Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 307 Monthly Parking Package

Xu Xiaoyan glanced at the time—11:02.

The number on the phone screen jumped and became 11:03.

She stared at the numbers for a few seconds, and suddenly remembered a few words she had overheard at the night market in the parking lot yesterday.

The vendors were chatting and talking about the monthly parking fee, saying it was "much cheaper than by the hour" and "if you come every day, a monthly pass is the best deal." She didn't think much of it at the time, but now she suddenly remembered it.

She took out her phone, scrolled through her call history, and found a number.

That was the management office's contact number she saw at the parking lot entrance the day before yesterday. She saved it on a whim and didn't expect to use it so soon.

The phone call was made.

It rang only once before the other end answered.

"Hello, this is the East District Management Office of the Underground City," a woman's voice answered the phone, gentle yet carrying a touch of the unique competence of the Underground City. "Are you looking to purchase a monthly parking pass for the residential area?"

Xu Xiaoyan was stunned for a moment.

Before she could even speak, the other person already knew what she was going to ask.

She then realized that most of the people calling were probably asking about this. The management office staff had received so many calls that this was their first thought when they heard a call coming in.

"Yes," she said, "I'd like to ask how much the monthly fee is?"

"If you subscribe monthly, it's 30 points per month." The female voice on the other end paused, as if she were looking through some information, or perhaps it was just a habitual pause. "If you're considering long-term use, an annual subscription is more cost-effective, at 300 points per year."

Xu Xiaoyan didn't say anything, but quickly did some mental calculations.

30 points per month, that's 360 points per year; a yearly subscription costs 300 points, which is equivalent to saving 60 points, or two months' worth of points.

If charged by the hour, it's about 0.1 points per hour, capped at 2 points per day, and 30 points per month, which is indeed almost half the price.

Is it a good deal? Of course it is.

But then another thought suddenly popped into her mind—when she first arrived in Jinshi, she hadn't yet learned to be frugal. At that time, Xu Xiaoyan was blindly optimistic about the future and felt that she would stay here for a long time.

To rent a small single room, she spent 120 bags of instant noodles for a year.

and then?

She had only stayed for one day when a sudden disaster struck Jin City. An earthquake turned the entire city into wasteland overnight. Looking at the one-year lease, she felt like a joke.

From then on, she never dared to make long-term plans again.

"Hello?" The female voice on the other end pulled her back to her memories, her voice tinged with concern. "Are you still there?"

"Yes," Xu Xiaoyan cleared her throat, suppressing those chaotic thoughts. "I'll still subscribe to a monthly plan."

Month after month, I left myself no way out and no burden.

The woman's voice was completely flat, as if she were already used to this option. "May I ask for your vehicle's serial number and license plate number?"

Xu Xiaoyan recited a string of numbers, which was the number of her small truck, and she had memorized it by heart.

She also gave the license plate number. Although the license plate number doesn't mean much in this underground city, it's still a procedure.

The sound of typing came from the other end of the phone; it was very soft, but audible.

"Registration complete," the female voice said. "The fee will be automatically deducted from your account, effective from today. Your vehicle can enter and exit the East District Residents' Parking Lot at any time. If you have any questions, you can call this number at any time."

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome, have a nice day." The call was quickly disconnected.

Xu Xiaoyan put down her phone and leaned back in her seat, lost in thought.

A monthly parking pass in the underground city costs 30 points. How long will those points last? She didn't know, but she did know that the currency in the Gold Market became worthless overnight.

It wasn't that she was thinking the worst; she simply didn't know when an accident might happen, and she was genuinely terrified by all sorts of unexpected events.

From the day her adoptive parents had their accident, Xu Xiaoyan knew that nothing in this world was reliable, and that she should never believe in "the future."

The days you thought were peaceful and stable could be shattered in the next second.

What you think is valuable may become a pile of waste paper tomorrow.

What you think is a safe place may become ruins the next day.

Xu Xiaoyan swiped her finger across the phone screen to bring up her points account.

5738.12.

She stared at the string of numbers for a long time.

With over 5,000 points, you can buy a lot of things in this underground city.

But she knew that if the underground city really fell into chaos one day, the more than 5,000 points in her account probably wouldn't even be enough to buy a bag of rice or noodles.

It wasn't that she was paranoid; rather, she had witnessed the currency crisis in the gold market.

In the morning, you could buy a whole bag of rice, but in the afternoon you could only buy half a bag. Then the military quickly announced that paper money was no longer valid and that a points system or only physical transactions would be supported instead.

She stood on the street, watching those people crying while clutching their money boxes, and had only one thought in her mind: Thank goodness I didn't save any money.

Now, she genuinely feels that she doesn't need to keep too many points; enough is fine.

After all, the rules of this underground city are in the hands of others. Today it's 30 points for a monthly subscription, but what about tomorrow? The day after?

What if the management office says one day that due to changes in the external environment, the points have been devalued and one point can only buy half a pack of cigarettes? What can she do with her more than 5,000 points?

The points that can buy a pack of cigarettes today might only be enough to buy a single compressed biscuit tomorrow.

What about the day after tomorrow?

Points are just numbers on paper; they can be changed or invalidated at will. She has no autonomy whatsoever. Xu Xiaoyan's lips curled into a cold smile.

She's seen far too many "what ifs".

Therefore, she must take advantage of this so-called "peaceful period" to exchange her points for tangible things.

As for tobacco, alcohol, and health products, she can sell them online. There are websites that buy tobacco and alcohol, and the points are credited instantly, which is convenient and fast.

But—behind the scenes.

These two words made Xu Xiaoyan's fingers stiffen for a moment.

Every buyer's name, seller's name, transaction time, transaction amount, and item traded are all stored in the backend. She doesn't know if anyone in the management office is monitoring this data.

Not to mention black market websites.

On the surface, they are anonymous, but in reality, every inch of this underground city is covered with surveillance cables, and every line of data passes through the management office's main server.

You think you're anonymous, you think nobody knows your ID, but the management can find out your IP address, your device, and your location anytime they want.

Anonymity is just a way to fool ordinary people.

Those who truly want your information will always get it.

Xu Xiaoyan tapped her fingers lightly twice on the steering wheel.

She needs to bypass the network.

She was stunned for a moment when the thought popped into her head.

In this underground city that operates on the internet, the idea sounds like stepping back into the primitive era hundreds of years ago.

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