Chapter Summaries

After a fatal bus crash, Su Cheng woke in the Survival Apartment, where a system had rescued her and bound her to a dangerous new life. She learned she would need to enter instance worlds and earn points to pay for her apartment, while death in an instance was real.

• As a storm began, Su Cheng boarded a bus and heard news reports of rising disasters, deaths, and unexplained disappearances.
• A truck crashed into the bus, leaving Su Cheng badly injured as a mechanical voice announced her transfer to Apartment Building 1167.
• Su Cheng woke in an unfamiliar apartment, checked that her body was intact, and realized she had been on the bus before the crash.
• The apartment’s television explained that it had saved Su Cheng, that she needed a pass to return to the real world, and that she had to earn points in instances to cover her costs.
• Su Cheng received an activated wristband identifying her as the resident of Unit 1216 and showing that she had zero points.

Su Cheng learned the apartment’s rules and entered a normal instance after deciding she needed points to survive and return to the real world. In Paulownia Blossom City, she discovered a rabies outbreak that suggested a zombie crisis and rushed to prepare.

• Su Cheng read the apartment owners’ announcements, confirmed she could not contact the outside world, and learned residents needed points to pay utilities or face eviction.
• Su Cheng joined the residents’ chat, agreed that instance missions were necessary, and left her room to inspect the elevator rules.
• Su Cheng entered elevator ② with a pair of twin sisters and chose the sixth floor, stepping through darkness into an instance.
• Su Cheng arrived in Paulownia Blossom City and received a mission to survive for five days in exchange for 100 points and a return to the apartment.
• Su Cheng saw a news bulletin warning of aggressive rabies patients, suspected a zombie outbreak, and ordered a taxi driver to take her to the nearest roadside shop for supplies.

Su Cheng tried to escape Paulownia Blossom City as the zombie outbreak began, but a crash left her trapped in an overturned taxi with a zombie. She escaped into the chaos with water, only to be targeted by another zombie.

• Su Cheng stole bread, water, and a fish knife, then urged the driver to flee the city after witnessing an old woman turn into a zombie and attack people.
• The driver called his family and took back roads toward the outskirts, but an out-of-control car slammed into the taxi during a U-turn.
• Su Cheng regained consciousness inside the overturned taxi and saw a female zombie eating the driver’s corpse.
• When the female zombie lunged at her, Su Cheng struck its head with the fish knife, kicked it away, and escaped through a shattered window with a bag of water.
• Su Cheng ran through the wrecked, infested road, but another newly mutated zombie spotted her and began chasing her.

Su Cheng sheltered in a pharmacy, gathered supplies, and met Yan Yu, another Survival Apartment resident with a fire axe and a car. They fled the encroaching zombies together, driving toward the outskirts.

• Su Cheng barricaded the pharmacy, treated her cut, gathered food, water, and medicine, and weighed whether she could safely hide there for five days.
• Yan Yu arrived seeking fever and cold medicine, and Su Cheng let her into the pharmacy.
• Yan Yu introduced herself and invited Su Cheng to travel with her to the outskirts; Su Cheng agreed and introduced herself.
• Su Cheng followed Yan Yu to her green SUV as zombies spotted them and drew more zombies toward them.
• Yan Yu and Su Cheng escaped in the running SUV just as the zombies lunged at them.

Su Cheng and Yan Yu escaped the city through a storm, but Yan Yu collapsed from her fever and Su Cheng kept watch until she recovered. They reached a gas station outside the city and found someone alive inside its locked convenience store.

• Yan Yu drove Su Cheng through the city while zombies pursued them, and a low-flying helicopter drew the zombies away.
• A heavy rain and darkness made navigation difficult, but Su Cheng guided Yan Yu toward a bridge leading out of the city.
• Yan Yu passed out after crossing the bridge, so Su Cheng gave her medicine, cooled her with rubbing alcohol, and guarded the vehicle through the night.
• Yan Yu woke feeling better, and she and Su Cheng continued toward the outskirts before Su Cheng slept during the drive.
• Yan Yu and Su Cheng reached a deserted gas station, where Su Cheng spotted a living person inside the locked convenience store as Yan Yu prepared to break in.

Su Cheng and Yan Yu learned about instance rewards and apartment supplies while sheltering in a gas station convenience store. After reinforcing the store with the employee, Su Cheng proposed using gasoline to burn any zombies approaching outside.

• Su Cheng learned from Yan Yu that special instances offered high rewards and that the supermarket sold useful items, while constitution-enhancing items were a priority.
• Yan Yu explained that she had entered the zombie instance because a cold worsened before she could attempt a special instance.
• Su Cheng and Yan Yu moved water, bread, and instant noodles outside so passing survivors could take supplies without entering the store.
• Su Cheng, Yan Yu, and the employee covered the glass doors, barricaded the entrances, and arranged shelves to funnel any zombies into a narrow passage.
• Yan Yu suggested setting traps outside, and Su Cheng proposed pouring gasoline on open ground and igniting it to burn approaching zombies.

After two peaceful days at the gas station, Su Cheng and Yan Yu saw Wang Zhiyang racing toward them with a horde of zombies behind him. A hidden rescue quest prompted them to help him, and the chapter ended with the three of them running for the convenience store as the zombies closed in.

• Su Cheng, Yan Yu, and Sister Wang spotted a car approaching the gas station with a horde of zombies chasing it.
• Su Cheng and Yan Yu received a hidden quest to rescue Wang Zhiyang, and they prepared to open the convenience store while Sister Wang moved supplies to the car.
• Wang Zhiyang's car ran out of gas, so he grabbed a box and fled on foot as the zombies pursued him.
• Yan Yu and Su Cheng reached Wang Zhiyang, pulled him up, and fought off a zombie before running with him toward the store.
• Su Cheng struggled to keep pace as the horde drew close behind the three of them.

Su Cheng, Yan Yu, and Sister Wang escaped the convenience store with Wang Zhiyang after fighting off a zombie horde and destroying the gas station in an explosion. Wang Zhiyang then revealed that a leaking classified container had attracted the zombies, and the group turned toward a tunnel to meet the rescue team as more zombies pursued them.

• Yan Yu and Su Cheng held back the zombies while Sister Wang and Wang Zhiyang started the off-road vehicle, then they escaped the convenience store.
• Su Cheng threw a lighter toward the gas station pumps, triggering an explosion that helped the group flee; Yan Yu treated her burned back.
• Wang Zhiyang told Captain Liu over the walkie-talkie that a sealed special container might have leaked and drawn the zombies.
• Captain Liu warned that infected people and wandering zombies were nearby and directed them to meet the rescue team at a tunnel.
• Yan Yu turned the vehicle toward the tunnel, while Su Cheng questioned Wang Zhiyang about the container and spotted zombies following them.

Su Cheng and Yan Yu escaped a zombie horde with the rescue team, then left the convoy as their instance ended. Su Cheng returned to her apartment with 400 points, received treatment for a mild concussion, and cleaned up after the ordeal.

• Su Cheng, Yan Yu, Wang Zhiyang, and Sister Wang reached the tunnel while fighting off zombies, where Captain Liu and the rescue team eliminated the pursuing horde.
• Wang Zhiyang and Sister Wang joined the rescue team, while Su Cheng and Yan Yu followed in their SUV until they turned onto a side road to return to the apartment.
• Su Cheng completed the instance and earned 400 points, selecting water, medicine, a shovel, bread, chocolate, and toilet paper to bring back.
• Doctor Lin treated Su Cheng for a mild concussion in a medicinal bath and said she would recover within one to two days.
• Su Cheng returned to her apartment, showered, and threw away her dirty clothes.

After returning to her apartment, Su Cheng organized her supplies, checked messages about the deadly dungeons and costly necessities, and spoke with Yan Yu, who planned to enter a special dungeon the next day. Su Cheng visited the apartment supermarket to inspect its expensive medicines and weapons, where she discovered a Storage Card on sale for 100 points.

• Su Cheng dried her hair, sorted her recovered supplies, and found that the apartment calendar marked the fifth day.
• Su Cheng read group messages reporting more dungeon deaths and learned that Yan Yu planned to enter a special dungeon the next day because she needed points.
• Su Cheng rode the elevator to the apartment supermarket and read its rules, including the 30-point membership fee for first-time visitors.
• Su Cheng examined the medicine section and, despite the high prices, chose an all-purpose spray and constitution supplements.
• Su Cheng inspected the weapons section, found ordinary and advanced weapons far beyond her budget, and noticed a Storage Card on sale for 100 points.

Su Cheng spent her remaining points on a Smart Bag and premium base layers, learned about supermarket services, and met Hai Shuang, whose twin sister was still in an instance. After a restful night, Su Cheng prepared to enter another instance, still uneasy about having no points.

• Su Cheng chose the Smart Bag over other items because it could help her carry supplies between instances.
• Su Cheng bought a premium base layer set, registered as a standard member, and learned that passes cost 50,000 points while vehicle rentals and access cards had separate fees.
• Su Cheng met Hai Shuang at the elevator and learned that Hai Lu had not yet returned from her instance.
• Su Cheng used the Smart Bag, confirmed that it had three storage slots with 3 kg limits, and spent the evening watching television before going to sleep.
• Su Cheng woke refreshed, washed up, and put on her new base layers while the view outside remained shrouded in gray mist.

Su Cheng entered the Tsunami Survival instance and narrowly survived the first wave, suffering a painful abdominal injury. She rescued Yun Nian and headed toward higher ground with her, passing a motionless body in the floodwater.

• Su Cheng packed supplies and rode the elevator with a redheaded girl before entering the eighth-floor instance.
• Su Cheng arrived on a beach and received a mission to survive for five days for a reward of 300 points.
• The tsunami swept Su Cheng away despite her grip on a coconut tree, and she suffered an abdominal injury before catching hold of a house pillar.
• Su Cheng used a floating tree trunk to head toward large trees and answered a stranded girl's cries for help.
• Su Cheng rescued Yun Nian, who had become separated from her parents, and allowed her to come along.
• Su Cheng and Yun Nian reached shallow water, continued toward the trees despite Su Cheng's worsening pain, and passed a motionless person lying facedown in the mud.

After surviving the tsunami, Su Cheng and Yun Nian sheltered in a tree, where Su Cheng treated her wounds and discovered that her abdominal injury might be serious. When Su Cheng began vomiting seawater, debris, and blood, Yun Nian helped her and then gathered bottles to make noise for rescuers; as night fell, they prepared to use the bottles to signal for help.

• Su Cheng collapsed from abdominal pain while climbing the tree, so Yun Nian helped her reach a high branch.
• Su Cheng retrieved water and medicine from her Smart Bag, and Yun Nian helped rinse the sand and mud from her wounds.
• As dusk fell, Yun Nian said she was hungry, and Su Cheng gave her chocolate before suddenly vomiting seawater, debris, and blood.
• Yun Nian comforted Su Cheng, who reassured her and asked her to collect bottles to rattle for rescuers at night.
• Yun Nian gathered bottles and cans beneath the tree, and Su Cheng called her back as darkness approached to decide how to use them.

Su Cheng and Yun Nian endured a freezing night in a tree, but a new tsunami battered their refuge and Su Cheng’s internal injuries worsened. As she fought to stay conscious, she unlocked the Self-Healing skill and began recovering, though the girls remained stranded and Yun Nian longed to go home.

• Su Cheng and Yun Nian hung cans in the treetops to signal for help, then spent a cold, dark night clinging to the tree and making noise.
• At dawn, Yun Nian spotted another tsunami approaching, and Su Cheng urged her to hold on as the current and debris battered the tree.
• The tree stayed upright, but Su Cheng’s injuries worsened as the girls climbed to a higher branch; she coughed up blood and nearly fell asleep into the rushing water.
• Su Cheng summoned her will to survive and unlocked the first-stage gene lock, gaining the Self-Healing skill, which stopped the bleeding and began healing her wounds.
• Su Cheng reassured Yun Nian that she was recovering, and Yun Nian noticed her facial wounds had scabbed over before saying she wanted to go home to her parents.

Su Cheng and Yun Nian gathered supplies and made smoke signals to attract rescuers while sheltering in a tree after the tsunami. Two search-and-rescue workers found them, and Su Cheng confirmed that Yun Nian and she were ready to leave the disaster area.

• Su Cheng decided to stay in the tree and searched the debris with Yun Nian for materials to signal rescuers.
• Su Cheng collected a red scarf, nylon rope, a lighter, and cotton stuffing, while Yun Nian found bright jackets.
• Su Cheng and Yun Nian hung the jackets in the tree and lit dry cotton and branches to make smoke, then rested in the shade.
• Su Cheng heard approaching footsteps and called for help, and Yun Nian joined her.
• Two search-and-rescue workers followed the smoke and jackets to Su Cheng and Yun Nian, and Su Cheng told them about her abdominal injury.

Su Cheng and Yun Nian traveled with a rescue worker to a hospital, bringing along a feverish boy they had found in a foam box. At the hospital, Yun Nian learned that neither of her parents’ names appeared in the registration records, but she offered to help Su Cheng find her family too.

• Su Cheng and Yun Nian followed a rescue worker toward a truck, and Su Cheng noticed her senses had greatly improved.
• The group found a young boy tied inside a foam box, and the rescue worker gave him water before handing him to Su Cheng.
• Su Cheng and Yun Nian rode with the boy to a hospital, where a volunteer took him for treatment.
• Su Cheng decided to let her bruised abdomen heal on its own because the hospital was overwhelmed and she could not communicate with the staff.
• Yun Nian checked the registration records but found neither her mother's nor her father's name, then asked Su Cheng about her family.

Su Cheng and Yun Nian searched hospitals for their missing family members, relying on Yun Nian’s English to coordinate with other survivors. They settled in a shelter for the night, while Su Cheng wondered whether the apartment’s instance worlds were truly fictional.

• Su Cheng and Yun Nian joined a truck carrying survivors to hospitals, and Yun Nian exchanged their parents’ names with other people searching for family.
• At the next hospital, Su Cheng and Yun Nian checked missing-person notices but did not find Yun Cheng or Li Murou.
• Yun Nian refused a staff member’s suggestion to go to a temporary children’s shelter, and Su Cheng left with her to keep searching.
• Su Cheng and Yun Nian searched the shelters, collected sleeping bags, and shared their remaining chocolate and water before settling in for the night.
• As survivors cried beneath the night sky, Su Cheng wondered whether the apartment’s instance worlds were real.

Su Cheng and Yun Nian searched the hospitals for Yun Nian’s parents while collecting relief supplies, and Yun Nian eventually reunited with her father, Yun Cheng. Su Cheng declined to leave with them, but accepted Yun Cheng’s offer of a place to stay and kept Yun Nian’s address for a possible future visit.

• Su Cheng and Yun Nian searched the hospital for Yun Nian’s parents after learning that relief supplies would be distributed at ten.
• Su Cheng collected supplies, noticed her bruises had faded, and considered whether food and gene locks affected her healing.
• Su Cheng waited for Yun Nian, who returned holding her father, Yun Cheng’s, hand after finding him.
• Yun Cheng explained that Yun Nian’s mother had been sent home for treatment and thanked Su Cheng for helping his daughter.
• Su Cheng refused to leave with Yun Cheng and Yun Nian, but accepted Yun Cheng’s offer to stay at his inn and took Yun Nian’s address.

Su Cheng said goodbye to Yun Cheng and Yun Nian, then spent the rest of her instance using Yun Cheng’s money to buy supplies and enjoy a brief respite. After returning to the apartment with her purchases, she told Dr. Lin that her ruptured spleen had healed because she had unlocked the Gene Lock.

• Yun Cheng gave Su Cheng a room key, money, and his contact information before he and Yun Nian left, and Su Cheng watched them drive away.
• Su Cheng hired a local girl as a guide and bought clothes, food, weapons, water, and medicine with the money Yun Cheng had given her.
• Su Cheng visited a local temple, bought crimson cinnabar, and buried a dagger in it to give the weapon power to ward off evil.
• Su Cheng filled her five storage slots with her supplies when she completed the instance and returned to the apartment.
• Su Cheng soaked in the medical pod while Dr. Lin confirmed that her ruptured spleen had healed, and she explained that the Gene Lock had healed her injury.

After returning from the tsunami instance, Su Cheng learned more about gene locks, restocked her apartment, and tested how food affected her self-healing. She spent her remaining points on nutrient solutions and left with a stronger reason to risk a special instance.

• Lin Deng explained that gene locks had three stages and that unlocking the first usually required surviving a near-death experience; Su Cheng agreed to share her experiences if she advanced further.
• Su Cheng returned to her apartment with 300 points, sorted her supplies, and messaged Yan Yu to ask whether her special instance had gone well.
• Su Cheng bought a nutrient solution and a discounted Soul-Pointing Needle, deciding to pursue a special instance for its greater rewards.
• Su Cheng cut her hand with her dagger and found that the wound healed much faster after she drank the nutrient solution.
• Su Cheng spent her remaining 120 points on four more nutrient solutions, then returned home and noticed her hunger had begun to return as the scar faded.