Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 360 Noise

And what happened? They walked for less than two hours and then came back.

If she had known it would be like this, she should have closed the windows tightly. Not only closed them, but she should have sealed them off with cardboard and plastic sheeting, like the one in the bedroom, and then put a wooden board on the outside to make sure everything was safe.

But how could she have imagined it back then? She always assumed things, but reality always told her: what you assume doesn't count.

She took a deep breath and banished the string of "ifs" from her mind.

Regret is useless. Instead of standing here complaining, you should take action now.

Xu Xiaoyan stepped into the house, the ashes beneath her feet rising slightly and swirling in the morning light.

The dust was very light, making almost no sound when you stepped on it; there was only a subtle, sand-like friction sensation coming up from the soles of your feet.

She walked to the window, pulled the curtain that had been blown open by the wind back, dusted it off, and hung it up again.

Then she turned around, looked at the ashes covering half the living room, and pondered how to clean it.

Xu Xiaoyan first took out a broom, an empty bucket, cardboard, a water tank filled with tap water, a mop, and a dustpan from her space.

She bent down and began sweeping the floor, moving very gently to avoid stirring up any dust.

The broom was slowly pushed along the ground, and the ashes were gradually gathered together, forming a small ash heap.

She held her breath, waiting for the fine dust to settle before continuing to sweep. After sweeping one pile, she poured it into the dustpan and then swept the next pile.

As she swept, she wondered what kind of horrific scene had unfolded in the house where the bloodshed had occurred, and why the woman had broken down in tears after seeing it.

When the fire started, did those people on higher floors have a chance to escape? Could the ashes drifting in cause irreversible damage to their respiratory systems?

About twenty minutes later, the dust on the ground was mostly cleaned up.

She mopped the entire living room floor with a mop, using only a small amount of water to wet the floor and remove any remaining dust.

The mop swept across the floor, leaving a wet trail, but the water was gone.

But when it was dragged a second time, the water turned grayish-black, like ink diluted with water, so murky that the bottom of the bucket was not visible.

She changed the water three times before she could mop the floor to a barely acceptable level.

After mopping the floor, she wiped the windowsill, tabletop, and door frame with a damp cloth. She even wiped away the dusty marks on the walls. Although she couldn't completely clean them, at least they didn't look so dirty anymore.

Then came sealing the windows; she made a blackout panel using cardboard, plastic sheeting, and tape.

The plastic film I bought in Linchuan City is really great value for money. It's not only very thin, but also quite resilient; it won't break even if you pull it hard.

She first closed the living room windows tightly. There were still some black soot stains on the window frames, which she wiped with a damp cloth and waited for them to dry before she started pasting the stickers.

After the sunshade is fixed to the window, it is carefully sealed around the edges with tape to ensure there are no gaps.

She checked the edges again, pressing them with her fingers to make sure no dust seeped in from the corners before she felt relieved.

Outside the window is the courtyard of the residential complex. She used to be able to see the flower beds and the winding pebble path downstairs, but now she can't see anything at all.

The bedroom window was already sealed with cardboard and floor covering; she simply re-secured the insulation board and reinforced the edges with tape to ensure it wouldn't be blown open by the wind.

Both windows were sealed off, and the room became completely dark.

She stood in the center of the room and looked around. There was still a faint smell of burning in the air, but it wasn't strong. She comforted herself by saying that she would open the windows to ventilate the room in the evening.

The two bedside tables behind the door were still there. She pushed them back against the door panel and checked again to make sure the door lock was secure.

She went to the bedroom and took out the Simmons bed, electric fan, refrigerator, and battery box from the space, and put them back in their original positions.

She straightened the sheets, arranged the pillows, and turned on the fan. The fan blades began to spin, and a buzzing sound filled the quiet room, sending out a cool breeze.

The refrigerator compressor also started running, its humming sound lower than that of the fan.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning against the wall, letting the fan blow through her hair and shoulders.

Outside the house, it should already be light, and the sun has probably already risen!

She closed her eyes; she was exhausted, but she didn't lie down immediately.

Instead, I was thinking, what if there's still dust in the air when I open the window to let in fresh air at night? Then I'll close it for another day and wait for the dust to dissipate before opening it again.

What if the military personnel don't come? Then just stay in this room for two weeks and figure out what to do next.

What about two weeks later? She guesses she'll still have to go out.

Xu Xiaoyan's breathing gradually became even, and her head was slightly tilted, leaning against the headboard.

Her consciousness began to blur, but the fan was still running and the refrigerator was still making noises, which were gradually filtered out by her consciousness.

In a half-dream, half-awake state, she heard a strange sound, which was initially distant, indistinct, and indistinct.

Xu Xiaoyan frowned in her sleep and tilted her head towards the wall, but the sound didn't disappear. Instead, it got closer and closer, moving towards her from a certain direction.

There seemed to be some noise; it wasn't just one person talking, but several people.

Some voices were high-pitched, some were low, some were choked with sobs, some were mixed with curses, and there was also the sound of knocking on the door, which came up through a floor, seemingly from downstairs.

Someone is knocking on the door.

Xu Xiaoyan suddenly opened her eyes.

There was no light in the room, and the windows were sealed with plastic sheeting. It was so dark that she couldn't see anything, except for the sound of the fan blowing.

The coolness was still there, but a small patch of her clothes on the back was already soaked with sweat, not from the heat, but from fear.

To be honest, the feeling of being suddenly pulled out of deep sleep is a bit uncomfortable.

My heart was pounding in my chest, my head felt heavy and swollen, as if something was pushing it outwards from the inside, and my temples were throbbing, each throbbed with a dull pain.

She reached for her phone, swiped her finger across the bedside table, didn't find it, swiped again, and touched it. She turned on the backlight, and the screen showed the time as 10:47.

She finally managed to lie down and rest, but her sleep was cut off after only two hours. It felt worse than if she hadn't slept at all; her head felt heavy and throbbing, but she couldn't care less about that now.

What's all this noise about?

She turned her head and pressed her ear against the bedroom wall. It seemed like someone was talking, and there was more than one person. Occasionally, there were knocks on the door, followed by voices, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

She held her breath, trying to make out the sounds, which sounded like they were arguing about something, and there were also intermittent sobs.

Xu Xiaoyan got out of bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor, and quickly walked to the living room door.

Her hand touched the door panel, she turned to the side and pressed her ear against it, but the door panel was too thick, and she could only hear a faint sound.

With a thought, she took out a bottle of Sprite from her spatial storage.

The green aluminum can was cool to the touch, with a fine layer of water droplets on its surface.

She picked up the pull ring with her fingernail and pulled it gently—with a "hiss," the sound of the gas valve opening was exceptionally loud in the quiet room.

The smell of carbon dioxide wafted from the can, carrying a sweet lemon scent, which mixed with the lingering burnt smell in the room, creating a strange odor.

She tilted her head back and swallowed the liquid in one gulp.

The bubbles burst on her tongue, the tingling sensation of carbonation traveled down her esophagus, and the icy liquid gathered in her stomach, making her shiver.

The stimulating sensation spread from her stomach to her limbs, completely extinguishing any remaining sleepiness she might have felt.

Sprite is sweet, but at times like this, that sweetness brings a sense of comfort because it represents the taste of a world from the past.

Xu Xiaoyan finished the drink in one gulp. The empty can felt light in her hand, and water droplets on the aluminum wall trickled down her fingers and dripped onto the floor, making a soft dripping sound.

She gently placed the empty can on the door, the curved bottom of the can touching the door panel, and then she pressed the ear back onto the door panel.

This time, thanks to the can as an amplifier, the sound was focused and much clearer.

She listened for a few minutes and pieced together the whole story.

They were from Building 3; the fire rendered that building uninhabitable.

It's not a structural problem. Xu Xiaoyan overheard those people arguing and they kept mentioning that "the load-bearing walls are fine" and "the frame structure is intact," but the key issue wasn't the structure; it was a human problem.

No one wants to live in a building that has been burned down and is full of cigarette ash and broken glass, and no one wants to live next to a building where someone has jumped off the roof.

Although the body was covered by the soldiers' clothes, it remained in the same spot, on the concrete ground at the bottom of the building. Everyone who passed by would take a look, and once they did, they would remember it and never forget it.

Therefore, the people in Building 3 had to disperse to other buildings to seek shelter.

It wasn't just "borrowing a place to stay," it was "taking someone in." Xu Xiaoyan understood the difference between these two words all too well. Borrowing a place to stay had a time limit, while taking someone in had no limit.

When you stay at someone else's place, you are a guest. You stay for a few days and then leave. There is an unspoken understanding between the host and the guest. You know you will leave, so you will be polite and careful and will not take up too much space.

But taking someone in is different. Taking someone in means you have nowhere else to go, and the person who takes you in is your only support. You will stay there until you don't even know when you will leave.

You will gradually become complacent, gradually become impolite, and gradually treat other people's homes as your own.

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