Granting Official Posts to Apocalypse Heroes

Chapter 14

**Starting with Five Billion, but No Stockpile**

After Sheng An and Hao Jingye departed, Jiang Yu found herself unable to stall any longer as she was whisked away by Academician Zhou and his team to learn the intricacies of operating tractors and other agricultural machinery.

The members of the Doomsday Special Operations Division seemed perpetually occupied. Despite Jiang Yu's arrival just the previous day, she hadn't encountered anyone from Group A or Team 0. She didn't even manage to inquire about them from Sheng An.

The Doomsday Special Operations Division, though seemingly sparse in numbers, had an extensive reach. Jiang Yu, for instance, was integrated into the entire agricultural research system. These individuals weren't direct members of the division but were still integral to its operations. This didn't even account for the national armed forces and the information query network.

Settled on the tractor, Jiang Yu's curiosity got the better of her. "Where did the people from Group A go? And Team 0, why haven't I seen any of them?"

Academician Zhou, seated beside her with an impassive expression, replied, "Focus on driving."

Jiang Yu persisted, "Teacher Zhou, don't be so stern. It's just driving a tractor, how hard can it be—ah, ah—"

In her moment of overconfidence, she managed to steer the tractor straight into a ditch.

Jiang Yu: "..."

The surroundings soon resonated with what could only be described as the "chanting of the Tang Monk."

*

With just 20 days left until doomsday, Sheng An and Hao Jingye were inundated with tasks, balancing their responsibilities while keeping an eye on Li Wanyun. Jiang Yu no longer needed to fret much, but Li Wanyun's trials were only just beginning.

At this moment, Li Wanyun had disembarked from her plane and was making a beeline for a place to purchase food. To avoid attracting attention, she rented a large truck herself. However, unbeknownst to her, she had long been under surveillance. The truck she "rented" near the airport had already been equipped with monitoring devices.

On the screen, Li Wanyun's excitement was palpable. She was a woman of a markedly different temperament from Jiang Yu. While Jiang Yu had a more amiable disposition, Li Wanyun, despite her gentle name, exuded a fierce and murderous aura. This woman had witnessed much bloodshed in her past life.

Sheng An calmly withdrew her gaze. Beside her, Hao Jingye was scrutinizing information.

"How's it going?" Sheng An inquired, "How many suspects of heresy were there among those who posted doomsday warnings yesterday?"

Heresies didn't emerge all at once; the online information had to be screened daily. The Information Department intercepted anomalies at midnight and conducted preliminary screenings. From midnight to 8 a.m., they performed background checks, which constituted the second round of screening. After these two rounds, there were few left for them to review.

"There were over 200 posts related to doomsday yesterday. After the Information Department's screening, there are nine suspects," Hao Jingye promptly replied.

Nine wasn't many, considering they were just suspects. The Information Department was thorough, and as long as someone couldn't be completely ruled out, they would be handed over to them. Most of the time, none of them turned out to be heretics.

Sheng An asked, "Any anomalies?"

Hao Jingye adjusted his glasses and summarized—

"There are two particularly strange posts. One was made in an internet cafe in Dong'an District yesterday, predicting doomsday precisely in 21 days." Given the news about the meteorite, although the world remained relatively stable, various messages kept surfacing. Many posts speculated about the apocalypse, but most could be dismissed as non-heretical after screening. However, someone pinpointing the exact time... that was indeed suspicious. This person was a suspect.

"The other post is even stranger. The poster claimed to have seen Iron Man in their community, and Iron Man told him that doomsday was imminent and to stock up quickly." As he spoke, Hao Jingye's expression grew peculiar. Perhaps it was because doomsday was approaching, and as Sheng An's assistant, he had to deal with all sorts of bizarre information daily. But today's case was still beyond words.

Sheng An nodded, maintaining her composure, "What drew your attention to this post?"

"First, the background check on the poster. The poster is a rational scientific researcher. He suddenly began stockpiling supplies yesterday and was adamant that he had seen 'Iron Man.' The police interrogated him, and although his words seemed nonsensical, they didn't appear to be lies," Hao Jingye said seriously.

Sheng An understood. This indicated that regardless of the truth, the scientifically-minded poster genuinely believed he had seen 'Iron Man.'

"If it's true, it might be a superhuman," Sheng An concluded. Iron Man? A metal-based superhuman? Sheng An's expression shifted slightly. Hao Jingye naturally thought of this as well.

Sheng An asked, "What's the second suspicion?"

Hao Jingye continued, "In the same community, last night, a resident reported a home invasion that had affected their child."

Sheng An looked at him in confusion.

"The family had gone out, leaving only the child at home. They had closed and locked all the doors and windows, but when they returned, the child was found lying near the open window."

"The child opened it?" Sheng An asked.

"No, the child couldn't reach the window's height. Moreover, after inspection, it was confirmed that the window was indeed opened from the outside. There was a fingerprintless handprint on the outer windowsill."

Hao Jingye took a deep breath and said slowly, "The family lives on the 21st floor of a 32-story building. It's difficult to reach their window from above or below. Additionally, the child claimed to have seen 'Iron Man.'"

Two people in the same community claimed to have seen 'Iron Man'? And a fingerprintless handprint on the 21st-floor window? It seemed highly suspicious.

"Is there any surveillance footage?"

Hao Jingye shook his head, "No surveillance footage has been captured so far."

Sheng An frowned. That meant there was no direct evidence.

She seemed to think of something and asked, "What did the family report as stolen?"

Hao Jingye's expression turned strange. "They reported the theft of... a few Ultraman figurines belonging to the child. According to the child, 'Iron Man' asked if he believed in light and then took his figurines."

What? Sheng An: "???"

Even someone as composed as her had a strange expression, her mouth twitching in speechlessness. If everything was true, then this was an 'Iron Man who believes in light'?

After a long silence, Sheng An suddenly said, "Investigate the first person further. Let's first contact the poster predicting doomsday in 21 days." She wasn't very keen on investigating the second one.

Hao Jingye was about to speak when a message popped up on his phone. He glanced at it and looked at Sheng An with a complex expression, "Sister Sheng... Team Leader Qiu and the others have already gone to monitor the first one."

That meant only the second heretic was left for them to investigate. The 'Iron Man who believes in light.' Sheng An fell silent.

*

In the northeast, after traversing mountains and rivers, Li Wanyun finally reached her destination. The amount of supplies she needed to stockpile was enormous, so she couldn't buy them at some wholesale market, nor could she order takeout or shop online. It was inconvenient and more expensive. She prided herself on being smart and had thought of the best solution—stockpiling directly from the source! At the most favorable price, she could stockpile the most supplies. Once doomsday arrived, what would she have to fear?

However, Li Wanyun exclaimed, "What? No food for sale?!" She raised her voice in disbelief, "How can there be no food?! Rice? Flour? Sorghum? Corn? None of them?"

What a joke! She had traveled so far to buy food, and there was none?

The private farm owner she had approached nonchalantly picked his ear and said calmly, "No, it's all been bought."

"Who bought it? It's all sold?" Li Wanyun took a step forward.

"Yes," the owner waved his hand, "the granaries have been emptied. There's nothing left."

Li Wanyun gasped. She urgently asked, "Owner, where can I buy food now?"

"If you need a small amount, supermarkets and wholesale markets can do. If you need a large amount, there's no way. All the food has been bought," the owner didn't want to deal with her anymore and waved her off, turning to leave.

Li Wanyun's breathing quickened, but she had no choice but to leave. She visited several private farms, state-owned farms, and even went to intermediaries and rural households. However, she got the same answer—no, food, available.

Li Wanyun was bewildered. She didn't understand, "Why? Who bought all the food?!"

Finally, someone answered her—"The Grain Bureau. All the food in the country is allocated by the Grain Bureau. The food distributed to local supermarkets and intermediaries is all from the Grain Bureau."

Li Wanyun: "..."

She was decisive and, seeing this, gritted her teeth and headed straight to various breeding and slaughterhouses. If she couldn't buy large quantities of food directly, she would buy meat first! So, she immediately bought a plane ticket and left.

However—Li Wanyun jumped up, "What?! To purchase more than a ton of meat, I need to get a permit from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau?!"