Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 286 Troublemakers

None of the elderly people who were scammed lost their points on the first day.

Through daily "lectures," they gradually built trust in the lecturers, gradually embraced the organization's philosophy, and gradually came to regard it as their spiritual home.

When they voluntarily contribute their points, they even feel that it is honorable and worthwhile.

The saying "It's hard to persuade a damned ghost with kind words" flashed through Xu Xiaoyan's mind.

But she immediately realized the cruelty of those words—the old lady wasn't a "damned ghost."

She was just an ordinary person who wanted to live, an ordinary person who was overwhelmed by life and wanted to grasp at any glimmer of light she suddenly saw.

No matter how much she said, the older woman still wouldn't listen.

She was completely overwhelmed by the joy of "free cookies".

If someone tells her at this moment, "Your judgment is wrong," that's not a reminder, but an attack; it's a denial of her entire self-perception.

In her eyes, Xu Xiaoyan was just a young girl who had just arrived and didn't know anything, yet she was worrying about nothing.

What do young girls know?

What has this young woman seen?

Do young women know what hunger feels like?

Do you know what a pancake means?

Xu Xiaoyan let out a long breath, and she suddenly realized a problem: the old lady's mentality was not an isolated case.

They all thought they were smart enough, that they couldn't possibly be fooled by accepting pancakes for attending classes, and that their points were absolutely safe in their own accounts.

But what they don't know is that some scams don't directly steal your points.

First, they make you think this organization is great, then they make you think this mentor is wise, and then they make you feel that everyone here is your brother or sister.

When you've fully integrated into that group, when you've become completely obedient to that kind person, when you've started to actively contribute to that cause—

Points? That's actually the simplest and most unimportant thing.

At that time, you will willingly hand over your points, and you will even feel honored to be able to "contribute".

You'll feel that you weren't being scammed, but rather that you were contributing to a common cause. At that point, you're no longer a victim; you're an accomplice, a spreader, and a link in the chain.

Xu Xiaoyan stood there, watching the crowds coming and going, and the faces of those who were immersed in the joy of a windfall.

These people aren't stupid; they're just desperately craving some "free warmth."

In the underground city, every meal must be carefully budgeted, and every tomorrow is full of uncertainty.

What should I do if I don't have enough points?

What should I do if the exchange points have increased in price?

But what if at this moment, someone suddenly stands up and tells you, "If you just sit and listen to me, I'll give you food"?

This temptation is irresistible to many because it touches upon people's most primal desires:

To live off others without working, to be taken care of, and to no longer have to worry about survival.

Xu Xiaoyan shook her head and turned to walk in another direction.

From today onward, she will consciously build her own information network; she needs those who are at the information nodes.

Like "Ningjing Zhiyuan" who has access to cross-regional information, knows what can be believed and what cannot be believed, and knows when the wind will change.

Like Xiao Zhou from the "Honghu" repair shop, he comes into contact with different people every day and hears different complaints, although their information is fragmented.

But when the fragments are pieced together, they reveal the entire survival landscape of the underground city.

She will need to establish connections with people at different levels in the future.

Xu Xiaoyan hopes that she can at least be aware of the next incident before it happens, and then be prepared.

Right now, she needs to go to the official redemption point, and the nearest one is right in the center of the North District.

Although it's called the "center," it's actually just the intersection of several main passages. It's designed as a small distribution center to facilitate the exchange of goods for residents in the surrounding area.

She walked along the main aisle for about ten minutes, and the crowd gradually thickened.

The closer you get to the exchange point, the larger the flow of people becomes. Footsteps, voices, and children's cries blend together, buzzing and echoing in the narrow passage.

Xu Xiaoyan dodged a child who was running too fast and almost bumped into her. The child was clutching something in his hand and ran without looking back, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

After walking for a few more minutes, she saw the entrance to the redemption point.

It was called an entrance, but it was actually a half-open roller shutter door. Two staff members in gray uniforms stood by the door, watching the people coming and going with indifferent expressions.

Inside the roller shutter door is a short passageway, at the end of which is the actual exchange area—five shops connected together.

Each room is about fifty square meters, and various samples of supplies are displayed behind the glass windows.

But at this moment, all five shops were crowded with people.

Xu Xiaoyan stopped outside the door and subconsciously took half a step back.

Because many people lined up outside the door, and some even stood on the open ground outside the passageway, tiptoeing to peer inside.

This formation doesn't look like a queue, it looks more like...

Xu Xiaoyan didn't think any further. She simply moved to the side, found a slightly less crowded corner, and stood behind a few other people who were also watching.

Some people were cursing and shoving each other, and some children were crying because they were being jostled. Their cries were sharp and piercing, but they were quickly drowned out by the louder noise.

Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but peek out. Through the gaps in the crowd, she could vaguely see the staff behind the exchange point's glass window, frantically dealing with the people in front of the window.

Someone was banging on the counter, making a loud thud.

Someone was shouting something, but the sound was so loud that it was impossible to hear what they were saying.

Some people even tried to pass things through the window, stretching their arms out very long, only to be pushed back by the staff, and then stretched them out again.

Given this situation, Xu Xiaoyan didn't dare to go any closer.

She stood on the periphery of the crowd, trying not to attract attention, and listened intently.

The people around her were closer than her, chattering amongst themselves, with someone joining the discussion every now and then, and someone else immediately pushing forward.

Xu Xiaoyan stood there listening for about twenty minutes, as fragmented pieces of information flooded in from all directions. By piecing them together, she finally managed to piece together a general outline.

This morning, many people brought dry biscuits to the exchange point, hoping to exchange them for other things.

Some wanted to exchange for rice, some for flour, some for cooking oil, and others for daily necessities like toothpaste and soap.

I brought a lot of dry biscuits, but the people at the exchange point refused to accept them.

Why not accept it?

They say there's something wrong with the cakes, but they don't know exactly what the problem is; they'll have to wait for the test results.

When asked when the test results would be available, the staff said they didn't know and had to wait for notification from above.

When asked any further questions, the staff simply stopped talking and waved them away.

Then it exploded.

A dried biscuit? A dried biscuit you can get for attending a free four-hour class?

Now, these dried biscuits are no longer accepted at the exchange point.

She stood there, listening to the increasingly heated discussions around her, her mind racing.

"Why won't you give me a replacement?" A middle-aged man next to me said loudly.

It was clearly intentional, to let others hear, "I waited in line for two hours, and when it was my turn to say they wouldn't accept it, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"They said we have to wait for the test results," another voice tried to explain.

"Test my ass!" The middle-aged man was even angrier. "The pancakes that were distributed yesterday, you're not taking them back today? What about the ones that were taken back yesterday?"

What about those items we exchanged yesterday? Should we try to get them back?

These words immediately stirred up many people's emotions.

"Yes! It was perfectly safe and sound yesterday!"

"My neighbor traded some rice for bread yesterday, but they can't do it today?"

"What exactly is the problem? Explain yourself clearly!"

"They definitely know something, they just won't say!"

They accepted the goods just fine yesterday, but they won't accept them today. What does that mean? Xu Xiaoyan thought for a moment. If there's nothing wrong with the goods, the purchasing point won't refuse to accept them!

Another thought flashed through her mind, but it was too big for her to grasp immediately.

The surrounding noise grew louder and louder, and people began to push their way in, trying to rush into the exchange point to demand an explanation.

Several staff members ran over from the other end of the passage and stood at the entrance of the roller shutter, shouting something with grim faces, but their voices were drowned out by the angry curses of the crowd.

Xu Xiaoyan took two steps back, moving herself to a more peripheral position.

It's not that she doesn't want to watch the excitement, but she doesn't want to get involved either.

In such a scene, not to mention the possibility of a stampede, one might even be labeled a troublemaker!

Managers don't care whether you're a party involved or a bystander; as long as you're standing in a crowd, you might be labeled as "one of the troublemakers."

She recalled her experience in the capsule pod and felt that the underground city handled these kinds of "mass disturbances" very simply: whoever was present was responsible.

Even if you just pass by and glance at it, you'll be subject to scrutiny, so she can't stand there.

But she couldn't just leave like that; she needed to know more.

Xu Xiaoyan looked around, found a pillar supporting the passage, and moved it towards it.

She's standing in a much safer spot now than she was before; she's further away from the crowd, but not so far that she can't hear anything.

She wondered why there was such a strong reaction if it was just a matter of not accepting the money.

As Xu Xiaoyan was thinking, an old lady passing by shouted, "I have three pancakes!" The old lady's voice was shrill and trembling.

"I attended classes for a day and a half, just for these three pancakes! I was thinking of saving enough to exchange for some rice, but they just said they wouldn't take them anymore?" she said, her voice trembling with tears.

Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but speak up, "Aren't dry biscuits a staple food? You can eat them directly! Why do you need to switch to something else?"

The old lady rolled her eyes at her and said nothing.

A young woman was standing next to the old lady, supporting her and comforting her, "Mom, don't worry, maybe it's a misunderstanding, it'll be resolved in a bit."

"What misunderstanding?" The old lady wouldn't listen at all. "I saw with my own eyes that someone traded cakes for something yesterday!"

That's the window! Yesterday, that person was exchanging a bag of flour; I remember it perfectly well!

The young woman stopped talking and simply supported the old woman.

Seeing that she was ignoring him, Xu Xiaoyan decided not to make a fool of herself and looked away.