zhenzhen. It was an instinctive choice — not because Yu Zhenzhen was the older sister, but because Yu Xi wanted to observe how she would respond, decide, and handle the situation in this kind of crisis.
No matter how Yu Zhenzhen handled it, Yu Xi was there to back her up.
Since there was still some time before dinner, and the kitchen near the front door had no food laid out nor any smell of cooking, when the group outside refused to leave and began pleading earnestly — eventually attracting residents from units 806, 807, as well as from the ninth and seventh floors to come see what was going on — Yu Zhenzhen finally opened the door.
There were already seven or eight people gathered in the hallway. Combined with the few low-floor residents who came up first, the corridor suddenly felt crowded with over ten people, filling what was usually a quiet, empty space.
Yu Xi leaned out from the doorway and saw that Xing Min, across the hall, had also opened his door and was looking in their direction, seemingly intending to step in. But as soon as he sensed her gaze, he turned to look at her. She gave him a quick look signaling, “It’s fine, no need to intervene.” He immediately understood, stopped moving, and gave her a light nod.
Yu Xi really appreciated this kind of attitude—someone who was ready to help but didn’t impose it with an overbearing sense of self-importance.
The residents from the seventh and ninth floors quickly learned what was going on from the explanations provided by the people living in units 806 and 807.
To be honest, units 805 and 808 had been the subject of a lot of attention in Building 2. Before the hailstorm and torrential rain, these two households had spent a considerable amount of money to modify their windows and balconies into clunky, heavy, light-blocking “iron cages”.
Plenty of people had quietly laughed at them back then. But once the storms hit, just as many people were green with envy.
Everyone talks about preparing for a rainy day, but how many actually take decisive action before disaster strikes?
The residents who had come upstairs that day could sense what was going on even without a detailed explanation from the residents of units 806 and 807. After all, given the current state of things outside, they wouldn’t have come upstairs just to gawk at some petty drama.
Still, they couldn’t help being a little curious. With the rain trapping everyone indoors, life had become not just anxious but also unbearably boring.
The low-floor residents, whether they’d been rebuffed by Xing Min or simply targeted 808 because it housed two young women, refused to give up.
They begged with earnest expressions, explaining their homes were nearly flooded, their windows still unrepaired. They feared waking up one night completely flooded..
Seeing that the two girls looked young and presumably lived alone, they suggested moving in with them—one room per family. They promised to pay rent and help with chores, even adding that in case of an emergency, having more people around was safer.
But Yu Zhenzhen firmly declined, repeating that it was simply inconvenient. She even suggested they check the fifth floor, which likely had a vacant unit.
“Come on, we’re practically begging, and we’re not asking for free! The empty units all have broken windows — who knows how badly they’ve been damaged by the storm? You can’t expect people to live in places like that!”
“Exactly! Their home’s about to be submerged, their furniture and appliances are done for, and they’re still willing to pay rent. Shouldn’t you feel some compassion? Honestly, young women these days are so cold-hearted…”
“Hey now, that’s a bit much. The place is theirs — if they don’t want to rent it out, that’s their right. Don’t twist it into some morality thing…”
“Oh come on, don’t be so dramatic. We’re just trying to work something out, what’s all this talk of moral coercion?”
Yu Zhenzhen cast a sharp glance at those speaking so self-righteously and suddenly stepped forward. “Are you here to make money, or do you all just think you’re brimming with compassion? If that’s the case, why don’t you step up and let them stay at your place? Why are you standing at our door playing the good guy?”
The people who were called out froze for a second, then instinctively stepped back. “Miss, what’s that got to do with us? Don’t drag us into this.”
“Yeah, we’ve got a family of four at home — there’s no room.”
“My windows aren’t even fixed yet. I’ve had to block them with cabinets. You can’t compare it to your place — it’s airtight, windproof, and rainproof…”
Yu Zhenzhen sneered, “What excuses! Just say you don’t want to — why dress it up? You won’t help, but you come to our door acting all generous? What is that — being generous with other people’s resources? So I don’t want to let strangers into my house — what’s it to you? Do you live on this floor? Do you live in my home? What gives you the right to stand here and moralize?”
Although Yu Zhenzhen looked young — her features were well-maintained and dressed in simple loungewear, thus easily mistaken for being the same age as Yu Xi — she had years of work experience and a sharp editorial mind. When she decided to speak up, her words were logical, precise, and powerful.
The crowd hadn’t expected her to lash out so directly. Realizing they’d hit a wall, they quickly waved their hands, backing off. “Alright, alright, let’s not make a scene. It’s not like this has anything to do with us — we don’t even live on this floor!”
“Alright, alright, I told you not to come over, what are you looking at, just go, go…”
The people from the seventh and ninth floors, who had been making sarcastic comments, left, while those who hadn’t spoken continued to stand there, still watching with great interest.
The few residents from the low floors also stayed put, but after pleading for a while without getting anywhere, and hearing their attempts at supporting the argument shot down, their faces became hard to hide their frustration. Even though they tried to act humbly, their displeasure was now apparent.
Yu Zhenzhen glanced at them and snorted again, “Don’t think I’ll fall for your moral pressure. I don’t have any sympathy either — face? What face? In the face of a natural disaster, I’ll do whatever I must to take care of my family. And I’ll tell you this: you should go down to the fifth floor and look for an empty apartment. You won’t want to wait too long; the vacant units here aren’t many, but there are eight households on the first and second floors.”
The residents, initially determined to make a few more comments like “Selfishness in the face of disaster will lead to being abandoned by everyone” or “I hope this young girl stays so tough when she faces her own difficulties,” suddenly froze. Upon hearing “eight households,” they realized their mistake. If they couldn’t even get into this apartment, those few vacant units couldn’t possibly fit eight families!
They hurried toward the elevator, muttering, “Let’s go! Hurry downstairs!”
“You can justify asking the first-floor residents to move, but why are the second-floor people involved? Did the flooding reach them?”
“Stop complaining, wasn’t it you who said the more people, the better? You pulled the second-floor people into the group, right?”
“…”
…
Once the involved parties left, the onlookers also dispersed.
As Yu Zhenzhen returned to the room, she saw Yu Xi standing by the door, giving her a thumbs-up with both hands in silent praise.
Yu Zhenzhen was both angry and amused, “You didn’t help just now, and now you’re playing the good girl?”
“If you can’t do it, I’ll step in.”
Yu Zhenzhen laughed and patted her head. Then she remembered her own car, which was stuck in the flooded underground parking lot, and sighed in sympathy. What she didn’t know was that Yu Xi had quietly gone downstairs on the first day of the rainstorm, avoiding surveillance cameras, and moved the car into the space.
Yu Zhenzhen went into the room to watch cartoons with Sweet Treasure/Tianbao.
Yu Xi exchanged a glance with Xing Min at the other end of the corridor and gestured at him with her phone.
Xing Min opened WeChat and saw a recently sent message: “Come over for dinner tonight, you can order one dish. Be careful when you come, don’t bring anything, and try not to let anyone else see.”
Looking at the message, his previously aloof expression softened with a warm glow. He replied: “Make your best dish.”
**
Sweet Treasure/Tianbao had been very happy these past few days because every dinner, the handsome older brother would come over to eat with them. He always came early and even played with her for a while.
This week, when she woke up from her nap, she purposely wore her favorite dress to show the handsome older brother. But every time, he would only pat her head and keep his beautiful blue eyes on her aunt. Every time her aunt said something, his eyes would light up with a soft, gentle glow…
If Sweet Treasure/Tianbao were a little older, about fourteen years old, she might have rolled her eyes inwardly and thought, “Hmph, how boring, I guess he’s not really here for me…”
But she was only four, and though she vaguely sensed something, she couldn’t quite understand it. Still, she instinctively stuck close to Yu Xi, because whenever she did, the handsome older brother would look at her more.
Yu Zhenzhen had noticed this as well.
That evening, after Yu Xi finished cleaning the kitchen, locked the door, and pulled down the final shutter gate, Yu Zhenzhen came out after putting Sweet Treasure/Tianbao to bed. The two sisters brewed coffee and curled up on the living room sofa, sharing a blanket, eating snacks, and watching the web drama stored on Yu Xi’s tablet.
Looking at the lovey-dovey couple on the screen, Yu Zhenzhen suddenly asked, “That Xing Min, did he fall for you at first sight?”
Yu Xi: …
“Just asking, no need to get nervous.”
“I’m not nervous, it’s just… I always feel like his appearance is a bit sudden.” Yu Xi took a sip of coffee, thought for a moment, and added, “It’s just — he gives me this feeling of being unreal. He just moved in right before the disaster, and immediately started modifying windows. Then, coincidentally, I was inspired to modify the doors and windows too, and the workers worked so fast… Also, his concern feels so natural, as if… we’ve known each other for a long time.”
“Isn’t that fate? Isn’t that a good thing?”
“How should I put it… there’s this feeling of disparity, like in some ways, there’s a huge distance between me and him. It’s not even something you can describe with distance, it’s just a feeling, very hard to explain, like the starting lines are different…”
Although Yu Zhenzhen thought Xing Min was quite good, she only thought he was good, and that was Yu Xi’s personal matter. Of course, everything was up to her own will, so she shifted the topic and asked when she had bought such a large tablet and downloaded so many web dramas, movies, variety shows, and novels.
After all, since the heavy rain started, the network signal had been unstable. If the dramas weren’t downloaded, sometimes they’d freeze for ages and wouldn’t load.
Now, since they couldn’t go outside, TV shows and novels had become their only source of entertainment.
“Well, I bought it earlier, went to the supermarket, and thought if the disaster lasts for a while, I might as well pick one up…”
As soon as the topic shifted to the end of the disaster, Yu Zhenzhen couldn’t help but sigh again, saying if the rain kept falling like this, the social order would completely collapse. Eventually, the network signal would definitely have problems.
Once the signal was lost, people like them, staying at home, wouldn’t be able to get information about what was happening outside, and things might get even worse.
Soon, before the network signal failed as Yu Zhenzhen had predicted, the power circuits failed first.
In H City, there was a massive power outage.