Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

She mixed cement, water, and sand in roughly the same proportions and vigorously stirred it with a wooden stick. Soon, the thick, grayish-brown "three-in-one" mortar was ready.

Although it cannot compare to regular concrete, it is the most practical choice for filling gaps and reinforcing structures at present.

Xu Xiaoyan found a relatively flat, thin wooden board to use as a trowel and began to carefully repair the hole in the door panel.

She was extra careful, especially when repairing the largest, most badly gnawed holes located under the door panels.

Each time she applied the mortar, she tried to make it as thin and even as possible, filling and smoothing it layer by layer.

The door's frame and hinges have already withstood tremendous pressure. If the repaired cement layer is too thick or too heavy, it could directly cause the door panel to deform.

If the hinges are even pulled off the wall, that would be adding insult to injury.

She had to ensure that the repaired door panel could both block the danger and not collapse under its own weight.

A cold wind swept by, making her fingers stiff, but she dared not stop until the last obvious hole was sealed with plaster.

Although the door panel still looks mottled and dilapidated, it has at least regained its basic integrity and concealment function.

The cold wind, carrying the pungent smell of disinfectant, rushed into the cave, making her shiver.

She was preparing to clean up the remaining cement when a quarrel drifted over on the wind, the sound coming from the direction of the cave below.

"Why can't I bring more? This is the food I've saved up!" a somewhat shrill male voice shouted excitedly.

"Li Laosi, be reasonable! The notice clearly stated that we were going to receive treatment for our injuries, not to move! These rations were collected by the three of us together, what kind of nonsense is it for you to take half by yourself?"

That was the other person's comforting voice, tinged with obvious weariness and anger.

"Exactly, and besides, your injury... who knows how long it will take to heal? Wearing it too much will only make things worse..."

Another voice chimed in, not finishing its sentence, but the meaning was clear: bringing too much would be a waste if they didn't come back.

Xu Xiaoyan quietly took a few steps and saw that in front of the cave entrance below, the middle-aged man called Li Laosi had dirty strips of cloth haphazardly wrapped around his arm, with dark red bloodstains seeping through the cloth.

He was red-faced and visibly angry, pulling at a bulging burlap sack with a young man.

Another young man in a brown cotton-padded jacket stood to the side, his face looking very unpleasant.

There were two or three other people nearby, also carrying simple bags, with expressions of fear or numbness, clearly also injured people preparing to go to the quarantine point.

It seems the team heading to the quarantine site is about to depart, but the conflict over the distribution of supplies has erupted at this final moment. Faced with the struggle for survival, even a small amount of food can trigger a fierce conflict.

Xu Xiaoyan watched the farce with a cold eye. She understood Li Laosi's fear. Leaving a relatively familiar environment with injuries, his future was uncertain. Every extra bite of food meant a greater chance of survival.

She understood the young man's predicament. There were only so many resources; if everyone wanted to take more, the team wouldn't be able to move at all, and it might even cause greater chaos.

She saw the young man forcibly take some of the grain from Li Laosi's sack, and then Li Laosi, cursing but helpless, shouldered his lighter baggage and walked unsteadily toward Qingshui Manor.

The settlement fell silent again. Xu Xiaoyan retreated back into the cave and gently closed the door.

Xu Xiaoyan huddled in the cave to hibernate, burying the last few dozen chestnuts in the ashes at the edge of the fire, when the wind outside the cave began to blow.

At first she didn't pay much attention, until the sound got closer and louder.

A cold wind slipped in through the cracks in the door, slicing at the flickering flames, casting an uneasy shadow on her face as the firelight flickered and dimmed.

"This wind..." she murmured to herself, shrinking her body further and wrapping her down jacket tighter around herself.

She thought this gust of evil wind would pass quickly, but little did she know that it was just the prelude.

Suddenly the wind picked up, and a tremendous force slammed into the door, making a loud "bang".

The entire cave seemed to tremble, and then more wind rushed in from the cracks, instantly filling the entire cave.

The fire that had been providing warmth didn't even have time to struggle before it went out completely with a faint "poof".

Darkness instantly swallowed everything, with only a few scattered sparks flickering desperately in the gale before vanishing.

To make matters worse, the scorching ashes were whipped up by the wind and rained down on all parts of the cave. She hurriedly used her arms to shield her head and face, but she was still choked and coughed repeatedly, and her eyes burned with pain.

A sharp pain exploded in my temples—the familiar migraine triggered by a blast of cold wind.

"The vent... damn vent!" she cried out in the darkness, her head throbbing and coughing.

For safety, she carefully dug seven ventilation openings along the top of the cave, fearing that she would suffocate if she lit a fire inside.

Now, these seven holes have become seven channels for causing trouble. This is simply a case of being too clever for one's own good and reaping what one sows!

This can't go on any longer; the temperature inside the cave is dropping rapidly.

The gale showed no signs of abating. If it continued to blow like this all night, even if she didn't freeze to death, the headache would be enough to kill her. She had to block up a few of the ventilation holes!

She searched the space for anything usable, and the first thing that came to mind was plastic tape. A roll of wide tape appeared in her hand. She stood up in the dark, tiptoed, and barely reached the nearest vent.

The biting cold wind was pouring in through the small hole, making her fingers stiff. She tore off a piece of tape with her mouth and pressed it hard onto the hole.

However, it was all in vain. Almost the instant the tape touched the hole, it was blown away by the powerful force and rolled into some unknown corner.

Xu Xiaoyan stood frozen in the darkness, holding the remaining roll of tape.

"Don't panic... Absolutely don't panic!" She silently comforted herself, thinking that since tape wouldn't work, she needed something more substantial that could withstand wind pressure.

She once again immersed her consciousness into the space. Clothes? Too soft, they'd be blown away anyway. Wooden planks? The size wasn't right, and she had no tools to hold them in place…

Got it!

Her thoughts lingered on a thick roll of transparent plastic sheeting that had originally been intended to serve as a window; the sheeting was rigid enough to be cut with a knife.

She immediately took out a plastic sheet and a utility knife. It was extremely difficult to operate in the dark, so she could only rely on her memory of the cave structure to find the approximate location of the ventilation holes.

Then she measured the dimensions with her fingers. The wind rushed out of the hole so hard that she could barely open her eyes, and her fingers were frozen stiff and unresponsive.

She gritted her teeth, pressed the plastic sheet against the wall, and painstakingly cut it with a utility knife. The edges were crooked, but she finally managed to cut out a square that was a size larger than the ventilation hole.