The Apocalypse Shelter System

"Damn! You sneaky, expressionless bastard, cursing me to choke to death, and here you are stealing food!" The moment the chubby man realized Li Sheng was focused on stealing food, he instantly understood what was happening. Without hesitation, he charged to the table, joining the others in the food-grabbing frenzy.

Di Ping found this amusing, and a warm feeling spread in his heart. He saw Yu Shujie covering her mouth, laughing quietly. With a smile, he said, "Miss Yu, if you don't start eating soon, there won't be anything left! Look at these hungry ghosts—clearly, they don't know what manners are!"

"Mm!" Yu Shujie stopped laughing, got up, served herself some rice, and sat down to eat it slowly.

Di Ping shook his head. This woman… She clearly hasn't experienced enough of the apocalypse. If she ate like this anywhere else, she might not even get any food. She still doesn't realize how cruel the world has become.

A bowl of rice, five dishes—all were snatched up in no time. Before the apocalypse, this kind of food would have been considered excessive, but in just a few days, people were eating two or three bowls each. Di Ping's appetite had grown too—after five bowls of rice, he still felt only half full, which made him uneasy. What if he kept strengthening? Would he become a bottomless pit?

Once the meal ended, everyone was too stuffed to move. The chubby man had collapsed, half-sitting on the floor, resting his head against a chair, fast asleep, with drool dripping from his mouth. The others weren't in much better shape—Luo Quan had one hand pressed against his chest, continuously burping, and Li Sheng was struggling to swallow a sip of water. Eventually, he gave up, capping the bottle, too full to continue.

Cheng Chao fared better; at least he could still move, pacing around the hall slowly, though his furrowed brow suggested some discomfort. Di Ping chuckled inwardly.

"I'm so full!" Even the little girl, Nuan Nuan, was lying half-back in her chair, clutching her stomach and pouting in discomfort.

Yu Shujie had finally finished her portion of rice, though she barely touched the vegetables. Her appetite had always been small. Despite not daring to cook recently, bread and similar food had been provided at home, enough to fill her stomach. Seeing everyone had finished eating, she got up to clear the table.

Watching her tidy up like a gentle housewife, her graceful, soft demeanor was enough to make any man's heart flutter. It was no wonder her husband would risk his life for her and their child. If Di Ping had someone like that, along with a lovely child like Nuan Nuan, surely he'd wake up smiling every day. He thought absentmindedly.

As he let his thoughts wander, Di Ping also began to feel sleepy. He had worked hard all day and sustained some injuries. If not for the soul energy healing, he wasn't sure how he'd be feeling right now.

When Yu Shujie finished in the kitchen and came out, Di Ping called everyone over. His apartment had three bedrooms and two living rooms. He had one room for himself, another smaller room for Yu Shujie and her daughter, and the larger one for the four men. If there was no other choice, they could sleep on the sofa. Exhausted, Di Ping greeted them and went to rest in his room for a nap.

This nap was the best he had had in days. He had always been alone, unable to sleep deeply for fear of being startled. But today, with others in the room, he felt safer and finally slept soundly.

It seemed people were truly social creatures. His previous solitary loneliness had nearly driven him mad. Even sleep had been restless, his mind always on edge. In the short term, it was manageable, but over time, it could drive anyone insane. Di Ping now realized this more clearly than ever.

"That was a long nap! I must have been really exhausted!" Di Ping looked at the clock and was surprised to see it was already 4 p.m. He had slept for over three hours.

Getting out of bed, he washed his face, feeling instantly refreshed. The fatigue that had weighed on him disappeared. He felt full of strength, cracking his knuckles, his bones making a satisfying sound. He smiled contentedly and stepped out of his room.

During his nap, Di Ping had made a decision: he would settle the base here at Lvyuan. He had carefully considered this and had several reasons for his choice.

First, while his abilities had increased, he still didn't know what the outside world was like. A few mutated dogs had nearly brought him down. Though he won, it was still a dangerous encounter. What if he encountered something like a giant tiger or mountain lion? His strength needed to improve, and opening a tavern was the fastest way to increase his power. With a few heroes by his side, his strength would grow quickly. Only then could he return home to rescue his parents.

Second, this area was in the suburbs, closer to the city, with fewer mutated animals. While animals were still a threat, the most dangerous ones were in the wilderness. Cities, too, were risky, especially with mutated rodents and cats and dogs running wild. But here, he'd be much safer.

Third, the community was spacious, with two buildings and several villas. The area was large enough, and it would be easier for him to manifest his system buildings here.

For these reasons, Di Ping had decided to stay in Lvyuan rather than heading to the Bianzhou base. Entering that base would restrict his movements. He wasn't sure what the others thought, though, and he wasn't sure whether they would stay. He didn't feel confident about that.

Not dwelling on it, Di Ping opened the door and walked out of his room, only to be momentarily stunned. He found the others gathered in the living room. Each of them sat on the sofa with vacant expressions, their eyes tinged with a gray hopelessness. Yu Shujie even had tears in her eyes. Nuan Nuan was the only one not affected, quietly humming a song while lying in her mother's arms.

"What's going on?" They didn't even notice when Di Ping entered. Noticing something was off, he asked with a smile.

"Di… Di Ge…"

"Di… Di Sheng…"

The others suddenly snapped out of their daze, standing to greet him.

"What's going on? You all look strange," Di Ping waved his hand and sat down on the sofa, his eyes scanning the group as he softly inquired.

"Di… Di Ge! I…" The chubby man stood up quickly, his emotions stirred, but he seemed at a loss for words.

"Calm down, sit down first!" Di Ping gestured for the chubby man to sit. He turned to Cheng Chao. "Cheng Ge, can you tell me what happened?"

He knew Cheng Chao would be the most coherent in explaining things. Li Sheng was too quiet, Luo Quan too simple to articulate well, and Yu Shujie, with her tear-streaked face, wasn't the best person to ask. He was counting on Cheng Chao.

"Ah, it's just too tragic!" Cheng Chao sighed deeply, his expression darkening. "The radio just reported that the government started retreating at 11 this morning!"

"Oh, what's the problem with that? We missed it. Did something happen?" Di Ping immediately straightened up, sensing that something was wrong, given the gloomy faces of the group.

"There are a lot of people who got the news—about 50 to 60 thousand of them. The journey was safe at first, with the mutated animals avoiding the large group. But with so many people, the roads were difficult, and they didn't reach the Di Lake area until after 1 p.m. That's when disaster struck."

Cheng Chao's eyes filled with tears, and his voice caught as he continued, barely able to finish his sentence.

"What exactly happened?" Di Ping was becoming increasingly anxious. How could so many people be involved in such a disaster? What kind of tragedy had occurred? He pressed on.

"I'm sorry, Di brother! Let me catch my breath!" Cheng Chao, being a soldier, looked at Di Ping apologetically before taking a deep breath and steadying himself. "When the main group reached Di Lake, something happened. Out of nowhere, a giant crocodile emerged from the lake, scattering the group. Then, mutated animals followed and attacked, nearly wiping out the entire group!"

As Cheng Chao spoke, tears welled in his eyes again, and the others were also in tears, with Yu Shujie quietly sobbing, her hands pressed tightly against her mouth, her shoulders trembling.

"A crocodile scattered a group of 50,000 people? So they were all helpless?" Di Ping stared wide-eyed, incredulous.

"Yes! We don't know who released the crocodile into Di Lake, but it was massive, and it was a nightmare! That damn bastard should be condemned!" The chubby man growled angrily.

"Di brother, do you know how big this crocodile was?" Cheng Chao finally seemed to recover, noticing Di Ping's disbelief. He turned and said, "It was over five meters tall and more than twenty meters long. It was fast—its jaws could kill several people at once. Its tail was like a column, able to knock armored vehicles away, let alone humans. Its scales were harder than steel. Guns barely left a mark on it. Half of the casualties were from this monster."

After Cheng Chao spoke, he looked terrified, as though he had lived through it himself.

A crocodile over five meters tall and twenty meters long, capable of withstanding gunfire and wiping out thousands? This was even bigger than the mutated crocodile from the movies. Di Ping sat back on the sofa, stunned. His enhanced strength made him feel invincible, but this news hit him like a ton of bricks.

He hadn't anticipated such rapid mutations in animals, let alone how terrifying some could become. Just a few days ago, he had heard about a tiger three or four meters tall, and now this—he could hardly believe it. The crocodile had been seen by tens of thousands, and it had killed countless people.

Di Ping silently rejoiced that he hadn't rashly set out to return home. With his current abilities, he would have been lucky to survive such an encounter. What had seemed like a boost in his own strength now felt insignificant in comparison to these mutated creatures.

Was there any hope of surviving in this world anymore? Di Ping's face darkened as a sense of helplessness crept into his heart. He seemed to lose his direction and motivation in that moment.