Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Unfortunately, the cave couldn't even fit a folding cot, let alone any of the "luxury" furniture. However, this disappointment was fleeting.

Xu Xiaoyan quickly adjusted her mindset; at least she didn't have to struggle in the wind and snow like some people did for a little firewood or a bite to eat.

She opened the tent flap towards the fire, laid out a thick moisture-proof mat and sleeping bag, which effectively insulated her from the cold air from the ground while allowing her to enjoy the warmth radiating from the fire.

Then she crawled into her sleeping bag, listened to the crackling of the fire and the sound of wind and snow outside, closed her eyes, and gradually felt exhausted. She fell into a deep sleep amidst the contrast of fire and ice.

After waking up, Xu Xiaoyan's gaze fell on the cleaned chestnuts in the corner. Thinking that she had nothing to do and sitting there was really boring, she might as well continue peeling some chestnuts.

She first used her thumbnail to pinch a small opening in the protruding part of the chestnut shell, and then gently pried it open along the texture.

The brown shell, covered in fine fuzz, cracked open with a snap, and seeing the ever-burning fire, an idea popped into my head.

She took out a cutting board, a plastic basin, and a watermelon knife from her storage space and pressed the chestnuts onto the cutting board.

With a slight twist of her wrist, two crisp "clicks" rang out, and neat cross patterns appeared on the surface of the chestnuts. Xu Xiaoyan carefully scattered the first batch of chestnuts that had been opened onto the edge of the fire.

In just twenty minutes, the chestnut shells began to swell slightly, and the cross-shaped openings bloomed like flower buds, revealing the golden flesh inside. The aroma of caramelized nuts mixed with sweet fragrance filled the cavity.

She used a watermelon knife to pry out two chestnuts, scalding them as she tossed them between her hands, gently blowing on them to peel them open. The perfectly roasted chestnuts were soft and tender, with a unique sweetness from the mountains.

"This tastes really good!" Her eyes lit up.

Immediately divide the remaining chestnuts into two batches. One batch continues to roast, while the other batch is carefully shucked with scissors to remove the whole chestnut kernels. The golden chestnut kernels are piled up like a small mountain in the plastic basin.

She thought to herself that she could sprinkle some chestnut kernels on the porridge while cooking it. Imagining the steaming chestnut porridge bubbling in the clay pot, she couldn't help but hum a folk song, and her hands moved even more nimbly.

Xu Xiaoyan was focused on processing chestnuts when a sharp scream suddenly pierced the relatively quiet air in the cave.

Immediately afterwards, a chaotic cacophony of voices surged forth like a burst dam, repeating in terror, "Rats! So many rats! Rats have run into their holes!"

Her heart sank, and after a brief blank, her mind raced. Could it be a rat infestation?

If the rat swarm really spreads, her belongings will be devoured in an instant.

With a quick thought, the pile of chestnuts, sleeping bags, stools, and other items in front of him was instantly stored in his spatial storage.

Almost at the same moment the chestnut disappeared, she clearly heard a chilling rustling sound coming from outside her simple cave door.

The sound was terrifyingly dense, like countless tiny claws scratching and running wildly.

Fortunately, she had previously reinforced the door with heavy timber for safety, and now this sturdy door was the only barrier, temporarily shutting out the terrifying noises.

But the subtle vibrations coming from the bottom of the door made it clear to her that they were trying to get in.

"Don't panic, absolutely don't panic." Xu Xiaoyan forced herself to take a deep breath, her back pressed tightly against the cold cave wall, her palms sweating from nervousness. How could she prevent this?

How to defend against it?

Her mind raced, trying to recall the rat guard she'd seen when she worked at a supermarket before the apocalypse.

That thing might be useful against one or two sneaking in, but against a rat swarm of this size, it's like a paper dam.

She recalled with frustration her space, which was filled with rice, flour, cooking oil, tools, and medicine, but had not prepared anything specifically to deal with rats.

At first, we were only thinking about guarding against major dangers and people. Who could have imagined that we would be forced into such a predicament by these insignificant things?

"By force, we definitely can't stop them; we have to find a way to make them leave on their own..." Her eyes quickly scanned the cave, looking for anything she could use. Fire?

Yes, most animals are afraid of fire!

She immediately moved to a corner and piled the dried branches and chestnut shells she had collected for starting a fire behind the door.

He found another lighter, ready to light it to drive them away if necessary. Was it possible to create some obstacles near the cave entrance?

Or the smell... What strong smells do mice hate?

She tried desperately to recall, as if she had heard of peppermint oil? The scent of a cat? Unfortunately, she had neither.

The scratching sounds outside the door seemed more urgent, and you could even hear the teeth-grinding sound of wood being gnawed at.

Xu Xiaoyan gripped the watermelon knife she used for self-defense tightly. Passive defense was not a solution; she had to take the initiative.

At least before the door is breached, you need to come up with a way to temporarily repel the rats and buy yourself more time.

Her gaze finally settled on the pile of materials prepared for ignition, and an adventurous plan began to take shape in her mind...

Perhaps a limited wall of fire could be created, combined with thick smoke? But the fire must be controlled, otherwise it would be even worse if it set you on fire.

She took a deep breath and first took out several buckets of cooking oil and several small battery-powered kitchen fans from her storage space.

Then, after unscrewing the cap of one of the bottles of cooking oil, a strong oily smell wafted out.

She didn't pour the oil directly onto the sturdy door panel, as that would only fuel the fire and could potentially burn down her only barrier.

Instead, she carefully poured cooking oil onto the ground inside the door crack, forming a strip of oil about twenty centimeters wide with a strong odor. Then, she spread tinder, dry leaves, and firewood on top of the oil.

"Squeak—crunch—" A teeth-grinding gnawing sound came from the bottom of the door panel, and wood chips could even be seen falling down in a rustling sound.

Clearly, some rats were trying to gnaw through the door panel, as soon as the first rat peeked out!

Without further hesitation, Xu Xiaoyan retrieved the smoke mask from her spatial storage, quickly removed the two rubber stoppers from the filter canister, and put it on tightly.

Then she quickly lit one of the dry branches with a lighter, and the moment the flames rose, she immediately turned on the row of electric fans that she had prepared beforehand.

"Boom—!" The flames ignited upon contact with the oil, and a blazing wall of fire instantly rose up, illuminating the cave entrance!

With the help of the electric fan, the rats that entered immediately emitted a shrill, piercing sound and smelled of burning fur.

The flames successfully blocked the rats' path to directly attack the door, and the rats at the front were instantly engulfed by the flames.

However, the oil is limited and the burning will end quickly. Xu Xiaoyan wants to take advantage of this time difference.

She wet the dry branches with mineral water and put them into the burning fire. The materials could not burn completely, and a large amount of pungent and acrid smoke was produced.