Chapter 10: Inflation Mist
The eighth day of doomsday.
"don't want!"
Qiao Qiao opened his eyes and sat up in bed, covered in sweat.
"Meow?" Xiao Qiao, who was sleeping soundly beside the pillow, was startled. Noticing her abnormality, he went up to her to comfort her.
Qiao Qiao hugged Xiao Qiao tightly. Under the soft and warm body of the cat, her body gradually stopped trembling and she calmed down.
She had just had a nightmare. She dreamed that after a rainstorm, all the cards and supplies disappeared, and her parents were still in trouble, as if nothing had changed.
“Knock, knock.”
As the room was well soundproofed, Qiao Huizhou, who was watering the flowers in the living room, only heard some noise coming from the bedroom, but he couldn't be sure, so he tried knocking on the door.
"Come in." Qiao Qiao said when she heard the knock on the door.
"Are you awake? Clean up and eat." Qiao Huizhou saw his daughter sitting on the bed holding the cat, looking a little dazed, and couldn't help but walk up to her and pinch her slightly swollen cheek.
"good."
After dinner, Qiao Qiao opened the Big Eyes APP and saw that the top few hot search terms had already exploded.
"The harm that the gray fog does to people!"
“Environmental protection is urgent!”
"The world is ending?!"
It turns out that some experts have already publicly announced the harmful effects of gray fog on the human body.
There was panic in the entries, and even some extreme remarks appeared, but these were quickly deleted and blocked.
Only then did Qiao Qiao realize that while they were enjoying a peaceful life at home, the outside world was in chaos.
In the evening, CCTV news is extended to one hour.
“According to expert research, the source of this infectious disease is not the virus, but the gray fog in the air.
This global smog is not ordinary air pollution, and the cause of its formation is currently unknown.
According to research, the fine particles in the fog have a strong corrosive effect on human lungs, which can damage the human respiratory system and immune system at a very fast speed and intensity, causing symptoms such as difficulty breathing and lung failure.
No other transmission methods have been found for the disease except through fog. Please do not spread rumors.
How to prevent and treat the disease is still under study. Please do not go out unless necessary. If you go out, you must wear a mask, long sleeves and long pants, and do not expose your skin to the air. "
Qiao Xinghe felt a little depressed after hearing the news, "When will the gray fog end?"
"I don't remember, it shouldn't be long. This is just the appetizer, the continuous natural disasters that follow will be the real doomsday." Qiao Qiao's voice was a little low.
"well."
In the evening, Qiao Huizhou received a message that the museum was temporarily closed. She didn't need to go to work and could just stay at home to finish her work. This was a blessing in disguise.
But on the tenth day, things took a dramatic turn.
The fifteenth day of doomsday.
The gray fog has not dissipated yet, and the influence of the "doomsday theory" is growing day by day both on the Internet and in reality.
Originally only primary and secondary schools were required to attend classes, but now even college students have started to suspend classes and go home.
There are many people in various enterprises and institutions who take sick leave, although they don't know whether the harm of gray fog is real or not.
Some small factories and enterprises are also facing bankruptcy.
Many people who left their hometowns to study and work are eager to return home. It is difficult to get an air ticket, high-speed rail ticket, or train ticket. The situation is even more terrifying than the Spring Festival travel rush.
Although it is unclear whether the end of the world has really come, every family has a few elderly people who need care.
The federal departments received notices from their superiors and were all so busy that they had no time to take care of other things.
Some well-informed people are secretly acquiring supplies.
Under the influence of many factors, inflation is doubling every day, which is comparable to the inflation in Zimbabwe in 2008.
The authorities are calling for calm every day, but no corresponding measures have been introduced.
For a while, society was in turmoil and people were in panic.
Qiao Qiao lay on the sofa and watched what was happening online.
"This is crazy, isn't it? A bottle of mineral water in the supermarket costs 10 yuan? A bag of instant noodles costs 20 yuan?"
“Is inflation too serious? Doesn’t the government care?”
"I called the management department, but they seemed very busy. They just said they would investigate and verify and asked me to wait for a reply."
"Now prices are doubling every day. Which family can afford it?"
"I can't even support myself with a monthly salary of 6,000 yuan."
"You can't even afford 6,000, so what should I do with 3,000?"
"What can I do but wait to die?"
"Everyone, be careful. There have been a lot of thieves and robbers recently."
"The fog, the disease, the spoiled food, the inflation, the theft and the robbery, are we going to be able to survive?"
Just then, Qiao Xinghe's voice came from the kitchen.
"The speed at which food spoils is really accelerating." Qiao Xinghe took out a plate of sour vegetables from the refrigerator.
"Look, even though it's summer now, this dish was made last night and is still in the refrigerator. It's not like it will go bad overnight."
Qiao Huizhou and Qiao Qiao hurried forward to check and found that something had indeed happened.
Qiao Qiao suddenly remembered that someone had posted related information online before.
"The heresy may have appeared a long time ago, but it's only now that it's serious enough for us to discover it."
Neither the gray fog nor the subsequent heavy rains would cause social unrest in the short term. But if there were problems with food and water, it would be a big problem.
Fortunately, there is no time flow in the system backpack, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to find the tune even if I cried.
At this time, Qiao Xinghe received a call from the supermarket manager.
Qiao Huizhou and Qiao Qiao hurriedly checked the storage box and the planter upstairs.
Placed outside were some items and fast food products, and their packaging bags were intact and almost nothing had gone bad.
However, the plants in the planter did not look good and were very wilted, as if they had been hit by frost.
"Oh, the air purifier is always on at home, how could it still be like this?" Qiao Huizhou looked at the plants with heartache.
"Try the diluted nutrient solution produced by the system. Since it can cause food to mutate, maybe it will be useful?" Qiao Huizhou comforted.
"We can only try it." Qiao Huizhou took out the nutrient solution for flowers.
The two of them carefully added nutrient solution according to the proportion and changed the water again.
Seeing Qiao Xinghe coming out of the bedroom with a bad look on his face, the two hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
"It's very bad. The vegetables and fruits that arrived last night have already wilted overnight. The rice, flour, water and other items that have been sealed in plastic will go bad in a month at most. There is a problem with the supply of goods. The goods we can get now are less than half of what they used to be, and the cost has increased several times. Two employees resigned, and now there are only three people who are too busy to handle it."
"Otherwise, let's close the supermarket. There will definitely be chaos afterwards." Faced with the unknown situation, Qiao Qiao didn't want anything to happen to her family.
"Perhaps from the moment the gray fog appeared, it has not only been harmful to the human body, but has also accelerated food spoilage," said Qiao Huizhou.
"Let me think about it." Qiao Xinghe sighed.
Qiao Qiao no longer remembers many of these things. The scenes about the end of the world in her dreams were mostly fragments, and many of them have become blurred as time passed.
It’s not that her memory is bad, but it seems as if there is some mysterious force trying to erase it.
Two days ago, at a certain academy of sciences in the capital.
"Dean, the research results are out. The tiny particles in the gray fog will accumulate in the lungs once they enter the human body. It is expected that the lungs will be corroded and disappear in 4-20 days.
In addition, it will accelerate the deterioration of food and water and reduce soil fertility.”
A dean with gray hair and a tired face sat in the main seat. "Didn't someone draw the fertilizer? How was it after using it?"
"After using it, the soil fertility returned to normal. But among so many people, only five people got the lottery, which is a drop in the bucket."
The old dean also knew about this, but unfortunately there was nothing he could do. "Let the Academy of Agricultural Sciences continue to research fertilizers and report the situation."
Time goes back to the present.
"Hello, this is JiSu Logistics. Are you Ms. Qiao from Room 1701, Unit 1, Building 3, Zhuangyuan No. 1 Community?" Qiao Qiao received a call from the courier point.
"yes."
"It's like this. Due to the gray fog, there are not many couriers right now. You need to pay extra for the delivery of the package you received today. Or you can choose to pick it up yourself."
"How much is the shipping fee?" Qiao Qiao looked at the gray fog outside the window, which still covered the sky.
"It's 100 per trip for less than 5 items. You have more than 30 items at home, so it will cost 500 yuan."
"Sure." Although this price is far beyond the market price, her family still has tens of thousands of dollars left, so if problems can be solved with money, she should try not to go out.
"Okay, the courier will deliver it this afternoon."
The express delivery point in the new district was originally a family workshop contracted by Wang Li and her husband Liu Wei, who originally employed two sorters and one courier.
After a lot of effort, the business started to prosper, but was caught off guard by a fog. Employees resigned one after another, and now only she and her husband are struggling to keep the business going.
Now that prices have risen, I can't support my family with my original income. I have no choice but to charge delivery fees, but I have also received a lot of abuse and complaints.
"Knock knock." There was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Qiao Huizhou looked at the surveillance camera and saw that it was a resident on the 16th floor, a warm and kind old lady.
"Sorry to bother you. Are you busy now?" Grandma Wang said embarrassedly while wearing an N95 mask.
"No rush, Aunt Wang, come in, is there anything I can help you with?" Qiao Huizhou quickly closed the door and took off his gas mask.
Qiao Qiao knew Grandma Wang, who used to be a teacher at the city’s key high school. Unfortunately, she had retired when she was in high school.
"Hello, Grandma Wang."
"Qiao Qiao is back, and you're fine too." Grandma Wang took off her mask with a smile.
"My old man has quit drinking. There is a bottle of wine at home that is thirteen years old. He is still craving for it, so I thought of giving it to you." Grandma Wang took out a bottle of wine that looked very old from her arms.
"This used to be the local Daqu Bar, and it's been out of business for several years." Qiao Huizhou was a little surprised but didn't take it. Although Grandma Wang was trustworthy, she was just being too attentive for no reason. It would be better to be cautious in the current situation.
"I won't beat around the bush. This is what I mean. Xiao Qiao, I want to ask if you've been to the supermarket to buy things recently? It's so foggy outside, it's hard to get a taxi, and the buses are all crowded. If it's convenient, can I take your car?" Grandma Wang asked after taking off her mask.
"This..." Qiao Huizhou turned around and looked at the father and daughter.
"How about this, we'll discuss it and then get back to you." Qiao Xinghe said.
"Okay, I'm really sorry. If our children weren't working out of town and we couldn't drive, we wouldn't want to trouble you. Please take this bottle of wine." Grandma Wang handed over the wine.
"No, no, Aunt Wang, no one in my family likes to drink, so you should take it back. It's not a big deal, let's discuss it and I'll take you with me if we go to the supermarket." Qiao Huizhou waved his hand quickly.
"Yeah, it's just a small favor, you should take it back." Qiao Qiao also refused.
As long as they could survive the early days of the apocalypse, a bottle of good wine could be exchanged for a lot of supplies. Now that her family was no longer short of supplies, there was no need to be greedy for this little bargain.
"Thank you." Grandma Wang couldn't persuade them, so she put on her mask again and left.
"What do you think?" Qiao Huizhou looked at the father and daughter.
Qiao Qiao: "I suggest going out and taking a look..."
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