Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Yuming immediately stopped and raised their hands to indicate that they meant no harm.

"We are survivors," Xu Xiaoyan said, trying to make her voice sound peaceful and harmless. "We escaped from the other side of the mountain. When we saw light here, we...we thought we'd come and see if there was any rescue."

The figure sized them up, its wariness undiminished, but it seemed to have confirmed that they did not appear to be a threat.

He coughed a few times, his voice hoarse. "Rescue? Hmph... This is just a temporary shelter; we can't even take care of ourselves."

He pointed with the branch in his hand towards the center of the village:

"Most of the people in charge and those who were still able to move went out to find supplies or search for survivors."

Those who remain are either unable to walk, like me, or are caring for patients.” His tone was filled with helplessness and a hint of resentment.

"Then... what about the troops? Aren't there troops here?" Wang Yuming asked anxiously.

"The army?" The man scoffed, his tone mocking. "A few days ago, a detachment was here. They set up tents and gave us some food."

Later, orders came from above to evacuate as quickly as possible. So they left some medicine behind and led the able-bodied people who could walk to move further inland.

Now, only a few young people who are unwilling to leave are holding this place up, along with a bunch of old, weak, sick, and disabled people. What kind of people's army is this? Those who are sick or unable to walk are just abandoned.

Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Yuming exchanged a glance, both seeing the complex emotions in each other's eyes.

This makeshift camp was poorly equipped, lacked order, and clearly posed health risks.

It might be the group of people whose basement at Qingshui Villa was gnawed by rats; the strong smell of disinfectant and the coughs of the patients are proof of that.

The two chose to leave the village shrouded in decay.

On the rusted iron sign at the village entrance, the village name is long since blurred and illegible; only a few faded emergency epidemic prevention notices rustle in the wind.

Several pairs of numb eyes peered out from behind the broken window as they left, lifeless.

Wang Yuming stopped walking about a kilometer out of the village, when the low shacks had shrunk into a blurry black dot in his field of vision.

"What do you think?" His voice was hoarse with a hint of weariness.

"How many more days will our supplies last? Should we find a place to rest and recover our strength on the edge of this village, or should we continue chasing northwest as indicated on the map?"

Xu Xiaoyan did not answer immediately. She took out a bottle of mineral water from her backpack and took a small sip.

Her gaze remained fixed on the village, the scene she had just witnessed flashing through her mind:

The room was filled with the sounds of coughing, unexplained red spots on the skin, and mountains of medical waste. She subconsciously touched her clothes.

"We can't stay." Xu Xiaoyan's voice was soft, but unusually firm, as if she was convincing herself, or as if she was confirming a cruel fact.

"The severity of the outbreak here is probably far greater than we anticipated. Look at the symptoms of those people; it doesn't seem like a common flu. Jin City previously locked down several towns with severe outbreaks, and although the measures were drastic, it seems that..."

She paused, seemingly searching for the right words:

"Perhaps the most effective way to break the chain of transmission is to save the majority of people or to take care of every individual. This is the cruelest single-choice question in the era of disaster, and we have no right to criticize anything."

Wang Yuming nodded silently. "I understand. Kindness is a virtue in times of peace and prosperity, but it may be a death sentence in times of decline. We must survive in order to do more."

He glanced at the multi-function watch on his wrist. "We're still at least 30 kilometers from the next village. We need to conserve our energy."

The two reached a consensus and found a partially collapsed highway underpass nearby. The location was relatively sheltered from the wind, had a wide field of vision, and was easy to observe and guard against potential dangers.

Scattered beneath the overpass are the skeletons of abandoned vehicles, which have long since been looted.

They chose the back of the cab of a relatively intact container truck as their temporary resting place.

Without lighting a fire or engaging in much conversation, the two rested against the cold metal walls of the carriage.

The five-hour rest period was compressed into an extremely short time amidst exhaustion and tension.

When the portable alarm clock that Wang Yuming had set vibrated slightly, it was already broad daylight. The two quickly packed up all their belongings and continued on their way.

Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Yuming trekked northwest along a dirt road that was almost swallowed up by weeds.

Silence reigned all around, broken only by the whistling of the wind rustling through the tips of the withered grass and the sound of their own footsteps.

Suddenly, Wang Yuming stopped and turned his gaze to the seemingly completely abandoned field beside the road.

Most of the field was covered with withered, unrecognizable weeds.

But in a corner near the edge of the field, a small patch of unusual color caught his eye.

"What's wrong?" Xu Xiaoyan also stopped and looked in the direction of his gaze with a puzzled expression.

Wang Yuming did not answer immediately. Instead, he carefully walked down the ridge and along the alternating soft and hard soil to a clump of withered plants that had turned greenish-brown and lay limply on the ground.

It blends in with the weeds and is extremely inconspicuous; if you are not paying attention, you will definitely miss it.

He crouched down and gently brushed away the dead leaves and loose soil covering the plant's roots with his fingers, revealing the slightly thicker top of the roots.

Xu Xiaoyan followed him over and stood behind him, watching intently.

Wang Yuming reached out and pinched the part of the withered stem close to the ground, tentatively, and then pulled it upwards with a little force.

With a soft "whoosh," a bunch of round fruits covered in mud were pulled out of the ground.

They huddled together, their skins covered in mud and somewhat shriveled, but their unique net-like patterns and plump shapes clearly identified them.

"Peanuts!" Xu Xiaoyan exclaimed softly, her voice filled with unbelievable surprise.

In a time when fresh food is scarce, this is undoubtedly a windfall.

She immediately realized that peanuts are usually planted in large areas, and it's impossible for them to be a solitary plant. A spark of hope ignited in her eyes in an instant.

Without saying a word, Xu Xiaoyan quickly took out a pair of thick work gloves from the side pocket of her backpack and put them on.

She carefully cleared away the weeds and clods of soil around the peanut plant where she had found it, and then began to dig.

The soil was turned over handful by handful, carrying a damp and cool smell.

Sure enough, not long after, the roots of the second plant, still attached to the peanut pod, emerged, followed by the third...

Seeing this, Wang Yuming also joined in the digging. While Wang Yuming wasn't paying attention, Xu Xiaoyan put most of the peanuts she had dug into her spatial storage.

The two moved outwards in perfect unison, their movements swift yet gentle, to avoid damaging the fruit beneath.

For a moment, the only sounds in the silent fields were the turning of the soil and the occasional collision of stones.