Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 215 Unlocking Conditions

Those who can live in Zone C are undoubtedly already "middle class" or even higher in the base. Their points may come from more stable and abundant sources, such as technical backbones, managers, or businessmen with in-depth cooperation with the base.

The vendor continued his story, slowly raising his third finger, his expression a mixture of absurdity, mockery, and a hint of bewilderment at that unattainable realm, perhaps even unconscious to himself:

"At the very top, the highest level open to us ordinary residents—and I mean 'ordinary residents'—is 'Zone B.' Want to advance from Zone C to Zone B? The price is—" He paused, almost sighing as he uttered the number, "a one-time payment of 10000 points!"

10,000 points!

This number shattered the last vestiges of unrealistic fantasy in the crowd. Many people wore expressions of utter disbelief. Ten thousand points? That was no longer a number that could be accumulated through hard work, thrift, or adventure.

"The treatment in Area B is..." the vendor licked his chapped lips. "That's what the notice says: 'Free permanent single-person housing for eligible residents.'"

Free! Forever!

In this era of uncertainty and the possibility of losing everything, the psychological security brought by "permanence" may be far more valuable than material conditions themselves.

However, the price of 10,000 points makes the "free" and "permanent" seem so ironic. It's like a carrot hanging in front of a donkey's eyes. You can see it and even smell it, but the pole holding the carrot has no end.

The vendor abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming brief and meaningful. "As for 'Area A'..." he shook his head. "This is a 'special management and core functional area.' The original notice stated that it 'is not open to applications from external residents.'" In just a few words, he clearly defined the core scope of power. Area A should be at the top of the resource allocation system.

After the vendor finished speaking, a deathly silence fell over the area. Everyone stood still, desperately trying to process the massive amount of information that was almost suffocating.

This is not just an emergency evacuation notice, but more like a macro plan to redefine the social structure of the Linchuan base, a blueprint for rearranging and recombining population, resources, and power under extreme environmental pressure.

It is foreseeable that in the days to come, the importance of points will be elevated to an unprecedented level. It will become the standard for measuring all value, the only hard currency that determines life and death and classifies social strata. The original survival mode may be completely overturned and reconstructed by this powerful force.

Xu Xiaoyan stood at the edge of the crowd, but her entire being seemed to have been struck by an invisible lightning bolt, firmly gripped by the last few words of the vendor's words: "Block B... Free... Permanent single-occupancy housing..."

These words echoed repeatedly in her mind. A thought that she had almost suppressed deep within her heart, one she dared not easily touch, and one that she often doubted herself as to whether it was just her imagination, now erupted uncontrollably and violently like a long-suppressed volcano.

Could it be... that the "underground city housing" I requested earlier... refers to... this newly announced permanent housing in Area B, the highest open level of the underground city?!

Once this conjecture appeared, it spread like wildfire, instantly engulfing all her thoughts. She had been busy with miscellaneous matters since entering the base, and over time, she had almost forgotten about it. But at this moment, when the official structure of the underground city was officially announced, and when the astonishingly specific concept of "permanent housing in Area B" appeared, everything seemed to make sense!

If... if her guess is true... what does that mean?

意味着她不必像眼前这些绝望焦虑的人群一样，为每天0.5或1积分的「暖气费」而愁眉苦脸、铤而走险！意味着她不必仰望那令人绝望的3000积分D区门槛、6000积分C区天堑、乃至10000积分的B区天价！意味着她可能已经提前、以一种自己尚未完全理解的方式，获得了那张通往免费供暖、提供永久私人住所的最高开放层级的「门票」！意味着她或许将拥有一个真正属于自己的、安全的、稳定的「家」！

Shock, elation, doubt, fear, an urgent desire for verification... all sorts of emotions surged in her chest, but she forcibly suppressed them, locking all her outward emotions under a mask of calm.

She had to figure it out immediately!

Xu Xiaoyan pulled her hat brim down even further, almost covering most of her face. Then, she stopped looking at the crowd still immersed in shock, despair, and arguments, and stopped listening to the painful discussions about how to accumulate points and how to survive for ten days. Without hesitation, she turned around and walked quickly to the end of the line that was conducting entry checks on the side of the city gate, joining the waiting ranks.

The team moved unusually slowly.

Perhaps it was because the guards needed to check everyone's condition more carefully, observe their emotional reactions, and prevent riots; or perhaps it was because many emotionally agitated people crowded the checkpoint, grabbing anyone who looked like a staff member, repeatedly confirming the details of the notification, pleading, questioning, and even arguing, which seriously delayed the process. Cries, pleas, and the guards' stern reprimands could be heard from time to time, making the entire process of entering the city tense and uneasy.

Xu Xiaoyan stood in the queue, her body unconsciously leaning slightly forward, her toes tapping rhythmically on the cold, hard ground. Normally she was extremely patient, but at this moment, every second of waiting felt like it was burning her nerves. Her ears were also uncontrollably perked up, keenly capturing every discussion and every new fragment of information about the underground city that came from all around her.

"...Only ten days! The notice said that the unified check-in registration and relocation time is from 8:00 AM on January 17th! Today is already the 7th! There are only ten days at most! This is fucking too rushed! It doesn't give people any time to prepare!" A man carrying a huge hiking backpack, looking travel-worn and like he had just returned from a long trip, was shouting in a low voice to his companion, his voice full of panic and helplessness.

"Ten days... ten days. Even if we don't eat or drink, where are we going to scrape together enough for the heating fee for the first month after entering Zone E? Fifteen points! Not to mention saving up some money, getting some thick bedding, and stocking up on more dry rations... Unless, we take on those high-paying but life-threatening exploration missions, or..." His companion was a thin young man with a worried expression. He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear—to head into a more dangerous gray or even black zone.

"E Zone it is! I heard that fish prices have started to drop because a group of people caught a lot of fish. The purchasing point is in a mess right now, with many people queuing up to sell fish for points! Survival is the priority! 0.5 points a day, I'll work my ass off to earn that! If all else fails, I'll go dig holes in the glacier every day!" Another voice spoke with a desperate determination, but also with a hint of desolation.

"I heard that several large workshops and repair teams in the outer city have already posted notices to recruit people. The wages are half a percent higher than usual, but the requirements are also stricter, and a deposit is required... I guess they are afraid that people will run away after working for two days."

"The black market... There must be people on the black market who resell points or have ways to quickly accumulate points, but the risks are too high; you could end up losing both your money and your reputation..."

"I wonder if the junk I have at home can even be exchanged for a few points..."

"What about the children? We don't know how to take care of them in the underground city. Are there still schools?"

Ten days! Check-in date is January 17th!

Another crucial piece of information! This is the final countdown to relocation given by the base. For many residents with meager savings or even those who are chronically in debt, ten days may not even be enough to cover the heating bills for the first few days after entering Zone E, let alone stock up on necessary supplies for a long-term underground life, deal with belongings that cannot be taken with them, and cope with the soaring living costs and chaotic order that are bound to occur during these ten days.

This news made Xu Xiaoyan's longing to return home even more intense and urgent! If her guess was confirmed, then these ten days would mean something completely different for her! She wouldn't have to struggle like most people for the most basic survival and daily heating fees, making potentially fatal choices in panic and despair.

She can use this precious, and final, window of opportunity for ground operations to systematically and to the maximum extent possible, gather all kinds of supplies!

Her space is her greatest advantage! While others are frantically trying to accumulate points, she can focus on stockpiling physical items. While others are hastily moving and have to abandon a lot of things, she can quietly "absorb" them.

The line moved slowly forward. Xu Xiaoyan kept her head down, her fingers unconsciously and repeatedly rubbing the cold metal edge and smooth screen of her phone in her pocket.

It is foreseeable that in the next ten days, the entire Linchuan base will descend into a hysterical, final frenzy. All kinds of high-reward, high-risk missions issued by the government will be snapped up instantly; the private trading market will be extremely chaotic, and prices may soar or fall briefly due to panic selling; "opportunities" and illegal activities in the gray area will be unusually active; robberies, fraud, and violent conflicts will definitely surge, and both risks and opportunities will grow exponentially.

Finally, it was Xu Xiaoyan's turn.

She walked forward almost mechanically, placing the back of her left hand against the cold, metallic identification terminal at the checkpoint.

"Beep, identity verification passed." The emotionless electronic synthesized voice rang out. The guard on duty looked tired and tense. He glanced at the information displayed on the screen, then looked at the young woman who looked unusually calm, even a little too calm. He nodded and stepped aside to make way for her.

"Go in. Things are chaotic in the city lately. If you don't have anything to do, go back to your lodgings as soon as possible," the guard reminded him routinely, his voice hoarse.

"Thank you," Xu Xiaoyan said softly, her voice steady. She stepped through the heavy metal door, a symbol of relative security.

She slowed her pace, heading towards her small building located at the border of the inner and outer city, while cautiously and quickly observing her surroundings out of the corner of her eye.

Soon, she discovered a phenomenon that was completely different from the past.

By now, it was completely dark, and as usual, the streets of the outer city would quickly become deserted. Most people would huddle in their not-so-warm homes, trying to conserve their energy to get through the long, cold night.

But tonight, many more people than usual were moving about in the alleyways, along with scattered light sources—flashlights, oil lamps, or even just burning scrap wood. A sense of haste, chaos, and even despair permeated the air.

People were sorting, bundling, and taking stock of their belongings. Those who were quick had already packed their meager possessions into packages of various sizes; those who were slow were worrying about the clutter that filled their rooms.

Deep in the alley, an elderly couple moved slowly but methodically. The old man squatted on the ground, carefully binding several wooden boards of different lengths with a plastic rope he had found somewhere.

The old lady stood to one side, holding a faded blue floral cloth bundle in her arms, which contained all their clothes. She took them out one by one, shook them out, folded them again, and counted them repeatedly, her lips moving silently, as if confirming some important number.

In the shed diagonally opposite, a one-armed man in his thirties was using his remaining hand and teeth to try to stuff a stiff, hardened quilt into a tattered woven bag.

The quilt was too big and the bag opening was too small. He was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. He pressed it down with his knees and pushed it with his chin. In the end, he almost threw his whole body over it and managed to stuff most of it in. The corner of the quilt that was sticking out was so dirty that you couldn't tell its color. He glanced at it, hesitated for a moment, and then gritted his teeth and pulled it out and threw it on the ground.

Further away, several children were gathered around a rusty tin bucket, which was burning scraps of wood and waste paper that they had picked up from somewhere. The faint firelight illuminated their dirty little faces. Their parents, a couple who looked equally young, were carrying some pots and pans out of the low shed and placing them on a relatively clean stone slab at the door.

A middle-aged woman stood at the entrance of her shack, which was less than ten square meters in size, staring blankly at everything piled up inside. She seemed to have no idea where to start, what to leave behind, or what to take with her. In the end, she simply squatted down and began picking up the potatoes one by one, her eyes vacant.

Almost everything that could be moved and seemed somewhat useful was cleared out of the cramped living quarters and piled up in relatively dry open spaces by the door or along the alleyway.

People were arguing in hushed tones, their voices suppressed yet sharp, coming from deep within the alleyway.

"I dragged this table back from the rubble myself! I even planed the wood!"

"Bullshit! I found the nails! I hammered the tenons for you! Without me, this table would just be a pile of rotten wood!"

"That saw is mine, isn't it? You borrowed it and never returned it!"

"Who switched your medicine when you were sick last time? Huh? Now you're bringing this up with me?"

Two brothers were arguing around a rough wooden table. The table was small and crudely made, but it was a decent piece of furniture in the post-apocalyptic world where resources were scarce. The focus of their argument was no longer the table itself, but all the unresolved grudges and sacrifices of the past. Both of their faces were red, and their fingers were almost poking each other's noses.

Xu Xiaoyan moved swiftly through the hurried figures and piles of cluttered items.