Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 322 Preparations for Departure

Grandpa Yu sighed again.

"That's from the old Chinese almanac," he said. "The ground has been warming up for two months now, and all the ice and stuff has melted long ago."

Xu Xiaoyan was stunned.

Two months of rising temperatures? She had no idea.

It wasn't mentioned in the news, there was no discussion online, and no one at the night market brought it up. For the past two months, she has continued her normal life, running her stall and training as usual, without discovering anything.

"Then... what about groundwater?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"The underground city used to use groundwater," said Grandpa Yu. "A week ago, it could no longer be pumped out."

She recalled that a week ago, there had indeed been a water outage that lasted for most of the day. When the water came back on, she didn't think much of it, assuming it was just pipe repairs, something that happened frequently.

"We've already sent an advance team to look for water sources," Grandpa Yu continued. "They went to the south, where there used to be an underground river, but it's been a week and there's still no news."

"And now..." she asked, "Now in the dungeon..."

"The reason things haven't gotten chaotic yet," Grandpa Yu said, "is because the water resources we stored before are still being supplied. Those water tanks hold several months' worth of water, but..."

He paused, then lowered his voice, "If this drags on any longer, we won't be able to hold on much longer."

Xu Xiaoyan's mind was buzzing, with all sorts of thoughts racing through her head.

"Then...what about the elevator that leads to the surface?" she asked. "Wasn't it supposed to be sealed off?"

"It opened more than a month ago," Grandpa Yu continued. "Some people went out and came back, saying they couldn't find a water source."

Some people went out and never came back; we don't know the specifics.

A little over a month ago, she was busy buying bows and arrows and battery boxes. During that time, she was thinking about how to accumulate points every day and didn't pay attention to what was happening outside.

She suddenly remembered those battery boxes. Back then, she had hoped she would never need them, but now it seemed that the possibility of never needing them was getting smaller and smaller.

She took a deep breath and asked the most crucial question, "And what about you? Are you going with the troops?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Grandpa Yu's voice came through, slower and more steady than before, as if he had thought every word through before speaking.

"Yes," he paused, then continued, "but now there are two factions at the top. One faction wants to stay and thinks they can hold out a little longer, and maybe they'll find a water source."

"A faction wants to relocate, feeling they can't wait any longer and have to go out and find a way to survive."

"The faction that relocated left more than a month ago," he said. "At that time, I thought maybe those who stayed could hold on, but now..."

He sighed again, "The faction that stayed behind is also preparing to leave. Tomorrow is the last window of opportunity."

Tomorrow! Xu Xiaoyan's heart clenched suddenly.

"If you're going to leave," Grandpa Yu said, "pack your things right away and see if you can go with the army."

As far as I know, the troops are not bringing anyone except their families this time, but they are not refusing to let anyone follow them.

Follow! Xu Xiaoyan understood. The military doesn't allow outsiders to come along, but they also won't stop outsiders from following.

It's your freedom to follow behind. If something happens, they won't care. Whether you can keep up or not depends on your own ability.

"Uncle Yu," she asked, "when are you leaving?"

"We'll leave early tomorrow morning, before dawn, and we'll go with the car."

He paused, then said, word by word, "If you decide to leave, don't hesitate. The window of opportunity is so short; if you miss it, you might not be able to leave at all."

Xu Xiaoyan held her phone, her palms sweaty.

"And what about those who stayed behind?" she asked. "What happened to them?"

Grandpa Yu remained silent for a while.

"I don't know," he said, his voice tinged with weariness. "Maybe they can find a water source, maybe...maybe they have another way."

Xu Xiaoyan understood the "maybe" he didn't say.

Perhaps they can't leave.

Perhaps all they can do is wait.

Perhaps what we're waiting for isn't good news.

"Uncle Yu," she took a deep breath, "thank you for calling to tell me this news. Please be careful on your way."

"Okay," he replied. "Have a safe trip."

After the call ended, Xu Xiaoyan sat motionless on the edge of the bed, holding her phone.

My mind was a jumbled mess, filled with all sorts of thoughts: Grandpa Yu's words, the troop's relocation, tomorrow's window of opportunity, and those who went out and never came back.

On second thought, she realized that she had spent half a year accumulating so many points and buying so many things, all for this day.

But when the day actually came, she felt a little dazed.

Xu Xiaoyan took a deep breath, turned around, and began to tidy up her personal belongings.

All she needed to store were a few changes of clothes and toiletries. She gathered these things together, waved her hand, and stored them all in her spatial storage.

Then he turned around, closed the door, and went downstairs.

The van was still parked in the same spot. She opened the door, got in, started the engine, and drove towards the repair shop in Zone B.

There were more people on the street than usual, but they all seemed normal. Some were walking, some were shopping, and some were chatting.

No one panicked, no one ran, no one cried. Xu Xiaoyan looked at them and suddenly felt a little unreal.

Did they know that tomorrow might be the last window of opportunity? Did they know that the water supply was running out? Did they know that some people had already left?

She looked away and focused on driving.

She had inquired about the vehicle repair shops in Zone B before. It was said that the mechanics there were skilled, charged reasonable prices, and dared to modify anything.

She had thought about adding some things to the van before, but she couldn't bear to spend the money. Now it's not a matter of whether she's willing to spend the money or not.

When she arrived at the repair shop, she paused for a moment.

Several cars were already lined up at the entrance: a gray pickup truck, a black SUV, a silver sedan, and a van, all waiting there.

Several drivers were standing next to their cars chatting, and their expressions seemed quite normal.

But Xu Xiaoyan could see through their eyes at a glance—the suppressed anxiety, the tension they didn't want to show but couldn't hide.

She thought for a moment and didn't rush to get off the bus.

He reached under the passenger seat, and with a thought, took out a case of liquor and a battery box from his storage space.

She moved the liquor case to the driver's seat, placed the battery box in the cargo rack, started the car, drove directly to the store entrance, and parked at the very front.

A mechanic in a blue overalls walked over, holding a wrench. He looked the pickup truck up and down, then glanced at Xu Xiaoyan, and asked, "What do you need fixed?"

Xu Xiaoyan didn't say anything, but opened the small door next to the driver's seat, turned to the side, and let the case of liquor be exposed.

The master craftsman's gaze fell on the case of liquor, and he paused for a moment.

Xu Xiaoyan pointed to the case of liquor and asked, "How much can a case of high-end liquor modify and reinforce this car?"

The driver didn't answer. He stared at the case of wine for a few seconds, then took two steps forward, went directly into the carriage, squatted down, and carefully examined the seal of the case.

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