Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 281 Extreme Religion

Xu Xiaoyan quickly closed her storage room door.

As soon as the door closed, the "nervousness" on her face disappeared immediately.

The capsule compartment is small and almost completely exposed, so it can't hide anything.

However, the appearance of certain items during such a sensitive period may arouse unnecessary suspicion and questioning.

The brand-name cigarettes in the backpack, intended for errands, are not something ordinary people at the bottom of society can afford; explaining that would be complicated.

Without the slightest hesitation, she quickly stored the cigarette in her spatial storage.

Next, he took out several packets of instant noodles in different flavors, seven or eight individually wrapped chocolates, and four or five compressed biscuits from his storage space.

She stuffed about ten Snickers bars, five whole-grain biscuits, and two or three unopened bottles of mineral water into her backpack.

After doing all that, she quickly looked around the cabin again. There was only a thin blanket and a pillow on the bed, and no other conspicuous or potentially questionable items.

The whole process took less than two minutes.

Xu Xiaoyan slung the bulging backpack over her shoulder and opened the cargo door.

The atmosphere in the room was noticeably tense.

Several capsule doors were already open, and the tenants stood nervously at the capsule door, their hands clasped together anxiously.

Or they huddled in the limited space inside the cabin, looking out with fear in their eyes.

Everyone was dressed properly; no one was still in their pajamas. Occasionally, their eyes would meet, but they would quickly look away, filled with unease and speculation.

About five minutes later, two staff members in dark gray uniforms stood at the door with serious expressions.

Their eyes scanned each open warehouse door. Behind them followed a tall, thin man wearing an armband, keeping a close watch.

Xu Xiaoyan, carrying her bag, stood quietly outside her cell door, her head slightly lowered to avoid the direct scrutiny of the staff.

She could feel the scrutinizing gaze linger on her face and bulging backpack for a moment.

Then, the older staff member finally spoke up:

"Listen up, everyone. If you have anything on you, or if you have a backpack, duffel bag, or suitcase in the storage room, whatever it is."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, lingering particularly on several tenants carrying bags or sacks:

"Now, immediately, take out all the items you are carrying."

"Put it on the beds in your cabins. Then, everyone, come out and stand here at the door, and wait."

He raised his arm and pointed to the areas along the walls on both sides of the corridor. "We'll check them one by one, in order."

Come in when your name is called and cooperate with us to check your belongings. If your name isn't called, just wait here outside.

No whispering, no wandering around, and absolutely no trying to return to your position or interfere with the inspection. Understand?

"Understood..." Scattered, uneven responses, tinged with obvious timidity and obedience, rang out from different corners.

Another, younger staff member added:

"During the inspection, please cooperate actively. We are only performing official duties to screen for safety hazards and ensure the safety of residents in this area."

As long as there are no problems and everyone cooperates with the inspection, we will not make things difficult for them.

He abruptly changed the subject, his eyes sharpening:

"However, if there is any concealment, resistance to inspection, or attempt to hide items."

Or you may be found in possession of prohibited items, controlled knives, suspicious items that are seriously inconsistent with your identity and declaration, or a large amount of property of unknown origin...

He didn't finish his sentence, but the invisible pressure from his unfinished words made several timid tenants tremble involuntarily.

Xu Xiaoyan, along with the other tenants, silently moved her feet and retreated to the designated spot against the wall in the corridor, standing firmly against the cold wall.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the two staff members had already begun their operation.

The older man whispered something to the administrator, who nodded quickly and guided the first tenant inside to search.

Soon, the sounds of rustling bedding being turned over, the clanging of suitcases being opened, and occasional low but stern questions could be heard from inside.

And the tenant's cautious, trembling reply.

Everyone held their breath and strained their ears, anxiously watching the movements of their own positions.

I couldn't help but listen to every sound coming from the warehouse that was being inspected.

Whispers had completely ceased, and even breathing was deliberately softened and lengthened, for fear that even the slightest extra sound would attract unnecessary attention.

In this tense, almost suffocating silence of waiting—

"Let me go! You deceived sheep! You foolish blind men! I'm saving you! I'm saving the world!!"

A woman's voice, filled with a kind of almost manic obsession and anger, suddenly came from the other end of the corridor, around the corner leading to another residential area!

Immediately following were the sounds of hurried footsteps, the rustling of clothes rubbing together in a struggle, and the muffled thuds of bodies hitting the wall.

And the man's low, angry, and unquestionable command: "Behave yourself! Don't move!" "Hold her down!" "Give her a mouth!"

Almost simultaneously, all the tenants who were waiting for inspection by the door turned their heads toward the direction from which the sound came!

The unease on his face was instantly replaced by intense curiosity, astonishment, and even a hint of excitement at watching the spectacle!

Even the two staff members who were conducting an inspection inside the warehouse temporarily stopped what they were doing.

He frowned and strode out of the room, looking towards the corner of the corridor like everyone else.

Around the corner, two male staff members, both dressed in dark gray uniforms, were tightly gripping a woman's arms, one on each side.

He practically dragged and lifted her along, carrying her quickly towards the corridor.

The woman was clearly putting up a fierce resistance, kicking the ground and walls with her feet every now and then, trying to break free of her restraints.

His hair was tossed around, and he made mumbled but still legible shouts.

When everyone's attention finally focused on the struggling woman, many people subconsciously widened their eyes, their eyes flashing with amazement.

She was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties.

Even under such a wretched struggle and restraint, her appearance was still striking.

With fair skin, deep and delicate facial features, a high nose bridge, and full lips, even when distorted by anger and exertion, one can still see the superior qualities in her natural features.

Her long, slightly wavy chestnut hair was now disheveled and draped over her shoulders and cheeks due to the intense struggle, with a few strands clinging to her sweaty forehead and neck.

What's even more striking is her attire; she's wearing a knee-length brown trench coat that looks to be of quite good quality.

Even though her skin was wrinkled from the struggle, it still accentuated her shapely figure. She was even wearing a pair of low-heeled but exquisitely designed ankle boots.

Such an appearance and clothing seemed quite out of place in Zone C.

However, in stark contrast to her appearance was her expression and the words she uttered at that moment.

Her face showed no fear or pleading; instead, it was flushed, and her eyes burned with an alarming intensity.

She glared at the two men supporting her, then swept her gaze across the astonished faces in the corridor, her voice carrying a preaching fervor:

"You don't understand! You've all been blinded and misled by this hypocritical and depraved facade!"

God loves humanity! The great calamities that God has brought to mankind—plagues, insect plagues, severe cold, earthquakes… these boundless sufferings are not without reason!

It's no coincidence!

It is because people are greedy, depraved, and have turned their backs on the teachings of the gods, thus offending their majesty!

This is divine punishment! It is the purifying fire that washes away the sins of the world!

The staff escorting her were clearly more experienced and impatient with this kind of situation.

The shorter, burly man tried to cover her mouth with his gloved hand.

But she struggled to turn her head away, straining her jaw so hard that her teeth even bumped into the other person's glove.

Although the sound was suppressed and intermittent, it burst forth even more sharply and persistently, echoing in the silent corridor:

"But God is also merciful! He left a path of redemption in his anger!"

The only way! As long as... as long as someone is willing to give everything—

Body, soul, all sins and punishments, are utterly and unreservedly dedicated to the supreme, one God!

With the purest sacrifice, we can fill the chasm of sin accumulated by humanity! We can appease the wrath of the gods! I...I have not committed a crime!

I am saving the world! I am atoning for all of you! I am saving this filthy world!

"Let me go! Let me complete the final ritual! Time is running out! The evil continues to accumulate!!!"

Her cries were filled with the delirious ramblings of extreme religious fanaticism, crudely attributing all natural and man-made disasters to the vague and ethereal "collective sins of humanity."

They also promote a certain extreme form of "dedication" and "sacrifice" that points to self-destruction as the only way to save the world.

These remarks sounded utterly absurd to the residents of Sector C, who had experienced the true brutality of the apocalypse.

Xu Xiaoyan stood in the crowd, her mouth slightly open, her eyes fixed on the beautiful yet crazed woman being dragged past not far in front of her.

For a moment, I forgot to close it.

Under normal circumstances, shouldn't someone who is arrested by officials and struggles to resist shout "Help!", "Let me go!", or "You've arrested the wrong person?"

This was the first, most direct, and most logical thought that flashed through Xu Xiaoyan's mind.

However, this woman, from the moment she was dragged around the corner to the moment she struggled through the corridor.

Throughout the entire ordeal, he did not utter a single word in his own defense, nor a single plea for mercy, nor a single questioning of the legality of the arrest.

All her struggles and cries revolve around her absurd "savior theory" and "sacrifice mission."

She seemed to truly believe that she was carrying out a sacred and urgent mission.

The staff who hindered her and the bewildered onlookers around her were all "blinded lambs," ignorant people who needed to be "saved" but were obstructing the rescue.