Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 285 A good person?

She stopped and looked Xu Xiaoyan up and down, her face still beaming with barely suppressed joy. "Hey, little girl, what's up?"

Xu Xiaoyan turned slightly to the side, positioning herself and the older woman in a spot on the side of the road where they wouldn't be blocking the way.

Then she pointed to the smiling crowd on the street, her face showing just the right amount of confusion and curiosity.

"I just woke up and found everyone was especially happy today. Is there some great news?"

I just moved here recently and I'm not very well-informed. Could you tell me what I might have missed?

She deliberately emphasized the title "elder sister"—for a woman of this age, "elder sister" is polite, while "elder sister" is a compliment with a sense of intimacy.

This subtle adjustment in language is a social skill she learned from her past experiences.

The subtle difference in how you address someone often determines whether a stranger's first impression of you is that you are a "passerby" or "someone I could chat with."

Sure enough, the woman's smile deepened when she heard the word "sister".

That smile spread from the corners of her eyes to her entire face, and even her posture relaxed a little, as if Xu Xiaoyan's address confirmed some important self-awareness in her—

I'm not old yet; I can still chat with young people.

She shifted her body slightly toward Xu Xiaoyan, a typical body language sign of "preparing for a private conversation."

When someone wants to share "important news" with you, they will subconsciously reduce the physical distance between you, as if the information needs to be physically close to be transmitted.

"Oh, little girl, you've come to the right person!"

The woman's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement, as if she had finally found an audience to tell her all she wanted to say: "It really is great news! An incredibly wonderful thing!"

She raised her hand and pointed in a certain direction.

Xu Xiaoyan noticed that the older woman was wearing a slightly worn digital watch on her wrist. There was a crack on the dial, but the time display was still clear.

"Did you know? A kind person came to District 17! A really good person!"

When the woman said the words "kind-hearted person" and "great philanthropist," her tone was filled with an almost devout gratitude.

This made Xu Xiaoyan's heart sink slightly, because she was all too familiar with this tone; it was clearly the sound of someone being brainwashed.

Xu Xiaoyan remained attentive, nodding slightly to signal her to continue.

"That person opened something over there..." The middle-aged woman frowned, seemingly trying to recall the word.

Her brows were furrowed deeply, and her lips moved slightly, as if she were silently reciting something.

"It's called 'Life Wisdom Lecture Hall,' and there are classes every day."

They talked about how to view difficulties, how to maintain a good mindset, and how to get out of a predicament—basically, they said things that made people feel comfortable.

She clearly didn't quite understand the specific meaning of those words; in the dungeon, "comfort" was a luxury.

Most people spend their time calculating points, queuing, walking, and working. "It makes people feel comfortable," and this concept alone is enough to make many people yearn for it.

She paused, and deliberately lowered her voice.

This action reminded Xu Xiaoyan of the scenes of recruiting downlines in pyramid schemes—

Information is packaged as a scarce resource, and those who share it gain a sense of privilege as a result.

"The key is, as long as you attend the class, just four hours—only four hours—you'll get a free biscuit! It's free! No points required! It's completely free!"

When the older woman said "No points required," her voice unconsciously rose eight octaves.

Points are life itself, they're like every meal. Anything that allows you to bypass points and get food directly has a certain magical quality to it.

Dry biscuits.

Xu Xiaoyan's mind flashed back to the flyer held by the plaid-wearing man in the elevator—"Free," "Dry Biscuits," "Rare Opportunity"—so that's it.

There were other words on that flyer, but I didn't see them clearly at the time. Now that I think about it, they were probably the words for this "Life Wisdom Lecture Hall".

The woman continued, speaking faster and faster, clearly becoming more and more excited.

The change in her speaking speed led Xu Xiaoyan to conclude that this wasn't the first time she had mentioned this.

Each repetition deepened her acceptance of the matter.

This is the psychological phenomenon known as the "exposure effect," where people instinctively develop a liking for familiar things.

"Think about it, little girl, four hours, just sitting and listening to people talk, doing nothing, and you get a dry biscuit!"

I've seen those dry biscuits before; they're huge, enough for at least a meal! Isn't this like a windfall?

When the older woman said, "I don't have to do anything," the expression on her face was one of pure happiness.

As she spoke, she laughed first, "I'm going to listen later. I listened all day yesterday and got two pancakes! Where else can you find such a good deal?"

As Xu Xiaoyan listened, the smile on her face gradually froze. The older woman didn't notice this subtle change, as she was immersed in her own excitement.

You can get a dry biscuit if you listen to four hours of lectures.

Free.

No points are required, no labor is required, you just need to "sit and listen to people talk".

This scene looks so familiar.

Xu Xiaoyan recalled a documentary she had watched before, which was about a health product sales scam in a remote rural area.

The salesmen drove their vans into the village, giving away free eggs on the first day, free noodles on the second day, and free laundry detergent on the third day.

The villagers initially said the same thing: "I'm just taking some things, it doesn't cost me anything," and "I'm smart enough, they can't fool me."

and then?

Then the salespeople started giving lectures, talking about health, wellness, and "health supplements that city dwellers take."

After the lecture ended, those villagers who initially said "I will never buy it" took out their savings for retirement and bought a bunch of "miracle drugs" made of starch and pigment.

What's the difference between the salespeople's tactics and this "Life Wisdom Lecture Hall" in front of us?

The only difference is that "eggs" have been replaced with "dried biscuits," and "health supplements" have become what?

Xu Xiaoyan didn't know.

But she was almost certain that something was waiting for these people who were receiving the cakes.

No one acts of kindness for no reason, especially in a dungeon where resources are so scarce.

Those dry biscuits didn't just fall from the sky; they cost money.

Flour needs to be purchased with points, water needs to be purchased with points, and the labor required to bake the pancakes needs to be paid with points.

If any "kind-hearted person" is willing to pay this cost, they must be expecting some kind of higher return.

What would be a higher return?

Points? Power? Or something else entirely?

Xu Xiaoyan took a deep breath, not to calm herself down, but to prepare what she was about to say.

She couldn't directly say, "You've all been scammed," because that would trigger the older woman's instinctive defensiveness.

What she meant to say was "you may have been scammed," but she should change the subject to "this kind of trick" and shift the focus away from "you" so that the older woman doesn't feel accused.

"Sister," she said, trying to soften her voice, "this...sounds a bit like those old-fashioned health product sales tactics."

They'll start by offering small favors to lure you in, then slowly brainwash you until you finally pay them to buy their stuff. Don't be fooled!

She thought the older woman would pause for a moment, frown, or show a thoughtful expression. Even if it was just a brief moment of thought, it would at least mean that her words had worked.

But the woman just waved her hand dismissively and laughed even louder.

"Oh, little girl, you're overthinking it! The points are in my own account. If I don't pay, how can they steal them? I got those pancakes without spending a single penny!"

She patted her phone, as if it were proof of her wisdom.

"Don't worry, I'm a very shrewd person! What kind of scam haven't I seen? They're not going to steal my points! No way!"

"I'm just going to listen to the lecture, collect some cookies, and leave. What can they do to me?"

The older woman said the words "listen and then leave" with particular confidence.

She clearly felt that she was in control, that she was the one who was taking advantage, not the one being taken advantage of.

What she didn't know was that everyone who was deceived initially thought the same thing.

Those who design scams understand this psychology better than anyone else.

They know that when you think you're smart enough, that's precisely when you're most likely to let your guard down.

As the woman spoke, she glanced at the worn watch on her wrist. Her earlier boastfulness and pride instantly turned into anxiety and urgency.

"Oh dear, it's almost nine o'clock! I need to hurry and grab a good spot, or I'll have to sit in the back!"

She waved to Xu Xiaoyan, took two steps, then turned back and winked at her.

"Young lady, if you have time, you should go and listen to it. It's free pancakes, so why not take them!"

"In the 17th ward, near Swan Park, you'll see it as soon as you get there; it's the area with the most people!"

After saying that, she turned and walked away quickly, disappearing into the crowd.

Xu Xiaoyan stood there, watching her leave, unable to utter a single word.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something like "but," "what if," or "if," but those words stuck in her throat, and she couldn't utter a single one.

What could she say?

Saying, "Those scammers are more sophisticated than any scam you've ever seen"?

The older woman had never encountered so many scams. She lived in an environment with limited access to information, and her daily interactions consisted mainly of her neighbors and announcements from the exchange points.

Her "shrewdness" is based on limited experience, while those who design scams have the knowledge of thousands of similar cases, which is an application of psychology and behavioral science.

How could she possibly win?

Saying, "You think you can control yourself, but those lines are specifically designed to target your mindset"?

Those who give lectures know when to tell stories to move you, when to reason with you to convince you, and when to create anxiety to motivate you to take action.

You think you're listening, but you're actually being led.

You think you're thinking, but actually you're being persuaded.

Does the statement "By the time you realize you've been brainwashed, it might be too late" mean something like this?