Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

The long table was surrounded by people.

Xu Xiaoyan stood on the periphery of the crowd, tiptoeing to look inside, but the wall of people in front of her was too thick, and she could only see a dense mass of heads and shoulders.

Some people leaned closer to look, almost pressing their faces against the machines; some reached out to touch them, only to be stopped by the staff with a smile; some were studying the brochures, whispering to the people next to them as they read.

There was a smell of ink in the air—the flyers must have been printed not long ago.

There are also various smells on people's bodies, the smell of sweat, the smell of laundry detergent, and if someone has eaten garlic in the morning, you can smell it even from several people away.

Xu Xiaoyan changed her angle, moved a few steps to the left, and peered through the gap between someone's shoulders.

This time I could vaguely see it.

The things on the table were round, small, about the size of a palm, like little discs.

The silver-white casing gleamed softly under the light. Each disc had several buttons and a small display screen, which was black and not lit.

Next to it was a larger, square one, like a small box. There were several indicator lights on the side of the box and a thin antenna on top. I don't know what it was for.

There are a few standing on the far side, about half a person's height, with silver-white fuselages and cylindrical shapes.

At that moment, the crowd surged again, and the gap was blocked.

Xu Xiaoyan sighed and rubbed her sore calves. She wasn't short, but in this kind of situation, being short was unacceptable. The elderly men and women in front of her stood there like nails, not moving an inch.

The sound of gongs and drums suddenly stopped; the ear-numbing pounding ceased abruptly.

A commotion arose in the crowd, and everyone looked up at the stage.

A booming voice blared from the stage, amplified several times through the speakers, making everyone's ears ring: "Dear brothers and sisters! Thank you all for coming today! Our Future Robotics Company is officially open for business today!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a round of applause broke out in the crowd, and Xu Xiaoyan also clapped twice in response.

As the applause subsided, the voice continued, "What does our company make? Robots! All kinds of robots! Guide robots for the visually impaired, food delivery robots, transport robots, nursing robots—anything you can imagine, we can make!"

She had seen food delivery robots before; some restaurants used those robots to serve food, and customers would take the food from the tray themselves.

She had never seen guide robots or transport robots in person, but she could imagine that they were probably things that could move things.

She was a little confused about nursing robots; were they the kind that take care of the elderly?

"And—" the voice drawled, drawing everyone's attention, "Today is our grand opening special! All equipment is available for sale or rent! Buy now at a discounted price! Rent by the day! Everyone is welcome to try it out and decide for themselves!"

Available for sale or rent.

Billed daily.

The thought popped into Xu Xiaoyan's mind again: How wonderful it would be if there were a robot that could help her fight! That way she wouldn't have to practice self-defense! But it was just a thought; she deeply understood the principle that it's better to rely on yourself than on others.

After all, what if the robot suddenly malfunctions or runs out of power during a fight? Wouldn't she be doomed?!

As she was thinking, a sudden commotion broke out in the crowd.

"Come on, everyone, look this way—" The voice directed the way to the side, and everyone's heads turned to the left in unison.

Xu Xiaoyan looked in the direction and saw several staff members in red clothes walk to the long table and reach out to lift the red cloths covering the machines.

The moment the red cloth was lifted, a gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

Xu Xiaoyan finally saw it clearly.

On the table closest to her were a dozen or so small round plates, about the size of a palm, flat, with silvery-white shells that shimmered under the light.

It really looks like a giant computer mouse, only without a cable.

Each disc has three buttons, red, green, and yellow, arranged in a row.

Below the button is a small display screen, which is now lit up, showing a smiley face.

The staff member picked one up, held it in his palm for everyone to see, and then placed it on the ground.

Everyone stared at the small disc.

The staff member bent down and pressed the green button on it.

The small disc suddenly moved.

It first gave a slight tremor, and then began to spin around on the ground. It wasn't spinning randomly, but in a rhythmic pattern, first spinning to the left and then to the right.

Then it glided straight forward for about two meters, encountered a person's foot, stopped for a moment, then went around that foot and continued gliding forward.

A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

"This is our intelligent guide robot!" the staff member introduced loudly, his voice filled with undisguised pride. "It automatically plans routes, avoids obstacles, returns to its charging dock automatically, and lasts all day!"

In the future, blind people will no longer need guide dogs; a single robot can solve all their travel problems!

This thing is indeed quite useful for blind people, but what about for her? It doesn't seem to be of much use, since she's not blind.

She stood on tiptoe and looked at the table next to her. There were even more people gathered there, almost three or four layers deep, making it impossible to squeeze in.

But those people were a little shorter than her, so she used her height advantage to look over their heads and see what was on the table.

Half a person's height.

Silver-white.

The robot has a cylindrical body with a round drawer-like structure on top. The front of the robot has a display screen showing a smiling face with curved eyes and upturned corners of the mouth, which looks very endearing.

The staff member was standing behind the table, operating one of the robots.

He picked up a sandbag and put it in the robot's drawer, then tapped a few times on the screen on the back of the robot.

The robot moved. It turned slightly and then glided straight forward. When someone blocked its way, it stopped, waited for the person to move aside, and then continued to glide forward.

"This is our intelligent delivery robot!" another staff member introduced, their voice even louder than the first. "It can navigate automatically, avoid obstacles automatically, and guarantee one-to-one delivery! It can deliver goods for up to four people at the same time, and can carry 50 kilograms of goods at a time!"

Many people have seen these robots before. In some upscale hotels, they move through the corridors, delivering towels, toothbrushes, and meals to guests.

Just then, the voice from the stage rang out again, "Brothers and sisters! We have a surprise for our grand opening today! The first fifty customers to enter the store can receive a free opening gift! Limited quantity, first come, first served!"

If you enjoy stories about surviving the apocalypse by stockpiling supplies, please bookmark: Apocalypse Stockpiling Survival Story