The End of the World, I Got a Mansion System

"You can't blame Mom for being tough. It's just unavoidable. There are only two rooms in the house, and eight people are living here. Since you have the opportunity to join the pioneering team, with free meals, accommodation, and even dormitories, such excellent conditions, just go..." Samantha, though anticipating it, still felt miserable. "Mom, I don't have any special abilities. I've never left the base since I was a child, and now you want me to join the pioneering army..." It's either death or mutilation. In the twentieth year of the apocalypse, major bases gradually became well-established. Survivors flocked to these places as they not only provided food but also protection against zombie and mutant attacks. The rush to enter the bases led to a significant increase in population, causing a shortage of living space. Samantha's father, being one of the early engineers involved in base construction, was fortunate enough to be allocated a two-bedroom, sixty-square-meter apartment. In theory, it would be sufficient for his family of three. However, Samantha's parents were a second-time couple. Before Samantha was born, they both had families and children with their previous spouses. Feeling sorry for his two sons from the previous marriage who had nowhere to stay, Samantha's father, Joe, brought them into his newly separated house. Noticing this, Samantha's mother, Megan, felt uneasy. In response, she brought her daughter Emma (Samantha's half-sister from her previous marriage), Emma's husband, and their three-year-old daughter to live with them. Eight people crammed into a sixty-square-meter house. Samantha not only lacked her own room but was forced to sleep in the narrow and damp bathroom. The toilet was uncomfortably close to her bed. Every time Emma entered the bathroom, she would scold Samantha for being a hindrance and a burden. With a large family comes numerous conflicts, and there was never a peaceful day. Adding to the chaos, the government implemented a policy requiring each household to send one adult labor force member to join the pioneering army; otherwise, they would lose their housing. Samantha was pushed out under these circumstances. Megan, with red eyes, pleaded, "Mom really has no choice. Your sister has children, and I can't ask her to go. Your two brothers have stable jobs in the base, providing most of the family's income. Your dad won't agree..." Samantha gave up and turned into the cramped and dark bathroom, closing the door to shut out her mother's voice. She felt no attachment to this family. Even if joining the military meant a life of disability or death, it seemed better than being betrayed and abandoned by the closest people. She had almost nothing to pack. Her personal belongings were meager, and she only took a set of clean clothes. At that moment, a cold mechanical voice echoed in her mind: "Energy collection complete. Loading successful." Samantha was puzzled. Was it an illusion? "Do you agree to bind the Landlady System? Upon successful binding, you will be gifted a one-bedroom apartment for personal use." In the midst of confusion, Samantha was fixated on the words "gifted a property." A house! It was her dream to have a place of her own. Even if it was an illusion or daydream, she would agree to anything at that moment, whether it was binding a system or fighting zombies up close. "Binding successful. Please accept your reward, Host." Instantly, Samantha held a house card in her hand, and a transparent panel appeared in front of her, displaying a 3D rotating presentation of a one-bedroom apartment. Samantha widened her eyes as if in a dream. It couldn't be a hallucination, could it? "Host, please proceed to the property location and complete the novice task as soon as possible." Returning to her senses, Samantha looked at the address on the back of the house card. It seemed familiar, possibly near the Hartwood base. "Bang Bang Bang!" A loud knocking echoed outside, accompanied by Emma's impatience, "Hurry up, pack your things, and report. You're always dragging your feet. Take everything with you, throw away what you can't take. You're always in the way when using the toilet." Samantha endured, put away the house card, and opened the door. "Done packing? If you're done, why are you still standing there? You eat so much without doing anything efficient." Samantha walked past with a cold face. Under Emma's astonished gaze, she raised her hand and slapped her. Since she decided to cut ties with this family, she needed to settle the score first before leaving. With a "snap," not only did Samantha dispel the resentment in her heart, but she also felt an inexplicable sense of relief. She had wanted to do this for a long time! "Samantha! How dare you hit me!" Emma's voice was almost hoarse. Ignoring the crying Dennis, she was about to rush towards Samantha for a fight. Without a word, Samantha delivered another slap, "I'm hitting you. You're the least qualified in this family to say I'm freeloading! If it weren't for Mom favoring you since childhood and bringing your whole family over, you'd still be wandering around now!" Megan cried with a wheeze, "Don't say such things between sisters..." Samantha heard what seemed like the funniest thing: "From today onwards, I have no brothers, no sisters, and no parents! Let's keep it that way. Treat me as a stranger when you see me, don't greet me." After saying that, without paying attention to Emma's murderous gaze, Samantha quickly went back, took her ID card and the only set of clean clothes, carried her bag, and left the house without looking back. Megan cried uncontrollably, "Is she trying to sever ties with us?" Emma covered her red face, filled with resentment, "Sever ties heartlessly. Let's see if she can survive in Hartwood without a father or brothers! She'll come begging us in the end!"