novelraw Chapter 119
Chapter 119
Yu Xi, dressed in comfortable all-cotton short-sleeved pajamas, walked barefoot out of her room. Her steps padded across the wooden floors of the apartment’s upper level until she reached the south-facing study. She gently pulled back the floor-to-ceiling curtains.
Another sunny day greeted her. The morning sun slanted softly from the left, exuding a gentle, beautiful warmth.
The apartment was perched on the upper level of a two-story house built near a slope. Ahead, not far from the property, was a cliff overlooking a mountain stream faintly visible below. Across from it stood a slightly shorter hill, and further out, a range of undulating mountains stretched into the horizon.
From Yu Xi’s current vantage point, the view was filled with lush greenery. The towering, dense vegetation blended naturally with the wild mountain setting, avoiding any sense of overgrowth.
Suddenly, two guinea pigs, roughly the size of rabbits, darted out from somewhere. They paused cautiously near the “grain grass” transplanted along the outer wall of the property, sniffing the air with their noses before skirting the wall and scurrying down the slope.
Almost simultaneously, a giant millipede emerged from the loose soil under a large tree at the edge of the slope. It chased after one of the guinea pigs and, amidst the rodent’s frantic squeals, coiled around it and began injecting venom.
In less than ten seconds, the guinea pig fell silent.
Yu Xi, blessed with exceptional eyesight, witnessed the entire life-and-death scene between these two mutated creatures.
“Uh, mountain millipedes seem bigger than the city ones, and their taste preferences seem to have shifted quite a bit,” she muttered. She distinctly remembered that millipedes were originally herbivorous.
This was their third day at the mountain lodge and the second day since resetting Star House. This fleeting moment of relative tranquility finally dispelled the hardships of evacuating the city. Things had not gone smoothly after hitting the highway.
Barely twenty minutes into the drive, the group realized they couldn’t handle the speed. Without windshields, going over 80 km/h made it feel like the wind would blow them out of their seats.
They eventually stopped and, following Xu Yan’s instructions, retrieved detachable transparent windshields stored in the lower compartments of their vehicles. These windshields were mounted onto the front frame and side door frames. Once secured and connected to the roof, their all-terrain vehicles went from being completely open to semi-enclosed. The transparent covers at the front and sides significantly improved their riding comfort.
With this adjustment, the convoy picked up speed again, hitting as high as 120 km/h at its peak.
Their original plan was to take the highway directly from S City to N City. However, two hours later, they encountered a roadblock. The few vehicles on the highway were stuck in a long line, forming a traffic jam.
Upon investigation, they discovered that several sections of the road had collapsed. The incident was recent, and authorities had yet to respond with measures. The cause of the collapse remained unclear.
A few unfortunate vehicles were trapped midway in the collapsed sections, unable to move forward or back. Fortunately, the occupants had already evacuated to safety, but the road was effectively impassable.
The collapse extended over a considerable distance, with the fractures too wide even for their all-terrain vehicles to traverse.
Yu Xi pulled out her phone to check alternate routes on the navigation app. Luck seemed to be on their side—just 100 meters ahead was an exit leading to a small county called Li County. From there, they could switch to a national highway that also connected to N City.
“I was planning to refuel at the next rest stop, but now we’ll have to try our luck in the county,” said Chen Tong, glancing at her dejected husband slumped in the passenger seat.
“Don’t worry, there’s usually a gas station near national highways,” Zheng Feng reassured.
Xu Yan added, “There might be one in the county too. Once we’re there, we’ll check online.”
“But for some reason, the network in this area seems poor,” Gou Yaoyang frowned, looking down at his phone.
“It’s fine,” Yu Xi said. “I already downloaded offline maps. Switching to 3D mode will show all buildings and shops. We can find everything in no time.” Not only did she have a national map downloaded, but her other phone also had a map of the entire world.
“Reliable as always, Sister Yu!” Ma Tiantian laughed.
After a brief discussion, everyone returned to their vehicles. Thanks to their compact, narrow off-road cars, they were able to weave through the larger gaps between the stalled vehicles on the highway, drawing plenty of curious stares. Some even attempted to flag them down, hoping to hitch a ride to J County.
“Sorry, we’re not headed that way,” Gou Yaoyang replied flatly to one such request.
“How can you be like this? There’s clearly space in your cars! What’s the harm in giving me a ride? I have urgent business and can even pay you!” The man, after being refused by multiple members of the convoy, began to show his dissatisfaction.
Frustrated, and thinking he had nothing to lose since no one was moving anyway, he decided to block one of the all-terrain vehicles, ready to argue further. But just as he opened his mouth, a faint buzzing sound came from above.
The stranded crowd instinctively froze, their scalps tingling. That sound was unmistakable—it was mosquitoes.
These weren’t the mosquitoes of the past that could be swatted to death with ease. The ones now were mutated, giant insects whose bites could cause uncontrollable bleeding.
“There’s a mosquito swarm nearby! Get in your cars!” someone shouted. Those who had gotten out to stretch their legs scrambled in panic, rushing back to their vehicles, which now served as their only shelter. Most people were driving regular cars and hadn’t donned protective gear, so they hurriedly slammed their doors shut.
The man who had been blocking the road had wandered a fair distance from his vehicle while trying to stop others. Realizing the danger, he turned and bolted back toward his car.
In his panic, he ran into someone’s open car door. While the other person managed to usher their family inside and shut the door, the man fell heavily to the ground, taking several moments to get back up.
By the time he did, the mosquito swarm was already close. Flying low to the ground, their long, sharp proboscises glinted like deadly blades in the sunlight.
Ignoring the scrapes on his palms, the man knew he couldn’t outrun them. He banged desperately on the nearest car door, begging for someone to let him in. But the occupants had already locked their doors and weren’t about to take that risk.
One mosquito noticed him and dove straight for his arm, sinking its needle-like proboscis deep into his flesh. A wave of excruciating pain shot through him as his arm caved in at the bite site. Blood, mixed with shredded tissue, was sucked out in seconds.
The sight and smell of fresh blood drew two more mosquitoes into a dive. Just as they were about to strike, a burst of insecticide sprayed through the air. The strong chemical odor made the mosquitoes circle back momentarily, hovering mid-air.
A long, slender blade flashed, slicing the mosquito on the man’s arm cleanly in half.
Yu Xi, retracting her Tang knife, glanced at the man. “Why are you still here? Get back to your car!”
Snapped out of his shock, the man clutched his bleeding arm and ran frantically toward his vehicle, finally managing to climb inside.
The once chaotic line of cars fell into an eerie silence. Everyone had retreated into their vehicles, leaving the road unusually clear.
Yu Xi turned and walked back to her car. Still in her protective suit and mask, she sprayed herself liberally with insecticide, covering every inch of her body.
The rest of the convoy followed suit. Instead of spraying the mosquitoes, they sprayed themselves and their family members, with some even coating their all-terrain vehicles.
Soon, the ten insecticide-soaked vehicles navigated through the gaps between other cars and successfully exited the highway via the small off-ramp, accelerating out of sight.
…
The journey that followed wasn’t entirely smooth. They faced various challenges along the way. Thankfully, the convoy members were reliable, especially those who had previously connected through virtual meetings in their group.
The family members accompanying the team, though they occasionally voiced doubts, felt discouraged, or started complaining when facing difficulties, were ultimately pacified. This was because each household had at least one reliable team member who kept things in order. These complaints and grievances were ultimately resolved internally.
This was precisely why Xu Yan had decisively removed anyone who complained even before the plan was set into motion. Family members weren’t part of the team, so their reliability couldn’t be guaranteed. As long as the team members themselves were dependable, any related issues could naturally be handled.
The team members were clear-headed and united in their efforts. When someone proposed a solution, the others didn’t contradict them just to stand out but instead carefully analyzed the suggestion, eventually choosing the best course of action.
Even with such an efficient team, it still took them eight hours to reach their destination—two hours longer than initially estimated.
From walking to locate vehicles, returning to pack belongings, leaving the city, driving on the highway, and finally arriving, the day had been long. Most people, including the Yu family, had only eaten breakfast that morning. They had originally planned to stop and grab food if they got hungry, but the constant stream of incidents left everyone with little appetite.
During brief breaks, they hurriedly sipped water to restore energy before hitting the road again.
…
The mountain lodge was larger than they had expected. It consisted of many two- to four-story buildings styled as ancient yet rustic structures, with small windows, tall walls, and overhanging eaves. Each floor had three to five rooms, depending on the layout.
The small buildings were scattered along the slope in an orderly yet staggered arrangement. Each had a spacious courtyard beneath it. The once low and artistic front courtyard walls were now tall and sturdy, with reinforced gates, exuding a strong sense of security.
The Yu family’s assigned building was situated at a higher elevation. It mostly housed suites designed for families, and they chose a room in the southeast corner to ensure that after resetting Star House, it could maintain the simulated southeast-facing floor-to-ceiling windows of their apartment.
On the first night, they were cautious and didn’t reset Star House right away. After inspecting their two-bedroom suite, they secured all the doors and windows, removed their protective suits, and quickly washed up. They ate a simple meal and rested together in one room, fully dressed for safety.
During the night, Yu Xi and Yu Feng took turns keeping watch, while Fan Qi, treated with special care, enjoyed an uninterrupted night’s sleep.
…
The next day, they interacted with the others and confirmed that everyone was satisfied with the lodge and had no plans to relocate. Only then did they return to reset Star House.
The reset location was in the southeast bedroom. The eastern wall faced the outer side of the building, and the southern side featured a low, wide glass window that perfectly met their requirements.
The lodge was already equipped with various daily necessities. To maintain the appearance of habitation, they placed a few dishes and convenient foods in the small kitchen and set out two packs of napkins in the living room. This simple setup was enough to make it seem as though the suite was actively in use.
Given the current circumstances, visiting others wasn’t a common practice, nor was leaving food out in the open. Even within the team, the first thing everyone did after settling in was to find a cabinet in their room to stash their most critical food and water supplies securely.
Afterward, Yu Xi locked all the windows in the southeast room, drew the curtains tightly to block the view, and spent 100 Star Coins to reset Star House. With the reset complete, the original space became inaccessible.
This was the first time Yu Feng and Fan Qi witnessed the resetting of the Star House. Standing outside the door, they felt a mix of anticipation and unease. Just moments ago, the door led to a typical bedroom in the mountain lodge. Could it truly transform into their familiar home in just a few seconds?
It was hard to imagine, so when their daughter announced the reset was complete and opened the door, both of them were stunned.
The scene before them was like stepping back into their 15th-floor apartment in S City, as though they had just returned from work or errands.
The bright, high-ceilinged duplex apartment greeted them with its expansive floor-to-ceiling windows and familiar furnishings. The shoe cabinet by the entrance still held their wallets, a light blanket draped over the living room sofa, and half a bag of nuts sat on the coffee table, just as they’d left it.
No matter how much time or space shifted, their home remained by their side, unchanged.
…
That entire day, the family of three stayed indoors. After washing up and changing clothes in their respective rooms, they busied themselves with preparing food.
The rustic and nostalgic mountain lodge, with its traditional farmhouse decor, had in the blink of an eye turned into a modern split-level apartment. Though the scenery outside remained the same, the view through the new expansive floor-to-ceiling windows felt completely different from the narrower, aged glass panes of the lodge.
Even Fan Qi remarked, “In the city, these dense trees always felt a bit eerie. But now, looking out from this apartment, they somehow seem pleasant.”
“Of course,” Yu Xi teased, “In the past, this would have been the suite of a luxury mountain resort. Five or six thousand yuan a night—how could it not look good?”
“Strange,” Yu Feng added. “Last night, I was too tired and hot to have an appetite. But now, I suddenly feel like having a barbecue.”
That evening, Yu Xi pulled out a full barbecue setup: an electric grill, various sauces, and fresh vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, garlic, and peppers, all washed and prepped on foil trays. She also brought out foil-wrapped marinated lamb skewers, beef steaks, chicken wings, squid tentacles, mushrooms, cartilage, potato slices, and corn.
The family set up a dining table by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, facing the verdant mountains. As the sunset bathed the landscape in warm hues, and with the occasional flight of mutated birds in the distance, they enjoyed a perfect dinner.
That night, they returned to their rooms and fell asleep in the familiar, cozy scent of their bedding, resting peacefully.
As long as they had the Star House, life could always feel like before, no matter where they were.
For Yu Xi, staying at this mountain lodge almost felt like a vacation—if she ignored the occasional appearances of mutated creatures and exaggerated plants.
…
After a few peaceful and cozy days, Xu Yan held a meeting in their group chat to discuss future plans. He expressed a desire to stay here long-term and wanted to hear everyone’s thoughts.
If they were to settle down, they couldn’t continue as they were. Supplies wouldn’t last forever, and they needed a plan for the future.
It was decided to hold an in-person meeting after breakfast the next day to discuss everything, rather than continuing with online discussions.
…
At midnight that night, a new world mission arrived.
Difficulty: Medium
World Type: Natural Disaster – Storm Shards
World Time: Three days before the storm
World Tasks:
Survive for six months. Completion reward: 150 Star Coins.Establish a human shelter. Optional task; completion reward: 500 Star Coins.Mission Failure = Death.