Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 144 Indigenous Peoples

Apart from the private properties owned by these "original inhabitants," all other houses within the base, whether newly built or renovated, are public property. Individuals can only obtain the right to use them by consuming points, that is, by "renting" them on a monthly basis using points.

Her gaze lingered on the rental fees for a long time: 8 points per month for a single room in the outer city and 15 points per month for a suite; 12 points per month for a single room in the middle city and 22 points per month for a suite; and 15 points per month for a single room in the inner city and 27 points per month for a suite. If she chose to share a room, the fees would be calculated proportionally based on the number of people.

At the same time, the rules also clearly define the access rights between areas. Residents of the inner city can freely travel to the middle city and the outer city to live and move around. Residents of the middle city can go to the outer city, but residents of the outer city are strictly prohibited from entering the middle city and the inner city.

"Although I can go directly to the central city," Xu Xiaoyan thought to herself, "I'm new here and the situation is unclear. The key is that the rent is cheaper in the outer city. Why don't I stay here first and see how things go?" After making up her mind, she decided to rent a house in the outer city for a month.

Thinking of Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao, who had gone ahead to find accommodation, she took out her newly bought mobile phone.

After powering on, a series of complicated binding operations are required: chip information verification, facial recognition registration, fingerprint collection settings... She patiently spent nearly half an hour to fully bind and activate the device with her identity.

She tried to add Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao as contact persons using their chip numbers. The system indicated that the message was sent successfully, but the status of the two remained grayed out (offline).

"Looks like they haven't gotten the phones yet..." Xu Xiaoyan thought to herself. This was understandable, since 20 points for a basic phone was a huge sum for someone who had just joined the base.

She sent messages to both of them, briefly explaining that she had made arrangements and asking them to contact her when it was convenient for them.

After finishing all this, she put away her phone and brochure, looked up and searched the lobby. Soon, she found a shop with a prominent "House Rental" sign in a corner. She took a deep breath and walked towards the shop.

As soon as you approach the shop with the "House Rental" sign, a wave of noise mixed with crying, cursing and fierce arguing hits you, adding a touch of hostility to the noise in the main area of ​​the trading hall.

Near the shop entrance, seven or eight burly middle-aged women were sitting or standing in a circle, venting their frustrations loudly towards the shop and the surrounding crowd.

An elderly woman in a faded floral cotton-padded jacket pounded her chest, her voice booming with tears, "Why! Why are we, the long-time residents of Linchuan, now forced to live in this outer city?! My old house was in the heart of the inner city, in the best location! A three-story villa! And now? The military took it all away with a single word! Isn't this blatant robbery? Corruption! Naked corruption! My whole family is now crammed into this tiny apartment, where is justice?!"

Her words immediately resonated with another short-haired middle-aged woman nearby. That woman jumped up, her finger almost poking at the "Housing Rental" sign. "Give us back our houses in the inner city! What kind of service to the people is this? It's all bullshit! You kicked us out of our homes and forced us to this outer city, without even giving us compensation points. Aren't you just trying to kill us? What are you up to?!"

The other women also started crying and complaining, their stories being much the same: they originally owned property in the inner or middle city, but had now been relocated to the outer city, harboring great resentment and believing that the military had embezzled their property.

This scene attracted many onlookers. Some looked sympathetic, some whispered among themselves, and most remained indifferent, as if it were a common occurrence.

Xu Xiaoyan frowned slightly. The chaotic scene was clearly affecting normal business operations. She approached a middle-aged man who was watching the commotion with his arms crossed and a hint of sarcasm on his lips, and asked in a low voice, "Sir, what's going on here? They...?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man scoffed, his tone laced with undisguised mockery, "What else could it be? Greed knows no bounds!"

He gestured with his chin, pointing to the group of middle-aged women. "These people were the original inhabitants of Linchuan before the disaster. Some lived in the inner city, and some lived in the middle city. Later, the military took over the area and restored order, giving these 'original inhabitants' two choices."

The uncle was clearly familiar with the rules and spoke eloquently: "First, you can choose a house in the outer city. As long as it is vacant, you can be allocated a private house for free based on the size of your original house and the number of your family members. You can live there permanently without paying rent. Second, you can choose to retain your residency status in the inner city, but the houses in the inner city will not be given for free. You will need to pay points to rent them every month, just like us outsiders."

He paused, his sarcasm deepening. "Guess what they chose? The vast majority of them chose the first option—free houses in the outer city! After all, no rent, that's reassuring! But once they settled in and saw that the inner city was better and safer, they regretted it, feeling like they'd lost out! Now they're causing trouble here every day, wanting houses in the inner city but not wanting to spend any points! Is there such a good thing in the world?"

The man concluded, raising his voice slightly, as if wanting the older women to hear, "Just because they're 'native inhabitants,' they're already way ahead of us outsiders who have to pay rent every month! And they're still not satisfied. They've been causing trouble here for months, and the military hasn't paid them any attention. They're just spoiled!"

After listening to the uncle's explanation, Xu Xiaoyan looked at the group of wailing and crying women again, her eyes showing a hint of understanding. She didn't linger, walked past the group, and went straight to the counter of the rented shop.

As soon as Xu Xiaoyan stepped into the "House Rental" shop, she was amazed by the highly informatized interior. Instead of the traditional messy housing information boards, there were dozens of neatly arranged LED vertical displays.

Each screen plays a loop of live video footage of the interior of the rental properties, from simple single rooms to slightly tidy suites, showing the layout, lighting, and even some remaining furniture details.

The waiters, dressed in uniform, hurried between the screens, occasionally stopping to answer questions from customers who stopped to watch.

Next to her, a young girl in a white cotton-padded jacket was pointing at a video of a clean and tidy single room, asking the waiter with slight concern, "Will the room look very different from what's shown in the video? Is there any damage that wasn't captured on camera?"