Chapter 24 Distribution of Supplies

On the eleventh day of the fog disaster, the heavy fog showed no sign of dissipating, remaining as thick as milk.

Although it was daytime, everything outside was a blur. Bai Xiao hadn't seen the full view of the city for a long time; even the rising and setting of the sun had vanished under the shroud of the heavy fog.

The world outside the window seemed to be at a standstill; only by checking the time could one tell if it was morning or afternoon.

The temperature had dropped to 18°C, completely deviating from people's perception of summer.

Bai Xiao changed into a pair of grey-green casual pants paired with a matching fitted vest. She buckled a knife belt around her waist, threw on a black windbreaker, tied up her hair, and put on a mask and a hat. She fitted a headlamp onto the hat and shouldered an empty backpack, packing her ID card, phone, power bank, and some food and water, getting ready to head out.

The Disaster Relief Department was going to distribute Relief Food. This was news Bai Xiao only discovered after finishing her class at nine and checking her phone; the Neighborhood Committee had sent a notice to the group at eight-thirty.

It said that the city's Disaster Relief Departments had opened hundreds of Relief Points across the city. In densely populated districts, most Relief Points were located in underground subway hubs, chosen for their clear visibility, to serve as supply distribution points.

At the same time, Shelters had been set up in libraries, gymnasiums, exhibition centers, and some schools in various districts. Those in need could go to the Shelters on their own to receive aid.

Bai Xiao scrolled through the group messages; the opinions on whether to go to a Shelter were roughly divided into three factions.

One faction consisted of those who still had food reserves at home; naturally, they felt no need to go to a Shelter.

Another faction was those whose food reserves were running low. These people felt the benefit of going to a Shelter was not having to frequently brave the heavy fog to collect Relief Food, making eating and drinking more convenient.

The last faction also had low food reserves, but they believed that Shelters would be crowded with all sorts of people, living space would be cramped, they wouldn't be able to shower, and they'd have to share toilets—unsanitary and inconvenient, not as comfortable as home.

It was also inconvenient to bring household belongings to the Shelter, and they were reluctant to leave their homes behind. They would rather travel back and forth to collect Relief Food than live in a Shelter.

In the end, only a very small minority chose to go to the Shelters.

Bai Xiao, of course, didn't want to go to a Shelter either. Her situation was complicated, and she was better suited to living alone. If she weren't afraid of arousing suspicion—that people might think she had a large stock of food and thus looked down on relief supplies—she wouldn't even want to step out the door.

Having decided to go, by the time Bai Xiao finished packing and went downstairs, it was already a bit late. Most people had set off as soon as they received the message at eight-thirty.

The nearest Relief Point to the residential complex was two kilometers away.

Bai Xiao opened the map, entered the destination, and selected walking navigation. As soon as she stepped out of the building entrance, the white fog blanketing the sky enveloped her; visibility was five meters at most.

At this moment, the entire complex was silent, with not a soul in sight. The white fog was like an invisible wall that moved as she moved. She couldn't see the sky or any buildings.

Bai Xiao felt as if she were wrapped in a giant cotton ball, unable to see or touch anything.

This feeling made one tense and even paranoid, fearing a figure might suddenly leap out of the fog, and causing one to instinctively imagine what might crash into them or what they might run into the next second.

Sounds occasionally drifted from afar, but after being absorbed and transmitted through the thick fog, they became muffled and dull, making it impossible to distinguish the source or distance. This undoubtedly heightened alertness and fear, causing her walking speed to become very slow.

Bai Xiao turned on her headlamp. The warm yellow light extended her visibility by three or four meters, instantly expanding her field of vision by half.

Seeing four or five meters versus seven or eight meters felt completely different. At four or five meters, there was a sense that if an accident happened, it would be very easy to collide; if someone were hiding in the fog to attack, there would be no time to react.

As soon as her vision expanded to seven or eight meters, her sense of security increased significantly. Bai Xiao's pace, which she had unconsciously slowed down, quickened slightly.

She sheathed the dagger she had drawn, but her right hand remained pressed against it so she could draw it at any time if she encountered danger.

Reaching the main road, the sounds increased, and as she walked, she encountered people in groups of twos and threes.

The fog light she wore illuminated the path for her, but it also attracted those without lights. After spotting her, several people followed behind to borrow her light.

Bai Xiao felt a bit nervous for a moment, but seeing that these people made no further moves, she didn't feel right speaking up to drive them away—and even if she did, she probably couldn't.

The headlamp had been worn outside her hat, but now she took it off and wore it directly on her head, pulling the hat over it. One can't be too careful; without doing this, she feared someone might suddenly jump out and snatch it.

With the headlamp inside, anyone trying to steal it would only knock off her hat on the first try. For the second, Bai Xiao wouldn't give them a chance to strike again.

More and more people saw their group and silently joined. Gradually, thirty to fifty people merged into a single file line, stretching about ten meters. Although those at the back couldn't see the area illuminated by the light, being close to one another indirectly indicated the direction, which was much better than fumbling along alone.

Walking in the thick fog was much more difficult than imagined.

Even with navigation on, the accuracy of real-time navigation was greatly reduced in such weather; it either led people into green belts or suffered from network delays.

Additionally, the thick fog reduced perception of terrain and obstacles, so Bai Xiao had to frequently stop to adjust her direction or navigate around obstacles.

The third time she stopped to confirm the direction, a couple behind her couldn't take it anymore and offered to help navigate. Bai Xiao thought about it and nodded in agreement; since she couldn't get away, they might as well go together.

A mere two kilometers, which would normally take half an hour at most, ended up taking over two hours—more than five times the usual time—due to the heavy fog.

As they neared the Relief Point, people had already begun their return journey. With the fog light, she could avoid them in time and didn't collide with those who suddenly appeared on their way back.

Upon reaching the destination, the group immediately dispersed. No one wanted to be at the back anymore, and they all scrambled down the stairs to the underground area, fearing that if they were late, the Relief Food would be gone.

A long line had already formed at the distribution point. Bai Xiao had already turned off her light and joined the end of the queue.

The hub station covered a large area, with five long lines winding around in circles. People were crowded together, and the entire platform hall was filled with the sound of chatter.

Being cooped up at home for several days had driven everyone stir-crazy; once they reached a crowded place, everyone—whether they knew each other or not—couldn't help but start talking.

From others' conversations, Bai Xiao learned about the order of distribution and the contents of the relief supplies.

To collect, one had to first register their ID card information to prevent duplicate collections.

Considering the fog was so thick and it wasn't easy for ordinary people to come and collect, five days' worth of survival supplies were being distributed at once.

The supply bag contained five days' worth of food and water. In addition, there were some basic medicines, wound dressings, disinfectants, a small bottle of Water Purification Tablets, a few candles and matches, and two AAA and AA Batteries.

Since personnel from the Disaster Relief Department were on guard at the Relief Point, everyone collected their supplies honestly, and no looting or other malicious incidents occurred.

After queuing for nearly two hours, Bai Xiao finally received her supplies.

Fortunately, she was wearing an outdoor backpack with a decent capacity, allowing her to put the supply bag inside. Carrying it on her back was much easier than carrying it by hand.

The heaviest items in the supply bag were the food and water. Compressed biscuits, instant noodles, and canned goods weighed about seven or eight catties. Then there was the bottled water; since tap water was still available, not much mineral water was distributed—a total of ten bottles weighing about ten catties. The other supplies combined only weighed a catty or two.

All together, it weighed about 20 catties. Although she was now basically familiar with the road conditions and logically the return trip should be faster than the trip there...

But now she had a heavy load, which would definitely slow her down. Moreover, Bai Xiao was more worried that the road back would not be peaceful.