Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 339: (Extra 13)

Qiuwang Mountain was densely vegetated, and the soil was not easily eroded by water. Coupled with wide mountain roads, Yu Xi hadn’t noticed any signs of landslides during their uphill journey in the military truck.
They drove for about half an hour. At a fork in the road, a soldier pointed to a road heading north and said that the official evacuation center was about twenty minutes from there. But they were heading in the opposite direction. Following Pang’s father’s directions, it would take another ten minutes uphill to reach the family’s homestay.
The rain was heavy, and the wind fierce. The soldiers didn’t just drop them at the base — they drove all the way into the homestay grounds and even brought them to the elevated clearing where the triangular cabins stood.
This highland was nestled among the mountains, facing south with a curved mountainside to the north acting as a natural protective wall. The land was flat and open, covered in dense vegetation. At its southernmost edge was a cliff with a spectacular view. The six A-frame villas stood firmly on raised viewing platforms, completely intact despite the storm.
To the west of the highland, there had originally been a small fishing pond and a narrow, winding stream. Now, after continuous rainfall, the pond and stream had merged into a flowing creek that passed the western side and fell into a small waterfall at the southwestern edge. That side of the highland was the lowest, so all the rainwater drained that way, acting like a natural drainage system.
Besides the six A-frame villas, there was also a four-storey central utility building, equipped with a generator room, laundry room, kitchen, freezer and cold storage, camping gear storage, dining hall, game and movie room, café bar, and other function areas.
“Yo, this place is pretty nice!” praised the team leader who had brought them up.
Pang’s father quickly responded with modest pleasantries and generously invited the soldiers to stay as well. Though he said the words, he was secretly uneasy, afraid the military might take a liking to the place and declare it an official evacuation center.
Of course, having military protection would drastically increase safety. But at the end of the day, he was just an ordinary citizen and a businessman — naturally, he didn’t want to hand over his hard-earned property just like that.
“Not necessary,” said the team leader with a wave of his hand. “It’s half an hour away by car. We’re not lacking space, just lacking citizens capable of helping with construction.”
He then directed his men to unload the three inflatable boats from the roof and began moving the waterproof-covered supply crates onto the boats.
Soon after, the soldiers prepared to leave. It was clear this whole trip was a favor — they hadn’t come expecting anything in return.
Pang’s father felt a little ashamed of his earlier thoughts. He considered offering them some supplies as thanks, but quickly realized there wasn’t much they had to offer — just food, water, and daily goods. And the military, strict in discipline, wouldn’t accept things like that from civilians.
As the military trucks drove off, Yu Xi had already helped Yu Zhenzhen move Tianbao under a nearby pavilion.
Though the pavilion’s roof had some damage, it was large enough to at least partially shelter them from the rain.
Tianbao, who had slept all the way, finally woke up. Yu Xi pretended to take a backpack out from the waterproof tent on the boat and pulled out Tianbao’s special water bottle to give her a drink.
Tianbao sipped warm water through the straw while curiously looking around, occasionally letting out little exclamations to Yu Zhenzhen. It was her first time going out in over a month, and the lush mountain surroundings naturally piqued her curiosity.
But soon, she wrapped her arms around Yu Zhenzhen’s neck and whispered that she needed to pee.
Yu Zhenzhen had anticipated this during their journey. She gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek and told her that she was already wearing an oversized diaper — if she could hold it, great, and if not, she could go ahead and pee. Once they got inside the new house, she’d help her change.
“Are we moving?”
“That’s right, sweetie. Mommy and Auntie told you yesterday, remember? The city flooded, and no one can go outside, so now we’re up on the mountain. It’s really high, and it won’t get flooded. You’ll be able to go out again soon in a raincoat.”
“Then I don’t have to go to kindergarten?”
“Not for now. But once it stops raining, you still have to go.”
Most little kids aren’t fond of school. Hearing she didn’t have to go for now, Tianbao stopped asking. She just tugged on Yu Zhenzhen’s clothes, squatted on the bench, her little cheeks turning red as she peed into her diaper.
After all, Tianbao was only four, still in the semi self-consciousness stage. If she were any older, she wouldn’t be able to do something like that in front of others.
Seeing she’d finished, Yu Xi used the backpack as cover and discreetly took out an egg pancake and a box of strawberry milk, handing them over. It wasn’t convenient to brush teeth or wash up outside, so the priority was making sure the child ate and stayed warm.
Thanks to Xing Min’s shield, Tianbao had slept well all the way here. She was indeed hungry now. She accepted the egg pancake and sat in Yu Zhenzhen’s lap, quietly nibbling away, calm and content.
After that, Xing Min also entered the pavilion. As soon as Tianbao saw him, she lit up with joy and handed him her unopened strawberry milk, saying she wanted to give it to the pretty big brother to drink.
Xing Min walked over to stand next to Yu Xi, took the milk from Tianbao, and then pulled out a box of banana milk from his backpack to hand back to her, gently patting her on the head.
Tianbao loved having her head patted by Xing Min. She squirmed happily in Yu Zhenzhen’s arms like a little pretzel.
Yu Xi glanced sideways at Xing Min, but he didn’t look at her, so she didn’t say anything either.
She had already tried talking to him a few times on the boat, but now wasn’t the right time anyway. She wasn’t in a hurry — in fact, she figured if he really ended up ignoring her for good, it might actually be a good thing.
After all, she’d been keeping her distance from him from the start. He was the one who insisted on clinging to her…
Besides, she needed to settle the housing issue first.
She also reached out to pat Tianbao’s head, pulled the rain poncho tighter around Yu Zhenzhen to block the wind and rain blowing into the pavilion, and then looked up at the A-frame villas not far away.
Things were already getting heated over there. Just as she had expected, all six of the villas were occupied. A few of the original staff members from the homestay were also present. From the looks of it, they had been bullied badly before. Now that the owner had finally shown up—and had even brought a whole group of people — they came rushing out of the central building in rain gear to vent their grievances to Pang’s father.
The original guests had all left after the hailstorm. Since the mountain hadn’t flooded, their cars, though battered, were still functional. Worried about their families, they’d driven back home. A few of them had also been part of the homestay staff.
Now, the ones occupying the villas were people who had arrived later — some were local farmers from nearby, and some were city residents who got lost while trying to reach the evacuation site and ended up here by mistake.
The villas’ floor-to-ceiling windows had withstood the hail. The pristine structures now stood tall and eye-catching in the rain. These people quickly realized the location was well-stocked. The central building had running water and electricity, plus a cold storage room with fresh and frozen food. While the villas themselves didn’t have power, they had fireplaces, which meant they could still stay warm. The interiors were luxurious and cozy — it was clearly more comfortable than a government evacuation site.
At first, these people had tried to negotiate with the homestay staff, asking to stay temporarily for a reduced fee due to the hard times. They offered to cram more people into each villa and handle their own cleaning. They also said they would leave once the official shelter became more livable.
The staff had been moved by their pitiful state and agreed.
But inviting gods is easy, sending them away is hard.
After a few days of paying, they stopped. When the staff went to collect more rent, they were met with hostility and refusal.
Excuses poured in: this was a special situation, they had already paid something, and anyway, the villas were just sitting there empty. Why get so hung up on money? They accused the staff of being heartless leeches with no conscience.
Eventually, the intruders, emboldened by their numbers, flat-out declared they wouldn’t pay anymore. What could the staff even do? They weren’t the owners. For all they knew, the owners might already be dead. And if the owner was dead, then these villas were unclaimed. First come, first served.
The three staff members were all guys in their twenties. No match for the crowd physically or verbally, they had no choice but to back off.
Once the staff stopped pushing back, the squatters became even more brazen. They took the keys to the cold room from the central building and helped themselves to food.
Some of them decided the central building was better because it had heating, so they brought their families over and kicked the staff out of their quarters.
Others didn’t want to crowd into a single villa anymore, so they found all the keycards and unlocked every guestroom, shamelessly moving in.
When Pang’s parents heard that nearly half of their stored food had been raided, their blood pressure shot through the roof. Any thoughts of trying to negotiate disappeared — they just wanted to evict everyone immediately.
There were about twenty or so squatters in total. At first, they’d been worried when they saw the military trucks arrive, thinking the staff had called in reinforcements, and had fled into the villas to hide.
But when they saw the military leave shortly afterward, they completely relaxed.
Even the military didn’t care — so what if the owner showed up? They were alive, they were human. What could the owners do, kill them?
**
By the time Yu Xi finished helping Yu Zhenzhen and came over, the situation had reached a stalemate.
Pang’s father, braving the rain, was trying to go door-to-door to evict people, but the intruders had locked the glass doors from inside and refused to come out.
They weren’t stupid. With the wind and rain howling outside, who would fight them out there? Besides, they had plenty of food and drinks inside — enough to last four or five days.
They stayed inside, eating and drinking comfortably, just waiting to watch the drama unfold.
Pang’s father went to two villas in a row, but the situation was exactly the same. These people had clearly coordinated their tactics: stay inside where it was warm and dry, keep eating, and just refuse to open the door.
Meanwhile, outside in the pouring rain, their clothes were completely soaked through. With the wind howling, they were nearly freezing to the point of catching a fever.
A few of the girls stood anxiously with Pang’s mother at the entrance of the central building, trying to get a view of the situation.
If those people inside refused to leave, what were they supposed to do? The central building could provide shelter, sure, but it didn’t have enough beds or bathrooms for everyone. The living conditions couldn’t compare to the A-frame villas.
What’s more, this was their homestay — their property. Why should a bunch of random people get to live in it?
The more Pang’s mother thought about it, the angrier she got. After a while, she became dizzy and collapsed right there on the ground.
Hearing people yelling “Auntie Pang!” and seeing the commotion of people trying to help, Pang Yuqing knew things had taken a turn for the worse. He rushed from the villa back to the central building and helped lift his mother onto the sofa.
And yet, the squatters inside the villa were still flapping their mouths behind the glass doors, mocking them. They said if the owners had come and talked nicely, maybe they’d have been willing to vacate a few of the villas, let everyone squeeze in, and avoid standing in the rain.
But no, he just barged in furiously trying to kick people out, with no room for discussion. So now, this was what he deserved!
Pang’s father was livid. “What kind of bullcrap are you spouting?! This is my property! I’m already being generous by not asking you to pay compensation. I’m warning you one last time — get out of my house now, or else, or else…”
“Or else what? You gonna call the cops? Ha! You think anyone cares now? Did the soldiers who came earlier give a damn? The police can’t even manage their own mess!”
Their arrogant taunts were interrupted by a loud thud against the glass door.
Yu Xi had pushed to the front. Before doing anything, she looked over her shoulder at Uncle Pang and asked, “Uncle, do you remember what I said in the truck earlier?”
Of course Pang’s father remembered, but he didn’t see how it was relevant. These glass doors were made with bulletproof glass. Not even the recent hailstorm had managed to break them.
If the doors opened inward, they might have had a chance to kick them in or smash the locks. But these were sliding doors, tightly framed. The intruders had locked them and engaged both upper and lower latches from the inside. Even with spare keys, there was no way to undo all three layers of locks.
“I remember — you said you wanted to rent a villa long-term. That was fine before, but now —”
“No problem. As long as you remember your promise,” Yu Xi replied, taking off her rain poncho and handing it to a young man nearby. Then she flexed her wrist and pulled a Swiss army knife from her backpack.
She aimed the blade at the nearly invisible gap between the door and frame, found the right angle, and slammed the hilt with her other hand. The sharp, hard blade scraped against the metal frame and wedged right into the gap.
Next, Yu Xi pulled out a military dagger from her backpack. Under the shocked gazes of the people inside the villa, she used the tip of the first blade as a wedge and forcefully pressed the dagger into the gap as well.
“Holy crap!” the young man holding her poncho stared wide-eyed. He had guessed what she was trying to do — but this… this was actually happening?!
His suspicion was confirmed in the next second. The seemingly delicate young girl gripped both blades tightly and twisted them with full force.
Creak—crack—clang—
With a grating screech of metal, three of the locks embedded in the bulletproof glass frame were wrenched out of place. The reinforced frame gave way under the pressure and came loose from the door.
Gasps and shouts broke out behind her as Yu Xi set the massive glass door aside with one hand and stepped into the villa.
“D-Don’t come closer! Wh-what are you doing?!” the people inside were clearly terrified but still tried to keep up a tough front. “You—you’re just a little girl! Don’t think we’re afraid of you! There’s three of us!”
Yu Xi flexed her wrist, somehow feeling that this situation suited her particularly well.
She toyed with the two gleaming blades in her hands and calmly asked, “Are you walking out on your own, or do I have to kick you out?”
Moments later, accompanied by a few screams, the three men who refused to face reality were physically kicked off the villa’s viewing deck.
Yu Xi still didn’t have perfect control over her strength, so she used her maximum force each time, aiming to settle things in one go.
The three men were kicked straight into the cold, muddy ground. After twitching twice, they passed out completely.
Yu Xi took her rain poncho back from the young man and wrapped it around herself. Then she looked at the Pang family’s group, who were still staring at her in shock. “Come on, next A-frame villa.”
Everyone: ……
**
After Yu Xi broke down the doors of two more A-frame villas and kicked another two groups of people unconscious into the rain-soaked mud, the remaining four villas finally opened their doors, albeit unwillingly.
They knew what would happen if they refused, but what was the point of holding out? That girl was like some kind of brute-force monster — breaking in was as easy for her as drinking water. Staying inside wouldn’t save them; they’d just get thrown out — and possibly knocked out cold. Better to open the door and at least stay conscious.
Seeing the way the others were sent flying, their ribs were probably broken.
Some of them packed up and left, but not without bitter threats, saying they would call the police or everything to the military at the shelter.
“Go ahead and call the police! Think anyone cares anymore? The cops can barely handle themselves. The military? Didn’t you see them just now dropping us off here? We’re tight with them! They just didn’t realize you rats were squatting here — otherwise, they would have kicked you out already! Yelling about justice while stealing — disgusting!” one of the younger guys in Pang’s group snapped back, throwing the squatters’ own words right back at them.
A few women among the intruders tried to play the sympathy card. True, they hadn’t joined in mocking or threatening anyone, but they also hadn’t said a word when their family and friends bullied the staff, stole supplies, and shut the doors on the property owners.
“It’s too late,” Pang’s father said, waving his hand firmly. “You already had your chance. I won’t charge you for the stay or the stolen food, but there’s no way you’re staying. All of you, out!”
“But it’s raining so hard, and it’s cold…”
“Too bad! You came by foot, you leave by foot! If your cars don’t work, walk! I’m not letting a bunch of thieves squat in my house!” Pang’s father had been in business too long to be moved by a few tears — especially after his wife had fainted from anger over this.
The Pang family’s team quickly got to work preparing to move in, and the eviction process sped up. Yu Xi stood by silently with her dagger and military knife in hand. She didn’t say a word, but her presence alone was enough to scare the squatters witless.
They hurriedly gathered their belongings, stuffing a few of the homestay’s food supplies into their bags. Two young men from Pang’s side tried to stop them, but Pang’s father raised a hand to stop them.
He knew cornered rats could bite. These people already took so much — what was a little more at this point? Better not provoke them when they were clearly on edge and capable of snapping.
The squatters did have vehicles, and they had done a decent job covering them with waterproof materials. Though the wind and rain had continued for days, the worst storm had been that first hailstorm — since then, their cars hadn’t deteriorated much more.
Worried that the Pang group might seize their vehicles, they quickly loaded their knocked-out companions, started the engines, and drove away.
Watching the cars vanish beyond the property, Pang’s father started thinking — if they were going to stay here long-term, they’d need to upgrade the homestay’s defenses. Maybe fix the surveillance system, or install some traps on the mountain path.
Then he turned and saw Yu Xi again. Recalling the terrifying strength she’d shown earlier, he inexplicably felt reassured. So he turned to her and offered directly, “As promised — you and your people can have an A-frame villa to yourselves. Four of them still have intact doors. You’ve got a child, can’t let her catch a cold. Pick whichever of the four you want.”
Then he paused and looked over at Xing Min, who stood under the pavilion not far away. “You’re sure just one A-frame villa is enough for you? If needed, I can clear out an employee room in the central building for you. It’s not as spacious as a villa, but it’s got power. Decent for a single person.”
Pang’s father was older and had sharp instincts — unlike his oblivious son, who just assumed Xing Min was the older sister’s friend. Pang’s father thought otherwise.
That man was cool and quiet, treating Yu Zhenzhen with care, but in truth, his attention was focused entirely on Yu Xi.
Still, his son hadn’t seen the girl for a couple of years, and these were matters between young people — he didn’t think Yu Xi had done anything wrong.
Following Uncle Pang’s gaze, Yu Xi looked toward the pavilion. Through the heavy rain, she saw Xing Min’s tall and upright figure. He appeared not to be paying attention to them, his head lowered as he watched Tianbao grin and act cute at him.
But Yu Xi just knew — he could hear her, and he was carefully listening to her answer.
For some reason, a soft, tingling warmth welled up in her chest. “No need. One villa is enough, it has three rooms.”
**
In the end, Yu Xi chose the A-frame villa farthest from the central utility building and the other villas.
By the time they dragged the rubber boat inside, stored it, changed Tianbao’s diaper, got all three adults and the child into warm, dry clothes, then cleaned and organized the entire house, three hours had passed.
Although the place had been lived in recently, it had been cleaned occasionally. But Yu Zhenzhen’s cleanliness kicked in — she insisted everything had to be spotless for peace of mind.
She not only scrubbed the house down with disinfectant solution but also replaced the bedding and mattress.
The bathroom, wardrobes, sofa covers — even the carpet in front of the couch — were all replaced with their own stuff.
Since everything had to be put in and taken out from Yu Xi’s space, she had to stay the entire time. Despite kicking in two doors and clearing out five or six people, this was somehow even more exhausting — just standing there being a “walking inventory” nearly wore her out.
Thankfully, Xing Min helped with half of the cleaning too.
Three hours later, he pulled a bundle of dry firewood from the storage room near the fireplace and reignited it, bringing warmth back into the villa.
There were no curtains on the large south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows. The glass showed marks from the hailstorm—still intact, but it would need reinforcement later.
Yu Xi didn’t like how exposed it felt, so she pulled out several dark bedsheets from her space, grabbed a stepladder, climbed up to the central beam of the triangular window, and began nailing the sheets to the top and sides of the frame.
Once the top was done, she moved to the lower beam — by the end, the entire glass wall was completely covered.
During the day, they could pull the makeshift curtains aside. When running the generator, heaters, or cooking, they could lower the curtains for privacy.
The A-frame villa had only one wall of glass; the other three walls were solid and sturdy.
Lunch was simple — Yu Xi pulled out some pre-made stir-fry dishes she’d stocked. Tianbao got an extra cheeseburger and juice.
Xing Min seemed a little surprised that she no longer avoided using her space around him, and during the meal, he spent half the time watching her.
But now it was Yu Xi’s turn to ignore him. After lunch, when Xing Min discovered the house had floor heating and mentioned it could be restarted as long as there was electricity, she just replied with a quiet “mm.” Then she brought out two gasoline generators and two 30L fuel tanks from the storage room and went upstairs.
That afternoon, after putting Tianbao to sleep, Yu Zhenzhen went to Yu Xi’s room and subjected her to a full-on “interrogation.”
Knowing “walls have ears,” Yu Xi just kept nodding and letting her sister scold her, ending up with red marks on her forehead from all the jabs.
She mentally blamed all of it on Xing Min and didn’t speak to him for two whole days.
Forget talking — she didn’t even glance his way.
In truth, there was a lot to do over the next two days; setting up the A-frame villa, planning reinforcements — Yu Xi was pretty busy. She could endure it. But someone else couldn’t.
On the third night after dinner, after she checked the glass door and turned off the dim living room light, just as she passed by Xing Min’s room to go upstairs, she was suddenly pulled in by the arm — right into his room.