"I don't think the timing of distributing supplies is the issue, but no one knows how long this poisonous fog will last."
"Yeah, who could possibly give you a clear answer on that?"
"Exactly. Anyway, this rice smells amazing."
"It's like you can smell it through the screen."
As video after video popped up in the group chat, the people who hadn't received their supplies yet couldn't hold back anymore.
"My god, seriously, could you all stop posting these food pictures? I'm dying of hunger over here."
"Same here. That rice looks insanely good."
"Then just don't look. You can't stop people from posting."
"But I'm bored. Scrolling through the group chat is all I have right now. What else am I supposed to do?"
"Scroll somewhere else. There's nothing important in here at the moment anyway."
The chat was buzzing. Meanwhile, the staff were still working hard, handing out supplies. But there weren't many of them to begin with, and by the time everyone in the neighborhood had received their share, the entire day had already passed.
When the volunteers finally finished, the first thing they did was each down a whole bottle of soda to get their blood sugar back up. Then they followed it up with a big piece of chocolate. Only after shaking off some of that bone-deep exhaustion did they finally sit down to eat.
After working non-stop for an entire day and night without food or water, a single bowl of rice definitely wasn't enough. Most of them started with two bowls just to fill the base. Those with bigger appetites went through three or four boxes before they felt satisfied. No one complained about how much anyone else ate though, since these supplies belonged to them. Besides, even after eating that much, there was still food left to take home. Plus, the volunteers would also receive their 'wages' for the day-and-night shift.
Looking at the pile of supplies stacked like a small mountain in front of them, everyone felt a bit emotional.
"This is seriously enough to last us for days."
"Yeah, and everything's convenient and has a long shelf life. Not bad at all."
Honestly, none of them would've even looked twice at these kinds of things in the past. But now, with the poisonous fog outside, even instant noodles had become a luxury.
"Are we finally done here? I just want to head home and bring this stuff back."
"Yeah, we've worked an entire day and night. Can we rest now?"
"Hold on. Let's wait until everyone finishes eating, then we'll go ask."
These people who'd pushed themselves through day and night collapsed into bed the moment they got home, falling into a deep sleep.
—
The next morning.
All the well-rested volunteers gathered at the entrance of the community, ready to listen to the new work assignments.
Hadn't they already finished distributing the supplies? Technically, yes. But there were still plenty of tasks left. For example, the 'cleaning' of each household couldn't be delayed any longer.
When they heard how detailed the plan for this task was, some of them felt uneasy. But the job responsibilities had been clearly explained back when they signed up to be volunteers. After a few moments of fear and hesitation, everyone calmed themselves and followed the staff to begin 'cleaning' each building, one unit at a time.
This job was incredibly tedious, with tight deadlines and heavy pressure. After only one night of rest, almost everyone found themselves back on the grind, staying up late again. It took five full days of hard work before the 'cleaning' was finally completed.
And just as they finished, the second round of supplies arrived at the community.
There was no need to store it all away. First of all, they didn't even have enough warehouse space. Second, with the poisonous fog still outside, it wasn't like anyone was going to randomly show up and steal it. The supplies were left by the gate of the community. Volunteers took shifts to stand guard even during foggy days, so if anything happened, someone would definitely hear it. Honestly, it was safer than it looked.
There were quite a few volunteers helping out, so organizing everything didn't take long. After sorting the supplies into neat categories, the community staff came by to check. Once everything was confirmed, they sent everyone home to rest.
As for tomorrow, that would be distribution day again.