Chương 3: Chapter 3、Shelter Trading Platform. Is There Even Sweet-Tasting Urine?
Thud, thud, thud!
The loud knocking echoed through the apartment, rapid and insistent, as if someone was pounding on the door. Yi Bai's body went rigid with tension. His instincts told him that a group of people was outside, but their intentions were unclear.
Yi Bai squinted slightly, listening carefully. He didn't respond to the knocking. Instead, he held his breath, standing completely still, silent. Although this was his first time experiencing an apocalypse, he had a sharp understanding of human nature—especially in times of disaster.
The world had collapsed. Catastrophes were rampant. Who knew if the people outside were friend or foe?
It wasn't even safe to answer a simple question, let alone open the door.
"Is anyone there? Open up!"
"We're your neighbors from upstairs! Please, let us in!"
The voice outside was deep and rough, belonging to a man with a strong build. That only made Yi Bai more anxious.
Slowly, he moved, careful not to make a sound. He tiptoed toward a nearby cabinet, retrieving a row of kitchen knives—nothing extraordinary, but they were the most common weapons for self-defense in any home.
Damn it, another empty apartment.
"Strange," one of the voices muttered. "According to what they said, everyone else has gone home. This place should have someone."
"Brother Li, stop waiting. The person inside might have passed out from the heat. No use wasting time."
"This is unlucky! Another one bites the dust."
The group outside continued murmuring. One of them angrily kicked the door, venting his frustration from the heat, before their voices gradually faded away.
Yi Bai didn't make a sound the entire time. He waited until the noise outside had completely died down. Even then, he stayed motionless, silent for another half hour. Only after that did Yi Bai carefully retrieve two knives from the cabinet, gripping them tightly as he kept his eyes fixed on the door.
Two more hours passed. Yi Bai sipped some ice water to refresh himself, then quietly crept to the door and peered through the peephole.
There was no one outside.
They had completely gone, and there was no sign that they would return or check his place.
"Who were they? A group of scavengers, searching for survivors in this building?" Yi Bai thought to himself. From what they had said, it sounded like they had already gone through many rooms and found bodies.
With so little information, he couldn't analyze much, but one thing was clear: his shelter talent was incredibly useful!
As long as he had this ability, Yi Bai didn't need to leave his apartment. He could survive the first month of this fiery apocalypse by staying inside.
"Good thing I locked the door yesterday. If they had broken in and found my freezer..." Yi Bai glanced back at the large freezer, a wave of relief washing over him.
In a world where law and order had crumbled, and no one could rely on anyone else for protection, everyone had to fend for themselves. Trusting others could be fatal.
"I need to survive. So I must be extra cautious."
Yi Bai repeated this mantra in his mind as he started moving furniture and other objects to barricade the door. Even the fridge was shoved against it. Anything that could reinforce the door was placed in front of it.
The strategy was simple: the turtle-shell tactic.
Let the outside world do whatever it wanted—he wasn't going anywhere.
"With this setup, even if someone tries to break in while I'm sleeping, it'll be nearly impossible for them to succeed."
Yi Bai wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling satisfied with the makeshift barricade.
As for the windows, he wasn't concerned. He kept the curtains drawn, and the anti-theft window bars were so hot they were almost melting. No fool would try to scale the sixth floor to invade Yi Bai's home. It was physically impossible.
Once everything was in place, Yi Bai began moving his food and water into the freezer. This particular freezer was special: it didn't need electricity, yet it cooled incredibly efficiently.
Yi Bai wasn't an engineer, so he didn't fully understand how it worked, but he was making the best use of its capabilities.
Luckily, his supplies weren't too abundant, and one freezer was more than enough to hold everything.
After finishing these tasks, Yi Bai was drenched in sweat. He pulled some ice cubes from the freezer and tossed them into the bathtub to cool the water. Then, he stripped off his clothes and climbed in.
While sipping on ice water, he sank into the cool water, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.
"Ah, that's better."
Yi Bai closed his eyes and relaxed, reflecting, "My SSS-level shelter talent really is powerful. I wonder what kind of rewards it will give me in the coming days."
"Since my shelter has a talent, everyone's shelter must have one too, right?"
"I also wonder how my parents are doing... Unfortunately, I can't get in touch with them now."
Yi Bai sighed. As of today, all he could do was think fondly of his parents and friends, with no way to know what had become of them.
Just as Yi Bai was feeling a bit melancholy, a new notification chimed in his ear.
"Congratulations to all of you who hear this message! Anyone who has survived to the second day is a lucky one!"
"Now, here's the latest 'Earth Apocalypse Disaster - Daily Broadcast!'"
"Currently, the number of surviving shelters worldwide: Over 8.2 billion."
"Yesterday, humanity lost shelters: Over 1.3 billion."
"Today's disaster update: Temperature increases by 10 degrees. Nighttime temperatures will not decrease."
"Survivors, please keep going!"
The information made Yi Bai's expression shift.
"They're raising the temperature again!"
"60 degrees was already unbearable—what happens when it reaches 70? Won't many people die from the heat?"
Yi Bai's heart sank. The shelter loss data likely referred to the death toll. Humanity's survival was already tough, and the situation was only going to worsen. As supplies dwindled and the intensity of the disaster increased, humanity would face its greatest crisis yet.
"Why is this happening? What's the point of pushing humanity to the brink of extinction?"
Yi Bai thought deeply. But before he could dwell too long, another notification rang out.
"As a reward for surviving the first day, a global shelter communication platform will now be launched, divided by city regions."
"At the same time, a shelter trading platform will open. Shelters across various cities can now trade goods and supplies freely."
"Please note: All transactions must be truthful! Fraudsters will have ten times the value of their goods confiscated!"
A collective reward?
Dividing into city regions and allowing communication and trade?
This was starting to feel more like a game—but the cost of playing was humanity's very existence.
Yi Bai raised his head, and a new data panel appeared, resembling the familiar interface of an online game. The top now displayed [Jinling City Shelter Communication Channel], and below, various shelter information began to scroll rapidly.
Unnamed Shelter: "Hey, is anyone there?"
Unnamed Shelter: "Yes, but we're about to die from the heat. Does anyone know what's going on? Is this really the apocalypse?"
Unnamed Shelter: "Seriously? You still haven't figured it out? I have 2 liters of drinkable liquid. I'm offering it in exchange for food. It's listed on the trading platform. Who wants to trade?"
Dragon One (Shelter): "We don't even have a name? I can't tell who's who! By the way, what's your shelter's talent? I've got an A-level shelter talent. I think I can survive."
Wang Chenchen (Shelter): "Huh? Aren't we supposed to use our real names? I'm not sharing my talent. I don't trust you guys."
Unnamed Shelter: "Seriously? Now's the time for secrets? We need to stick together and help the weaker ones! Is anyone willing to help me out? My child hasn't eaten in half a day, and we're running out of water."
Unnamed Shelter: "Mom! Dad! Where are you? It's me, Big Bull! It's me! Big Bull!"
Unnamed Shelter: "Big Bull, can you stop spamming? People are dying of thirst here, and you're still acting like a kid looking for your mom?"
Yi Bai silently observed the chat, choosing not to participate.
The messages were full of people searching for others, seeking help, and offering trades. Some shelters, likely those with stronger talents, seemed to be doing fine without immediate survival pressure.
It was only the second day, and most people were still in panic mode, struggling to adapt. But rationally speaking, they should be able to hold on for now. The real survival crisis hadn't truly begun.
After watching for a while, Yi Bai noticed that people were being cautious, keeping their talents and details hidden. There were even some claiming to be officials, urging others to unite and bring back China's organizational strength. But in this chaotic time, no one could be sure if those messages were from fraudsters.
Yi Bai quickly opened the trading platform.
Items from Jinling City and surrounding areas were listed for trade, with various needs being posted.
Most were barter offers, some one-sided calls for help.
Trade Info: "1 liter of urine! Sweet flavor! Will trade for food."
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