I Opened a Restaurant in a Natural Disaster Game

He Lingyu is an introverted orphan with severe social anxiety who spends her time playing farming and management video games. While downloading a new, obscure title called Apocalypse Diner, she is transported into a holographic reality where she becomes the owner of a dilapidated restaurant surrounded by a zombie-infested wasteland. The game system binds her to the establishment, granting her immunity from harm within its boundaries and issuing missions to level up the restaurant by attracting customers. Initially believing the world to be a game with non-player characters, He Lingyu adopts a pragmatic approach, focusing on clearing tasks and surviving in her safe zone while ignoring the terrifying zombies banging against her gate.

Her first customer is Mu Qingfeng, a capable ability user who stumbles upon the restaurant while starving and near death. He pays for his meal with crystal cores harvested from zombies, establishing the restaurant’s currency system. Shortly after, two more customers, Yao Zhien and Jun Buyan, arrive while searching for their leader. They reveal that Mu Qingfeng is their captain and that they belong to Gaofei Base. When a hostile group led by Qu Ming attacks Yao Zhien and Jun Buyan outside the restaurant, He Lingyu watches from safety until the attackers are repelled. This event forces her to confront the possibility that the world is real, as she feels the physical sensation of blood and witnesses genuine human malice and loyalty.

He Lingyu recruits Hua Yue, an elderly woman who lost her daughter to zombies, as her first employee. Hua Yue helps harvest vegetables and manage the growing operation, providing companionship that He Lingyu secretly craves. As the restaurant upgrades to Level 2 and then Level 3, new facilities appear, including an inn for travelers and a task board that allows customers to earn meals by completing chores. The restaurant gains a reputation among nearby survivors, drawing larger crowds and generating steady income. He Lingyu also acquires a black puppy named Xiao Bai, whose favorability she must cultivate through care and attention.

The central conflict escalates when Pi San, a cruel lieutenant of Yuan Gaofei, the ruthless ruler of Gaofei Base, learns of the restaurant. Pi San arrives with armed subordinates, intending to seize the establishment by force. He attempts to intimidate He Lingyu and her staff, but when he and his men attack her, they are repelled by the restaurant’s protective barrier. The system automatically ejects anyone who attempts to harm the owner, inflicting severe physical pain and injury on the aggressors. Pi San is forced to retreat after suffering broken bones and humiliation, but he vows revenge before leaving.

Following the confrontation, He Lingyu’s status as a powerful and mysterious figure spreads among the survivors. She continues to expand her business, unlocking new food items and upgrading her facilities. The story establishes a dynamic where He Lingyu remains confined to her restaurant, relying on the game’s mechanics and the loyalty of her employees and customers to protect her from external threats. Her primary goal shifts from merely surviving to building a thriving sanctuary that can withstand the dangers of the apocalypse, while she gradually accepts that her connection to this world may be permanent.