Year 3035, deep winter.
The cold this winter was on another level. Not only were record lows reported up in the north, even the usually mild southern towns were hit hard—there was even snow.
Catherine Lane was bundled up in a bulky down coat, dragging her suitcase as she slowly left campus.
Today marked the start of winter break. Because of the extreme cold, the school had bumped up the holiday schedule by almost three weeks. After exams wrapped up, they let everyone go home today.
Catherine boarded a bus, heading back to what she called home. Orphaned since young, she’d grown up in a welfare center. Back in high school, she'd saved up through part-time jobs, and once she turned eighteen, she moved out on her own. She’d been renting a small unit in an old apartment complex on the outskirts of town ever since.
Now in her third year at university, she only had one year left until graduation.
The bus rattled to a stop at an old station. Across the street stood the entrance to her apartment complex—a place she was getting ready to leave for good.
The complex wasn’t big: only six buildings, each six floors tall, two units per floor. No elevators, all stairs. A typical budget building. Due to the outdated condition and remote location, hardly anyone lived there. About a month ago, the city announced it was tearing the place down to build a park. Most of the remaining residents had already moved out.
Catherine came back this time to move out as well. She'd already found a new place—rent was a bit steeper, but the location was way better, with solid transit and even a big supermarket nearby.
The snow was falling harder, the sky a heavy grey like a beast with jaws wide open.
Dragging her suitcase behind her, Catherine nodded to the old gatekeeper in greeting before turning left into the complex. The first building on the left was hers. She lived on the first floor, and the unit came with a tiny patch of yard out front. The landlady had fenced it off and planted various random flowers and shrubs.
Her place was a small one-bedroom with a living area and bathroom. Pretty much a bachelor pad.
She got out her key and unlocked the door. The moment she flipped on the lights, a sudden voice echoed in her head.
Mechanical and remote, the voice was devoid of emotion:
“Beep...Compatible host detected. Loading system...System loaded.”
“Hello, Host. I am Rental System 0415.”
Catherine froze.
She nearly jumped in shock.
“World type: post-apocalyptic. Conditions met for activation. Would you like to begin rental tasks?”
A transparent screen popped up in front of her, showing a detailed description of the rental mission. At the bottom were two options: Yes / No.
Rather than choosing, she frowned and asked, “Post-apocalypse?”
The system replied calmly, “Correct. Based on current data, a zombie virus will break out in this dimension tomorrow at 1:59:47 PM. The world will then fall into an apocalyptic state.”
Catherine blinked. “You’re serious? You’re not just messing with me?”
“With assurance,” the system responded, “I am a product of advanced scientific development from a higher realm, la la la...”
She cut it off, “Okay! Okay—I get it. I believe you.”
Then she said, “But this rental stuff… I don’t even own a place. I’m renting this one myself.”
“No worries. The task location is ready. Please proceed there to begin your mission,” the system said.
Catherine opened the task panel and, sure enough, something new had appeared on screen.
“Host: Catherine Lane
Level: 1”Main Mission: Become a landlady, marry a rich hottie, and reach the top of life!
Current Task: Head to the target location — Yuquan Mountain
0/1
“Wait, isn’t Yuquan Mountain some tourist spot? How could there be houses up there? Other than that one old temple...”
Catherine Lane stared at the system prompt, half skeptical. But honestly, at this point, she didn’t have many other options—especially with that whole end-of-the-world disaster the system kept harping on about. Yeah, that part really sent a chill down her spine.
“Okay... First, I should pack and hit the supermarket. If the apocalypse is seriously right around the corner, I’ve gotta at least let the folks at the orphanage know.”
The old headmaster had passed away last year, and Catherine’s relationship with the rest of the staff wasn’t exactly warm. She knew if she ran in shouting about an upcoming doomsday, they’d probably just think she’d lost her mind. So instead, she just gave a heads-up, telling them to stay indoors for a few days. The orphanage was way out near the city’s edge anyway—far from downtown and surrounded by quiet roads. It should be safe for now.
Plus, the system had already warned her not to mess too much with her original timeline, or risk getting wiped from existence.
And it’s not like she was some big-hearted savior either. Back in the orphanage, if the old headmaster hadn’t looked out for her, she probably would've been bullied into the ground. Being pretty didn’t help—adults liked her too much, and the kids saw her as competition. Every time families came to visit, they’d lock her in the bathroom or make sure she got hurt, scared she’d steal away their shot at getting adopted.
After her stop at the orphanage, she rushed to the biggest supermarket in town. Her savings weren’t exactly impressive—two jobs and a few scholarships had only gotten her a little over 20,000. And part of that was set aside for next semester’s tuition... whatever. Apocalypse trumps tuition, obviously.
First stop? Sanitary pads. Girl essentials top the list, no debate.
Then snacks, veggies, and—oh right—water. Clean water was always a major issue in all those apocalypse stories. Didn’t take her long to fill two carts.
The system hesitated, but eventually piped up in her mind. “You might want to buy some seeds. The task location has clean water and arable land.”
Catherine paused mid-lift of a water bottle. “Can you drink the water there?”
“Yes." The system was quick with the reply. “There’s also food and drinks. Once you unlock the supermarket in the community, you can purchase them.”
“What about daily necessities?”
“That supermarket’s just like any other one in your world,” the system said dutifully, “but you’ll need to unlock the products before you can buy them.”
Good enough. She still grabbed a few snacks and more water, spending over half her cash in one go. Whatever was left she’d use for buying seeds.
After arranging the delivery, she braved the snow and headed for the nearby flower-and-bird market—tons of seed shops there.
She grabbed a pack or two of every veggie she recognized, then impulsively bought a tiny goldfish and some fish food. There was still a little money left. She flicked her hair back and hailed a cab.
“To Yuquan Mountain, please.”
The cab pulled up at the foot of the mountain and drove off after she got out. Catherine stared at the residential complex in front of her and blinked—it took a second to process.
The driver didn’t even bat an eye. Like this strange new neighborhood had been here forever.
Catherine couldn’t help but ask the system, “Are you sure this won’t cause issues?”
I mean, an entire housing complex suddenly popping up? That’s the kind of thing that’d freak most people out.The system spoke calmly, "No need to worry, Host. This neighborhood is fully registered under your name, and people will subconsciously overlook anything odd."
So… basically, it’s all good?
Catherine Lane stood at the entrance of the community. The security booth was totally empty, giving off a bit of a deserted vibe.
Right then, the supermarket delivery truck showed up. Catherine had the driver help unload everything in front of the freestanding house located at the edge of the neighborhood.
Once the driver left, she finally took a good look at the place. Honestly, in her eyes, besides this standalone little house, everything else looked kind of dull and washed-out. She figured it must be because she hadn’t unlocked the other areas yet.
A lone streetlight glowed outside the house. Under its dim yellow light, a cobblestone path led straight to the front door. Behind the house was a small yard filled with dark soil, just waiting to be planted. A wooden fence enclosed the space. Strangely enough, even though it was mid-winter and snow was falling outside, not a single snowflake landed inside the neighborhood. It felt completely cut off from the world.
Night had already fallen. Catherine had been on her feet all day and finally felt the hunger kick in.
She grabbed a pack of instant noodles—yep, that was dinner tonight.
But walking into the house, she realized… there was literally nothing inside. Just stark white walls and a battered staircase connecting the two floors.
Catherine: “…”
Step one of being a landlady: renovations.
She opened the system panel where a shiny little “Newbie Pack” was sitting quietly.
With one tap, the red starter pack disappeared in a shimmer of sparkles, and a few new items popped into her inventory.
One by one, she clicked through them—all furniture.
Ten pieces in total: flooring, a sofa, a kitchen hood, a faucet, a bed, a set of pots and pans, a table and chairs, a chandelier, a sink, and a shower.
Catherine: “…”
Yep. Definitely a bare-bones starter pack. Just the basics, no extras.
The system's panel gave her a bird’s-eye view—kind of like a home decor sim game—so she could place the furniture wherever she liked.
She picked her own bedroom on the first floor, placed the bed against the wall, followed by the sofa, the table and chairs…
Once everything was positioned, she closed the panel and looked around the now-cozy living room with its new flooring and chandelier. She let out a breath.
“Mission: Arrive at Yuquan Mountain
1/1
complete. First room unlocked. Reward granted.”
“Current missions:
1. Name the community
0/1
2. Set up the first rental room
0/1
”
Just as she finished furnishing her own space, the system’s voice pinged in her head again.
She opened the task panel, and the backpack icon in the corner was glaring red with an exclamation mark—totally impossible to miss.
Catherine tapped it. Inside were a wooden signboard and… another bed.
Catherine: “…”
“No way. The mission reward is just a bed? System, get out here—we need to talk.”
The system stayed silent, clearly playing dead. But Catherine was nothing if not persistent. As she tore open her noodles and got some water boiling, she kept ranting in her head: “Look, System, this stinginess isn’t gonna fly. Where I’m from, this kind of behavior could get you tossed in a sack, you feel me?”
Maybe it couldn’t take the nagging anymore, because the system finally replied: “Please work hard to earn money. With enough funds, you’ll be able to exchange for furniture and decor.”
Catherine: “…”She just noticed a tiny coin icon tucked away in the upper-left corner of the screen, with a big fat zero next to it.
Curious, she asked, “So what kind of currency do you guys use? Actual cash?”
“Nope,” the system replied. “Anything valuable works. The system scans the item, assigns it a value, and converts it into credits. Ten percent of whatever you earn automatically goes to system upkeep.”
Catherine Lane had no complaints about that. Once she got the currency situation figured out, she hummed a tune while making her instant noodles. Then she boiled some water to cool for drinking, finally plopping down at the only table in the living room to dig into dinner.
By 6 a.m. the next morning, she was already up and moving. She had a full day ahead, and her top priority was fixing up the newly unlocked room.
This new unit was just to the left of her current place, separated by a narrow walkway.
It sat on the first floor.
Maybe because her original apartment had this style, the system decided to stick with the same setup here—six floors, two units per level, no elevator, all stairs.
Compared to the gray, lifeless unit across the hall, the newly opened room looked clean and lively. Its white walls and dark green security door stood out in sharp contrast.
She pulled out the key from her system inventory and unlocked the door. The place had the standard starter look—white walls, a simple one-bedroom layout with a living room and bathroom, under 60 square meters. Just enough space for one person.
Nothing much to decorate with, really. At the moment, she only owned one pitiful little bed.
She set it up in the bedroom, and right then—ding! Her mission panel updated. The “furnish the room” task now read
1/1
.
Her reward had been dropped into the backpack: a pack of seeds.
Leaving the seeds for later, Catherine pulled out a wooden plaque. Instantly, a prompt popped up: “Would you like to name the housing complex now?
Yes/No
”
She tapped “Yes.”
A new dialog box appeared.
“What should I call it…” Catherine groaned. Coming up with names was her worst nightmare. She couldn’t even name a pet if her life depended on it.
“Let’s just go with ‘Lantai’,” she muttered and typed it in before hitting confirm. The virtual plaque disappeared right after, and at the same moment, above the entry gate, four big golden words—“Lantai Complex”—lit up against the dull sky.
Naming done, this mission was finally complete, and the system began rolling out the rewards.
“Mission: Name the housing complex
1/1
complete. Reward issued. Please check your inventory.
Current missions:
1. Host a short-term tenant
0/1
2. Hire a security guard for the complex
0/1
”
“A short-term tenant means?” she asked.
“Anyone staying less than six months. Six months to one year is long-term. Minimum lease is one month, max is one year.”
“Do we have a fixed rent range or can I set whatever price I want?”
“Rent depends on the room’s furnishing level. Details can be viewed in the rental panel.”
Catherine followed instructions and opened the rental panel. Only one unit was available for rent. The rental amount was displayed right on the door—thanks to the single bed setup, rent was crazy low: just 500 credits a month.
She sighed. Making real money was gonna take a while.Back at her apartment, Catherine Lane opened up the seed packets she had bought from the flower market yesterday. She got a little bit of everything—different kinds of veggies—but winter was the perfect time to plant some cabbage.
Technically, the inside of the community stayed spring-like year-round, so it didn't really matter what she planted. But Catherine liked doing things the "right" way, following the seasons. It gave her a weird sense of comfort.
She scattered the cabbage seeds into the soil, then tossed in some radish and spinach while she was at it. When she checked the time, it was already 11:30 in the morning—time for lunch.
She’d miscalculated yesterday and didn’t buy enough meat. Without a fridge, she didn’t dare stock up too much, worried it would spoil. So she headed into the kitchen, tossed together a quick stir-fried pork dish, steamed a pot of rice, and made herself a light veggie soup for lunch.
Outside the complex, snow was still coming down in thick, heavy flakes—so dense it looked like some kind of apocalypse teaser.
After clearing the dishes, she glanced at her phone. It read 12:30 PM. Less than two hours till the end of the world kicked off.
The sky outside was steel gray and heavy. She didn't feel like going out.
1:59:47 PM.
In the city center hospital, people were coming and going nonstop. The snowstorm had upped the patient load, and flu cases were absolutely off the charts.
The hospital was swamped. They had no space for everyone, so those with milder symptoms had to settle for chairs out in the main lobby.
One young guy, dressed in edgy streetwear, was one of many waiting around. He sat on a freezing cold chair, a drip stuck in his left arm, phone in his right hand as he scrolled through a novel. Next to him, a middle-aged man was also hooked up to an IV—only this guy looked way sicker.
Engrossed in his novel, the young man suddenly jumped when the man beside him let out a weird growl from deep in his throat. It wasn’t human. It sounded like… a beast.
When he turned his head, he saw the uncle had yanked down the scarf that covered half his face. His eyes were bloodshot—furious, wild.
The guy shifted uncomfortably, trying to scoot away without being obvious. His voice was small. "Uh... sir? Are you okay?"
The man didn't answer—just stared at him with those terrifying red eyes.
The younger guy's gut told him something was off. Noticing his IV was nearly done, he yanked out the needle and bolted a good ten meters in an instant.
At that exact moment, the middle-aged man sprang up and lunged at a nearby nurse. The nurse never stood a chance—he bit clean through her ear. Blood splattered instantly.
Before anyone could scream properly, chaos hit. Screams burst out from the second floor, then the third, fourth, all the way to the fifth. People were running for their lives, bolting for the hospital doors like it was the end of the world.
Behind them, a horde of red-eyed, staggering figures came out, completely devoid of reason.
The apocalypse had finally kicked off.
At first, Catherine could still check the news online. The government acted fast once it all started—emergency systems went live, military units rolled out to evacuate civilians, and survival camps sprang up within days. Things stayed somewhat under control.
But supplies ran out fast, and that became a huge issue.
By Day 10 of the apocalypse, some people had developed strange new powers. The internet, though, completely crashed.
Catherine shut off her phone. At that point, it was just dead weight.
The system wasn’t super demanding. Its quests didn’t come with countdowns or crazy deadlines, which was just how Catherine liked it—slow and steady.Yuquan Mountain was way off the beaten track. As a tourist spot, people only showed up when the autumn leaves turned red. Other than that? Pretty much deserted. There was an old temple up there too, but it had long fallen into disrepair and nobody really went there anymore. The government once thought about sending monks to liven the place up, make it a new attraction or something, but like most things, it got canned. So now, with the apocalypse hitting, the place was practically empty—besides Catherine Lane, it was a ghost town.
But Catherine wasn’t in a rush. Her kitchen came with clean running water, though she had no clue where the plumbing led to. The yard’s cabbage patch had already yielded once. It came from the system’s garden—scientific logic obviously didn’t apply. Ten days per cycle, and the second batch was already in the ground.
Since the outbreak began, she hadn’t budged from the residential complex. With her movement locked to the area, she could only wait patiently for her first tenant to show up.
In the dark, snowy night, a figure stumbled across the whitened ground. A swarm of zombies tracked closely behind.
Brandon Kendall clutched his wounded arm, breath ragged. His stamina had long since tanked—being hurt didn’t help either. Behind him, the undead snarled and groaned, their hoarse noises chilling to the bone. Brandon’s legs got heavier with every step.
He’d gone out alone today, hoping to bag a beast and trade it in for food. The survival base was still under government control, but everything—rations or supplies—had to be earned. Either hunt dangerous beasts or risk your life on missions. No one got freebies.
Things were okay at first. He picked a spot that seemed relatively safe—until a tier-two zombie showed up. His ability was just level one. There was no winning that fight. He poured all he had into killing the thing and came out wounded.
And of course, zombies have a freakish nose for blood. The moment he was hurt, they were on him like flies. Now, he had over a dozen of them chasing him, and nowhere to hide.
He didn’t know how long he’d been running. Just when the desperation was about to swallow him whole, a glimmer of light pierced the darkness.
Up ahead, the sign for “Lantai Community” lit up like a beacon in the night. It felt like hope had finally shown up.
Even though it felt fishy, Brandon didn’t care. He ran straight for that patch of light.
Back in the complex, Catherine had just cracked open some instant noodles. Steam rising, she was about to dig in when the system chimed in: “Host, please proceed to meet your first guest immediately.”
Catherine: “??!”
Already? That was fast.
She set the chopsticks down and headed for the gate. In the distance, she spotted a figure sprinting in the dark, fast and frantic. Soon enough, he reached her.
Suddenly, the zombies stopped about ten meters back. They sniffed the air, confused, then slowly turned around and walked away.
Brandon stared at them in disbelief, then finally gave out—a sigh escaping him as he collapsed right to the ground.
“Hey there,” Catherine said with a bright smile, looking at the exhausted young man in front of her. “You here to rent a place?”
Brandon flinched and jumped up.
The girl in front of him looked way too put together—clean clothes, rosy cheeks, healthy as hell. Nothing about her screamed ‘apocalypse survivor.’