The three of them hadn’t slept all night, especially Yu Qi and Yu Xi, who had been busy shopping and driving the entire time. Ya Tong had managed to get some sleep on the way to Lu’er Town.
Yu Xi, with her enhanced physical condition, felt fine, but Yu Qi was exhausted.
She had accidentally fallen into the sea the day before and caught a cold. Later, she was shocked by Yu Xi’s spatial ability and almost fainted. After that, they had been frantically busy, which drained her both physically and mentally.
Yu Qi, Yu Xi, and Ya Tong ate some sandwiches and bottled juice and pushed themselves to finish organizing the villa and the bomb shelter, reaching their limits.
“Sis, go get some sleep. I’ll wake you up to eat when I get back with the takeout.”
“No, didn’t you say you had something important for me to do?”
“Yes, the important thing is for you to get a good rest and sleep well.” Yu Xi opened a duffle bag she had reorganized in the SUV. It contained their daily essentials and clothes, to maintain appearances.
She took out Yu Qi’s change of clothes and toiletries, telling her to take a shower, change into clean clothes, and have a good, relaxing sleep.
The villa was large, with two rooms downstairs, three rooms upstairs, and an attic at the top. She specifically told Yu Qi to sleep in one of the downstairs rooms.
Yu Qi looked at her, hesitant to speak.
They had all seen the news about the “meteor storm” on TV. They also saw the serious and thoughtful expression on Yu Xi’s face, indicating her cautious attitude towards the “meteor storm” mentioned in the news.
Ya Tong was more carefree and might not have guessed yet.
But Yu Qi felt she had almost figured it out. Initially, Yu Xi wanted to fly back home immediately. Later, it seemed she changed her mind after seeing the news about the meteor shower at the apartment, deciding to stay temporarily and leave L City for the north.
The news mentioned the best observation points were in the central and southern regions, so they avoided those areas.
Yu Xi had inquired about the condition of the bomb shelter under the villa, asking about its depth and the last maintenance of the ventilation system and utilities.
Her shopping list included gas masks, protective suits, extreme cold weather gear, and mainly antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and wound care supplies.
Underground sheltering, air pollution, low temperatures, wound infections… combined with the meteor shower turning into a “meteor storm,” possibly with small fragments hitting the ground.
So, what was coming at 9 PM might not be just meteors but meteorites!
Yu Xi could tell from Yu Qi’s eyes that she had figured it out. She was smart, after all. Now that they were in a relatively safe place and prepared, it didn’t matter whether she guessed it or not.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Yu Qi asked her.
“I’m going to organize some things,” Yu Xi pointed subtly to the truck parked outside the villa. The perishable fresh vegetables, fruits, and frozen foods had already been silently moved into the Star House storage when they refueled.
She had left other items in the truck to avoid suspicion if Ya Tong checked the empty truck bed. But now, she needed to put them away; leaving them in the truck made her uneasy.
Moreover, she needed to move some usable items like blankets, chairs, and household appliances into the underground bomb shelter. The entrance to the shelter was in the backyard of the villa.
She had already gone down to check and found the bomb shelter very deep and professionally built.
After entering the first door, descend a vertical shaft ladder for about six to seven meters. Passing through the second door, there’ll be a transitional space on the first underground level. From there, continue down another four to five meters through a vertical shaft to reach a larger living space on the second underground level.
The first vertical shaft, both doors, and the transitional space are all wrapped in titanium alloy steel plates to withstand blast shock waves. The second vertical shaft and living space are also lined with alloy steel plates.
The living space is divided into three rooms and a living area. The kitchen and bathroom are in the living area, built later. The original bomb shelter only had water storage tanks, but they added electrical wiring, plumbing, additional water tanks, and a generator for extra safety.
The rooms are small, with two of them equipped with bunk beds and simple cabinets. One room is empty and can be used as storage. The kitchen and bathroom have complete facilities, including a washing machine, shower, and toilet. The kitchen uses an induction stove.
The living area has basic furniture like a table and chairs, which, to Yu Xi, made it look like a large underground RV.
She was eager to move some household items in.
Her fuel storage was only a bit over a third full, and she planned to get more gasoline from the town’s gas station when picking up the takeout.
With so much to do, she couldn’t possibly sleep.
But she hoped Ya Tong and Yu Qi would rest, making it easier for her to work.
“Sis, you and Ya Tong should get some sleep so that you can take the night watch later. That way, I can rest peacefully.” She nodded towards Ya Tong, who was smoking by the back door, and mouthed the word “space.”
Yu Qi understood and agreed to handle it.
Ten minutes later, a freshly showered and changed Yu Qi was pushing Ya Tong, who had just finished her bath, into the guest room to sleep. Yu Xi also took a shower in the upstairs bathroom and changed into a clean, comfortable black tracksuit.
With Yu Qi watching over Ya Tong, Yu Xi could now carry out her plans.
She found her phone and a phone directory from the villa listing all the shops in the town, including their names, addresses, and phone numbers. She began calling to place more orders.
Ice cream shop: 50 large tubs, 100 medium tubs, 200 small tubs, any flavors except the extremely sour ones.
Candy and chocolate shop: three boxes assorted.
Cookie shop: three boxes assorted.
…
These shops had stock ready for pickup, so no deposit was needed. She asked them to pack the orders so she could load them directly onto the truck.
These supplies would be their food for the three of them, with some left over to bring back to her original world as gifts.
Half an hour later, Ya Tong and Yu Qi were asleep in the downstairs guest room. Yu Xi started gathering everything in the villa that could be useful in the bomb shelter. With her space ability, it only took a second to move things.
For two hours, she busied herself in the bomb shelter.
The bunk beds were made with clean bedding, and the closets were stocked with clothes and blankets.
The open kitchen area now had many appliances and cookware, and the living area had a TV, sofas, recliners, coffee tables, and family photos. The bathroom was equipped with various toiletries. Finally, she started the generator and tested all the appliances, ensuring everything was working before leaving the bomb shelter satisfied.
She knew that once Ya Tong entered the bomb shelter, she would notice the changes. But by then, the apocalypse would have begun, and they would need to live together for a long time. There would be no point in hiding things.
Yu Xi checked the time and prepared to drive the truck to town to pick up the food orders. As she crossed the living room to the front yard, she was suddenly called out.
“Wait—” Ya Tong came out of the room, carefully closing the door behind her. She zipped up her jacket and tied her shoulder-length hair as she walked. “I’ll go to town with you.”
Yu Xi: …
**
During the half-hour drive from the villa to the town, Ya Tong remained silent, frowning the entire time. Yu Xi kept her eyes on the road, focusing on driving, and didn’t speak either.
Ya Tong wanted to talk to her alone, but seeing her quiet demeanor, she didn’t know where to start. It wasn’t until they arrived in town and started picking up the orders Yu Qi had placed that Ya Tong finally spoke up.
Coffee shop, pizza shop, burger shop…
Seeing the boxes of hot food from each shop, Ya Tong was stunned.
When Yu Qi had come here to place the orders, she had done it alone, paying the deposits herself. Ya Tong never imagined she had ordered so much!
No need to guess—this must have been Yu Xi’s idea.
Candy and chocolate shop, cookie shop, ice cream shop…
Ya Tong’s patience finally snapped.
“Why are you buying so much ice cream? It will melt in two or three hours! Do you know how wasteful that is? And all those burgers and pizzas—why buy so many at once? There are only three of us. Can you eat it all before it spoils? What are you going to do with the leftovers, throw them away?
You stockpiled yesterday, and it still isn’t enough? You’re wasting your sister’s money like it’s nothing! Do you know how hard it was when we first came to study here? We were so poor in winter that we couldn’t even afford to turn on the heater. We had to huddle in fast-food restaurants for warmth, and we didn’t dare go into coffee shops because their cheapest coffee was several times more expensive than soda at the fast-food places…
Your sister went through so much to get where she is. She treats you well, not expecting anything in return, because she loves you. To her, you’re more important than her job or money. But you just squander her money and play with her? I don’t know how you managed to save her last night, but talking about dying and being reborn sounds ridiculous and absurd…”
Once Ya Tong started talking, she couldn’t stop, as if she had opened the floodgates of her suppressed emotions. Yu Xi just nodded along while meticulously checking and loading the food supplies.
When the last box was loaded onto the truck, Yu Xi locked the door and stayed there for two or three seconds.
In those few seconds, she moved all the easily perishable ice cream boxes into her storage space and placed a few 200-liter diesel barrels into the truck bed, preparing for the next stop.
Yu Xi turned to Ya Tong and said, “As ridiculous and absurd as it sounds, you still came along, didn’t you?”
Ya Tong laughed, knowing this was the response she’d get. “I came because she’s my best friend. We’ve known each other for over ten years. If she’s going to follow you in this madness, I can’t just leave her. But you need to understand, there’s a limit to this madness. If you do anything to harm Yu Qi, I will make you regret it!”
Ya Tong’s expression was stern, but Yu Xi smiled at her. “Alright, then you better stick close to us, wherever we go, every step of the way.”
Ya Tong folded her arms and frowned at her, saying nothing.
“Get in the car, next stop.”
“…”
Yu Xi found a self-service gas station on the edge of town near the highway and resumed her routine, quickly transferring gasoline into her fuel storage space under the guise of refueling the truck.
This would likely be her last opportunity to stock up on fuel before the first meteorite shower. Holding the fuel nozzle, she slightly increased the transfer speed, watching the numbers on the meter jump rapidly.
Ya Tong remained irritated. Since last night, her phone had been ringing off the hook with calls from the company. First, they questioned the sudden cancellation of the shoot, and this morning they kept calling, asking when she would be back to handle an issue with another artist she managed.
She instinctively pulled out a cigarette and started looking for a lighter to smoke.
Just as she found the lighter, Yu Xi snatched the cigarette from her lips.
“Ya Tong, this is a gas station.”
“…” She gave Yu Xi an inscrutable look, feeling like her intelligence had been downgraded because of this girl.
After reminding her, Yu Xi returned the cigarette to Ya Tong’s lips. Ya Tong felt inexplicably irritated and was about to say something when she noticed a sudden bright light in the sky.
It was around three or four in the afternoon. Because the area was at a higher latitude and it was early spring, the sun set early. By around four or five o’clock, it started getting dark. The sun’s angle made the sudden streak of light across the sky even more dazzling.
At the same time, nearly everyone on the streets of Lu’er Town stopped and turned to look south.
A brilliant white light descended from the sky, trailing with a blazing fire, seemingly igniting the sky along with it. It plummeted towards the horizon, and at the moment of impact, the white light exploded, emitting an even more blinding brilliance.
Instinctively, everyone raised their hands to shield their eyes. People inside buildings were drawn outside by the sudden brightness, stepping onto balconies and streets, all staring in stunned silence at the southern sky.
About seven or eight seconds later, a distant, heavy rumble was heard, like thunder or an explosion.
Ya Tong stared blankly at the horizon, the cigarette falling from her open mouth. “What was… that?”
Yu Xi’s face changed. She immediately stopped refueling. Fortunately, she hadn’t had time to move the diesel barrels off the truck. She closed the fuel tank cap, ensuring everything was in place, and quickly stored all items in her storage space. Then she grabbed Ya Tong’s arm and headed towards the driver’s seat.
“What was that just now?” Ya Tong asked again once they were in the truck.
In peaceful times, people rarely saw meteorites, let alone something like this.
Yu Xi didn’t know how big that meteorite was, but judging by the explosion and the subsequent noise, its impact was comparable to a bomb dropped by a fighter jet. There was no chance of survival for anyone or anything nearby.
Luckily, the meteorite had landed far away from them. But it was not even four o’clock in the afternoon; how had a meteorite come so soon?
This was also Yu Xi’s first time witnessing a meteorite impact. Her hands trembled slightly on the steering wheel.
She hadn’t felt this way in a long time.
This kind of apocalypse was completely different from zombies or parasites. It was a raw physical attack, where overwhelming force crushed everything. No amount of strategy or physical prowess could withstand such absolute power.
There was no option but to hide.
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and turned back with a serious expression: “That was a meteorite. Ya Tong, buckle up. We’re going back to find my sister.”
There was no need for her to repeat herself. Ya Tong quickly fastened her seatbelt and grabbed the handle above the window.
Yu Xi hit the gas and turned the truck towards the villa, speeding off.
**
In the speeding truck, Yu Xi anxiously stuffed her phone back into her pocket after another failed attempt to call Yu Qi. Even though she knew the meteorite had landed far away, she couldn’t shake her unease.
Yu Xi: System, has the apocalypse started early?
【Consider it a precursor to the disaster】
Yu Xi didn’t ask further. If it was a precursor, it wouldn’t be a widespread meteor shower yet.
However, the meteorite’s impact location seemed further north than she had anticipated, definitely beyond the central region of the country.
It seemed that the information on the TV about “the central and southern regions being the best observation points” couldn’t be taken as a reliable indicator for the meteorite landing zones. Yu Xi’s thoughts were interrupted by a strong grip on her arm.
“There!” Ya Tong clutched her arm tightly with one hand and pointed to the sky ahead with the other.
The road was oriented east-west. They were driving westward from the town back to the villa, flanked by tall trees that obscured parts of the sky. The setting sun to the west was also glaring, which was why Yu Xi hadn’t noticed the anomaly immediately.
The meteorite was burning, emitting a bright white light with a hint of red. As it soared high, it suddenly exploded, breaking into three fragments that shot off in different directions.
One of the fragments, trailing black smoke, rapidly grew larger in her field of vision.
Yu Xi’s mind hadn’t yet processed the danger, but her body moved instinctively.
The road they were on was a narrow, two-lane forest path. Beyond the road was a slope lined with trees, making it impossible to drive off the road. The truck was too large to make a quick U-turn.
Reversing wasn’t an option either, as backing up was slower, and she didn’t know where exactly the meteorite would hit or the extent of the explosion’s shockwave.
So—Yu Xi floored the gas pedal, accelerating to maximum speed, aiming to pass the danger zone before the meteorite struck.
Ya Tong instantly grasped her intent. Logically, she knew this was the best course of action, but emotionally, knowing they were racing towards a falling meteorite was a terrifying visual.
Ya Tong gripped the handle with one hand and clutched Yu Xi’s arm tightly with the other, pressing herself against the seat as they raced towards the fiery light. Instinctively, she closed her eyes.
Yu Xi had the pedal to the metal, eyes locked on the meteorite. At breakneck speed, they zoomed past just before the meteorite hit the ground.
The meteorite wasn’t very large, barely missing the truck’s body as it crashed with a loud explosion. The rearview mirror reflected a burst of flames and a thunderous boom as the road surface erupted into fragments, pelting the truck like hail.
Simultaneously, explosions echoed from both sides of the road as the other fragments hit the forest.
From the moment Ya Tong spotted the meteorite, to its explosion, to one fragment heading their way, and Yu Xi’s sudden acceleration—all this took only about four or five seconds.
Four or five seconds, just a breath for an average person, but for Ya Tong, each second stretched infinitely, turning everything into slow motion.
Having survived, she realized she was drenched in cold sweat.
She turned to look at the driver, her face a mix of shock and awe. Yu Xi kept her eyes on the road, maintaining a safe but rapid speed.
Somehow, Ya Tong felt a strange sense of embarrassment.
“Ya Tong,” Yu Xi suddenly spoke.
“What?” Ya Tong’s voice unconsciously softened.
“You’re squeezing me too hard.”
“…” Ya Tong realized her hand was still gripping Yu Xi’s arm tightly. She tried to release her grip, but her fingers were stiff and unresponsive. It took a moment before she could move her hand away.
She had so many questions swirling in her mind, but she couldn’t articulate any of them.
Just then, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID: “It’s Yu Qi.”
Yu Xi frowned at the news. “Answer it quickly and tell her we’re almost home. Tell her not to come outside and to wait for us in the basement!”
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