Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Xu Xiaoyan was taken aback, then suddenly realized that she had been trapped by her "poor man's mentality" of living in the outer city. In the inner city and the middle city, especially among those who could obtain the qualification for Zone B, points were the most reliable currency and the most portable "resources".

She had previously gone to great lengths to prepare trolleys and pack bedding to create a "reasonable" moving image, but now, compared to this group of people who were lightly dressed or even empty-handed, she seemed conspicuous, clumsy, and even a bit... rustic.

She glanced down at her crammed modified shopping cart and then at her bulging backpack, a wave of frustration washing over her. If she had known so many people used this "points-based, travel light" approach, why would she have bothered? Now, it had become a burden hindering her agility.

In a flash, a thought became clear: this car is no longer acceptable, at least not in this way.

She subtly moved closer to the woman, a hint of unease and urgency appearing on her face, and asked in a low voice, "Um... Sister, excuse me for asking again, where is the nearest public restroom? I'm in a bit of a hurry and need to use the restroom." Her tone was natural, carrying a touch of embarrassment from rushing to get here.

The woman, unsuspecting, pointed to the side of the trading center, towards the dimly lit central square. "When I came here, I think I saw a sign for a public restroom at the other end of the square, next to the sculpture. There are fewer people there, so you shouldn't have to queue."

"Thank you, sister!" Xu Xiaoyan said, her gratitude perfectly expressed. She immediately pushed her conspicuous shopping cart and walked quickly against the flow of people in the direction the woman indicated.

The central square was deserted at this time, with only a few scattered figures hurrying by in the distance. The huge abstract sculpture cast long shadows under the pale landscape lights. The public toilet was located to the side and behind the sculpture, in an inconspicuous semi-underground building. The lights at the entrance were faulty, flickering on and off.

Xu Xiaoyan pushed the shopping cart into the women's restroom. The restroom was cleaner than she had imagined. At midnight, almost no one was using it. She did not let her guard down and pushed open the door of each stall one by one, carefully checking to make sure that all the stalls were empty.

Then, she looked up and scanned the corners of the ceiling, the vents, and around the light fixtures... She didn't find any obvious cameras or suspicious reflections. In the resource-scarce post-apocalyptic world, surveillance of such basic public facilities usually only covers the main entrances and exits, and the interior is often ignored.

She took a deep breath, walked to the innermost sink, and turned the tap on full blast. The rushing water echoed in the quiet space, creating a simple layer of background noise as a cover. After doing this, she quickly turned around, walked briskly to the inside of the women's restroom entrance, and carefully peeked out, her gaze sweeping across the distant square—still empty, with only a faint murmur coming from afar.

The timing was perfect. Without hesitation, the moment her fingertips touched the cold metal handle, the modified shopping cart, crammed with mattresses, duffel bags, and binding ropes, vanished without a sound. The rushing water continued, masking any other possible noise.

Xu Xiaoyan turned around, adjusted the straps of her bulging backpack, and calmly stepped out of the shadow of the restroom, walking steadily toward the brightly lit and bustling entrance of the trading center.

In just ten minutes, the crowd did not decrease; instead, it seemed to swell and become more restless due to the continuous influx of people from all directions. Countless faces flickered under the dim lights, displaying anxiety, eagerness, confusion, and numbness...

In this environment, the backpack was like a conspicuous target hanging beside her. Xu Xiaoyan could almost imagine that, in such close, almost out-of-control physical contact, a "third hand" would silently unzip the bag and reach inside...

To avoid trouble, she deftly spun her backpack in front of her, freeing her hands to block or support herself if necessary. Then, without hesitation, she spotted a gap in the surging crowd, lowered her shoulders slightly, and plunged in.

Warm, firm, and constantly writhing bodies surrounded her from all sides. Strangers' elbows pressed against her ribs, and the sharp edges of someone's backpack dug into her back. The air became thin and murky, filled with screams, curses, children's cries, and the feeble shouts of those trying to maintain order.

Xu Xiaoyan completely lost control of her body and could only move passively along with the largest force flowing towards the stairwell.

Direction? It no longer exists. Speed? It is entirely determined by the pressure from the human body in front, behind, left, and right. Sometimes you are suddenly shoved forward a few steps, and sometimes you are squeezed and staggered by the force from the side.

Her feet were constantly being stepped on or tripped by legs that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Each stumble left her feeling powerless, and she could only barely regain her fragile balance by relying on the bulging backpack in front of her as a cushion.

Xu Xiaoyan struggled to move with great difficulty in the gaps between people. Her legs and feet were already sore and numb from constantly resisting pressure from all directions and making those tiny shifts to adjust her center of gravity.

Why are there so many people at the entrance to Zone B? This question is untimely, but incredibly pointed. This is not some D-zone entrance open to the public. The official access to Zone B, just based on the publicly known threshold that can be redeemed with points, could easily cost close to 20,000 points!

Where would an ordinary person get so many points? How could they easily cross such a high threshold, which is almost set up to filter out the "core" and the "periphery"?

She turned her neck with difficulty, her gaze sweeping quickly across the crowd: men, women, the elderly, and even a child being held tightly in someone's arms, crying his heart out. It just goes to show that there are always people more capable than you... There are just too many people with real skills, or rather, people with resources, connections, and accumulated experience.

It turns out that my abilities seem so insignificant in the face of such a huge number of people. Even in Zone B, competition is still everywhere and the invisible barriers are still insurmountable.

She thought that with her special abilities, she had reached the threshold of a relatively stable social class. But now it seems that each of her fellow travelers struggling in the same torrent has acquired resources that she can hardly reach in their own fields and through their own means. This realization brings not comfort, but a deeper sense of vigilance about the uncertainty of the future.

It felt like an entire century had passed, but in reality it was probably only half an hour. When she finally felt the pressure in front of her suddenly ease and her feet touched relatively solid ground, she was almost exhausted.

Staggering to her feet, Xu Xiaoyan looked up. Sweat streamed down her forehead and into her eyes, stinging them. Through her blurred vision, she saw the staircase leading to the underground. The metal handrail reflected a cold light, and the steps leading down were still crowded with people. But at least there was some space to catch her breath at the entrance.

She practically shuffled out of the densest crowd, her back immediately pressed against the cold, damp concrete wall next to the stairwell. The icy touch seeped through her clothes, sending a shiver down her spine.

The surroundings were still noisy, with footsteps, urging voices, and the sound of luggage being dragged around. Xu Xiaoyan glanced back at the still surging sea of ​​people behind her, her eyes filled with complex and unreadable emotions. She took a deep breath, turned around, and followed the flow of people, walking down the crowded stairs step by step.

However, the expected buffer platform did not appear. As Xu Xiaoyan followed the crowd down the last few steps, the scene before her made her slightly relaxed nerves tighten again, and she almost felt another form of suffocation.

At the end of the staircase lies an extremely spacious, incredibly high-ceilinged, and almost endless giant underground hall.

Cold white light poured down evenly from the high dome or side walls, illuminating everything below with crystal clarity. The entire space was filled with a continuous buzzing sound, the background noise of thousands of people's suppressed breathing, whispers, and footsteps scraping the ground.

Most striking was the exceptionally neat and imposing queue below, a full twelve lines separated by thick, sturdy silver-gray alloy railings. Starting from the dozen or so identity pre-screening stations near the stairwell, the lines meandered and extended into the brighter and more mysterious area deep within the hall.

Compared to the chaotic upstairs area, where everything was disorderly and relied on instinct and brute force to fight for things, everything here presented a cold and efficient "order." Everyone stood silently behind their own railing, following the footsteps of the person in front of them, slowly but surely crawling forward. No one ran, no one shouted, and even the children seemed to be intimidated by this atmosphere, their crying much quieter.

Because physical barriers strictly separate each queue, the possibility of cutting in line, walking side by side, or bumping into each other is completely eliminated.

Xu Xiaoyan quickly scanned the entire area, her keen eyes capturing the differences in movement speed among the different queues. She quickly chose a queue that seemed to have relatively fewer people and whose staff at the pre-screening station seemed to be moving more nimbly, and walked quickly to the end of the queue.

Only after she stood firmly on the yellow line at the end of the line did she carefully turn the backpack she had been clutching to her side, feeling the numb pain in her shoulders gradually return, and then let out a long, silent sigh of relief.

Finally... she was temporarily safe, and she began to have time to carefully observe the people in front of and behind her. In front of her was a woman wearing a bright red long down jacket. That bright red stood out unusually in the dull clothing of gray, black, military green, dark blue and camouflage.

The quality of the down jacket was immediately apparent, perfectly outlining her tall and slender figure. Her chestnut-colored long hair was meticulously styled into a smooth bun at the back of her head. She stood relaxed, her hands naturally folded on the handle of a small, silver metal suitcase in front of her, bearing the logo of a luxury brand from a bygone era. Apart from that, she had nothing else around her.

Seemingly noticing the scrutinizing gaze from behind, she slightly turned her head, lowered her eyelids, and quickly glanced at Xu Xiaoyan with a look that conveyed a clear sense of distance.

Her gaze lingered on Xu Xiaoyan's slightly disheveled hair for a fleeting half-second, without disdain or curiosity, but purely as an assessment. Then, she gracefully turned back to face the road ahead once more.

That upright and dignified back silently erected a transparent wall, on which the two large characters "Do Not Disturb" were clearly written.

Xu Xiaoyan understood immediately. This was probably a pampered "lady" from the inner city. They were clearly not from the same "class". She had no intention of trying to curry favor with her and was happy to have some peace and quiet, so she turned her gaze to the person behind her.

Behind her in line was a rather plump woman in her early forties, wearing a thick navy blue coat and holding a little boy of about three or four years old tightly in her arms.

The woman's face showed signs of fatigue from the crowd, but her eyes and brows revealed a natural gentleness and simplicity. Beside her was a large, bulging travel bag that looked quite heavy.

When Xu Xiaoyan turned around, the woman seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then she forced an apologetic smile, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

Her voice was low and slightly out of breath. She carefully adjusted her position while holding the baby and said softly, "Oh, I can finally catch my breath... The commotion upstairs, my God, almost crushed my old bones. The baby is so heavy, and my arms are practically numb from carrying him all the way up."

There was no complaint in her tone; it was more like a relief and sharing of having survived a disaster. Seeing her amiable attitude, Xu Xiaoyan returned an understanding smile, moved her still sore ankles and shoulders slightly, and whispered in agreement, "That's right. I don't know how many times my feet were stepped on, and my back was almost broken. I'm so grateful to be able to get to this point in line and not have to push so hard anymore." Her complaint also carried a sense of shared suffering.

After a while, the two started chatting quietly. The woman introduced herself as Wang Chunmei, and said she had come from an old community in the inner city with her son, Xiaobao. She spoke with a slight accent and talked about the terrifying crowds upstairs, her worries about her child's safety, her apprehension and faint hope about entering the "underground city," and the inconvenience and reluctance of carrying so many belongings. The two actually found themselves quite in sync.

Wang Chunmei complained that the old community's notice was so urgent that she couldn't bring many pickled vegetables and saved fabrics, and only picked up the most important clothes, bedding, and some food; Xu Xiaoyan said that she had given up the firewood and coal in her home.

Although it was just some rambling conversation, in this spacious hall, this little bit of friendliness and resonance from strangers, without any ulterior motive, could bring a small but real comfort to tense nerves.

The group moved slowly but steadily forward in silence and whispers. Just as they had moved forward about ten meters, an unusual commotion suddenly arose from the direction of the pre-screening station.