Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Next comes securing it; tape won't do, you need a stronger adhesive or physical fixation.

She thought of nails, but the door panel itself was very fragile. If she used a heavy object to hammer it, the entire door panel might be ruined. There must be something else in the space!

She remembered that among some of the miscellaneous items she had collected before, there were several cans of powerful industrial-grade liquid nails.

Hopefully it will still work at this low temperature!

She took out the liquid nail can with almost her last hope, forcefully poked open the seal, and tremblingly stuck a thick ring of glue around the edge of the cut plastic board.

The pungent chemical smell was instantly dispersed by the wind. She found the right spot, used all her strength to slam the plastic sheet against the wall, and tightly covered the howling vent.

"Whoosh—" The sound of the wind suddenly became muffled!

The immense wind pressure pushed the plastic sheet outwards, squeezing out some of the glue from the edges. However, the center of the plastic sheet, though slightly bulging outwards from the wind, stubbornly resisted being blown away immediately; it held firm for the time being!

The wind still howled outside the cave, battering against the door panels, but the draft that had swept through the cave and whipped everything up had finally disappeared.

Although the air was still cold, it was no longer the kind of flowing wind blade that could carry away all the heat.

Xu Xiaoyan was almost exhausted. She slid down against the cold stone wall and gasped for breath.

The glue, sweat, and ash mixed together, making her look disheveled. Her migraine, no longer being directly exposed to the cold wind, gradually subsided into a dull, aching pain.

She rekindled a small fire, and this time the flames burned steadily, dispelling some of the darkness and chill.

She huddled beside the fire, watching the flickering flames, still shaken. Blocking the ventilation holes meant poor air circulation.

Now only a small gap between the door panel and the cave wall allows ventilation, so she must be even more careful to control the fire and prevent carbon monoxide from accumulating.

Outside the cave, the storm showed no signs of abating, but inside, the faint firelight offered her a temporary bit of warmth.

She brought her frozen hands close to the fire, the coldness at her fingertips gradually dispelled by the warmth, bringing a slightly tingling, itchy sensation.

The howling wind that had raged all night did not stop as expected as dawn was breaking; instead, it roared like thunder. Xu Xiaoyan was sleeping in her tent.

The first clap of thunder jolted her awake. Unlike the crisp, explosive sound of a summer downpour, the thunder was muffled and oppressive.

She couldn't resist braving the cold wind to open the door and go outside. She saw lightning tearing through the dim sky, followed by a thunderous roar that made her heart tremble.

Just as the thunder paused, the long-absent electronic horn, crackling with electrical noise, began to play.

The public address system had been broken for a while, but I didn't expect it to be fixed in this terrible weather.

This sound, which should have brought a glimmer of hope, instead made her inexplicably nervous.

In this kind of weather, urgently repairing the radio would certainly not be for broadcasting good news. She held her breath, listened intently, and tried to decipher every word mixed in with the wind, rain, and thunder.

"...An emergency notice is now being issued...Citizens of Jin City..." The intermittent broadcast, accompanied by crackling electrical current, sounded unusually serious and urgent.

"During this period... many areas in coastal provinces were hit by the tsunami... causing significant casualties..."

Tsunami!

Xu Xiaoyan's heart sank. She knew what this meant; the scale of the natural disaster far exceeded her imagination.

She felt overwhelmed by just a weakened storm last night, let alone the coastal areas directly facing the tsunami, which have most likely already suffered catastrophic damage.

"Many people have scattered and fled their homes... If you encounter any survivors who have fled here, we hope you can lend a helping hand and help each other..."

The voice on the radio was cold and formulaic, but the content was chilling.

The exodus... This means that a large number of survivors who have lost their homes and resources will flood into inland cities, leading to resource competition, chaos... She dared not think about it.

However, the bad news didn't stop there:

"In addition, according to meteorological forecasts, the southward-moving cold air will clash with the northward-moving warm and humid air mass, resulting in continuous heavy rainfall in the coming days... Please take immediate precautions against flooding..."

Heavy rain!

Xu Xiaoyan subconsciously looked at her cave located halfway up the mountain. Although it could withstand strong winds, could it withstand the erosion of continuous torrential rain and the possible flash floods?

Her supposedly safe haven could suddenly become precarious.

The broadcast ended with a glimmer of hope, but it also felt like a somber signal:

"If there are any problems with the supplies, please go to the trading area on the east side of Qingshui Mountain Villa... Each person is currently allowed to receive one set of basic survival supplies... Please be aware."

Qingshui Manor isn't far from her place, but the fact that each person received a basic supply—this seemingly casual remark—perfectly illustrates the severity of the situation. The authorities have begun distributing limited basic survival supplies.

The broadcast ended, the static disappeared, and only the increasingly clear thunder and the patter of raindrops hitting the earth remained.

When Xu Xiaoyan, Wang Qingshan, Chen Yong, and others arrived at the trading area on the east side of Qingshui Villa, a long, winding queue had already formed at the supplies collection point.

She glanced at the crowded people, then turned to her companion and said...

"I don't have enough firewood. I'll go to the free trading area and see if I can exchange some. You guys line up first, and call me when it's almost my turn." Everyone nodded in agreement, and she walked towards the trading area alone.

The free market was bustling with people, and shouts and calls filled the air.

Xu Xiaoyan's gaze swept over several stalls piled with firewood, carefully observing the sellers' expressions.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. The middle-aged man in the crowd, wearing a brown cotton-padded coat and tidying up bundles of firewood, was the same man she had exchanged GG fabric with to make door panels.

Having already made a deal and living on the same nearby hillside, she felt reassured and walked straight up to them.

"Big brother, do you still recognize me? I traded compressed biscuits for GG cloth with you before," Xu Xiaoyan said with a smile.

The middle-aged man looked up at the sound, paused for a moment, and then nodded repeatedly.

"I remember, I remember! Little girl, are you looking to exchange for firewood? I have eight bundles of dry firewood here, all easy to burn, and the price is reasonable!"

Xu Xiaoyan didn't mince words: "If I trade you instant noodles, how many packs do you want?"

"Instant noodles?!" The uncle's eyes lit up, his voice rising. "That's great! Six packs... no, five packs will do!"

Xu Xiaoyan readily agreed, "Okay, but I'll have to trouble you to move it to the cave entrance for me."

The uncle was overjoyed and hurriedly replied:

"No problem! I still have eight bundles stored in my cave. I'll bring them to you when I get back! We live close by anyway, it's on the way."