Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 258 Contact Methods

For a moment, the only sounds in the office were the low hum of the computer towers and the faint, indistinct voices of conversations coming from other windows in the distance.

The air blowing from the central air conditioning vents made Xu Xiaoyan's bare arms break out in goosebumps.

She sat stiffly in the chair, her fingers gripping the thin confirmation slip, her fingertips icy cold and even trembling slightly.

Xu Xiaoyan looked at the designated numbers on the backpack and remembered the liquor, cigarettes, and deer antlers she had carefully prepared in the inner compartment of her backpack, which she considered her "stepping stone" and "hard currency"...

A deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside me.

She thought that in this world, scarce resources could solve most problems, but now it seems that she was too naive.

Having resources is merely a basic requirement. In the eyes of certain people who wield special power, the "price" they demand and can exchange may be far more than that.

A weak person like her, who has nothing to offer except youth and looks, doesn't even qualify to sit at the poker table.

If you rush in rashly, you will only become someone else's fish on the plate, waiting to be sold, or even at someone else's mercy.

She slowly reached out and picked up the pen.

She lowered her head and looked at the confirmation form again. The female clerk was pushing her onto a relatively safe track in her own way.

After a few seconds of silence, Xu Xiaoyan carefully signed her name next to the "Applicant's Signature" column.

The moment I put pen to paper, it felt like I was severing some unrealistic fantasies.

A reminder, perhaps by chance.

The two reminders were perhaps well-intentioned.

But this female clerk was a complete stranger, someone whose interaction with her was solely due to work.

From the initial well-intentioned guidance to the disclosure of safety warnings, and then to the solemn, almost stern, prohibition just now.

It even directly points out that her "youth and beauty" might not be an advantage in certain situations, but rather a fatal weakness...

This series of reactions goes beyond the scope of "things are difficult to handle" or "need to be bribed".

Her survival philosophy, in a truly desperate situation with no way out, might be to fight tooth and nail with everything she has.

But when she had just gained a relatively safe and legal starting point, her instinctive choice was always to "be content with a modest fortune and prioritize stability."

Rather than chasing a "bigger pie" that might bring endless trouble even if you manage to get it by chance, it's better to hold on tightly to the "steamed bun" in front of you, which may not be big, but is real.

Fortunately, she met this older sister who was willing to tell the truth, stop her at a critical moment, and even reveal some inside information.

After signing, she seemed to remember something, leaned forward slightly again, and added in a more sincere tone:

"By the way, big sister, thank you so much for reminding me today. If in the future... I mean, just in case, just in case the base's policies are relaxed in the future."

Or perhaps my business is doing reasonably well, and I've built up some reputation and capital, so I'm qualified and have the opportunity to apply for an upgrade or something...

I hope that you, elder sister, can give me a heads-up and give me some pointers? I'm afraid I won't know anything and will get scammed without even realizing it.

She looked at the other person with a serious gaze, adopting the posture of a junior seeking guidance from an elder, yet maintaining just the right amount of distance:

"May I... have your contact information? Don't worry, I would never bother you unnecessarily, it's just that..."

In case there's anything important about the process, I'll have someone knowledgeable to ask.

As the female clerk watched Xu Xiaoyan sign the document, the tense expression on her face finally eased slightly.

She even twitched her lips up very slightly, as if she was secretly relieved that the young woman had finally made what she considered a "wise" choice.

When Xu Xiaoyan asked for her contact information, she didn't immediately agree. Instead, she first looked up and quickly scanned the other workstations in the office.

Seeing that her colleagues were either busy looking down at their screens or attending to people coming in from other windows and talking quietly, no one really paid any attention to their corner.

She hesitated for a moment, then tapped her fingers unconsciously on the table, as if weighing the balance between risk and goodwill.

In the end, she picked up the pen that Xu Xiaoyan had just used.

Pulling out a small blank scrap from under a stack of waste printing paper, he flicked his wrist and quickly wrote down a string of numbers.

After she finished writing, she folded the paper in half before handing it to Xu Xiaoyan.

Xu Xiaoyan quickly took it with both hands. She didn't open it to look at it on the spot, but carefully folded it smaller and put it into the inside pocket of her coat.

"Thank you, big sister!" she whispered.

The female clerk nodded almost imperceptibly, then immediately turned her attention back to the computer screen.

Her fingers moved deftly across the keyboard and mouse, opening another internal system interface.

Enter Xu Xiaoyan's approval slip number, check the confirmation box, and then issue the print command.

The printer next to it started up again with a "buzz".

The system dispenses a receipt with a barcode and anti-counterfeiting watermark, which has a different format from the confirmation slip. It is called "Career C Designated Convenience Service Vehicle Pickup Certificate".

She picked up the new form, still warm from the machine, checked the information on it, and then handed it to Xu Xiaoyan.

"Take this," she said, her tone returning to its previous tone.

"Go to the back, walk through this internal corridor to the end, turn left, and you'll see a sign that says 'Supply Warehouse No. 3'. That's it."

Go inside and find Lao Yu, who is in charge of vehicle issuance and registration. Show him the form, and he will verify the information and then take you to the corresponding parking space to pick up your car.

After explaining these standard procedures, she seemed to hesitate for a moment, and leaned forward slightly again.

He casually tapped the blank space on the back of the "receipt" near the warehouse manager's signature area with his fingertip.

At the same time, she lowered her voice and said quickly, "When you get there and meet Lao Yu and the others... remember to get along well with them, be polite and quick-witted."

The same model of small car in the inventory over there looks almost identical.

However, in actual use, the details of the style, the condition of the product, the sound of the motor, and especially the condition of the battery are all different.

Some cars may have just been repaired, and some cars may have batteries that are about to fail.

"Which car you choose, or which car you pick from a batch of cars... there's a trick to it all."

She looked up and gave Xu Xiaoyan a meaningful look. "I've said my piece. You decide what to do."

This is almost a blatant statement:

There is also room for manipulation in the process of picking up the vehicle.

Building good relationships might allow her to get a car in better condition, which directly affects the efficiency and cost of her future business.

Xu Xiaoyan felt a warmth in her heart again, and immediately understood the key to it.

Just as she was about to thank her again, the female clerk suddenly stood up as if she had seen something.

In the segmented images on the screen.

In one of the shots showing the "living room" waiting area outside, four figures are clearly visible.

They were gathered together talking, mainly three of them conversing while one person stood by, lost in thought.

The female clerk exclaimed softly:

"Oh dear, several more people have arrived outside. I need to hurry to the door to guide them, lest they can't find the door."

As she spoke, she was about to stand up from the chair, her movements hurried.

In that instant, Xu Xiaoyan swiftly reached into the hidden pocket on the side of the backpack that had been resting beside her lap.

Based on my intuition, I pulled out about four or five individually wrapped Snickers bars.

There wasn't even time to count whether it was four or five, so they waited until the female clerk stood up.

He shoved it all into the other person's hand, which hadn't yet fully retracted.

"Thank you so much, ma'am! This is just a small token of my appreciation; please have something to eat if you're hungry from working overtime!"

Xu Xiao spoke very quickly and in a very low voice, making sure that only the two of them could hear her.

The female clerk was clearly taken aback by this sudden action and instinctively paused for a moment.

But she reacted very quickly, slamming her hands together.

He deftly gathered the Snickers bars into his palm and then casually stuffed them into the large, deep pocket of his uniform jacket.

She didn't show any extra expression on her face, but glanced at Xu Xiaoyan very quickly.

There seemed to be a hint of reproach in his eyes, like "You little rascal, you're quite sensible," but more than that, there was a clear understanding that "I understand, this is the end of it."

Then, she stopped and walked straight toward the control panel of the hidden door, ready to fulfill her duty as a "guide" and greet the new group of people who had come to handle business outside.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't dare to delay any longer, and she quickly put the vehicle pick-up receipt and confirmation slip into her pocket.

He then slung his backpack over his shoulder and turned to walk toward the internal corridor leading to the warehouse area, as the female clerk had just indicated.

She had only walked about ten steps, not yet reaching the corner of the corridor.

From the direction of the small door leading to the service hall behind me, I heard a soft but clear "click" as the mechanical lock closed.

Presumably, the door locked automatically after the female clerk left.

She didn't pay much attention and continued walking.

However, just as she was glancing ahead warily out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the area she had just left to her side.

Further inside, a dark wooden door marked "Director's Office" that she hadn't noticed before was pulled open from the inside.

A figure strolled out unhurriedly.

He was a middle-aged man, whose figure had become noticeably overweight.

His abdomen was particularly protruding, a rather large "beer belly" that stretched his brown, worn-out leather jacket too tight.

The zipper was only halfway up, revealing a dark gray cashmere sweater that looked to be of good quality.

His hair was combed until it was shiny and smooth, each strand neatly combed back, revealing his broad, oily forehead.

At this moment, he had an ambiguous smile on his face and walked straight toward the corridor where Xu Xiaoyan was.