Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

When she returned to the agreed meeting point, panting, she saw that everyone had already packed up, with piles of their spoils at each person's feet.

Chen Yong and Wang Qingshan were both strong and robust, each carrying six large bags, which stood there bulging.

Even the skinny bespectacled guy had four bags steadily placed at his feet.

Everyone's faces were flushed with exhaustion yet satisfaction as they helped each other tighten the bag openings one last time.

When their gaze fell upon the late-arriving Xu Xiaoyan and saw the only two bags beside her, the smiles on their faces froze, replaced by surprise and obvious anxiety.

"Sister Xu!" Chen Yong strode over first, his brows furrowed, pointing at her two bags, his voice filled with unmistakable concern and reproach:

"Why...why only two bags? That's not enough! Who knows how long this cold wave will last!"

Wang Qingshan also came over, rubbing his hands which were red from the cold, and said sincerely:

"Yes, Miss Xu, are you having trouble finding a good spot? Or are you short on bags? I have some empty bags here, and there are quite a few under my tree. I'll go pick some more for you!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" the bespectacled guy chimed in. "This isn't the time for politeness! Food is life! We'll each share some with you, or you can hurry and go look for more!"

A cacophony of concern and anxiety instantly enveloped Xu Xiaoyan, as if she hadn't just picked up two bags, but was on the verge of starvation.

Xu Xiaoyan felt a warmth in her heart, but it was quickly replaced by a subtle, unspeakable sense of guilt.

She quickly waved her hand, forcing a perfectly timed, slightly embarrassed smile. "No need! Really, no need! I appreciate everyone's kindness!"

She paused, her tone becoming exceptionally resolute, her gaze sweeping over everyone. "Listen to me, I'm a young lady, and my appetite isn't as big as yours. If you eat these two bags of chestnuts sparingly, they'll last a very long time."

She patted the bag beside her, making a solid sound, and tried to make her words sound sincere and reasonable: "The most important thing right now is to get down the mountain safely as soon as possible."

She looked at Chen Yong and Wang Qingshan, her eyes filled with undeniable refusal. "Chen Yong, Brother Qingshan, you're strong, it's only right that you pick up more. I've really had enough, don't hold me up any longer, let's go!"

Seeing her resolute attitude and the reasonableness of her words, the anxiety on everyone's faces slowly faded. Chen Yong sighed heavily and patted Xu Xiaoyan's shoulder forcefully.

"Alright, since you put it that way, let's hurry up and go! If we need more supplies, don't hesitate to ask; everyone's here!"

"Hey!" Xu Xiaoyan responded crisply, secretly relieved, and quickly dragged her two bags of chestnuts down the mountain.

The group of them carried or dragged themselves down the mountain with great difficulty, but the silence was soon broken.

As they got closer to the foot of the mountain, the number of people gradually increased. At first, there were only two or three people, then seven or eight, and finally more than twenty, all slowly climbing up the mountain.

These people all looked pale and sickly, their eyes filled with anxiety, despair, and a kind of wolfish hunger.

The fear of food and warmth has shattered many people's courage to go to sleep at night, forcing them to go up the mountain to try their luck in the coldest moments before dawn.

Xu Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat, and she knew something was wrong. She instinctively pulled her two bags of chestnuts closer together.

The two teams inevitably clashed head-on.

The crowd climbing the mountain suddenly stopped, all eyes instantly fixed on their unusually conspicuous, bulging snakeskin bags, and something in the air seemed to suddenly tighten.

"What...what's in your bag?" a man wrapped in a tattered cotton-padded coat asked in a hoarse voice, his eyes fixed on the bag.

"Is...is it a chestnut?" another woman asked, her voice trembling with disbelief and longing.

The easy-going one, upon hearing Wang Qingshan vaguely point in a general direction, immediately turned around and stumbled towards that direction, afraid of falling behind.

But many more people remained motionless, slowly gathering around, their gazes becoming increasingly uneasy.

Several men who looked like idle thugs squeezed to the front, licked their chapped lips, and began to speak with smirks:

"Dude, have some mercy! You've picked up so much, how about sharing some with us? We're starving!"

"Exactly! You have so many bags, it wouldn't be a problem to share one or two with us, would it? Don't be so selfish!"

Chen Yong's face darkened, and he held the sack in his hand in front of him. "This is what we collected from dawn till dusk! Why should we share it with you? If you want to collect, go up the mountain and collect it yourselves!"

"Hey! How dare you talk like that?" The leader of the thugs' expressions changed, and he reached out to grab the bag at Chen Yong's feet. "I want it now, so what?!"

The argument became the fuse. Someone took the lead, and those who were originally watching and struggling internally were also driven by greed and the desire to survive, and rushed forward!

"Grab them! There are so many of them!"

"Give me a bag!"

The situation instantly spiraled out of control!

Seven or eight strong men were initially able to form a circle to protect their own harvest, but they were no match for the combined strength of the group.

In the chaos, someone suddenly snatched a sack that Chen Yong was protecting behind him. He stumbled, and another person took the opportunity to snatch the other sack!

"Damn it! My chestnut!" Chen Yong's eyes instantly turned red. He roared and tried to chase after the robbery, but was blocked by more people. The successful robbery excited everyone!

More people rushed forward like madmen and began to openly rob!

Xu Xiaoyan clutched her two bags tightly, being jostled about by the crowd, and someone had already reached for her bags!

We can't hesitate any longer!

She quickly reached into the backpack on her back, her mind racing, and instantly pulled out the watermelon knife from her spatial storage!

"Get out of my way!" she shrieked, flicking her wrist as the sharp blade flashed in the dim morning light.

A man who was pulling hard on her bag was caught off guard and his hand was instantly cut open.

He screamed, jerked his hand back as if electrocuted, and watched in horror as blood dripped onto the ground.

Another man who tried to approach her from the side was also grazed by the tip of the knife, which cut through the thick cotton wadding, causing him to retreat in fright.

Upon seeing blood, the frenzied crowd seemed to be paused, their movements abruptly halting.

The screams and the sudden appearance of the sharp blade brought Chen Yong, who was in a frenzy, back to his senses.

When he saw the long knife in Xu Xiaoyan's hand, it was as if he had seen a savior. He rushed over, greeted her, and took the hilt from her hand.

"Stop it, you fucking bastards!!" Chen Yong roared, his voice hoarse and distorted with rage.

He gripped the knife hilt tightly with both hands, pointing the gleaming tip at the thugs who had led the robbery. Veins bulged on his arms, and his eyes were bloodshot, like a wild beast that had been thoroughly enraged.

"Come on! Anyone who dares to try and steal my stuff again, I'll chop them up today! Anyone who doesn't value their life, come and try!"