Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

They placed the backpacks on top of their heads, which served as both a pillow and a quick way to access items and weapons in an emergency, and then placed the corn sacks within easy reach.

In the latter half of the night, when the chill was at its worst, the three huddled on the edge of the field, relying on each other's body heat and extreme exhaustion to drift into a light sleep.

Suddenly, a huge commotion erupted from the direction of the cornfield, instantly shattering the tranquility of the night.

Xu Xiaoyan was the first to wake up, sitting up with a start, completely wide awake. The other two also woke up one after another.

From a distance, the once somewhat noisy cornfield had now descended into complete chaos.

The shouts and curses came clearly; it was no longer the pushing and shoving that had been happening before when they were fighting over the corn, but a violent conflict.

A shrill female voice screamed, trembling with sobs, "I broke this myself! Why are you taking it from me?! Give it back!!"

Immediately following this was a man shouting in a panic, "Robbery! Everyone run! Someone's robbing us!!"

His response was met with an even more aggressive, hoarse male voice, brimming with arrogance and a bullying attitude:

"Shut up! This whole land has been mine for ages! You guys stole my corn, I'm just taking back what's rightfully mine!"

Immediately, someone angrily retorted, "Bullshit! Give me back your land?"

"You just spout nonsense as soon as you hear it. Do you think this place has your name on it? Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"

The argument quickly escalated, the shoving turning into a physical fight. At the height of the chaos, a short, piercing scream tore through the night—"Ah!!"

Immediately afterwards, someone screamed in a terrified voice, "A knife! Someone's using a knife! Murder!!"

The crowd, which had been watching or hesitating, completely erupted into chaos, crying, cursing, and running wildly in all directions.

The sounds of hurried footsteps, wailing, and the crackling of fallen corn stalks mingled together.

"Someone's going to kill someone! Everyone run!" In the chaotic escape, such shouts were repeated over and over, spreading fear like a plague.

On the ridge of the field, Xie Yingtang, Wang Xiao, and Xu Xiaoyan listened to and saw everything, without needing to communicate or even exchange a glance.

"Let's go!" Xie Yingtang shouted in a low voice. The two grabbed the bundle of corn next to them, while Xu Xiaoyan quickly slung the snakeskin bag over her shoulder.

Without the slightest hesitation, nor with any curiosity, they peered into the cornfield to see what was happening.

At such a time, any hesitation, even for a second, could plunge you into unpredictable danger.

They left the field ridge as quickly as possible and ran towards the main road not far away.

Although main roads are not safe either, at least they offer a wide field of vision, preventing you from getting blocked in narrow fields, and they also allow for greater mobility.

The three of them ran wildly along the road, and the noise from the cornfield behind them not only did not subside, but instead erupted even more violently.

Cries, curses, and screams filled the air, and the chaos was spreading toward the highway at an alarming rate.

"My corn! Don't take it! Give it back to me!!" A scream, choked with sobs, seemed so close it was right behind my ear.

"Damn it! You filthy opportunists! I'll fight you to the death!!" This was a desperate act of resistance.

Even more chilling was the desperate threat someone made: "If anyone dares to steal my corn again, I'll kill them!!!"

As Wang Xiao heard the increasingly loud and frantic noises behind him, he couldn't help but turn around to check the situation, and his steps unconsciously slowed down.

"Don't look back! Run!" Xie Yingtang's deep rebuke immediately rang in his ears, carrying an unquestionable severity.

"If we turn back now, and get caught up in the out-of-control crowd, or get targeted by some bloodthirsty killer, it'll be questionable whether we can even keep the corn and supplies we have. Let's not lose sight of the bigger picture!"

Wang Xiao was startled by the severity in Xie Yingtang's words. He quickened his pace to catch up, panting incredulously as he asked:

"No way? Those robbers in the fields... do they really dare to chase us onto the main road and rob us openly? That's outrageous!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yingtang's lips curled into a cold, almost mocking smile. He glanced sideways at Wang Xiao as he ran.

"What are you thinking? The ones following us around now might not be the same group that started the fight in the cornfield."

"What does that mean?" Wang Xiao was even more confused, his mind not quite processing it for a moment.

Xu Xiaoyan, who was also running hard beside her, was breathing rapidly, but still couldn't help but speak:

"It means that some 'smart people' on the main road saw the chaos in the cornfield and the robberies going unchecked, and they were immediately 'inspired'!"

They thought, since things are already in chaos, and there's no harm in the masses, why not rob them if we can't?

This is a perfect opportunity to openly use the name of those robbers in the field to carry out my own robbery!

"You can grab the stuff and have someone else take the blame—why not do this 'good deal'?"

Her words made Wang Xiao instantly realize that this kind of chaos was contagious.

Having figured this out, Wang Xiao no longer dared to look back.

Gritting his teeth, he poured all his strength into his legs and desperately followed Xie Yingtang and Xu Xiaoyan forward.

The three of them ran as fast as they could along the main road.

Just then, a fork in the road suddenly appeared ahead, with two equally wide highways stretching into different dark depths.

Meanwhile, shadowy figures could be seen running on both roads, clearly indicating that panic had spread and everyone wanted to escape this place of trouble as soon as possible.

"Fork in the road!" Xie Yingtang, who was running in the lead, shouted in a low voice without turning his head. His voice was still clear despite his rapid breathing, reminding his companions behind him.

Almost at the same time Xie Yingtang spoke, Xu Xiaoyan had already raised her hand to check her watch.

As she ran, she struggled to steady her arms, staring intently at the trembling hands of the clock in the dim moonlight and the faint glow of the distant sky.

"The left!" After only a two-second glance, Xu Xiaoyan immediately exclaimed, "The road on the left is closer to the northwest!"

Without any time for questioning or discussion, the moment Xie Yingtang heard the word "left," he changed direction and, without hesitation, led the way onto the left-hand fork in the road.

Wang Xiao and Xu Xiaoyan followed closely behind, and the three of them once again pushed their speed to the limit, merging into the flow of people who were also fleeing in panic on this road.

I ran for nearly half an hour until the noise behind me completely disappeared.

The three of them finally couldn't hold on any longer and almost dragged themselves to the side of the road, gasping for breath while holding their knees.

Xie Yingtang cautiously looked around; the landscape had subtly changed.

No longer the endless, unsettling plains of before, undulating slopes began to appear along the roadside.

Further away, against the backdrop of the dark blue sky, are the outlines of rolling black mountains.