Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

She sat at home, looking around the small two-bedroom apartment left to her by her adoptive parents.

Sell ​​the house? The thought flashed through her mind but she immediately rejected it.

Not to mention the long and complicated process of selling the house, she simply couldn't afford to wait that long.

More importantly, this house is her only foothold in this county town, her last resort and guarantee.

She couldn't possibly gamble everything on an unproven "speculation" and risk becoming homeless.

However, the funding issue must be resolved!

The empty space on the other half urged her to fill it with more supplies to ensure her survival.

She paced anxiously in the room, her gaze finally landing on the property certificate, and a compromise popped into her mind—mortgage!

Yes, mortgage!

The house still belongs to her, but she can extract its financial value in advance.

Although this will put her under the pressure of monthly repayments, the interest cost is almost negligible compared to the apocalyptic crisis she is worried about.

Once she made up her mind, she immediately took action.

After researching the mortgage loan policies of several banks and comparing interest rates and loan amounts, I finally chose a bank with a relatively fast assessment process and a suitable loan amount.

Schedule an appointment, submit materials, and cooperate with the bank's designated appraisal agency to conduct an on-site inspection...

Throughout the entire process, Xu Xiaoyan was on tenterhooks. She hoped for a higher appraisal value so she could borrow more money, but she was also worried that the bank might notice something amiss or that there might be unexpected issues in the process.

As the appraiser carefully inspected the house inside and out with measuring tools, she became so nervous that her palms sweated slightly. She could only try to remain calm and answer questions, repeatedly emphasizing that the house was owner-occupied and well-maintained.

The days waiting for the approval results were particularly difficult.

She continued to replenish her stock of easily stored medicines and hygiene products in small batches with spare change, while constantly checking her phone for bank notifications.

Finally, a week later, the bank approved the loan. The appraised value was slightly lower than the market price, but the final approved amount still made her heart pound – 600,000!

Looking at the text message on my phone screen indicating that the loan amount had been credited to my account.

Xu Xiaoyan let out a long sigh of relief, her tense shoulders finally relaxing, and a feeling of immense pressure mixed with intense excitement filled her chest.

Holding a huge sum of 600,000 yuan, Xu Xiaoyan no longer felt simple excitement, but rather an increasingly urgent sense of crisis.

We must convert them into tangible supplies capable of responding to extreme situations in the shortest possible time.

She sat at her desk, spread out a new list, and her pen flew across the paper. Previously, her shopping had focused on basic food and water; now, she had to consider things more deeply and meticulously.

No longer content with sporadic visits to wholesale markets and clearance channels, she relied on her previous work experience and discreet inquiries.

She managed to contact some local primary wholesalers and even some regional general agents for certain brands.

Disguised as small business owners preparing to open a chain of community convenience stores, they directly negotiated bulk purchases under the guise of "first batch of large-scale distribution".

"Manager Wang, yes, I need 500 boxes of Nu brand compressed biscuits, the latest batch; 300 boxes of various types of freeze-dried vegetables; and 200 boxes of mixed freeze-dried fruits."

"Mr. Li, if your factory can offer the same price as other suppliers, I can order a thousand boxes at once."

"Boss Zhang, give me five hundred of those 18.9-liter bottled water containers. Yes, they must be well-sealed."

"Manager Chen, we need 500 jin each of frozen pork, beef, mutton, duck, and chicken, with inspection and quarantine certificates. I don't want that kind of zombie meat that's been sitting for years."

"Boss Xie, 800 jin of apples, 500 jin of oranges, 200 jin of kiwis, 300 jin of grapes, 300 watermelons, 200 jin of dragon fruit, 400 jin of peaches, 100 jin of cherry tomatoes, 150 jin of ginseng fruit…"

"Boss, I've bought so much already, you have to give me the best price, otherwise I'll go to another fruit wholesaler."

......

The staff offered discounts and cooperated with the customers because they were paying in cash and the purchase quantity was sufficient.

She still requires all goods to be delivered to different, short-term leased, remote warehouses or factories, paying a small amount of cash as rent, just to provide a safe "transfer station".

In addition to purchasing large quantities of commonly used medicines such as cold medicine, anti-inflammatory drugs, heatstroke medicine, digestive medicine, cooling oil, medicated oil, suture kits, disinfectant tablets, and water purification tablets, Xu Xiaoyan also purchased a large quantity of other common medicines.

They also stockpiled a range of prescription drugs, including antibiotics, medications to lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, and painkillers, through small, frequent purchases via special channels such as online consultation platforms and offline pharmacies.

Thinking about what might happen in the future, especially in the event of extreme weather.

She also purchased a large quantity of durable work clothes, down jackets, windbreakers, raincoats, and rain boots for different seasons.

At the same time, they also made sure to purchase various supplies such as thick socks, gloves, hats, waterproof tents, moisture-proof mats, down sleeping bags, thermal blankets, power banks, gas masks, goggles, and isolation gowns.

The money was spent like water. Six hundred thousand sounds like a lot, but with such a large-scale and comprehensive procurement, the amount decreased rapidly.

Xu Xiaoyan felt heartache, but even more so, she was resolute. She knew that these things were just commodities in peaceful times, but in the possible future, each one would be a life-saving item.

Her one-month unpaid leave was over, and her workspace was now almost full, leaving her with only 30,000 yuan.

She took a deep breath, feeling the rich reserves in her mind that were like a mobile fortress, and her heart calmed down a little.

But a deeper unease began to surface: after all these preparations, would that "what if" really happen?

If all of this is just my imagination...

She shook her head, shaking off the hesitation. In the days to come, she needed to integrate into normal life more discreetly, while at the same time, vigilantly observing whether any unusual signs appeared around her.

When Xu Xiaoyan put on her work clothes again and returned to the Zhonglian Supermarket warehouse to report for duty, her state of mind was completely different.

She is no longer the lowly administrator struggling to make a living, but an "observer" harboring huge secrets and numerous reserves.

When Manager Peng saw her, he simply nodded without saying anything. He was clearly preoccupied with more complicated matters at the moment. The warehouse was still busy, but Xu Xiaoyan keenly sensed something was amiss.

Several familiar faces were nowhere to be seen. When she asked why, the answers were mostly "they were sick" or "they took leave because of a cold and fever."

Not only in the warehouse, but she also went to the supermarket area and found that the restocking speed of the shelves had slowed down significantly, and several checkout lanes were closed.

The customers waiting in line showed obvious impatience.

Every staff member on duty was in a hurry, their faces showing undisguised fatigue; one person often had to do the work of two or three.

"This flu is really bad lately," Xu Xiaoyan overheard her colleague at the next table complaining while coughing during lunch in the staff cafeteria.

"My children and elderly relatives have all contracted the virus, and the hospital's fever clinic is almost bursting at the seams."

"Yes, I heard it's not just the flu, a lot of people have pneumonia," another colleague said in a low voice. "Pharmacies are rationing cold medicine and fever reducers, and masks are almost sold out."

Xu Xiaoyan ate her meal in silence, but her heart tightened slightly as she thought of the medicines and masks she had stockpiled in her space.