Apocalypse: I Have A Multiplier System - Chapter 358

Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Mistakes

Su Rong’s handwriting was fluid and precise, while Wei Xin’s fingers trembled slightly, her nerves betraying her. Su Han scowled at the form, struggling to make sense of a few questions. Fu Wei, ever cautious, double-checked his answers before nodding to himself.

Once completed, they rejoined the queue, stepping into the slow-moving line. The moment they did, the murmurs began.

“Look who’s finally lowering themselves to beg for entry.”

“Didn’t they used to call themselves high-class? Now they’re no different from the rest of us.”

A cruel chuckle rang out from somewhere behind them. “I remember when they turned their noses up at everyone. Guess they’re not so special now.”

Su Han’s hands curled into fists, his pride wounded by the jeering whispers.

He turned slightly, his expression darkening, but Su Rong placed a firm hand on his wrist, squeezing just enough to send a silent warning.

He exhaled sharply through his nose and faced forward again, though his jaw remained clenched.

“Pathetic, really,” a woman scoffed to the side. “They abandoned their own, and now they come crawling back like lost dogs.”

Wei Xin stiffened, her face coloring with humiliation.

It was evident that Su Yun’s story—her years of struggle, her rejection by the Su family—had already spread among the refugees.

These people saw them as nothing more than opportunists.

“Don’t react,” Su Rong murmured under her breath, her tone cool and commanding.

“We’re beneath them in status right now. Fighting back only confirms that we feel threatened.”

Soon it was their turn. To their dismay, the computer had rejected their application and pointed out many mistakes.

The Su Family could only redo the applications.

They were again rejected.

One by one, all the people who were ahead of them were assigned a room. While they continued to fill out the form.

Their misery continued for the next 1 day.

The second day dawned with an eerie stillness in the early morning air.

The Su family had spent the previous night on the cold ground outside the base’s walls, shivering beneath threadbare blankets, their pride bruised and their patience wearing thin.

Their attempts to resubmit the application had been met with systematic rejection, each form scrutinized, each error—no matter how minor—amplified and deemed unacceptable.

By now, their suffering had become a source of entertainment for the other refugees.

As the sun rose and the line once again began to move, fresh murmurs and snide remarks floated through the crowd.

“They still haven’t gotten in? Pathetic.”

“I bet they thought their name alone would grant them entry.”

“They should’ve begged the woman named Su Yun instead of acting high and mighty.”

Wei Xin’s face was pale with exhaustion, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched yet another form, her nerves frayed from repeated failures.

Su Han’s eyes were bloodshot, dark circles forming beneath them.

His once carefully-groomed appearance was now disheveled, a stark contrast to the arrogant air he once carried.

Fu Wei remained eerily silent, his lips pressed into a thin line, his usual composure showing cracks.

Su Rong, however, remained as poised as ever.

Her long, ink-black hair remained neatly tied, her posture straight, her expression unreadable.

Though her outward demeanor suggested patience, there was a sharp glint in her eyes—one that spoke of calculation rather than resignation.

She knew precisely what was happening.

Maybe Su Yun was toying with them.

Every rejection was deliberate.

Every obstacle placed before them was intentional.

It was a punishment, a means to grind down whatever dignity they had left before allowing them entry.

And though she hated to admit it, the tactic was effective.

When the line began moving again, the Su family forced themselves to their feet.

This time, as they reached the mechanical counter, a different attendant—an automated AI system with a hollow, emotionless voice—processed their forms.

The machine scanned the applications with a brief whirring sound before a monotone voice announced,

“Documents approved. Proceed to verification.”

A wave of exhaustion threatened to drag Wei Xin to her knees. Su Han let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

Su Jin almost cried.

When it was time for room assigning, Su Rong rented a double-room apartment for Su Han, Su Jin, and Wei Xin and a double-room apartment for herself.

They also got a list of rules that they should follow.

Wei Xin once in the double room apartment threw away the rules paper and snorted,

“What does the base leader of this base mean? Why do I feel she was deliberately targeting us?”

Su Han, still brooding over their humiliating ordeal at the gates, scoffed.

“Isn’t it obvious? Su Yun was pulling the strings behind the scenes. Who else would make us suffer like this? That woman has always held a grudge. She wanted to see us humiliated.”

Su Jin sighed, rubbing his temples as he settled onto the modest yet clean couch.

“We had to go through hell just to get in here. That was not an accident.”

For all their grievances, however, none of them could deny the stark contrast between their miserable night outside and the comfort of their new living space.

The apartment, though simple, was immaculate.

The floors were polished, the walls freshly painted, and the scent of cleanliness lingered in the air.

What truly astonished them, however, was the presence of constant electricity.

A working air conditioning unit hummed softly, sending a cool breeze through the room.

A ceiling fan spun effortlessly, offering a second layer of relief from the oppressive heat they had endured for so long.

It was a luxury none of them had expected, and for a long moment, the family simply stood there, overwhelmed.

Wei Xin was the first to react.

She pressed a trembling hand against the wall as if to confirm its solidity, then rushed toward the switch, flipping it on and off in disbelief.

“It’s real… it’s really real,” she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.

Su Han collapsed onto the couch with a sigh of deep relief.

“I never thought I’d experience air conditioning again,” he admitted, his voice unusually soft.