novelsite Chapter 234 Single Room Number
Chapter 234 Single Room Number
When he faced the screen and put his hand into the sensor port, his body and the tilted screen almost completely obscured the entire operation.
No matter how anxiously people in line crane their necks, how hard they try to stand on tiptoe, or how they change their angle, as long as they are still outside the yellow line, the screen they see will always be black or only have an irrelevant standby image. They will never be able to see the number that will eventually appear on the screen and determine their fate.
All they could glimpse was the instantaneous reaction of the person drawing the lot—the sudden stiffness, the silent sigh, the slumped shoulders, or, very rarely, the sudden straightening of the back and the instantaneous brightening of the eyes.
Then, the person drawing the lot will quickly tap the screen to select an area, take the slip of paper, and hurriedly leave the yellow-lined area, making room for the next person.
Throughout the process, an individual's "luck" is strictly sealed behind that 1.5-meter radius and the yellow line, becoming a secret known only to themselves. This also avoids the immediate comparisons, jealousy, and even conflicts that might arise from the public disclosure of the results. This is not only a way to protect privacy but also a necessary means to maintain this fragile order.
Xu Xiaoyan stood outside the yellow line, leaning slightly forward, her eyes fixed on the two people operating in front of her. The middle-aged man, wearing dark blue overalls with white-washed knees, stiffened abruptly after inserting his wrist into the circular sensor port that glowed with a faint blue light, and his shoulders involuntarily hunched upwards.
Immediately, his taut shoulders seemed to have all their strength drained away, collapsing limply, his spine bending slightly. He didn't even bother to look closely at the area selection list that popped up on the screen; he just lowered his head, his gaze unfocused, his fingers tapping haphazardly and almost numbly on a certain spot on the screen before staggering away from that 1.5-meter restricted area and quickly disappearing into the gaps in the crowd leading to the registration desk. He looked like he had probably drawn a number after 30,000, and had completely lost interest in even checking what areas were still available or weighing the options; all that remained was the bewilderment and despair of being struck head-on by fate.
The young woman with a ponytail and wearing a light-colored windproof jacket, whom he had previously manipulated, had a completely different reaction.
The moment she inserted her wrist into the sensor and the screen lit up, her body trembled slightly. Then, incredulously, she raised her other hand to cover her mouth, her eyes widening instantly, as if filled with light, bursting with undisguised ecstasy and excitement.
Although she immediately became aware of the gazes around her and tried her best to restrain herself by taking deep breaths, her suddenly straightened back, her slightly trembling fingers quickly and accurately selecting on the screen, and the way she almost subconsciously ran away from the yellow line area after receiving the result slip, all revealed her inner ecstasy. She must have drawn one of the top 30,000, or even a very high "good" number.
Taking in all these subtle reactions, Xu Xiaoyan suddenly realized that this method of drawing lots with the team's backs turned and the results not made public... while creating suspense and fueling collective anxiety to the maximum extent, from another perspective, isn't it also a carefully designed but fragile privacy protection mechanism?
Your exact "luck" value is known only to yourself and the system before you leave this small isolation circle. It avoids the immediate conflict, naked jealousy, or being intentionally marked and targeted by some malicious individuals that may be caused by publicly displaying huge differences.
The "lucky ones" can rejoice in secret and leave quietly; the "unlucky ones" do not have to endure extra humiliation and scrutiny under the public eye. They can silently bear and digest both the good and the bad, at least before leaving this small "judgment seat" marked by yellow lines, they maintain a superficial calm based on the unknown, which also gives everyone some time to sort out their emotions and put on their "masks".
"Next!" The staff member standing guard at the edge of the yellow line called out in that unchanging, flat voice, interrupting Xu Xiaoyan's thoughts.
The man in overalls in front of her had completely left the machine's range, and it was her turn. Xu Xiaoyan took a deep breath and stepped across the glowing light yellow line.
The moment I stepped in, the whispers, anxious breathing, and rustling of clothes from the queue behind me seemed to be blurred, replaced by the heavy, clear thumping of my own heart in my chest.
Without time to hesitate, she quickly followed the simple prompts flashing on the left side of the screen, raised her left arm, and aligned the inside of her wrist with the slightly concave scanning area below. A soft but undeniable red light swept steadily from top to bottom across the tiny chip embedded under her skin.
A short beep sounded.
"Identity verification passed. Access qualification: Zone B. Number generation in progress..."
The synthesized electronic female voice had not completely dissipated in the air, and Xu Xiaoyan was not even given any time to think about what "number generation" meant, nor was she given the opportunity to reach for the decisive "lottery" circular sensor on the side like everyone else before her.
Suddenly, the main screen in the center flashed with light! Just like that, abruptly, without delay, several lines of crystal-clear, bold black text appeared on the screen, filling her entire field of vision:
[Assignment Number: 000063]
[Corresponding Room Type: 9-square-meter Standard Single Room]
Please select your accommodation sector: East/South/West/North
Xu Xiaoyan froze in front of the screen, as if she had been hit head-on by the sudden and overly "generous" information, and her brain went blank for a brief and complete time.
No. 63?
9 square meters?
East, South, West, North... all selectable?
She...she doesn't seem to have gone through the "lottery" process! She didn't put her hand into the sensor, and she didn't wait for the random number that would determine her fate to roll.
Just like the number "000063" was already in a specific location in the system, prepared specifically for her, waiting for the instruction to confirm her identity to pop up and be presented to her directly. This was completely different from the suspenseful and unknown process that she had previously observed and that everyone had experienced!
She suppressed the question that was about to slip out, her throat tightened, and her peripheral vision quickly and discreetly swept towards the expressionless staff member standing at the edge of the yellow line.
The person remained standing upright, looking straight ahead, monitoring the order of the entire group as usual, and probably did not notice the "abnormal" situation on her screen.
and many more!
Number 063? ??
This number... she'd seen this number before!
That's it! Back then, when verifying her eligibility for Zone B at her residence via mobile phone, the screen seemed to only show a brief coded message that she had overlooked at the time!
Was "063" already bound to her identity and reserved from that time onward? For someone like her who obtained the qualification through a specific "channel," the so-called "lottery" might just be a formality, or perhaps the system directly identified the source of her qualification, skipped the random pool, and pointed to the reserved specific resource?
How generous... No, this isn't generosity; it's more like an implicit fulfillment of a "specific value" or "specific cost."
Xu Xiaoyan was shocked. The East District was still available for selection, and according to the trend on the public screen, it was clearly the most popular choice.
Without the slightest hesitation, she raised her hand and steadily pressed the [East District] button on the virtual screen.
[Selection Confirmation: East District, ID 000063 has been bound. Please proceed to the registration office to complete the remaining procedures.]
At the bottom of the screen, the narrow, elongated metal outlet, resembling an old-fashioned ATM, clicked softly and slowly dispensed a sturdy, slightly thick, pale yellow strip of paper.
The note was small, with a few lines of information printed concisely in clear black ink: [B Zone - East Sector - Single Standard Room - Type A | Number: 0000063 | Status: Assigned and Awaiting Activation].
Xu Xiaoyan quickly reached out and clenched the note tightly in her palm. The tough edge of the paper pricked her skin, bringing a clear and real stinging sensation, constantly reminding her that this was not an illusion.
Almost as soon as she took the note, the screen in front of her quickly switched, the blue light swirling, and returned to the initial standby interface, so clean that it was as if the direct and generous "allocation" and her brief presence had never happened on this machine.
She immediately turned around, head down, her steps slightly hurried but steady, quickly moving away from the gray terminal and stepping back into the "public area" beyond the yellow line.
From the moment she stepped in to the moment she left, the entire process took only about a minute, but for her, it felt like an eternity filled with surprise, doubt, and a touch of relief.
Her foot had barely touched the edge of the crowd, not yet fully integrated into the flow of people, and she hadn't even taken a few steps—"Hey, you young lady up ahead, wait a minute!" A slightly hurried, deliberately low male voice sounded from behind her, carrying a clear probing tone and an undisguised envy and curiosity, perhaps stemming from seeing her "quickly complete the transaction and leave." "How was your luck? What was your number...? Were you in the first 3? You came out pretty quickly, did you do well?"
Almost simultaneously, another voice, slightly closer and a bit huskyer, chimed in with the same voyeuristic intent: "Yeah, they chose pretty quickly and decisively, they must have gotten a spot they could choose from, right? Which section?"
Xu Xiaoyan did not pause in her steps, nor did she even turn her head. She merely shook her head slightly, her lips tightly closed, and remained silent.
Then, he noticeably quickened his pace, almost hurriedly heading towards the row of semi-open counters with the eye-catching sign for "Housing Registration and Binding Service" not far away.
They decisively left those two inquisitive voices behind.
In such a place, any unnecessary information disclosure could cause unnecessary trouble, especially when she realizes that her "good luck" may not be due to pure luck.
Unlike the frozen atmosphere filled with probability anxiety and uncertainty of fate in front of the lottery terminal, the atmosphere at the registration service desk was more like a dullness and procedural lengthiness after the outcome was already decided.
Several lines slowly crawled forward. Most people's faces showed numbness and resignation after experiencing intense emotional turmoil, or a calm that suppressed disappointment. Occasionally, a very few people had a trace of hopeful joy in their eyes, but it was quickly worn away by the long wait.
Xu Xiaoyan quickly scanned the queue and chose the one that looked relatively short and whose members seemed relatively calm, and joined the last one in line.
She turned her body slightly to the side, adjusting her backpack to a position where it wouldn't be bumped, while subconsciously keeping an eye on her surroundings out of the corner of her eye.
She could feel some gazes falling on her briefly and then quickly moving away.
Was it just my imagination? Or did my overly "smooth" and quick departure from the lottery terminal really attract the attention of some people with ulterior motives?
She wasn't sure, and the tension in her heart tightened even more. She could only straighten her back more and try to maintain a slightly tired calm on her face, similar to those around her, without revealing any emotion that could be interpreted as "special".
The wait lasted for more than half an hour. The line moved forward slowly. Behind the counter, staff in uniform mechanically repeated the process: taking a slip of paper or scanning a wristband, verifying information, requiring fingerprints to be entered, performing facial recognition, making a card, handing it out, giving a brief explanation... Then, people left with their gray-black access cards, symbolizing having a "grid" in this underground space, and with different expressions.
Finally, it was her turn. Behind the service desk was a male staff member who looked to be in his forties. He took the slip of paper from Xu Xiaoyan, quickly scanned it, and paused almost imperceptibly on the number "0000063". Then, he tapped the keyboard a few times to bring up the system interface.
"Identity verification," he said succinctly, gesturing for Xu Xiaoyan to raise her wrist.
Xu Xiaoyan raised her left arm again. The scanning light swept across the screen, and the staff member's gaze moved between the identity information, notes, and assignment number on the screen. There was no extra expression on her face, and she only nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Verification successful," he confirmed, then pushed a fingerprint scanner panel with a smooth glass surface out from under the counter. "Enter your thumbprints and press them in sequence as indicated by the indicator lights."
Xu Xiaoyan followed instructions, pressing her right thumb firmly onto the designated area, then her left, feeling a faint scanning sensation across her fingertips.
Immediately afterwards, a black, adjustable camera silently rotated to face her directly. "Look directly at the camera, hold for three seconds, don't blink. Okay, facial recognition registration complete."
The staff pressed the last few confirmation buttons, and a square, silver card-making machine next to them emitted a deep start-up hum, with subtle mechanical sounds coming from inside. A few seconds later, a golden, hard plastic card slid out of the outlet slot.