The Apocalypse Shelter System

The overweight man slumped on the sofa, seemingly aware that he had caused trouble. He sat back up, lowered his head, and adopted a submissive posture, resembling a docile woman. 

Di Ping was immediately annoyed, his mind more repulsed than it had been before.

Can you imagine it? A man weighing over 200 pounds, with his face stuffed with fat, making his eyes and nose merge into one, sitting there looking like a meek wife? It was impossible to be more repulsive.

Di Ping knew this man, Chen Gang, was a character – someone who loved to eat and joke around, and he wasn't one to hold grudges. He just shot him an annoyed glance.

When Yu Shujie emerged from the bathroom, her face was even paler, and her steps were unsteady. It seemed she had vomited quite a bit.

"Mom! Are you having a baby?" Little Nannan suddenly ran over and asked in her childlike voice.

"Haha!" Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing Nannan's innocent question.

"Good girl, Nannan. Mommy's just not feeling well! Go play, alright?" Yu Shujie blushed fiercely and quickly bent down to explain to Nannan.

After a brief moment of laughter, everyone sat back down near the sofa. The playful atmosphere helped alleviate the pressure in their hearts, and the tension from earlier seemed to dissipate.

"Alright! If no one has any objections, let's settle on this plan!" Di Ping leaned back on the sofa, his arms crossed over his chest, and his gaze swept across the group.

No one disagreed, and everyone nodded. After all, they were all new to the post-apocalyptic world, uncertain of what to do. They could only take things one step at a time. Di Ping didn't know whether what he was doing was right, but there was only one way forward: survival, and pushing to develop the system's functions. Once the system was developed, he believed they could go further in this new world.

"Good! No other issues, then we'll start cleaning the building and gathering food tomorrow!" Di Ping concluded.

It was only 5 p.m., too early for dinner. Di Ping didn't care about the others; he began his training for the day. His sword practice over the last few days had proven useful. Though simple, it made a real difference in combat. If he hadn't been practicing swordplay regularly, he wasn't sure if he would still be standing right now.

As he swung the sword, Di Ping felt something odd. The heavy sword, once difficult to maneuver, now felt light and airy. Every swing seemed to lack the force he desired. But he had no other weapons, and this Han sword had become his best option.

This time, Di Ping increased his set from 25 swings to 100. His strength had been increasing rapidly, and if he didn't practice regularly, he would struggle to control it, wasting energy. His sudden boost in power made him realize something was off; sometimes, even walking felt awkward, his body and mind not quite in sync. He had accidentally crushed the soap dish in the shower earlier, realizing that his foundation wasn't solid, and he needed to catch up quickly.

He completed one set of five movements: chop, cut, slash, sweep, and thrust, each repeated 100 times, for a total of 500 swings. He did five sets, and by then, he felt his limits. Going further could risk overtraining, and that could be dangerous later in the night.

The others watched Di Ping practice, stunned. It wasn't that his movements were particularly graceful – they actually weren't – but the speed with which he swung the sword was astonishing. Each strike was as fast as lightning, and the sword seemed to blur with every movement, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.

Watching Di Ping's intense training, everyone realized that his power wasn't accidental; it was the result of continuous, grueling effort. He must have swung the sword thousands of times, drenched in sweat. Would anyone else have such perseverance and dedication? This solidified their desire to follow him. A person like him was worth following.

Di Ping didn't stop with sword training; he also worked on his body strength and flexibility. By the time he was done, night had fallen, and it was 7 p.m. He instructed Yu Shujie to prepare dinner, while he took a moment to wash off the sweat.

Dinner was simple. The coal fire was dying down, and it might go out soon, so they made do with a few dishes. Most of them had eaten plenty at lunchtime, so they weren't very hungry in the evening.

After dinner, Di Ping assigned night watches. Old Luo would guard the first half of the night, and Li Sheng would take the second half. With someone on guard, everyone could sleep more soundly.

…

After a restful night, Di Ping woke up just before 6 a.m., unable to fall back asleep. He had napped well in the afternoon and had no distractions at night, so now he was fully rested and couldn't sleep any longer.

After a quick wash, he opened the door and was immediately greeted by the sweet smell of steamed buns. "Who made steamed buns?" he wondered.

Entering the living room, he saw a cutting board on the coffee table, with dough on it, and two baskets full of steamed buns. The dining table was also laden with buns. And on the sofa, Yu Shujie was asleep, her face and hands covered in flour, with bits of flour on her clothes and in her hair. She must have been working through the night to make all these buns.

He quietly approached, watching her sleep deeply with a few flour stains on her face. Her beautiful features looked even softer, like a fairy descended from the heavens. She tightly wrapped her arms around herself, her brow occasionally furrowing in apparent distress, as if she was dreaming of something painful. Two faint streaks of tears marked her cheeks, indicating she must have cried in her sleep.

Moved by the sight, Di Ping instinctively reached out and gently brushed her messy hair aside, his expression soft. This was a pitiful woman, he thought with a sigh.

Bending down, he gently scooped her up into his arms and carried her to his room. As he laid her down on the bed, he noticed how soft and comfortable her body felt in his arms, accompanied by a faint, pleasant fragrance. He hesitated to let go of her.

Suppressing his strange feelings, Di Ping covered her with a thin blanket. He watched her for a moment, then sighed softly and exited the room. Little did he know that as he left, Yu Shujie, still asleep, had quietly opened her eyes and stared blankly at his retreating figure, emotions of gratitude, confusion, and sadness mixed in her gaze.

It wasn't until Di Ping softly closed the door that Yu Shujie snapped to attention, her face turning bright red. She quickly pulled the blanket over her face, hiding her flushed cheeks.

After Di Ping left his room, he noticed someone else in the living room. It was Li Sheng, who said excitedly, "Di Ge!"

Di Ping, a bit surprised, asked, "When did you get here? I didn't see you earlier."

Li Sheng explained, "I went to gather the buns after they finished steaming."

Just as Di Ping had carried Yu Shujie into the room, Li Sheng had exited the kitchen. If it had been any other time, Di Ping would have heard him, but in that moment, he was too distracted by the feeling of Yu Shujie's soft body in his arms. Li Sheng had seen the whole thing and had been unsure whether to intervene. He didn't know if he should stop Di Ping or not, but when he saw Di Ping leave the room shortly afterward, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Sheng's emotions were complicated, but when Di Ping emerged from the room, Li Sheng felt deep respect and gratitude. From that moment on, Li Sheng was fully committed to following Di Ping, willing to follow him into any danger.

What Di Ping didn't realize was that a simple gesture had created a powerful bond of loyalty in Li Sheng. Sometimes, it's not grand gestures but the smallest of actions that can leave a lasting impact on someone's heart.

At around 7 a.m., everyone began to wake up. No one had to cook breakfast, as there were plenty of steamed buns. Yu Shujie had made them in case the coal ran out during the night. Di Ping found a few bags of pickled vegetables, and everyone had a simple breakfast.

As they ate, Yu Shujie emerged from Di Ping's room. Everyone immediately stared at her, and the fat man, mid-bite, froze and stared at her, his eyes wide.

Yu Shujie didn't expect everyone to be at the dining table, which was directly in front of Di Ping's room. Her face immediately flushed bright red, and she hurriedly walked toward her own room.

Once she shut the door with a loud bang, everyone snapped out of their stupor, and their eyes turned to Di Ping with knowing expressions.

"What are you all looking at?" Di Ping asked, annoyed. "Nothing happened! I just saw her asleep, so I carried her to her room."

The group was unconvinced, and Di Ping wiped the sweat off his forehead in frustration. He looked to Li Sheng for support, hoping he could explain.

"Li Sheng, you were there, right? You saw what happened, right?"

Li Sheng just shrugged, looking completely innocent as he bit into his steamed bun and nibbled on some pickled vegetables.

Di Ping, exasperated, muttered, "Damn it…" He was beginning to see through Li Sheng's sly nature. After giving him a glare, Di Ping threw up his hands in defeat. "I'm not explaining myself to you guys anymore! Your minds are too impure!"

The group burst into laughter.