Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 69

The predicted conclusions were not unanimous. The second meteorite shower was forecasted to occur six days later in the evening, with only a quarter of the quantity and size of the first one. The third meteorite shower was expected to happen three months later, but its quantity and size were still uncertain.
Not all experts agreed with these predictions, with about sixty to seventy percent in favor. Given the nature of such unprecedented events, it was understandable that experts from different countries couldn’t reach a complete consensus. It’s also possible that some countries sent experts to the online meetings to deliberately confuse the issue.
Regardless, the current agreement percentage was already quite high. Countries that had already experienced one meteorite shower were actively preparing. Even those fortunate enough to have remained unscathed in the first round were taking precautionary measures to some extent.
After discussing, Yu Xi and her two companions decided to wait until after the second meteorite shower before leaving. From the first meteorite shower, it was clear that the experts’ predictions weren’t entirely accurate. Moreover, six days was too short a time to ensure they could find a completely safe refuge while traveling. They also wanted to verify the reliability of the experts’ predictions.
Currently, some areas and cities in the United States had temporarily restored inland transportation, but due to the meteorite shower damaging railways, trains, airport runways, and planes, the routes available were very limited.
Yu Qi called several nearby airlines, only to find that international long-distance passenger flights were still all grounded. For domestic short-haul flights, she was told that all seats were fully booked before the predicted meteorite shower date, mostly reserved for previously ticketed but stranded passengers. As for after the predicted date, it would depend on the post-shower situation.
The situation was similar for trains, with too many damaged tracks and not enough time for repairs, causing most routes to be halted. Given this, their only option to return home was by sea.
They had already chosen the port city from which they would depart by ship: W City in the northern district, one of the few cities in the United States that hadn’t been hit by the meteorite shower. The distance from their location to W City was about twelve hundred kilometers, and many people from the southern part of the country were moving north, seeking refuge in W City.
Thus, they had a lot of preparation to do, such as planning and marking the route on a map and reinforcing their SUV. This reinforcement was naturally not to guard against meteorites but against people.
Ya Tong had friends in W City who informed her that large passenger ships were still operating, with one departing every day, but all long-distance voyages had been canceled, leaving only short trips, the farthest reaching U City in Japan.
Ya Tong knew this route: it followed the east coast’s shoreline, with a total sailing time of about two days. It seemed that if they wanted to return to their home country, they would have to find a way to travel north along the east coast of the continent, cross the ocean, and then head south from the northern part of the central continent.
This route was somewhat circuitous, but it allowed for stops along the way and was the only feasible plan they could devise.
Afterward, the three of them got to work. The villa’s garage had many repair tools, and the backyard had a storage shed filled with various items. They planned to turn the SUV into an “iron cage” by adding iron mesh and welding steel bars, so even if the glass shattered, people outside wouldn’t be able to get in.
Initially, Yu Xi considered taking out the RV and reinforcing it to make the journey more comfortable. However, considering the nature of this apocalypse, she decided against it. The RV’s speed and agility couldn’t match the SUV, and in the event of a meteorite shower, speed was more critical than comfort.
As for the SUV, with the two spaces they now have, they could travel light without needing to place any luggage inside the car. They planned to flatten two-thirds of the back seats, leaving just one-third for sitting. The flattened area would be covered with a plush rug, allowing the three of them to take turns resting while on the move.
Before the predicted day, they would work on reinforcing and modifying the SUV in the garage during the day and then park it back in the garage (in the transport space) at night, returning to the bunker to rest. Yu Qi and Yu Xi focused on the modifications while Ya Tong primarily handled the cooking.
Since Ya Tong now had her own space, Yu Xi had shared a portion of their previously stocked vegetables, meats, seafood, fruits, dairy, main courses, ice cream, desserts, drinks, spices, and kitchen utensils with her for easy access. This boosted Ya Tong’s enthusiasm for cooking.
The large courtyard of the villa had its advantages. With the doors and windows locked and the curtains drawn, no one outside could smell the aroma of grilled lamb chops or baked oysters. Their confidence in cooking so freely came from another reason: the entire villa area now regarded them with fear. No one dared approach their villa, and no new occupants moved into the nearby villa once occupied by the two men and one woman.
The commotion caused by the bald man that night was significant, especially the rocket launcher’s explosion. Some people trembled inside their villas, while others dared to observe the aftermath with binoculars. The view of the courtyard was obscured by trees, preventing a clear sight of the events.
Observers only saw three young Asian women dragging out bodies, including dismembered parts, and later burning them. Such violent acts, committed by three Asian women, spread fear rapidly. This reputation led other villa residents to unite for self-preservation.
Yu Xi was the first to notice this. While assisting Yu Qi with the SUV in the garage, she saw a five- or six-year-old girl from a nearby villa approach curiously. Before the girl could get closer, her mother rushed out, grabbed her, and sternly warned her not to approach the “monsters” who “eat children.”
Yu Xi, with her keen hearing, overheard this and realized that their presence had become a source of fear and anger among the villa residents, who saw them as public enemies or murderers.
When she ed this to Yu Qi and Ya Tong, they were frustrated. They were simply defending themselves, yet were now blamed for the true culprit’s actions. Moreover, during the bald man’s rampage, none of the numerous villa residents who likely heard the screams of the victims attempted to help.
If they hadn’t taken down the bald man, considering his psychotic nature, he would have likely hunted down every villa one by one, leaving the survival of each resident to chance. In essence, the three of them were the saviors of the entire villa area and should have been thanked!
“Forget it,” Yu Qi said, “whether they curse us or thank us, it doesn’t matter. We’re not going to stay here forever.” Ya Tong, though frustrated, understood that Yu Qi was right.
Explaining the situation was unnecessary, especially considering the deep-seated issues of racial discrimination. Even if they wanted to explain, it wouldn’t make a difference. Yu Xi, having experienced a world filled with zombies, had very low expectations of human nature in a post-apocalyptic environment. She knew that people with their own agendas would ultimately make all sorts of hypocritical decisions.
The SUV was mostly reinforced and two nights before the predicted day, Yu Xi was again woken by sounds from the surveillance footage. This time, both Yu Qi and Ya Tong woke up shortly after her.
The noise from the surveillance was loud. Outside the villa, many people were gathered, armed with various weapons. Unlike the last time with the sneaky white man, this group relied on their numbers and made no attempt to be discreet. They loudly demanded that the “murderers” come out of the villa and leave the community, and even the country.
Some genuinely wanted them to leave: “We’ve already called the police! The town’s police will be here soon. If you don’t leave, you’ll face the consequences!”
Others had more ulterior motives, stirring the crowd: “I know you killed your neighbors for food and supplies! That truck parked on the driveway originally belonged to them, right? You lured them into your villa, killed them when they weren’t expecting it, and took all their supplies!”
“Yes! I clearly heard someone shouting for help that night. Later, you dragged out a lot of bodies from the yard and even set them on fire to destroy the evidence. You murderers, leave everything that doesn’t belong to you and get out of this area!”
“Damn it!” Ya Tong was furious and immediately pulled out an AK-47 from her space.
Yu Qi glanced at her, “What are you going to do?”
“How can you stand this? Aren’t you angry at all?”
Yu Qi’s eyes burned with intensity as she looked at her, “Of course I’m angry. Being wronged and driven out like this makes me furious. But what can we do about it? If you go out there, what can you do?”
“Make them leave,” Ya Tong checked the bullets, satisfied they were full.
“And if they don’t leave? Most of these people were incited to come here. Someone’s orchestrating this, aiming for our supplies. They probably guessed or somehow figured out that we have a lot of supplies here, which is true.”
Yu Qi sighed, “I’m saying, they won’t leave just because you warn them. If you show yourself, you’ll be walking into their trap. At that point, you only have two choices: kill them as they rush at you or be captured and forced to hand over all our supplies.”
Yu Qi paused, then added, “Are you prepared to kill them all?”
Ya Tong stayed silent.
Yu Qi knew she understood everything. The aftermath of killing the bald man, getting the card and the space, had affected her emotions, making her more volatile.
Yu Qi could see that Ya Tong had been on edge these past few days, sometimes repeatedly taking out and putting away items, other times silently smoking in the villa. She understood that suddenly being thrust out of the ordinary and becoming special could cause emotional turbulence.
But in such times, caution was paramount. A wrong choice could lead to a path of no return. She believed Ya Tong could handle it but needed to watch over her until she fully processed her emotions, preventing any regretful decisions.
Ya Tong cursed again, threw the AK on the table, and went to the couch.
On the surveillance screen, the shouting crowd started throwing rocks at the villa. The glass windows shattered, kitchen windows were broken, and shards littered the stove. Some rushed to the door, smashing the lock with gun butts, and invaded the villa, searching everywhere.
Ya Tong grew angrier, but before she could act, Yu Xi stood in front of her, holding out a hazelnut latte in one hand and a matcha ice cream in the other, asking which she preferred.
Looking at the fluffy-haired girl in front of her, Ya Tong felt like a balloon suddenly deflated, her rage dissipating.
Actually, she understood everything. In this country, it’s common for ordinary people to carry and use guns. If she went out now, those people, incited by someone with ulterior motives, would never let her go. She wouldn’t be able to drive them away, and if she didn’t want to get captured, she would have to start shooting.
If she shot even one of them, the situation would become irreparable. She’d either be killed by them or have to kill all or some of them. Even if it was in self-defense, it would still confirm the “murderer” label.
Putting her life in danger for a few pests and clowns, leading to bloodshed and misfortune, was something only an idiot would do!
Ya Tong took the ice cream and slowly ate it while leaning on the sofa. Yu Xi smiled and handed the latte to Yu Qi.
“Coffee in the middle of the night?” Yu Qi looked at her obedient and sensible sister.
Yu Xi waved her hand, and the table next to the computer was suddenly filled with various snacks they had swept up from the supermarket: “We can’t sleep anyway, might as well eat something.”
Yu Qi nodded and took a bag of chips. Yu Xi drank the coffee herself.
Learning from the last lesson and now with Ya Tong having space abilities too, they made sure to store everything useful away before going to the bunker, not leaving even a pair of chopsticks behind, let alone food.
On the computer screen, the instigators, finding nothing inside the villa, began discussing how to locate the entrance to the basement. When they couldn’t find it, they started destroying the furniture and utilities inside the villa.
The noise was so loud that a few people hesitated, but seeing the destruction, most joined in the frenzy. The meteor disaster had brought immense pain and pressure to everyone, and now they had found an outlet for their frustration, each becoming more crazed than the last.
Ya Tong finished her ice cream, brushed her teeth, and said she was going back to sleep, unable to stand the sight.
After she went to her room, Yu Xi pulled up a chair next to Yu Qi and sat down: “Sis, let’s go to sleep too. We can mute the sound or listen to music with headphones.”
“No, I want to watch,” Yu Qi’s body trembled slightly, but she tried to hide it, “I want to see just how ugly and insane human nature can be, so I can remind myself… not to become that kind of monster.”
Yu Xi nodded, leaning gently against her: “It’s okay. Even if the villa’s water and electricity are cut off, it won’t affect the bunker. And even if it does, I have plenty of stored water in my space… Also, let’s just stay here for a few days. The SUV is almost fully reinforced, and after the predicted date, we’ll head north.”
“Alright.”
That night, a mob with various motives caused chaos for two hours before leaving. They smashed the villa’s windows and doors, overturned and broke the furniture, and damaged several of the villa’s surveillance cameras. But in the end, none of this affected the three of them. Staying in the bunker during the day wasn’t much different from staying in the villa.
The evening before the predicted date, Yu Qi noticed an ominous red hue in the sky through the rear camera while passing by the computer screen. At first, she thought it was the sunset, but she quickly realized that the entire sky turning this color was impossible for a sunset.
She immediately called out to Yu Xi and Ya Tong, and they both saw the unusual sky. There was only one scenario where the sky turned this color—meteors, and a lot of them, burning in the atmosphere!
“Are both doors locked?” Yu Qi asked anxiously.
“Don’t worry! Every time you lock up, Ya Tong and I double-check,” Yu Qi reassured her.
“This situation seems off—” Ya Tong opened the storage room door, pulled the two inside, shut the door, and stored all loose items in her space. Then she asked Yu Xi if she had any cushions or similar items.
Yu Xi brought out a few quilts, laying some on the floor and keeping others to cover their heads once they were seated against the wall. Although the gesture was mostly symbolic—they were, after all, in a robust underground bunker four levels down—it provided some psychological comfort. If this place collapsed, there would be no escape.
Boom! The muffled, enormous sound of an explosion echoed nearby, accompanied by screams and the scorching heat of meteor impacts that ignited the surrounding buildings and underground shelters. The ground trembled.
The meteor strike had come early, nearly 30 hours ahead of schedule. This time, the villa area wasn’t spared and faced a major meteor shower head-on. Explosions continued overhead, causing the bunker to shake with the quaking earth.
Yu Qi sat between the two, gripping their hands tightly. Explosions persisted from evening into the night. By 7 p.m., the sounds became less frequent, and the tremors ceased, though a few explosions were still nearby.
The three of them leaned on each other and dozed off in the cramped storage room. When they awoke, it was past 4 a.m. the next day. All was silent outside. They helped each other stand, their limbs stiff from a night of sitting, but they were alive.
Yu Xi packed up the quilts, and they exited the storage room. In the living area, bottles and containers had toppled, but the larger furniture remained intact. Yu Qi checked the computer, finding all screens black and every camera nonfunctional. Ya Tong checked the utilities: the electricity had switched to the generator, and the water supply had been cut off. She activated the water tank. Yu Xi turned on the TV, but no channels connected. Their phones had intermittent signals, and calls couldn’t be made.
Feeling heavy-hearted, they stayed another day in the basement. The next morning, they debated whether to venture outside and decided to wait another day since the last meteor shower had lasted three days.
On the third morning, they began packing everything from the bunker, including the refrigerator, television, and other movable furniture and household items. They even dismantled the generator and took the water from the tank. They prepared a decoy travel bag with clothes and ready-to-eat food for Ya Tong to carry.
At Yu Xi’s suggestion, they donned protective suits and gas masks, cautiously opening the transition door and climbing up the shaft to the surface. The titanium alloy door was intact. Yu Xi pressed her ear to it, listening intently.
Through the thick metal door and camouflaging vegetation, she heard nothing but the wind—a dead silence. She put her gas mask back on and opened the door.
A landscape of blackened scorched earth greeted them; the trees in the backyard, the warehouse, and their villa were all gone. The buildings had collapsed into rubble, some areas still ablaze, trees reduced to blackened charcoal, and the once lush green lawn had vanished entirely.
Walls, street lamps, cars—everything that had once existed was blown to pieces by the explosions and then melted by the intense heat. Through the lenses of their gas masks, they stared at this alien world, their bodies and minds trembling.
The air was filled with black dust that had yet to settle completely. They stepped through various shapes of blackened debris, struggling to find their bearings. Yu Xi took out a compass, only to find it unusable.
The sky above this area was shrouded in lingering dust clouds, blocking most of the sunlight. They relied on faint shadows to discern their direction, eventually finding what used to be the driveway and following it out. Occasionally, they saw half-standing villas, like islands in a sea of destruction, with exposed furniture and walls standing broken.
They saw numerous burnt, body-like shapes, impossible to identify, and couldn’t tell if they were the same people who had attacked their villa that night. They also came across a metal door sticking out of the ground, the entrance to another bunker, with several charred bodies sprawled around it. Perhaps they had fought to get inside but wasted too much time and couldn’t make it in the end.
Yu Qi felt a chill run through her body as she thought about the three of them. If they hadn’t been driven to the bunker by the villa residents causing trouble that evening, would they have been able to get to the bunker in time? Would they have ended up like those people?
They continued walking and came across a car almost entirely melted by the heat, suggesting that someone had tried to escape but failed. They didn’t explore the entire villa area but walked straight along the driveway, so they didn’t know if there were any other survivors hidden in the scorched earth.
The surroundings were eerily silent; they saw no one and spent about three hours walking out of the burnt area. They crossed a lawn and, behind a large hidden tree, Yu Xi took out the reinforced SUV.
“I’ll drive first; you two rest in the back,” Ya Tong said, taking off her gas mask and patting their shoulders before getting into the driver’s seat and trying to find a radio station for news.
Yu Xi and Yu Qi got into the back seat, removed their gas masks and protective suits, and let out long sighs of relief. They had narrowly escaped death once more.
Yu Xi took out three bottles of water and three hamburgers, and they quickly replenished their energy. The car started moving, driving north along the mottled road.