Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 137 The Same Kind?

After the thrilling and frantic chase outside the city gate last night, Xu Xiaoyan's state of mind underwent a subtle change. The act of robbing at will for survival supplies left a physiological aversion in her heart.

This intense negative emotion, in turn, fueled her obsession with a stable life at the Linchuan base. She didn't crave wealth and luxury there; she only hoped to have a private room of her own at that base.

The convoy of military vehicles, which had been restarted, began a near-non-stop forced march. Except for a very short one-hour rest period at dawn, midday when the sun was at its highest, and dusk when the sky was about to darken, allowing those exhausted from the bumpy ride and crowding to barely climb out of the carriages, breathe in the cold air on the icy ground, stretch their stiff and numb limbs, and take care of their urgent personal needs, everyone was firmly confined to that small, bumpy, and smelly carriage at all other times.

Under such a high-intensity, almost breathless pace of movement, starting a fire and cooking became an unattainable luxury. Fortunately, Xu Xiaoyan and the other two had made preparations in advance, keeping readily available items such as tangerines that could be stored for a long time and hard but filling dry biscuits that could be eaten directly without further processing.

Just as Jiang Shan had warned, the weather was getting colder day by day at a visible speed. Even at noon, the light was devoid of warmth, and the chill in the air was like countless tiny ice needles, penetrating into people's clothes and taking away the precious heat from their bodies.

The military overcoat that Xu Xiaoyan had prepared in advance became a true lifesaver. It tightly wrapped Xu Xiaoyan's body, and although it was heavy, it effectively resisted the increasingly biting cold.

Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao also put on the down jackets they had exchanged earlier, which, although outdated in style, were still well-filled. Although they were not as warm as Xu Xiaoyan's military overcoat, they provided the necessary warmth to keep them from losing their temperature in the carriage.

However, not everyone was so lucky and farsighted. Among the huge crowds that followed the army's migration, many people were still poorly dressed, and some were even wearing worn-out autumn clothes or several thin coats layered together. They shivered in the increasingly biting, knife-like cold wind, their lips turning purple from the cold.

Symptoms such as colds, sneezing, runny noses, and coughs began to spread rapidly in the crowded, poorly ventilated carriages and temporary gathering places. Suppressed, intermittent coughing and forceful nose blowing could be heard from time to time in the carriages. Clearly, the military had also keenly noticed this increasingly serious problem that could affect the overall mobility and stability of the troops.

That noon, just as the brief rest period ended, the familiar, cold electronic horn pierced the frigid air once more, echoing above the temporarily parked convoy. Xu Xiaoyan wrapped her military overcoat tighter and listened intently. The emotionless electronic voice announced, "Attention all survivors! Given the continued cold weather and the increasing number of sick personnel in the convoy, to ensure basic survival conditions and avoid non-combat casualties, the military may now provide a batch of spare military cotton overcoats!"

This news instantly ignited hope among the crowd huddled in the cold wind; having a thick military overcoat might be the difference between life and death right now!

But the subsequent announcement over the loudspeaker ruthlessly extinguished the nascent flame of hope with a cold, realistic price tag: "Those in need can register and exchange their goods with the quartermaster at the last military vehicle in the convoy during the one-hour break at noon each day! The exchange standard is ten kilograms of easily stored dry goods or fifty kilograms of fresh goods that can be consumed immediately for each military overcoat! Quantities are limited, while supplies last, first come, first served!"

Ten pounds of dried goods! Fifty pounds of fresh goods! This price is an astronomical figure for most ordinary survivors who are struggling to make ends meet or even starving! The hope that had just appeared on many people's faces was instantly replaced by despair and struggle.

Xu Xiaoyan subconsciously wrapped her hard-won military overcoat tighter around herself, feeling the solid warmth brought by the thick fabric. She looked at the people around her who were struggling and anxious, yet helpless because of their lack of money. She felt little emotion, neither sympathy nor relief, just a cold, indifferent bystander.

She had long understood that acquiring any survival resource required paying a price, and that advance preparation and accurate judgment were the greatest advantages. She glanced at Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao beside her, and their eyes met briefly in the cold air. They all saw the same emotion in each other's eyes—not joy, but a heavy, fearful sense of relief.

Fortunately, they obtained the information in advance and acted ahead of time, using relatively "cheap" oranges to secure the extremely precious warm supplies at that moment; otherwise, they might very well be one of those desperate long lines now.

At noon, the convoy stopped as usual in a relatively sheltered wasteland for an hour's rest. Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Yingtang, and Wang Xiao climbed out of the icy cold truck. Their feet touched the hard, cold ground, and they tried to move their limbs, which were stiff, numb, and almost devoid of feeling from sitting curled up for so long, in an attempt to improve blood circulation and bring some warmth. They didn't intend to go far, nor did they dare to. They simply paced slowly around the military vehicle they had been riding in, cautiously observing their surroundings.

However, from the rear of the convoy, next to the last military vehicle, in the middle of the long, winding line of people waiting to exchange their military coats with expressions of longing and anxiety, a sudden, violent commotion and sharp arguments broke through the cold air, inevitably attracting their attention and the gaze of many people resting nearby.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't want to meddle in other people's business. In this world, all kinds of conflicts, tragedies and human conflicts are playing out in different corners almost every moment. She had long since learned to put away unnecessary sympathy, force herself to observe coldly, and protect herself wisely.

But just as she was about to look away and focus her attention back on herself and her companions, a few fragments of conversation that entered her ears seemed to possess some strange magic, making her freeze in place, as if all the blood in her body had solidified at that moment!

"...The thing was right next to her, she was watching it perfectly, and then it disappeared in the blink of an eye! It's like a ghost!"

"Exactly! Why do things mysteriously disappear every time I ask Chunmiao to watch them? Once or twice could be a coincidence, or I might have misjudged, but how many times has this happened?! This is the third time!"

"What good is Chunmiao? She can't even guard a few things! She's a complete waste!"

These keywords—"gone in the blink of an eye," "disappeared without a trace," "the third time"—struck Xu Xiaoyan's nerves like bolts of lightning with high voltage! She felt every hair on her body stand on end! An absurd yet heart-pounding thought surged uncontrollably: Could it be… that she wasn't the only one in the world with that incredible ability? Could it be that the person called "Spring Sprout"… also possessed a similar secret related to space?!

This idea startled her! Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao saw her suddenly stop, her face drained of color, and her eyes fixed on the direction of the argument. They couldn't help but look puzzled. Wang Xiao even asked, "Xiao Yan, what's wrong? It's their argument over there. It has nothing to do with us. Let's go."

Xu Xiaoyan snapped back to reality, realizing she had lost her composure. She forced herself to calm down, forced a tired smile, waved to them, and deliberately lowered her voice with a hint of complaint and laziness, saying, "It's nothing, I'm just suddenly a little tired and don't really want to walk anymore. You two continue your walk and get some exercise. I'll just stand here for a while and... listen to the commotion and see what's going on." She pointed to the increasingly heated center of the argument.

Xie Yingtang's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then he looked at the chaotic crowd over there, nodded, and said in a deep voice, "Okay, then don't get too close, be careful." After saying that, he pulled Wang Xiao, who was still a little curious and wanted to get closer to see the excitement, and continued to stroll slowly around the military vehicle, but his eyes would occasionally sweep in the direction from which the commotion came.

After they turned around, Xu Xiaoyan immediately dropped the languid facade on her face, turned slightly, and looked toward the center of the argument. She saw two men and a woman standing to one side, with the woman emotionally pushing and shoving a mother and daughter who were surrounded by them.

The accused mother looked very young, around thirty years old, with a beautiful face. Even amidst the ravages of the apocalypse and her current disheveled state, her natural beauty and fragility were still evident. At this moment, she was weeping, tears streaming down her face, her long eyelashes adorned with teardrops, her face pale, and her shoulders trembling slightly. She resembled the delicate and frail Lin Daiyu from classical novels, easily arousing the protective instincts of those around her.

In her arms, wrapped tightly in a tattered blanket, with only her small face showing, was a little girl of about three years old. The child was beautiful and lovely, with delicate features like a porcelain doll. Her big, dark eyes were filled with fear and confusion as she timidly looked at the woman who was glaring at her mother and shouting at her. Her little mouth was slightly pursed, as if she was about to cry at any moment.

The young mother's voice choked with sobs, and she pleaded earnestly with the three people surrounding her, her tone filled with grievance and helplessness. "It really wasn't me... I didn't steal anything... Niu Niu and I just stayed by the side the whole time, we didn't dare to move an inch, and the thing... the thing just disappeared so inexplicably... We really didn't steal anything... Waaah..." Her crying was so sincere, her shoulders shaking, and her pitiful and helpless appearance seemed genuine, drawing a touch of sympathy and pity from some of the onlookers.

The two men accompanying her, one older and the other younger, hesitated and softened upon seeing her pitiful appearance, their initial anger and accusation turning into a hint of reluctance, as if they were somewhat reluctant to do so.

But the other woman in the group crossed her arms and sneered, "Pretend! Keep pretending! Stop with your seductive act! This is the third time! Once is a coincidence, twice is an accident, but can three or four times still be a coincidence? I think you're a born jinx! A jinx! You bring bad luck wherever you go! Now it's no use saying anything, crying won't help! Either you conjure up everything we lost and return it to us right now, or you and your daughter can get out of here! Our team can't afford to take on or support burdens like you who only eat and do no work and only cause trouble!" Her words were extremely vicious and merciless.

As she spoke, she deliberately leaned against the most muscular man next to her, known as "Brother Qiang," her tone instantly taking on a coquettish and clearly provocative edge. "Brother Qiang, you can't be soft-hearted this time and let her fool you like this! Don't let her pretty face and a few drops of cat pee make you give in to her and believe her in everything! Besides, look at her, she's dragging along a useless burden, just eating and not doing any work, and now she can't even keep an eye on our things, she's just causing us trouble! If this continues, we'll all be dragged down to death by these two!"

The burly man known as "Brother Qiang" showed an even deeper struggle on his face, his brows furrowed into a knot. He looked at Xiao Yi, the young mother who was crying so hard she was almost fainting, and then glanced at Niu Niu, the innocent and fearful child in her arms. His eyes were complicated, as if he was having an extremely intense internal struggle.

Finally, as if making a decision, a look of ruthlessness and helplessness flashed across his face. He took a deep breath and spoke, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a cruel resolve, "Xiao Yi..." He paused, as if the next words were difficult to utter, "...It's not that Brother Qiang is being unkind, it's just...this world...everyone's life is too hard. Every bite to eat, every item we use, is earned with our lives...or...you...you should leave the child...we, we really can't take care of a child anymore...she's too young, she's just a burden..."

Upon hearing this, the young mother named Xiaoyi trembled violently. She abruptly raised her head and looked at Qiang Ge with her tearful eyes, filled with disbelief and immense pain. Then, she looked down at her child's innocent face, who did not yet understand what had happened. Instantly, a tidal wave of pain, struggle, despair, and heart-wrenching reluctance surged in her eyes.