Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Xu Xiaoyan listened quietly, her gaze sweeping over the warehouse shelves, which were indeed much emptier. She remained calm and even felt a little glad that she had already stocked up.

She hesitated for a moment and then made a suggestion: "Manager, how about... we implement stricter purchase limits on in-demand items?"

For example, could each person only be allowed to buy one bag of rice and one can of oil per day? That might last longer?

Upon hearing this, Manager Chen immediately shook his head and waved his hands, his bitterness deepening.

"Purchase restrictions? Sigh, Xiao Xu, you were probably too busy with deliveries yesterday to know. We tried that yesterday! The rice, flour, and cooking oil sections already had signs indicating purchase restrictions! It didn't work!"

He mimicked the customer's behavior, his tone becoming excited:

"A person buys a bag of rice, goes out, shoves the rice into the hands of a family member or throws it into the car, then turns around, puts on a hat and mask, and comes back in!"

With such long checkout lines, the cashiers are so busy they're dizzy. Who can remember which face has bought from whom a few times?

We're not a bank or train station; how can we implement real-name authentication for buying things? It's impossible to prevent it!

He sighed and concluded:

"So, this purchase restriction is just for show, to fool honest people. Anyone who's even slightly shrewd can't resist it at all."

Instead, the purchase restrictions only exacerbated people's panic, making them think that there must be a huge shortage of goods, which is why the restrictions were necessary, leading to even fiercer buying! What kind of situation is this?!

Xu Xiaoyan remained silent. She knew that what Manager Chen said was true. Without technical means and sufficient manpower to supervise, simple purchase restrictions were indeed powerless in the face of panic buying.

Faced with the reality of a supply shortage and a massive buying frenzy, Manager Chen had exhausted all his options and had no choice but to resort to an even more extreme, yet helpless, measure.

Before the supermarket opened, he gathered all the employees who could still be on duty and announced in a hoarse voice...

"Staple foods such as rice, noodles, sorghum, and soybeans, as well as the leftover instant noodles, will be put on the shelves in two batches every day, at 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, starting today!"

Only fifty portions of each product category will be available per batch! Each person is limited to one bag of rice or noodles per queue!

Staple foods are limited to 3 jin (1.5 catties) per purchase, and instant noodles are limited to 5 packs per purchase. Keep a close eye on them, no one is allowed to take more than that!

This news caused an uproar among the crowd that had been waiting outside the supermarket.

"What? Only one bag a day? Who's going to eat that much?!"

"Showing it in batches? Isn't that just playing games with people!"

"Why should we get to do this?! We've been waiting in line for so long!"

Complaints, curses, and pleas mingled together, making the crowd even more agitated and unstable.

But the moment the roller shutter slowly rose, all the voices turned into action.

People surged in like a tide, heading directly to those specific areas with a clear goal in mind, their eyes filled with nothing but a desire for basic necessities.

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, the employees appeared with difficulty pushing a flatbed cart containing fifty bags of rice and fifty bags of flour, only to be instantly surrounded by a surging crowd.

"Give me a bag!"

"I want noodles! Give them to me!"

"Don't push! Line up! Have no manners!"

The so-called queue has long lost its meaning. People are desperately pushing forward and stretching out their hands, and the security guards who are maintaining order are being swept away by the crowd and staggered.

The sound was drowned out by the clamor of voices, and all one hundred supplies were snapped up in just one minute.

Those who received the food clutched it tightly, their faces showing a mixture of relief and lingering fear.

Those who didn't get it were filled with disappointment, anger, and resentment, cursing as they refused to leave, waiting for the next chance at four o'clock in the afternoon.

The situation escalated further in the afternoon. After a morning of buildup and with more people arriving, the crowd grew larger and the emotions became more unstable.

When the flatbed truck, a symbol of hope, reappeared, the pent-up resentment and panic finally erupted.

Several strong men got into a violent scuffle and argument over the last few bags of rice.

"This bag is mine! I got it first!"

"Bullshit! I was the one who bumped into it first!"

The argument quickly escalated into a physical altercation, fists flew, and the rice bag was torn apart in the struggle, spilling white rice all over the ground.

This further agitated everyone around, and the scene immediately descended into chaos.

Shouts, cries, and calls to break up the fight were all mixed together, and the supermarket security guards were unable to control the situation and were instead drawn into it.

People were knocked to the ground, shelves were jostled, and goods were scattered all over the floor... The entire supermarket was in complete chaos.

Manager Chen's face turned pale, and he held the walkie-talkie with trembling fingers. In the end, he had no choice but to dial the police number with shaking fingers.

The piercing sound of police sirens grew louder as several officers quickly arrived. It took them considerable effort to separate the brawlers and bring the disturbance under control.

The police severely criticized the supermarket for its poor management, but also understood the enormous pressure caused by the shortage of supplies. They could only ask the supermarket to strengthen security and suggested that it find a way to increase supplies as soon as possible.

After the police car left, the supermarket was a mess, with spilled rice trampled and filthy.

Manager Chen slumped in his office chair, utterly powerless.

Xu Xiaoyan witnessed the entire farcical drama that erupted over the most basic survival supplies.

She watched as people fought and grappled over a bag of rice, their faces contorted with rage, and saw the grain scattered on the ground and trampled upon. She felt a profound sense of powerlessness.

The next morning, before dawn, Manager Chen was awakened by a series of urgent and piercing cell phone rings.

He barely slept a wink all night, his eyes were bloodshot, and his heart pounded wildly at the sudden ringing of the bell. An extremely ominous premonition gripped him instantly.

He answered the phone with trembling hands, and the hoarse, heavy voice of his superior, the regional director, came through the receiver.

The news that arrived was like a bolt from the blue, shattering his last glimmer of hope.

"Old Chen...it's over...something terrible has happened!" The director's voice trembled with a sense of relief and disbelief.

"The emergency supplies coordinated and distributed by the government... those life-saving goods... were intercepted on their way!"

"Wh...what?! You intercepted it?!" Manager Chen jumped up from the bed, his voice trembling.

"How is this possible? Which shipment? Which route did this take? Who's so audacious as to intercept government supplies?! Have they called the police?!"

He was somewhat incoherent, unable to accept this fact at all. That batch of goods was not only the hope of their supermarket, but also the lifeline for maintaining the supply and stabilizing the morale of most supermarkets in Xuan County!