Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 283 Renting a New Apartment

Instead of emptying her backpack all at once, she began to take out the items one by one and arrange them neatly in the limited space.

Instant noodles, compressed biscuits, chocolate, Snickers bars, whole-grain biscuits, bottled water...

She would pause briefly after each item she took out, maintaining the display pose for about two seconds.

The two staff members standing at the edge of the bed, as well as the administrator and Xiaoling huddled in the corner, could all clearly see what she took out.

Her movements were steady, neither quickened by nervousness nor hesitant due to guilt. The angle of her wrist rotation was just right, neither overly flamboyant nor deliberately concealed.

All items were exposed to the indoor light, spread out on the berth as a small collection of supplies, their types, quantities, and quality clearly visible.

Xu Xiaoyan straightened up and casually rolled up the lining of her now-empty backpack.

He patted his palm, making a soft "poof" sound, as if to indicate, "Look, it's really empty inside."

Then she raised her head, her gaze calmly sweeping over the crowd, without flinching or provocation, but with a sense of "Please verify, I have cooperated."

The lead staff member had his hands behind his back, leaned slightly forward, and quickly scanned the pile of food on the berth, which was complete in variety but unremarkable.

Finally, his gaze returned to Xu Xiaoyan's face and lingered for about three seconds.

"That's fine," he said. "Pack your things, the backpack and the items inside, you can take them with you now."

Xu Xiaoyan nodded, her expression unchanged. She simply bent down and began to put the items on the bunk back into her backpack one by one.

At this point, the lead staff member added:

"Things have been a bit turbulent lately. As a young woman, you should take care of yourself and avoid wandering around to prevent getting into unnecessary trouble."

"Thank you for reminding me, I will pay attention," Xu Xiaoyan replied respectfully, her hands still moving.

Soon, her backpack was bulging again. She slung it over her shoulder, adjusted the straps, and then bowed slightly to the staff. "Well... shall I head out now?"

"Hmm," the lead staff member waved his hand.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't linger. She turned around and opened the warehouse door, her body already halfway out.

Just as he was about to close the door, a sharp glimpse out of the corner of his eye caught the trembling figure in the corner suddenly move—it was Xiaoling.

She seemed to have finally recovered some of the motivation to act from the huge shock of "Xu Xiaoyan is actually from District B".

His face was a mixture of regret, anxiety, and an urgent desire to explain. He leaned forward, his lips trembling, as if he wanted to follow Xu Xiaoyan.

However, she had just begun to move.

"You can't leave," a young, cold voice rang out, instantly stopping Xiaoling in her tracks. It was the young staff member who spoke.

He didn't look at Xiaoling, but the direction of his words was clear.

"Stay here for now," he added, his tone flat, but leaving no room for negotiation.

Perhaps he felt that this girl, who so easily revealed information about others and knew nothing about their true backgrounds, was worth "talking about" again.

Or perhaps, they simply don't want these two people, who have just developed a clear information asymmetry and potential conflict, to come into contact immediately.

Xiaoling's body visibly stiffened, and the eagerness that had just appeared on her face was instantly replaced by fear.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but under that invisible pressure, she ultimately couldn't make a sound. She silently shrank back to the corner and lowered her head.

All of this was clearly seen by Xu Xiaoyan, who was about to leave.

Without pausing for a moment, the door slammed shut behind her with a soft click.

In the hallway, most of the other tenants who had not yet been checked were still staying at the door or in the nearby common areas.

They were whispering amongst themselves about the fanatical woman who had just been taken away and the ongoing examination.

Some people looked worried, some had shifty eyes, and some were simply looking for topics to talk about to kill time while they waited.

Xu Xiaoyan's appearance attracted some attention.

Several pairs of eyes swept over her from different directions, lingering briefly on her—observing her expression, guessing what kind of interrogation she had undergone in the room, and assessing whether she had "passed the test".

But soon, those gazes shifted away.

In this time of widespread fear, no one wants to pay excessive attention to someone who has just been investigated.

To avoid being categorized as "overly curious" or "related" in a dangerous way, their instinct for self-preservation has taught them to "not see" at appropriate times.

Xiaoling, who was left in the room.

Regardless of what she said to the staff beforehand, whether it was a self-justification based on fear of being implicated or "actively providing clues" to clear herself of any wrongdoing.

Or perhaps they simply answered the questions about their neighbor's "abnormal behavior" truthfully when asked, but the outcome was already irreversible.

She passed on Xu Xiaoyan's inquiries about mobile food trucks as some kind of "suspicious information."

She may not have meant any harm, or she may simply be filled with fear, or in her own logic, it may just be a strategy to protect herself.

However, a person who can easily reveal other people's information to the censor has lost the most basic trust value as a "neighbor".

It wasn't because she did anything unforgivable.

It was because she made Xu Xiaoyan realize that in this seemingly peaceful living space, every wall had ears, and every casual conversation could become evidence in court.

You never know when a plan, a wish, or a vision for the future you casually mention will come to mind.

They would then be presented to those in dark gray uniforms by another person under the guise of "cooperating with the investigation," packaged as some kind of suspicious behavior.

Xu Xiaoyan, carrying a hiking backpack, wandered aimlessly. She felt restless and anxious, having only asked a few questions about the mobile food truck.

I just wanted to know if there was a legally operated path to advancement in this underground city.

He simply asked a kind-looking young woman a few questions about the application process and licensing requirements.

You can know a person's face but not their heart!

She considered herself to have seen some of the world, experienced some scheming and betrayal, and did not have overly naive expectations of human nature.

But she still didn't expect that such an ordinary question would be submitted as some kind of "intelligence".

She seriously underestimated the power of fear to shape people, and overestimated the limits of silence that ordinary people have when facing authority.

The problem isn't what Xiaoling said, but what she might say next.

Today she talks about food trucks, tomorrow she might be talking about supplies in her backpack.

In an environment of widespread anxiety, any "difference" can be interpreted as "suspicious," any "suspiciousness" can be reported, and any report can trigger a new round of questioning.

The thought of having to return to the capsule before the car is fully modified is also a concern.

She might even have to face that two-faced Xiaoling again... Xu Xiaoyan's stomach churned, and a feeling of nausea rushed to her throat.

She seemed to have already foreseen that scene: pushing open the door, unexpectedly running into Xiaoling, whose face would bear that expression of trying to make amends.

"Xiao Xu... um... today in the room... I didn't mean to... I was just afraid... if they asked, I..."

No! She stopped abruptly, her shoes scraping against the rough cement pavement with a short, sharp sound.

She needs to rent a new place.

Immediately, right now!

Even if it costs her more points, she must leave that place immediately.

She didn't want to breathe the same air in the same area as that "whistleblower" for even a second longer.

What the hell is this? It's even more disgusting than swallowing a fly!

Xu Xiaoyan went straight back to the "Rental Office". The lobby was filled with self-service rental terminals that were half a person tall, and each screen was in standby mode.

A few scattered people were swiping their screens in front of different terminals; some looked tired, while others looked anxious.

Xu Xiaoyan quickly scanned the area and locked onto a terminal that was temporarily unoccupied.

Her finger hovered over "single rental" for a moment, she really didn't want to be assigned to the same area as last time by the system again.

Xu Xiaoyan guessed that the system's allocation algorithm would refer to historical residence records and tend to arrange tenants in familiar areas that have passed the basic review.

If she chooses to rent alone again, she will likely be assigned to that area again, and she needs to break out of this cycle.

She stared at the screen for a few seconds and hesitated. Then, she tapped "Double Rental," thinking that its housing pool was different and the allocation logic should be different as well.

She is alone and cannot meet the substantive requirements for a two-person rental.

However, the system may not verify the existence of the "second tenant" during the allocation process, but may simply prioritize directing her request to different pools of available properties.

This is a slightly risky attempt; if you guess wrong, you can simply choose again, but if you win, you can get completely away from that area.

The screen switched, and a light blue interface appeared with a clear time selection bar.

Daily rental, weekly rental, monthly rental... the pointer flashes, waiting for input.

Xu Xiaoyan pursed her lips and, without hesitating for too long, chose "3 days".

The screen then displays the price: 2 points/day, for a total of 6 points.

She decisively pressed "Confirm Rental".

Just then, a light yellow notification popped up from the center of the screen, with soft lighting around the edges, and its visual hierarchy was clearly higher than that of a regular information bar.

System notification: A single rental contract under your name that has not yet expired has been detected.

According to Article 12, Paragraph 3 of the "Interim Provisions on the Management of Temporary Residential Facilities Leasing in Area C", you may choose to automatically terminate the contract.

The remaining rent and deposit will be transferred in full to this double-occupancy rental process, and the system will seamlessly handle the property change for you. Are you sure you want to proceed?

Below are two options: [Confirm and Continue] | [Cancel, Keep Original Contract]