Countdown to the apocalypse!

After finishing their questions, Sheng An and Hao Jingye found a quiet spot in the residential complex and sat down.

Sheng An held an unlit cigarette between her fingertips, her brow slightly furrowed as she sank into thought.

Meanwhile, Hao Jingye tapped away on his computer.

A moment later, he pressed his dry lips together, a complicated expression on his face.

Sheng An looked at him. "Go ahead."

He was a specialist, and now that he had the necessary clearance, he could uncover whatever he wanted to know in next to no time.

Hao Jingye said, "The surveillance footage confirms the report. Jiang Yu also bought a lot of supplies at an outside wholesale market. She disappeared into places without camera coverage carrying bags of all sizes, then came back out empty-handed."

It was the kind of behavior that seemed safe but was actually extremely dangerous.

Buying things from shops in a wholesale market, ducking into an alley, then emerging less than ten minutes later with everything gone...

How could that not look suspicious?

Sheng An nodded.

Hao Jingye continued, "Aside from that, after the iron bars were put in the basement, no one carried them out, and no trucks came or went. Jiang Yu was the only person who entered the basement, once, in the early hours of yesterday morning."

Hao Jingye took a deep breath. "Jiang Yu: an Aberrant who may know the apocalypse is coming."

Sheng An calmly summed it up. "Someone reborn with a storage space."

Those novels they had read hadn't been for nothing. Both understood immediately.

Hao Jingye's breathing quickened.

He looked at Sheng An, his eyes filled with tension and unease.

Sheng An put the cigarette back in its pack and smiled.

"Come on, Hao. Haven't we known for a while that the apocalypse is coming? Why do you still look like you can't accept it?"

Her tone was teasing, but she understood how he felt.

Hao Jingye was an exceptionally rare talent, assigned to her as an assistant by the higher-ups. He had only just reported for duty at their Doomsday Special Affairs Office.

Accepting information and accepting reality were two different things.

Even Sheng An herself still felt dazed from time to time.

She recalled what she knew.

Six months ago, scientists had detected the trajectories of a cluster of meteorites. Their calculations showed that they posed no threat to Blue Star.

But three months ago, those meteorites had changed course.

The news shook the entire world. Everyone was watching, and scientists worked day and night, calculating and monitoring.

Every major social media platform was full of discussions about the meteorites.

But no one thought they would really have much of an impact...

Until nine days ago, when the government discovered the first "Aberrant."

He was a Superpower Person who could release water. In the middle of the night, water suddenly began pouring from his body, soaking his bed.

Thinking he was ill, the Superpower Person called an ambulance.

That was how the government discovered him.

Of course, the news had been suppressed to avoid causing panic.

That Superpower Person surprised the government, but the second Aberrant they discovered terrified them...

He was someone who had been reborn.

According to him, he had returned from the apocalypse.

When the meteorites struck, ninety percent of the world's population died instantly, and he had been one of them.

His proof was that he had "predicted" the assassination of a country's leader a few days later, as well as a sudden earthquake in one city and an unexpected car crash in the Capital City.

That immediately drew the government's utmost attention.

The emergence of the third and fourth Aberrants prompted the government to begin emergency preparations.

The third Aberrant was a Superpower Person who could release fire.

The fourth Aberrant was someone within the government, also a Superpower Person: Qiu Yu.

Four Aberrants, combined with the scientists' conclusions about the meteorite impact...

Beneath the surface of a country that still seemed bustling and peaceful, upheaval began. The higher-ups drew up disaster response plans and issued top-level directives across the country.

At the same time, they secretly established the Doomsday Special Affairs Office.

It was responsible for managing Aberrants, answered directly to the national government, and held the highest level of authority.

Sheng An was one of its leaders.

Their organization's purpose was to bring these Aberrants together. They were destined to fight on the front lines against the apocalypse.

No matter what the novels said, no matter how the world changed.

As long as the government remained, it would do everything in its power to maintain order.

Even if the apocalypse came.

Besides, they already knew in advance, didn't they?

Hao Jingye quickly pulled himself together and looked at Sheng An.

"Jiang Yu isn't an ordinary Aberrant. She's a reborn person, exactly the kind we urgently need to make contact with. Wu Zhi was reborn too, but he's still only a single source of information.

"The higher-ups have begun putting plans in place, but they aren't one hundred percent convinced yet. Jiang Yu's appearance is important."

Sheng An nodded. "Yes, Jiang Yu is important. Wu Zhi died on the very first day of the apocalypse in his previous life. If Jiang Yu came back from a later point in the apocalypse, her information will be crucial."

And according to Wu Zhi, they had only twenty-one days left.

Twenty-one days was enough to stockpile supplies.

But it left them desperately short of time to prepare a disaster response for the apocalypse.

Hao Jingye's expression turned serious. "Should we arrest Jiang Yu immediately?"

They had no time to waste on the Aberrants.

Extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures. Arresting them, interrogating them, and obtaining information was what mattered.

Everything outside still looked peaceful, but the entire government was already in motion.

Otherwise, someone like Sheng An would never have appeared here.

She only ever carried out the country's most highly classified and critical missions.

Sheng An looked at him, her eyes lifting slightly at the corners, amusement in her voice.

"Come on, Hao. Why use the word 'arrest'? Jiang Yu is your future colleague, a member of our Doomsday Special Affairs Office. Be friendly."

Hao Jingye stared at her blankly.

We aren't arresting her?

Sheng An said, "Report to Old Zhang first."

Hao Jingye hurriedly nodded.

"Old Zhang" was their superior. Only Sheng An dared call him that; everyone else had to address him respectfully.

That's Sister Sheng for you.

Everything Sister Sheng says is right. She thinks things through far more thoroughly than I do.

Take Jiang Yu, for example. Sister Sheng has every reason to tell me to be friendly. After all...

Sheng An said, "Call in more people and secure Jiaqing Bay, especially Building Three. She's been reborn and has a storage space, so we need to guard against any other tricks she might have. Make sure everyone brings enough weapons, and bring some anesthetics too. If she won't cooperate, we'll have to insist she come with us."

She stood up and smiled. "Let's go have a chat with Ms. Jiang Yu."

Hao Jingye: "???"

Friendly?

Friendly... with weapons and anesthetics?

She really was the same Sheng An as ever!