"Survival Apartment: Apocalypse Instances in Progress" by September Long [Completed]
[Synopsis]
On the verge of death, Su Cheng was bound to the "Survival Apartment
System
."
The good news: she could live again.
The bad news: to survive, she had to enter instances fraught with danger.
-
[Apartment Residents' Survival Guide]
1. The apartment is your only safe house. Inside it, you need not worry about any danger.
2. Survival is not free. Owners must pay 1,000 points each month for utilities and rent. Failure to pay on time will result in eviction!
3. There is an exclusive supermarket on basement level one, where owners can purchase all kinds of supplies. However, the supermarket only welcomes its members~
4. Elevators are the only way to enter instances. Please distinguish between elevators leading to regular instances and those leading to special instances! You are responsible for the consequences of taking the wrong elevator.
5. To motivate residents, the apartment will hold a social tournament at the end of every month. All kinds of wonderful prizes await you~
6. Also, if your body undergoes any remarkable changes, please try to adapt to them and accept them, because they will greatly improve your chances of surviving instances!
7. Warning: you only have one life. Death in an instance is true death. Please cherish your life!!!
8. Finally, welcome to your new home~ Good luck!
-
To return home as soon as possible, Su Cheng plunged into the instances and worked tirelessly.
Escape from a city experiencing an outbreak of the
zombie
virus (√)
Survive a tsunami (√)
Successfully get off a terrifying train filled with bloodshed and slaughter (√)
Survive a plague (√)
Collect monster encyclopedia entries in the fog (√)
[Ding~ Congratulations, owner, on unlocking Gene Lock First Stage and obtaining the skill: Self-Healing.] [Ding~ Congratulations, owner, on obtaining the class: Celestial Master.]
With skills and a class to her name and all sorts of items in hand, Su Cheng resolutely entered the apartment tournament with its extremely high death rate.
[Congratulations, owner, on taking first place in the tournament. Your name will be entered on the apartment's honor roll!!]
Su "All-Round Warrior" Cheng (scratching her head in confusion): I thought I was weak. Was I wrong?
Everyone else (collectively silent): We just got mocked for being weak.
Reading guide:
1. A female-led progression story with a relatively fast pace overall. The plot focuses on the female lead's growth; the male lead is part of the backdrop.
2. The female lead is neither cold-blooded nor a pushover. She will help those worth helping when it is within her ability.
3. The female lead has no fixed teammates. Through her experiences in the instances, she will become increasingly resilient and composed.
4. Female characters appear more frequently than male characters.
5. The setting is imaginary and entirely fictional. If anything is not to your liking, gently click the X to leave. Plot discussions are welcome, but verbal abuse is not.
Content tags: power couple, science fiction, horror
Apocalypse
Infinite flow
Rules-based horror
Main characters: Su Cheng, Lu Heng. Supporting character: Yan Yu
One-line synopsis: surviving apocalypse instances online
Theme: the flame of life burns strong and never dies
──────────
Chapter 1
The sky abruptly darkened. Fierce winds rustled the roadside trees, and lightning and thunder heralded an approaching downpour.
Su Cheng waited at the bus stop. As dark clouds gathered overhead, she could not help letting out a deep sigh. The forecast had said nothing about heavy rain today, so she had not brought an umbrella.
Everyone who trusted the weather forecast always ended up getting backstabbed when they least expected it...
It was 16:45.
Hopefully, I can get home before the rain starts.
"Beep, beep-"
The city's roads were always filled with vehicles large and small, along with the clamor of horns and traffic.
With heavy rain approaching, everyone was rushing home.
Besides Su Cheng, an elderly couple, two female students, and a young man holding a briefcase stood at the bus stop.
Those with umbrellas felt fortunate. Those without kept peering in the direction the bus would come from, muttering, "Why isn't it here yet?"
The two female students excitedly discussed the latest movie. Neither the wait nor the looming rain could dampen their enthusiasm.
The young man holding the briefcase looked miserable and kept checking the time on his phone, a little anxious. "Looks like it's going to pour. I really don't want to get soaked to the skin."
Su Cheng felt the same way. Fortunately, before long, her bus finally came into view.
"Finally."
The green bus pulled smoothly into the waiting area.
They lined up and boarded in turn.
As it happened, they had all been waiting for the same bus.
The moment the doors closed, the long-brewing downpour came rushing down.
The sky abruptly darkened. Raindrops pattered against the windows, washing away dust and grime while blurring the view outside.
A passenger exclaimed, "What a downpour. You can't see outside already..."
Only a handful of scattered seats remained on the bus.
Su Cheng casually took a nearby seat beside a middle-aged woman.
She turned to look out the window. Heavy rain blurred the surroundings, speeding cars left fleeting silhouettes, and streetlights glowed dim and yellow through the curtain of rain.
After the bus started moving, an announcement played with reminders for passengers.
As the onboard announcement sounded, however, Su Cheng's attention was caught by the news playing on the phone of the woman beside her.
"According to statistics, disasters have occurred frequently across the country over the past seven days, including mudslides, landslides, and volcanic activity... The rate of plane crashes has risen significantly!
"Traffic accident fatalities alone have reached 170,000, while as many as 200,000 people have gone missing without explanation. Police are still investigating the details. People's Daily Online reminds everyone to stay safe when traveling..."
The woman clicked her tongue. "How have so many people died? I'd better forward this to my youngest and tell her to be careful when she drives..."
Su Cheng had also come across videos like these recently. Like the woman, she watched them, forwarded them, and left it at that.
Most people were like that, pitying others' misfortune and marveling at their own luck.
The various sounds inside the bus mingled with the rain, a jumble of noise that was not particularly harsh. After a full day at work, Su Cheng felt a little tired. The utterly familiar surroundings made her even drowsier.
She was five stops from home.
Su Cheng raised a hand as she yawned, narrowing her eyes to fight off her sleepiness.
Once I get home, I'll shower first, then order takeout... There have been so many disaster reports lately. Should I stock up on supplies?
But she never had time to answer that question.
The next second, Su Cheng slammed into the seat in front of her with a thud.
"Screeech-"
The driver jerked the steering wheel. The bus swerved sharply, its tires scraping violently against the road.
"Aah!"
The sudden turn and braking left the passengers no time to react. Those who were not seated securely struck the windows and screamed, while several phones flew in arcs and crashed to the floor.
The woman beside Su Cheng lost her balance too. With a bang, their heads collided, making a sound that promised definite lumps.
What's going on?
Grimacing, Su Cheng clutched her head. Before she could think, she saw, to her horror, a large truck on the right heading straight into them!
"Crash!-"
A tremendous collision suddenly rang in her ears, and momentum hurled her out of her seat and into the air.
In a split second, the window glass shattered and scattered!
In just a few seconds, everything spun. At that moment, the world fell silent, leaving only a piercing ringing in her head...
"Aaaah!"
When disaster struck without warning, it seemed all people could do was scream in terror, but even those cries were completely drowned out by the crashing sounds of the bus overturning!
The last thing Su Cheng heard was a mechanical voice:
[Transferring a resident of Apartment No. 1167, Street X, District E...]
Su Cheng opened her eyes and climbed up from the floor. Her body felt heavy, weak, and sore, and everything spun. She had to brace herself against the wall and dry-heave a few times before she recovered.
"Where am I?"
Su Cheng looked around the unfamiliar apartment. It measured roughly fifty square meters, with simple, tasteful decor predominantly in white.
It had a bathroom and a small balcony, a bed with white bedding, a wardrobe, a television, an electric kettle, a washing machine, and all the other basic furnishings.
It was as clean and tidy as a serviced apartment.
This was not the place she rented.
Wait, wasn't I on the bus?
Then... a truck crashed into it!
Su Cheng's expression shifted slightly. Only after walking over to a mirror did she breathe a sigh of relief. Her body was intact, not torn apart as she had imagined.
Her complexion also looked normal, nothing like a ghost's.
"Bzz..."
Hearing the sound, Su Cheng left the bathroom. The television had switched itself on and was playing an audio recording.
[Welcome to Apartment No. 1167, Street X, District E.]
Su Cheng's eyelid twitched. She had heard that address while on the bus.
[Dear resident of Unit 1216, please listen carefully to the rules of the Survival Apartment.] [The apartment saved you when you were on the verge of death. You are now bound to the apartment. Returning to the real world requires a pass.] [Please cherish your apartment. This is your only refuge, and you are guaranteed to be safe here. In addition, the apartment is personal property and cannot be sold or traded. Please take note.] [Survival is not free. You must pay for your apartment's utilities and the resources you need to survive. Apartment utilities cost 1,000 points per month. Insufficient points will result in eviction. Survival resources and various items can be purchased at the supermarket on basement level one.] [Residents can enter instance worlds through the elevators. Points can only be earned by completing instance missions. Supplies from instances may be brought back to the apartment. For your survival, we hope you will actively enter instances and complete missions!] [Each time you complete an instance, the apartment will provide one free medical treatment.] [Note: you must not reveal the apartment's existence within an instance. Death in an instance is true death.] [Your apartment resident wristband has been activated. Please check it.]
A black wristband appeared on Su Cheng's wrist.
The wristband displayed the time: 17:00
Tapping the wristband projected a screen:
Name: Su Cheng Identity: resident of Unit 1216, Apartment No. 1167, Street X, District E Points: 0 (nontransferable)