Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 353 Good News

Xu Xiaoyan looked up and met the gaze of one of the People's Liberation Army soldiers. The man had turned around at some point and was looking in her direction. There was no hostility in his eyes, but there was a professional scrutiny in them.

Several thoughts raced through her mind. Should she turn around and walk away? That would be too deliberate and would only make her seem guilty.

Standing still? That's not right either. They've already asked, so not responding would be rude. Being rude at a time like this is practically suicide.

Her feet reacted before her brain could.

Xu Xiaoyan walked over with the water bottle in her arms. She had a look of relief on her face, as if she had finally met a reliable person. As she walked, she said, "I went to the water room to buy water. On my way back, I was almost robbed. Luckily, I ran fast and escaped."

As she said this, her expression tightened just in time, her brows furrowed slightly, and her lips pursed, as if she were still shaken.

It wasn't all an act; the fact that she was being watched at the water room door was true, but she escalated the "being watched" part to "almost being robbed."

"When I came back, I heard that a bloody incident had occurred in the building in front of me..." She paused here, glanced in the direction of Building 3, and then quickly looked back at the face of the People's Liberation Army soldier in front of her.

"I don't know where I'm going now, PLA comrades. Can I apply to live in a safer place? Even if I have to pay for water tickets, that's fine."

Upon hearing Xu Xiaoyan's words, the middle-aged woman seemed to be suddenly ignited by something, and she lunged forward, gripping the sleeve of one of the soldiers tightly with both hands.

"Please, please help me!" The woman's voice had changed; it was no longer the shrill cry she had just heard.

Her fingers were embedded in the fabric of the soldier's sleeve, her knuckles turning white. She was practically hanging on the soldier's arm, her knees buckling as she slumped downwards, half-kneeling and half-standing.

"I'm going to break down if this keeps up—I'm really going to break down—" Her tears streamed down her face, dripping onto the soldier's sleeve and onto her own dusty clothes.

Her lips trembled, her chin trembled, and the muscles in her entire face spasmed uncontrollably. Her voice became increasingly fragmented and incoherent, until finally only a few indistinct syllables remained.

A neighbor reached out to help her, but she shook him off. Her entire attention was focused on the two men in uniform, and she refused to let go.

The two PLA soldiers exchanged a glance.

The soldier whose sleeve was being pulled was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. His face still had the features of a young man, but the dark circles under his eyes and the lines at the corners of his mouth had etched a weariness that should not be present at his age.

He didn't shake off the woman's hand, nor did he back away. He just stood there, letting her hold his sleeve. He raised his other hand slightly, as if he was hesitating whether to pat her shoulder to comfort her, but in the end, he put it down.

He sighed.

The other soldier next to him was a bit older, around thirty years old, with strong facial features and a light stubble on his chin, as if he hadn't groomed himself for days.

He glanced at his companion, took a step forward, and tried to steady the woman who was on the verge of collapse. "It's not that we don't want to help, it's just that we can't," he said, his eyes filled with sincere apology.

"The people from the underground city are gradually moving over, and they should all be here in a few days." He paused, as if giving the woman some time to process the news, or perhaps organizing his thoughts for the next sentence.

His gaze shifted from the woman's face to Xu Xiaoyan's, then back again, his tone as calm as possible, carrying a reassuring quality.

"This kind of thing is an isolated incident, not the norm. Don't worry, we will definitely find the culprit and will absolutely not let the situation continue to deteriorate."

He looked down at the woman who was still tugging at his companion's sleeve, and his voice softened, carrying a hint of coaxing, "Don't get excited, I have some good news for you."

His tone carried a deliberately relaxed air, as if he wanted to use this "good news" carrot to slowly pull the woman back from the brink of collapse.

"The military personnel will soon be stationed nearby, and everyone's safety will be effectively guaranteed."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoyan's eyes lit up immediately.

"Really? If you come over, then everyone will be safe!" Her voice was half a tone higher than before, filled with barely suppressed excitement. She took a half step forward, her chin slightly raised.

"How much longer?" she asked, her voice quickening with urgency. Her gaze swept back and forth between the two soldiers several times before finally settling on the older one, her eyes filled with anticipation.

He paused for a moment, as if considering his words or recalling the specific content conveyed by his superiors.

"The exact time is unclear; we have to follow orders from above," he said, his eyes filled with apology, as if he knew his answer was too vague, so vague that it was almost equivalent to saying nothing at all.

But he quickly added, his voice more certain than before, as if trying to turn that vague expectation into something tangible: "But it's true that we need to be stationed nearby."

Xu Xiaoyan nodded, not pressing for the specific time. She was a smart person and knew that asking about such matters was useless—the people below didn't have the final say on things above. Telling her "it's true" was already the most they could do.

Upon hearing the news of the "military region's garrison," the middle-aged woman's sobs gradually subsided. She loosened her grip on the soldier's sleeve, took two steps back, and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

A neighbor handed her a crumpled handkerchief, which she took, wiped her face haphazardly, and blew her nose.

"That's good...that's good..." she murmured repeatedly, not knowing who she was talking to.

Seeing this, the two soldiers exchanged a glance. The younger one bent down and straightened his sleeve, which had been pulled askew, while the older one stepped forward and softened his tone:

"Go back and rest first, and close the doors and windows. We will increase patrols in this area for the next two days. You can contact us anytime if there is any situation."

When he said "You can contact us anytime," his eyes flickered. He probably knew that with their current manpower, the word "anytime" was largely an exaggeration. But at times like this, some things still needed to be said, even if it was just to give people something to look forward to.

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