Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 239 Reminder

Xu Xiaoyan was slightly startled, but quickly forced herself to calm down. This non-contact verification method based on the chip inside her body was similar in core principle to what she had experienced at the lottery terminal and registration office in Zone B, only the presentation was more advanced.

She stepped forward as instructed, raised her left arm, and aimed it at the glowing palm pattern area on the screen.

Just as her wrist approached a certain distance, a brighter, warmer-toned white light suddenly shone from inside the white palm pattern on the floating screen, forming a precise ring of light.

Almost simultaneously, Xu Xiaoyan felt a very slight, almost imperceptible tingling sensation on the inside of her wrist, similar to static electricity passing through her skin. The whole process was brief and rapid.

The moment the scan was completed—a crisp "beep!" sound broke the silence of the corridor.

The pale blue backlight and white palm pattern on the floating display screen instantly went out, and the screen then slid back into the silver-gray door panel in the same smooth way as it had slid out, fitting perfectly.

Immediately afterwards, a sound of operation came from deep inside the heavy door panel. It was the sound of an unlocking process produced by the coordinated work of countless tiny gears, solenoid valves, and linkages.

With the sound of machinery running, a very fine crack silently appeared in the center of the originally smooth, mirror-like silver-gray door panel.

The gap was initially as thin as a hair, but under the action of the internal mechanism, it expanded to both sides at a uniform speed and steadily. At the same time, on the right side of the door panel, at about waist height of an adult, a rectangular area about 20 centimeters long and 5 centimeters wide slightly recessed inward. Then, an alloy door handle smoothly and steadily popped out from the recess.

The entire process of unlocking, revealing the gap, and popping out the handle is full of a sense of technology and industrial design that transcends the times, forming a strong and strange contrast with the rough, pragmatic, and even somewhat dirty industrial environment of the surrounding passageway.

Xu Xiaoyan composed herself, reached out, grasped the cool yet solid alloy handle, and gently pushed it inward.

The door opened.

Surprisingly light and smooth, with almost no noticeable resistance and no creaking sound from the hinges, only a very slight hiss as the airflow passes through the gap.

A completely different kind of air, unlike the functional passage behind them, rushed out as the door opened. The temperature was slightly higher, and the humidity seemed to have increased a little. Most importantly, there was the smell—a much more complex and "domestic" mix of odors, the inevitable body odor and sweat of many people gathered together, along with a hint of food smells from the kitchen or a food ration station...

Behind the door is not a direct passageway. What comes into view is a relatively spacious, gently curved transitional space, about ten square meters in area, like a miniature circular hall.

The place was empty. The walls and floor were made of a similar material to the passageway outside. On the curved wall directly opposite, there was a much more ordinary-looking metal door with a traditional mechanical rotary handle.

Xu Xiaoyan had only taken a few steps when the silver-gray door behind her seemed to sense her presence and began to slowly close automatically. She subconsciously turned around and saw that the ejected alloy door handle had silently retracted into the door panel, just as it had appeared.

The vertical gap in the door panel gradually closed from both sides towards the center, eventually sealing it perfectly and transforming it back into a smooth, flawless, silver-gray wall.

Apart from the lingering peculiar smell and temperature difference in the air, there was no trace indicating that it had once been an openable door. This near-perfect concealment was clearly for strict control and security between areas, preventing unauthorized personnel from easily discovering, identifying, and attempting to enter or leave.

She turned around and looked at the ordinary metal door opposite the buffer zone. Compared to the "portal" she had just passed through, the door seemed particularly plain and even shabby. Its surface was a rough, dark gray metal without any decoration, and in the center was a mechanical rotating handle without any protective cover. The handle was polished to a shine and bore the marks of countless hands.

Xu Xiaoyan walked over, grasped the somewhat uncomfortable mechanical handle, and forcefully rotated it, pushing it inward.

The door hinges seemed a bit stiff, and when pushed open, they were accompanied by a teeth-grinding "creak". After stepping inside, you could hear a distinct noise in the distance. The ordinary metal door behind you, due to the action of the built-in spring or simple counterweight, automatically and slowly closed behind you, finally closing with a soft "click".

She didn't leave the doorway immediately, but instead looked around, trying to find a mark, number, symbol, or anything that would distinguish the special buffer zone exit behind her from the seemingly monotonous scene.

Even a strangely styled graffiti symbol; a wall panel with a slightly different color; or even just a slightly different wear mark on the door than other door handles... any tiny anomaly could become the key coordinate for her to relocate this "back door to B area" in the maze-like C area in the future.

However, reality extinguished the glimmer of hope that had just risen within her. The scene around her was so standardized that even describing it as "standardized" would be too kind. To be more accurate, it was extremely "repetitive." Everything seemed to be mass-produced from a mold: light gray walls with square lighting panels of the same size and style inlaid at fixed intervals; various pipes covered with uniform gray insulation material overhead, arranged in almost the same direction and spacing; dark gray flooring materials all presented an indistinguishable uniformity... As far as the eye could see, it was as if a corridor module had been infinitely copied and pasted, with no beginning and no end in sight.

Even the frame of the ordinary metal door she had just stepped out of was completely consistent with the color, texture, and age of the walls on both sides. Once closed, unless one deliberately reached out to touch or feel the tiny gaps in the door and the protrusions in the frame, it was almost impossible to distinguish with the naked eye where the wall continued and where the hidden door was.

If she turns around and leaves now, venturing deeper into Zone C, and a few days later tries to relocate to that specific "point" and find the door disguised as a wall in almost identical corridors and forks in the road based solely on vague memories, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

A mix of anxiety, helplessness, and even fear inevitably rose and spread in her exhausted mind. Without accurately pinpointing this crucial juncture, she might truly "get lost" in Zone C.

She tried to suppress her unsettling emotions. Maintaining the entire system's operation couldn't rely solely on such a few hidden nodes; there must be other channels, maintenance points, and material transport routes connecting different areas.

Thinking about this, she calmed down a bit and decided not to waste her remaining energy on the problem of "how to return to Area B," which seemed impossible to solve immediately.

The most urgent task is to find a relatively safe place in this completely unfamiliar Zone C as soon as possible, a place where she can catch her breath temporarily. Then, she can observe her surroundings, gather information, and learn about the survival rules of Zone C.

She couldn't remember the last time she truly closed her eyes and entered a deep, dreamless sleep. It seemed to have started from the moment that cold "24-hour emergency notification" popped up on her wristband screen. Since then, her mind had been on edge, forced to engage in one highly stressful and busy activity after another. She had to find a place as soon as possible so that she could get a good night's sleep, even if it was only for two or three hours.

Her gaze fell upon the three-way intersection before her. One path extended to the left, where the lights seemed sparser and dimmer, with several bulbs completely extinguished, creating an unsettling semi-darkness. Looking inside, she could only see vague outlines, the depths completely swallowed by shadows.

One passage leads to the right, where the situation is completely different. In the distance, one can vaguely hear denser, mixed voices, hurried footsteps, and the sound of cart wheels rolling over the ground. The light is also relatively brighter and more stable, clearly leading to a more active and densely populated area.

The last one is straight ahead, relatively quiet, and moderately lit, but the passage itself seems to have no end in sight, and it's unclear where it ultimately leads.

Xu Xiaoyan made her decision in less than three seconds; she chose to move forward.

Knowing nothing about the environment of Zone C, she chose a relatively quiet passage with significantly less foot traffic in the initial stage to minimize the chance of contact with residents of Zone C.

Entering the noisy and bustling area to the right could certainly provide cover for a newcomer by taking advantage of the large crowds and complex activities, but the drawbacks are equally obvious.

In the early stages, she is more likely to make mistakes or inadvertently reveal her ignorance due to her unfamiliarity with the unspoken rules of Zone C and her lack of understanding of the local "survival language." She may even get involved in disputes or conflicts that she has no idea about.

The dimly lit area on the left is too uncertain; it would be unwise to rashly enter such an obviously abnormal area.

Having made up her mind, she forced herself to open her heavy eyelids and weak legs and stepped into the passageway directly ahead.

She struggled to overcome her heavy drowsiness. The light in the corridor was constant, coming from the overhead fluorescent tubes. It lacked the natural light that changes in brightness and warmth over time. This constantness only exacerbated the blurring and distortion of the sense of time.

She felt as if she had been dragging her feet for a long time, the passage ahead seemed endless, and the scenery on both sides seemed to be stuck in a loop: the same light gray walls and the incessant hum of the ventilation system.

Just as she began to doubt herself, the scene before her eyes finally began to change slightly. On both sides of the passage, small, tightly closed doors began to appear sporadically on the originally smooth walls.