The next morning, Luo Yuan was woken up by the loudspeaker of the advertising vehicle.
"Dear citizens! Dear citizens! "
"In order to maintain stability, suppress prices, protect people's livelihood, and ensure that those who can't buy food can have enough to eat. From today onwards, food, drinking water, meat, and vegetables will be rationed. The municipal government will set up supply points at all major farmers' markets. Every citizen will have a limited supply with their ID cards.
"Dear citizens! Dear citizens! "
The loudspeaker outside repeated the announcement over and over again.
He quickly got up, put on his clothes, and opened the door.
"What's going on outside?" Zhao Yali walked out of the bedroom in her pajamas. She yawned and asked in a daze.
"The government has taken measures to rationed food and vegetables?" Luo Yuan asked excitedly.
Although he had stored a lot of food and other supplies, it was difficult to buy fresh vegetables and meat because they would be snatched up very quickly. Moreover, how long could such a small amount of food last? Now that the municipal government had finally taken measures, it meant that they would not have to worry anymore. This was undoubtedly a good thing.
After all, other than ambitious people and crazy people, no one liked chaos.
"I'll go take a look and see if I can buy some." Luo Yuan smiled.
"Then let's go together. At least we can get a double share," Zhao Yali said with a smile.
"Alright, go get dressed. Don't wash up yet. There will be a lot of people later, and the queue will be very long."
"Ah!" Zhao Yali just realized that she was still in her pajamas. She blushed and quickly closed the door.
She took a long time to put on her clothes. By the time she was done and opened the door, ten minutes had passed. It seemed like she had even dressed up a little.
Luo Yuan smiled bitterly and went out with her. As soon as they walked out of the building, Luo Yuan was shocked, even though he was mentally prepared.
There was a sea of people in the district. He had never realized that there were so many people in the district. They seemed to be led by an invisible force, converging into a huge stream of people, slowly moving towards the gate of the district.
Residents with private cars honked non-stop, but they couldn't move in the crowded crowd. Some sensible ones opened their car doors and got out, following the crowd on foot.
Some of them were carrying baskets, washbasins, and some were even dragging a suitcase. However, most of them were empty-handed, just like Luo Yuan.
Originally, he thought that the flow of people in the neighborhood was spectacular enough, but when he walked onto the street, he realized that it was nothing.
It was like a river flowing into the sea. As it moved forward, countless small streams of people entered the street. Gradually, the entire street was filled with people. Luo Yuan and Zhao Yali were squeezed in and out of the crowd. They did not even need to move as their bodies were automatically pushed forward by the crowd.
He had only seen this kind of scene on TV, but he didn't expect it to happen in real life.
"How lively!" Zhao Yali said with some excitement. She seemed to be enjoying it. "In the past, I always felt that this city was very cold. There are so many people in the city, but there are only three or four people I have a good relationship with. It makes me feel very lonely. I didn't expect it to be so lively. It's just like the market my mother used to tell me when I was young. "
Luo Yuan shook his head, unable to understand. "You'll have fun when the time comes. If I had known that there would be so many people, I wouldn't have come. If this goes on, when will it be our turn?"
He regretted coming out.
"Maybe it's because I'm leaving this city. I thought I would stay here forever, marry a husband, have a child … I didn't expect to have to go back in the end." Zhao Yali looked down, her eyes tearing up.
"Don't think about sad things. Actually, the village is not safe now. There are many mutated beasts. You should persuade your parents to move to the city or the town. At least it's safer there."
"Yes, but thank you. If it wasn't for your help, I wouldn't have survived," Zhao Yali said, looking at Luo Yuan gratefully.
"You're being too polite. After all, we've been renting together for so long," Luo Yuan said with a smile.
"No matter what, we must keep in touch!" Zhao Yali said seriously.
"Don't make it sound like we're going to be separated forever. I have to send you back tomorrow. Let's talk when you get home," Luo Yuan interrupted Zhao Yali.
The two of them chatted as they walked. Time passed quickly. After an hour, the crowd finally reached the entrance of the nearest farmer's market.
Two rows of armed policemen were standing straight with automatic rifles in their hands, maintaining order. The crowd was a little restless under the deterrence of the armed policemen, but it soon calmed down.
Luo Yuan and Zhao Yali followed the crowd into the market. All the facilities in the market had been cleared and replaced by a large amount of resources. A yellow police tape had formed a circle around the market, and there was a fully armed policeman standing guard every meter.
There was a simple metal trading window that looked like a police booth every five meters. There were more than 100 trading windows along the road. If the other three sides were included, there would be about 400 to 500 trading points.
Even with so many trading points, the crowd was moving very slowly.
There were too many people, and the air was stuffy and hot. After only 10 minutes, Luo Yuan and Zhao Yali were sweating profusely.
He was fine. After all, he had a strong body, and ever since he had the system, he had never fallen sick. Whether it was physical strength or energy, his recovery speed was far faster than that of an ordinary person. However, Zhao Yali was different. She would probably suffer from heatstroke before it was their turn.
"Why don't we squeeze in front?" Luo Yuan asked.
"I'm afraid we can't squeeze in." Zhao Yali used her hand as a fan to cool herself down. She looked at the crowd and was eager to try.
"Leave it to me. Hold my hand," Luo Yuan said.
While Zhao Yali was hesitating, Luo Yuan grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the front.
Luo Yuan's strength was close to 11 points, which was almost 1.5 times that of an ordinary person. He was also very agile, and his eyes were sharp. He moved like a fish, moving through the gaps between the crowd.
Complaints could be heard from the crowd, but such behavior was common among the crowd. Luo Yuan did not stand out among them. The people in the country had a high tolerance for such behavior. In fact, most office workers had to deal with crowded cars every day.
After a while, Luo Yuan and Zhao Yali finally reached the first trading point.
"Why do I have so much less than the others? Are you mistaken?" an elderly woman asked loudly.
"Because you're not a local. Please look at the notice board outside." The young female staff sitting behind the computer said impatiently, "Don't take up space. Next."
The middle-aged woman wanted to argue, but she was quickly pushed away from the back.
"I want all of them! Give me the biggest share!" a bald man wearing a huge gold necklace shouted while waving a stack of cash.
"You can only buy for three days with your ID. You'll have to buy the rest after three days," the staff said as she glanced at the stack of cash.
"Can you make an exception? Money is not a problem," the bald man said loudly.
"We can't help it. The policy states that it's a total of 200!" the staff explained.
"Looks like we'll have to go to the black market!" The bald man murmured. After paying the bill, he took out two big plastic bags from the staff at the counter.
Finally, it was Luo Yuan's turn. He took out his ID and 200 yuan and gave them to the staff. "It's also for three days."
The staff took the money and ID and entered it into the computer. Soon, two bags were handed over.
When Zhao Yali was done shopping, Luo Yuan took the bags from her and the two of them squeezed out of the market with difficulty.
"I'm so sweaty, and we're finally out. Did I suffocate to death?" Zhao Yali loosened her grip on Luo Yuan's arm and looked at the crowd behind them. She said with lingering fear.
"Let's see what's inside."
"One of the bags contains rice, I think it's only five catties. The other bag contains one catty of meat, two catties of vegetables, three apples, and five catties of drinking water. Oh, there are also three pieces of chocolate and a small bag of milk candy," Luo Yuan said.
"That's a scam. 200 for such a small amount? Money is getting worthless. I bet it used to be less than 50 yuan!" Zhao Yali said.
"It's already very cheap. What else do you want? At least it's much cheaper than the black market, "Luo Yuan said disapprovingly. Luo Yuan said disapprovingly. According to his understanding of the black market, the price of food had risen to 25 dollars per catty, and the price of meat was shockingly high. It was at least 100 dollars per catty. With such a price, there was nowhere to buy it. In this case, 200 yuan was already very cheap.
"That's the government's limit. How can it be so cheap? The government is crazy about money. Luckily I'm going home, or I won't be able to afford it in the city, "she said angrily. She was working as a clerk in a foreign company, and her monthly salary was not more than 3,000 yuan. Even if the company did not close down, it would be difficult for her to feed herself.
"That's true!" Luo Yuan said with a bitter smile.
Actually, what was the point of living in the countryside?
Eight days ago, Captain Chen from the Gaotang Town Police Station had called him and asked him to prepare some food. He didn't say much back then, but there was a hint of seriousness in his words.
Luo Yuan was curious, so he went to Gaotang Town.
The situation in Gaotang Town was very stable after a large number of trees had been cut and burned. There was nothing unusual.
However, when he reached a small intersection, he noticed something strange. A new crop of rice had been planted in the fields of Gaotang Town. Although it was almost the New Year and it was still winter, due to the abnormal weather, the rice should be flourishing like other plants.
However, that was not the case. He saw that the fields were overgrown with weeds. They were very dense, growing two to three inches taller than the rice. The living space of the rice had been completely occupied by the weeds. They could not even get sunlight, so there was no way they could compete with the weeds.
He asked an old farmer who was passing by and learned that the weeds could not be removed with pesticides. They could only be pulled out slowly from the fields. However, the fields were full of poisonous snakes and insects, so no one dared to do that. They could only leave the fields to be abandoned.
He was shocked and confused. He did not even know how he came back. He only knew that the world was about to change.
Luo Yuan and Zhao Yali were ready at 12: 30 the next day.
Luo Yuan took the two boxes from her and walked out of the neighborhood. He hailed a taxi and drove to the station.
"Why are you carrying a wooden box?" Zhao Yali asked curiously, looking at the box in Luo Yuan's hands.
"A handicraft," Luo Yuan said with a smile.
"Actually, you don't have to give them a gift. It will cause a misunderstanding," Zhao Yali said helplessly. Zhao Yali said helplessly. If Luo Yuan came with a gift, her parents would not believe her no matter how hard she tried to explain.
"You're mistaken. This is not a gift. I forgot to bring one. Why don't we buy it at the train station?" Luo Yuan said with a smile.
"Don't buy it, or I'll have a headache for a long time." Zhao Yali quickly stopped him. She had forgotten to ask what was inside the wooden box.
"Are you going home to meet your parents? If you're buying a gift, why don't you give your mother-in-law a bag of rice? I'm sure she'll be happy, "the driver said.
Zhao Yali's face quickly turned red.
"Actually, we're just a normal couple. That's why she's afraid of misunderstanding," Luo Yuan said when he saw Zhao Yali blushing.
"I think so too. Of course, that's how my wife and I got here. Where are you going? I mean, where are you going by train? "the driver asked.
"Yushui City!" Luo Yuan said simply. He did not want to talk much.
"Yushui City? Is there a place called Yushan there?" the driver asked suddenly.
"Yes, Yushan is right next to Yushui City. It's a famous tourist attraction. Have you been there before?" Zhao Yali asked excitedly.
"Not really, but you have to be careful. I heard from my friend that a lot of people died there recently. Even armored vehicles went in and fired for a whole day," the driver said seriously.
Zhao Yali's face turned pale.
Luo Yuan patted her shoulder to comfort her. He asked seriously, "It's that serious? Is your information reliable?"
"Why would I lie about this? There's nothing to gain from it. My brother is from Yushui City, but he works in Donghu City. He's brought his parents here. It seems like Donghu City is the safest place. Many places are in chaos," the driver said.
"How long ago was this news?" Luo Yuan continued to ask.
"Three days ago. It should have been settled by now," the driver said. "But it's never wrong to be careful."
"Thank you, sir! If you didn't tell us, we wouldn't have known, "Luo Yuan said.
"You're welcome. It's not easy for anyone these days. The apocalypse is coming, and the government is still so strict. If you ask me, I think it would be better to give everyone a gun than to live in fear every day. "
"What should we do, Xiao Yuan? Do you think my parents will be okay?" Zhao Yali asked.
"Didn't you call them last night? Call them again?" Luo Yuan reminded her.
"Oh, yes! Yes! "She quickly took out her phone.
"Hello, Mom! Are you and Dad okay? It's okay, I was just asking. Our train leaves at 1: 30 pm, so we should be able to get home between 3: 30 pm and 4 pm. A colleague is coming to send me off. It's a man. It's not what you think. Oh, Mom, did something happen in Yushui? Rat disaster … Oh, Mom, it's okay now. I'm hanging up. "
"It's okay. It seems like there was a rat disaster there. It should be okay," Zhao Yali said.
"Is it just a mouse?" Luo Yuan thought to himself. He had a bad feeling about this.
He knew that an F + mission would not be easy to complete.
They arrived at the train station, but the Zhanmadao could not pass the security check. No matter how Luo Yuan tried to explain that it was a handicraft, he just had to check it in urgently. Luo Yuan was relieved when he confirmed that it would arrive at the same time.
Without the Zhanmadao, Luo Yuan would not have been confident that he could complete the F + mission.
The train station was very crowded, almost as if it was the Spring Festival. Most of the people looked gloomy and worried about the future.
They could not find a seat, so they just stood in the aisle.
Luo Yuan realized that the trains were very late. In just half an hour, four or five trains had been delayed at the same time. When it was almost 1: 30 pm, the train to Yushui was also late. It seemed like something had happened on the way.
"Why is this train also late? It's so inaccurate!" Zhao Yali complained.
"Take it slow. It's fine as long as we can get there." Luo Yuan comforted her, but his heart sank.
Fortunately, there were no accidents this time. The train finally arrived at the station half an hour later.
Luo Yuan and Zhao Yali walked onto the platform after cutting the tickets. Suddenly, there was an uproar. Some people even screamed. There was blood everywhere on the train. It was a mess, and some places were even stained with feathers.
Luo Yuan bent down and picked up a half-foot long gray feather with a hint of metallic luster. He used his identification technique.
"Sparrow feather."
"Function: Material."
"Rarity: White."
"Weight: 10 grams."
"Remarks: This is the feather of a mutated sparrow."
Mutated sparrow?
Could this train have been attacked by a sparrow?
He looked at the half-foot long feather and roughly estimated that the sparrow was about a foot long.
If even birds had mutated, it would be bad. The route would become very unsafe, and it might even be completely closed. What's more, birds were harder to defend than wild animals. Their hunting range was too large, not to mention some especially large birds.
Even if they cut down the trees and burned the forest, they would not be able to stop these mutated beasts. Luo Yuan could not help but shiver at the thought of giant birds appearing above the city.
He hoped that this would not happen in Donghu City. Luo Yuan comforted himself, but even the most optimistic prediction was still very unlikely. With the burning of forests all over the country, some of the mutated beasts that had lost their food might target humans instead.
"How could this happen?" Zhao Yali said in shock. She held Luo Yuan's hand tightly, her body trembling.
Luo Yuan remained silent. He did not know how to comfort her.
"Let's go. Get on the train," Luo Yuan said. "Otherwise, we'll have to leave."
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