Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 136 The Chase

Xu Xiaoyan didn't dare to delay at all and walked quickly toward the market management office. The crowd in the market seemed to be even denser than before. As she walked through them, her heartbeat quickened involuntarily, but she still tried her best to keep her face calm.

When they finally found the market manager, who was wearing an old uniform and had a beer belly, he was sitting comfortably behind a creaky, broken wooden table with his legs crossed, holding an enamel mug and slowly blowing on it while sipping the bland hot tea made from some unknown type of leaf.

Xu Xiaoyan stepped forward and gently placed the rusty copper key, warm from her palm, on the mottled table. "Uncle, I've come to return the key."

Hearing the sound, the market manager raised his eyelids, lazily glanced at the keys, then looked at Xu Xiaoyan. He put down the enamel mug, reached out his chubby hand, picked up the keys, casually weighed them in his hand, and a surprised smile appeared on his chubby face. "Oh, little girl, you're pretty quick! The rental period is three days, and you've returned it after less than a day and a half? Not bad, not bad, quite thoughtful!"

He casually tossed the keys into a cluttered drawer under the table, the keys clinking together. Then, he raised his eyelids again, his gaze lingering on Xu Xiaoyan's slightly tense face. Leaning forward slightly, he lowered his voice and said in a volume only the two of them could hear, "Seeing how efficient you are, I'll add a word... Just now, if I'm not mistaken, when you came over there, there seemed to be a not-so-clean 'tail' trailing behind you. It flickered and then disappeared. Be extra careful when you go out later."

Someone's following her! These words sent a chill down her spine! She thought she had been careful enough, constantly changing the location and the person she was dealing with, and leaving quickly after each transaction. She never expected that despite all her precautions, she would still be watched by unknown eyes!

Was it because she had attracted someone's attention when she traded that solar-powered radio? Or was it because of her frequent large-scale transactions using large quantities of fresh oranges? Countless thoughts surfaced in her mind.

Don't panic! Absolutely don't panic! In a flash, Xu Xiaoyan's brain worked at an unprecedented speed, and soon she came up with a solution.

Xu Xiaoyan's face instantly contorted into a perfectly timed expression, a mixture of panic, fear, and pleading, like that of a frightened, helpless young girl. She swiftly pulled a packet of instant noodles from her backpack, deftly shoving it into the manager's hand, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke urgently in a low voice:

"Uncle! Thank you for reminding me! I... I came alone, and I'm really scared... Could you... please help me out of the market? I've already arranged to meet my companions at the military vehicle location outside the city. Once I'm on the vehicle and find them, I'll be safe! Please help me! It's just a short distance!" She deliberately emphasized "alone" and "military vehicle companions," highlighting her vulnerability while also implying that she wasn't entirely without support.

The manager felt the extra thing in his hand, glanced down at it, and then looked up at Xu Xiaoyan's face. To him, it was just a small matter of walking a few steps along the way, requiring almost no effort, yet he could get a bag of rare "goods" for free. This deal was simply too good to pass up.

Without much hesitation, a "worth it" expression appeared on his face. He deftly stuffed the packet of instant noodles into his large uniform pocket, then stood up, patted his stomach (which wasn't dusty at all), and said in a righteous manner, "Alright, it's really not easy for a young lady like you to be all alone. You must be terrified by this kind of thing, right? Come on, I'll give you a ride and take you to the city gate. In this market, my old face still has some use."

"Thank you, Uncle! Thank you so much!" Xu Xiaoyan thanked him repeatedly, her face showing a relieved and grateful expression. However, she dared not relax at all. Having this uniformed manager, who represented a certain degree of market order, by her side could at least have a deterrent effect, preventing those who were hiding in the shadows from making any rash moves immediately and openly.

Xu Xiaoyan followed closely behind the manager, moving towards the market exit. She kept her head down, seemingly obediently following behind, but in reality, all her senses were heightened to the extreme, and her peripheral vision subtly scanned the bustling crowd around her.

She tried to find the "tail" hidden in the shadows from those blurry, fleeting faces and from those numb, anxious, or flickering eyes.

Every seemingly casual glance, every figure lingering near her for a moment, made her heart tighten, her muscles tense slightly, preparing her to deal with any unexpected situation.

Finally, they saw the brightly lit city gate guarded by soldiers ahead. The manager stopped, turned around, and with a relaxed expression on his chubby face, indicating that he had completed his "mission," he lowered his voice again and said to Xu Xiaoyan, his tone implying that this was the end of it, "Little girl, this is all I can take you to. Once you're outside this gate, you're no longer in the market's territory, and I can't control you anymore. Just... be careful."

"Thank you so much, Uncle! I will remember your great kindness!" Xu Xiaoyan hurriedly thanked him again. She knew that the other party had already done more than enough.

She took a deep breath, swayed the sack on her shoulder higher, adjusting it to a better position for running, and once again confirmed the direction of the faintly visible, neatly arranged military vehicle outline in the distance. Then, she suddenly bent over and dashed off like an arrow released from a bow!

Almost the instant she left the relatively bright light at the city gate and her figure disappeared into the relatively dark area on the outside, she heard rapid, clear, and undisguised chasing footsteps behind her! The footsteps were heavy and swift, clinging tightly to her back like a leech!

Sure enough, they followed! Xu Xiaoyan's heart pounded wildly, her blood seemed to rush to her head instantly, and the instinct for survival overwhelmed everything! She gritted her teeth and poured all the remaining and bursting strength in her body into her legs without reservation. Fortunately, she usually paid attention to maintaining her physical fitness, and with the huge potential that was triggered at this critical moment, her speed actually increased to a new level.

She ran as fast as she could, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far from her pursuer. The wind whistled in her ears, and the sacks kept hitting her back and sides, bringing waves of pain. But she dared not stop for a moment, or even look back at her pursuer, for fear of wasting even a fraction of a second.

As the outline of the dark green military vehicle became clearer in her vision, and she could even see the figures moving beside it, an indescribable, immense hope welled up in her heart, like a drowning person grasping at a piece of driftwood! Her steps quickened involuntarily!

The unusual sight of her carrying a sack and running frantically, with someone hot on her heels, immediately caught the attention of the soldiers on guard and patrol around the perimeter of the military camp! Several soldiers reacted almost simultaneously, quickly raising their guns with practiced ease. The dark muzzles of their rifles gleamed with a cold metallic sheen in the night, and they all aimed at Xu Xiaoyan as she ran and the blurry figure chasing after her.

A sharp shout, like a thunderclap, boomed out, carrying an undeniable authority: "Halt! Who goes there?! Stop immediately or we'll shoot!"

Upon seeing this, Xu Xiaoyan did not slow down or lie down in fear like most people would. Instead, she continued running at full speed, shouting at the top of her lungs towards the soldiers and the camp. Her voice became sharp and even a little broken due to the extreme speed and tension, but it pierced through the night with exceptional clarity. "Uncle Jiang Shan! Don't shoot! It's one of our own! I'm Xiao Xu from the convoy!" She deliberately called out Jiang Shan's name, which was quite prestigious among the rank-and-file soldiers in the convoy, hoping to quickly increase her credibility and recognizability.

At the same time, her voice was filled with panic and tears as she cried, "This man behind me is robbing me! He's been following me! He's trying to steal my things! Please help me!"

Her desperate plea for help, tinged with feigned terror yet precisely pinpointing the crucial information, had an immediate and decisive effect. The soldiers lowered their guns slightly, ignoring her as both an "ally" and a "victim," and instead pointed with greater precision at the figure behind her who was still chasing but whose speed had noticeably slowed due to the soldiers' presence.

Xu Xiaoyan could clearly feel that just as the soldiers raised their guns to aim and shouted warnings, the relentless, nightmarish footsteps behind them suddenly stopped abruptly, emitting a piercing screeching sound.

Immediately following was the sound of frantic running that quickly turned and disappeared into the distance—the "tail" clearly didn't dare to challenge the army's gleaming gun barrels and strict discipline. After weighing the pros and cons, it decisively abandoned the "fat meat" that was already in its mouth and turned back to flee desperately towards the darkness it had come from, fearing that if it was even a step too slow, it would be shot.

Crisis over! Sensing the threat behind her rapidly receding, Xu Xiaoyan's extremely tense nerves suddenly relaxed. She forced herself to run a few more steps until she broke through the makeshift cordon set up by the military camp and entered a relatively safe area. Only then did she suddenly slow down, bend over, put her hands on her knees, and greedily gasp for breath.

She felt a burning pain in her lungs, as if they were being torn apart. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, almost as if it would jump out of her chest. Her legs were trembling uncontrollably. She dragged her body, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, toward the core area of ​​the temporary camp.

The patrolling soldiers then recognized her disheveled yet familiar face. They confirmed that she was the young girl who had been following the convoy and seemed to know Squad Leader Jiang. Their guard was completely down. They exchanged glances, their eyes conveying a sense of relief, and prepared to put away their weapons and return to their respective patrol posts.

"Brothers! Please wait a moment!" Xu Xiaoyan, having finally caught her breath, straightened up and quickly called out to them. She put down the sack, deftly took out several packets of instant noodles from her backpack, and hurried to the soldiers. Her face showed relief at surviving the ordeal and genuine gratitude. She handed them the noodles, saying sincerely, "Thank you so much! If you hadn't appeared in time, my life-saving supplies would definitely have been taken, and I might have been in serious trouble! This is just a small token, nothing much, just something to keep you warm while you're on guard duty tonight. Please don't refuse."

She knew that in today's world, although the military had strict discipline, superiors would generally turn a blind eye to such spontaneous expressions of "gratitude" from the public and not take them too seriously. This was a kind of unspoken agreement.

The soldiers were clearly surprised by Xu Xiaoyan's generosity. They exchanged glances, a hint of surprise and hesitation flashing across their faces. Finally, one of the soldiers, who looked like a squad leader, silently reached out and took the packets of instant noodles. He nodded slightly to Xu Xiaoyan, his originally serious and cold eyes losing some of their businesslike sharpness and gaining a subtle gentleness.

After thanking her again, Xu Xiaoyan turned around and climbed into the back of the military vehicle she was riding in. The vehicle was empty; her companions had obviously not returned yet. She threw the heavy sack into the corner where they belonged, then leaned against the cold, hard wall of the vehicle and slowly slid down.

Only now, in this relatively closed and familiar environment, did Xu Xiaoyan truly feel a long-lost sense of security. A feeling of exhaustion after surviving a disaster, mixed with extreme mental and physical exhaustion, overwhelmed her like a flood that had burst its banks.

Her eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and her consciousness quickly blurred. She didn't even have time to think about why Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao hadn't returned yet, nor did she bother to count the supplies in the sack. She just leaned against the bulging sack, curled up on the cold floor of the carriage, and fell into a deep sleep.

She didn't know how much time had passed, maybe an hour, maybe several hours, when a rather violent jolt—as if the car had run over a large pothole— jolted her awake from her deep sleep.

She opened her eyes almost reflexively, and the first thing she felt was the unique, undeniable inertial swaying of the vehicle as it moved and the noise of the wheels rolling over the road.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly looked around—the carriage was dimly lit, with only the occasional flashes of light from other vehicles in the distance. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could clearly see Xie Yingtang with his arms crossed, leaning against the opposite carriage wall, his eyes closed, breathing steadily, while Wang Xiao was sleeping soundly with her head tilted to the side, her head resting on Xie Yingtang's lap, even emitting soft snores—only then did her tense nerves suddenly relax, as if the huge stone that had been hanging in her throat had finally been lifted to the ground.

Thankfully, they're all still here.