Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

Chapter 211

She immediately asked, “Xing Min, if I choose not to leave now, will it trigger new world missions?”

The other party seemed to understand what she truly wanted to know.

[Rest assured, even if new world missions are triggered, mission failure won’t result in death, and you can leave the world at any time when not in combat.]

[Do whatever you want to do.]

Yu Xi suddenly remembered that after completing the main mission, failing overtime work wouldn’t result in deductions—only missing out on overtime pay.

Yu Xi: “Alright, I’ll stay for now.”

She still had some things she wanted to do. At the very least, she had to ensure that this body, along with Xi Yuan, Hei Mu, and Yin Yin, perfectly integrated into the new world below. Otherwise, if she left abruptly, they might encounter danger due to being out of place.

[World mission refreshed!]

[World Mission: 1. Settle your identity in the new world and assist Xi Yuan, Hei Mu, and Yin Yin in perfectly integrating into the new world. (Reward: 400 Star Coins). 2. Random mission refresh.]

Yu Xi: … The new mission was so perfectly tailored to her situation that even if she wanted to dismiss it as a coincidence, she couldn’t.

Yu Xi threw off the light blanket, got out of bed, washed up briefly in the bathroom, and then went to knock on Xing Min’s door.

He had just woken up as well, still wearing thin loungewear with some buttons undone. His complexion was pale, but his energy seemed decent. After all, in the past few months, he didn’t need to expend any energy apart from maintaining this body.

In fact, Yu Xi had already suggested he leave this body after the alien spaceship retreated. With Yin Yin’s protective artifact, she would be very safe.

But he refused at the time.

“You can stay, but you must promise me that unless absolutely necessary, don’t ever think about sacrificing yourself to save me.”

“That was already an absolutely necessary moment. Without Leng Mian’s help, and if I hadn’t managed to get you back safely before the cleansing mist affected us, this mission would have failed.”

Xing Min paused briefly and spoke again before she could respond, “I know what you want to say. The cleansing mist doesn’t necessarily work 100%, but if it had taken you alone to cleanse your memories, the uncertainties would have been too many. All our information came from Leng Mian, and we know almost nothing.

The mist’s effect might wipe memories entirely the first time, and if both of us lost our memories, even if the mission completed automatically, it would hold no meaning. Even if by chance we returned to the original world, we would no longer pose any threat to the system tower.

That’s likely why this post-apocalyptic world actively connected with me. It didn’t need to send any agents to eliminate you. The world itself was a weapon, creating an illusion to erase your past memories while you were defenseless, turning you into a blank slate.

Have you thought about it? A blank slate would forget everything—your parents, how to use your powers and star tools, and… me.”

Even if she later accepted the system’s existence again and spent time starting over, the few memories in her mind related to him would never return.

Before the massive black spaceship hovered in deep space and gave him a profound sense of crisis, he hadn’t fully understood why he was so inexplicably concerned about her.

In his previous world, there were others drawn together by mutual attraction. But at the time, he bore heavy responsibilities, fighting daily to protect his world. He had no time to ponder such matters.

Before the ship’s sections overlapped with her apartment’s staircase, he had been trapped in darkness, striving to extend his life. To prevent the ship’s system from being assimilated, he had abandoned his body years ago, merging his consciousness with the ship’s system.

But he was trapped. He couldn’t reach the world outside the spacetime rift or the system tower’s world. Time and space were meaningless.

Her arrival was a turning point, his only hope.

He had chosen to bind with her, effectively making her one of the ship’s authorized users and ceding part of its authority to her. Through her, he could connect to the system tower’s world.

The so-called tasks and systems were merely concepts the people of this planet could understand.

Her completion of missions in various post-apocalyptic worlds was equivalent to implanting data, inserting hidden bugs, and bringing energy back to the ship’s system.

Once the number of implanted bugs surpassed a baseline, the ship’s system could use these bugs to reclaim the worlds, continuously generating energy until it regained full control.

By severing the system tower’s grip on these worlds, they could escape disaster and develop independently.

He had always thought his concern for Yu Xi stemmed from her being his lifeline and a valued comrade.

Now he understood that wasn’t the case.

Even if the mission failed, he wanted her to live well. He’d rather expend all his energy and fall into dormancy again than let her lose her memories of him.

**

The person in front of him silently stared, seemingly lost in thought.

Yu Xi reached out and buttoned the undone buttons on his shirt, smiling. “You already knew what I wanted to do, which is why the mission turned out this way, right? Won’t the system tower notice if you interfere with the world mission?”

Xing Min snapped back to reality, his ears turning pink from her casual action. “It won’t. I’m in a disguised form now, and as long as the behavior aligns with the system’s rules, it won’t detect anything so subtle. Besides, you’ve already completed the main mission. Some hidden data has been successfully implanted, so you can leave this world anytime.”

“Hidden data implantation?” This was the first time she’d heard of this term. She had always suspected that the post-apocalyptic worlds were two-dimensional, and now his wording aligned with her theories.

For now, Yu Xi focused on integrating into the new world and didn’t dwell on this topic with Xing Min.

After discussing the new world’s background, Xi Yuan knocked on the door, announcing that breakfast was ready.

“You’ve been mysteriously locked in a room together since morning. No wonder you didn’t hear me calling you to eat…”

“What are you complaining about? We were just discussing everyone’s future,” Yu Xi said, patting his shoulder as she passed. “Did you make breakfast?”

“Yeah, I’m amazing now—I can do anything.” Xi Yuan perked up, leading them to the living room to proudly show off his efforts.

After breakfast, Yu Xi briefly discussed with the others their plans to integrate into the new world.

From their observations, the new world below had a chaotic social order. Cities were surrounded by vast expanses of wasteland, and within the cities, gray zones of lawlessness were common. Compared to an orderly and disciplined world, this kind of environment made it far easier to act.

Their plan was straightforward: find a piece of wasteland near a city, deactivate the protective shield once out of sight, change into outfits suitable for the new world, and then walk directly into the city.

“But before we go, there’s something we need to do first,” Yu Xi said, pulling out a small “injury immunity removal” device.

This was something she had stashed in her Star House storage just in case. Now that the world had refreshed, the master-servant agreement from before was no longer necessary.

After her departure, whether it was Hei Mu or Xi Yuan, she hoped they would choose to stay by “Yu Xi’s” side out of genuine intention, not because of any binding force.

Xi Yuan initially resisted, but Hei Mu was the first to extend his hand. “Even if the immunity device is removed, you will always be my master. A relationship unbound by external forces is purer.”

Yu Xi understood what he meant—he was saying that even without this physical limitation, he would still consider “Yu Xi” his master and take care of her after she left.

Xi Yuan stared at Hei Mu for a long moment before finally extending his hand as well. “Me too. Even without a master-servant relationship, I’ll always follow you.”

On the nearby sofa, the girl silently watched the scene, her gaze tinged with sorrow.

Things that were unclear in the past had become so obvious the second time around.

Those promises of never abandoning each other were destined to be broken the moment they were spoken.

Yu Xi had broken her promise to Xi Yuan.

And Xi Yuan had broken his promise to “Yu Xi.”

Afterward, the group meticulously planned their next steps. Following their plan, they scouted several cities before selecting the place where they would settle.

Every step they took was carried out precisely according to the plan.

Three days later, the five of them, carrying backpacks and with their heads and faces wrapped, trudged through the dusty wasteland and arrived at a bustling city.

They obtained identification documents through the black market and exchanged small amounts of clean water and long-lasting food for a large sum of money, which they deposited into their wristband computers.

Using Xing Min’s abilities, they moved between different casinos, winning small amounts at a time to accumulate more funds.

They eventually left the gray zones and entered the more orderly, prosperous areas of the city. Using their money, they purchased a large apartment and several storefront properties.

The storefronts were rented out to provide a stable income, while the apartment was reserved for their own use.

It was a mutual decision for everyone to live together in the new world. After all, they were the only outliers, and staying together would be safer.

Yu Xi took out a large supply of preserved food and water from her Star House storage and placed it in the apartment’s safe. She also retrieved freezers and refrigerators, filling them with fresh food.

She left behind household items, medical supplies, protective gear, and self-defense weapons for the others. She even thought of everyone’s clothing, shoes, hats, and personal items.

As she busied herself stocking the apartment rooms, the girl often followed her silently, watching her with a quiet yet dependent gaze.

Yu Xi had the sense that the girl wanted to say something but always remained silent.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Xi rubbed the girl’s head. Even knowing that an adult consciousness resided in the girl’s body, Yu Xi couldn’t help but feel close to her under such a dependent gaze.

“Yu Xi, I have to go.”

The mission had long been completed, and the allotted time had run out. If she didn’t leave now, the original consciousness of this body might suffer damage.

“You… still don’t want to tell me, do you?” Yu Xi was asking about her identity. “Alright, I trust you have your reasons. No matter what, thank you for being here. You didn’t just save me; you also saved the people most important to me. I hope we’ll have a chance to meet again someday.”

She slowly crouched down and gently embraced the girl. “Take care of yourself. Live well.”

The girl leaned into her embrace, her eyes misting over.

If it were possible, she didn’t want to leave. She wished time could freeze at this moment, in this world.

The girl cupped Yu Xi’s face in her hands and kissed her on the cheek. “Goodbye, Yu Xi.”

Goodbye, Yu Xi.

Many, many years ago, when she left, she hadn’t said goodbye to him. For a long time, he felt like he was on the verge of breaking.

The same voice, the same person—but he knew it wasn’t her.

Hei Mu, as always, simply smiled faintly no matter what she said. Then, like before, patted his shoulder and told him to live in the moment.

Yin Yin, who had been ill for a long time, woke up missing part of her memories. Her personality became timid again. She was obedient and well-behaved, never causing trouble. Even without her parents around, she didn’t complain or cry, instead striving to live and grow.

Xing Min—no, Zhou Zhitong—also suddenly fell ill, losing his memory and changing his personality.

Under such circumstances, “Yu Xi” was the most normal one, yet Xi Yuan knew it wasn’t her.

He didn’t know where the real her had gone. Why had she left in this way after promising never to abandon him?

Unlike Hei Mu, he couldn’t ignore it.

It was as if he was trapped in an invisible cage, throwing himself against it every day in vain attempts to break free, only to leave himself battered and bruised.

He fell ill. In the midst of a high fever, he heard Hei Mu sighing beside him:

“Don’t be so fixated. Some things were never meant to be in our control from the start. Master is always herself. Yu Xi was merely a passerby. You should forget…”

Forget?

How could he forget?

If forgetting were possible, how could he have ended up in such a situation?

After Xi Yuan recovered from his illness, he transferred all the secretly taken photos of her from his old wristwatch phone to his new wrist computer. Then he printed his favorite photo and made it into a pendant, which he hung around his neck with a sturdy leather cord.

He then packed his belongings, armed himself, and left the safety of the apartment and the bustling city. Without looking back, he stepped into the desolate wasteland.

At this stage, he was consumed by resentment, his inner darkness overshadowing the light. Even Hei Mu knew the truth, yet he was the only fool left in the dark. She had sworn she would never abandon him, yet she left silently and without a word.

So, he decided to find her. And when he did, he would confront her and demand to know why she had abandoned him like that. What did he mean to her?

For over a decade, he traversed every corner of this new world. He never stayed in one place for too long. His face brought him countless dangers, and he found himself on the brink of death many times.

But he survived each time, driven by sheer willpower.

He grew stronger, and his resilience deepened.

Through all those years of wandering, Yu Xi had become his obsession.

He no longer harbored resentment. His deep longing for her had eclipsed everything else, turning every memory of her into something beautiful and cherished.

He only wanted to see her—just once, even if only for a fleeting moment.

Was she still alive? Where was she?

Did she… still remember him?

Later, during an unexpected conflict, he killed someone and obtained a strange card and several other items. He even discovered an invisible space he could access.

The card was called a “Reservation Card.”

Through it, he began to learn about strange terms like taskers and the System Tower.

Recalling Yu Xi’s unusual actions, a sudden realization dawned on him.

He gathered resources, prepared thoroughly, and then chose a bold method—

He ended his own life, entering the world of the System Tower as quickly as possible.

Strangely, like other taskers, he could survive in the System Tower and enter mission worlds, but he never once received a task from the system.

He was an anomaly, a transparent outlier, wandering from one mission world to another.

Years later, he learned that cases like his were exceedingly rare. He wasn’t a natural human but a subordinate. He existed outside the System Tower’s complete control.

People like him were called “Wanderers.” But because their numbers were so few and for safety reasons, most avoided exposing their identity.

All this information came from someone named Leng Mian, whom he encountered in a world suffering from global desertification.

During an accident, Leng Mian saw the photo inside his pendant, and her expression changed. She asked him which world he had met her in.

Afterward, he received a wealth of information.

But even then, neither of them could find Yu Xi.

Leng Mian continued her life as a tasker, while he persisted in his wandering existence.

Until a few months ago, when she suddenly found him and asked if he was willing to go back and save her.

By that time, Leng Mian had entered the Inner Tower and grown much stronger—so strong that she even bore the aura of the system.

But she couldn’t go. As a tasker, the System Tower would detect her presence—after all, it had always been watching her.

But he was different. As a Wanderer, she could issue him a disguised mission, send him in, and bring him back out.

However, Leng Mian warned him that the world he would be sent to was unique—it was his original world. There, two versions of himself would exist simultaneously. If he didn’t want to alter the past, he couldn’t say anything about himself.

If he died in the world of Seven Layers of Hell, it would be a real death, and no one would know he had ever been there.

If he succeeded, he would have to leave quietly, ensuring no one knew he had been there. Even a small ripple—a butterfly flapping its wings—could trigger a massive chain reaction, altering his own future.

If his future changed, his mission to save Yu Xi would cease to exist, and the task would fail.

“Knowing this, are you still willing to go?”

Xi Yuan smiled and looked at the photo inside his pendant.

“Of course.”

He had been searching for so many years, just for a chance to see her. Even if she didn’t know a thing, he would still go.

In the world of Seven Layers of Hell, amidst searing disasters, when Yin Yin awoke after a head injury, Yu Xi would never know that inside the little girl’s body resided an old friend from afar.

For that one meeting, he had spent centuries.

She was his obsession.

And his mission?

“Yu Xi, my mission is you.”