Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

Chapter 171

That afternoon, at around three o’clock, a group of survivors returned to the beach below the cliffside hotel, dragging their weary feet after a full day of searching for food.

The island’s lack of supply replenishment, coupled with certain areas becoming dangerous no-go zones, had made food increasingly difficult to come by. Those with connections could access official shelters, and the strong formed teams to search supermarkets deep in the forests that had yet to be emptied. But for those with neither resources nor strength, life was reduced to an endless cycle of hunger, scraping by meal to meal.

The returning group couldn’t help but think about their families waiting back at the hotel. How were they supposed to explain to their children that their parents had failed again and that they would have to go to bed hungry?

Once upon a time, these kids were treasured little ones who could eat whatever they wanted, even being chased around during meals due to picky habits. Parents would often say, “Let you go hungry for three days, and you’ll understand how precious food is and stop being so choosy!”

Now, however, seeing their once-picky children devour a stale, rock-hard, expired steamed bun with gusto while exclaiming it tasted great brought an indescribable ache to their hearts. They longed for the days when their kids were willful and spoiled, rather than prematurely mature and acquainted with the reality of hunger.

As they reached the beach, they suddenly caught a whiff of a rich, spicy aroma that immediately seized their attention.

It was the unmistakable scent of mala hotpot—complete with the smell of freshly cooked meat.

Cooked food.

Freshly prepared, steaming hot cooked food!

They instinctively searched for the source of the aroma and quickly found it. It was impossible to miss—a silver RV parked conspicuously on the beach. One of the windows on the left side was propped open, and a long table extended out at the same height as the window. On the table sat two electric soup pots—one filled with a red mala broth, the other with a creamy bone broth. The pots were powered, bubbling occasionally as small bubbles rose to the surface. Inside the broths were clusters of bamboo skewers, their ends submerged in the fragrant soup, hiding whatever was skewered on them. With such rich and enticing broth, it didn’t matter what was on the skewers—they would undoubtedly be delicious!

The group froze in place, unable to comprehend how such an RV, loaded with food, had suddenly appeared on the beach they crossed daily. Didn’t the owner fear being robbed?

Looking closer, they noticed a large piece of sturdy cardboard hanging on the right side of the window. On it, four large characters had been casually scrawled in black marker: “Limited-Time Star House.”

Beneath that, several lines of smaller text were written in the same black marker, only legible up close:

Barter Trade: Exchange items you don’t need for items you do. The value of the exchange is determined by the shop owner.Grand Opening Promotion: Successful trades come with a free serving of oden (choose between spicy mala or bone broth flavors).Civilized Trading Encouraged: Theft of items from other customers after their transaction will result in permanent blacklisting from the shop.The group exchanged confused looks, still trying to make sense of the situation. What did it mean to exchange “unneeded” items for “needed” ones? Could food and drink really be traded here? And what if someone simply decided to rob the RV? What use was a blacklist in such a scenario?

While some hesitated to approach, others mustered the courage to test the waters. One person called out cautiously toward the window:

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

A middle-aged woman’s face appeared in the window. She looked to be in her forties or fifties, slightly plump, with an ordinary appearance and a neutral expression. “What do you want to buy?” she asked flatly.

“F-food,” the man stammered. “Anything edible will do. Instant noodles, bread… even plain steamed buns or coarse grain buns are fine! My kid doesn’t pick anymore—they’ll eat anything.”

“How old?” the woman asked.

“Ah?” The man froze momentarily before realizing she was asking about his child. “F-four and a half…”

Panic rose in his heart—surely she wouldn’t demand his child in exchange? Hastily, he lowered his mask and added, “I need my son. He’s very important to me—”

The woman interrupted impatiently, “What do you have to trade?”

The man quickly opened the plastic bag in his hand, revealing several mutated fruits he had picked earlier that day. He wasn’t sure what plant they came from, but he knew they were non-toxic and edible. The texture was soft and mushy, with a woody taste that wasn’t sweet or sour, but they could fill the stomach.

“Will these do?” he asked, holding out a few of the fruits. He had no idea that during this exchange, the woman had already assessed him thoroughly from head to toe.

The man’s protective suit, though not particularly dirty, had yellowed from its original white and carried a faint odor of sweat, indicating it had been worn for a long time despite careful cleaning and maintenance. His features were sharp and upright, and peeking from the neckline of his protective suit was a T-shirt from a well-known luxury brand—a sign that his family had likely been well-off before the apocalypse.

Now, however, his fingernails were caked with mud, and his hands were covered in scratches, evidence of frequent scavenging trips. He clearly hadn’t hidden away in fear of the dangers outside. Even while speaking politely, his brows furrowed instinctively. Yet when he spoke of his son, a gentle light softened his expression, briefly revealing a mix of love, pain, and regret.

Yu Xi’s quick appraisal complete, she took the mutated fruits he offered and set them aside without comment. She then pulled out an opaque black plastic bag from a nearby seat and began filling it with two cans of luncheon meat, two cans of iced pear syrup, three packs of scallion-flavored rib instant noodles, and one portion of packed rice.

She handed the bag to the man and picked up a large disposable paper cup. “Spicy or not spicy?” she asked.

It took him a moment to process her words. Staring at the bubbling broth, he forgot to even check the contents of the bag in his hands. “N-not spicy, thank you!” he stammered.

Yu Xi casually retrieved a bamboo skewer from the bone broth, tightly packed with six juicy beef meatballs, and placed it in the cup. She then ladled in some creamy, fragrant bone broth before handing it over.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” The man clutched the cup tightly, as if afraid she might change her mind, then backed away quickly before breaking into a sprint toward the cliffside hotel.

His teammates, watching from afar, were stunned. Was it really that easy to trade for oden?

They didn’t even know what was inside the black bag, but the aroma of the oden—with meat and soup—was enough to make their stomachs rumble. One by one, they approached the RV, crowding the window.

Yu Xi frowned as the long table supporting the soup pots wobbled under their eager jostling. She covered the pots with clear glass lids and rapped a ladle against them. “Line up! No queue, no trade!”

When Bian Yun returned to his team’s floor with the oden, his hunger-weakened legs nearly gave out. Fortunately, Xiao Zhi, who had just stepped out of his room, caught him. “Bian-ge, what’s wrong? Are you copying me? Haha, you’re back early today—did something good happen? Go check if Jia Jia’s awake. If he is, take him and your wife to Sister Wei’s place!”

Mid-sentence, Xiao Zhi froze. “Wait… What smells so good?”

“Oden! From the Star House on the beach!” Bian Yun blurted, still breathless. “Go! All of you, hurry! Bring anything you don’t need to trade for what you need! The oden is a free gift, but there are only two pots, so if you’re late, there might not be any left!”

Despite his rushed and jumbled explanation, his gestures and urgency got the point across. Xiao Zhi immediately ran off to inform Sister Wei and the others.

Meanwhile, Bian Yun hurried back to his room. His son was allergic to seafood, which hadn’t been a big deal when their trip to the seaside was just a vacation. There had been plenty of food options at the hotel, so they hadn’t needed to order seafood. But now, with the mutated animals that were safe to eat hiding deep in the forest, his team lacked the strength to retrieve them.

The last time Sister Wei’s group brought back octopus tentacles, his son could only watch as others enjoyed the fragrant, tender grilled meat. All he had was a plain steamed bun, and the longing in his eyes had broken Bian Yun’s heart.

But now, the oden wasn’t seafood, and it came with a rich, creamy broth. His son could eat it!

Bian Yun entered the room, where his wife had just woken from a nap. She had been feeling unwell recently and was resting while watching over their son. Bian Yun removed his protective suit, hugged his son tightly, and kissed him twice before handing him the paper cup.

“Here, baby, eat this—it’s meat you can have!”

Jia Jia let out an excited squeal, his thin little face lighting up with joy. “Daddy, you’re amazing! Mommy, Daddy brought yummy food!”

“Yes, baby, eat up.” His wife, Ye Bei, sat up and hugged their son from behind, kissing his soft little head.

But instead of eating right away, Jia Jia began counting the meatballs in the cup. “One, two, three… Mommy, there are six! That’s two for each of us—Daddy, Mommy, and me!”

“You eat first, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy aren’t hungry,” Ye Bei said, her eyes stinging as she hugged her son tighter.

Her emotions were cut short when Bian Yun suddenly let out a startled exclamation, staring at the black plastic bag in his hands.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Bei asked, alarmed, steadying Jia Jia’s cup.

Bian Yun hadn’t expected there to actually be food inside the bag—and so much of it. He pulled out the last item from the bottom of the bag: a tightly sealed package. Slowly, he opened it and lifted the lid to look inside.

Bian Yun: !!!

“Oh my god! This is… curry chicken! With rice! And soup! And fruit!”

A long line formed in front of the silver RV’s window. Most people came to trade for food, though some women quietly asked for hygiene products. Yu Xi accommodated nearly every request. After experiencing countless worlds and observing numerous people, she could quickly deduce someone’s circumstances and character through subtle facial expressions, clothing details, and unconscious speech habits.

Her purpose was to distribute supplies, and the so-called “transactions” were merely a formality. However, she felt this formality was necessary.

A man with a gentle demeanor and a polite smile received the black bag handed to him. He opened it immediately, his face falling. “What’s the meaning of this? You give food to others who ask for it and essentials to those in need. But for me? Two mutated fruits? Do you think I can’t pick these myself? Why would I need to trade for them?”

Yu Xi, holding a white conch in her hand, glanced at him without replying. Did he take her for a fool? With no shortage of food or water, why would she waste her resources trading for something like a conch? She wasn’t stupid.

Too lazy to argue, she simply gestured toward the first rule written on the nearby cardboard sign.

The man wasn’t willing to let it go. He had been sent by his team leader to investigate. The survivors staying at the cliffside hotel mostly belonged to different groups. He could have forcibly checked the items other people had traded for, but that would offend entire teams. He wasn’t ready to make such a rash move before fully understanding the RV’s secrets.

If he wanted to make a move, it had to be big. Why target individual trades when he could aim for the RV itself? Once they figured out how it worked, they could take the RV and all its supplies. Why bother trading at all?

He lingered nearby, observing. Although he couldn’t see what was inside the black bags, the happy expressions of those who had completed their trades—and the fact that everyone received a portion of oden—were telling. His group wasn’t particularly short on supplies, but they were tired of their monotonous diet of boiled noodles, seafood, and vegetables. The aroma of the spicy oden was tantalizing, even for him.

Still, Yu Xi didn’t serve him oden. She ignored him and gestured for the next person to step up.

“Where’s my oden?” he demanded.

“You don’t get one,” Yu Xi replied flatly, tying the bag for the next customer and handing them a spicy oden as requested.

The woman receiving the oden noticed the man glaring at her and quickly clutched her cup protectively, hurrying away.

A commotion arose at the back of the line. People turned to look, stepping aside to clear a path. A group of young, strong men approached—members of the largest team in the area. They were known to have connections with the official shelter, often trading for good supplies. Smaller teams sometimes bartered for food or medicine from them.

The dissatisfied man at the window was part of this group, and their leader, Shao, had come down from the hotel, unable to resist the lure of the oden’s aroma.

“Which shelter are you from? What’s your purpose here? Do you know where you are?” Shao asked with a smile, leaning toward the RV’s window. “We don’t welcome strangers with unclear backgrounds. Get out of the car, and let’s have a little chat.”

“Line up to trade, or leave,” Yu Xi said, tapping her ladle on the cardboard sign.

Shao chuckled. “You’re the first person to dare give me orders here. Get out of the car. I won’t say it a third time.”

Yu Xi glanced at him. “Are you trying to stop me from running my shop?”

“So what if I am? Did you get my permission to set up here?” Shao sneered.

Yu Xi tossed the ladle aside and pulled out a megaphone. Turning to the crowd, she announced, “The Star House operates for 24 hours each time it appears. Unfortunately, someone here doesn’t welcome me and is obstructing my business. As a result, I’m closing early. Today’s operations are officially over.”

The megaphone’s loud volume made Shao’s ears buzz. Furious, he slammed his hand on the RV. “Do you think you can just come and go as you please? Closing up? Ha! I’d like to see you try!”

Yu Xi looked at him as if he were an idiot and calmly said one word: “Close.”

The next moment, the silver RV, along with Yu Xi, vanished from the beach.

Shao froze in shock, unable to process what had just happened.

The beach fell into a stunned silence. Slowly, people began turning their angry gazes toward Shao, their resentment unmistakable.