Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 194 News Headlines

Then came the clear "bang" of the door opening, a chaotic series of hurried and hurried footsteps entering, and finally a heavy "bang" of the door closing.

Once this is accomplished, it will be like opening Pandora's box and releasing the most filthy stench.

A brief silence fell over the street, but it was quickly broken by a few tentative, imitative, and clumsy shouts! Some people were calling out to their sons, saying they were "hardworking and strong, and could do any job," while others were praising their daughters, saying they were "sensible, obedient, and good at serving people"... It was as if these were not blood relatives, but livestock to be sold and disposed of at will, desperately trying to find one last "buyer" before the army finished clearing the area.

Fortunately, or rather, a sliver of solace remains in this cold world: those who are clear-headed and retain the most basic sense of propriety, righteousness, and moral principles ultimately constitute the silent majority.

After those abrupt and jarring cries of "Shopkeeper!", the response was not a frantic rush to buy, but a longer, more contemptuous, and sorrowful silence from the crowd, followed by even harsher, more angry shouts from the soldiers as they accelerated their expulsion: "Shut up! Get out of here immediately! Any further behavior will be treated as disturbing the peace!"

Xu Xiaoyan wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and sat on the dark kang. Her fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of the quilt, and her knuckles turned white. The cries outside the window were gradually drowned out by the more forceful sounds of driving away and footsteps, and gradually faded into the distance.

She slowly lay down and snuggled back into the still-warm blankets, but her sleepiness had completely vanished, and her eyes remained open in the darkness.

The next morning, Xu Xiaoyan woke up groggily in the lingering warmth of the kang (heated brick bed). The room was still dimly lit, with only the embers in the stove providing a faint, dark red light that barely outlined the rough contours of the furniture.

She fumbled for her phone beside her pillow, turned on the screen, and the pale blue light pierced the darkness. She habitually checked the real-time temperature.

A number popped up on the screen: -20℃. Next to it was a small arrow pointing downwards.

The number dispelled some of her remaining sleepiness. The chill seemed to penetrate the cold screen and air, reaching directly to her fingertips and cheeks. She couldn't help but think of those people who had been forcibly expelled by the army last night, those figures crying, trading, and finally disappearing in the direction of the fourth city to the west in the cold wind.

"I wonder how those people who were driven to the Fourth City survived last night..." She murmured to herself, clutching the blanket and facing the dimly lit room.

Soon, when she clicked on the ever-active official forum, teeming with all sorts of information, the flood of information quickly provided her with some answers and confirmed her worst suspicions: in this world, there will always be people who are keen on gossip, sharing their experiences, venting their emotions, or simply recording things, especially after experiencing such a shocking collective event.

A post on the homepage, marked with a "hot" flame icon and trending highly, quickly caught her attention. The title was straightforward and enticing: "[Live Stream with Pictures and Text] On the First Night of the Fourth City! Real Footage of the Living Conditions! Let's See Where the Deportees Went!"

The poster's ID is "Fourth City Observer," which looks like a newly registered alt account. However, the fact that they were able to post a "live report" with pictures so quickly after the incident suggests that they are either actually in Fourth City or have special information channels.

Xu Xiaoyan immediately clicked on the post with her finger. However, after the page loaded, the content was not displayed directly. Instead, a simple but noticeable system notification popped up:

Viewing the full content of this post (including images) requires a payment of 0.1 points. Confirm payment?

【whether】

"Good grief!" Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Even reading a trending news item costs points! They really skim off every last bit of information they give away." However, her curiosity about the current state of the Fourth City and her need to assess potential future risks ultimately outweighed her heartache over the 0.1 points. She pouted, clicked "Yes," and the notification that the points had been successfully deducted flashed by. The post content was finally fully displayed.

The poster, "Fourth City Observer," is clearly based in the Fourth City. The post doesn't contain much emotionally charged text; it's more like a calm on-site record. What's most striking are the several photos uploaded in succession. Although they were taken in a dim environment, the images are slightly blurry, shaky, and noisy, but the general scene is still clearly visible.

The first photo was taken from a slightly higher angle, showing the vast area of ​​the Fourth City that was still under construction. In the night, several huge holes, which looked like they had been dug or reinforced by humans, appeared on the snow-covered ground, with their edges simply supported by wood and metal.

At the entrance of the cave, there were many figures, forming a long, winding line, slowly and orderly filing in. Inside the cave, a dim yellow light could be faintly seen, possibly from emergency lights or torches. The temperature was obviously extremely low when the photo was taken, and the white breath exhaled by many people formed a mist in front of the lens.

The second photo appears to have been taken inside a cave entrance, angled downwards. The interior space is enormous, resembling a converted old air-raid shelter or a large underground bunker. The ground is densely packed with people sitting, lying, and huddled together, wrapped in whatever warm clothing they could find, trying to keep warm. In the distance, some figures in uniforms are moving about, and there seem to be some boxes and barrels piled up nearby. There are simple ventilation ducts and lighting circuits on the cave walls.

The third photo was taken during the day. Many people were driven out of the cave and gathered in a cold open space, guarded by soldiers with guns. In the background, you can see piles of building materials: scrap wood, corrugated steel sheets, plastic sheeting, bricks, cement bags, etc. Most of the people's faces show numbness, fatigue, or bewilderment.

The accompanying text descriptions are concise yet informative:

[Figures 1-3: The fourth city's centralized heating point at night, where all people without fixed residences are forced to enter at night. The military provides basic food and limited-time centralized heating to ensure the minimum survival temperature and prevent mass freezing deaths.]

[But note: This "benefit" is not available 24/7. Heating stops at 6:00 AM every morning, and everyone must leave the heating station and is not allowed to linger. The daytime hours are used for mandatory labor construction in the Fourth City.]