Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 183 Large Transaction

He paused, his voice lowering slightly, "And... I heard that the base has recently cut off the power supply to non-core areas again, and some places are experiencing power outages at night. People who don't have their own generators at home have to find places with electricity to squeeze in."

Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but glance at the man again and asked, "Then what are you doing here...?" Although his clothes weren't exactly glamorous, they were neat, and he didn't seem like a refugee who was just trying to get warm.

The man scratched his head somewhat sheepishly, lifting the cloth bag in his hand that didn't look particularly bulging. "Me? I have some odds and ends I've saved up at home. I saw there were a lot of people here, so I came to try my luck, to see if I could sell them or exchange them for something I urgently need." He paused, then added, "It's better than just sitting at home doing nothing, watching my points dwindle day by day. There are a lot of people, and although it's chaotic, there might be more opportunities, right?"

Xu Xiaoyan nodded knowingly. Yes, no matter what the situation, there are always people like this man in front of her who strive to find opportunities and struggle to survive.

She didn't ask any more questions, and nodded to Xie Yingtang, Wang Xiao, and Lu Hu. In any case, they had to find a way to get through this crowded "refugee zone" and reach the bulk trading area on the second floor.

The four pushed the trailer again, trying to find a gap to squeeze through the crowd. However, as soon as they squeezed through the doorway and hadn't taken more than a few steps, Xu Xiaoyan keenly sensed that there seemed to be more than one pair of hands in the crowded people around them, intentionally or unintentionally touching or even slightly tugging at the sacks on their trailer!

That wasn't an unintentional bump or collision, but a probing and groping with a clear purpose! Out of the corner of my eye, I even caught a glimpse of a dirty hand quickly withdrawing from a gap in a sack on the edge of Wang Xiao's trailer!

"Watch out!" Xu Xiaoyan's alarm bells rang in her mind. She stopped abruptly and shouted at Xie Yingtang, Wang Xiao, and Lu Hu with all her might. Her voice was clear, urgent, and filled with an undeniable warning, instantly drowning out the surrounding noise: "Someone's trying to steal something!!!"

Her shout caused a brief silence in the surrounding area, followed by more inexplicable commotion, but it also woke up the other three. Xie Yingtang, Lu Hu, and Wang Xiao instinctively gripped their tow truck handles.

"You guys stay here and guard the car! Surround it! Back against the wall! I'm going up to find someone!" Xu Xiao said quickly. In this chaotic area, the supplies must not be out of sight, and someone must seek official intervention. Otherwise, the four of them might get into endless entanglement or even blatant looting.

Xie Yingtang, Wang Xiao, and Lu Hu immediately understood. They tacitly adjusted the direction of the four heavy trailers, linking them end to end and pushing them tightly together, while simultaneously pushing them into a relatively concave corner of a wall covered with smooth tiles.

The three took their positions, with Xie Yingtang and Lu Hu flanking the flanks and front, while Wang Xiao leaned against the wall, forming a triangular formation. Their eyes scanned any suspicious figures that tried to approach, exuding a chilling aura that said, "Don't mess with this tough nut."

Some of the people around who were originally itching to join in or were just there to watch the show were intimidated by the three men's obviously not-so-friendly aura and subconsciously stepped back, creating a small vacuum zone. Seeing this, Xu Xiaoyan felt a little relieved. She quickly glanced at her trailer, deftly lifted the bag of sea buckthorn closest to her from the top, and hugged it tightly to her chest with both arms.

She pulled her mask up a bit, then used the sack as half a shield, strained her waist and abdomen, and with her shoulders slightly lowered, she rammed into the direction of the staircase leading to the second floor that she remembered!

"Make way! Please make way!" Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable penetrating power. She recklessly used her body and sacks to push through the crowd blocking her way. Some people stumbled from her impact, grumbling or cursing under their breath; some instinctively moved aside, their eyes flashing with astonishment; and most people just numbly shifted, creating an extremely narrow gap filled with the friction of bodies.

Xu Xiaoyan had only one goal—the stairwell. Her thick-soled snow boots made a rapid and heavy "clattering" sound on the stained and somewhat slippery marble floor. The burlap sack in her arms swayed with her movements. The short distance of a few dozen meters seemed unusually long in the crowded throng.

Finally, she squeezed to one side of the spacious lobby and saw the wide staircase leading to the second floor. The crowd density near the staircase seemed slightly lower, but there were still quite a few people sitting or leaning on the stair railing. She didn't have time to look closely and rushed up the steps covered with a dark red carpet.

However, at the corner platform between the first and second floors, a sturdy silver-gray metal barrier stood in the middle of the stairs. The barrier was not completely closed, with a gap in the middle that allowed only one person to pass through. However, two staff members wearing dark blue base uniforms and "security" armbands stood at the gap. They stood upright, their sharp eyes scanning the chaotic lobby below. Their very presence exuded a cold sense of order that was completely different from that of the people downstairs.

Upon seeing Xu Xiaoyan carrying the bulging sack, one of the older staff members immediately extended his palm, making a standard "stop" gesture. His flat, businesslike voice carried an unquestionable authority: "Hello, customer. The second floor is the bulk and specific resource trading area, which has access restrictions. Please show your valid ID. We need to verify your points qualifications and access permissions on-site." His gaze swept over the sack in Xu Xiaoyan's arms, which was covered with snow and a little dust. There was no disdain or curiosity in his eyes, only pure, procedural scrutiny.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoyan abruptly stopped in her tracks. She had no idea that there were additional points or identity requirements for going upstairs to make a transaction! She certainly hadn't expected such a strict "membership" system for entry. But now that things had come to this, she forcibly suppressed her surprise and a hint of panic.

"Okay," she replied briefly without asking any questions that might reveal her ignorance, such as "How many points are needed?" or "What identity is required to enter?" She adjusted her posture while holding the sack, freeing her left arm. Then, she raised her left arm, which had an identity chip implanted in it, and aligned the inside of it with the black portable verification device in the staff member's hand.

A short, clear beep rang out, standing out in the relatively quiet corner of the stairs. The instrument screen instantly lit up with a soft green light, on which several lines of small text and code seemed to scroll and flash rapidly before finally settling on a simple interface. Xu Xiaoyan couldn't see it all from her angle, but she seemed to catch a glimpse of her own number and the Zhongcheng logo.