Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

Chapter 283

The rain fell in dense, unrelenting threads, shrouding the sky in a dull, oppressive gray.

It had been raining for two days straight, yet the temperature outside had not dropped. The combination of humidity and stifling heat made the airtight protective suits even more unbearable. Sweat layered thickly over their bodies, trapped with no escape.

Worse still, once the protective suits were on, there was no way to eat, drink, or use the restroom freely.

Yet, despite the discomfort, no one dared to take them off.

After all, many civilians never even had the chance to wear protective suits before they were infected. Compared to them, this group had been fortunate—only surviving the initial outbreak of the plague because of the military’s protection.

Huang Yue and Zhang Dong stood at the base of the stairwell, looking up with numb expressions as military personnel worked to break the rooftop’s security door.

Over the past few days, they had already been relocated twice—first to a stadium, where there had still been around sixty people, including both civilians and soldiers; then, to the underground storage of a supermarket.

They had initially believed this was just an acute disease outbreak, that as long as they stayed under military protection, they would soon be evacuated from Fran City by plane. But reality was far harsher than they had imagined. It wasn’t just civilians struggling to survive—even the soldiers guarding them were slowly dwindling in number.

Some were infected and executed on the spot under orders from the captain. Others, overcome with fear, abandoned the group and fled into the night.

By this morning, only five soldiers remained—the captain and four team members. Huang Yue and Zhang Dong knew that without the captain holding the group together, this team would have already fallen apart. But tragedy struck again when they discovered, at dawn, that the captain himself had been infected.

In that moment, they truly believed they were doomed.

Fortunately, just as despair set in, the remaining soldiers received a citywide evacuation order. The city had completely spiraled out of control. No matter how many barricades or shelters were set up, nothing could stop the infection from spreading.

Military headquarters announced that, starting today, no further supply drops would be made inside the city. More fortified evacuation zones had been established in the outskirts, and all remaining soldiers and civilians were ordered to retreat.

Yet, the two days of rain had mixed with the blood and pus of exploded fungal parasites, turning all the surface water into a corrosive hazard. Their vehicle had made it as far as the eastern part of the city—just a dozen more kilometers east or south, and they would have reached safety—but the tires had completely given out.

They were all wearing chemical protective suits. At first, they had considered abandoning the vehicle and proceeding on foot, hoping to come across another evacuation convoy or a working vehicle along the way.

But when they arrived in this area, they saw hordes of fungal parasites roaming through the rain.

Louis, who had taken temporary command after the captain’s death, made a swift decision to lead them on a detour. However, the situation in this district was dire—parasites blocked the roads in every direction.

Their flamethrowers were running low on fuel, and the rain drastically reduced their effectiveness. Unwilling to waste their last supply, they ultimately chose to hide inside this building.

It was the tallest building in the area and, not being a residential complex, Louis hoped there would be fewer infected inside. Their plan was to reach the rooftop and attempt to signal for help.

They knew that during a full-scale evacuation, aside from those who could drive out of the city themselves, the military would dispatch helicopters to rescue those who had no other means of escape.

However, their communication devices had been contaminated with parasite blood and pus while escaping from the underground shelter. With the city’s signal completely cut off, they had no way to contact headquarters.

All they had left were a few magnesium flares—enough to send an emergency signal if a helicopter flew by.

When Kayo finally broke the lock, he realized that the stairwell door had been locked from the outside.

That meant someone had reached the rooftop before them—and deliberately locked the door behind them.

Which meant… someone was up there.

Before they could step out to investigate, a voice from the back of the group called out in alarm.

“They’re coming up!”

It was Joan and Joseph, who had been standing guard at the rear.

Everyone knew what “they” referred to—those grotesque fungal parasites.

Two days of heavy rain had accelerated the fungal growth, swelling the infected creatures’ flesh until they looked even more monstrous and deformed.

Some of these creatures had followed them inside from the streets, drawn by human presence. Others had already been lurking within the building, emerging from different floors.

The stairwell had only two directions—up or down.

With their escape route below blocked, they had no choice but to retreat to the rooftop.

Louis and Kayo pushed the door open, making way for the civilians to get through first. But with the security door now broken, there was no way to lock it behind them. If they didn’t eliminate the parasites inside the building, they would follow them onto the rooftop, contaminating their last safe refuge.

Joan and Joseph activated their flamethrowers. Inside the building, the flames were far more effective than in the rain. However, the sheer number of parasites was overwhelming—they kept gathering, closing in.

Looking down from their position, the stairwell was packed wall to wall with writhing bodies. If even one of them got close enough to explode, their protective suits wouldn’t stand a chance.

If the two-man defense line at the stairwell failed, everyone else would be as good as dead.

Kayo glanced down at the nightmare below, then turned back and grabbed the last flamethrower from Louis’ hands.

“You stay here and wait for the helicopter,” he said. “I’ll go down and hold them off.”

His life had been saved by the captain. The man had been driven by an overwhelming sense of duty, and his final wish had been to protect the civilians. He had entrusted that mission to the four remaining soldiers.

Kayo refused to betray that trust.

As Louis shouted after him, Kayo turned and charged down the stairs.

But before he could go far, someone grabbed him from behind.

**

Yu Xi’s gaze swept over the familiar face inside the protective suit. She frowned.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

Kayo stared at her in shock.

“Who are you?” he demanded.

Strangely, he couldn’t shake off her grip.

This person wasn’t part of their team. She looked like she was wearing a protective suit, but it was entirely different from theirs—it resembled a thin, transparent gel-like layer that fit closely to her body, lightweight and sleek.

She wore a small mask over her nose and mouth, something akin to a breathing apparatus, but Kayo didn’t see any oxygen tank inside her suit.

The people in his group had survived so far thanks to airdropped supplies; they had never lacked food or water in the shelters. But after days of hiding and constant fear, they were all disheveled and exhausted.

Yet this woman looked completely clean and refreshed. Underneath her protective layer, she was wearing a spotless short-sleeved shirt and shorts, as if she had just stepped out of a perfectly safe bedroom.

“Forget it.” Yu Xi didn’t bother pressing for his name. She had revealed herself to save the mission target, but she hadn’t expected to see another familiar face among this group—someone who should never have been here.

But since she had already intervened, she had to finish the job quickly and efficiently.

She pushed him out through the security door and raised her flamethrower. “Everyone, get to the rooftop! Don’t block the stairwell!”

With that, Yu Xi grabbed the stair railing and leaped down—directly from the twelfth floor to the eleventh, then again from the eleventh to the tenth, landing behind the two soldiers.

“Move! Get to the rooftop!” she ordered.

Joan and Joseph’s flamethrowers were nearly out of fuel. The sudden appearance of someone falling from above startled them, but in the next second, the newcomer ignited her weapon, sending out a roaring blaze. Even through the protective layers, they could feel the scorching heat.

Yet this fire brought them an overwhelming sense of security—because at this point, only fire could truly eliminate the parasites.

They instinctively took a step back, but neither of them ran to the rooftop. The parasites were multiplying in the stairwell, and there was only one of her—there was no way she could hold this position alone.

Yu Xi knew exactly what they were thinking. Even if she had unlimited fuel, fire took time to burn. And they were right—she couldn’t hold this spot.

But she had never planned to.

She incinerated the closest parasites that had already reached the ninth floor, then immediately turned, grabbed one of the soldiers, and shouted, “Go!” before sprinting upstairs.

The other soldier instinctively followed. She led them back up to the eleventh floor, switching her flamethrower for a compact rocket launcher. Bending slightly, she aimed between the tenth and ninth floors and fired.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion shook the building.

When the smoke cleared, the remaining soldiers saw that the stairwell from the ninth floor upward had completely collapsed.

No matter how many parasites there were, they could no longer climb past the tenth floor—their path had been severed.

“Wow—” Joan let out an excited exclamation. “As long as they don’t suddenly learn to stack on top of each other, we’re safe.”

Yu Xi put away the rocket launcher, making no attempt to conceal her abilities.

But in a life-or-death situation, with the world already in this state, the others were more surprised than overly concerned about her unusual gear.

She headed back to the rooftop, signaling for them to shut the door. They moved several heavy decorative structures over to block the entrance.

Kayo approached her and finally answered her question. “I’m Kayo. Thank you for saving us.”

Yu Xi looked at his face inside the protective suit again. There was a hint of confusion in his eyes, mixed with something more complex.

She wasn’t sure if it was because of the way her weapons appeared and disappeared—or because of her.

She hadn’t mistaken him. She remembered his face.

But back then, he wasn’t this young.

Maybe it was just a change of clothing, a different hairstyle and hair color. Or maybe there had been other alterations.

Back then, his name was Ron.

**

By evening, two helicopters had passed through the area.

But whether it was due to the magnesium flares not being bright enough or the rain obscuring visibility, neither aircraft noticed the people stranded on the rooftop—no matter how much the soldiers waved their flares.

As the sky darkened, their last flares were used up. Standing in the rain, exhausted and starving, the group’s hope gradually dimmed.

Yu Xi had already sent a message to Lin Wu before leaving the treehouse, altering their meeting arrangements. She had also retracted the treehouse upon departure.

So now, just like the others, she sat quietly in the rain, waiting.

She was wearing the “Self-Cleaning Protective Suit.” Despite the word “suit” in its name, it wasn’t actually clothing. Instead, it consisted of two wristbands.

When activated, the wristbands generated a transparent, gel-like protective layer over her entire body, from head to toe. In terms of weight and convenience, it was leagues ahead of standard chemical protective suits.

Ordinary chemical suits were bulky, difficult to wear, and fully opaque except for the mask area, restricting visibility while moving.

In contrast, the “Self-Cleaning Protective Suit” was as easy to wear as a second skin, requiring only an oxygen mask for full protection.

She wasn’t sure if the ten uses referred to activation counts or if each activation had a set duration before it counted as one use.

But for now, after her first activation, the wristbands’ dark display panel had automatically shown a glowing “10.”

She was curious—if she never deactivated it, how long would a single use last?

The others didn’t dare disturb her and sat on the other side of the rooftop.

When the first helicopter passed by, everyone who had been silent until then jumped to their feet, shouting with all their might toward the sky. One of the soldiers even used the last of his flamethrower fuel, spraying bursts of fire in an attempt to attract the aircraft’s attention.

But it was all in vain.

Yu Xi wanted to help, but she had no means of flight. Even if she could somehow bring them all down the building safely and take out a vehicle, the car tires wouldn’t last long in the current conditions.

Their only chance of escape was to catch the helicopter’s attention and get it to lower a rescue basket to airlift them out—wait, attract attention?

Yu Xi suddenly remembered a tool she had overlooked, a small gift that had come with the Fairy Tale Amusement Park wristband.

Moments later, a red flare shot up into the sky.

It streaked upward like a meteor, soaring from low altitude to high, and upon reaching a certain height, it bloomed like a flower. Then, it began shifting into various images.

First, a beautiful, massive silver-blue crystal slipper appeared. Then, a stunning red rose. After that, it transformed into a silver mirror with a swirling black vortex at its center. Finally, the image changed again, depicting a castle entwined with vines and flowers.

A spectacle like this—so surreal and impossible—would have been noticed even by a blind pilot.

The helicopter altered its course toward the flare, and just then, another blue flare rose from a nearby rooftop. This one took the shape of an elegant bird, circling above the building where the firework had originated.

The crew on the helicopter adjusted their searchlights and directed their gaze downward.

Under the beam of the searchlight, a dozen people stood on the rooftop, waving frantically, shouting, and jumping to get their attention.

“We’re saved!” Huang Yue clutched her husband tightly, the despair in her heart giving way to hope once more.

Twice now, they had been pulled back from the brink of death.

That feeling of facing certain doom, only to be granted another chance—it was something only those who had experienced it could truly understand.

Kayo turned around, wanting to find the young woman and make sure she boarded the helicopter with them. He had even secretly spoken with the other survivors, agreeing to stay silent about her unusual abilities.

But when he turned back, she was gone.

His mind flashed back to the moment she had fired the rocket launcher—her composure, her unshaken calm in the face of chaos. And then, suddenly, his vision blurred. The images twisted, distorted.

For a brief second, he was no longer on the rooftop.

Instead, he stood in the middle of a chaotic street, watching as she retracted a rocket launcher into a vehicle.

He had been shouting at her, but she had ignored him, raising the car window instead.

He could see her face clearly—her pale complexion, the tight line of her lips…

How was that possible?

She had been wearing a mask the entire time.

How could he have seen her face?

**

By the time the rooftop group was being evacuated, Yu Xi had already rappelled down the building. Under the cover of darkness, she sprinted through multiple streets, heading toward another building several blocks away.

With her speed pushed to the limit, she moved faster than a car.

The fungal parasites she passed by barely had time to react before she was gone, her figure flashing past like the wind.

By the time they realized and attempted to self-destruct, Yu Xi was already meters away.

She had scoped out this building from her treehouse earlier. It wasn’t particularly tall, only five stories high, and it was an indoor parking structure. There was no direct access to the rooftop—she would have to climb up manually.

As she scaled the edge of the structure, a hand extended from above and pulled her up.

“How long have you been here?” Yu Xi smiled at the person who had helped her.

Lin Wu returned the smile. “About half an hour. I got my train ticket too.”

Like her, he was wearing the Self-Cleaning Protective Suit.

Judging by his well-maintained gear, he had likely completed several missions as well, earning decent rewards.

“Does the suit have a time limit per use?” she asked.

“Yes. Each activation lasts a maximum of 24 hours. Once the time runs out, it automatically cleans itself and consumes one usage.” Lin Wu gestured to his wristband. “The number adjusts on its own. If you deactivate it before 24 hours, it still cleans itself and counts as a use.”

Yu Xi understood now.

Even if she hadn’t used up the full 24 hours, the moment she retracted the suit, it would clean itself and deduct one use.

But for now, it was nighttime, and the rain was still pouring. She couldn’t keep running at full speed while carrying Lin Wu. Returning to the treehouse was the safest option.

Yu Xi activated the treehouse. Lin Wu opened an umbrella while they both retracted their Self-Cleaning Protective Suits.

The suits took about ten seconds to automatically clean before fully retracting into the wristbands.

Just to be cautious, Yu Xi pulled out disinfectant and gave them both another round of sterilization before they entered the building.

When the elevator doors opened, she switched into indoor slippers and set out a new pair for Lin Wu.

Then, turning on the small camping lamp beside her, she said, “Welcome to your stay.”

That night, after both of them had taken turns showering and changing into fresh clothes, they sat at the bar counter, preparing to eat dinner.

At that moment, their phones buzzed simultaneously.

Notification: The current station, “Fran City,” has been upgraded from A-rank to S-rank.