Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

She looked up at the sky; lightning occasionally tore through the clouds, but the thunder seemed relatively distant, coming in a muffled murmur.

At present, the risks are still bearable, and we can no longer hesitate. My body heat is being lost rapidly, and I must settle down as soon as possible.

She carefully tucked the tent and backpack deep into the tree hole to make sure they wouldn't get wet, and then she herself laboriously curled up and crawled inside.

The inside of the tree hollow was more spacious than she had expected. Although she couldn't stand up straight, it was enough for her to sit down and even stretch her legs slightly.

A scent mixed with the smells of decaying wood, soil, and a faint fungus wafted over, not pleasant, but strangely it brought a sense of security, as if it were enveloped and protected.

She leaned against the rough inner wall and let out a long sigh of relief.

After climbing into the tree hole, the first thing she did was take off her soaked raincoat and hang it on a slightly protruding burl on the inner wall of the hole, hoping that the limited airflow inside would carry away some of the moisture.

Next, she took off her shoes, which were filled with mud and water, wrung them out, and turned them upside down.

The cold, damp clothes that clung to her skin, which she found most unbearable, were removed without hesitation. With a thought, she took out several towels, a set of dry, soft spare underwear, and thick socks from her spatial storage.

The moment she changed into dry clothes, she was completely protected from the deadly damp cold. She even took out a thin but moisture-proof waterproof mat and placed it at the bottom of the tree hole before she could sit down with peace of mind.

Xu Xiaoyan placed a plastic basin on the outer edge of the tree hole, in a spot where it could catch some rainwater.

The sound of raindrops hitting the sides of the basin became a crisp accompaniment in her monotonous days. When the basin was full, she would carefully carry it in to wash her shoes.

The biggest problem is that it's impossible to light a fire for warmth inside the tree hollow.

But she had a way. She took out a thick fleece blanket from her storage space and wrapped it around herself. Then she lifted the hem of her clothes and put heat packs on her abdomen, lower back, and soles of her feet.

The heat is released slowly, effectively dispelling the chill in the core area and preventing rapid heat loss.

She was glad she had stockpiled a huge number of hand warmers, so she could use them without feeling guilty. She would replace them with new ones every few hours when she felt the heat was getting weaker, thus ensuring a stable body temperature.

When hunger strikes, she doesn't need to eat cold, dry food; she only needs to take out a still-warm bowl of vinegar chicken and a bowl of white rice.

She sat on the dry, waterproof mat and calmly enjoyed the hot meal. The delicious food not only filled the emptiness in her stomach but also greatly comforted her tense nerves.

After the meal, she even took out grapes to supplement her vitamins. Most of the time, she sat or lay quietly in the tree hole, her ears alert to any external noises, especially thunder.

When the rain gradually stopped on the fourth day and the sunlight barely pierced through the clouds, Xu Xiaoyan was in good condition.

She changed into a clean set of outdoor clothes, carefully packed away all her belongings, and even wiped the waterproof mat clean and put it away.

She stood outside the tree hollow, taking a deep breath of the crisp, post-rain air. It was time to leave this temporary haven.

Xu Xiaoyan cautiously made her way down the mountain. The forest, washed by the torrential rain, was already muddy and full of fallen trees and tumbleweeds.

Her original plan was to return to the area where the original cave was located to check the situation and try to meet up with Wang Qingshan and the others.

However, when she saw the hillside in the distance, her heart sank.

The place has been completely changed. A massive landslide has buried the original cave complex, leaving only a jagged slope with exposed fresh soil and broken logs.

There was no sign of life.

With her hopes dashed, Xu Xiaoyan had no choice but to change her plans and decide to try her luck at "Qingshui Manor".

As she struggled along the path she remembered, she faintly heard arguing and suppressed sobs coming from behind a bend not far ahead.

Xu Xiaoyan immediately became alert, slipped behind a thick bush, and observed with bated breath.

She carefully parted the branches and leaves of the bushes and peered through the gaps.

After the bend, there was a relatively gentle downhill road. A huge, withered tree leaned against the side of the road, and five people were locked in a stalemate under the tree.

Four of them were adults, a couple who appeared to be a married couple, the man slightly overweight and the woman with messy hair, and a young man wearing a gray windbreaker and glasses.

Opposite them was a middle-aged woman holding the hand of a little girl. The suppressed sobbing came from the little girl, who looked to be no more than ten years old and was covered in mud.

"It's not that we're unwilling to help, look at this road!" The slightly overweight man pointed to the hillside beneath his feet, which had been ravaged by the mudslide, his voice trembling with emotion.

"The original roadbed is completely gone, it's all mud and rocks now. How are we supposed to get across? If we slip again, we'll all be doomed!"

"But...but my daughter's medicine is still in the bag, right next to that big rock over there, I marked it..." The middle-aged woman's voice was choked with sobs as she tightly hugged her sobbing daughter.

"What if she starts wheezing again tonight without medicine?" The little girl coughed a few times, her voice choked with phlegm, her face turning red.

The man in the gray shirt and glasses pushed up his glasses, his tone relatively calm, but the content was largely the same:

"Sister, the situation is indeed not optimistic. Look at that slope, the soil saturation is extremely high and the stability is very poor. It's troublesome for us to take a detour, but the risk of crossing this landslide area is too high. We can't joke with our lives."

"I know it's dangerous, I really know," the middle-aged woman almost knelt down. "Please, help me."

The woman in the couple was already impatiently pulling on her husband's arm, trying to get him to keep going.

Xu Xiaoyan's gaze swept past the group of people, carefully examining the area.

The soil was fresh, mixed with broken wood and rocks, and the slope was very steep. However, at the edge of the landslide area, close to the mountainside, there seemed to be an extremely narrow "edge zone" barely supported by the roots of fallen trees.

Perhaps you could try to slowly move along the mountainside. Although it is equally dangerous, it is slightly better than directly crossing the mudslide gully.

Xu Xiaoyan finally couldn't resist and came out from behind the bushes.

Her sudden appearance startled the group of people who were arguing, and they looked warily at the unfamiliar girl who was also covered in mud but had clear eyes.

"Um... I overheard a little bit just now," Xu Xiaoyan said, trying to keep her tone calm as she pointed to the side of the landslide area closest to the mountainside.

"I observed that over there, where it's close to the rocks, there seems to be a very narrow path that's held in place by tree roots. You can try to slowly move across it; it's safer than walking directly through the middle of the mud slope."