"What? This is actually a novel world about hoarding supplies for the Doomsday, and today is actually the doomsday?!"

Where did that voice come from?

What's with all the noise in the middle of the night? Which kid is having a delusional episode and making all this noise?

The residents of Unit 2 in Baojing Community couldn't help but feel a bit irritated.

Especially the office worker who had just returned from overtime, dragging his exhausted body without even changing his clothes, collapsing directly on the sofa, trying to catch some sleep. He grabbed a nearby pillow to cover his ears, attempting to block out the noise and continue sleeping.

"No, I need to see what's written in the first chapter of the novel."

Another sentence came through clearly.

Covering his ears didn’t help; the voice was as clear as if someone were speaking loudly right next to his ear.

The office worker couldn't help but roll over, throwing the pillow aside: "Can you just stop already?"

"Talking non-stop in the middle of the night, if you don't sleep, others still need to!"

Although it was unclear who was causing the disturbance, with someone taking the lead, other residents who had long felt annoyed no longer held back. Many got up and leaned out their windows, shouting warnings: "Exactly, have some public decency, will you?"

"I have work tomorrow."

"My kid is in their final year of high school. If anyone keeps making noise, I'll get really mad."

...

Even though Sheng Qingquan was still shocked by his discovery, hearing the waves of complaints outside, he couldn't help but lose focus for a second.

Was someone causing a disturbance just now? Why are so many people suddenly protesting?

But after a moment of distraction, Sheng Qingquan couldn't afford to think about it anymore. His attention remained focused on the book floating in mid-air before him.

He had just received a long-overdue golden finger, only to realize that he hadn't been reborn into a parallel world but had instead entered a novel.

The worst part was that he had entered a post-apocalyptic novel.

This is a Doomsday novel! Sheng Qingquan stared at the floating book. He had entered this novel, and even though he had the original text, allowing him to read the plot and gain foresight.

But if the price of having a golden finger was this, Sheng Qingquan would rather have nothing at all.

Unfortunately, no matter how long he stared, the novel didn't disappear. In fact, because his attention was so focused, the text on the cover became even more distinct. It was crystal clear.

"November 22, 3025, no one expected the Doomsday to arrive like this..."

Sheng Qingquan seriously took out his phone to compare the date, and it was exactly the same.

"Just past midnight, today is indeed November 22, 3025."

Looking again at the striking title on the cover.

"Space Hoarding, Surviving the Doomsday," the title is too blunt, leaving no room for denial.

As soon as this book appeared, Sheng Qingquan knew deep down that he had entered a novel. After comparing the information, any remaining hope in his heart was utterly crushed.

At this thought, Sheng Qingquan couldn't care less about anything else and anxiously willed the book to flip through its pages.

The opening was a long segment of passionate scenes, with the author's writing skills exceptionally superb, crafting the scenes with remarkable sensuality without triggering any censored words.

"On the slender, knuckle-defined fingers was a plain white jade ring. This hand, usually flipping through documents, was now placed on the delicate bud..."

"Are you trying to kill us? Such commotion at night, have you no shame?"

"There are minors still awake, what a sin!"

Angry shouts from neighbours came through the window.

It was unclear whose nighttime activities had caused such public outrage. Although Sheng Qingquan knew they weren't scolding him, after seeing so much explicit content, he couldn't bring himself to continue reading silently in his mind.

He almost mistook it for some erotic literature.

Quickly skipping over the explicit content, Sheng Qingquan finally found the key point.

"The main couple, reunited after a long separation, were so excited during their intimacy that they skipped proper preparation and went straight to the main event, resulting in slight bleeding for the bottom."

"The blood stained the ring on the top's finger, accidentally activating the dimensional ring, causing an ancient virus within the space to overflow, infecting a large number of organisms and leading to the apocalypse?"

Sheng Qingquan was stunned. What kind of bizarre reason for an apocalypse is this?

No wonder the cover hinted at it, who could have thought of such an apocalypse origin?

He tried to confirm its authenticity, but the text left no room for doubt—this was as real as it gets.

Sheng Qingquan was stunned. Even more shocked were the other residents nearby.

This guy not only disturbed the peace, but with so many neighbours around, the more they complained, the more he seemed to revel in it. Totally perverted.

In the middle of the night, he was reading smut out loud, and even after being scolded, he didn't tone it down much.

While the start of this apocalypse sounded kind of fresh, and the story had some originality, all the graphic descriptions just made everyone feel like their ears needed a shower.

Unfortunately, after listening for a while, they still couldn’t pinpoint where the voice was coming from, so they couldn’t go confront the guy.

After yelling at him from a distance with no effect, everyone just gave up and went back to bed, annoyed.

It was already past midnight, and even though the guy wasn’t sleeping, everyone else still needed to.

Some put on headphones, others dug out earplugs, but the sound still found its way in.

"Wait, the names of the main couple sound familiar!" Sheng Qingquan suddenly realized.

"The top is named Luo Huanian, and the bottom is Ning Luoxing. Isn’t that the gay couple upstairs?"

"Given that I've been transported into a book, what are the chances of encountering a gay couple with the same names who aren’t the main characters?"

"Especially since they’re the same age and look just like the descriptions."

"So, the main characters are right next to me?"

"What are the odds I can latch onto them to survive?"

"Wait, before the apocalypse hits, I should stock up. It’ll be easier to team up with them if I’ve got supplies." Thinking this, Sheng Qingquan instinctively opened a shopping app and placed an urgent local order.

After blowing a few thousand, Sheng Qingquan finally snapped out of it. He snapped back to reality from the panic of the coming apocalypse.

"No, stopping the apocalypse is more important than hoarding supplies."

"Just knowing the story isn’t enough to dodge all the dangers and make it out alive. After all, this thing doesn’t boost physical strength or intelligence. But the apocalypse hasn’t even started yet!"

"The big thing is, this apocalypse wasn’t caused by some crazy scientist or sudden climate shifts—it was just a fluke."

"It was just a tiny mistake, and it’s totally preventable."

At that thought, Sheng Qingquan shivered and quickly skimmed the book again to double-check the timing. Unlike the vague hint on the cover, the first chapter gave the exact time of the apocalypse, down to the minute.

By now, the main couple should be home, having a romantic candlelit dinner. In an hour, they’d finish their bath and get down to business. Then, since it had been a while, they got carried away, and the bottom’s minor bleeding caused the disaster.

Only an hour left. Sheng Qingquan didn’t waste a second, not even changing clothes, and bolted out the door.

What’s this guy’s deal? Not only is the story getting wilder, but he’s dragging real people into it.

Using real people in smut is bad enough, but reading it out loud in the neighbourhood? If the couple wanted to sue, they’d have a slam dunk case.

Not afraid of a lawsuit.

If it weren’t for asking the kids at home and confirming they hadn’t heard anything, many would have already considered calling the police. Outsiders thought this way, let alone the main characters of the smut.

But the other person was quite dedicated, actually managing to read this stuff aloud, even with full emotion. Just listening to the voice, one might think it was a radio drama, with the tone perfectly capturing the image of someone who just realized they’ve transmigrated into an apocalyptic novel.

While others were complaining, on the sixth floor, the couple who were about to finish their romantic dinner and have a good time looked at each other: surely they weren’t the ones being talked about? The couple's eyes simultaneously focused on the ring on Luo Huanian's hand. After a moment, Luo Huanian carefully took it off.

It wasn't that they were being overly cautious.

At first, the couple didn't take the voice they heard seriously and found it a bit noisy, which made their candlelit dinner more of a late-night snack, less romantic.

But as they listened further, they began to feel something was off.

Many people knew that Luo Huanian wore a ring, and although they didn't know who the speaker was, the voice was so clear that it was likely a neighbour.

Living in the same neighbourhood, coming and going, one could easily notice the ring on Luo Huanian's hand with a bit of attention.

However, knowing about the ring and also knowing that they were having a candlelit dinner today, planning to take a bath and then do something intimate—such private matters had never been shared with anyone else.

The room had thick blackout curtains, so no one outside could see inside, and the faint candlelight from the dinner couldn't penetrate through. Moreover, the candles used were from their stock, not newly purchased.

As for the bath, they didn't usually have the habit of taking baths; it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea during dinner to add some romance.

Half an hour ago, even they themselves didn't know about these plans, yet the other person seemed to know everything.

This made them subconsciously pay more attention.

Only after taking off the ring did Ning Luoxing chuckle, "What is all this? How could the apocalypse be real?"

They had actually taken off the ring. Luo Huanian was also surprised. Just as he was about to put the ring back on, they heard a knock at the door.

Who could be coming at this hour?

Though they wondered, being two grown men at home, both trained and skilled, they weren't afraid. Luo Huanian, though cautious, went to open the door decisively.

Outside, Sheng Qingquan stood nervously, his eyes scanning Luo Huanian's hands repeatedly upon seeing him.

"Nothing? Not on the left hand, not on the right hand. Where's the white jade ring?"

"Luo Huanian isn't wearing a ring, which is different from what's written in the novel, so they're not the main characters, just happen to share the same names as the main couple."

"Everything is just a coincidence. Did I find the wrong people? Or is there no such thing as transmigrating into a novel, and no Doomsday?!"

No Doomsday! At this thought, Sheng Qingquan felt relieved, but the next moment, under his magnifying-glass-like observation, he keenly noticed a faint white mark on Luo Huanian's left ring finger.

It was a mark left from long-term ring wear.

"So where's the ring?"

Sheng Qingquan grew anxious.

"Has the plot already changed before it even started? Has the space ring been activated?"

"Oh no, the novel says that once the space ring is activated, the ancient virus inside will start to leak."

"That's bad enough, but every time it's used, it speeds up the spread of the virus. Who would get such a treasure as a space ring and not use it?"

"Especially when the apocalypse breaks out on a large scale later, surviving won't be easy, and having a space to stockpile goods would significantly reduce the difficulty. Just because they could resist using it before doesn't mean they can later."

"Besides, the main couple doesn't know that the space ring is the root cause of the apocalypse. To survive and live better, they would only use the space ring more frequently, not realizing that this would accelerate the apocalypse, making the crisis erupt faster."

"If I advise the main characters not to use it, will they listen?"

"Wait, if I really say it, instead of worrying about whether the main characters will listen, I should be more concerned about my own life. If an outsider points out a treasure like the space ring, to prevent the information from leaking, would the main characters resort to silencing me?"

As Sheng Qingquan's emotions flared, the voice everyone heard changed from clear speech to loud shouting right next to their ears.

Ning Luoxing and Luo Huanian exchanged glances: Did he just not say anything?

The lights, which had been turned off for the candlelit dinner, were now back on, and the room was brightly lit.

The hallway motion-sensor lights kept flickering on and off because of the neighbours' constant complaints.

So they could see everything clearly.

Sheng Qingquan's mouth was clamped shut. Clearly, he hadn't figured out what to say or how to talk to them.

Yet, his voice rang clearly in their ears.

Before seeing him, the couple had thought the voice sounded familiar but couldn't quite place it.

Now that he was right there, they couldn't miss it.

It was unmistakably him.

His mouth wasn't moving, but they could still hear him.

Noticing his barely hidden anxiety and how his eyes kept darting to their hands.

So, were they actually hearing Sheng Qingquan's inner thoughts?

"Damn, they came out one after the other, gazing at each other so lovingly, but their rings are gone."

"Those were their engagement rings! The novel said they never took them off, always kept them on."

"These two, all dressed up, couldn't have just finished something intense, right?"

"Looking closely, their clothes are neat but easy to take off. They could've thrown them on quickly after the knock and opened the door."

"Plus, their expressions are off, like they were interrupted during some late-night fun. They look pretty frustrated and irritated."

"Damn, I must be too late."

"The world's ending because of a couple's love life."

"Life's not worth it; the apocalypse reason is just ridiculous!"

Sheng Qingquan was freaking out.

Ning Luoxing and Luo Huanian were even more freaked out than Sheng Qingquan.

Could our frustration be from you narrating our private moments, not the interruption or the apocalypse?

Moreover, Ning Luoxing heard someone outside yelling about noise and bad manners.

Clearly, it wasn't just the two of them who could hear Sheng Qingquan's inner thoughts.

In other words, these thoughts were being broadcast publicly.

Who the hell can handle this?!

After all, Doomsday isn't coming anymore, and they still have to live in this world.

The more Sheng Qingquan read aloud passionately, the more embarrassed Ning Luoxing and his husband felt.

Sheng Qingquan, thinking no one could hear his thoughts since he wasn't speaking aloud, kept rambling in his mind.

"No, I need to keep reading to see if there's a way to fix this." After breaking down, Sheng Qingquan finally regained his composure.

The couple, who had wanted to interrupt his thoughts to avoid circling back to intimate matters, awkwardly stayed silent.

Understanding the plot was more important than their embarrassment.

Although they would certainly be careful not to let blood drip onto the space ring, what if there were other ways to activate it? They had to eliminate any chance of that happening.

Once Sheng Qingquan left, they planned to store the ring in a box, lock it in a safe, and then deal with it further.

The world was stable, and people were living peaceful, productive lives. The couple weren't antisocial; they didn't want to destroy the world. They didn't want to risk their peaceful lives, fearing the chaos of Doomsday.

If they tried everything and still couldn't avoid it, finding a remedy would be crucial.

Luo Huanian listened carefully and once again heard Sheng Qingquan's voice without seeing him speak.

"What's going on?"

Sheng Qingquan's clear voice rang out again, his tone frantic.

The couple's hearts sank at this. Could there really be no remedy?

"Who writes three whole chapters about hoarding stuff!"

"This was before they knew Doomsday was coming. They just thought it was a great place to store things, and not using it would be wasteful, so they casually stocked up. Otherwise, who knows how many chapters it would have been."

Relieved it wasn't what they feared, the couple still felt a bit embarrassed.

Ning Luoxing scratched his nose awkwardly; he did have a bit of a hoarding habit. Every house had a dedicated storage room, filled to the brim.

If he had a portable space, he'd definitely do this.

Wait, Ning Luoxing suddenly turned pale.

If he went on a hoarding spree in the space, the frequency of using it would be high. And each time he used it, he was accelerating the spread of the virus. Wouldn't he be single-handedly triggering Doomsday?

After hoarding for three chapters, how much sooner would Doomsday arrive?

The realization sent a chill down Ning Luoxing's spine.

Luo Huanian quietly held his hand; it wasn't the time for words, so he supported his lover through action.

Sheng Qingquan didn't know what the couple was thinking, but he kept ranting in his mind.

"Sure, I love reading about protagonists hoarding like crazy in space Doomsday stories. The more they hoard, the safer and more satisfied I feel. But is this really the time for that?"

"I don't care how you hoarded, or how much rice, flour, oil, or snacks you bought..."

"I even know how wealthy the couple is, but I still haven't found the key clue!"

Blurt out a bitter remark in his grief and anger, Sheng Qingquan couldn't help but say,

"I didn't realize this couple was quite wealthy. Not counting fixed assets, just the liquid cash they have on hand is in the eight figures."

The ordinary folks were deeply envious.

"Thankfully, by Chapter Five, the hoarding finally came to an end."

As Sheng Qingquan breathed a sigh of relief, Ning Luoxing and his partner also stopped worrying and quickly focused and listened intently.

"After the main couple finished hoarding, they encountered an industrial park fire while leaving the warehouse. The fire burned a nearby warehouse that was storing a whole warehouse of paper products."

Why mention this all of a sudden?

However, the couple knew they were hearing someone else's thoughts and didn't interrupt rashly. But standing at the door wasn't doing any good, so Ning Luoxing couldn't help but ask, "Would you like to come in and sit down?"

Standing for a long time made his feet ache a little. Besides, Sheng Qingquan had originally wanted to go in, clinging to a slim hope that maybe the ring hadn't been activated yet, and going inside would at least give him a chance to prevent it. It was better than just standing at the door.

Even if, unfortunately, the ring had already been activated, he still wanted to see with his own eyes the thing that would soon doom him to struggle for survival in the apocalypse!

Sheng Qingquan decisively accepted the invitation. Once inside, he quickly glanced around.

"The doors are all tightly shut, not even a sliver of light, so I can't see if there's a ring inside. Generally, if you take off accessories during private moments, they would be placed on the bedside table. I was hoping to confirm its location by chance." Sheng Qingquan was disappointed.

Ning Luoxing pretended not to notice what Sheng Qingquan was after and invited him to sit on the sofa, then handed him a glass of water. To give Sheng Qingquan enough time to go through the plot, he excused himself to the kitchen to prepare some snacks, taking his partner along to help.

Although he didn't feel the need to eat, Ning Luoxing insisted, and Sheng Qingquan didn't feel like refusing.

Seeing that he was alone now, he immediately turned his attention back to the novel and kept reading.

"Turns out the industrial park caught fire because the warehouse manager, who was in charge, fell in love with his alluring stepmother. After being rejected by her again, he got depressed, forgot the rules, drank to numb his pain while working, and after finishing, smoked a cigarette and fell asleep without putting it out, causing the fire."

"Ignoring other losses, the fire caused 1 death and 3 injuries!"

"The irresponsible rule violator who caused the fire didn't die; he was rescued by firefighters. The casualties were all innocent people! Ugh, this is so infuriating!"

"Although I know the author wrote this as a setup, and this warehouse manager will probably be a minor villain after the apocalypse, using his familiarity with the warehouse area to hoard and monopolize resources, becoming a local menace. But it's still so infuriating!"

"Why does someone like this get away with it!"

"Hold on, no, that's not what I'm here for."

Sheng Qingquan tried to suppress his anger but failed. After taking a couple of sips of water from the table, he barely managed to calm down and continued reading.

"Why isn't there any mention of a remedy? Is there really no way to fix it once the space ring is activated? Can't it be sealed shut again?"

"Although this space ring is amazingly powerful, not only can it store items, but people can also enter it. There are even a few acres of land inside where you can plant things, and the harvest time is shortened, similar to the legendary spirit fields where one day equals a hundred or a thousand days. There's even a spirit spring inside. Drinking the spirit spring water can cleanse toxins and boost health. It's clearly a good thing."

"There's even living quarters inside. Besides the living space, there's a special area for preserving items. Not only is the space large, but time stands still inside; things remain exactly as they were when put in."

"Compared to other space rings in space-themed novels, this is definitely a top-tier space. It has everything you could want, just missing a legacy, like some secret manual left by a master."

"If it weren't for the fact that Chapter One already explained the cause of the apocalypse, who could tell just by looking that this space is a poisoned candy?"

"Plus, this ring was passed down from the protagonist's ancestors. What the ancestors gave must be good. Although they probably didn't know it was a space ring, maybe they just thought the jade quality was good, the craftsmanship outstanding, and bought it on a whim to collect, not intending to harm their descendants."

"But the descendants were indeed screwed over. Not just their descendants, but the whole world was screwed over!"

Thinking that he was also one of the unlucky ones who got the short end of the stick, Sheng Qingquan felt a wave of sadness.

"Gifts from elders naturally lower one's guard. After the apocalypse occurs, it's a given. By then, even if the main couple doesn't see the space ring as a lifeline, they'll still keep it as a backup, a trump card."

"If we think along these lines, this space ring is really a 'gift' deliberately packaged by someone with ulterior motives, and it probably doesn't leave a sealing method."

After searching for a while without success, Sheng Qingquan couldn't help but flip back a bit.

"There's no table of contents or anything; otherwise, we might have spotted some clues. Let's just skip ahead and look directly."

"No choice. The one who delivered the space ring to the ancestor of the main character must be the mastermind behind the scenes. Typically, such a mastermind is only dealt with towards the novel's end. If there's a method to seal or destroy the space ring, it must also be in the final part."

"Let's just flip to the end and check."

The information is overwhelming, but ever since hearing about the virus inside the space ring and its leakage, causing the apocalypse, Ning Luoxing has had this gut feeling. The person who created this space ring is probably ill-intentioned.

The result Sheng Qingquan deduced from the plot is very likely true.

Ning Luoxing even curled his fingers uneasily, unable to suppress his worry.

The space ring passed down from his partner's ancestor isn't just one; there are two, one large and one small. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been used as a love token.

Now that the big space ring has issues, what about the small one?

With two virus dispensers in play, it's no wonder this world is doomed.

What Ning Luoxing realized, Luo Huanian also realized. Facing his partner's anxiety, Luo Huanian gave a slight shake of his head.

The two space rings weren't obtained together. According to the family's records, the ancestor first acquired the small ring and later sought a similar one to pair it, intending it as a dowry for his daughter. A single ring carries a bad omen.

The two space rings didn't come from the same source. So the one his partner wears is likely just an ordinary white jade ring.

Besides, if the world they live in is really a novel.

One space ring is sufficient; the author doesn't need to introduce a second one, which would dilute the first ring's uniqueness.

Knowing his partner so well, Ning Luoxing finally felt a bit less anxious.

Though having such a space ring is already quite a burden.

Hopefully, there really is a solution in the end. Whether it's sealing or destroying the ring, either would suffice.

The couple waited quietly as Sheng Qingquan flipped through the pages, feeling like prisoners awaiting their sentence.

"Damn! What the hell, this golden finger is poisonous!"

Sheng Qingquan suddenly let out a loud exclamation, even cursing involuntarily.

"This clearly looks like a physical book! It has a cover, back cover, and inner pages, just like the texture of a paper book. I don't even mind that it doesn't have a table of contents, but you give me this?"

"What kind of physical book charges you while you're reading it! If it were a webpage or a novel app for online reading, it's normal to pay after the trial reading, but I have the whole book in hand, why can't I read it?!"

"Is this reasonable?!"

"It's just not reasonable!"

Sheng Qingquan tried again, unwilling to give up. Still, it didn't work.

The book did open. But unlike the previous black and white pages, this page was covered with a thin layer of grey substance.

This grey layer completely obscured the main text.

With skills like that, you should go into the cosmetics industry and make concealers. Why are you making things hard for people here?

Sheng Qingquan wiped the pages of the book, but the dust didn’t come off.

Instead, a large line of text popped up on the page.

"Please buy the official version and support authorized reading."

He flipped forward a bit, and the pages still showed the same message.

From the last page to page 26, every page after the first 25 showed the same bold reminder when touched.

"Please buy the official version and support authorized reading."

Supporting the official version is good, and he’s all for it—he’s been a legit reader his whole life, proudly holding his head high.

But Sheng Qingquan was so frustrated he felt like he could spit blood, flipping through the pages noisily.

"At least tell me how to pay! Where do I even pay?!" he yelled, like Ma Jingtao’s iconic yelling meme.