Chapter 17
Huayu Residential Community.
It was already evening, but the man being questioned cooperated fully when the police came to his door.
When the actual questioning began, the police stayed outside while Sheng An and Hao Jingye sat in the room with him.
The researcher who had made the post was named Song Linwei, and excitement was written all over his face.
Before Sheng An could begin questioning him, he blurted out impatiently:
"Have you confirmed that the apocalypse is coming? The police don't believe me, but you must be from a higher level, right?"
Sheng An's expression didn't change. Instead of answering, she asked casually, as though it were an idle question:
"You really believe that so-called Iron Man?"
Song Linwei smiled. "You keep coming back to verify my story. Doesn't that mean something abnormal has happened? If everything were normal, that post wouldn't even have caught your attention, would it?"
A post predicting the apocalypse had drawn their attention. The police didn't believe him at all, yet they had questioned him again and again.
Tonight, they had even brought people with clearly higher authority to continue the questioning. The police stayed outside while the three of them sat inside.
How could nothing be wrong?
Sheng An looked up at him.
This man was intelligent and clearheaded. Judging by all his reactions, he was fully in control of his faculties.
That meant he wasn't crazy, nor was he talking nonsense.
Sheng An set the interview notes in her hand on the table and suddenly asked, "What kind of research do you do?"
Song Linwei clearly hadn't expected that question.
After a pause, he answered honestly, "Physics-related research."
Sheng An nodded, then said, "Then you must believe in science. I'm very curious-how exactly did that Iron Man convince you to believe him?"
She leaned forward, fixing her gaze on him.
Song Linwei said, "His very existence defied science."
He pointed at his eyes. "And I saw him with my own eyes."
Sheng An neither agreed nor disagreed. She slowly sat back against the sofa, a smile on her lips.
"All right, Mr. Song. Could you tell me what the 'Iron Man' you saw looked like?"
Song Linwei's smile faded.
He frowned. "I've already told the police."
"I'd like to hear it from you myself." Sheng An's smile remained unchanged.
Song Linwei shrugged and sighed.
"All right, I'll tell it again. Yesterday morning, before I left for work, I suddenly noticed something flash past my window. I'm sensitive to that sort of thing, so I went to take a look.
"I saw Iron Man, a person who was gold all over. No, I should say a humanoid figure. He was clinging to the outside of the window, and I came face-to-face with him."
"You couldn't make out his features?" Hao Jingye pressed.
Song Linwei shook his head. "Rather than a golden person, he was more like humanoid metal. You'd know something was wrong the moment you saw him. He was very unusual."
Sheng An asked, "What did you talk about?"
Song Linwei said, "I was frightened and backed away several steps. My instinct was to grab a broom and hit him, but he suddenly spoke and said he was Iron Man..."
Sheng An's eyebrow twitched.
Hao Jingye's brow furrowed too.
"He really did look like Iron Man. Actual iron and steel. I said I was going to call the police, and he said the apocalypse was coming, so what was the point? If I had that much time on my hands, I should stock up on supplies." Song Linwei sighed.
"So you became convinced the apocalypse was coming?"
"Something that abnormal had happened, and then there's the meteorite issue. Is it wrong to suspect the world might be ending?"
"Not at all. You're very smart." Sheng An shook her head. "You could tell Iron Man was male. What about his age?"
Song Linwei shook his head. "I couldn't tell."
He sighed again and looked at Sheng An. "I've told you everything I know. That Iron Man was real. You'd all be shocked if you saw him."
"But we haven't seen him." Sheng An smiled softly, her eyes unfathomable. "Are you sure there's nothing else you want to tell us?"
Song Linwei shook his head. "Nothing."
As though something had occurred to him, he leaned forward, looking troubled. "Iron Man seemed very confident that you couldn't catch him. Can you?"
"Do you want us to catch him?" Rather than answer, Sheng An returned the question.
"Of course. I want to know more too. The apocalypse... is it really coming?"
He looked at them, pressed his lips together, and asked quietly, "So, could you tell me whether there really is going to be an apocalypse?"
His question was tentative, and he was clearly anxious.
Hao Jingye was about to shake his head.
Sheng An suddenly said, "Yes. In twenty days, meteorites will strike, the apocalypse will begin, and the entire world will suffer a devastating catastrophe."
Song Linwei's eyes widened in shock.
Hao Jingye was surprised too. He clearly hadn't expected Sheng An to tell him.
For a moment, Song Linwei lost his composure. Shock, confusion, and the despair of having his suspicions confirmed flashed across his face.
He slumped, his voice hoarse. "So it's true."
Sheng An asked, "Now that you know, what do you plan to do?"
Song Linwei shook his head, his gaze blank. "I don't know. With the apocalypse coming, what plans could I possibly make?"
He took a deep breath and licked his dry lips. "Don't worry. I'll keep it confidential."
There was nothing more to get out of him.
Sheng An stood up. "We'll be leaving, then. Mr. Song, if you hear anything else, please remember to contact us."
Song Linwei nodded and saw them out.
Hao Jingye's face was full of confusion.
The moment they stepped outside, he lowered his voice and asked, "Sheng An, why did you tell him?"
News of the apocalypse was still being kept under wraps. They shouldn't have disclosed it so casually.
With police officers beside them, Sheng An shook her head and didn't answer.
The two were then led to another household.
Sheng An raised an eyebrow. "They're in neighboring buildings?"
Hao Jingye nodded and lowered his voice. "Yes, neighboring buildings. That's what gave the reports of Iron Man sightings some credibility."
This witness was a child, and Sheng An didn't ask many questions.
"Sweetie, what did the Iron Man you saw look like?" Sheng An asked softly.
The boy thought for a moment, then pouted. "Nothing like the one on TV. He was really mean!"
"Oh? How was he mean?"
"He stole my Ultraman!" The boy was on the verge of tears.
"That was so mean of him!"
Sheng An crouched down and took an intricately made Ultraman figure out of the bag she was carrying. Smiling, she said, "Then how about I give you this Ultraman?"
The boy's eyes lit up, and he immediately took it.
He looked at Sheng An with shining eyes. "Thank you, big sister."
Sheng An stroked his head, her smile growing gentler.
"You're so sweet. Can you tell me exactly what he looked like? And what did he say to you? Tell us everything, and we'll help you find him and get your Ultraman back."
At that, the boy's eyes shone even brighter. Clutching Ultraman tightly, he nodded hard.
The boy tried very seriously to remember.
But children weren't very good at organizing their thoughts. His account jumped from one thing to another, and Sheng An and Hao Jingye pieced together the fragments-
Yesterday, the boy had been locked inside his home when he suddenly heard something outside the window.
He couldn't open the window, but he pulled back the curtains.
He saw a gleaming Iron Man.
He asked, "Who are you?"
The boy was certainly brave-he hadn't been afraid at all.
The "Iron Man" outside heard him and simply opened the window.
He suddenly jumped inside, making the boy wail in fright.
"Iron Man" ignored him and only said, "Stop crying. You're so annoying."
Then he spotted the Ultraman figure on the wall.
"Iron Man" asked the boy, "Do you believe in the light?"
The boy was already terrified and just kept bawling.
The man curled his lip, muttered something the boy couldn't make out, then left with the boy's Ultraman in his arms.
Hao Jingye pressed again. "Sweetie, are you sure you don't know what he said?"
The boy shook his head.
He had been too busy crying to remember.
Hao Jingye sighed.
Sheng An stroked the boy's head, then examined the handprint before leaving with Hao Jingye.
They walked out through the community gates.
The two said goodbye to the police and got into their own car.
Hao Jingye said, "Their accounts overlap in a lot of places, and these two don't know each other or have any contact. Although the boy's account differs a little, the key details are the same. He was telling the truth. It looks like 'Iron Man'... might be real."
"He was real all along. A metal ability user."
Sheng An started the car, her expression calm. "Keep investigating Song Linwei. Look into his living circumstances, family situation, family members, relatives, and so on. Also everyone he's had contact with over the past three days. Compile it all for me."
Hao Jingye was astonished. "You suspect him?"
He immediately sat up straight and asked urgently, "Is there something wrong with Song Linwei? But no matter how many times he's questioned, his answers are always the same. And he doesn't seem to be lying."
Sheng An telling Song Linwei about the apocalypse had already surprised Hao Jingye.
Now, hearing this, he realized her reaction to him had been different.
Sheng An smiled. "He wasn't lying, but he was definitely withholding certain things."
"Could he be that metal ability user?!" Hao Jingye ventured boldly.
Before you continue