Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Xu Xiaoyan drove a small truck with a prominent supermarket logo on it through the increasingly chaotic streets.

The logo on the car body was like a glaring sign, making her feel extremely uneasy.

Every passerby, every glance that might fall from behind a window, seems to carry a sense of scrutiny and covetousness.

The thought that "this sign must be removed" swirled in her mind. Her first reaction was to use professional spray paint, while traffic was not completely disrupted and a semblance of social order remained.

She jerked the steering wheel, driving the car toward the East Ring Road she remembered, where several car repair shops and detailing shops were located.

However, when she arrived, her heart sank.

Looking around, all the shop shutters were tightly closed, and debris was scattered at the entrances, creating a scene of chaos and desolation.

Clearly, the shop owners here had already sensed the danger and chose to close their doors to protect themselves.

"Damn it..." She punched the steering wheel in disappointment, feeling like she had made a wasted trip, with time and fuel being squandered in this pointless journey.

Just as frustration was spreading, another thought flashed through my mind: if we don't have professional spray paint, wouldn't ordinary paint work?

It doesn't need to be perfect, just enough to cover the words!

With one last try in mind, she immediately turned the car around and navigated to a paint shop in a large building materials market nearby.

Fortunately, perhaps because the products they sell are not as sought-after as food and medicine, this store has stubbornly remained open.

The entrance was symbolically blocked by an iron chain, and the shop was dimly lit with only one energy-saving light on. A burly owner wearing an apron covered in paint splatters was sitting in the shop scrolling through his phone.

When he saw a car stop, he looked up warily.

Xu Xiaoyan turned off the engine, got out of the car, walked quickly over, and asked directly, "Boss, do you have any paint that can be sprayed on car bodies? The kind in cans."

The shopkeeper glanced at her, then at the conspicuous supermarket truck behind her, a knowing look flashing in his eyes.

He didn't ask any further questions, but simply took a black spray paint can from the bottom shelf and weighed it in his hand:

"This is a general metallic paint. It dries quickly and has decent coverage, but it has a grainy texture and isn't smooth. It looks okay from a distance."

Xu Xiaoyan took the jar, looking at the small jar and her inexperienced hands, she felt really unsure of herself.

With such a large area of ​​carriage, spraying it with this small can would likely produce disastrous results and be an extreme waste of time.

She hesitated for a moment, then tentatively began to speak:

"Boss, could you do me a favor? I don't need it to look too good, just cover up the supermarket's lettering and logo, or just paint the whole back of the carriage black. I'm willing to pay."

Upon hearing this, the shop owner looked her over carefully again, then walked out of the shop and glanced at her car, rubbing his chin with his thick fingers.

"Sure, sure," he said in a hoarse voice, "but this isn't delicate work. I'll just spray it for you with this can, purely by hand, just enough to cover it up."

"I don't care if it's sprayed smeared, dripped, or the color is uneven. It's a fixed price of one thousand dollars. That's the price now."

A thousand dollars! Under normal circumstances, that's practically robbery!

But at this moment, Xu Xiaoyan felt a sense of relief. Price was not the issue; the key was that someone could help her quickly solve this urgent problem.

"Okay! One thousand it is!" She agreed almost without hesitation. "Please just finish spraying it quickly."

The boss seemed a little surprised by her straightforwardness. He paused for a moment, then nodded and said no more.

He picked up the can of spray paint, then turned around and grabbed two more cans from the store's inventory before heading towards the gray pickup truck.

The boss was quick and efficient, though his movements were rough.

The black spray paint had excellent coverage; after a few sprays, the originally prominent supermarket logo and lettering were covered by a patch of uneven black paint mist.

From a distance, the entire carriage was completely dark.

"Alright, it'll do for now," the shopkeeper said, putting down the spray can and clapping his hands, which were covered in black paint spots.

Xu Xiaoyan was very satisfied with the result. She readily counted out a thousand yuan in cash and handed it over. The shopkeeper took the money, counted it roughly, nodded, and stuffed it into his pocket, his expression softening slightly.

Having resolved her biggest concern, Xu Xiaoyan immediately thought of another pressing issue—the truck's fuel gauge showed that it still had about 20% fuel remaining.

She quickly stopped the shop owner who was about to turn back to the store, "Boss, could you tell me which gas station is closest around here? My car is almost out of gas."

Upon hearing this, the boss chuckled, shook his head, and pointed with his chin towards the city center. "The nearest one? It's the gas station on the left at the intersection ahead, but I advise you not to go there now."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of detached indifference to the chaos, "It's probably busier there than a vegetable market right now. I heard that long lines start forming in the morning, and the traffic jams stretch for miles."

Some people queued for most of the day, but the line barely moved. People were fighting and cutting in line, creating complete chaos.

The oil pump is probably almost empty, so even if it's your turn, it's uncertain whether there will be any oil left.

Xu Xiaoyan's heart sank; the situation was worse than she had imagined.

Seeing that she looked unwell, the boss added another sentence, essentially offering a solution:

"If you really want to fill up, don't squeeze into the city. Drive east, out of the city, and try a gas station in the suburbs."

"That area is remote, fewer people know about it, and there might be oil available there. The queues aren't as scary, it's just a bit further away."

This news is crucial!

Xu Xiaoyan quickly thanked her, "Thank you so much! I'll be right there!" Without further delay, she immediately climbed back into the driver's seat, turned the car around, and drove towards the eastern suburbs of the city.

When she arrived at the gas station in the eastern suburbs of Xuancheng with trepidation, she found that although there was a long line of cars, the line was moving forward slowly but steadily.

The order was much better than in the city; at least no violent conflicts were seen.

She let out a long sigh, merged into the traffic, and began the long wait.

Time ticked by, and three hours passed in anxiety and anticipation. Finally, it was her turn to stop by the oil gun.

The staff member looked exhausted, but his movements were still quite efficient. He inserted the fuel nozzle into the fuel tank, making a reassuring sound of liquid flowing.

As she watched the numbers constantly changing on the dial, Xu Xiaoyan quickly began to calculate.

In the days to come, social order may collapse at an accelerated pace, and the electronic payment system may one day be paralyzed. At that time, cash in hand will be the only hard currency.