The Apocalypse Shelter System

Di Ping's residence was located on the top floor and was a duplex apartment, making it conveniently close. He rushed down from the rooftop, anxiously unlocked his door, grabbed the handbag from his bed, and swiftly exited, locking the door behind him before quickly taking the elevator downstairs.

At the entrance of the building, a crowd had already gathered, scanning their surroundings. Some individuals were engaging in loud discussions, attempting to showcase their knowledge, while security personnel moved about, reassuring those who appeared overly alarmed.

No one paid attention to him as Di Ping dashed outside. After running a few steps, he realized that the road was gone—now replaced by a thick layer of grass over a foot high. On either side of the once-paved path, wildflowers had grown to nearly human height. Since the road was originally paved with stone, the grass had grown somewhat more slowly.

Following the path, Di Ping hurried outward. The previously smooth concrete pavement of the residential area was now cracked, with tufts of wild grass sprouting from the fissures. Without stopping to examine the transformation, he jogged towards the community's main entrance. Near the entrance, the property developer had included a 24-hour supermarket, which, though not large, was well-stocked with essential goods.

Upon arriving, Di Ping saw that the supermarket doors were open. Two employees on duty stood on the front steps, staring absentmindedly at the towering trees around them. Looking in their direction, he noticed that the entire area below the steps was overgrown with waist-high grass. The main road, flanked by massive trees, remained relatively intact, likely due to a thicker layer of concrete, but the bulging pavement suggested that the roots were already beginning to break through.

"I need to buy supplies!" Di Ping called out urgently. He knew that once the residents of the community realized the gravity of the situation, they would flood the supermarket in droves, making it difficult to acquire anything later.

"Ah… alright… sure!" The two employees snapped out of their daze and quickly responded.

Di Ping rushed into the supermarket, heading straight for the food section, an area he was quite familiar with. Grabbing a cart, he swiftly loaded it with bags of rice and flour, followed by cooking oil, salt, milk, and chocolate. In no time, he had filled two carts. The employees assisted him in pushing the carts to the checkout counter, but despite his impatience, he had no choice but to wait as each item was scanned one by one.

Sensing his urgency, the employees also sped up their actions. The total bill amounted to over three thousand yuan, which Di Ping promptly paid.

"Help me push these back!" Di Ping instructed, maneuvering one cart himself and gesturing for an employee to push the other.

"But… we're on duty?" The employees exchanged hesitant glances.

"I'll pay each of you 500 yuan!" Di Ping pulled out a thousand yuan and tossed it onto the counter.

"Alright then! Xiao Chen, you go. I'll stay and watch the store," the older employee said after a moment's hesitation, addressing a younger male colleague.

"Got it!" The young man, after a brief glance at the money, nodded resolutely.

"Let's go!" Without wasting another second, Di Ping pushed one cart while the young employee, Xiao Chen, handled the other, both hurrying back toward the residential complex.

The overgrown vegetation made pushing the carts extremely difficult, but gritting his teeth, Di Ping forged ahead. Fortunately, the distance was only around four to five hundred meters. As they finally reached the entrance of the building, the gathered crowd took notice—eyes widening in realization.

"Food! Right! Our family's food supply is running low too—we need to stock up!" someone suddenly exclaimed.

In an instant, the crowd erupted into a frenzy. Although these people lacked survival instincts, they had seen enough post-apocalyptic movies to understand the importance of food. The moment someone pointed it out, they rushed back upstairs to grab money and bags, leaving the area nearly deserted in the blink of an eye.

Ignoring the commotion, Di Ping and Xiao Chen hurriedly pushed the carts into the building. This residential complex had two elevators for every two households, and with the elevators functioning efficiently, they quickly transported the supplies into his apartment. After unloading, Di Ping and Xiao Chen immediately returned for another trip.

However, upon arriving back at the supermarket, they found it in utter chaos. Though the residential area was not densely populated, it still housed around four to five hundred people. The 2,000-square-meter supermarket was now packed to capacity. Despite the intense competition, Di Ping managed to secure another cart full of supplies. By the time he returned for yet another round, most of the supermarket shelves had been emptied. Fortunately, there was still bottled water, so he grabbed another cart full of mineral water before calling it quits.

Back in his apartment, Di Ping collapsed onto the sofa, feeling completely drained. Though he exercised regularly, he had not exerted himself to this degree in a long time. Looking at the stockpile of food around him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

"Ah…!" Suddenly, he sprang up from the couch, hastily grabbing the telephone to make a call.

The reason for his urgency was that he had just recalled the mysterious voice in his mind, which had spoken of an 'apocalypse survival system' and the coming of the end times. He dared not dismiss it as a mere prank. While the idea of someone playing a joke on him had crossed his mind, the fact that the voice had sounded directly in his consciousness ruled out conventional technology. If such technology existed, humanity would have already ventured beyond Earth.

He had read post-apocalyptic novels and seen related films, all of which suggested that catastrophic dangers were inevitable. The outside world was clearly not safe. He had been preoccupied with stockpiling supplies earlier, but now he realized that even staying indoors might not guarantee safety. He needed to warn his parents immediately.

The phone rang.

"Dad…" His voice carried a trace of unease.

"Ping? What's going on? You're calling me—aren't you busy with work?" His father's tone was initially surprised before turning to concern.

"Dad, listen to me carefully," Di Ping interrupted urgently, fearing the call might drop due to unstable signals.

"Is something wrong, Ping? Are you in trouble?" His father's voice now held a note of anxiety.

"Dad, I'm fine. But tell me—are the trees and grass growing unusually fast around our home?" Di Ping asked urgently.

"Yes! I woke up late today and was startled when I opened the door—everything outside is covered in massive trees and wild grass. Is it the same in the city?" His father sounded unnerved.

Di Ping's heart sank—his suspicion was confirmed. This was a global phenomenon. If such an extraordinary system existed, then the apocalypse it foretold might indeed be real.

"Dad, listen carefully. Stock up on as much food and water as possible. Lock the courtyard gate and all doors. Stay inside, and don't open the door for anyone. If there's danger, hide in the basement," he instructed urgently.

"Ping, is something happening? If you're in trouble, come home—your father is here for you!" His father, rather than worrying about external events, was more concerned about his son's safety.

"Dad, I'm fine! Just follow my instructions—gather any relatives if you can. It'll be safer together! Whatever you do, don't leave the house!" Sensing the signal weakening, Di Ping hurriedly finished his message.

"Alright, Ping, I'll do as you say," his father responded seriously, seemingly shaken by his son's determined tone.

"Get ready quickly—I'll come for you as soon as I can!" Di Ping urged before ending the call.

He then called several close friends, warning them as well. Although the situation sounded bizarre, they all promised to take precautions, which somewhat reassured him.

With that done, Di Ping set about organizing his stockpile, spending nearly an hour arranging the supplies neatly in a spare room. Taking inventory, he reviewed his resources and confirmed that he had sufficient provisions.

After also filling the bathtub and every available container with water, he finally slumped back onto the sofa, utterly exhausted.

"If the apocalypse doesn't come, I've really overdone it this time," he mused with a wry smile.

Then, a thought struck him. "I should check if the system is still there… what if I was dreaming?"

"System!" he whispered.

At once, a virtual screen materialized before his eyes, displaying the same interface as before, with a task log at the top.

Collapsing back into the sofa, Di Ping exhaled. "So, it's real after all..."