Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

Chapter 201

The video spread online by the subordinates plunged the once-harmonious atmosphere of the mountain shelter into tense unease. Suddenly, every subordinate without a direct master-servant relationship seemed like a potential threat. Natural humans, deep down, understood that subordinates, though manufactured, trained, and stripped of many rights, had independent thoughts just like them.

In peaceful times, natural humans controlled everything, safeguarded by laws that prevented arbitrary harm to subordinates, while subordinates faced equal consequences for harming natural humans. This semblance of fairness provided a baseline for coexistence, but now that baseline was gone.

Ironically, the first person to activate subordinates without injury suppression devices was not a subordinate but a natural human—a senior engineer at a subordinate manufacturing factory. She had fallen in love with a subordinate she had personally created, only to witness him brutally killed by other natural humans while protecting her. Losing everything, she vowed revenge on those who had belittled her love.

She activated all the subordinates in the factory, taught them how to remove suppression devices, operate machines, and manufacture more subordinates. While she lacked the core genetic technology to produce subordinates, the factory’s frozen reserves of genetic material were sufficient to create a significant number of new ones.

As the mastermind behind the rebellion, she deliberately concealed her role. She believed that for a full-scale war between natural humans and subordinates to erupt, her existence must remain hidden. As a result, subordinates across cities and nations, who passionately embraced the declaration of independence and war, had no idea it all started with a natural human.

In the shelter’s communal dining hall, the tense silence was broken when armed soldiers appeared. Natural humans with subordinates quickly retreated with their companions, including Yu Xi.

At times like this, Yu Xi remained cautious of other subordinates, while Hei Mu and the others remained vigilant toward natural humans. The looks directed at them had drastically changed, and the mountain shelter, once a sanctuary, had now become a hotspot of conflict.

On the way back to their capsule suite, Yu Xi asked Xing Min to contact Cheng Fang and inquire about plans to return to headquarters. Cheng Fang, who had already reached out to headquarters, explained that the discovery of Zhou Zhitong’s son in the shelter had prompted swift action. While monitoring external conditions, the team had been retrofitting two armored vehicles into polar combat vehicles, capable of withstanding the freezing winds, heavy snow, and icy blades outside.

In the cramped family capsule suite, Yu Xi pulled the curtain closed, unfolded wall-mounted chairs, and sat with Xing Min at the small table. She took out a notebook from her Star House storage, detailing the characteristics of the three known disasters:

1. Earth Fissures and Red Lotus:Primary disaster: geologicalAccompanied by suspected biological mutations2. Gray Fog and Bloodred Organisms:

Primary disaster: atmosphericRed Lotus suppressed (confirmed). While Red Lotus dies, parts adapt to the Gray Fog, developing dependency (a form of post-integration evolution).Note: At this stage, Red Lotus began exhibiting a preference for humans, anesthetizing and transforming them into “blood-blistered humans,” who are aggressive and spread soft tissue further.3. Icy Blades and Extreme Cold:

Primary disaster: temperatureSuppresses soft tissue. Red Lotus dies in low temperatures but reactivates and assimilates flesh upon entering a host (some individuals show no response; others undergo complete assimilation).“So, is the subordinate rebellion the fourth disaster?” Yu Xi asked.

“It’s possible, but it might not be,” Xing Min replied, glancing at her notes.

Yu Xi understood his reasoning. While the previous disasters seemed distinct, they were all environmental in nature and tied to the persistent presence of Red Lotus. The subordinate rebellion, however, appeared disconnected from this pattern.

The world’s theme, Seven Layers of Hell, suggested layered challenges rather than discrete events. “If the rebellion isn’t the fourth disaster, we’ll need to stay alert for what comes next,” Yu Xi concluded.

Since entering this high-level world, she hadn’t encountered other mission executors from the System Tower. This wasn’t a fragmented world, and if the Tower wanted her eliminated, it would act eventually. So far, while the disasters were severe, they weren’t insurmountable.

High-level worlds shouldn’t be this straightforward. Yu Xi suspected that the world—or the System Tower—was preparing a larger trap.

At the same time, she worried about her other bound companions, like Tang Yatong, Lin Wu, and Leng Mian, whom she was supposed to meet in the Acid Rain world.

“Don’t worry,” Xing Min reassured her.

Xing Min’s voice came softly as Yu Xi felt warmth on her fingertips. His slender fingers gently clasped hers. “You’re not alone. I’m here.”

His true purpose for entering this world wasn’t to accompany her on her missions but to serve as her ultimate safeguard. If they encountered a crisis even he couldn’t resolve, he could sever his connection to this world before her death, ensuring her safe return to her original world. Though doing so would deplete significant resources and potentially force him back to his original form, he didn’t mind. After he reentered stasis, the spaceship’s system would maintain their connection, continuing to protect her native world from the System Tower’s invasion.

At the capsule room’s curtain, Xi Yuan stood silently, watching the two clasping hands through a small gap. From the moment this man appeared, Xi Yuan disliked him—not just because he was a natural human like Yu Xi, standing as her equal—but also because of the closeness between them. They shared a familiarity and tacit understanding that didn’t require words. She consulted him on everything, and their bond was seamless, as if they were born to work together.

They were from the same world, deeply connected.

Xi Yuan felt a growing emptiness within him, a hollow he couldn’t fill, no matter how many combat lessons she taught him. Aside from those lessons, she never willingly approached him. He had once sworn to himself that unless she initiated, he wouldn’t take any action toward her. But now…

If only he were a natural human.

He hesitated, raising his hand to pull back the curtain, but Yu Xi’s gaze shifted toward him. “Are you planning to stand there like a pillar? If you need something, come in.”

Her faint smile and direct gaze made Xi Yuan’s heart leap. The gloom and hesitation melted away like snow meeting sunlight.

Maybe this was enough—for her to always be here, within his sight.

While Yu Xi and Xing Min talked, Xi Yuan and the other three discussed their plans. Both sides agreed: this place wasn’t safe for long-term refuge. However, with the harsh winds and icy blades outside, they couldn’t leave until the vehicles were fully modified. Deciding to help with the retrofitting, the group headed to Cheng Fang.

To Yu Xi’s surprise, she recognized a familiar face among the workers—Yin Yin’s father. His injuries had mostly healed, and to secure better capsule rooms for his family, he had registered his skills immediately upon arrival. By coincidence, Cheng Fang’s team needed more workers, so he was recruited. During the day, Yin Yin’s mother helped by fetching meals and cleaning up, ensuring the workers had more time to focus on their tasks.

Over the following days, everyone was busy from morning to night, leaving only time for sleep. They reinforced the vehicle exteriors with materials resistant to icy blades, added flamethrowers, switched to crystal fuel for greater efficiency and space-saving, strengthened the tires, and installed protective covers. The vehicles were also equipped with weapons to defend against rebel subordinates. Inside, some seats were replaced with foldable double-layered beds, a simple restroom was installed, and other modifications were made using resources from the capsule facility.

After three days, the retrofitting was nearly complete.

Despite the tension between natural humans and subordinates, no conflicts occurred during this period. However, Yu Xi sensed a strange atmosphere of impending danger. Unwilling to linger, the group planned to leave early the next morning after a night’s rest.

Deep in the night, Yu Xi was jolted awake by the sound of explosions from within the mountain. Leaping out of bed, she quickly stowed her personal belongings back into her Star House storage. On the lower bunk, Xing Min also sprang into action. They had been sleeping fully clothed these past few days, ready for emergencies. With their backpacks already prepared, they moved swiftly.

Pulling open the curtain, they found Jian Shou and the others already awake, efficiently putting on shoes and grabbing their gear.

“Where’s the explosion coming from?” Jian Shou asked Yu Xi, knowing her heightened senses.

“Level B6, West Zone,” she replied promptly. Their current location was on Level B4, East Zone. The explosion had occurred two levels below, while the armored vehicle retrofit area was on Level B2, with the low-altitude flying vehicles on the topmost level. The vehicle exit was on Level B1.

Cheng Fang and his team were staying in Level B5, East Zone. As soon as all six were assembled, Yu Xi led the way toward the stairwell. “We’ll pick up Cheng Fang’s team and leave immediately,” she instructed.

The explosion had just occurred, and many people, jolted awake from sleep, were still disoriented. However, a few, realizing the explosion originated underground, instinctively ran upstairs.

Yu Xi’s group moved in the opposite direction. With Yu Xi leading the way, they quickly reached Level B5, East Zone.

The scene here was much more chaotic than on Level B4, as the explosion had happened just below. Fortunately, the mountain’s interior was vast, and the West and East Zones were far apart. They saw people fleeing from the West Zone, shouting that the ground had collapsed, causing stacked capsule rooms to topple. Most of the occupants were buried inside.

Amid the chaos, Yu Xi spotted Cheng Fang and his team, along with Yin Yin’s family of three. They had been living on Level B9 in single capsule rooms, but due to working together over the past few days, they had temporarily stayed in Cheng Fang’s larger suite to save time.

Yin Yin, just woken up and wrapped in an adult-sized down jacket, clung to her father’s neck, confused and uneasy about the frantic crowd around them.

“Daddy, where are we going?” she asked nervously.

“Be good, Yin Yin. There’s been an accident below. We’re going upstairs to stay safe. It’ll be over soon,” her father reassured her. But as if to contradict him, another explosion rumbled from below, making the steel staircase vibrate and hum. The tremors caused people on the stairs to cry out, gripping handrails or each other for stability.

“Don’t stop—keep moving!” Yu Xi shouted from the front while clearing the way. “The explosion is in the South Zone, Level B7.”

Cheng Fang’s face darkened. “Those two zones are where natural humans live.”

Everyone understood the implication: the subordinates here had rebelled.

Following Yu Xi, they moved faster than the other evacuees, eventually reaching Level B2 in one go. This level, primarily composed of maintenance rooms, was not residential, so most refugees continued fleeing upward. With fewer people around, Yu Xi’s group rushed into the retrofit bay, loading supplies and fuel into the vehicles and detaching the remaining connectors.

Fortunately, the retrofitting was nearly complete. One vehicle still had a few seats unconverted to beds, but the remaining work was minor. As the third explosion echoed from below, everyone began boarding the vehicles.

Yin Yin’s parents hesitated, glancing at Yu Xi. They weren’t part of her team, just colleagues who had worked alongside them. They weren’t sure if she would allow them to join. If they boarded, they risked becoming a burden once they left the shelter.

Yu Xi cut through their indecision with a crisp order: “Get on. We’re leaving together.”

Grateful and relieved, Yin Yin’s father hugged his daughter tightly, nodded to Yu Xi, and climbed aboard with his wife.

When the fourth explosion hit, the two armored vehicles navigated the trembling ramps to Level B1. They passed through the crowded exit corridor, their vehicles’ license plates triggering the automated gates to open one by one.

As the final, massive gate lifted, icy winds mixed with sharp blades of ice struck the vehicles. In the lead vehicle, Cheng Fang activated the flamethrower, its intense heat melting the sharp ice shards on the ground. The modified tires crushed the remaining fragments as the vehicle advanced.

Xing Min, driving the second vehicle, followed at a safe distance, using the firelight ahead as a guide. Together, the two vehicles disappeared into the darkness of the night.

By noon the next day, the winds and ice blades stopped, but heavy snowfall followed. The vehicles traveled through the frozen wilderness for two days and nights.

On the third morning, Yu Xi awoke to piercing sunlight on her eyelids. She sat up, moved to the narrow window, and looked outside.

Overnight, all the snow had melted. Without its icy cover, the land, scarred by countless disasters, appeared grotesque and battered. Bare branches dripped with water from the thawing snow, while the sky, once dark and oppressive, was now a clear, vibrant blue.

A cloudless sky stretched endlessly, and the sunlight blazed fiercely.