Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 203 The Thief

The resistance suddenly lessened, and a silvery shadow, accompanied by splashing water droplets, was pulled out of the ice hole, landing with a "thud" on the smooth ice surface. It struggled to twist its body, its tail slapping the ice surface with a crisp "slap slap" sound.

It was a silver-gray fish, its scales gleaming coldly in the pale sunlight. It was about the size of two palms, larger than Xu Xiaoyan had expected.

"Success!" Xu Xiaoyan breathed a long sigh of relief, her tense nerves finally relaxing, and she couldn't help but smile.

She carefully stepped forward and pressed her gloved hand against the still-wriggling fish, feeling the cool, slippery sensation through the glove.

She removed the hook with slightly clumsy but careful movements, then placed her successful first catch into a small bucket beside her. The fish splashed around a few times after entering the bucket before gradually calming down.

She rubbed her slightly frozen fingers, settled herself back on the stool, picked up a wriggling red earthworm from the bait box, and prepared to bait the second portion of bait, looking forward to the next catch.

Just then, the shopping cart she had modified at the entrance of the makeshift tent suddenly made a slight "click" sound.

The sound was very soft, almost drowned out by the wind, but it was exceptionally clear on the relatively quiet ice surface.

Xu Xiaoyan's movements froze instantly. Her fingers, which were holding the fishhook and earthworm, stopped in mid-air. She turned her head warily, her sharp gaze fixed on the shopping cart.

Xu Xiaoyan slid out of the warm sleeping bag quickly and silently, groped for her cold shoes, and before she could even tie them, the watermelon knife was already in her hand.

She took a deep breath, lifted the tent flap, and peered out—in the dim light reflected off the ice, she saw a thin figure wrapped in a tattered cotton coat, crouching furtively beside her modified shopping cart, trying to untie the ropes that were frozen tightly to the ice wheels!

To prevent theft, she had deliberately soaked the four wheels and tent posts with ice water, freezing the ropes, ice blocks, and metal wheels together. However, she still attracted attention.

Anger mixed with lingering fear surged into her heart in an instant. Xu Xiaoyan's eyes sharpened, and without hesitation, she darted out of the tent silently. The cold blade of the watermelon knife in her hand precisely and swiftly pressed against the skin of the man's neck.

"Don't move!" Her voice was low, but it carried an undeniable chill.

The man shuddered violently, his movements of untying the ropes froze instantly, and his raised hands trembled slightly. He clearly hadn't expected the person inside the tent to be awake, and to react so quickly and decisively.

"No...don't kill me! Please, please don't kill me!" His voice trembled, choked with sobs, as he frantically begged for mercy. "I...I just saw that there was no charcoal brazier in your tent, it was pitch black, and I thought the person inside was asleep, maybe even frozen...I was just out of my mind, I just wanted to take something, please spare me!"

Xu Xiaoyan remained unmoved. She moved the blade forward another half step. The cold touch made the hairs on the thief's neck stand on end. His pleas for mercy stopped abruptly, leaving only heavy, fearful breathing.

"Move forward!" Xu Xiaoyan commanded, gripping his cotton coat tightly at the back of his neck with her other hand, forcing him to move forward.

The two men moved slowly, one in front of the other, in a strange and stiff posture, towards the direction where officials were stationed on the riverbank. Along the way, the thief dared not resist and could only plead in a low voice, his voice carrying far across the silent and cold ice.

"Big sister...no, young lady! Please let me go, I promise I'll never do it again..."

"I have elderly people and children at home waiting for food, I really have no other choice..."

"I'll return your things, I'll refreeze the rope for you, please don't hand me over..."

The persistent, desperate pleas and the unusual way the two moved quickly attracted the attention of anglers nearby who were still night fishing or resting in their tents.

Some people poked their heads out of the tents, looking around curiously or warily; in small groups, people began to gather in their direction, whispering among themselves. The crowd on the ice grew larger and larger, and all sorts of complex gazes—curiosity, scrutiny, indifference, schadenfreude, and perhaps a trace of sympathy—were cast upon Xu Xiaoyan and the subdued thief.

Xu Xiaoyan ignored the whispers and stares around her. Her attention was focused on what was in front of her and the "thief" in her hand. She was determined to walk towards the row of container office areas on the riverbank. This was the most direct and probably the safest way to deal with such incidents.

When we were still a few dozen meters away from the container area, where the lights could clearly illuminate the ice and our faces, two staff members wearing the base's uniform dark blue and clearly carrying weapons at their waists rushed over upon hearing the news.

"What's going on? Put down your weapon!" The tall, burly staff member in the lead shouted in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the watermelon knife in Xu Xiaoyan's hand and the pale face of the restrained man, his hand already on the equipment at his waist.

Xu Xiaoyan stopped and slightly moved the watermelon knife that had been pressed against the thief's neck, but she still held onto his collar tightly. She tried to state clearly, concisely and objectively, "This person was stealing things from my supply truck and I caught him red-handed."

She pointed to her lonely tent in the distance, then gestured to the subdued man who was trembling and almost limp. "Caught red-handed. He just confessed that he thought no one was in my tent or that something had happened, so he tried to steal something." She didn't mention his pleas for mercy or his family situation, only stating the facts.

The staff member nodded, clearly familiar with this kind of security incident common in ice fishing areas. He stepped forward and deftly took the thief, who was almost unable to stand, from Xu Xiaoyan's hands, tied his hands behind his back, and temporarily bound them with plastic cable ties he carried with him. Another staff member stood vigilantly in front of Xu Xiaoyan.

"We understand the situation," the lead staff member said to Xu Xiaoyan. "According to the base's management regulations, if someone is caught red-handed while attempting theft, we will temporarily take him into custody, record his identity chip information, and then hand him over to the police station for processing. Usually, there will be forced labor and points deduction as punishment. You can go back without worry. We will keep an eye on this person. In the future, if you encounter a similar situation, try to raise your voice and call us first. It is risky to use a knife directly." He gave a final reminder, which was a well-intentioned warning.

Xu Xiaoyan nodded without arguing. She knew the staff member was right, but in that moment of being ambushed, instinct often reacts faster than a shout. She lowered the watermelon knife, the tip pointing towards the ice.

"Thank you," she said simply, then turned away from the thief who was being dragged away by the staff and was still whimpering and struggling. She walked quickly back to her tent in the middle of the river, the faint sound of the thief being scolded more harshly behind her, and the sound of his shoes scraping against the ice as he was dragged.

Once out of sight of the crowd, Xu Xiaoyan quickened her pace, not out of fear, but because she was eager to get back and check if her "camp" was still safe, and whether there were any hidden accomplices or further sabotage. The cold wind brushed against her face, and her body temperature, which had risen due to tension and action, dropped rapidly, causing her to shiver.

She practically sprinted back to her little tent, first cautiously circling the tent and shopping cart, carefully checking the ropes, ice spikes, and the "ice lock" securing them.

Fortunately, apart from the rope that the thief tried to untie but failed, the rest of the cart was intact, with no other signs of damage or loosening, and the cart was still properly covered.

She finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. When her gaze fell on the dark-colored tent fabric, a thought struck her. The tent was thick, durable, and had excellent windproof properties. Because it was tightly sealed, not a single ray of light could see through. From the outside, especially when viewed from a distance, it truly looked like an empty place.

"Looks like I didn't accidentally show off my wealth," Xu Xiaoyan muttered to herself, leaning against the cold shopping cart. "It's just that this tent... the quality is really 'too good'."

While this maximized the insulation and privacy inside, allowing her to fish and rest in a relatively comfortable environment, it also made her an easy target in this chaotic ice fishing area where everyone might take risks for survival.

She was lucky to be discovered early this time, but what about next time? What if there's more than one person, or their methods are more violent and direct? She had to find a way to reduce the risk of being targeted.

Lighting a small charcoal stove directly? That's too wasteful of fuel, and an open flame inside the tent always poses a safety hazard and can easily attract unwanted attention. Hanging a light outside the tent? That's just as energy-intensive and even more conspicuous, which might backfire.

She crawled into the tent, drew the curtain to shut out the biting cold wind again, and the tent still retained a little warmth from before, as well as a faint fishy smell.

Suddenly, she remembered the portable radio she'd traded in at the last base! That's it! Sound! The lack of light made the tent look deathly still, but what if... there was a continuous sound coming from inside? Wouldn't it make people think the person inside was awake, or even active?

She immediately took out the radio from her spatial storage, turned it on, and the tuning knob emitted a familiar, slightly hesitant "hissing" sound. She slowly turned the knob, searching...

Soon, a woman's voice, with a steady electrical hum but clear pronunciation and steady pace, came from the radio's small speaker, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet tent:

"...This is the official radio station of Linchuan Base. We are now broadcasting the evening news and tomorrow's weather forecast. According to the meteorological station, the base and surrounding areas will continue to experience low temperatures from tonight to tomorrow daytime, with the lowest temperature expected to reach minus 25 degrees Celsius, accompanied by scattered light snow. All residents, especially those who need to work outdoors, are advised to take precautions against the cold and prevent frostbite..."

Xu Xiaoyan turned the volume up slightly, making sure it could be faintly heard when someone was close by outside the tent, but not so loud that it would attract attention. The announcer continued:

"...Next is the production and construction update. The crops in the No. 3 underground greenhouse in the outer city's eastern district are growing well. The first batch of cold-resistant leafy vegetables is expected to be harvested in mid-next month. At that time, we will replenish the supply of fresh vegetables in the base as planned. The specific allocation plan will be notified separately..."