Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 460 Issuing Tasks

Xu Xiaoyan withdrew her gaze, spread out her sleeping bag, sat down against the wall, and placed her hands on her knees.

Lan Yue also sat down, the two of them side by side, their backs against the gray, cold concrete wall.

Looking at the huge grid in front of me, densely packed with squares, being filled little by little by thousands of people.

"Xiao Yan," Lan Yue suddenly spoke, her voice so low that only the two of them could hear, "How long do you think we're going to stay here?"

Xu Xiaoyan thought for a moment and then shook her head.

Lan Yue was silent for a moment, then pulled her scarf up over her face, covering half of it.

About two hours later, the noise in the hall gradually subsided.

People began to lay out sleeping bags and pack their luggage in their own cubicles. Some even took out a few biscuits from their backpacks, opened them, and ate them, the sounds of chewing soft and muffled.

Xu Xiaoyan leaned against the wall, her eyes closed, but she wasn't asleep.

Lan Yue rolled over next to her, pulled the sleeping bag over her head, and her breathing gradually became even and long.

Just then, the loudspeaker blared, and almost everyone in the hall looked up at the same instant.

The sound from that loudspeaker was completely different from the portable megaphones at the entrance of the trading point; it came from those black speakers on the dome.

The sound filled every corner of the hall, clear, loud, and carried an unquestionable official tone.

"Attention, everyone! Attention, everyone!" The voice coming from the speaker was that of a middle-aged man.

His Mandarin was so standard it sounded like it was being broadcast from a radio; every word was pronounced with training, without any accent or unnecessary words.

The noise in the hall was completely silenced within seconds, and thousands of eyes turned to the black speakers on the dome.

"According to the weather warning, the weather will be mainly thunderstorms, which are expected to last for at least a week, and may be extended further."

To avoid too many casualties, the military decided to open the military air-raid shelters for people to stay temporarily.

The bunker is equipped with basic ventilation, power supply, and water supply facilities to meet basic survival needs.

After he finished speaking, there was a brief pause in the speaker.

Some people in the crowd gasped, while others whispered the word "thunderstorm," as if to make sure they hadn't misheard.

Xu Xiaoyan frowned slightly. A thunderstorm meant that lightning could strike anything on the ground, and the danger of being struck by lightning was self-evident.

"To ensure the sustainable operation of limited resources," the voice from the speaker continued, "the military will establish a standardized labor points and material exchange mechanism."

All able-bodied people can receive a living allowance by undertaking specific tasks. The details will be announced this afternoon, so please tune in to the radio.

The loudspeaker beeped, and the microphone went silent.

After a brief two-second silence, the hall erupted in chatter.

"Labor points?" Lan Yue had already pulled the sleeping bag off her head, sat up straight, and stared at Xu Xiaoyan with wide eyes:

"What are labor points? Are they just work points exchanged for goods?"

"More or less," Xu Xiaoyan explained in a low voice. "Just like us outside, we work one day at a time. If we don't work, we don't get to eat. We'll know once the specific plan comes out."

Lan Yue looked at the neatly arranged dried mushrooms in front of her.

He slowly ran his fingers along the opening of the bag, as if calculating whether these dried goods would still be useful under the new rules.

The people around them were much more excited than the two of them, and there was a constant murmur of discussion.

Some people have already started guessing the exchange rate between points and cookies, while others are already figuring out what jobs they can get.

Some people were already asking those around them what they used to do, as if they were forming some kind of group in advance.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't say anything more, leaned back against the wall, and closed her eyes.

Time passed slowly amidst the noise.

Five hours later, the loudspeaker sounded again. Everyone was waiting for this sound. They put down what they were holding and sat up straight, waiting.

The speaker still carried the voice of the middle-aged man: "Now we announce the specific plan for the labor points and material exchange mechanism."

The breathing of thousands of people in the hall became almost inaudible in that instant.

"People with professional skills in mechanics, electrical engineering, plumbing, building maintenance, etc., please bring your ID card and register at the entrance of Zone 7 at 8:00 AM tomorrow."

An operations and maintenance team will be formed to be responsible for daily inspections, emergency repairs, and equipment maintenance inside the bunker.

"People who do not have the above-mentioned professional skills can participate in cleaning and sanitation, volunteer services, material handling, spare parts assembly, hydroponic vegetable planting, edible fungi cultivation, etc."

Specific standards will be published on the bulletin board at each task posting point.

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, a temporary job posting point will be set up on the west side of the lobby in Zone 7. You can go there to view job requirements and register.

After the message was broadcast, the speaker went silent again.

Some people are calculating what they can do, some are glad they have skills, and some are worried that they don't know anything.

Someone was asking the person next to them, "What is parts assembly? Is it difficult?", and someone else had already stood up and started looking towards Zone 2, even though there was nothing there.

Lan Yue didn't speak; she looked at Xu Xiaoyan, waiting for her to speak.

Xu Xiaoyan shook her head. "I'm not going to work."

Lan Yue paused for a moment, her eyes widening slightly.

"I have enough points in my account to live on for quite a while, so I want to take a good rest now," she said, and couldn't help but smile slightly.

The word "rest" felt strangely out of place coming out of her mouth; she always seemed to be calculating, planning, and moving on to the next step.

Lan Yue looked at her, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded.

She wasn't surprised; after all, this person always thought ahead and planned things carefully before acting, so it was no wonder he was exhausted.

"Your words," Xu Xiaoyan turned to look at her:

"You can go and experience the workload there. If you find it easy, go work for a few days. If you feel tired, come back and rest. Anyway, you have points to fall back on, so what are you afraid of?"

"Moreover," Xu Xiaoyan paused, shifting her gaze from Lan Yue's face to the ever-growing queue on the west side, "humans are social beings, so it's always good to get to know more people."

We've just arrived in this place and we don't know anything about it. We can't learn the rules and connections just by sitting in a corner.

"Go to work and listen while you work, that's a good idea too."

After listening to what she said, Lan Yue tilted her head and thought for a moment, then grinned.

"You're right. Anyway, I have points to fall back on. If I'm not happy with the job, I can just quit. I'm not afraid of starving to death."

She stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from her pants, and wrapped the scarf around her neck twice.

"Then I'll go and try working tomorrow. I'll go check it out first and find out which job is easy and which is tiring."