Apocalypse Gachapon

Stink Nest—this was the name of a small town after the apocalypse.

The meaning was quite straightforward: the place was dirty, chaotic, and foul. Due to the weather, it might not look particularly ugly, but a persistent stench had formed over time. The stench would spread throughout the entire town whenever the winds from the icy plains weakened.

As for “nest”… that was also easy to understand. What else could it be called a dirty, chaotic, foul place?

Yet even such a place was home to over ten thousand people.

Because not only were there seven spinning wheels scattered within the town and its surrounding ten-kilometer radius—ranging from level two to level eight—but it was also situated behind a frozen lake and in front of a mountain range, shielding it from ice storms. The frozen lake and the mountains beyond also provided an abundance of mutated creatures for the hunters.

Compared to the elusive land-based creatures in the snowy mountains, most people in Stink Nest preferred making a living on the frozen lake, as the fish and crustaceans there had decent evolutionary levels but were far less intelligent.

Creatures of the same level were much easier to deal with than their land-based counterparts.

For example, this frozen lake had a specialty called Helmet Fish. Not turtles, these were mutated creatures about a meter long, classified between levels four and five, with hard shells covering half their bodies. Their teeth were sharp and strong, and they could spit ice arrows. More importantly, they were social creatures—beneath this frozen lake, there were at least five schools of Helmet Fish, each numbering over ten thousand, with countless smaller groups of hundreds or thousands.

Among the mid-tier creatures of the frozen lake, they were apex predators.

But despite their dominance, these fish were extremely gluttonous, especially for the flesh of land-based creatures.

The hunters of Stink Nest exploited this habit. They would break through the ice, use special fishing rods, and if they picked the right spot, used high-grade bait, had sturdy hooks, good teamwork, and a bit of luck, they could catch seven or eight—even ten—in a single day.

These cold-water fish had delicious meat, rich in energy and calories, making them one of the best foods on the icy plains. The half-shells on their bodies were excellent materials for crafting armor, while their spines, teeth, and other parts were also valuable.

And, of course, there were the demon crystals.

Earning enough to spin a wheel in a day was already a huge attraction.

So it was no surprise that the hunters of Stink Nest preferred fishing on this vast frozen lake.

The diverse life in the lake sustained the town’s ten thousand hunters.

On this day, like countless others before it, hunters began emerging from Stink Nest’s low walls as soon as dawn broke, heading to the frozen lake to fish.

The temperature was still bitterly cold, at least ten degrees lower than Black Dragon City. The hunters bundled up tightly against a level of cold unseen in peaceful times.

It wasn’t that they were overly eager—it was just that while the lake was vast, the best Helmet Fish spots were limited. If they arrived late, others would take them.

This group of about a dozen hunters, half wearing snowshoes and the rest seated on two sleds pulled by four level-three mutated dogs, sped across the ice.

After an hour of scouting, they found the day’s hunting grounds for a large Helmet Fish school and began chiseling through the thick ice.

“This spot was probably taken by the Kafka Squad yesterday. Just one night, and the ice is over a meter thick again—what kind of cursed weather is this?”

One hunter cursed as he pulled a spiral drill bit from the ice.

He was speaking Chinese.

“Ah Jie, how many times have I told you? Here, we speak the local language!”

An elder with a thick beard and dyed reddish hair—his burly frame almost making him look like a native, save for his distinctly Eastern features—scolded the young man sharply.

Looking closely, most of this squad were of Eastern descent, with the remaining three likely mixed-race.

Ah Jie lowered his head and continued drilling, though his expression was resentful.

“I know none of you like it, but to survive here, we must keep our heads down. Once a few of us reach six stars, we’ll head south! To Black Dragon City!”

Many brightened at this.

They dreamed of returning to their homeland.

Before, their low evolution levels made crossing the icy plains impossible—any danger could wipe them out.

“Old Man, we’ve sent plenty of intel to Black Dragon City. Can’t they send someone to bring us back? I’m sick of living like ghosts here. These damn foreigners don’t even treat us as human!”

A young man clenched his fists.

Their Eastern blood made them targets in this foreign land.

In peaceful times, it was manageable—laws protected them, and their homeland’s strength meant they could do business, study, or travel without major issues.

But after the apocalypse, racial and national differences made every day a struggle. Businesspeople, students, tourists, even those who had settled and had mixed-race children found their differences magnified infinitely.

The sheer hostility nearly destroyed them.

Through unity, resistance, sacrifice, and compromise… they survived, but their numbers dwindled. Now, fewer than a hundred of their people remained in Stink Nest—aside from them, another group worked long-term for a foreign guild, living slightly better but not by much.

A year ago, a team from Black Dragon City had arrived, selling homeland goods. Though many locals coveted their wares, a show of force deterred most.

Someone had secretly approached Old Man, asking him to provide local intel, materials, ores, and specialties in exchange for payment.

Helmet Fish shells were a key demand.

Every three months, someone from Black Dragon City would sneak in, buy their stock, and leave.

Thanks to this covert trade, Old Man’s squad had grown stronger. Now, Old Man himself was a five-star evolved, with two others at five stars and members like Ah Jie at four stars—placing them mid-tier in Stink Nest.