Apocalypse Star House Hoarding-Chapter 9

The hotel was surrounded by low-rise buildings, making it stand out like a crane among chickens, but only three floors were above water. Being closer to the coast, it had been heavily affected by the tsunami, and the glass on the fifth floor was completely shattered. The boat reversed and parked directly beside the building. Simon secured the ropes, allowing everyone to climb in through the gaping window without needing the inflatable boat.
The fifth floor had been ravaged by the tsunami, with shops in disarray, wet patches on the ground, and many water-damaged items. However, some things were still intact. Luckily, the supermarket in the mall was on the top floor and had not been severely affected.
The supermarket was not very large, and the shelves were not fully stocked. Items requiring refrigeration or freezing, like vegetables and fish, were not yet on the shelves, but these were not essential at the moment. For the group, the items currently on the shelves were more than sufficient.
Before disembarking, Lin Wu reminded everyone that the boat was fully loaded and that each person’s belongings should be limited to the weight of a suitcase, focusing on what they needed most. No one objected to this, though Meng Lu muttered, “The boat is clearly very spacious,” to which Fang Zichen gave her a disapproving look, silencing her.
The elevator to the seventh floor was inside the mall, requiring them to traverse most of the building. Without electricity, the mall was pitch dark, with potential hazards like water puddles and debris. Some areas had shattered glass from doors being blown out.
After much effort, they found the escalators, but the glass on both sides was gone, leaving the black handrails dangling, with broken glass on the steps and water on the downward side. Climbing these would mean navigating through glass shards without railings for support, posing a significant risk.
They discussed and decided to find a nearby stairwell. The stairwell, behind a safety door, was in better condition. However, one side was entirely submerged in water, resembling a deep, dark pool.
Since each person had different priorities for what to collect, they decided to separate to save time, except for family units like the family of three. Yuxi, imitating the others, found an intact carry-on bag in a luggage shop on the fifth floor and began to gather supplies.
With ample supplies already, Yuxi collected more leisurely than the others, who had clear objectives. She picked up many local snacks, various dried fruits, seafood snacks, vacuum-packed meats like chicken wings, duck wings, beef jerky, sausages, coconut-based desserts, chocolates, biscuits, and candies.
She also gathered several boxes of room-temperature milk, cartons of coconut milk, and boxes of instant noodles, each containing 20 to 30 items. She grabbed a lot of a popular local instant coffee and, finding drip coffee that only needed hot water, took all of it.
Lastly, she added ten 5-kilogram bags of local fragrant rice and four boxes of 1-liter bottled water, each containing 20 bottles. Most of the lightweight snacks and vacuum-packed foods went into her carry-on bag, while the heavier items were stored in her storage. She kept a few drink boxes in her bag for appearance’s sake.
Yuxi felt like she was collecting souvenirs and gifts during a trip abroad, wondering if she could take these back to her original world.
Later, she found some power banks on a shelf and took three, along with some flashlights and batteries. She also stocked up on disposable underwear, sanitary pads, napkins, towels, toothpaste, and toothbrushes from the daily necessities section.
After finishing, she passed by a clothing store on the fifth floor and picked up seasonal clothes like T-shirts, pants, light jackets, socks, and sneakers. Most of her prepared clothes were for colder weather, as it was autumn in her world. She hadn’t expected to end up on a tropical island, so she lacked appropriate clothing.
She thought she would be the first back to the boat but found Lin Wu already there. Yuan Ning, needing to avoid movement due to her stitches, stayed on the yacht with Yuan Yuan. Yuan Yuan was on the upper deck, while Yuan Ning and Lin Wu were on the lower deck, seemingly in conversation.
Lin Wu saw her and stopped talking to Yuan Ning. “Back? Got everything?”
“Yes.” Feeling like she was interrupting, Yuxi responded briefly and went to the upper deck. She took a large bag of jelly from her carry-on and handed it to Yuan Yuan, who hugged it tightly with joy. “Is this for Yuan Yuan?”
“Hmm, because Yuan Yuan is good, so this is your reward.”
After a while, a family of three and two couples returned to the boat. Following them were Ximan and Yuan Qi. They pushed a small cart loaded with several carry-on bags to the edge of the building. Simon had Yuan Qi hold the cart while he boarded the boat first, then took the bags one by one. Yuxi counted five bags, just enough for Lin Wu, Yuan Ning, Simon, Yuan Qi, and Yuan Yuan.
Yuxi pondered over the situation—had Lin Wu not taken anything before? She clearly saw him disembark before her and wondered when he had returned, as she hadn’t seen him on her way back.
Still missing were Fang Zichen, Meng Lu, Mang Mang, and the two hotel staff. After waiting a while, there was still no sign of them.
“Did anyone see them on the way back?” Lin Wu asked as he descended from the upper deck.
“I saw Meng Lu in the cosmetics section; she was picking out makeup,” said one of the girls from the couples. The others frowned upon hearing this; given the situation, it seemed absurd to be choosing cosmetics, as if on vacation. The girl quickly fell silent, seeing the displeased expressions.
In reality, she had also grabbed some skincare products, thinking she might need them during their uncertain stay on the island. But now, seeing others’ reactions, she decided to keep that to herself.
As Lin Wu was about to ask Simon to help search for them, the two hotel staff appeared, hurrying back with large travel bags. When they tossed the bags onto the boat, it rocked noticeably.
Lin Wu frowned but said nothing, only asking if they had seen Fang Zichen and Meng Lu. The men didn’t respond, their faces grim. Simon stepped forward to clarify, but they remained uncooperative and angry.
After a long wait, Meng Lu and Fang Zichen finally appeared, looking disheveled and wet. Fang Zichen supported Meng Lu with one hand and carried two bags in the other, while Mang Mang followed silently, holding her bag.
Fang Zichen spotted the hotel staff and yelled, “You went too far; she almost drowned!”
One of them retorted, “She fell on her own; it’s not our fault.”
“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have fallen! If I couldn’t swim, I’d be dead now!”
“Don’t lie!”
…
No one else spoke, not knowing what had transpired. Though Meng Lu had initially vouched for them, now there was an altercation. Given her previous tardiness, loose tongue, and choosing makeup, the others were growing frustrated with her. More were inclined to watch the scene than intervene.
Yuxi, sipping a coconut drink and munching on squid strips, had no interest in the commotion. Though curious about what had happened in such a short time, her desire to avoid trouble outweighed her curiosity.
The argument grew louder, with voices in Mandarin, Hainanese, and Fang Zichen arguing in English, turning the boat into a market scene.
“Enough!” Lin Wu’s shout silenced them. “Keep arguing, and you’ll take the rubber dinghy to Sea view mountain yourselves.”
That shut everyone up quickly. Meng Lu suppressed her anger and sat with Fang Zichen far from the others. Her clothes, barely changed earlier, were soaked again, and the filthy seawater carried a foul odor. Thinking of the likely corpses in the water made her want to vomit.
Fang Zichen handed her a towel to dry off, and she looked at him with teary eyes. “Zichen, they were too much; I almost drowned…”
“Meng Lu, how did they cause you to slip? You helped them, and they repay you like this?” Mang Mang, usually quiet, suddenly spoke up.
Meng Lu hesitated, and though she didn’t respond, her pitiful state discouraged further questioning.
Fang Zichen didn’t know how Meng Lu fell either. They had split up to gather items, and he had been fetching medicine when he heard a splash. Rushing down, he found Meng Lu in the water.
Not wanting to press her, Fang Zichen consoled, “At least you’re safe now. Let’s avoid more trouble; we’ll separate at Sea view mountain soon.”
Meng Lu, full of anger and plans for revenge, eyed Mang Mang but held back, muttering an acknowledgment.
The boat took nearly two hours to reach Sea view mountain. Part of the mountain was submerged, making the terrain unclear. Simon, familiar with the area, guided them without incident, finally arriving at a gentle slope not used by the rescue boats.
Unable to dock due to shallow water, they used the rubber dinghy. The two hotel staff carried their bags through the water and disappeared into the crowd.
With Simon’s help, they made three trips to ferry everyone and their belongings. Yuan Ning, assisted by Lin Wu, parked the boat by a large tree, securing it with ropes before joining the others in the dinghy.
Setting foot on solid ground, everyone sighed with relief.
The group naturally split into several smaller ones. The couples stayed together, Yuan Qi, Yuan Yuan, and Yuxi formed one group, and the family of three stood with Lin Wu. Simon, aiding Lin Wu with the dinghy, glanced at Yuxi but stayed put.
Meng Lu, exhausted, insisted on changing her wet clothes, pulling Fang Zichen into the trees, followed by Mang Mang. Fang Zichen, looking awkwardly at Yuxi, found a spot for Meng Lu and Mang Mang and kept watch.
Lin Wu, not waiting for them, packed the dinghy, and the groups moved towards the crowd.
The rescue team had set up a registration point on a clearing by several large hotels. There was electricity, clean water, and accommodations for survivors, with free lodging and three meals a day, but water and electricity were rationed.
Solo individuals like Yuxi had to share rooms due to the influx of survivors. Yuxi, unable to share due to her secrets, approached a father with a child who seemed well-off to inquire the situation.
The father explained that he was a guest at a hotel on the mountain, safe from the tsunami. After it subsided, the rescue team began transferring people to the mountain, making arrangements that, while inconvenient, were necessary.
“… I heard some important guests at a five-star hotel still enjoy previous privileges. If you want to avoid sharing and have money, head north where there are many guesthouses and apartments. The rescue team can’t manage all those, so you might find private accommodations, but there are no food distribution points, so it’s inconvenient.”
Grateful, Yuxi gave the man’s son some dried fruit and squid strips as thanks. Though hesitant, the father accepted, knowing such snacks were scarce.
Meanwhile, Yuan Qi and Yuan Yuan registered and received their room and ID cards.
Yuxi shared her information with them and decided to part ways there.