Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Over the next few days, she observed more closely and noticed that the sales of bottled water, instant noodles, and compressed biscuits in the supermarket seemed to be particularly fast.

Although restocking is relatively timely, certain brands and flavors are frequently out of stock, and these subtle changes are accumulating.

News reports began to appear more frequently about "respiratory illnesses of unknown cause" spreading in different cities.

Although the tone was cautious, the frequency of reminders to citizens to take precautions has increased significantly.

On social media, discussions and requests for help about the "strange disease" are quietly increasing, although they are quickly overshadowed by other trending topics.

Even on the street, the proportion of pedestrians wearing masks is quietly increasing.

A sense of impending doom began to permeate the air above Xuan County.

Xu Xiaoyan withdrew the last 30,000 yuan from the bank, carefully put the cash away, and then stroked the cool silver leaf mark on her waist.

Feeling the almost completely filled space in her mind—food, water, medicine, seeds, tools… everything was available, enough to support her to live alone for a very long time.

She goes to get off work and leaves on time, completes her duties diligently, and maintains normal interactions with her colleagues, just like an ordinary young person who is somewhat oblivious to changes in her surroundings.

But all her senses were on high alert.

I carefully observed each colleague who asked for leave.

I pay attention to every news item and listen to every casual conversation between customers and colleagues.

Silently filtering through all the information, trying to piece together the true shape of the future from these everyday fragments.

Days passed by in a strange sense of disconnect. Xuanxian County remained bustling with traffic and flashing neon lights, but beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were growing increasingly turbulent.

Xu Xiaoyan's observations were further validated: more and more people were taking leave from the supermarket, and it wasn't just because of colds or fevers; the reasons for taking leave became more diverse and ambiguous.

"Feeling unwell"

"Something came up at home."

"Isolation and observation are required"

Manager Peng's expression grew increasingly grim, the phone rang incessantly, and he lashed out at the phone more frequently.

The empty shelves became frequent and persistent, initially with dust masks, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, and dish soap being completely out of stock.

Next, gaps began to appear in easily stored foods such as instant noodles, canned goods, and bottled water.

The intervals between restocking became longer and longer, and eventually, even the shelves for everyday items like toilet paper and sanitary napkins were often half empty.

A silent panic began to spread through the empty shelves among the crowd.

Although there hasn't been a large-scale panic buying frenzy yet, people are clearly putting more items in their shopping carts.

The checkout line was even longer, and people's expressions were less composed and more anxious.

The reporting tone in the news has subtly changed.

The initial reminder to take precautions has been replaced by an advising to reduce unnecessary travel, and words such as "virus," "highly contagious," and "shortage of medical resources" have been introduced.

On social media, information that had been suppressed began to be exposed.

Photos of a locked-down neighborhood, videos of overcrowded hospitals, and messages asking for help to buy medicine or find hospital beds... these appear sporadically but continuously, spreading in private chat groups.

Xu Xiaoyan even sensed the changes in her neighborhood.

Neighbors meet less often now. When they do bump into each other in the elevator, they're all wearing masks, nodding to each other before quickly looking away.

At night, the sound of ambulances seemed to be much more frequent than before, wailing through the night sky, and every time she heard it, her heart would clench.

In the warehouse, she focused solely on her work, minimizing interaction with her colleagues, but her ears were always attentive to every bit of information.

"I heard another person in the XX department has fallen ill and was taken straight to the hospital..."

"I can't go to this class anymore, I want to go back to my hometown and hide there for a while..."

"The medicine is completely unavailable, and my dad still has a fever. I'm so worried!"

That evening after get off work, she passed by a small clinic near her neighborhood and was surprised to find a long queue outside, almost circling the clinic.

People wore all sorts of masks, their faces filled with anxiety, constantly coughing and blowing their noses. A printed sheet was pasted on the glass door of the clinic.

The sign above read in haste, "Fever reducers and cold medicines are sold out. We are unable to receive patients with fever. Please go to a major hospital on your own."

Xu Xiaoyan paused, a bad feeling rising in her heart.

She hurried home, locked the door, leaned against it, and took a deep breath. She subconsciously touched the silver leaf mark on her waist; it remained cold and unchanged.

"The doomsday predictions must be true..." she murmured to herself, no longer doubting that her preparations had been in vain.

She took out her phone and canceled all non-essential app notifications, leaving only news notifications and emergency alerts enabled.

I fully charged my phone and all the power banks, checked the water and electricity valves in the house, and turned off the lights.

After doing all this, she sat quietly on the sofa, disappearing into the darkness.

Only the occasional neon lights outside the window swept across her face, revealing a pair of eyes that were exceptionally bright and alert in the darkness.

It seemed to confirm Xu Xiaoyan's unease over the past few days.

The official announcement was finally released in the most direct and severe way: television news, mobile app push notifications, and community radio broadcasts all issued emergency notices almost simultaneously.

The outbreak has been confirmed to be highly contagious, and the strictest lockdown measures will be implemented starting today to curb the spread of the virus.

Once a confirmed case is discovered, the residential community or building where the confirmed case resides will be immediately placed under strict quarantine and lockdown, with all personnel only allowed to enter and not leave. The lifting of the lockdown will be announced separately.

This news was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating a huge wave in the small town of Xuanxian. Panic spread like a plague, even faster than the virus itself.

"Lockdown? What if you're stuck at home with no food or water?!"

"Quick! Quick, to the supermarket! Quick, to the pharmacy!"

Similar conversations occur in countless families.

Within half an hour of the announcement, long queues formed at the entrances of major supermarkets and pharmacies in Xuan County at an astonishing speed.

The expressions on people's faces were no longer the subtle anxiety of the past few days, but rather blatant panic and a frantic scramble for what they could.

There are currently no cases in Mingzhu Community where Xu Xiaoyan lives, so it has not been locked down.

But this doesn't mean she can stay out of it. On the contrary, as an employee of Zhonglian Supermarket, she has to go to work on time—especially at a time when there is a severe shortage of manpower.