Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

The next day, just as dawn broke, the team quickly prepared at the sound of commands, and Xu Xiaoyan and the others were assigned to the collection team by Lao Wang.

The team consisted of eight people, including Lao Wang. In addition to the four "newcomers," there were three soldiers who seemed more alert and had some experience in wilderness survival.

"Stay close to me and keep your eyes open," Old Wang instructed succinctly. "Ask me about any plants you recognize or are unsure about first. Don't eat them randomly. If you hear anything unusual, hide immediately and follow my instructions."

After saying that, he distributed several simple cloth bags and a multi-functional knife to Xu Xiaoyan and the others.

The group proceeded along the slope and forest edge on one side of the road, at a slightly slower pace than the main force.

Their mission was to survey all possible food sources, and thanks to their previous escape experience, the four of them quickly made some discoveries.

Weng Nanque, with her sharp eyes, spotted a small patch of wild shepherd's purse and purslane. Although they were a bit old, they were still a rare source of greenery.

Wang Yuming found several clumps of edible lichen and moss on the shady side of a rock.

Weng Beiyan, with his agile skills, pulled a nest of bird eggs from a hole in a dead tree. Although most of them were broken, he still found three intact ones.

Xu Xiaoyan's attention was highly focused, her gaze sweeping over the layers of branches and leaves, the intertwined vines and the exposed roots like a comb.

Suddenly, she stopped and fixed her gaze on several oddly shaped trees not far away.

Their branches are gnarled and twisted, covered with clusters of inconspicuous, small, fleshy fruits that are yellowish-brown or dark red and twisted in shape like the Chinese character "万" or chicken feet.

"Squad Leader Wang!" Xu Xiaoyan called out loudly, her voice tinged with uncertain excitement, pointing to the fruit. "Look over there... aren't those Japanese jujubes?"

Old Wang looked in the direction she pointed, squinted for a moment to make out the details, and a rare look of surprise and approval appeared on his tense face.

"Hey! It really is! You have a sharp eye, girl. How did you spot this thing growing in such a hidden place, and its color is almost the same as a dead branch?"

He strode over, picked up a small cluster from the ground, pinched the twisted stem, smelled it, and nodded in confirmation.

"That's right, it's a Japanese raisin tree fruit, perfectly ripe. It's very sweet and can be used as a source of sugar."

He turned to look at Xu Xiaoyan, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration. "Well done, Xiao Xu! This is good stuff!"

Hearing Old Wang's generous praise, Xu Xiaoyan was overjoyed, but her thoughts quickly returned to reality.

She looked up and estimated the yield of the few jujube trees, then turned to Old Wang and said clearly and sincerely:

"Squad Leader Wang, these trees have a lot of fruit. The four of us can pick just one."

She pointed to a jujube tree nearby that was laden with fruit and said, "Leave the rest for the team; everyone needs to replenish their energy."

Upon hearing this, Old Wang was taken aback at first, then a genuine and gratified smile spread across his face, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out.

He patted Xu Xiaoyan's shoulder forcefully, his voice booming, "Good! Good! Good! You put the big picture first and understand the bigger picture! On behalf of the brothers, thank you!"

"It's only right, the team took us in," Xu Xiaoyan replied with a smile.

Without saying another word, Old Wang immediately got to work.

He picked up his military communicator, switched to the squad channel, and called out, "Eagle, Eagle, this is Old Wang from the collection team. We've found several wild jujube trees at the current location. The fruit is edible and high in sugar."

We request that the main force send three to four agile brothers who can climb trees to help with the harvest. Again, we need brothers who can climb trees. The coordinates are based on our current location.

A muffled response came quickly from the other end of the communicator: "Eagle received. Personnel will be dispatched immediately. Remain on high alert."

After making the arrangements, Lao Wang nodded to Xu Xiaoyan and the others, "Alright, the main force will send people over to help. You guys start picking your own plants first."

"Understood!" Xu Xiaoyan replied, then turned to her companion.

Without needing to say more, Weng Beiyan understood and took off his slightly cumbersome coat, stretched his arms and legs, and confidently said, "You guys catch it down below."

After saying that, he took a deep breath, spotted the uneven parts of the tree trunk, and climbed up the main trunk using both his hands and feet, sitting steadily on a sturdy branch.

Under the tree, Wang Yuming quickly opened their largest empty cloth bag and stood directly below Weng Beiyan, ready to catch it.

Xu Xiaoyan and Weng Nanque, one on the left and one on the right, were responsible for picking up any stray fruit bunches that might have fallen into the surrounding area.

"Bei Yan, slow down and be careful!" Xu Xiaoyan looked up and reminded him.

"Don't worry!" Weng Beiyan replied from above and began to carefully pick the fruit.

He avoided the thin, weak branches, choosing instead the sturdy branches laden with fruit. He skillfully pulled them closer together, then precisely cut the fruit stalks with a small knife issued by the army.

Clusters and strings of jujubes, shaped like chicken claws, fell softly to the ground.

Most of them fell precisely into the cloth bag that Wang Yuming had opened, while a few scattered around, but Xu Xiaoyan and Weng Nanque quickly picked them up.

Watching the small team work together so efficiently, especially Weng Beiyan's agility in the tree and Xu Xiaoyan's careful direction and picking up the items below, Old Wang's admiration deepened.

The jujubes were carefully collected; the twisted little fruits were sweet and soft, with a unique fragrance, which greatly relieved the fatigue of the long march and the bland taste in everyone's mouths.

In recent days, Xu Xiaoyan and her three companions have made a great harvest by following the collection team.

They found wild hickory nuts, some sweet-tasting tubers, and even a few sea buckthorn bushes with small fruits on a sunny slope; the tart juice was very refreshing.

That afternoon, the group continued their search and collection.

Suddenly, the soldier at the forefront, acting as the vanguard, abruptly stopped, raised his right arm high, and quickly clenched his fist—a perfectly executed stop and concealment gesture!

There was no need for words; everyone reacted instantly.

Old Wang's eyes sharpened, and with a wave of his hand, the four members of the gathering team, including Xu Xiaoyan, quickly and silently ducked into the nearby bushes, even subconsciously holding their breath.

A strange sound came from the distance, or rather, from the depths of the dense forest not far ahead.

It was a low, rustling sound, as if something enormous was being dragged and moved through the vegetation, slow and continuous.

What's even more unsettling is that the sound is sometimes mixed with crisp "crackling" or "snap" sounds, which are definitely not the kind of noises that small animals could make!

The sound wasn't particularly fast, but it was coming toward them in a steady, extremely oppressive rhythm!