Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

Chapter 215

Yu Xi thought she might have been mistaken. She lifted her head and walked closer to the glass wall, using her sharp eyesight to scan the nearby buildings.

Most of the vines had already lost their leaves, leaving behind bare, seemingly lifeless stems. The relentless rain poured down, washing over the withered vines and carrying the remaining dead leaves away.

Some vines, completely dead, could no longer cling to the walls and gradually fell away, hanging limply.

So, was the movement she saw through the telescope just caused by the rain?

Yu Xi focused her attention and activated her plant ability, extending her senses to all the plants within her range.

The first thing she felt was the plants in the greenhouse wall behind her—those that had not yet sprouted, those that were just beginning to germinate, and those that had already grown into seedlings. These were all ordinary crops, not mutated plants, so she could only sense their growth but received no emotional feedback from them.

However, as she concentrated more on sensing their growth, she immediately realized that her stamina was draining rapidly along with the use of her plant ability.

She quickly controlled her power and withdrew her energy from the greenhouse wall. Looking back, she noticed that yesterday, only half of the planting slots had sprouted, but now, two-thirds of them had tiny green shoots.

She suddenly recalled that her plant ability could accelerate plant growth. She just hadn’t expected that if she accidentally activated this power, it would consume her stamina so quickly.

The system warned her, “Be careful. Your plant ability isn’t as refined as your ice control, especially when it comes to growth enhancement. There are 280 planting slots here, and with your current level of control, if you don’t precisely target specific plants, all 280 slots will absorb your energy simultaneously.” “Understood. I’ll be more careful next time,” Yu Xi nodded, refocusing her attention.

This time, as her awareness passed over the greenhouse wall, she avoided sensing the plants there. Instead, she extended her perception downward along the outer walls of the building and outward toward the nearby structures visible in her field of view.

Nothing… Nothing… Nothing…

The vines really did seem dead. She could not sense any signs of life from them.

Yu Xi placed a hand on the glass wall. As she looked downward, her plant sense extended along the opposite building and toward the ground.

Although the vines on the walls were dead, many trees still stood on the ground. While most appeared as bare branches, this was originally a northern city—many of its trees were cold-resistant, and the freezing temperatures and snow wouldn’t have killed them.

Moreover, in the cracks of the rugged concrete ground, there were always resilient wild grasses. She wanted to test her ability to sense them and compare them with the vines on the walls.

Sure enough, as her perception reached the ground, she began to sense the presence of life. Some plants had taken root inside buildings, especially those that had broken through the walls before the snowstorm arrived. These plants had used the building structures to shield themselves from the harsh cold, and now that the temperature was rising, they were happily shaking their leaves.

The bare tree branches aboveground transmitted weak signs of life—badly damaged, but still alive.

Yu Xi’s awareness continued downward, following the branches to the ground, then along the roots deep into the soil.

She was startled.

Beneath the concrete ruins, beneath the city where most plants had withered and died, a dense and overwhelming wave of life pulsed beneath the surface.

Those were seeds—countless plant seeds that had remained dormant beneath the city, now awakening as the temperature rose, desperately craving nutrients and growth.

After breakfast, the rain had weakened slightly.

This weather was nothing but beneficial for Yu Xi.

She called Yu Feng and Fan Qi up to the terrace, which had plenty of space. There, she retrieved a low-altitude hovercar from the Star House storage, along with some supplies that had been stored in the vehicle to save space.

“This is a car I obtained in the last world. It’s a flying vehicle with a maximum altitude of 400 meters. It’s very convenient to use.”

She gave them a brief rundown of the car’s functions, then registered their iris scans and voice profiles so they could unlock it freely in the future.

Now that the heavy snow had stopped and the temperature was rising, the seeds buried underground had not yet begun to sprout. This meant the entire city was currently in a transition period. She wanted to take advantage of this time to go outside and explore.

The visibility was excellent, and since they were on top of a high-rise building, using the hovercar would allow her to take her parents along without any difficulty.

Yu Feng and Fan Qi were obviously curious about the vehicle. They examined it inside and out several times but ultimately declined their daughter’s offer to go outside.

Their reason was simple—while the ground was a mess, many satellites were still active in the sky.

Modern satellites could capture high-resolution images, even detailed enough to see individual residential houses, let alone a mysterious flying vehicle appearing in a ruined city. Unlike Yu Xi, who could freely enter and exit the Star House, they needed Star Coins to teleport back in an emergency. Normally, they would return through conventional methods—flying the car near the Star House, landing, and walking inside.

Although they were tempted to take a ride in the hovercar, the potential risks outweighed their curiosity, so they chose not to go.

Yu Xi had, of course, considered the issue of satellites. More importantly, if there were still functioning radar systems near the city, any sudden aerial activity would be detected even more clearly.

Still, she wasn’t too concerned. Even if they were caught on camera, the hovercar’s glass could be set to block external visibility, meaning anyone looking at the images wouldn’t see who was inside. The only moment her parents would be exposed was when they moved from the Star House to the vehicle, but that could easily be handled with a simple disguise—just a cloak and a mask, no need for any advanced concealment items.

Besides, in a month, the Star House would leave this place, and even they didn’t know where their next destination would be.

Even if the authorities noticed something unusual in the satellite images, identified the object as an unidentified flying vehicle, and pinpointed this city and this building, they would never be able to find them.

However, Fan Qi and Yu Feng were more cautious than Yu Xi, and their caution completely outweighed their curiosity and desire to try the flying car.

“Maybe next time. Right now, with the Star House positioned at this height, getting in and out isn’t very convenient. But for you, if you really want to go out, you can take the car out somewhere else to use it. Anyway, you can always put it away and return home at any time,” Fan Qi said, patting her daughter’s head before turning toward the planting wall.

Yu Xi had placed a motorized rolling step ladder near the glass wall for her, allowing her to move up and down easily while observing the growth in each planting slot. At this moment, the appeal of the planting wall surpassed everything else for her.

After just a few glances, she let out a delighted exclamation, announcing that a few more slots had sprouted.

“Be careful when you go out. Will you be back for lunch? If not, send a message,” Yu Feng said, gesturing to the transparent phone on his wrist. He then took a half-read book from the nearby shelf, made himself a cup of Longjing tea, and opened the stretchable screen, selecting a playlist he had compiled over the past few days.

Gentle and timeless music flowed through the terrace as he settled into a lounge chair and started reading.

Yu Xi was speechless.

Ever since the Star House had been upgraded with a terrace, her parents had completely lost their desire to explore. They had fully embraced retirement mode.

That said, they still stuck to their daily physical training with unwavering discipline.

They were simply much more at ease than before. It was as if they had fully accepted the changes to their planet and no longer worried about whether they were falling behind. They didn’t force themselves to follow Yu Xi into dangerous expeditions, nor did they feel guilty about it.

They had found their own way to live comfortably.

Yu Xi smiled, put away the hovercar, and just before leaving, reminded her parents, “If someone outside keeps saying, ‘Star House, please, I need help,’ send me a message, and I’ll come back immediately.”

Twenty minutes later, Yu Xi left the Star House and emerged inside the ruined building.

To be safe, she applied the [Sunscreen Spray]. With this oxygen-isolating film, which functioned like an astronaut suit, she could move freely across the planet without worry—except for direct physical attacks.

Since she was traveling on foot today, she dressed more securely. She wore a close-fitting waterproof and breathable black outfit with military boots. In addition to her backpack, a Tang knife was strapped to her back, and a military dagger was fastened to her belt.

Underneath the outer zip-up jacket, she wore a black vest that outlined her lean figure. The lightweight, form-fitting fabric emphasized the tight, toned muscles along her slender frame.

Instead of using the [Disguise Lipstick], she put on a simple mask that covered everything except her eyes and lips.

Raindrops fell from the sky, but before they could touch her, they condensed into tiny ice beads, hovered for a second, then slid off to either side of her. Such precise control over her ice ability now felt as natural as breathing.

No matter how hard it rained, if she didn’t want to get wet, she wouldn’t.

Yu Xi stepped past the broken stairwell door and slowly made her way down.

The fourteenth-floor survivor shelter was bustling with activity—everyone had noticed the change outside.

Some were ecstatic, while others remained worried.

“It looks like winter is finally over! It took long enough, but with this rain, the snow has melted, and the roads are clear. We’ll be able to leave soon!”

“Yeah, and the temperature has risen. It used to be so cold at night that we had to take turns guarding the fire. Now, we can finally get a good night’s sleep!”

“Once the rain stops, we can go out and search for supplies!”

“You’re being too optimistic. We’ve been stuck here for so many days. The vehicle we were supposed to take is long gone. Even if we walk across the city, how are we supposed to get out?”

“Exactly. Have you all forgotten what this city was like before? The massive, disgusting insects, the poisonous plants… Do you think they’re all gone just because of some snow?”

“Then what do we do? We’re running out of food. We’ve already scavenged this building. If we don’t go out, where will we find more?”

“We have no choice but to go out!” a young man with a strong, upright demeanor spoke firmly. His name was Yan Ya, and he was one of the key figures among the survivors.

The moment he spoke, the others quieted down.

“We’re short on everything—food, medicine, protective gear, and fuel. The vehicle we were supposed to take is gone, but we might find other cars near the highways or national roads. If that doesn’t work, there’s a shopping center not far from this building. There should still be transportation there—electric scooters, bicycles, skateboards… even a tricycle would help us save energy. We need to use whatever we can find.”

“A’Ya is right!” Mu Kelian looked at her handsome boyfriend and nodded firmly.

“Right about what? That shopping center was overrun by plants a long time ago. Who dares go in there? You?” a slightly chubby boy retorted.

“I’ll go! If anyone dares to go, we’ll go together. But if we bring back supplies, the cowards who didn’t go don’t get to use them!”

“You? Bringing back supplies? Hahaha…”

“You… what makes you look down on me!” Mu Kelian stormed toward him, looking ready to start a fight.

Shen Qiu quickly grabbed her and pulled her back.

Yan Ya glanced at Mu Kelian’s frustrated and angry expression. He wanted to say something, but remembering how she had gotten even angrier the last time he tried to calm her down, he decided against it.

Among the many students here, only one or two openly objected, while most were seriously considering the feasibility of the plan.

He didn’t need to pay attention to the ones who only wanted to discourage them. They couldn’t stay here forever. They had been using their radio to listen to updates from the outside world and already knew the location of the nearest safe zone. They had mapped out a route to get there long ago.

Now that the snow had stopped and the temperature was rising, this was the perfect time to leave.

From Yan Ya’s perspective, the shopping center was a prime target precisely because it had been filled with plants and insects before. Since people had avoided it due to the dangers, there were likely still valuable supplies inside.

He had been observing the area. The extreme cold and heavy snow had killed many of the vines on the surrounding buildings. So far, there hadn’t been any signs of insects. The situation inside the shopping center was likely similar.

Right now was the best time to go out and gather supplies.

Yan Ya turned and began discussing the details of the shopping center trip with the others.

It was at this moment that Yu Xi happened to be passing by the stairwell on the fourteenth floor.

To conserve firewood for heating, most of the survivors usually gathered in the small lounge in the middle of the hallway, though some would stand near the stairwell to have quiet conversations.

Two people standing by the stairwell’s glass-paneled door happened to see Yu Xi walking past—dressed entirely in black. They were so startled that they screamed.

The group planning their trip immediately rushed over at the sound.

“What happened?”

“There… there’s someone… coming down from above… not one of us…”

“How many people?”

“Just one.”

Relying on their numbers, the students crowded into the stairwell, looking down the stairs. Sure enough, there was a slender figure slowly descending.

“It’s a girl…” someone murmured.

She seemed to have heard them. Her footsteps paused for a moment, then she looked up at them. Several students flinched in shock at the sight of her face, instinctively shrinking back—until they realized she was wearing a mask.

Yan Ya’s gaze swept over the Tang knife strapped to her back before he suddenly spoke up. “Hello! May I ask where you’re headed?”

Yu Xi curved her lips into a slight smile. “Just going for a stroll.”

The group: …

Not long after Yu Xi left the building, she sensed several people following behind her.

They were much more bundled up than she was—wearing worn-out protective suits, helmets, goggles, masks, and gloves. Each of them carried an empty backpack, and most were holding makeshift weapons.

They didn’t approach or disturb her, but in their minds, if a girl could venture out alone at a time like this, then surely they could do it too.

Of course, they didn’t believe her excuse about “going for a stroll.” Right now, anyone daring to go outside was clearly searching for supplies.

This was a small city, and the shopping center near the high-rise was already considered one of the largest in town.

Yan Ya wanted to take a gamble—if she was headed there too, maybe they could negotiate a temporary cooperation.