Ch 86: Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

“Are you sure you checked thoroughly?” she asked, knowing that the other person wasn’t familiar with the faces of the property duty staff. Even though the other security guard knew them, the poor lighting at night meant the camera couldn’t capture close-ups of faces, making it hard to see clearly.

“Yes, I’m sure. The people in the property office couldn’t be reached since the first day of the chaos, but no one left that night. Unless they didn’t go through either of the two gates and climbed over the wall, but that’s very unlikely.”

“Putting aside the property staff, our building’s…could it be that when they were in the underground garage, they had already…been taken by the rats?”

“That’s unlikely, too. The rescue team did a thorough search of the underground garage afterward. If that person had been eaten by the rats back then, there would have been traces left behind.”

Yu Xi understood what Xu Yan was getting at. Although the rat was large, it wasn’t big enough to swallow a person whole. If that person had been eaten, there would have been some bones or blood left behind.

She furrowed her brows and thought, “How about this: contact the two adjacent buildings, and let’s do a headcount here too, to check if anyone else is missing. Once we have the results, we can plan our next steps.”

Xu Yan nodded, then added, “By the way, since the property company hasn’t been able to send anyone lately, there are some issues with the daily maintenance around the complex. For instance, with the garbage: some people don’t even dare to leave their building, so trash is piling up in the stairwells and lobby, and the dumpster area has been full for a while. We contacted the waste collection team, but they’re short-staffed, so now the garbage truck only comes to the complex gate. The truck doesn’t enter, and the crew doesn’t get out, so we’ll have to figure out a way to transport it ourselves…

“Also, due to the rat incident, the elevators in the three buildings have been locked. Recently, some residents on the upper floors have requested the elevators be reopened, but those on the lower floors disagree…

“And then there’s the issue with pets. We previously discussed temporarily keeping pets in the changing room under the property office. However, it’s been difficult to enforce since many pet owners don’t want to send their pets there…”

Xu Yan provided detailed information, and Yu Xi listened carefully, nodding in acknowledgment. Compared to the missing people, she considered these issues minor. She also thought Xu Yan was very capable, covering all bases, and she offered him some words of praise and encouragement.

Xu Yan: …

Though appreciative, that wasn’t really what he was hoping for.

With a wry smile, he touched his nose and said, “Since you dared to go out that day… You could have gone with the others to the supermarket, but you chose to follow the security guard to the property building. I thought you…might be willing to help with these ‘small matters.'”

Yu Xi shook her head with a smile, “No, I’m not willing.”

She didn’t dodge the topic or give a string of vague excuses; her direct refusal, with a smile, surprised Xu Yan but somehow made her more appealing to him.

That day, when they were in the lobby, she was in protective gear. Even though she lowered her mask, he hadn’t gotten a good look at her face. Now, she had shed the bulky clothing, dressed simply in a black T-shirt, white sweatpants, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, her entire face revealed—unexpectedly beautiful.

Xu Yan’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment, and it wasn’t until he saw her puzzled expression that he awkwardly looked away. “The headcount might take some time. It’s almost dark now, so if it gets too late, I won’t come over. Let’s add each other on WeChat, and I’ll message you.”

“Alright,” Yu Xi agreed without hesitation, adding him as a friend directly.

Her straightforward attitude made Xu Yan pause by the elevator, glancing at his reflection on the door. Was his face not handsome enough?

When he realized what he was doing, he felt a bit embarrassed with himself and hurriedly quickened his pace toward the stairwell.

Xu Yan’s message arrived at around ten o’clock at night. With so many residents across several buildings and most people staying isolated in their own units these days, few had been paying attention to their neighbors. The headcount had taken some time, but based on the current results, aside from the property staff and those who had gone to the supermarket that day, no one else was missing.

Yu Xiaoxi: So, it should be safe inside the building.

Xu Yan: Yes, I think so too. But this result only applies to our three buildings, and doesn’t mean the entire complex is completely safe.

Yu Xi understood what he meant; the complex also included around a dozen townhouses. While there weren’t many residents there, there were still a fair number.

Xu Yan: Let’s leave it at that for today. Tomorrow, Xiao Dong and I will check the townhouses. If anyone is missing there…

If someone was missing there, it would imply that there was still something else hidden in the complex, something unknown that even a thorough search by the professional rescue team hadn’t uncovered…

Yu Xi’s pensive expression as she looked at her phone caught Fan Qi’s attention. She didn’t hide the situation from them and shared what she knew as soon as she found out.

Fan Qi couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Is it serious? Do we need to move?”

“Don’t worry, Mom. The building should be safe.” Sitting on the carpet by the Star House window, Yu Xi noticed her father, Yu Feng, poking his head out of the tent with a slightly concerned look. She decided to explain the function of Star House to reassure them. “Do you know why Star House is called a dimensional space?”

A dimensional space is a space that doesn’t exist within this dimension. In other words, as long as they stayed inside Star House, no matter what happened outside—even if the entire building collapsed—Star House would remain in its original position, unaffected by any changes outside.

Of course, if the whole building did collapse, going out for the first time might be a bit tricky, and she’d need some tools to manage.

Yu Xi’s explanation was thorough, and Fan Qi understood. Then she asked a question that had been bothering her.

If someone else, like a security guard, came by, would they notice anything unusual in the bathroom?

“That’s impossible. What they see, touch, and enter would only be the original bathroom in that space.”

“What if I walk into the bathroom in front of them?”

Yu Xi thought her mother was quite clever for getting straight to the point. She had indeed asked the system this question before. Since Fan Qi and Yu Feng were already on the “guest list” and could see her inside Star House after she brought them in, ordinary people—those not on the list—would neither see Star House nor see her once she entered.

In their eyes, it would be as if she simply vanished.

Therefore, there was only one thing to keep in mind: avoid entering Star House in front of strangers whenever possible. If it couldn’t be avoided, close the door immediately after entering to block any outside view.

After finishing her explanation, Yu Xi turned off the camping light and went back to the tent to sleep with her parents.

Ever since Yu Feng and Fan Qi were activated as “guests,” they had been spending every night in Star House, which was completely safe. Yu Xi no longer had to stay up on night watch and could finally get a good night’s sleep.

The next morning, Xu Yan left a message for Yu Xi, and then he and the only remaining security guard, Xiao Dong, headed to the townhouse area.

The headcount this time took quite a while, and even by lunchtime, the two hadn’t returned.

Yu Xi picked up her phone, intending to send a message, but after some thought, decided to check on things herself.

It was now afternoon, the warmest time of the day, with an outdoor temperature of 30°C. She picked out a light sun-protective jacket, but Fan Qi insisted on handing her a set of protective gear instead.

“…” Yu Xi felt a bit frustrated. “Mom, it’s really hot outside.”

“If you’re not wearing it, don’t go out.”

“Got it, I’ll wear it.” Yu Xi gave in to Fan Qi, obediently putting on the protective suit and mask before Fan Qi allowed her to leave.

Since last time, the entrance door to the building was no longer locked. People could come and go freely, but if anyone failed to close the door properly and some strange creature got in, it would be no responsibility of Xiao Dong, the security guard. For accountability, there were security cameras in the lobby that would reveal who left the door open.

This was Xu Yan’s idea, and it had saved the job of the last security guard in the building. Xiao Dong, a non-local with no family ties, had been staying at Xu Yan’s place. Given the poor conditions of his rental, staying here was safer and more secure.

Yu Xi walked past the greenery, the swimming pool, and circled around one side of the basketball court before finally arriving at the townhouse area. Outside one of the villas, a group of people was curiously peering inside.

Yu Xi guessed that Xu Yan and Xiao Dong were inside. Not wanting to push her way through the crowd, she waited outside for a moment. Soon enough, Xu Yan and Xiao Dong came out, immediately spotting her in her conspicuous outfit. Both of them looked grim.

“What happened?” Yu Xi asked.

Xu Yan glanced around at the onlookers, instructing Xiao Dong to call the police as he led Yu Xi back into the townhouse.

He brought her to the first floor. Seeing his pale face, Yu Xi asked again, “What’s going on? You look awful.”

“A murder was discovered in one of the homes.”

Yu Xi was taken aback.

“When we were doing the headcount, we noticed that several households hadn’t shown up in days. So, we went to the property office and got the master keys to check each unit.”

He led her to the entrance of one townhouse, where another security guard from another building was stationed. “In most units, the residents were just missing, but in this particular one, we found signs of a struggle and blood in the bedroom. We followed the traces down to the basement bathroom, where we discovered…”

Xu Yan didn’t need to continue. The smell had already reached Yu Xi.

At these temperatures, even a few days would lead to decomposition…

The body on the bathroom tiles was clearly a woman, lying unclothed, with an unopened plastic tarp and some tools nearby.

“Was this… meant for dismemberment?” Yu Xi thought her choice to wear protective gear and a mask had been wise. She took out two spare masks from her pocket, handing them to Xu Yan and the other guard.

After a quick glance around, the three left the basement. While Yu Xi had seen similar scenes before, it was clear that this was a first for Xu Yan and the guard.

Back on the first floor, Xiao Dong came in to report that he had called the police, but given the current circumstances, it might take them a while to arrive.

Taking advantage of the wait, Yu Xi went to the bedroom to investigate.

This appeared to be the primary crime scene. The victim had been killed here and then moved to the basement bathroom. But where was the killer? If the intention had been to destroy the evidence, why had they vanished without carrying it out?

Where did the killer go?

It was a guest bedroom, not the master bedroom, with a window facing north.

This villa was on the edge of the complex, and from here, she could see the northern perimeter wall. Across the driveway was the wisteria-covered archway, a spot Xiao Zhang had nicknamed the “photo spot.”

As a breeze blew through, Yu Xi suddenly noticed that the window was open.

She went to find Xu Yan and asked him, “Was the window already open when you arrived?”

“Yes.”

Yu Xi frowned. After the giant insect incident, few people would leave their windows open.

She remembered the window in the property lounge—it had also been open. And the common feature outside both windows was…

She walked back to the bedroom doorway and once again looked out the window.