Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

Chapter 276

There was a time when Lin Wu smelled this stench every day. In his original world, he had once participated in international aid missions to other countries.

During his work at temporary medical stations in war zones, due to limited resources and rudimentary equipment, many people died because they couldn’t receive timely treatment.

In the high temperatures, the already mangled corpses would begin to rot quickly. They had to be transported elsewhere in bulk, or they would breed bacteria and disease.

But there were times when they weren’t moved in time—some people died in their beds and weren’t discovered for two or three days. Many others who were still alive suffered festering wounds due to infections.

The smell of human decay—once you’ve encountered it, you will never forget it.

It is the smell of death, dark and terrifying.

Yu Xi was no stranger to this scent either. She had been surrounded by it for a long time in her second world.

It was the stench of zombies and rotting bodies, lingering in every corner of the city.

Yu Xi glanced at the countdown timer. “Let’s go. Stay close together.”

The five of them quickly stepped off the train, forming a formation with Xi Yuan and Yu Xi in the front, Yu Zhenzhen in the middle, and Lin Wu and Ya Tong covering the rear. The platform was massive, and the exit hall was nowhere in sight. The flickering lights made it impossible to take in their surroundings at a glance.

With the breathing masks on, they could no longer smell the foul stench in the air, but the ground was covered in dark, sticky substances. Lin Wu’s earlier remark had already given them a vivid mental picture of what it might be, making them extremely reluctant to step on it.

Yu Zhenzhen activated her shield at the perfect time, enclosing all five of them within its protective barrier. The semi-transparent glow stood out starkly against the dim, flickering lights of the platform, instantly drawing the attention of other disembarking travelers.

At A-level stations, the passengers were often a mixed crowd—veteran travelers, occasional newcomers, and mostly those who had visited one or two stations, hovering between inexperience and recklessness.

These half-experienced travelers were in a volatile phase. They had shaken off the initial fear of waking up on the train, figured out ways to complete tasks, enjoyed the thrill of unlimited currency, but had also tasted blood and death.

They had gained some items and perhaps one or two skills, transitioning from ordinary people into god-like figures who could decide the fate of native station residents at will. Those with unstable mentalities often fell into darkness.

They were ruthless and arrogant, willing to do anything to achieve their goals. When these types formed groups, they became even more reckless.

Yu Zhenzhen’s shield made these half-experienced travelers greedy. Although they hesitated due to the unknown dangers lurking in the platform, many had already started planning how to ambush the group in the exit hall, rob them, and quickly escape into the station, erasing any traces.

The sudden change happened quickly.

A man who had been staring at Yu Zhenzhen’s shield for too long took a careless step and accidentally stepped into a large patch of sticky black substance.

The moment his foot landed, he panicked—there was no solid ground beneath him. It was like he had stepped into a swamp. His leg sank in, pulling his calf down with it.

“Ah—what is this?!”

He panicked, struggling desperately to free himself. But the more he struggled, the deeper he sank. Losing his balance, he fell face-first into the muck. His mask came loose, and the putrid stench rushed into his nose.

But that wasn’t the most terrifying part.

The real horror struck when he tried to push himself up—every part of his body that had touched the black sludge was sinking further.

Gasps erupted from nearby travelers. Those who had initially stood frozen in fear were now looking at him with terror in their eyes.

Following their gaze, he looked down—

There was a hand gripping his leg.

A blackened, rotting hand with decomposed flesh and exposed bone, as if it had crawled straight out of a grave.

That hand clutched his calf tightly, dragging him deeper into the sludge as if trying to pull him entirely underground.

Screams echoed from another part of the platform.

A new traveler, likely a novice, had been watching in horror and instinctively backed away—only to step against the platform’s wall.

From within the sticky black substance clinging to the walls, two rotten hands shot out, grabbing her arms from both sides and pinning her against the wall.

Her terrified screams shattered the uneasy silence, and the dormant black sludge across the platform began to stir.

One after another, countless blackened, decayed hands emerged from the darkness.

It was as if the platform itself had come alive, sprouting hundreds of twisted, grasping limbs.

The hands varied in state—some had lost so much flesh that their skeletal fingers were exposed.

A traveler who had been grabbed by the ankle tried to cut himself free with a weapon, severing the rotting hand. But the moment it was cut off, another hand emerged from the sludge, grabbing him again.

There was no end to them.

The walls were the same. Rotten hands punched through the sticky matter, reaching for any traveler who passed too close.

One unfortunate man was caught and tripped, and before he could swing his weapon again, his arms and body were seized as well.

Helpless, he screamed as he was dragged into the muck.

Some had unique skills.

One activated an ability and leaped high into the air, thinking he had escaped—only to be snatched mid-flight by hands stretching down from the ceiling.

Dangling like a trapped insect, he struggled until he was finally dragged into the dark, pulsing mass above.

Another traveler pulled out a heavy weapon and mowed down the approaching hands in a hail of firepower. The resulting explosion made the platform reek even more, but it temporarily cleared a path forward.

Some had shield-type items, sprinting through the chaos while the writhing hands slowed their momentum but failed to break through their barriers.

Yu Xi’s team also pressed forward under the protection of their shield, rushing ahead as fast as possible.

Following the direction of the train, they sprinted for what felt like forever before finally seeing the distant lights of the exit hall.

But the closer they got, the denser the black sludge became.

The floor, walls, and even the ceiling were covered in it.

Some areas were now impossible to avoid.

For those without shields, there was only one option left—

They had to fight their way through.

Many travelers carried flamethrowers, though most were standard models with only four uses. However, compared to other weapons, flamethrowers were clearly more effective.

With various weapons and tools, the travelers pushed forward, stepping over piles of disgusting, sticky, rotting limbs and black sludge, finally breaking into the safety of the exit hall.

Overall, the platform’s danger level wasn’t actually that high. As long as one had the right weapons and tools, they could pass through smoothly. The real issue was how utterly disgusting it was.

It wasn’t just newer travelers who were nauseated—many seasoned travelers who had visited over ten stations had never encountered such a revolting place.

Some barely made it into the hall, only to find themselves covered in splattered filth—unidentifiable sticky substances and chunks of rotten flesh from severed hands that had exploded upon impact. It wasn’t just female travelers—many men were equally disgusted by the state they were in and ran to the side to vomit.

Yu Zhenzhen had just deactivated her shield for two seconds when she noticed a few people throwing up beside her. Without thinking, she instinctively reactivated it.

At that exact moment, a grenade was thrown in their direction, striking the newly reactivated shield and exploding into a brilliant flash of fire.

“Holy—!” Yu Zhenzhen hadn’t expected an ambush inside the arrival hall.

The next second, Xi Yuan moved. He shot out of the shield’s protection, his black sword gleaming with a cold, ghostly blue flame as he slashed toward a dimly lit corner.

A cry of pain erupted from the darkness. The two ambushers immediately retaliated, wildly firing their machine guns at him. But every bullet was blocked by Xi Yuan’s bound weapon’s shield.

“You have a shield too…!” The attacker cursed bitterly, screaming as the black sword ignited with another burst of flames, consuming them entirely.

There were three of them in total. Xi Yuan didn’t hold back—he eliminated them all.

When he returned, his face was still tense, but beneath it, there was an unmistakable trace of lingering fear.

If Yu Zhenzhen hadn’t instinctively reactivated her shield, the grenade would have exploded right where Yu Xi was standing.

Yu Xi noticed his emotions and spoke to reassure him. “Don’t worry. Even if Zhenzhen hadn’t opened the shield, I could have dodged in time. And with my current physique, even if I took the blast head-on, I wouldn’t be seriously injured.”

“…Yeah.” Xi Yuan exhaled, grabbing her wrist lightly. As they prepared to step out of the arrival hall, he reminded her once more, “We’ll be separating soon. Be careful. Let’s regroup as quickly as possible.”

Yu Xi nodded and turned to the rest of the team. “Everyone, stay safe. We don’t know what to expect from this station. Let’s meet up as soon as we can.”

Location: Fran City (A-Level)

Stay Duration:

44 daysIdentity Information: Activated

Unlimited Currency: Disabled

Train Ticket: Not expired (1 ride remaining)

Reminder: Find the hidden departure station within 44 days, confirm the station (2 attempts), and board the train.

Time Remaining: 43 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 01 second

Item Slots (Max: 10): Full (10)

Skill (Max: 1): Space (350 cubic meters, Activated)

Teammates: Lin Xiang, Yu Qi, Yu Meixi, Xi Yuan

Team Status: Activated

Team Permissions (Activated): Damage Immunity, Messaging, Destination Sharing (Optional), Hints (Optional)

Easter Egg (Activated): Memory Fragment Collection Rate (60%), Fragments in this Station: 0

Yu Xi stood in an empty apartment, glancing down at her phone.

This station didn’t have a confirmed memory fragment. She could only hope that completing the mission here would reward them with one.

This time, she hadn’t appeared in a public space but rather in a room within an apartment. Judging from the surroundings, this seemed to be an abandoned apartment building.

There were windows. Outside, the sky was overcast. She walked toward the window and found that the building wasn’t very tall—she was currently on the fourth floor.

The building was near a road. From her position, she could see pedestrians and other buildings outside. Most of the structures were old, and from the scale of the streets, this didn’t seem like a very large city.

The pedestrians had Western features, suggesting this was a foreign city.

The sky was gloomy, yet the air was hot and stifling. A gust of wind blew past, carrying waves of sweltering heat.

From her vantage point, she couldn’t see the entire city.

It was still unclear just how big Fran City really was.

But one thing was certain: this city seemed normal for now, and living in a normal city for 44 days meant they needed money.

She pulled out her phone and opened the team chat. Someone was already talking—it was Yu Zhenzhen.

Yu Zhenzhen: good news, good news! I have unlimited currency! Guys, hurry to the nearest bank and open an account. Once you have an account, send me your details, and I’ll transfer money to you!

The responses came in quickly and in perfect unison.

Ya Tong: got it!

Lin Wu: got it!

Yu Xi: got it! What about Xi Yuan? Do you have enough in your native account? If not, send your details too.

Xi Yuan quickly sent a string of numbers, specifying the type of bank card he had. He then mentioned he had a small issue to deal with first and told them to be careful. He also warned that the area he was in was full of military personnel and that something seemed to be going on.

Yu Xi: once we get the money, everyone should buy a phone first, download the city map, and share locations. Let’s regroup as soon as possible.

Yu Xi successfully exited the abandoned apartment via the emergency stairs. She randomly picked a passerby and asked for the nearest bank, then quickly opened an account.

Ten minutes after sending her account details to Yu Zhenzhen, her balance updated—5 million.

Yu Xi: …

Her phone vibrated. Yu Zhenzhen had sent another message in the group chat.

Yu Zhenzhen: everyone gets 5 million. Don’t complain that it’s too little~

Yu Xi: …

filthy rich. absolutely reckless.

She left the bank and took a taxi to the nearest electronics store, where she purchased two of the latest smartphones. The technology in this world was similar to that of her home world, so she adapted quickly, downloading all the necessary apps.

She used one phone to slowly download a full map of Fran City while keeping the other one on hand for immediate use.

Next, she used a car rental app, paid the highest deposit, and rented a large off-road vehicle. Currently, her space storage had plenty of food and supplies. The 20-cubic-meter water tank she had filled with purified warm water back in Fairy Tale Amusement Park was still at full capacity.

But one thing she hadn’t been able to stock up on at the last station was fuel.

Her storage originally had 15 cubic meters of fuel tanks, most of which she had stocked up at Paradise Island Station. However, at the time, she had only filled them to about 60–70% capacity.

Additionally, her item slots held several sealed, full-sized fuel barrels.

At White Bird Lake, due to the extreme cold and constant need to use the generator, she had burned through a lot of fuel but had no way to replenish it.

By the time they boarded the train, she had only kept two large barrels for herself and distributed the other eight to Ya Tong and the others as emergency reserves.

So now, her fuel supply was running dangerously low. Since this was an ordinary city, and things still seemed normal, she wanted to take the opportunity to restock.

With the team growing, their fuel consumption would only increase.

She had the largest storage capacity among them. While Fairy Tale Amusement Park didn’t allow fuel hoarding, obtaining storage containers had been easy.

She had 30 cubic meters worth of fuel containers in her storage. If completely filled, that would be 30,000 liters of fuel—enough to last them a very long time.

But to get fuel, she needed a car.

She took a taxi to the rental agency, picked up her vehicle, and used the navigation app to start visiting the nearest gas stations one by one, systematically hoarding fuel.

Foreign gas stations tended to be loosely regulated, and Fran City was no exception. They were mostly self-service—as long as you paid, no one cared whether you pumped gas into your car or into portable containers.

At the first gas station, she bought five 30L portable fuel containers and lined them up neatly in the trunk.

As she filled up the SUV and the containers, she leaned casually against the pump—at the same time, secretly transferring fuel into her space storage.

Watching the fuel tanks fill up bit by bit gave her a deep sense of security.

By the time she reached the third gas station, Lin Wu—who had been randomly dumped into some remote part of the city—finally managed to find a bank and open an account.

Then, after a long struggle to locate an electronics store, he bought a phone and shared his current location in the group chat.

Yu Xi was just about to make fun of his terrible luck when a sudden commotion broke out at the entrance of the gas station.

A car that had just finished refueling screeched to a stop, nearly crashing into a pedestrian who had suddenly darted into the road.

A wave of panicked shouts filled the air.

The driver frantically got out of the car to check on the person who had been hit.

From where she stood, Yu Xi couldn’t see the fallen person’s condition clearly, as the car was blocking her view.

But judging from the escalating gasps of the onlookers, the victim’s situation wasn’t good.

She barely spared it a glance—until she noticed something strange.

the air.

there was a faint, rotting stench.

and that smell…

was exactly the same as the one from the train platform.