Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 363 Going Out to Investigate

She had only stayed in that room for a few days, and she thought she could stay there forever, until the military personnel came, until the electricity was restored, until order was restored, and until everything got better.

But reality wouldn't let her wait. The loudspeaker blared downstairs again, this time repeating the same words, the same voice, the same tone.

The sound echoed in the night sky, repeating the same meaning over and over again.

Xu Xiaoyan glared disgustedly in the direction from which the loudspeaker sound came from downstairs. Of course, with the sealed windows and thick sunshades in the way, she couldn't see anything with that glare.

She stood by the window, her fingers resting on the edge of the plastic film, her mind racing, mentally rehearsing all the possibilities and solutions like a game of chess.

She wouldn't be afraid if the army came back, even if they didn't arrive until tomorrow, the day after, or even a week later; she could endure it.

She has water, food, an electric fan, and a refrigerator—enough supplies to last until then. All she needs to do is guard this door and wait for order to be restored.

But what if the army doesn't come back? What's the point of her acting so recklessly here? No matter how tightly she blocks the door or how thick the bed is, how many people can she stop?

She has a precision crossbow and has also learned some basic self-defense techniques, so she is confident in fighting alone.

But standing outside the door is a group of people who won't talk to you about martial ethics, won't give you time to aim, and won't come up one by one to fight you.

They would swarm forward, and no matter how accurate the crossbows were, they could only fire a few arrows at a time. Before they could hit many people, the crowd would probably have already reached them.

What could she use to resist? The two bedside tables that were about to fall apart? The solid wood bed frame?

Xu Xiaoyan withdrew her fingers from the plastic film, her thoughts becoming clearer and clearer.

She can't just sit here and wait. Waiting is the stupidest thing to do right now, because the evil in human nature won't disappear on its own. Endlessly waiting will only put her in a passive position.

She had to go out and find out if the army was still there, whether they had already withdrawn, or if they had set up a temporary settlement somewhere.

Should she protect only a select group of key individuals, or treat everyone equally? She needs to see and hear these things firsthand before she can make a judgment.

If the army is still there and still cares for the people, then she will find a place close to the army to stay.

Even setting up a tent on the open ground next to the camp is safer than staying in this building that could be breached at any moment.

If the army has already left, she should immediately leave Lintong City and find a secluded place to hide, such as abandoned villages in the mountains, unfinished buildings in the suburbs, or culverts under highways.

Anywhere is fine, as long as she can stay quietly by herself and wait for the next organized group to appear.

She took a deep breath, then reached out and grabbed the edge of the plastic film, pulling it hard.

The sound of duct tape tearing was particularly jarring in the quiet room. She took the sunshade off the window frame and placed it at her feet.

The glass was exposed, covered with a thin layer of dust, which had drifted in from Building 3 last night.

She reached out and wiped it, her fingertips leaving a clean mark on the glass, through which moonlight streamed in.

She peeked downstairs.

Several people were standing in the open space of the residential area, one of whom was holding a megaphone and shouting towards the building outside.

There were seven or eight other people standing nearby, some carrying bags, some with their arms crossed, and some squatting on the ground chatting.

They were standing in the open space between buildings 6 and 7, but Xu Xiaoyan's attention was not on them.

Her gaze swept past those people and around the other buildings in the community.

People are going in and out.

A person walked out of the unit door of the building diagonally opposite, head down, and walked quickly towards the side gate of the community.

The footsteps were hurried, as if they were in a hurry or hiding from something. There was also movement from the side door. Two figures flashed and disappeared into the darkness outside the door.

Further away, downstairs in Building 8, there seemed to be people moving around, but they were blurry and it was impossible to tell who they were or what they were doing.

But you can sense that people are moving, walking, and talking.

Xu Xiaoyan's gaze lingered on the men holding loudspeakers for a few seconds, then shifted to the figures coming and going, looking them over several times before confirming one thing:

We are currently still in the "intimidation" stage, and have not yet evolved to the "taking action" stage.

In other words, if she goes out now, there won't be any conflict, and no one will stop her.

This is a window of opportunity, perhaps only a few hours, perhaps it can last until dawn tomorrow, but it won't be longer.

She had to go out now, while those people were still probing, to confirm the army's whereabouts, and then make a final decision.

She turned around, no longer looking out the window, and quickly walked to the door.

Under the cover of night, the solid wood partition behind the door, the bedside table, the sofa, the Simmons bed in the bedroom, the electric fan, the air conditioner and other items were all put into the space.

Then she glanced at the window and removed the handmade curtains and blackout panels from the bedroom.

She looked up at the window that offered an unobstructed view, then moved the curtains and two blackout panels into the bathroom before putting them away in the living space.

After everything was tidied up, Xu Xiaoyan opened the door and peeked into the corridor, which was empty.

She slipped out the door and locked it behind her.

If she decides not to leave, the room will still be hers when she returns, provided the lock hasn't been pried open; if she decides to leave, the door will eventually be pried open, and she can't stop it.

Xu Xiaoyan walked quickly towards the stairwell, her steps light and hurried, her shoes making almost no sound as they stepped on the cement steps.

When she got down to the fourth floor, she heard voices from the third floor. She paused, listened carefully, and heard a man and a woman arguing.

The voice was very low, but the tone was aggressive, like they were arguing. She didn't listen to what they were saying, went around the corner, and continued walking down.

There was no one at the entrance of the building. She stood in the shadows of the doorway and glanced outside.

The people holding loudspeakers were still there, about fifty or sixty meters away from her, with their backs to her building, shouting in another direction.

Xu Xiaoyan chose to move towards the side door so that she could bypass the group of people. She stayed close to the wall and walked out along the shadow of the building.

The entrance to the residential area was more crowded than she had expected. There were more than a dozen people standing on both sides of the gate. She did not slow down or look up, and was prepared to walk straight out.

"Little girl—" A voice came from the crowd. Xu Xiaoyan paused for a moment, but did not stop. She continued walking forward, pretending not to hear.

"Hey little girl in black, don't go!" The voice grew closer, and Xu Xiaoyan felt several gazes fall on her at once. She finally stopped in her tracks.

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