Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Xu Xiaoyan possesses a spatial ability, which gives her her last trump card.

If you're really unlucky, you might encounter an inspector who's greedy and tries to extract every last drop of value from you.

She could have done so before the vehicle approached the checkpoint.

They secretly and discreetly stored the most valuable, potentially confiscated, or potentially most damaging goods in the train car into their own space beforehand.

Only a few low-value, sufficient "decorative items" were left on the surface of the carriages to pass inspections and provide cover.

Once the vehicle has safely passed through the checkpoint and reached a relatively safe or concealed location, the cargo will be moved out of the space and reloaded into the carriage.

Thinking of this, she felt a little more at ease.

With this last resort, she felt more confident about her upcoming cross-regional trafficking trip.

My eyelids gradually grew heavy, and my brain, which had been working at high intensity for more than ten hours, finally issued the command to rest.

Before falling asleep, the last clear thought was: But doing so also carries risks that cannot be ignored.

Frequent use of space to access items, even for a moment of inattention, could lead to someone catching a glimpse of goods "disappearing" or "appearing out of thin air," potentially triggering unforeseen suspicions and investigations.

In an environment where people are unpredictable, the leakage of such a secret could bring devastating consequences.

She might be controlled and studied as an "abnormal individual," or targeted and plundered by unscrupulous forces.

Secondly, the risk comes from the chain reaction that may be triggered by "the goods not matching the declaration list".

To avoid being caught at checkpoints, she hid most of her valuables in her compartments, leaving only a small amount of inexpensive goods in the carriage to deal with inspections.

The contents of the cargo inside the carriage would likely match the officially declared list.

Or it may be a serious discrepancy with the type and quantity of goods that a vehicle with "special purchase authority" should normally carry.

It is highly unusual and suspicious that a truck that should be carrying relatively scarce goods is empty or contains only some worthless junk.

Experienced inspectors are likely to become more interested in this and thus initiate a more rigorous and thorough investigation.

They repeatedly checked all the documents, inquired about detailed purchasing and sales plans, and even demanded that all the packaging be opened and every item be counted.

Under such intense scrutiny, any minor conflict or tension can easily be magnified.

Even more frightening is the possibility that if the other party becomes suspicious, they might decide to conduct a more thorough search of the vehicle or even her.

Or detaining her for "further investigation" would be a much bigger problem.

An overly "shabby" disguise might backfire, becoming a trigger for suspicion, placing her under a more dangerous spotlight, and even indirectly leading to the exposure of the secrets of the space.

Now, the "Ningjing Zhiyuan" lady specifically emphasized that as long as the procedures are complete, the vehicle has no obvious modifications or violations, and the goods do not contain any explicitly prohibited items, they usually will not deliberately make things difficult for the customer, and pointed out that they are also acting in accordance with the regulations.

This suggests that, at least within the scope of "Tranquility Leads to Far-Reaching Vision" and her recent experience, that key checkpoint connecting the BC area is...

Their staff may be more inclined to follow established rules and regulations and place greater emphasis on procedural compliance.

Instead of using the power of inspection in a widespread and systematic way as a tool for individuals or small groups to amass wealth.

The work atmosphere and discipline there may be relatively clear-cut, at least not to the point of being so egregious as to allow "no vehicle to pass without a checkpoint, no goods to be seized without a penalty."

If this assessment is largely true, then her entire transportation strategy and risk response plan can be adjusted accordingly, in a more proactive and pragmatic manner.

She could adopt a more "normalized" strategy:

Goods that are mainly purchased, fall within the scope of their vehicle's procurement authority, and are not explicitly prohibited items are openly and neatly stacked in the vehicle compartment.

This not only makes it look like a normal commercial truck, but also allows it to pass routine inspections.

At the same time, she only needs to keep a very small portion of the most precious and valuable items.

Alternatively, items not on the list whose origin is difficult to explain or that may fall into a gray area are carefully hidden in the space as a last resort.

In this way, she significantly reduced the risk of additional scrutiny due to the "too shabby" carriage, while also retaining a backup plan for extreme situations.

The advantages of the space remain, but the frequency of use and exposure risks have been effectively controlled.

He quickly mentally rehearsed these strategy adjustments.

Suddenly, bang! bang! bang!

Three deafening explosions suddenly erupted from nearby without warning! The sounds were extremely penetrating, carrying a chillingly violent quality.

Gunshot!

Xu Xiaoyan's blood seemed to freeze in that instant.

That unique, short, explosive, and destructive bang, mixed with a distinct metallic clang and air shockwave, could only originate from one thing—

Firearms! And close-range shooting!

The security situation in Zone C is indeed not very good.

Fights and conflicts over resources, territory, or personal grudges are frequently heard of in the streets and alleys, and the use of sticks is also an occasional occurrence.

But to openly fire in a relatively central residential area using standard or illegally modified firearms?

This is not just a security incident; it is a serious violent crime that could trigger regional panic and provoke strong intervention from al-Qaeda's armed forces!

Xu Xiaoyan pressed the button to open the capsule compartment door. With a soft "beep," the mechanical structure inside the compartment door turned, and the latch popped open.

She pricked up her ears, nervously listening for any sounds outside the door.

No more gunshots were heard.

But you could vaguely hear shouts, running footsteps, and... what sounded like a vehicle suddenly starting up and the screeching of tires screeching on the ground.

Chaos was spreading, but it seemed somewhat unreal, separated by the heavy building doors.

Just then, the sound of capsule doors opening one after another echoed from the room she was in.

"I think I heard a gunshot—"

"Was that a gunshot? Did you hear it?"

"Who's there? What's going on outside?"

"What...what was that sound just now?"

Several bewildered, sleepy, or nervous faces peeked out from inside, and under the light, their eyes revealed a clear sense of fear.

A middle-aged woman living in the cell diagonally opposite Xu Xiaoyan said with obvious uncertainty and fear, "I was half asleep when I was startled awake... It was so loud..."

"Was that gunfire? I heard it... I definitely heard gunfire!"

The voice of a young girl who looked to be around twenty years old rang out from the next cell, her voice trembling and choked with sobs.

She clung tightly to the door frame, her body mostly hidden behind the door, only half of her pale face visible, her eyes already red.

"What's going on outside? Is there a shootout? Or are patrols making arrests?"

From another direction, a relatively calm female voice came, her voice low but filled with worry and vigilance: "This commotion... doesn't seem like a trivial matter."

All those gazes eventually focused on Xu Xiaoyan, who was the first to open the warehouse door.

Xu Xiaoyan sensed the urgency, fear, and searching in those eyes, as well as a faint hope that they could bring her definite news.

She shook her head. "I was sleeping in the cabin too... I don't know exactly what happened."

She raised her hand and pointed weakly towards the direction outside the building entrance. "I heard it over there—"

Based on her memory, she roughly pointed to the direction from which the gunshots came: "There were a few particularly loud sounds, like... like gunshots in a movie."

Upon hearing her words, disappointment and deeper worry intertwined on the faces of those who peeked out.

Sometimes, the unknown, the uncertainty of the situation, is more unsettling than knowing a terrible but certain situation.

"This life... can't a person have any peace and quiet anymore..." the middle-aged woman muttered dejectedly, her shoulders slumping.

The young girl's sobs grew a little louder as she buried her face in her arms and her shoulders trembled slightly.

The relatively calm woman sighed and said in a deep voice, "Whatever it is, it's best not to go out tonight. Lock the door, be alert, things outside... are not peaceful."

Her words were met with silent agreement from the others, and the clicking sounds of the locks rang out one after another, particularly clear in the quiet room.

Xu Xiaoyan also locked the warehouse door and subconsciously checked whether the lock was secure.

Only when she was completely inside this absolutely private capsule did she dare to relax her extremely tense nerves even a little.

My mood, which had just been slightly relieved by the news about the checkpoint from Sister "Ningjing Zhiyuan," has now been completely overshadowed by this violent incident that is so close at hand.

Xu Xiaoyan curled up on the bunk, hugging her knees with her arms and burying her face in her arms.

The nights in Zone C are anything but peaceful.

Faced with absolute violence, many things seem so vulnerable; a single bullet can easily end all efforts and the future.

In the darkness, Xu Xiaoyan's hand unconsciously reached for the silver leaf at her waist.

Her space contained all sorts of supplies, even a fruit knife, but at this moment a deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside her.

The limitations of knives are magnified many times over when faced with firearms.

She was a girl, not particularly strong, and far less powerful than most adult men. In close combat, a knife offered her very limited advantages.

For someone without professional training, in a real conflict, it's more likely that due to the disparity in strength, the other party will easily disarm her and turn the weapon into a tool to harm her.

A knife requires extremely close contact to be effective, which inherently carries significant risk, meaning you must first expose yourself to the opponent's attack range.

When faced with armed thugs, or even just attackers who outnumber them and are armed with long weapons such as sticks.

The knife in her hand probably couldn't even provide the most basic deterrent, let alone effective self-defense.

The other party could easily subdue or harm her from a distance where she couldn't even get close.

What if... what if I also had a gun?