Chapter 50 Teaming Up to Find Supplies

Bai Xiao examined the pictures in the group chat. Two days ago when she went out, she had seen a few scattered people coming out to look for things, but at that time the fog was still quite thick, and there were fewer people.

Since yesterday, more and more people had been venturing out. Today, the fog had mostly cleared, making it possible to see downstairs from the upper floors. Coupled with the fact that no relief food distribution was announced today, what was heavy rain compared to food and drink? An increasing number of people were going out to search for supplies.

The discussion in the residential complex group chat came to an abrupt halt. The sounds of doors opening and closing came from outside one after another. Soon, a group of people gathered downstairs, wearing raincoats of various colors or holding umbrellas.

Everyone was anxious. With no relief food supply, they all feared running out of food in the future. If they didn't go out now, the remaining supplies in the outside shops might all be scavenged by others.

Bai Xiao stared blankly at the crowd downstairs. All her storage slots were already filled. In the second bedroom/study, there were three more slots of supplies she had rearranged.

The food, daily necessities, clothing, outdoor equipment, and various tools she had stored were more than enough for one person for decades without a problem. Especially the food could even support two people.

What she hadn't stored enough of were water, medicine, gasoline, and diesel. Medicine could be disregarded for now. She could feel that as her physical fitness improved, the likelihood of getting sick was very small; at most, she might get injured. For serious injuries, the first choice would definitely be the recovery potion from the Game Mall, so there was no need to search for medicine.

As for the other two, the current stock of drinking water was enough to last at least ten years. Tap water, used only for bathing, would probably last about a year.

Gasoline and diesel were the hardest to estimate. She didn't know if she would need to generate electricity frequently in the future, nor did she know how much she would drive. Calculating based on high usage, it should still be enough to sustain consumption for at least three years.

If she really had to go out to search for supplies again, she was more inclined to look for water, fuel, and various outdoor items that might be useful.

She thought for a moment and then emptied the storage slot containing the water tank. If she went out and found things, she could temporarily store them in this space.

This meant that in the next game, she would need to upgrade at least two storage slots. Otherwise, once she could no longer live in this home, she wouldn't even be able to take away the supplies currently stored in the two rooms.

Today, the people in the complex didn't realize others were searching for supplies outside until the afternoon. By the time they went out, the shops and Supermarkets along the nearby streets had long been looted clean. Most people didn't find many useful things.

In the evening, everyone discussed plans in the group chat.

[6#1-902]: We went out too late. There's no food left to find in the nearby shops.

[1#1-1001]: Not only is there nothing nearby, but there are also groups of people guarding the entrances of the big Supermarkets. If you get close, they'll chase you away.

[2#2-1303]: Should we go out together too? Going alone, we won't be able to grab anything.

[4#1-401]: Agreed. If we don't unite, we won't get a single thing.

[3#1-1501]: Where are the building representatives? Organize something. We need to make a plan.

[Announcement: Homeowners who wish to go out to search for supplies, please send one representative per household to gather in the lobby downstairs at 8 PM. We will jointly decide on tomorrow's plan.]

There were fifteen minutes left until eight o'clock. The elevator had stopped running since the day power was rationed. The group chat said one representative per household, but since this concerned survival, everyone wanted to hear the discussion.

For a while, the stairwell was filled with people going downstairs with flashlights. Since the day Bai Xiao moved in, she had never seen so many people gathered together. The entrance lobby wasn't very large to begin with, and over a hundred people crammed in, making it impossible to fit everyone. The unit door had been opened early, and those who came down late were already squeezed outside the building.

After Xu Zhen was removed from his position as building representative, his replacement was a kind-looking middle-aged man around fifty years old. From the discussions around her, Bai Xiao learned he was the grade-level director of a nearby elementary school, named Shen Xiang.

He was originally the deputy building representative. In terms of age and social standing, he clearly had more prestige. However, Xu Zhen was better at winning people over, so his supporters eventually outnumbered Shen Xiang's, and he was elected building representative.

Seeing that the crowd had mostly gathered, Shen Xiang waved his hand to signal for quiet. "Everyone, this afternoon you've already scouted the area. There are basically no supplies left to find in the nearby shops. We building representatives just discussed and have a few new locations to consider. One is the largest Supermarket nearby. It's guarded by a group of people. We don't know yet how many supplies are inside. The other is a large Supermarket about five kilometers away and the surrounding shops. We don't know the situation there yet."

"Brother Shen, our area is densely populated. The situation at the nearby Supermarkets is probably similar."

"Yeah, the one five kilometers away is likely in the same state."

The crowd chimed in agreement.

"Then what are your suggestions?" Shen Xiang asked, not seeming rushed when he saw their lack of enthusiasm for the options.

Everyone had opinions when asked, but when it came time to propose suggestions, no one spoke.

Seeing that no one spoke up, Shen Xiang proposed a new plan. "Over ten kilometers away, there's a large wholesale market. The weather conditions aren't good now, and it's far from us. We don't know the situation there. It might have already been scavenged or even occupied. But it is a large place after all, so we might find ample supplies. Everyone, think about it."

As soon as Shen Xiang finished speaking, the crowd buzzed with discussion.

Bai Xiao knew that place. Initially, she had ordered her food and water tank there. The supplies there were abundant, making it indeed more suitable for scavenging.

However, she certainly wasn't the only one thinking this. It was highly likely many others had gone there too. What's more, it was possible the city's Disaster Relief Department had already requisitioned the stock there.

But for this trip, Bai Xiao's target wasn't food. She didn't even necessarily need to stockpile more water. What she wanted to find were other survival supplies.

For example, shelving units. During the heavy fog when she couldn't go out, Bai Xiao had sent a message to the wholesale market owner about buying shelves. She thought if she could find a batch of shelves and reorganize the current cluttered storage space, she might be able to free up some slots.

Additionally, with the recent power outage, she considered how to contact the outside world if the internet were cut off later. She had bought several walkie-talkies when stocking up on outdoor supplies. Her current phone also had satellite calling functionality. These two devices could only be used for short or long-distance communication. She still lacked a radio to receive external broadcast information in the future.

For many things, regardless of whether she would use them later, she adhered to one principle—acquire them first, then figure it out.

Some agreed to go to the farther large Supermarket, while others agreed to go to the wholesale market. Everyone held their own opinions, and arguments kept breaking out.

Fortunately, there were quite a few people in the building. One group chose to go to the Supermarket five kilometers away, while another group chose to go to the farther, potentially more resource-rich wholesale market.

"Sis, where are you planning to go?" Shi Jun squeezed over at some point, accompanied by Zhao Fangzhe and Cheng Ru.

Bai Xiao, pressed against the wall, intended to go back upstairs first to avoid having to squeeze through the crowd when it dispersed later.

As she walked, she said, "I'm going to the wholesale market."

"Hey, same as me," Shi Jun laughed heartily.

Zhao Fangzhe had the same idea. "We'll go together tomorrow."