Volume One: The Arrival of the Apocalypse Chapter 17: The Second Day of the Apocalypse, Preparing to Go Solo

Escorting people while they move is hardly an easy job. From just before one o'clock in the afternoon until past six, under the protection of Xiang Chenguang and his father, all residents living on the fourth floor and above in their apartment complex were relocated to the second and third floors to share living spaces with their neighbors below.

The vast majority of the residents in their complex were grassroots staff of the county government and their families, who generally maintained very harmonious relationships. In such a critical moment, accepting neighbors from upstairs not only helped acquaintances but also provided mutual support in this doomsday scenario.

Therefore, the relocation faced no major obstacles, but because they had to move family by family, any slight disturbance could trigger panic, making progress quite slow. Moreover, as the saying goes, one's home holds a lifetime of possessions; with no certainty of when—or if—they could ever return, many were desperate to bring all their belongings with them. Since they were all familiar faces who saw each other every day, Xiang Dongliang found it difficult to say much. These factors combined to make the process agonizingly slow, even within the same building.

Despite the time consumed, the planned relocation was successfully completed. However, Xiang Dongliang’s other initiative—forming a neighborhood defense squad—was a complete failure. Throughout the entire process, virtually no one volunteered, and the topic was never even brought up. Only Old Hu, who lived downstairs, hesitated and started to speak, only to be fiercely silenced by a look from his wife.

This situation was entirely within Xiang Chenguang’s expectations. The residents of their complex were mostly middle-aged or elderly; the ambitious young people had long since left this economically backward small county, let alone living in such an old complex. This explained why, when the Xiang family was clearing monsters from each building that morning, not a single household had opened their door to join them.

During the move, Xiang Chenguang had patrolled the area below, killing a giant dragonfly that tried to attack him. Additionally, at the spawning point on the concrete path beside Building 3—where they lived—two spider monsters and two giant centipedes appeared out of thin air. They were all crushed by Xiang Chenguang’s meteor hammer the moment they appeared. He had been monitoring that spawn point and realized the types of monsters appearing were unpredictable, and the timing followed no pattern, making them impossible to control.

On the first night of the apocalypse, the Xiang family slept on floor mats in the living room, afraid to split up. Because they could not be certain if a monster would suddenly spawn in any room, Xiang Chenguang and Xiang Dongliang took turns keeping watch throughout the night.

Xiang Chenguang took the first shift, sitting on the sofa and studying the "Catalog of Tier-0 Otherworldly Creatures" until past one in the morning, when he woke his father. He then collapsed on the sofa and slept for only about four hours, waking up just after five in the morning. For over two years, driven by the "Anti-Routine System," he had been accustomed to waking up at 5:30 AM for morning exercise. Even with the late night, his internal clock woke him early.

Greeting his father, who was standing guard nearby, he washed up briefly and headed out with his riot baton. He treated the clearing of monsters that had appeared in the complex overnight as his morning workout, running through the buildings to locate and kill three spider monsters and two giant centipedes. This pushed his psychic energy points past the 150 required for Level 3. After advancing to Tier 0, Level 3, the requirement for the next level rose to 200 points. He added the free attribute point gained from leveling up to his Constitution, bringing it to 12.

During his run, he observed the situation on Fuqian Street through the complex gate, seeing only two monster mites and a giant cockroach that darted by. It seemed the large number of monster carcasses on the ground made the slightly more intelligent monsters reluctant to linger in that area. This realization solidified his resolve.

When he returned home, breakfast was ready: white rice porridge and steamed buns, served with canned fish, pickled vegetables, and tea-marinated eggs. Xiang Chenguang considered himself a carnivore, and the lack of vegetables in the last few meals made him uneasy. Sipping the now-cooled, soft rice porridge—which his father must have cooked early in the second half of the night—he said, "There aren't many monsters outside the complex. We'll go out and clear them later, prioritizing leveling up Dad first. After that, I plan to head out alone."

His words changed the warm atmosphere of the breakfast table. Xiang Xiaoxiao, still half-asleep and sipping her porridge, widened her eyes and looked at him in confusion. He Wan asked with concern, "Isn't it fine as it is? Why do you have to go out?"

Xiang Chenguang replied, "We lack weapons. Mom, once you and Xiaoxiao level up, you'll be able to participate in combat, but you'll need proper gear. I plan to go to Jianxin Street. There are hardware and building material shops there; I want to get a batch of materials to craft weapons. As my strength grows, the riot baton is becoming less effective. I need a heavier, sturdier weapon."

He glanced at the countdown for the first main mission, "Survival in the Apocalypse," on his task panel; less than 48 hours remained. He continued, "I have a feeling that there will be a major change once the first main mission is completed. We must be prepared. Since we don't know what that change will be, the only option is to improve our strength as much as possible."

He looked up at the sky, adding with a sense of unease, "Don't you think our current pace is a bit too slow?"

Xiang Dongliang, who always ate quickly, finished his breakfast and said, "My initial stats were 6 Spirit, 7 Constitution, and 5 Agility. Thanks to my talent, my Constitution reaches 8 when equipped with a shield, and yesterday I leveled up and added a point to Agility, bringing it to 6. With my current stats, I have a clear advantage in strength against both spider monsters and giant centipedes; the only slight struggle is my Agility when facing centipedes. If I level up again and bring Agility to 7, I have the confidence to defeat even giant centipedes or flying monsters. You don't need to worry about the family—I'm here. As for you, the situation outside is unknown, and you might face unexpected dangers. Be careful. Don't forget, your mother, your sister, and I are all waiting for you to come back."

After Xiang Dongliang spoke, although He Wan and Xiang Xiaoxiao’s eyes were filled with worry, they said nothing more. After breakfast, while He Wan was washing dishes, Xiang Dongliang took a pair of pliers and other tools to the first-floor hallway, removed the chain from a dusty bicycle, and used wire to firmly attach it to a cast-iron dumbbell. He fashioned a rough, heavy-duty meteor hammer with a shorter attack range and handed it to Xiang Chenguang. "When you're out there, anything can happen. It's always better to be prepared."