Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 228 is available ahead of schedule.

Xu Xiaoyan stared at the screen, her pupils slightly contracting. Zone B… opened ahead of schedule? Must report within 24 hours? One-way passage? Late arrivals will be forfeited?

My brain, which was a little groggy from the five thousand points and exhaustion, was instantly jolted awake by this sudden, forceful notification, and all sleepiness was dispelled.

The original plan of five hours of sleep and leisurely packing had to be completely abandoned. "Take all personal belongings with you" - this wording is very subtle. Since it is a "move" and the notice clearly requires it, she cannot just carry a small bag and appear too lightly dressed, which would arouse suspicion. She must play the role of a "qualified" mover.

She rolled up the mattress and thick sleeping bag that were laid on the kang (a heated brick bed) into a tight roll, tied it with a sturdy plastic rope, and stuffed a change of down jacket and down pants into a waterproof duffel bag... These odds and ends were carefully placed into the inner compartment of the duffel bag.

Then, she launched the "moving cart" that she had modified from a supermarket shopping cart, reinforcing the wheels and frame, and securely tied the mattress rolls and luggage bags to the top of the cart.

Finally, she took out more than ten coarse flour biscuits and three bottles of mineral water from her storage space and put them into the backpack. After thinking for a moment, she took out a few lollipops and stuffed them into the side pocket.

After doing all this, she looked around the small building where she had lived for some time. It was dark and simple, but it was a place where she had gradually built up a sense of security. Now, it was about to be completely abandoned.

After putting on protective clothing and a backpack, Xu Xiaoyan grabbed the handle of the modified shopping cart, pushed the sturdy cart, and opened the door.

The outer city remained chaotic as Xu Xiaoyan pushed her modified shopping cart, struggling to move towards the entrance of the middle city with the flow of people.

Far away, outside the towering alloy gate of the central city, in front of the passage specifically used for registration, payment, and verification of entry qualifications for people from the outer city and temporary personnel, the queue had already twisted into a long, slow-moving dragon that could not be seen from beginning to end.

People shivered in the cold wind, their faces filled with anxiety, exhaustion, despair, and deep fear of the unknown fate behind their doors.

Pushing and arguing filled the air as several security guards, dressed in bulky winter coats and holding stun batons, stood on high ground, with three megaphones beside them.

The loudspeaker repeatedly broadcast the instructions: "Please maintain order! Do not cut in line! Do not push! If anyone in line is here to take the preliminary qualification exam, you can turn back now, because the Central City testing center is now closed. Even if you go into Central City, it will be a wasted trip, a waste of time and energy!"

In stark contrast, the "Midtown Residents Only Lane" next door, with its automatic sensor gates at the entrance, had only a handful of people queuing, each of them appearing relaxed and walking leisurely through.

Xu Xiaoyan pushed her shopping cart straight toward the residential passage. The staff member on duty at the entrance of the residential passage was wearing a smart uniform with a winter coat over it. His face was expressionless. He just glanced at her and her cart as usual, his gaze lingering for a moment on the luggage piled on the cart, but he did not say anything to stop her.

Xu Xiaoyan stopped in front of the turnstile, raised her left hand, the door opened, she gripped the trolley handle and stepped inside.

Upon entering the city center, the number of people on the streets increased significantly. Xu Xiaoyan followed the flow of people towards the trading center. The closer she got, the denser the crowd became, the smaller the gaps between people, and the slower she moved forward. When she finally turned the last street corner and arrived in front of the huge trading center building constructed of precast concrete slabs, the scene before her made her gasp and her heart sink.

The once spacious plaza and forecourt of the trading center were now completely filled with a sea of ​​people. The cacophony of voices—questions, shouts, arguments, and complaints—mixed into a buzzing, headache-inducing roar that assaulted the eardrums.

The glass doors at the entrance were constantly being pounded by the crowds. The inside seemed to be completely packed, with people outside trying to squeeze in while those inside seemed unable to move, creating an awkward and dangerous stalemate. Several internal security personnel in black uniforms were trying their best to maintain order, shouting at the top of their lungs, but to little avail.

Xu Xiaoyan noticed that there were a few people who were in the same boat as her, scattered around the steps outside the trading center lobby and at the edge of the square where there were relatively few people.

They were all pushing various kinds of luggage carts that had obviously been reinforced and modified, or carrying bulging, bulky bags, standing there with worried expressions, looking at the "lightly dressed" crowd in the lobby, most of whom were only carrying backpacks or even just a small suitcase, their faces full of helplessness and anxiety.

Clearly, they immediately realized the problem: in such a dense crowd, their bulky "moving" gear made it impossible for them to squeeze in as nimbly as those traveling light. If they tried to force their way in, they and their luggage would likely get trapped, or even be in danger.

Xu Xiaoyan sighed, knowing that it would be unwise to force her way in. She looked around and carefully pushed the cart to a less crowded spot outside the lobby to observe for the time being.

She noticed that two or three meters away, there were also two or three people standing there, carrying a lot of luggage, and they were not in a hurry to rush into the crowd. They were just looking at the chaotic entrance with their brows furrowed.

Waiting wasn't an option; information was key. Xu Xiaoyan decided to take the initiative and ask, "Are you also going to Area B?"

Upon hearing this, the group of people turned around almost simultaneously, quickly glancing at her and her conspicuous modified shopping cart. They all wore bitter smiles of "we're all in the same boat" and nodded in unison.

"That's right!" A middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties, with a weathered face and wearing a faded work jacket, was the first to complain.

Several bulging bags packed in various colors were piled at his feet, along with something that looked like a precision instrument covered by a canvas. "In the middle of the night, the wristband suddenly started vibrating wildly. I checked it and went crazy! 24 hours? Are you kidding me! Have all the guys at the base lost their minds? They didn't give me any preparation time at all! I have a lot of tools and parts here, these are my livelihood, how can I just pack them up like that?"

His complaint immediately resonated with others. Another woman, around thirty years old with short, neat hair, chimed in. She clutched a worn-out silver metal toolbox tightly, which looked quite heavy. "Who can argue with that? I have so many loose materials and spare parts that I can't possibly bring. I can only take the most important and essential items... My heart is bleeding. This 'one-way entry' sounds easy, but who knows what the situation is like in Zone B? What if I'm missing something crucial? Then I'll be completely helpless!" Her tone was full of uncertainty and heartache about the future.

Xu Xiaoyan nodded in agreement, a look of understanding on her face. She then asked, "Judging from your expressions, you seem quite familiar with Zhongcheng? Are you... originally from Zhongcheng?"

The middle-aged man shook his head and pointed with his chin toward the taller and thicker isolation wall further behind the trading center building. "It's not Midtown, we're from the Inner City."

The inner city! Xu Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat.

"The text message was sent to a group," the middle-aged man continued, his tone carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible sense of superiority. "Those with access to Area B, regardless of which area they were originally in, are probably all on the move by now. There's no transfer station in the inner city." He curled his lip.

Xu Xiaoyan quickly analyzed the situation, recalling her deductions from gathering information on the outskirts of the outer and middle cities. She carefully chose her words before tentatively asking, "I've been on the outer edge of the middle city before, and I heard from some well-informed people that... in the middle city, as long as you get a junior technician qualification certificate, you're pretty much guaranteed a ticket to Zone D. With hard work and accumulating contributions, you might even have a chance to reach the edge of Zone C?" She shared her previous speculation and added, "Then... are the conditions even better in the inner city? Most people can reliably go to Zone C, and only the exceptionally outstanding can get Zone B qualification?"

Her guess seemed reasonable, but to her surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, the others showed some strange expressions and then shook their heads.

The young woman carrying the toolbox curled her lip, her tone clearly sarcastic. "It's not that easy! Girl, you're oversimplifying the C-zone qualification. If a junior technician could easily get into the D-zone, and an intermediate technician could see the edge of the C-zone, wouldn't the C-zone qualification be commonplace? What's the point of dividing it into A, B, C, D, and E zones? Just call them upper and lower zones."

Seeing that Xu Xiaoyan seemed genuinely unaware of the situation, the middle-aged man sighed and explained in a tone as if he were explaining something to a newcomer:

"Girl, it seems you have a misunderstanding about the so-called 'benefits' of the inner city. Yes! In the inner city, the assessment for junior technician qualifications is indeed more widespread than in the middle city, there are more training resources, and the threshold is relatively lower. This can be considered... well, a basic welfare or guarantee for the residents of the inner city, ensuring that most people, as long as they don't completely give up, can at least get the qualification to go to the D area, so that they won't fall to the E area in the next big selection."

He paused, his expression turning serious, even carrying a hint of awe and helplessness. "But, the 'Intermediate Qualification Certificate'!" he emphasized.

"That's a real hard barrier! It's the chasm that distinguishes 'ordinary skilled workers' from 'core technical personnel'! The assessment is extremely difficult, and the depth of professional theory, the precision of practical operation, and the ability to solve complex problems required are completely different from the junior level! Moreover, the number of places is strictly controlled. Those who can pass the intermediate certificate are extremely rare in the inner city and are highly sought-after by various workshops and technical departments."

He pointed to himself, then to the young woman next to him and another short, stocky man who hadn't spoken but was just silently smoking, and continued:

"The few of us saved up points for a long time, risked everything, and practically 'bought' our way into Zone B with those points and resources. Intermediate certificate?"

He gave a wry smile and shook his head. "I've taken all of them, some more than twice. They're too difficult. The questions... are simply beyond the reach of ordinary technicians like us who rely on skill and experience. It requires talent, systematic advanced training, and a bit of luck."

His words were filled with reverence for true technical elites and a frank acknowledgment of his own limitations.

The young woman added in a low voice, "That's right. I heard that Zone B is the real core residential and high-tech area, much better than Zones C, D, and E. But to qualify, you either need real skills or you need to exchange for the 'capital' you've accumulated. We belong to the latter."

She patted the heavy toolbox in her arms. "So, bring as much of these tools as you can, and all the good stuff you've saved up. Who knows what rules will be in place down there? Will points still be valid? These practical tools and materials are probably the foundation for survival."

So that's how it is! The junior qualification certificate is a kind of "identity privilege" for residents of the inner city and mid-city. It is a safety net to ensure that they do not fall into the bottom, and it has a "universal benefit" nature.

The intermediate qualification certificate, on the other hand, strips away the preferential treatment associated with status and becomes more like a relatively fair arena where hard skills speak for themselves. Only those who can pass through it are truly recognized technical backbones and receive better resource allocation.

This design... seems contradictory, yet it exudes a cold "reasonableness," both protecting some of the interests of the existing class and leaving room for true technical geniuses to rise.

"So the intermediate certificate is the key..." Xu Xiaoyan murmured.

She had previously only seen the injustice caused by information asymmetry, but now she sees that while maintaining injustice, the system also reserves narrow channels based on ability, although most people from outside the city don't even have the right to know about these channels.

She looked at the packed entrance to the trading center, then at the few inner-city people around her, trapped by their luggage. In this final chaotic moment, they had all become pitiful people being "notified" to leave.

As Xu Xiaoyan looked at the group of people with light luggage or even empty hands squeezing into the trading center, her sense of unease grew stronger.

She couldn't help but sigh softly to the woman beside her, "Look at those people, so many of them are really empty-handed, with at most a small bag... Aren't they too brave? What if they're missing something down there? Aren't they afraid of being completely lost?"

Upon hearing this, the woman twitched the corners of her mouth, revealing an expression that resembled a bitter smile, but her tone was calm and indifferent, as if she had never seen anything like it before. "You're overthinking it, girl. Anyone who can get in so easily either has already taken care of everything, or... they're carrying this with them."

She made a gentle shaking motion with her finger. "They have a lot of points. For them, no matter how many bottles, jars, or bedding rolls they bring, it's not as practical as having a few more digits in their account. If they need something, as long as they have points, they can always find a way to buy it. It's just a matter of price. We think it's risky, but they call it confidence."