Heretic

"Shi Xiao had never imagined that she would wake up and find herself back before the apocalypse, before any of it had happened!

"In her previous life, her parents had died at the very start of the apocalypse. The fiancé she had thought would stand by her had long since been sleeping with her cousin! They betrayed her, tortured her for three whole years, and finally pushed her into a horde of zombies, ending her life..."

Hao Jingye read the novel aloud in a solemn, measured voice-

"As though remembering something, Shi Xiao dug out the bracelet her fiancé had stolen in her previous life and given to her cousin. She cut her finger and dripped blood onto it...

"Sure enough, the ancestral jade bracelet on her wrist contained a pocket dimension, complete with mountains and rivers. It was vast beyond measure, practically another world!"

"The jade bracelet vanished, leaving a faint mark on her wrist. Remembering her cousin's 'Spatial Superpower' in her previous life, Shi Xiao gritted her teeth. This time, she would definitely..."

Sheng An raised a hand to stop him.

She spat out a cherry pit and popped another cherry into her mouth, her voice muffled.

"Give me the short version. This is giving me a headache."

Making someone like her sit here and patiently listen to a novel really was asking a lot.

Hao Jingye quickly flipped through the rest and summarized.

"Later, Shi Xiao took vicious revenge on her ex-boyfriend and her homewrecking cousin. Her cousin lived in misery and was eventually thrown into a zombie horde, where she died horribly. Her ex-boyfriend was consumed by regret and anguish, and he met an equally gruesome end.

"Meanwhile, Shi Xiao met the handsome male lead, a Superpower Person. In the ending, they went into seclusion together. With her pocket dimension, they never lacked food or drink, loved each other for the rest of their lives, and even had a child."

Sheng An: "..."

For a moment, a complicated expression crossed her face. After a long pause, she asked, "And then?"

Hao Jingye looked up blankly. "That's it."

Sheng An: "?"

Hao Jingye glanced at her expression and ventured, "Sister Sheng... you don't like it?"

The corner of Sheng An's mouth twitched. Then she abruptly turned serious.

"Don't read this lovey-dovey stuff. It's unhealthy."

Hao Jingye paused before cautiously saying, "This site is squeaky-clean. Explicit content isn't allowed. It seems pretty healthy to me?"

Sheng An smiled faintly. "I meant it's bad for my mental health."

She had been reborn, and the apocalypse had arrived.

She had a pocket dimension with mountains and rivers, practically another world—a vast space that could even transform a Scorched Earth World... Yet its owner still spent every day caught up in love and hate, with nothing else on her mind.

For someone with Sheng An's temperament, it was enough to make her head hurt.

Sheng An bit hard into a cherry and struggled to remain seated and patient.

At that, Hao Jingye silently searched for something else.

Then his eyes lit up. "This one is from another site. An apocalypse rebirth novel focused on building something!"

Sheng An perked up a little. She spat out the cherry pit and kept eating.

"Tell me what it's about."

Hao Jingye skimmed rapidly.

"Xu Qingqing was reborn. In her previous life, the apocalypse had instantly reduced her from a rich heiress to an ordinary person at the very bottom of society. The figures in her bank account evaporated into nothing. Houses, cars, companies-none of them had any value anymore...

"She swore to stockpile supplies like mad and never let herself go hungry!"

"Just then, Xu Qingqing suddenly discovered that she had gained a special advantage-a pocket dimension.

"After selling her cars and houses, Xu Qingqing had ten billion yuan. She began stockpiling supplies in massive quantities... Rice, flour, grain, cooking oil-she would turn all ten billion into supplies so she could live comfortably even during the apocalypse..."

Sheng An stopped midbite and looked at Hao Jingye with a strange expression. "Stockpiling?"

Hao Jingye nodded earnestly.

"Yes, a stockpiling rebirth novel. They're very popular on this site. Most of the early chapters are about stocking up, buying everything in sight.

"Later, the apocalypse arrives and the world falls into chaos. The female lead never lacks food or drink. She lives in seclusion in the mountains and occasionally visits human settlements to put supporting characters in their place. She has a very comfortable life."

Sheng An frowned deeply. "What about the country? The government? The military?"

How could someone buy ten billion yuan's worth of supplies in one go without attracting attention?

Hao Jingye thought it over and explained, "When disaster strikes, the country falls into chaos and order collapses. That's why it's called the apocalypse?"

In other words, none of them served any purpose anymore.

Sheng An: "..."

She fell silent for a moment, then asked, "What about the ten billion yuan's worth of supplies in her pocket dimension?"

Hao Jingye said, "The female lead eats and drinks her fill, and the rest is still sitting in her pocket dimension at the end?"

Sheng An stared at him without expression.

She did not need to say anything. Hao Jingye already understood.

That was ten billion yuan's worth of supplies!

If Sheng An had them, even in a world that chaotic, they would be enough for her to unite the whole world.

It was just a novel. Enjoying it was all that mattered.

But Sheng An was a public servant, and this was not the kind of apocalypse rebirth novel she wanted to learn about.

Sheng An said, "Find another one."

After a pause, she added, "On another site."

Hao Jingye nodded and soon pulled up another novel.

"When the apocalypse arrives, Zhang Aotian awakens a powerful dark ability. He puts everyone who looked down on him in their place, rising step by step from a nobody into an apocalypse overlord. He gathers followers, builds a harem, claims the entire apocalyptic world, and becomes..."

Sheng An could not even stomach her cherries anymore. She tossed the paper bag behind her, pushed open the car door, and got out.

She looked about twenty-five, with a slender build and a height of roughly five feet seven. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she wore no makeup. Her features were delicate, but her complexion was not the pale, soft look currently in fashion. Instead, it had a healthy wheat-colored glow.

Dressed in a simple outdoor jacket, she strode like the wind, her presence commanding. A sweep of her beautiful, phoenix-shaped eyes carried an unmistakable sharpness.

Hao Jingye put away his laptop, tablet, and assorted documents, then hurried after her.

"Sister Sheng, aren't you going to keep learning about rebirth?" Hao Jingye asked in a lowered voice.

He was no younger than Sheng An, but the respectful familiarity with which he addressed her came naturally.

Sheng An said, "No more rebirth novels. Let's get straight to the point."

Hao Jingye's expression sobered, his gaze instantly turning focused.

The two quickly reached the foot of a building in a residential complex.

Hao Jingye reported quietly, "Jiang Yu lives in Building Three of Jiaqing Bay. Yesterday, we received a report from residents of the complex. Starting five days ago, Jiang Yu began behaving very unusually. First, she replaced her windows, installed an extremely thick security door, and bought an iron-bar gate...

"There have also been several other unusual incidents involving her. She is strongly suspected of being a heretic."

Heretics were people who exhibited supernatural phenomena.

Sheng An asked, "Is this the fifth?"

Hao Jingye nodded.

Their newly established Doomsday Special Affairs Office was indeed an unusual department, with the highest level of authorization.

It was also destined to deal with heretics.

Sheng An said, "Come on. Let's talk to the people who filed the report first."

Jiaqing Bay was an old residential complex, but its landscaping was well maintained. The neighborhood aunties often gathered to bask in the sun or enjoy the shade.

The complainants were two of those aunties.

Hao Jingye took out identification showing him as a police officer.

When dealing with ordinary citizens, the identity of an ordinary police officer worked best.

Sure enough, the aunties, who had been looking them over curiously, compared him with the photograph on his ID and immediately became friendly.

Sheng An smiled and asked,

"Could we ask you two aunties a few questions?"

"Of course. It's our duty to cooperate with the state!" one of the aunties replied.

Sheng An asked, "Do you both remember the young woman in Building Three who installed the iron door?"

Meanwhile, upstairs.

Jiang Yu was taking inventory of her belongings.

After returning to the past, the first thing she had done was break up with her scumbag boyfriend.

When he left, however, he secretly took her ancestral jade bracelet. Jiang Yu sensed that something was wrong and got it back.

Sure enough, the bracelet contained a pocket dimension!

Jiang Yu had first been overjoyed, then clutched her wrist and burst into tears.

So the pocket dimension really was hers.

Everything Chen Jiaojiao had enjoyed through that pocket dimension in her previous life had come from her!

Their happiness had been built on her blood and bones.

"Heaven really is fair. It gave me a chance to start over, to take revenge on that scumbag, and enough time to stockpile supplies so I won't end up as miserable as I did in my previous life..."

Who could have imagined it?

In twenty-one days, this perfectly normal world would become an apocalypse.

Fortunately, she had been reborn. She would never meet the same fate as before.

Thinking of her previous life, Jiang Yu shuddered.

Fortunately, she still had twenty-one days-but she also had only twenty-one days to prepare.

The first thing Jiang Yu had done to prepare for the apocalypse was replace her windows and door.

In her previous life, their residential complex had been a survival zone and had remained standing when disaster struck.

She had not replaced the doors and windows so she could live there, but because she did not want anyone damaging the home her parents had left her.

For that reason, she had also bought an iron-bar gate.

Once the apocalypse arrived, she would install it in the hallway and keep everyone away from her home.

She was waiting until the apocalypse to install it precisely because she did not want to attract attention.

If she only replaced her windows and door, no one would care.

These days, who paid attention to other people's business?

Downstairs.

Sheng An and Hao Jingye listened attentively as Auntie Zhang and Auntie Wu spoke with excitement.

A group of elderly men and women happened to return from dancing.

One of them asked, "Zhang, Wu, what are you talking about?"

Auntie Zhang answered before anyone else could. "These two are police officers. We're talking about Apartment 605 in Building Three!"

The elderly men and women immediately perked up and crowded over.

Retirement meant finding ways to entertain themselves. Especially for people of their generation, this was not called gossiping-it was called being helpful.

"That young woman?"

"Oh my, she used to be perfectly fine. Who knows what's gotten into her lately? Her personality suddenly changed, and she even broke up with her boyfriend."

"That's because her boyfriend cheated."

"How do you know?"

"A man and a woman came to argue with her a few days ago. I overheard them. It seemed to involve some bracelet, too."

"She is pretty strange. She even replaced all her doors and windows. Is she trying to keep that man and woman out? Even then, surely she didn't need anything that good or that expensive?"

"Did she order them from the building supplies market up front?"

"Yes, from Zhao's shop."

Old Man Zhao said, "She didn't just replace her doors and windows. She also ordered an iron-bar gate sized to fit our hallway. She wanted the sturdiest kind, something that could withstand a bomb. My nephew didn't have one in his shop, so he had to order it from a manufacturer. Even they thought her requirements were strange."

"Could she have heard some apocalypse rumors online?"

"Very possible. Young people are pretty strange these days."

Upstairs.

Thinking of her pocket dimension, Jiang Yu grew excited again.

Having a pocket dimension was incredibly convenient!

Take that iron-bar gate, for instance. It was heavy and thick. She had the delivery workers leave it in a basement without surveillance cameras, then stored it in her pocket dimension the moment no one was watching, without the slightest effort.

Jiang Yu even thought that if she suddenly encountered danger, she could release the iron gate and crush someone to death.

This really was an indispensable cheat, at home or on the road!

And as long as she used it carefully, who could possibly know she had a pocket dimension?

Downstairs.

"Then why hasn't she installed the iron gate?"

"Who knows? I haven't even seen it."

Auntie Zhang leaned toward Sheng An and lowered her voice.

"The people from the building supplies market delivered it to the basement. It took several of them just to carry it. Something that big and heavy disappeared without anyone seeing the young woman move it. Very strange."

Sheng An's gaze flickered, and one eyebrow rose.

Upstairs.

Jiang Yu looked at the supplies inside her pocket dimension.

Shopping was convenient these days. She placed orders online and had delivery riders bring them to her home, then immediately stored everything in her pocket dimension once they left.

By ordering from several different shops, she could quietly stockpile supplies without drawing attention.

Jiang Yu smiled. "Thank goodness I have this pocket dimension. Otherwise, where would I put all these supplies? They wouldn't fit at home, and they'd attract attention. The pocket dimension really is best. If anything unexpected happens, I can just dust off my hands and leave..."

She had seen firsthand what happened in her previous life to people who lacked strength but carried large quantities of supplies.

When the time came to go somewhere else, she would only need to carry a backpack.

She would attract no attention, while her pocket dimension could meet all her needs.

And who could possibly know how many supplies she actually had?

Downstairs.

Another elderly man sidled up to the "police officer," Sheng An, and said in a shocked voice:

"Officer, you have no idea how much that girl bought. Just yesterday, she bought 135 bags of rice, all of them fifty-jin bags!"

The older woman in dance clothes chimed in:

"Yes, yes, I saw it too. Several delivery guys took turns hauling things for her. They really put that cart to work!"

"She also bought 120 bags of flour yesterday, five cases of salt, five cases of sugar, and..."

"Old Chen delivered a hundred jugs of water to her alone!"

"Who buys things like that? How could she ever use it all?"

"There can't even be room for all that in her apartment, can there?"

Upstairs.

Jiang Yu said, "What, is someone going to crawl into my space and count everything?"

Downstairs.

Mrs. Zhang said, "I counted every bit of it. Altogether, she bought 160 bags of rice, 120 bags of flour, a hundred packets of salt, a hundred packets of sugar, plus star anise and other spices totaling..."

Upstairs.

Jiang Yu said, "Even if the apocalypse comes, no one will suspect me."

Downstairs.

Mrs. Wu said, "Officer, we suspect she's a spy!"