The Walk-in Closet Safehouse CH3
Chapter 3: A Knock at the Door at Midnight
There were five pieces of clothing in total in the closet: leopard print thermal leggings, a down jacket, a camisole, a nightgown, and a short-sleeved shirt. Four of them were just ordinary clothes; only the thermal leggings had an attribute. Still, this was a massive surprise. Since the clothes refreshed daily, there was a chance she could pull a piece of "attribute gear" every single day.
She needed more gold coins to upgrade the Safe House, which meant she had to keep completing missions. She couldn't just huddle inside forever; these special clothes were exactly what she needed to get by outside.
Two hours later.
Cui Ye looked at the beef jerky that had already gone sour and spoiled in the rental room, then took the other half—perfectly fine—out of the Safe House and popped it into her mouth. With that, the moving operation officially began.
First came the various flavors of instant noodles and tossed noodles. She also had a good stock of heavy-flavored, extra spicy snail noodles, along with some self-heating rice and hot pots she’d bought on sale. She also stored plenty of dried vegetables and seafood—essentials for instant noodles. Since those didn't have a shelf life as long as processed instant food, most of them were from her recent haul. Finally, there were the cans: fruit cans and meat cans.
Away from the humidity, the shelf life of the food would at least double. However, given the "stomach drain" caused by her Talent, this stuff couldn't be her primary food source forever. Still, it was nice to have something to satisfy a craving now and then. Who knew if she’d ever be able to restock?
Next were the clothes and bedding, packed into compression bags to keep out the damp—though she likely wouldn't be lacking clothes in the future. Then came her suitcase, a full-length mirror, pots, pans... well, she could skip the pots. She just hoped the shop would eventually stock appliances like electric cookers; she didn't want to spend the rest of her life crunching on dry noodles.
Once everything was packed, Cui Ye sprawled out on the padded bench, looking at the two "cargo racks" that were now almost completely full. She was quite satisfied. The Safe House wasn't big, but its storage capacity was maxed out. The empty wardrobe sections had basically become an instant-food display case—a perfect use of the space.
By now, it was five in the afternoon. After all that activity, the food in her stomach was mostly digested. Cui Ye remembered her Food Voucher; she’d bought it but hadn't used it yet.
She sat down at the desk she’d just moved in, holding the Food Voucher and wishing for something like sweet and sour pork over rice, when she was suddenly interrupted by the vibration of her phone.
Opening it, she saw messages in the company group chat. Her supervisor, Cao Zhongliang, was @-ing her and another unlucky colleague, telling them both to come into the office early tomorrow for a meeting because a proposal desperately needed changes.
He made it sound all high-and-mighty, but it was really just about cleaning up the mess left by Zhao Guangcai, a well-connected newcomer who’d recently been shoved into the department. This wasn't the first time Cui Ye had dealt with this. Usually, she’d silently curse his ancestors and then type back a "Sure thing." After all, as a low-level employee, she wouldn't say no unless she was ready to jump ship to another job.
The other colleague had already replied "Noted," but there was still no word from Cui Ye. So, she was singled out and called by name in the main group again.
On the other end, Cao Zhongliang sent the message and gave a contemptuous smirk. Who hasn't had to grind like this? It was their own fault for having no background and not knowing how to be flexible. These two little employees lacked experience; as their leader, he was just giving them "opportunities" to toughen up.
Turning around, his face shifted instantly into a warm, friendly smile as he spoke to the man on the other side of the bar: "Don't worry about the company stuff. Little Cui and Little Yang are handling it. I heard Manager Zhao arranged for a shipment of supplies to arrive soon, right? We can put them right here in this Bar Safe House. They’ll last much longer. If you have anything you want to store, just bring it in."
Sitting across from him was the "connected" hire, Zhao Guangcai. His uncle was the company’s Director Zhao, who had placed his nephew in Cao Zhongliang’s department under the guise of "gaining experience." But experience varied from person to person—some people got paid just for clocking in and out, while others did three people's worth of work and pulled overtime to fix other people's mistakes. They lived in two different worlds.
Zhao Guangcai looked down on the sycophant in front of him, but he figured the guy had been performing well enough. Plus, the man had lucked out and gotten a Safe House, even inviting Zhao to stay as a tenant. However, Zhao only had residency rights, not decision-making power. If Cao revoked his access, he wouldn't be able to step foot in here again. Furthermore, as a tenant, he had to hand over "rent." Even though Cao said he’d return it immediately upon receipt, it still made Zhao resentful. Why wasn't he the one who found the key?
Cao Zhongliang, usually so good at reading people, was so immersed in his own joy that he didn't notice the look on Zhao Guangcai’s face.
The Bar Safe House he’d obtained provided three different types of alcohol every day. The drinks tasted good, but they were just drinks. Fortunately, Zhao Guangcai seemed to love them, and the bar was fifty square meters—plenty of room to store supplies.
Cao Zhongliang bound his only Level 1 Safe House tenant slot to Zhao Guangcai, giving him the authority to enter and exit freely. Shortly after, Director Zhao called. During the call, the Director hinted heavily that he was very pleased with Cao's work and thought he was ready for a higher position. He even sent over a batch of supplies as a gesture, leaving Cao overjoyed.
The supplies themselves weren't worth much, but he’d been stuck in a supervisor role for four years without a promotion. Now, the opportunity was finally here! Clearly, sucking up to Zhao Guangcai had been the right move.
Back in the Bar Safe House, the two men sat drinking together in perfect harmony, as if they’d just closed a massive deal. Neither of them cared about Cui Ye’s lack of a reply. In their eyes, she didn't have a second choice. But Cui Ye didn't plan on choosing at all.
The world was ending; who was going to work? To hell with the heartless company, the bootlicking boss, and the annoying colleagues. From now on, they had nothing to do with her. What they did didn't matter—she only cared about tonight’s dinner.
[Use Food Voucher?] [Confirm.]
A line of text appeared on the previously blank voucher, vanishing before she could even read it. In its place appeared a steaming hot meal. Was that... bibimbap?
On a thick wooden tray, a sizzling stone pot sat, sending up clouds of delicious aroma. Six brightly colored side dishes were neatly arranged, topped with several large chunks of beef, sauce, sesame seeds, and shredded seaweed. The smell was incredible. When was the last time she’d eaten a fresh meal?
Cui Ye quickly mixed everything together, eagerly digging out a spoonful of rice and beef. She gave it a perfunctory blow and shoved it into her mouth. Unsurprisingly, it tasted just as good as she’d imagined. It wasn't the sweet and sour pork she’d hoped for, but a balanced stone-pot bibimbap was delicious enough.
She finished the meal feeling satisfied; the portion was just right. As the feeling of fullness hit, an uncontrollable wave of drowsiness followed. Dressed in her soft, dry clothes, Cui Ye lay down on the bench and drifted off in no time.
By the time she woke up, it was dark. The Walk-in Closet had no windows, so she only knew it was past ten at night after checking her phone.
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but the air in the room didn't feel as dry as before. Maybe she’d just adjusted to it after a nap?
She opened the Safe House interface and confirmed the indoor environment was still "Normal." She planned to grab a drink of water and go back to sleep. But just as she was tugging her trailing blanket back into position, a knock sounded at the door. She thought she’d misheard it, but after a few seconds, the knocking continued.
Then, the sound of a door opening rang out. Cui Ye sat bolt upright, staring at her closed wooden door. Fortunately, the Safe House door was still shut tight. So, who had opened a door?
Then came the sound of footsteps—thick-soled slippers. She immediately recognized them as Liu Yue’s. The door that had been knocked on was the main security door of their shared apartment!
There was no late-night food delivery these days. A knock at midnight usually meant an unwelcome guest. While she didn't think Liu Yue was stupid enough to just open the door, Cui Ye believed it was best not to make a single sound.
In the living room, Liu Yue had stepped out of her bedroom. She hadn't been asleep at all and had come out the moment she heard something. Just as she reached out to turn on the living room light, she touched... a hand??!!
She was about to scream for help when someone covered her mouth. She only stopped struggling when she heard Cui Ye’s voice in her ear.
Cui Ye signaled for her to stay quiet, then approached the front door alone to look through the peephole.
The sound-activated light in the hallway had been on a second ago, but now it was dark again. The knocking had stopped the moment she’d stepped out of her bedroom. Cui Ye wasn't sure if the person was still there. Faint moonlight filtered through the hallway railing, just enough to see a tall, thin figure with short hair—likely a man. He was hunched over and facing away from her, appearing as though he’d given up and was about to leave.
Just as Cui Ye was trying to see what this midnight nuisance looked like, two blood-red words suddenly popped up—[DANGER]
Even though it wasn't her first time seeing a "jump-scare" warning, the red text still made her eyes widen. Her instinct was to jump back, but she forced herself to stay perfectly still.
"Cui Ye? Did you see..." Seeing the noise outside stop and Cui Ye frozen in place, Liu Yue assumed the person had left. She couldn't help but speak up, unaware that the guy outside hadn't actually gone anywhere.
Cui Ye: Oh, crap!
Cui Ye turned to Liu Yue and waved her hands frantically, signaling her to shut up. Realizing she’d messed up, Liu Yue covered her own mouth, but it was too late.
Through the security door, the person outside seemed to have heard the voice within. The figure, which had been about to leave, suddenly turned back. The door was pounded on again—this time much harder than before. The racket successfully woke up the third person in the apartment.
Wang Zhiqiu opened her door only to see her two roommates both making "shush" gestures at her. She figured some drunk jerk was looking for trouble, but she chose to cooperate and stayed silent.
Cui Ye had a thought and opened the neighborhood's owner group chat. Sure enough, they weren't the only ones who’d been woken up. Someone from Building 11, Unit 1601, @-ed everyone to ask who was banging on doors in the middle of the night, saying their elderly family members and kids had been startled awake.
It wasn't just them. Someone from Building 7, Unit 703, reported the same noise issue. However, he didn't hear banging; he said it sounded like someone was tearing the house apart next door. He and the neighbor from Building 7 were the first to complain; the noise was so loud they couldn't sleep.
Someone @-ed property management to check it out, but they’d gone off duty long ago and didn't respond. The guy from 703 said if no one handled it, he was calling the police.
703: "I don't care about 'games' or 'apocalypses,' we still have to eat and sleep. If anyone uses this as an excuse to go crazy and disturb people, they can go cool off at the station!"
Cui Ye watched the messages fly by. 703 had called the cops, but they seemed short-handed and said it would take at least forty minutes to arrive, telling everyone to stay put.
Forty minutes. Whether 703 could wait, no one knew, but the owner of 1601 upstairs couldn't wait for the police to finish with Building 7. He grabbed a kitchen knife and rushed downstairs. Cui Ye could vaguely hear a woman upstairs pleading with him not to be impulsive.
Cui Ye hadn't expected him to ignore the police’s warning and leave his house. She immediately sent several messages telling 1601 to go back, but it was too late. The constant pounding on their door stopped.
Chapter Notes:
There were five pieces of clothing in total in the closet: leopard print thermal leggings, a down jacket, a camisole, a nightgown, and a short-sleeved shirt. Four of them were just ordinary clothes; only the thermal leggings had an attribute. Still, this was a massive surprise. Since the clothes refreshed daily, there was a chance she could pull a piece of "attribute gear" every single day.
She needed more gold coins to upgrade the Safe House, which meant she had to keep completing missions. She couldn't just huddle inside forever; these special clothes were exactly what she needed to get by outside.
Two hours later.
Cui Ye looked at the beef jerky that had already gone sour and spoiled in the rental room, then took the other half—perfectly fine—out of the Safe House and popped it into her mouth. With that, the moving operation officially began.
First came the various flavors of instant noodles and tossed noodles. She also had a good stock of heavy-flavored, extra spicy snail noodles, along with some self-heating rice and hot pots she’d bought on sale. She also stored plenty of dried vegetables and seafood—essentials for instant noodles. Since those didn't have a shelf life as long as processed instant food, most of them were from her recent haul. Finally, there were the cans: fruit cans and meat cans.
Away from the humidity, the shelf life of the food would at least double. However, given the "stomach drain" caused by her Talent, this stuff couldn't be her primary food source forever. Still, it was nice to have something to satisfy a craving now and then. Who knew if she’d ever be able to restock?
Next were the clothes and bedding, packed into compression bags to keep out the damp—though she likely wouldn't be lacking clothes in the future. Then came her suitcase, a full-length mirror, pots, pans... well, she could skip the pots. She just hoped the shop would eventually stock appliances like electric cookers; she didn't want to spend the rest of her life crunching on dry noodles.
Once everything was packed, Cui Ye sprawled out on the padded bench, looking at the two "cargo racks" that were now almost completely full. She was quite satisfied. The Safe House wasn't big, but its storage capacity was maxed out. The empty wardrobe sections had basically become an instant-food display case—a perfect use of the space.
By now, it was five in the afternoon. After all that activity, the food in her stomach was mostly digested. Cui Ye remembered her Food Voucher; she’d bought it but hadn't used it yet.
She sat down at the desk she’d just moved in, holding the Food Voucher and wishing for something like sweet and sour pork over rice, when she was suddenly interrupted by the vibration of her phone.
Opening it, she saw messages in the company group chat. Her supervisor, Cao Zhongliang, was @-ing her and another unlucky colleague, telling them both to come into the office early tomorrow for a meeting because a proposal desperately needed changes.
He made it sound all high-and-mighty, but it was really just about cleaning up the mess left by Zhao Guangcai, a well-connected newcomer who’d recently been shoved into the department. This wasn't the first time Cui Ye had dealt with this. Usually, she’d silently curse his ancestors and then type back a "Sure thing." After all, as a low-level employee, she wouldn't say no unless she was ready to jump ship to another job.
The other colleague had already replied "Noted," but there was still no word from Cui Ye. So, she was singled out and called by name in the main group again.
On the other end, Cao Zhongliang sent the message and gave a contemptuous smirk. Who hasn't had to grind like this? It was their own fault for having no background and not knowing how to be flexible. These two little employees lacked experience; as their leader, he was just giving them "opportunities" to toughen up.
Turning around, his face shifted instantly into a warm, friendly smile as he spoke to the man on the other side of the bar: "Don't worry about the company stuff. Little Cui and Little Yang are handling it. I heard Manager Zhao arranged for a shipment of supplies to arrive soon, right? We can put them right here in this Bar Safe House. They’ll last much longer. If you have anything you want to store, just bring it in."
Sitting across from him was the "connected" hire, Zhao Guangcai. His uncle was the company’s Director Zhao, who had placed his nephew in Cao Zhongliang’s department under the guise of "gaining experience." But experience varied from person to person—some people got paid just for clocking in and out, while others did three people's worth of work and pulled overtime to fix other people's mistakes. They lived in two different worlds.
Zhao Guangcai looked down on the sycophant in front of him, but he figured the guy had been performing well enough. Plus, the man had lucked out and gotten a Safe House, even inviting Zhao to stay as a tenant. However, Zhao only had residency rights, not decision-making power. If Cao revoked his access, he wouldn't be able to step foot in here again. Furthermore, as a tenant, he had to hand over "rent." Even though Cao said he’d return it immediately upon receipt, it still made Zhao resentful. Why wasn't he the one who found the key?
Cao Zhongliang, usually so good at reading people, was so immersed in his own joy that he didn't notice the look on Zhao Guangcai’s face.
The Bar Safe House he’d obtained provided three different types of alcohol every day. The drinks tasted good, but they were just drinks. Fortunately, Zhao Guangcai seemed to love them, and the bar was fifty square meters—plenty of room to store supplies.
Cao Zhongliang bound his only Level 1 Safe House tenant slot to Zhao Guangcai, giving him the authority to enter and exit freely. Shortly after, Director Zhao called. During the call, the Director hinted heavily that he was very pleased with Cao's work and thought he was ready for a higher position. He even sent over a batch of supplies as a gesture, leaving Cao overjoyed.
The supplies themselves weren't worth much, but he’d been stuck in a supervisor role for four years without a promotion. Now, the opportunity was finally here! Clearly, sucking up to Zhao Guangcai had been the right move.
Back in the Bar Safe House, the two men sat drinking together in perfect harmony, as if they’d just closed a massive deal. Neither of them cared about Cui Ye’s lack of a reply. In their eyes, she didn't have a second choice. But Cui Ye didn't plan on choosing at all.
The world was ending; who was going to work? To hell with the heartless company, the bootlicking boss, and the annoying colleagues. From now on, they had nothing to do with her. What they did didn't matter—she only cared about tonight’s dinner.
[Use Food Voucher?] [Confirm.]
A line of text appeared on the previously blank voucher, vanishing before she could even read it. In its place appeared a steaming hot meal. Was that... bibimbap?
On a thick wooden tray, a sizzling stone pot sat, sending up clouds of delicious aroma. Six brightly colored side dishes were neatly arranged, topped with several large chunks of beef, sauce, sesame seeds, and shredded seaweed. The smell was incredible. When was the last time she’d eaten a fresh meal?
Cui Ye quickly mixed everything together, eagerly digging out a spoonful of rice and beef. She gave it a perfunctory blow and shoved it into her mouth. Unsurprisingly, it tasted just as good as she’d imagined. It wasn't the sweet and sour pork she’d hoped for, but a balanced stone-pot bibimbap was delicious enough.
She finished the meal feeling satisfied; the portion was just right. As the feeling of fullness hit, an uncontrollable wave of drowsiness followed. Dressed in her soft, dry clothes, Cui Ye lay down on the bench and drifted off in no time.
By the time she woke up, it was dark. The Walk-in Closet had no windows, so she only knew it was past ten at night after checking her phone.
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but the air in the room didn't feel as dry as before. Maybe she’d just adjusted to it after a nap?
She opened the Safe House interface and confirmed the indoor environment was still "Normal." She planned to grab a drink of water and go back to sleep. But just as she was tugging her trailing blanket back into position, a knock sounded at the door. She thought she’d misheard it, but after a few seconds, the knocking continued.
Then, the sound of a door opening rang out. Cui Ye sat bolt upright, staring at her closed wooden door. Fortunately, the Safe House door was still shut tight. So, who had opened a door?
Then came the sound of footsteps—thick-soled slippers. She immediately recognized them as Liu Yue’s. The door that had been knocked on was the main security door of their shared apartment!
There was no late-night food delivery these days. A knock at midnight usually meant an unwelcome guest. While she didn't think Liu Yue was stupid enough to just open the door, Cui Ye believed it was best not to make a single sound.
In the living room, Liu Yue had stepped out of her bedroom. She hadn't been asleep at all and had come out the moment she heard something. Just as she reached out to turn on the living room light, she touched... a hand??!!
She was about to scream for help when someone covered her mouth. She only stopped struggling when she heard Cui Ye’s voice in her ear.
Cui Ye signaled for her to stay quiet, then approached the front door alone to look through the peephole.
The sound-activated light in the hallway had been on a second ago, but now it was dark again. The knocking had stopped the moment she’d stepped out of her bedroom. Cui Ye wasn't sure if the person was still there. Faint moonlight filtered through the hallway railing, just enough to see a tall, thin figure with short hair—likely a man. He was hunched over and facing away from her, appearing as though he’d given up and was about to leave.
Just as Cui Ye was trying to see what this midnight nuisance looked like, two blood-red words suddenly popped up—[DANGER]
Even though it wasn't her first time seeing a "jump-scare" warning, the red text still made her eyes widen. Her instinct was to jump back, but she forced herself to stay perfectly still.
"Cui Ye? Did you see..." Seeing the noise outside stop and Cui Ye frozen in place, Liu Yue assumed the person had left. She couldn't help but speak up, unaware that the guy outside hadn't actually gone anywhere.
Cui Ye: Oh, crap!
Cui Ye turned to Liu Yue and waved her hands frantically, signaling her to shut up. Realizing she’d messed up, Liu Yue covered her own mouth, but it was too late.
Through the security door, the person outside seemed to have heard the voice within. The figure, which had been about to leave, suddenly turned back. The door was pounded on again—this time much harder than before. The racket successfully woke up the third person in the apartment.
Wang Zhiqiu opened her door only to see her two roommates both making "shush" gestures at her. She figured some drunk jerk was looking for trouble, but she chose to cooperate and stayed silent.
Cui Ye had a thought and opened the neighborhood's owner group chat. Sure enough, they weren't the only ones who’d been woken up. Someone from Building 11, Unit 1601, @-ed everyone to ask who was banging on doors in the middle of the night, saying their elderly family members and kids had been startled awake.
It wasn't just them. Someone from Building 7, Unit 703, reported the same noise issue. However, he didn't hear banging; he said it sounded like someone was tearing the house apart next door. He and the neighbor from Building 7 were the first to complain; the noise was so loud they couldn't sleep.
Someone @-ed property management to check it out, but they’d gone off duty long ago and didn't respond. The guy from 703 said if no one handled it, he was calling the police.
703: "I don't care about 'games' or 'apocalypses,' we still have to eat and sleep. If anyone uses this as an excuse to go crazy and disturb people, they can go cool off at the station!"
Cui Ye watched the messages fly by. 703 had called the cops, but they seemed short-handed and said it would take at least forty minutes to arrive, telling everyone to stay put.
Forty minutes. Whether 703 could wait, no one knew, but the owner of 1601 upstairs couldn't wait for the police to finish with Building 7. He grabbed a kitchen knife and rushed downstairs. Cui Ye could vaguely hear a woman upstairs pleading with him not to be impulsive.
Cui Ye hadn't expected him to ignore the police’s warning and leave his house. She immediately sent several messages telling 1601 to go back, but it was too late. The constant pounding on their door stopped.
Chapter Notes:
- A "connected" hire (关系户): Someone who gets a job through social connections or "backdoor" influence rather than merit.
- "wiping someone's butt." (擦屁股): This is a very common Chinese idiom for cleaning up someone else's mess or mistakes at work.
- 头七 (Tóuqī): The seventh day after death. In Chinese tradition, it's believed the soul returns home on this day. It’s a common way to say "I'd have been dead for a week."
(Translator's Note: Hi! I'm Cubbie. I'm a new translator here. I really love reading apocalyptic novels so expect most of my projects to be in the apocalyptic/survival genres. Since I’ve just started, I’ll be editing and organizing all the chapters first so there will be a short delay in updates for a few days. Poppi and I will coordinate the weekly update schedule by then as well. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it so far! :D)
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