Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 490 A Tactful Reminder

In one corner of the hall stood a long wooden table with one leg missing, supported by a few red bricks to maintain its balance.

There weren't many things on the table, just a few stacks of blank forms neatly piled together.

A box of ballpoint pens, with only a few left, lay scattered next to the form. The transparent plastic on the pen barrels was worn, revealing the remaining amount of ink inside.

There was also a table lamp covered in dust. The base of the table lamp was round and made of iron, with a rust ring around the edge.

Xu Xiaoyan stood near the window in the lobby, her backpack still on her shoulder.

But she had loosened one of the shoulder straps, shifting the weight of the backpack from her shoulder blades to her waist.

Blue Moon stood beside her, also looking at the hall.

Her gaze lingered on the lamp for a long time, so long that Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but follow her gaze and find that it was just an ordinary lamp, seemingly nothing special.

The hall gradually filled up with people.

People walked in from the door, came out from the stairwell, and walked from the direction of the elevator. People from different directions gathered in this small hall.

Someone was looking for someone they knew, tiptoeing through the crowd, calling out a name, waiting for a response, and then squeezing through to stand together.

Some people couldn't wait to run upstairs to see the rooms; their footsteps echoed in the stairwell before disappearing into the depths of a corridor on a certain floor.

A female staff member appeared at the door at some point.

She was wearing a dark blue uniform, the same style as the previous "Kobayashi," but older, with white frayed edges on the cuffs and the second button missing from the collar, which was fastened with a safety pin.

She didn't have a megaphone; she relied solely on her voice.

"Everyone—" Her voice wasn't loud, but the hall fell silent instantly.

Everyone stopped talking at the same time and looked in her direction.

"Before assigning rooms, there are a few additional things I need to explain to everyone." She picked up a form from the table with a missing leg and held it up for everyone to see.

The table is A4 size, densely printed with entries, and at the top is a title in bold black font.

Xu Xiaoyan was a bit far away and couldn't see what was written in the title, but she could see that the table format was very neat.

"This is the rental instructions. After you have chosen your room, you can contact me to sign an electronic rental contract."

The specific precautions are listed above. You can read them carefully after you receive them. If you have any questions, you can ask. Here, I want to make a point in advance.

Her gaze swept across the crowd from above the forms, and she slowed her speech, as if giving everyone enough time to understand what she was about to say.

"Qing City's rental policy is uniform, and everyone is subject to the same terms. There are no exceptions or special treatments. Your previous position, contributions, or relationships in other places do not count here."

Here, your standard of living depends on how much e-money you have in your account and what kind of rent you can afford.

When those words were spoken, the air in the hall noticeably became heavier.

"However," the staff member surnamed Lin said, his tone shifting from serious to reassuring and encouraging.

"Many of you have just arrived and don't know the situation yet, which is understandable. Let me tell you some basic information so you can have a general idea."

She put the form back on the table, stretched out one hand, and began listing items one by one.

"First, it's about the rent," she said, bending her thumb. "A single room is twelve yuan a month, a double room is twenty yuan a month, and a family suite is thirty yuan a month."

All rooms have private bathrooms and showers, and hot water is available 24 hours a day. Electricity and water are charged separately.

When she mentioned the exact rent amount, a murmur arose in the crowd as everyone calculated how many months their savings could cover.

Someone was whispering to the person next to them, "How many points have you accumulated?" "I have more than eighty points." "Eighty times seven is five hundred and sixty. Five hundred and sixty divided by twelve is enough to live for forty-six months. It's been almost four years." There was undisguised envy in Peng's voice.

"Secondly, regarding electronic currency," she said, ignoring the whispers around her, and bent her index finger. "Someone outside just announced that points will be exchanged at a ratio of one to seven."

"But I want to add something," she paused, slowing her speech further, "This ratio is currently the highest exchange rate among the people moving to Qing City."

Previous batches arrived at a ratio of 1:5 or 1:6, but your batch was able to get a ratio of 1:7 because the military unit that brought you here and the Qing government did a lot of communication and coordination.

You should be grateful and not take these efforts for granted or even act arrogantly.

After she finished speaking, the hall was quiet for a few seconds, then the murmurs grew louder. Everyone was glad they were lucky to have joined such a good unit, which was so considerate of the people.

"Third," she bent her middle finger, her expression becoming very serious this time, "I want to remind everyone of one thing: Qing City is not a utopia. There are rules, laws, and regulations here."

You didn't come here to lie around and enjoy yourself; you came here to survive. Only by working hard and earning money can you stay here.

"The city government will provide some job opportunities, but you will need to find more jobs yourself."

There are many things to do here: buildings need repair, roads need maintenance, factories need workers. As long as you are willing to work, you won't starve.

After speaking, the staff member surnamed Lin picked up the stack of forms on the table and began distributing them.

She divided the forms into several stacks, each stack containing about dozens of sheets, and then handed them to the people next to her, saying a few words to them.

Those people then walked into the crowd with the forms and handed them out one by one.

"Xiao Yan, where should we stay?" Lan Yue asked softly.

Xu Xiaoyan was silent for a few seconds. Lan Yue was someone she could completely trust, but trust and living together were two different things.

She wanted a private room where she could use the space freely without feeling restricted by the presence of others.

"Blue Moon, I want to stay in a single room," Xu Xiaoyan explained. "It's not that I don't like staying with you, but I need... my own private space."

Lan Yue didn't speak, her brown eyes looking at Xu Xiaoyan with a barely perceptible sense of loss in them.

The disappointment lasted only a short time, and then Lan Yue's lips twitched slightly. "I understand. We can find two adjacent single rooms so that we can travel together in the future."