Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 34

As they were checking the farmhouse at the end of the path, far off on the other end of the road, a few vehicles were approaching from the direction opposite to S City, under the last glimmers of the setting sun. The cars, of varying sizes and covered in dirty blood stains, stopped just before the turnoff.
Surrounded only by fields and forests with no villages or shops in sight and no other survivors around, it was a suitable spot. After parking by the roadside, a few men got out, laid down some spike strips on the highway, and then hid their cars in the nearby woods, waiting patiently.
As the last bit of twilight faded, the world plunged into darkness. The roadside streetlights had long since stopped working due to the power outage, and any survivors driving at night had to use their headlights to see the road ahead.
From the direction the earlier cars had come, another vehicle appeared, headlights cutting through the darkness, revealing the outline of a pickup truck. With no streetlights and relying only on its headlights, the truck moved at a cautious speed.
The spike strips were too inconspicuous, and by the time the people in the truck noticed something was wrong, it was too late to stop. The tires hit the spikes, causing the truck to skid and screech to a halt as the driver expertly managed to avoid flipping the vehicle.
At that moment, the hidden men in the fields and woods launched their ambush, wielding baseball bats wrapped with nails, machetes, and iron rods, attacking the pickup’s windshield. The glass shattered under the assault, and the occupants instinctively shielded their heads.
Seeing the glass break, the attackers climbed onto the hood, attempting to drag the people out through the broken windshield. But the three inside the truck didn’t just sit and wait; they quickly grabbed their weapons and got out to fight back.
With a trident bayonet, a black pipe stick, and a long dagger—professional weapons, especially in the hands of the Lou family members—they fought back fiercely. If not for being outnumbered, the attackers wouldn’t have resorted to ambushes and surprise attacks, hoping to overwhelm with numbers.
The Lou family members were skilled fighters, but their opponents had more men and decent weapons. As Lou Rui’s companions and Lou Lili were injured one after another, Lou Rui was also pushed into a corner by four or five attackers.
“Hahaha, Lou Rui, what’s your arrogance now? Don’t think that just because you have more supplies and know some martial arts, you can look down on us! Our boss brought you into the team because he thought highly of you! Arrogant bastard! Today you die here, tomorrow you’ll just be rotting meat, and no one will even know! When we go back, your supplies, your team, and your pretty sister will all be ours!” someone from the attackers shouted arrogantly.
Seeing that four or five people had cornered Lou Rui but hadn’t taken him down yet, the leader signaled more men to leave Lou Rui’s companions and attack Lou Lili instead.
Already injured, Lou Lili couldn’t fend off the additional attackers despite her martial skills. A hard blow to her wrist sent her black pipe stick flying. Weaponless, she took another hit to the shoulder, lost her balance, and slid down the embankment, ending up in a pitiful state.
Lou Rui realized they were deliberately attacking Lou Lili to distract and agitate him, making it easier to kill him. Unfortunately, the “Karma” skill he’d spent 100 points on had already been used up in the past few days, leaving him with only a “Refuge Card” that had a self-destruct function.
The “Refuge Card,” when activated, would create a sanctuary with a protective barrier that cleansed all zombie viruses within it. This powerful card wasn’t something he’d exchanged points for—he didn’t have that many points—but was a gift from the system for his main task. The self-destruct function was meant to prevent other taskers from stealing it but could also be used as a bomb.
If he used the card’s self-destruct function now, he would lose a critical item for his main task. Although the “Refuge Card” could still be exchanged in the store later, accumulating enough points would require killing ten thousand zombies, meaning he would be stuck in this world for a long time.
Lou Lili was just the mother of the task character, but after spending almost a month in this world, he had grown attached to her. Knowing he could save her but choosing not to, he couldn’t justify it to himself…
In the few seconds of hesitation, Lou Lili took two more blows, crashing into a tree. One of the attackers raised his machete, signaling the others to step aside so he could deliver the fatal strike.
Lou Rui was alarmed and instinctively took out the “Refuge Card,” about to activate its self-destruct function when he suddenly sensed something sharp piercing through the air. The object, like an arrow, precisely shot through the group, stabbing the man poised to strike Lou Lili in the shoulder, pinning him against the tree next to her.
The man screamed in agony as his shoulder was impaled. Lou Lili, in the light of the pickup truck, recognized the object with a mix of shock and joy. She quickly grasped the handle and pulled out the Tang sword. Now armed, Lou Lili took advantage of the attackers’ momentary shock and swung her sword at them.
Lou Rui and his companions also seized this opportunity, targeting their attackers’ vital points. Yu Xi emerged from the darkness, holding a fruit knife that Mother Yu had used earlier to cut watermelon, specifically slashing at the attackers’ wrists and ankles. Cutting a wrist caused a weapon to drop; slicing an ankle made them stagger and fall.
Zhao Zheng and Leng Mian also joined the fight without hesitation, helping Yu Xi’s side. Within moments, the previously dire situation was reversed.
The attackers were all subdued, their arms tied behind their backs, and they were locked in their own vehicles, awaiting further decisions on their fate.
The RV parked on the side of the path turned on its lights, illuminating the battleground and revealing Yu Xi’s uncovered face. Lou Rui was surprised; although he had guessed she was young, he hadn’t expected her to be so beautiful. Her red lips and fair, delicate skin starkly contrasted with her decisive and skilled demeanor.
Despite her injuries, Lou Lili limped over to Yu Xi, holding the Tang sword. “When I gave you this sword, I didn’t expect you would use it to save my life.”
She wiped the blade with her clothing and held it out to Yu Xi. “Great kindness requires no thanks. As a martial artist, I value my promises. From now on, my life belongs to you!”
Yu Xi: …
She silently took a step back, momentarily unsure if she should accept the sword.
Earlier, when Yu Xi had heard the commotion, Leng Mian and Zhao Zheng had already finished clearing the farmhouse. They had found some rice, flour, oil, sausages, preserved meat, potatoes, and other foods. The vegetables had rotted, but the durable foods were still good, especially the rice—two full bags untouched.
Excited, they brought the food over, intending to share some with Yu Xi. However, with rice piling up in her space, she politely declined their offer. Misunderstanding her refusal as modesty, they insisted until Mother Yu, who was preparing dinner from pre-made dishes stored in the space, stepped down from the RV. She assured them their dinner was ready and even gave them a box of meat buns and a box of braised eggs, finally stopping their insistence on giving food to Yu Xi.
Faces flushed, they hurriedly handed the food back to Yu Xi before escaping to their Jeep, afraid that if they stayed any longer, Mother Yu would continue offering them more delicious food as she did the night before and this morning. They couldn’t help but feel guilty, having eaten so much dry food like bread, sausages, instant noodles, and cookies recently. Despite suspecting that Yu Xi might be testing them, they couldn’t resist the hot and fragrant dishes like egg pancakes, dumplings, meat buns, and fried rice. Even though they knew they shouldn’t, their hands just wouldn’t let go of the food, and they ended up eating it tearfully.
Eating once or twice was understandable, but they couldn’t keep freeloading all the time.
Holding the returned braised pork and meat buns, Yu Xi walked back to the RV. “Mom, please don’t give them food every meal.”
“What’s wrong? Why did you bring it back? I think those two kids are pretty good. They’re not like Gao Yun and his group, are they?”
Mother Yu thought she had already restrained herself, only giving them relatively ordinary food like meat buns and braised pork, instead of more extravagant dishes.
“They didn’t take the food, probably worried that if they ate it, we’d leave them behind tomorrow morning.”
Yu Xi glanced at the dishes on the table, placed the two boxes back into the Star House storage, and took out a portion of typhoon shelter-style fried crab and some boiled tiger prawns. “We can eat slowly since it’s dinner time.”
Mother Yu acknowledged, locked the door, and the family of three started eating.
They had only taken a few bites when Yu Xi heard noise from the national highway. Although the straight-line distance wasn’t far, the winding path and the woods in between, coupled with Yu Xi’s enhanced hearing, made it hard to hear clearly. But she distinctly heard a familiar voice cry out in pain.
She turned off the interior lights of the RV, didn’t turn on the headlights, and drove silently through the path using her superior night vision. She arrived just in time to save Lou Lili.
At that moment, she hadn’t even had time to notify Leng Mian and Zhao Zheng and didn’t know how they managed to follow her.
She had rescued Lou Lili while ensuring the complete safety of her parents, never expecting such gratitude from someone who seemed older than her. Yu Xi, now with a calm expression, was actually feeling a bit lost inside.
Thankfully, Lou Rui came over after dealing with the men to defuse the situation. “Mom! Can you not exaggerate like that? You’re all bloody and glaring at people. How do you expect her to respond? Accept your life?”
“You brat! Is that how you talk to your mother? Do you know I was almost killed just now?”
“Exactly, so stop trying to act cool and go clean up your wounds!”
Lou Rui walked over to Yu Xi, took the Tang sword from Lou Lili’s hand, and solemnly handed it to Yu Xi, speaking gently, “Don’t be afraid. My mom means it and thanks to you, her life was saved today. From now on, your business is our family’s business. If you need help with anything, feel free to come to me. As long as it’s within my power, I will help you.”
Yu Xi nodded, took the Tang sword, and sheathed it. Seeing Lou Rui still standing before her, she asked, “Do you need me to help with bandaging your wounds?”
Lou Rui: …
Lou Lili mocked her son, greeted Yu Xi, and then limped away with her son to the pickup truck.
As martial artists, they always carried medical kits with them and were very skilled at treating their wounds.
While the Lou family tended to their injuries, Zhao Zheng and Leng Mian had already dealt with the few zombies attracted by the noise.
Yu Xi saw the mountain bike behind the RV and realized they had ridden it to follow her.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
“No,” Leng Mian replied crisply as she wiped her knife clean. “Yu Xi, it seems all clear here. We’ll head back now.”
Yu Xi thought for a moment, called them back, and then retrieved three takeaway boxes from the RV (Star House storage), handing them to Leng Mian. “This is a thank-you gift.”
The warmth of the food seeped through the boxes into Leng Mian’s palms. She looked at Yu Xi, whose expression remained calm. “Don’t overthink it, it’s just a thank-you gift.”
Leng Mian smiled. She sat on the back seat of the mountain bike, carefully holding the boxes in her arms. “Thank you, we understand. It’s just a thank-you gift.”
Before pedaling away, Zhao Zheng turned back to Yu Xi, “Will you come back later?”
“We’ll return soon.”
“Okay.” Zhao Zheng smiled too. He urged Leng Mian to sit securely and pedaled back to the farmhouse.
The Lou family worked swiftly, treating their injuries, exchanging information with Yu Xi, changing the tires on the pickup, and securely binding the surviving attackers in the truck bed, covering them with an opaque tarp.
Lou Lili and Lou Rui’s companion each drove one of the attackers’ cars, while the pickup, with its broken windshield, was driven by Lou Rui in the middle. They continued their journey to their destination.
As Yu Xi had guessed, they planned to head straight to the wetland park after leaving the gas station. Equipped for the journey, they avoided detouring to the camping ground and arrived at the wetland park two days before her, entering the refuge smoothly. They had a task to complete and couldn’t stay long, so they arranged to meet Yu Xi again at the refuge.
Due to this incident, it was an hour later when Yu family finally sat down to resume their meal.
Yu Xi had stored the dishes in the warehouse as soon as she sensed trouble, and they were still warm when she brought them out again, needing only a quick rinse before resuming their meal.
That night, after finishing dinner and tidying up the RV, Yu Xi placed some convenience foods in the overhead cabinets and stored any fresh food that couldn’t be kept for long in the Star House storage. Then, she and Zhao Zheng took turns keeping watch while the others rested.
The next morning, the two vehicles set off again. As they neared the wetland park, traffic increased noticeably. The area was regularly patrolled by the military, keeping it mostly free of zombies but also devoid of supplies.
The wetland refuge had two accessible entry points, both requiring crossing bridges and undergoing thorough inspections and blood tests at the checkpoints. It was common knowledge that type B infectees mutated quickly, and the tests were to screen for potential type A infectees.