Chapter 1 |
Thingyan: wanted to read something apocalypse but read all the good ones on NU, so I ventured out and found this book. It looks promising so here we are. But if one day I get bored with it, I might drop it lol
xxx
Yuxi was startled when she opened the small door under her apartment stairs. She thought she might still be dreaming or had just woken up and hadn’t fully come to her senses. She closed the door again and looked around.
The apartment had been bought just a year ago, featuring a high-ceilinged, split-level design with one bedroom and one living room. The decor was simple and bright, with a full-length glass wall facing south. The second floor had an open bedroom with a shower, covering half the area of the first floor.
This storage room under the stairs was a small space she used to store snacks, drinks, and daily necessities. She had come downstairs because she had run out of toothpaste and wanted to fetch a new one.
As she surveyed her surroundings for a few seconds, the last remnants of sleepiness vanished, replaced by a chill that made her scalp tingle. She quickly returned upstairs to fetch her phone. Once back in front of the small door, she activated the recording function, reached out with a trembling hand, and turned the knob.
Inside, the originally small and dark storage room was replaced by an empty room. The room wasn’t large, an estimated twenty-square-meter square space, with a window on the wall opposite her. On the left wall, there was an outward-facing entrance with a door.
Yuxi steadied her emotions and walked into the room. After a few steps, she should have reached the end of the original storage room, but she continued to walk until she reached the window. Her first judgment: this room wasn’t a visual illusion; it was real.
The window wasn’t large, with grid-like panes and frosted glass, showing a misty scene outside. She recalled the apartment’s layout. Based on the direction, the window should face the left wall after entering the apartment. She remembered that this side should be an emergency staircase, meaning there shouldn’t be a window here. Even if there was, the outside view shouldn’t be like this.
She walked to the entrance. The door was tightly closed, made of an unknown black, matte, cold material. The walls and floor of the room seemed to be made of the same material, with the walls and floor being light gray and the door being black.
The door handle looked ordinary, suggesting it could be opened. But what was outside? Yuxi gently grasped the handle, and as soon as she touched it, a strange voice suddenly popped into her mind.
【(&&()()(……】
After a moment, the voice became clear, neutral, and cold, filled with an inorganic quality.
【Language conversion successful!】
【Organic life form from the YKA Galaxy, 23333 star system, G Blue Star detected contacting voluntarily…】
【Star House is binding…】
What the heck!?
Yuxi was startled and instinctively wanted to let go, but her fingers seemed glued to the handle. The cold sensation spread from her fingertips to her wrist and finally to her brain.
She grabbed her wrist with her other hand and kicked the door, trying to pull away.
【Detected organic life form has rejection intention, binding command self-detection… Beep, organic life form’s species not registered, species level too low, rejection intention can be ignored…】
“Damn it…” In an instant, anger overcame fear, and she cursed, “Just because the level is low, you can bind me randomly! Ignore your ass! Idiot!”
【Detected organic life form’s emotional outburst, strong resistance to binding, beep, initiating unbinding destruction procedure, organic life form will be cleared in thirty seconds… Thirty, twenty-nine…】
“Shit!” Even if she was an idiot, she understood the meaning of ‘cleared.’
【Twenty-one, twenty…】
“Wait, wait, wait! This is my home! You’re the one who appeared out of nowhere!”
【Fifteen, fourteen…】
She felt like her body was falling apart…
“…” Yuxi slapped the door, “Wait! I accept the binding! I volunteer to bind with the Star House!”
【Eight, seven, six… Beep! Binding Star House, please wait…】
The irresistible feeling of disintegration disappeared. Yuxi’s hand was still fixed to the handle. She had no choice but to wait. The cold sensation invaded her brain and body again. After a moment, the abnormal feeling faded, and her fingers finally separated from the handle.
【Hello, Host. The Star House is bound. The novice world will open at midnight in seven days. Please prepare.】
This time, she found that the voice seemed to be directly received in her mind rather than heard.
Yuxi was stunned for a while before slowly speaking: “I have a few questions. First, who or what are you? Second, what is the novice world, and why should I prepare? Third, what is the Star House, where does this door lead, and how many people on G Blue Star besides me have bound with the Star House?”
【I am the Star House system. You can understand me as the central server of the Star House. The Star House is the carrier for the host to traverse worlds. The door is the passage, only opened when traversing worlds. The Star House can be upgraded. The novice world is the welfare of the host’s first time traversing the apocalypse world, with low difficulty. The host can learn about the world type six days in advance and draw three Star Tools for free before the novice world opens. Finally, information on whether others have bound the Star House cannot be disclosed.】
Yuxi grasped a key point in this information: “Apocalypse… world?”
【By voluntarily binding with the Star House, the host agrees to voluntarily perform apocalypse traversal tasks. Tasks open once a month, with each apocalypse world randomly generated, featuring different disasters. The host needs to continuously improve their abilities to pass through several worlds and strive to survive.】
Yuxi was silent for a moment before speaking again: “Screw you, Star House.”
【…】
【Grass is a type of plant on G Blue Star. Unable to parse the host’s statement.】
(T/N: In Chinese, the word “草” (cǎo) means “grass,” but it’s also a slang term used online to express frustration or as an expletive, similar to “screw”)
Yuxi laughed: “No need to parse, just listen. By the way, can the binding be undone?”
【The unbinding destruction procedure can be initiated at any time—】
“That’s enough. Forget I asked!”
【Okay, Host. The novice world task information will be delivered at midnight tomorrow. Please check it on time. After completing three task worlds, the Star House will unlock the portable function in this world.】
“Portable?”
【Host, you can understand it as a portable shelter space.】
Portable space? This might be the most useful thing she had heard today. However, it would only be unlocked after completing three world tasks. If she failed, this portable space would be meaningless.
“Lastly, where are the things in my storage room?” The original space was small, but because of her job, she often stayed at home, and she liked to buy things in bulk, so she had a lot of stuff that cost a lot of money.
【After binding, the items originally in the space gap have all been transferred to the Star House warehouse. The host can touch any wall of the Star House to open the warehouse function.】
Yuxi tried it, and indeed, when she touched the wall and thought of opening the warehouse, a rectangular doorway without a door panel appeared on the wall in front of her. The space inside was about half the size of her apartment downstairs, estimated to be more than thirty square meters.
However, the actual space wasn’t calculated by square meters; the height must be considered, approximately five or six meters high, making the total space about 180 cubic meters. Near the doorway, all her food, drinks, and household items were neatly suspended.
“I need toothpaste. How do I get it—” As soon as she looked at the basket containing the toothpaste and thought of the brand and appearance, the toothpaste appeared in her hand. “Telekinesis?”
【After opening the Star House warehouse, the host can take and organize items through telekinesis in any world. The warehouse has no time flow or gravity, and items will maintain their state upon entry. The host cannot enter. The Star House warehouse space can be upgraded with the Star House.】
Yuxi understood. Although the portable function would be unlocked after completing the novice world, the Star House warehouse was already portable. She couldn’t enter it but could store items.
“Not bad.” Yuxi praised absentmindedly. It would have been better if it was just an extra space without any apocalypse world tasks. The thought of it annoyed her.
Yuxi exited the Star House and glanced inside before closing the door. It was still the Star House space. She closed the door and threw herself onto the sofa.
Sunlight streamed through the right floor-to-ceiling window, casting a warm glow on the clean wooden floor.
Yuxi’s mind went blank for a long time before she suddenly picked up her phone.
Call the police?
She was a little scared. What if she was the only one experiencing this anomaly? She needed to stay calm and observe. Maybe someone else was going through the same thing.
Finally, Yuxi called her mom.
“Xixi, are you coming home for dinner today? Mom’s making sweet and sour pork ribs and carp soup!”
“Mom, wait a moment. Is anyone with you? Okay, listen to me. When I opened the storage room under the stairs today…”
A moment later, Fang Qi spoke: “Honey, what did you say? The signal is bad. I didn’t hear you clearly.”
Yuxi frowned and repeated herself, already guessing what was happening.
Sure enough, after she finished, Fang Qi said she hadn’t heard
clearly again and asked her to repeat it.
“Never mind, Mom. I just wanted to say I’ll come home for dinner tonight. I’ll send you a message about what I want to eat. Remember to check your messages.”
After hanging up, she edited a text message detailing today’s incident and sent it to her mom. The message disappeared without a trace. She sent it three times, and finally called to ask if her mom had received the message, only to be told she hadn’t.
“Honey, what’s wrong with you today?”
“Nothing, Mom. Maybe my phone’s broken. I’ll find time to get it fixed.”
“Are you coming home for dinner tonight?”
“Yes.”
After hanging up, she checked her phone album. As expected, the video of the Star House she recorded earlier hadn’t been saved.
【Don’t waste your efforts. The Star House has a self-secrecy function.】 The cold, neutral voice echoed in her mind.
“Can you leave me alone for a while?”
【…】
At midnight (the next day), Yuxi opened the storage room door to receive the novice world information.
【Novice Apocalypse World:
Difficulty: Low.
World Type: Natural Disaster Apocalypse (Melting), Tsunami and Low Temperature.
World Time: Five hours before the tsunami.
World Identity: Office worker on a company trip to L Island.
World Tasks: 1. Escape L Island (10 star coins), 2. Survive for three months (30 star coins).
World Suggestions (Novice World Only): Avoid the tsunami, prepare low-temperature gear, ample food and water, appropriate tools, and weapons.】
Yuxi sighed in relief. At least the first world wasn’t a zombie apocalypse.
“Survive for three months? Do I have to stay there that long? And what’s with this world identity? Isn’t it me traveling? What happens if I fail the world tasks?”
【One year in the other world equals one second in this world. The world identity is for the host to blend into the apocalypse world. Failing the world tasks means the host will die.】
“…” Yuxi was speechless. “Is it time to draw the three Star Tools?”
【Yes.】
After a few seconds, the light in the Star House dimmed, and countless star points floated out from the walls, starting to spin around her. It felt like being surrounded by starlight, as if she were in a galaxy.
Moments later, the star points stopped. Three star points became larger star clusters floating in front of her, while the rest disappeared into the walls.
The Star House returned to normal, and the three star clusters landed in her hands one by one.
【The free Star Tools draw is a novice world task benefit, available only once. Please use the Star Tools wisely to pass the novice world.】
“You mean I can’t draw free tools again?”
【The host can buy or draw Star Tools with star coins.】
“So you have a store?”
【The Star House store will open after the first apocalypse world task is completed.】
“So this time I not only drew three tools for free but also received them in advance. It indeed counts as a benefit.” Yuxi opened each star cluster and received three Star Tools.
【Star Tool: Translation Gum (single-use)
Chewing it removes language barriers in the current world.】
【Star Tool: Disguise Lipstick (two uses, each lasting 24 hours)
Applying it allows the user to change height, appearance, age, and gender at will, effective only in the apocalypse world.】
【Star Tool: High-Temperature Perfume (mini bottle, lasts three hours)
Can spray high-temperature flames, adjustable size, automatic protective barrier, effective only in the apocalypse world.】
“…These seem useful but also weird…” she thought as she stored the “date essentials”—no, the three Star Tools in the Star House warehouse. Once the warehouse was open, she could store items anytime, anywhere.
Then, she spent some time inventorying her current stock.
The list included:
- Food: Two bags of rice (5kg each), two bottles of cooking oil (5l); four boxes each of chocolate and coffee flavor cookies; three large bags of duck tongue; two large bags each of pork jerky and beef jerky; half a box of cheese-flavored compressed biscuits (24 pieces); one and a half boxes of luncheon meat cans (8 cans each); two large packs each of old altar sauerkraut, spicy beef, scallion rib, and Shin Ramyun instant noodles (5 packs each); half a box of self-heating hot pot (24 packs, mixed spicy beef and tomato beef); three boxes of chocolate pies (20 pieces each); various brands of chips, mochi, chocolate sticks, spicy chips, and small spicy strips.
- Drinks: Two boxes of 5l bottled water (four bottles each); one and a half boxes of bottled mineral water (24 bottles each); one box each of cola and Fanta (12 bottles each); two boxes of boxed milk (24 boxes each); two boxes of low-sugar milk tea (12 bottles each); five bags of Weiwei soy milk powder (500g each).
- Daily necessities: Two boxes of tissue (48 packs each); five packs of toilet paper (10 rolls each); half a box of solid alcohol (200 pieces, 100g each); more than ten packs each of daily, night, and light flow sanitary pads; seven or eight boxes of toothpaste; two bottles each of shampoo and body wash (1l each); various toothbrushes, floral water, hand sanitizers, and towels.
Of course, these only included the items in the storage room, not the easily accessible rice, flour, oil, various seasonings, dry goods, canned food in the small kitchen, the fish, meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, and fruits in the fridge, and the various snacks in the living room cabinets.
She suddenly felt that these existing supplies could help her survive in the novice apocalypse world for three months.
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