Chen Xi was worrying about how to accommodate all the people who would arrive in a few days when the system unlocked residential buildings.
As the name suggests, they were built to the standards of a normal apartment complex.
Chen Xi clicked to check them out. Everything could be customized—furniture, number of rooms and halls, room layout, number of rooms per floor, number of floors per building, placement and design—everything was selectable.
It was just like playing a simulation management game.
Absolutely amazing!
Chen Xi first designed a single building, thirty floors high. On each floor, there were five units each of three-room-one-hall, two-room-one-hall, and one-room-one-hall apartments. That totaled 450 apartments.
In the one-room apartments, Chen Xi placed a large bed, wardrobe, dressing table, and desk. The living room had a sofa and coffee table, and each unit was equipped with a washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner, and a small kitchen.
The two-room apartments added another bedroom, also with a double bed, wardrobe, and desk. Appliances like the fridge and washing machine were bigger, the kitchen larger, and there was a dining table.
The three-room apartments had two bathrooms, one of which included a bathtub. The kitchen and dining area were larger as well.
The monthly rent was set at 800 crystal cores for three-room, 500 crystal cores for two-room, and 300 crystal cores for one-room apartments. With two buildings, rental income alone could reach 480,000 crystal cores per month.
After completing the design, the system calculated the construction cost: 300,000 crystal cores.
Chen Xi checked her balance. It had been 295,927, but during her design process, several newcomers had arrived and spent some crystal cores, just enough to cover the 300,000 cost. After payment, only a few hundred crystal cores remained.
The water and electricity costs for the building were 1,000 crystal cores per month, which Chen Xi didn’t intend to charge separately—she included it in the rent.
All in all, renting out apartments was very profitable!
As for the bus, Chen Xi planned to rent out the apartments first. Once enough money was collected, she could buy a bus.
The warnings of rain and plague also revealed to the system that the disaster level in this world was much higher, approaching the edge of total destruction.
So 008 reported to the main system, which modified the main quest.
“Host, the main quest has now changed to ensuring more humans survive! At least one hundred million must survive.”
“As for achieving the HE (happy ending) for the main characters, that has been changed to a side quest. Whether it is completed or not will not have much impact.”
“Alright.” Chen Xi nodded.
Ensuring over a hundred million survivors in the apocalypse was already difficult. Now, with natural disasters added, it was even harder.
And it wasn’t just rain and plague—the system predicted droughts, extreme cold, and more in later stages.
Chen Xi sighed and asked 008: “008, can you detect how many survivors remain currently?”
“Loading system… Update complete!”
“Host, the main system upgraded me for the new task! Currently, the population of Huaguo is 97.68 million!”
“Less than a hundred million…” Chen Xi murmured. Almost only one in every fourteen people had survived. She felt a pang of sorrow—this apocalypse truly was humanity’s disaster.
“What about other countries?”
“Sorry, host. I cannot detect them yet, but I can upgrade again! Just like before, by absorbing crystal cores.”
“Alright!” Chen Xi handed over all the crystal cores she had earned during this period to the system.
“Is this enough?”
“Upgrading… System upgrade successful!”
“Enough, enough! I’ve leveled up. I can now detect the population and location of all of Yongdong Continent!”
“Currently, Yongdong Continent has about 173.52 million people!”
This world had three continents: Lingxi, Pingzhong, and Yongdong. Huaguo was on Yongdong Continent.
If she remembered correctly, before the apocalypse, Yongdong Continent had nearly 5 billion people. Now only this many remained.
For now, neither the system nor the hotel had the capability to go abroad, so Chen Xi would focus on domestic survivors—rescuing as many as possible.
On the 83rd day of the apocalypse, at 6 p.m., people inside and around the hotel witnessed a shocking sight:
The hotel’s blue protective shield had doubled in radius, and a 30-floor building had appeared out of thin air near the hotel!
At the same time, the hotel’s electronic announcement board displayed:
“Dawnlight Hotel Upgrade! Entire residential building now available for rent:
Three-room, one living room, two bathrooms: 800 crystal cores/month
Two-room, one living room, one bathroom: 500 crystal cores/month
One-room, one living room, one bathroom: 300 crystal cores/month
Fully furnished with appliances. First come, first served!”
“Wow! You can rent apartments now!!!”
“They even come with furniture and appliances, and it’s so cheap!”
“Quick, go! Hurry and grab one!”
“Come on, come on, get in line quickly!”