Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

She forced herself to calm down. Since things had come to this point, there was no point in wallowing in regret. She could only rely on herself and continue cautiously.

Xu Xiaoyan walked alone for about three hours along the road that once carried countless cars but was now deserted.

Along the way, apart from the whistling of the wind whistling through the treetops and the occasional hiss of unknown insects, we did not encounter a single living person.

As darkness fell, she needed to find a place to spend the night. Traveling alone on an open road at night was tantamount to turning herself into a sitting duck.

As she was pondering, a tunnel appeared ahead. It was pitch black inside, and a cold wind carrying dampness and the smell of rust blew out from the depths of the tunnel, making her shiver.

She stopped not far from the cave entrance, struggling with her inner turmoil. The tunnel might provide shelter from the wind and rain, but who knew what lurked in the darkness?

Entering without being able to safely cross and find the other exit is too risky.

"Never mind," she quickly decided. "Let's investigate again tomorrow at daybreak!"

So she left the road and climbed up the mountain forest above the tunnel, using both her hands and feet.

After these few days of training, she has gotten used to camping in the mountains. Compared to buildings or vehicles that are easy to track, the cover of trees gives her a greater sense of security.

She searched carefully on the hillside and finally found a relatively ideal location.

There are several huge, naturally formed depressions in the rocks, hidden behind and to the sides by dense bushes, while the front is concealed by the branches and leaves of a few trees.

Most importantly, from this angle, one can see the tunnel entrance and the section of highway ahead in one go, and people on the road below would hardly notice her presence unless they search carefully.

After confirming that there was no unusual activity around her, Xu Xiaoyan took out a camping tent and sleeping bag from her spatial storage, crawled into the tent, zipped it up, and curled up in the warm sleeping bag.

The ground beneath her was a bit rough, and the chill of the mountain forest night seeped in, but at least this hidden "lookout point" gave her a sense of security in controlling her surroundings, and she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

I don't know how long I slept, but I vaguely remember hearing some faint sounds.

Xu Xiaoyan woke up instantly, all sleepiness gone. She quickly and gently unzipped the tent, peeking out only half her head, and stared intently at the source of the sound.

Below, the sounds of noisy conversation and disordered footsteps grew louder as a group of about thirty people appeared on the road.

By the dim moonlight and the homemade torches held by the group, she could make out their general appearance.

They could even clearly hear a sharp, high-pitched female voice, filled with strong aggression: "These are all my things, what are you doing touching them!"

Unlike the other survivors we had encountered before, who were pale, thin, and had blank stares, most of the people in this group seemed to be in good spirits. At least their steps were steady and they did not stagger or become unsteady.

They carried bulging backpacks, bundles of miscellaneous items, or even simple trailers to haul supplies.

Xu Xiaoyan took out a children's telescope from her spatial storage, and the scene below was immediately zoomed in on her:

The woman who screamed looked to be in her thirties or forties, with messy hair, and was clutching a faded backpack tightly to her chest.

She glared angrily at a man who tried to approach her, her eyes filled with wariness and a fierce, unapproachable glint in her eyes.

The crowd included men and women, as well as middle-aged people who appeared to be quite strong.

There were also elderly people supporting each other, their steps slightly unsteady, and even several teenagers following closely behind their parents, their little faces filled with exhaustion and fear.

The supplies they carried were varied, ranging from buckets and bedding rolls to pots and pans. She even saw someone carrying a long wooden stick with a machete attached.

Although a minor conflict had just occurred, the group did not stop and continued to move forward slowly.

Most people traveled in silence; they were more like a group of ordinary survivors who had temporarily gathered together under the pressure of crisis, huddling together for survival.

Xu Xiaoyan lay in the shadow of the rock, spying. At first, she intended to join them, after all, humans are social animals, but this wavering lasted only a moment before it was dispelled.

The indifferent, even subtly disgusted, reaction of those around the woman when she voiced her sharp protest clearly pointed to one fact:

In this makeshift group, the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, has become an unspoken rule. Bullying the weak is not only not stopped, but is regarded as the norm.

She quickly put herself in that situation: what would happen to a lone, not particularly strong young woman who joined in with a backpack that seemed to contain supplies?

The best-case scenario is being marginalized and required to share labor without compensation.

More likely, her resources will be forcibly "shared," and she herself may even become a "resource" in some sense, coveted and fought over.

Hoping to find shelter in such a group is tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin.

Rather than entrust her fate to an unreliable group, she preferred to continue facing the known dangers of the wilderness alone.

At least, she only needs to guard against overt threats, without having to expend energy dealing with complex people and situations.

She slowly withdrew her protruding body, put the children's binoculars back into space, gently tightened the tent zipper, and buried her head to continue sleeping.

The noise from the highway below gradually faded away as the procession disappeared into the distance.

Just as she was about to drift back to sleep, a sudden, terrifying sound came from the direction of the tunnel!

"Bats! So many bats! Run!" A distorted male voice screamed, filled with deathly fear.

Then came even more chaotic cries and shouts: "Run forward! Don't run back! Do you have a brain?!" The voices were furious, filled with a sense of despair and disappointment.

"Oh God! I don't want to go any further! I'd rather stay in my hometown and die there than die far from home..." It was a woman's voice, trembling with sobs, filled with despair and a desire to give up.

All kinds of voices are intertwined.

At the same time, Xu Xiaoyan clearly heard a series of messy footsteps coming from the tunnel!

From afar, they approached with a panicked frantic pace, then quickly retreated into the distance, clearly desperately trying to escape the tunnel.

bat?

Xu Xiaoyan suddenly opened her eyes in the tent. In the darkness, her pupils contracted slightly, and her brain started working at lightning speed.

Yes, these creatures prefer dark and damp environments, and the interior of abandoned tunnels is undoubtedly an excellent habitat for them.

They are usually nocturnal, but if the tunnel's lighting facilities are damaged, it will be dark all year round and will not be affected by the day-night cycle.