《The Reborn Otaku's Code of Practice for the Apocalypse》Chapter 4: Home Renovation
Advertisement
In the city, the night is more prosperous than the day. Men and women were enjoying night time festivities in a bar. A flirtatious woman wearing a tight-fitting miniskirt highlighting her tiny waist and curves stalked forward like a cat towards a sofa in the corner.
"Hey handsome, want to drink with me?" The woman fluttered her eyelashes but the man leisurely walked away. He had a pair of peach eyes with a mole in the corner of his left eye. He lounged on the sofa, his appearance and temperament attracting the attention of all the women in the bar.
"Leave." The man's eyes narrowed as if laughing but had a cold gleam while he mercilessly spat out a response. The woman was stunned and did not hear what he had said.
A hand grasped her shoulder. "Woman, there is no place for you here."
She spun around but saw a 40-50 year old man with bodyguards. Those near the sofa quickly cleared the premises cursing tonight's bad luck.
"There's a million yuan on this card to give to your mother." The middle-aged man sat next to the young man and slid a card on the table.
"Why bring the matter to me? Why don't you call her?" The young man sneered while dialing the numbers. "You called me out for this?"
He drawled, "Isn't it better to give this to her directly to ensure all the money goes through?"
The older man pinched his temple, "Tell her your uncle has been laid off and to watch out for trouble."
The young man pinched the card with a mocking smile. "You will not divorce yet you need me to deal with a trifle during the middle of the night? Yan Han I am not your subordinate. I don't care about this matter, send one of your lackeys instead."
He dropped the card on the table and turned to the door.
Yan Han's face sunk into an ugly expression. "I also wanted to see you..."
"I am alive, no need to worry." The young man exited the oppressive bar atmosphere in favor of outside.
Advertisement
The next morning Luo Xun was awakened by the doorbell ringing. His orders had already arrived? So fast!
Luo Xun sighed and shook his head. Deliveries for online shopping in M-city were never like this. Some package deliveries dragged on for ten and a half months on average. He did not expect express city delivery to be so prompt. He checked the numerous order statuses on his phone and found most had 'delivery' status with some still in 'dispatch' phase. Luo Xun prepared to finish up at home.
Luo Xun surveyed each room and began to plan the layout while waiting for deliveries to arrive. Needless to say the terrace must be used for cultivation, the kitchen and storage room are self-explanatory. The storage room without windows could be turned into a nursery and breeding room. The living room was relatively large so it could be separated to store things. The two smaller bedrooms could be used to store food and tools. The last would be his personal bedroom; he also does not need to move any bath and shower equipment. He though back on something that turned out useless since n.o.body found it necessary.
The doorbell continued to ring, followed by a stream of packages.
*Zi...zi...* The drilling sounds gave people headaches. The electric drill rang though building 7 for over half a month. The 16th floor house was now filled with tools, boxes and remodeled items.
By October 22, everything Luo Xun had ordered had been delivered to his home. The living room was now split in two. Tools and upcoming modification projects were near the balcony with bought furniture in the hall.
All foodstuffs, seeds, stocked supplies ad processed foods were sorted in the first and second floors. He still needed to buy some furniture, at least a table, chairs, sofa and bed. Luo Xun hammered his sore waist and entered the bathroom after setting aside a newly modified non-toxic PVC pipe. He washed his face and took a big bite of a meat bun warmed in a microwave oven.
The day after the microwave oven arrived, Luo Xun removed the sounding device after checking for quality issues. Noise was dangerous during the apocalypse.
Advertisement
Luo Xun leaned against the sofa, glancing with satisfaction at the room. Now that he has refitted all the needed equipment, the rest of the day can be dedicated to preparations. For example preparing rice and wheat for the nursery in advance. Procrastination is not a good habit at all.
He threw the used plastic bags into the trash. Luo Xun cleaned up the remaining waste since all the useful things were already in the second floor storage bedrooms. The balcony and terrace now had st.u.r.dy hydroponics shelves and nursery boxes. The room was now completely clean.
Luo Xun pushed the sofa and fish tanks into the living room. He relaxed on the sofa, took out his cell phone and frowned. With the 50,000 left he could go buy some food and medicine, or possible raise some animals at home.
Some animals, not just humans also became zombies once the apocalypse started. Later in addition to zombie animals, come became mutants instead. The mutant animals could be considered more dangerous to humans than zombies.
However if an animal was domesticated prior to mutation, it would not go rabid and instead became a helper with strong combat effectiveness. At the very least, a dog could watch the house when one went out scavenging for resources.
Luo Xun remembered how zombie animals became more dangerous than human ones, as a result people became wary of any animals.
While in M-city, there had been an old man with a minibus. The old man's dog did not turn into a zombie and scared away intruders. The apocalypse caused social order to collapse, people broke into other's homes to loot.
Although Luo Xun wanted to raise one, a dog had costs: food, bones etc. Second, what it if turned into a zombie? Even if not initially, if the dog went out of control he could be unlucky and lose his life.
"I'll wait for now." It would be the same for any animal. If you had some chickens, you could get eggs and meat but the chirping noises could attract the attention of thieves. Luo Xun's desire to avoid trouble clashed with his wish to raise a dog.
Luo Xun planted some seeds in the nursery room box. The previous storage room had been modified so that the temperature and humidity caused germination after a few days.
Since winter is approaching, he dared not cultivate too much even if he could regulate room temperature. First reason was he could not eat or sell the plants for now. The second reason was plants and animals could mutate. If the plants were only seedlings, Luo Xun could quickly dispose of them, but if left for too long he would need alternative methods to destroy without requiring physical contact.
Even thogh it is convenient to plant on the terrace, Luo Xun prefers the hydroponic crops. Of course he also planned to plant some soil-based crops. Tomorrow he would head to the nearby fields to acquire the dirt.
Hydroponic crops are easy to raise and s.p.a.ce efficient, no problems so long as there is good nutritional solution. The nutrients could be purchased directly online but had to be self-made after the apocalypse. Fortunately Luo Xun had experience in the matter.
At the moment he only cultivated some parsley, cabbage and rapeseed seedlings. He also had some orange, apple, cherry and other fruit saplings in a basin. For the rest he would wait until a few days prior to doomsday, the time would be enough for green bean and soy bean sprouts amongst others. After a few days most of the seeds had germinated in the nursery box, there was no way to discern the dead seeds.
Luo Xun carefully cut up a sponge and placed it into the modified hydroponic cultivation tube with oxygen from a small aquarium pump to add nutrition. The small hydroponic planter was now complete.
Since these are to be grown during the apocalypse, Luo Xun ensured that the small shelves only had a dozen plants with groups of shelves sharing a water tank. The fifth solar battery had long since been charged and the rooms had been tidied up. Luo Xun confirmed by walking around the house four or five times.
Looks like he has time left to do something else?
Advertisement
- In Serial38 Chapters
Semi-Powerful Underling
Uploads every Thursday and Sunday at 1:00 GMTSupervillain lackey Quincy Whistlewood has got two powers. One of them is his attempt at humor and charisma, and the other is to break reality itself. And yet he's still considered the weakest and wimpiest villain at Stocklord's illegal company of evil. He doesn't mind, but when his old 'friend' Sal decides to take a job at the company, he knows his life about to spiral.Join Quincy and his hopeless group of semi-powerful friends as they try not to die at the hands of the greatest (and 100% corrupt) heroes on the planet, The Ultrahuman Force, in this comedy + action + drama masterpiece of literature that you musn't miss because I say so! This is a second draft!
8 424 - In Serial49 Chapters
The Vitaean Chronicles - Volume I: The Sanguine Prince
NOTE: Chapters 02 - 19 are currently slated for review and rewrite following the Conclusion of Act I. Please bear this in mind! When tragedy strikes Arcturus Valoura, he is ripped from his carefree existence and thrown into a world of politics and peril, where today's friend is tomorrow's foe. Bereft of the knowledge and skills needed to survive in his new reality, he will need to find his place within a realm that mixes magic and science in impossible ways. He will need to learn the secrets of the mysterious System that allows him to guide his potential for growth even as he struggles to unlock the powers needed to keep himself alive. In the darkest, and most desolate places of an ancient land he will have to find the answers to forbidden questions, and terrible secrets long purged from the histories of mankind. And in so doing, shake the very foundations of reality itself. Release Schedule: Tuesdays (I may post on off-days if I get a lot done). Advanced Chapters available on Patreon starting May 4th 2021. Discord Community: https://discord.gg/3tHKHAx7Ye The Vitaean Chronicles are a debut LitRPG High Fantasy series written with the intent of filling a niche I've yet to see filled anywhere else. This is my first novel of this kind, so please be patient with me. Throughout this story, I will endeavour to create an evolving and expansive narrative anchored around believable characters, compelling plotlines, and a consistent and sensible magic system. The purpose of this work is to create what I believe to be a relatively unique piece of fiction, drawing inspiration from many great stories that have come before from the likes of Tolkien, Jordan, Hertbert, Goodkind, Pratchett, Martin, and several others. My goal is not to create a masterpiece, but simply to create a story that someone can read and re-read with the same joy, same frustration, and same investment each time. This story will contain violence, politics, Shakespearian drama, tongue-in-cheek references, adult content, and well-crafted relationships of both platonic and romantic natures. I will not promise you will like every choice I make. I can only guarantee that I will do my best to create a story I, and you, can be proud of. As I progress, I will have room to incorporate fan-made characters for those interested in making their mark within the tapestry of this tale (with the customary disclaimer that they do so while waiving any rights to future profit, lol). Thank you to Royal Road for giving me the platform to do that, and thank you dear readers past, present, and future for choosing to come on this journey with me. Finally, just to cover myself: This work is Copyrighted to the Author herein known as 'Hannibal Forge', and recreation, distribution, or re-release of any material herein in a commercial or public capacity absent permission from the Author can and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the Law.
8 192 - In Serial37 Chapters
The Doors of Power
Cody is doing his best to survive high school, to live up to his father’s expectations and the Abbot name - he better grow up quick if he wants to be a Marine. But each day that dream seems further from reach, because let’s face it; he’s just not big enough, not strong enough. And if everybody just sees the 'little guy'? Laughter. Pain. The more he tries to be like his father, the greater disappointment he faces. And now does he even want to be a Marine? To protect and defend a society that can produce such cruel and selfish assholes? Fortunately he’s just been sucked into a dungeon for the next three days, and if he doesn’t figure out magic, stats, and his inventory - he won’t have to worry about it.
8 163 - In Serial14 Chapters
Killing Zombies Is Like A Game?!
Tsk, all I wanted to do was stay home and relax with some video games but life said 'Fuck you and your desires.' The first thing they threw into my path was the tech nerd who does nothing but annoy me and threathen to turn my computer into a robot. And you ask what's the second thing they threw to fuck up my day? Well, they turned the whole world into a zombie infested playground. Want to know the kicker? They gave me a system so you know what I'm gonna do? I'm going to treat these zombies like it's just one damn game!
8 109 - In Serial17 Chapters
Destinatus
Volume 1: Follows the story of an amnesiac named Gratus whose narrative reflects the fragmentation in his mind. His journey to restore his memories pits him against monsters and questionable allies that seem to want him dead. Volume 2: Prequel to volume 1 that follows Cogito's narrative, a rising star that is tied to a family legacy he cannot escape. Connects the fragments in volume 1 and expands on the world of Dominia. **Author’s Note: Cover Art and Synopsis is subject to change. I just wanted to post my story here to get feedback and improve it, so it’s okay to be brutally honest! What I am posting is a rough draft so I don't mind rewritting whole chapters and segments of stories as long as it doesn't make the story worse haha. **Author’s Note: LitRPG elements begins in Volume 2, same with potentially traumatising content.
8 90 - In Serial47 Chapters
Clarent Saga: Chronicles
Based on my work on Saga of the Jewels, I've been hired by an indie game developer to write the novel for their 'novel + turn-based battles' game which is in Early Access on Steam. Of course, a 'novel + turn based battles' is a terrible idea for a game, which is why no other games like this exist, but hey, the developer is paying me. And if something's worth doing at all, it's worth doing as well as possible, so I am going to give this project my very best shot and try to make it as good as it can be. So if you read this, please give me feedback on the story to help me make it as good as it can be! Please note, for this story I have been given a pre-existent set of characters, character back-story sketches and a rough plot to work with. I also have to insert random battles into the narrative, have set characters appear in a certain order, and have the party fight fixed bosses in a certain order, all at fixed points! Please also note that this is a first draft. I will be editing and re-working this in the future and re-posting it. But I need helpful feedback, if anyone can give it. You can also find the game version of this on Steam by searching there for 'Clarent Saga: Chronicles'.
8 84

