I Built a Small Town in the Apocalypse

Miao Suisui, an orphan from the modern world, dies when struck by a falling object and awakens in a post-apocalyptic dimension bound to the Town System. The system transports her to a desolate wasteland where mutated zombies, animals, and plants roam freely. She is tasked with naming and developing a settlement to shelter survivors. After observing the horrific ruins and a rotting zombie outside her initial location, she names her town Hope Town. The system guarantees absolute safety within the town's iron railings, but requires crystal cores, harvested from mutated beasts, to maintain infrastructure and fund upgrades. Without sufficient energy, the town enters dormancy, leaving its inhabitants vulnerable to the apocalypse.

Suisui’s first resident is Su Qingqing, a capable survivor who stumbles into Hope Town while fleeing an eighth-level mutated rhinoceros. Qingqing is exhausted, starving, and desperate to provide for her family in a harsh base where resources are scarce and living conditions are degrading. Suisui offers her shelter in a crude thatched hut for twenty Level 1 crystal cores per night. Qingqing is initially suspicious, perceiving the town’s cleanliness, running water, and fresh food as potential traps. However, after experiencing a hot shower and a meal of noodles made from town-grown wheat, her guard lowers. She pays for a month’s stay, providing Suisui with the capital needed to upgrade the town to Level 2. This unlocks a general store, a bakery, and additional housing, transforming the lonely settlement into a functioning community.

Qingqing returns to her original base to retrieve her parents and younger sister, leaving behind a trail of hope among the desperate survivors. She reunites with Chen Xu, a psychic ability user, and his group, who are fleeing their own base after refusing to tolerate the abuse committed by its leader, Qinglong. The group includes a pregnant woman, elderly parents, and three orphaned siblings. After a harrowing journey involving mutated rat swarms, Qingqing leads them to Hope Town. Chen Xu and Liu Dong, an ice ability user searching for his lost daughter, are the first to inspect the facilities. They are stunned by the availability of basic necessities like toilet paper and sanitary products, items that are nearly priceless in the outside world. The group decides to settle, paying for housing and contributing to the town’s growing population.

As Hope Town expands, it unlocks more advanced facilities, including a library and a restaurant. The town’s population grows to over ten residents, triggering a Level 3 upgrade that introduces new crops, livestock, and improved housing structures. The residents, including the pregnant Yu Juan and the three siblings Sun Yu, Sun Yong, and Sun Yue, begin to rebuild their lives. Sun Yu, the eldest sister, takes on the burden of caring for her siblings by hunting zombies to earn crystal cores. Meanwhile, Liu Dong departs on a mission with Chen Xu and Han Wei to search for his missing daughter and other lost friends, leaving the vulnerable residents under Suisui’s protection.

Despite the town’s growth, external threats loom. A ruthless gang leader named Niu Ge, a former murderer, spots Hope Town from a distance using a telescope. He observes the chickens, vegetables, and residents, recognizing the settlement as a valuable target for plunder. Niu Ge plans to infiltrate the town to assess its defenses before launching an attack. Simultaneously, Suisui receives an emergency mission from the system to rescue residents who have gone missing outside the town’s boundaries. The system provides security robots and a protective shield to ensure her safety during the rescue operation. Suisui accepts the mission, stepping out of her comfort zone to protect the community she has built, marking a shift from passive management to active defense of Hope Town.