Thud. Thud. Thud!
The sharp sound of knocking echoed through the apartment, loud and urgent—almost like someone was trying to break the door down.
Nova froze, his entire body stiff with tension. His instincts screamed danger. He was almost certain there was a group of people outside... but whether they came in peace or with ill intent, he had no idea.
He narrowed his eyes, straining to hear. But he didn't respond. He didn't move. He didn't even breathe.
It was only the second day of the apocalypse, and yet Nova had already developed a deep understanding of how fragile human decency could be when the world fell apart. In times like these, even answering the door could get you killed.
"Is anyone there? Open up!"
"We're your neighbors from upstairs! Please, let us in!"
The voice was deep, rough—clearly from a man with a strong build. And that only made Nova's unease worse.
Without making a sound, he moved toward the cabinet and quietly pulled out several kitchen knives. They weren't much—but in this new world, they were weapons. Better than nothing.
"Shit, another empty apartment," a voice outside muttered.
"That's weird. Thought everyone had come back yesterday. There should be someone in there."
"Forget it, Brother Li. If they're still in there, they're probably already passed out from the heat."
"This is just our luck... another one bites the dust."
The murmuring continued for a few more seconds, then one of them kicked the door in frustration. Eventually, the voices faded away, swallowed by the heat outside.
Nova didn't move. Didn't speak. Didn't even shift his weight. He stood there, perfectly still, listening to the silence.
Even after the noise had long died away, he waited another thirty minutes just to be sure. When he finally moved, it was slow and careful, grabbing two of the knives and tightening his grip as he stared at the door.
Two more hours passed.
Nova sipped from his ice water, refreshing his parched throat, then crept toward the door to peer through the peephole.
No one.
Gone. And from the look of it, they weren't coming back.
Who the hell were they? Scavengers? Survivors combing through apartments for anything they could use?
He wasn't sure. But from their tone, it sounded like they'd already searched most of the building—and found more corpses than people.
Whatever. Doesn't matter. Nova thought grimly. As long as I've got my shelter talent, I don't need to go out at all. I just need to survive this month.
His gaze slid over to the large freezer in the room. Relief washed over him.
If they'd broken in and found that...
In a world where rules no longer existed, trusting anyone was suicidal. Survival meant keeping your head down and your door locked.
Nova moved quickly, dragging furniture to reinforce the entrance—chairs, tables, even the fridge. Everything was stacked in front of the door.
It was the classic turtle-shell defense: Stay inside. Don't engage. Let the world burn outside.
"Even if someone tries to break in while I'm asleep, they'll have to make a hell of a lot of noise first," he muttered to himself.
The windows weren't an issue. Curtains were drawn. And with the anti-theft steel bars heated red-hot by the sun, no one in their right mind would try to climb up to the sixth floor.
Once the barricade was in place, he began moving his supplies into the freezer. The thing didn't need electricity and kept cool like a charm. He had no idea how it worked—but it did. That was enough.
Thankfully, he didn't have a massive stockpile. One freezer was more than enough.
Sweat soaked through his clothes. He tossed a few ice cubes into the bathtub to cool it down, stripped, and climbed in. The cold water was heaven.
Sipping on ice water, submerged in the tub, Nova finally let himself relax for a moment.
"My SSS-rank shelter talent really is something... I wonder what kind of rewards I'll get tomorrow."
"If I have a shelter talent, then everyone else must too, right?"
A pang of worry hit him.
"I hope my parents are okay…" He sighed, staring at the ceiling. There was no way to contact them now. All he could do was wait—and hope.
Suddenly, a mechanical voice rang out in his ear.
"Congratulations to those of you still alive on Day Two! You've made it!"
"Now broadcasting: Earth Apocalypse Disaster—Daily Update."
"Current number of surviving shelters: 8.2 billion."
"Shelters lost yesterday: 1.3 billion."
"Today's disaster: Heat levels rising by another 10°C. Nighttime temperatures will remain high."
"Survivors, keep fighting!"
Nova's expression darkened.
"They're raising the temperature again?"
Sixty degrees was already unbearable. At seventy, people would start dropping like flies.
"What the hell is this?" he muttered. "Are we just lab rats in someone's experiment?"
Before he could spiral deeper into that thought, another notification arrived.
"As a reward for surviving the first day, we are now activating the Global Shelter Communication System—organized by city regions."
"At the same time, the Shelter Trading Platform is now open! Shelters may trade freely."
"Warning: All trades must be truthful. Fraud will be punished—tenfold confiscation."
A communication system?
A trading platform?
Nova raised his head. A new interface appeared before his eyes, almost like a game HUD. At the top, it read:
[Jinling City Shelter Communication Channel]
Chat messages were already flooding in.
Unnamed Shelter: "Hello? Anyone else here?"
Unnamed Shelter: "We're dying in here—does anyone know what's happening? Is this really the apocalypse?"
Unnamed Shelter: "No shit, Sherlock. I've got 2 liters of drinkable liquid. Trading for food. Check the trade platform."
Dragon One (Shelter): "We don't even get names? By the way, anyone else have a high-tier talent? I've got an A-rank. Feeling good."
Wang Chenchen (Shelter): "Not sharing mine. Don't trust anyone here."
Unnamed Shelter: "Seriously? Now's the time for secrets? My kid hasn't eaten in half a day—we're out of water. Please, anyone?"
Unnamed Shelter: "Mom? Dad? It's me—Big Bull! Where are you?"
Unnamed Shelter: "Shut the hell up, Big Bull. People are dying here. No one cares if you're lost."
Nova sat silently, scrolling through the messages.
Panic. Pleas. Barter offers. Fake officials calling for unity.
Nobody trusted anyone.
Most people were still panicking. Still adapting. Nova understood—it was only the second day.
But this was just the beginning. The real desperation hadn't even started yet.
He flipped over to the trading platform.
A new message caught his eye.
Trade Info: 1 liter of urine! Sweet flavor! Will trade for food.
Nova blinked. Then muttered under his breath:
"Sweet-tasting... urine?"
The world really had gone mad.