Chapter 20: A New Apocalypse

Chapter 20: A New Apocalypse

"What a fine world, why so many disasters and hardships?!"

"It's relentless, not even giving people a chance to catch their breath."

Sheng Qingquan sighed and flipped through the pages.

"Strange, why does the beginning feel so calm?"

"Wait, no, it can't be called calm, the plot is still quite tumultuous. But, it doesn't seem like an apocalyptic story at all."

However, this time, Sheng Qingquan didn't doubt the Golden Finger's accuracy.

On the contrary, the more he read, the more he had a bad premonition. It felt like the eerie calm before a storm.

The staff's hearts also clenched.

At this point, they couldn't afford to be careless.

Last time was the same, the early plot had no connection to the apocalypse, and the protagonist's experiences made people think they had clicked on a steamy story.

But in the middle and later stages, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, leading to the brink of human extinction.

Although it didn't actually happen in the end, thanks to swift intervention, not only did humanity not suffer, but they even reaped immense benefits.

But they still couldn't afford to be careless.

After all, even the slightest oversight could lead to consequences they couldn't bear.

"The protagonist is a Ph.D. student in agriculture, just about to achieve results when her research materials were plucked and eaten. By the time she discovered it, only the fruit skins remained."

"Ouch, that's brutal!"

Sheng Qingquan gasped.

"Let me see what this poor soul's name is."

The name hadn't been mentioned directly before, so Sheng Qingquan read a bit further and finally saw the protagonist's full name.

"Yu Jiaojiao."

Who is this voice referring to? Me?

Yu Jiaojiao had been staying on campus recently and had only come back to grab something, never expecting to hear her name.

Research materials, plucked, eaten, Yu Jiaojiao.

This is the worst nightmare for someone studying agriculture. Picking up on these key words, realizing someone was about to ruin her graduation thesis, a fierce expression immediately crossed Yu Jiaojiao's beautiful face.

Who?

Who would want to do this?

She had toiled so hard growing oranges, spending all her time tending to the orange trees, grafting and fertilizing, climbing up and down every day to check for pests, deciding if it was time to spray.

During the flowering period, she was even more vigilant, wary of every insect that came to pollinate, afraid of accidental cross-breeding with the wrong species.

Under the blazing sun, she thinned the flowers and fruits, worried that too many fruits would affect their development later on.

After all the effort of nurturing the fruit to grow larger and ensuring the mutation went as planned, everything seemed perfect. Just as the fruit was entering the ripening stage, this had to happen, didn't it?

Alright, alright!

Yu Jiaojiao clenched the documents she had just found, making them creak under her grip, then quickly released her hold and placed them on the shoe cabinet. She wasn’t in a hurry to leave anymore; she wanted to find out who could be so cruel!

"That name sounds familiar. Isn't that the lady from the third floor? Especially since the surname Yu is so uncommon, you remember it after just one glance."

"Now I see, everyone in this building is extraordinary. It turns out, everyone here is a main character!"

Sheng Qingquan felt he had stumbled upon something significant.

The staff had picked up on this too.

Originally, to protect Sheng Qingquan and to avoid disrupting the lives of others, it was decided to relocate all nearby residents.

Only Ning Luoxing, his husband, and Officer Jiang were aware. They feared that the sudden absence of familiar faces would make Sheng Qingquan suspicious, so they were the only ones left behind.

But as they started planning these relocations, everyone suddenly realized something.

Up to now, two novels had emerged, and the protagonists of both were Sheng Qingquan's neighbors.

The odds of this happening were just too high.

Once could be a coincidence, but twice makes you wonder. So, the planned relocations were temporarily halted.

Now, with the emergence of the third novel, as expected, the protagonist is still a neighbor in Sheng Qingquan's building.

This clear concentration of protagonists made the staff view everyone in the building differently.

From the regular old lady who enjoys square dancing to the little kid who jumps around and loves lollipops, anyone could be the main character in a doomsday story.

Clearly, after this information was reported, not only would relocations be stopped, but even if someone couldn't pay the rent and chose to move out, the authorities would be willing to cover the rent.

With enough contribution, the authorities might even purchase the house and gift it to them.

Not only would they be prevented from moving, but officials would also come to discuss the issue of disturbances caused by living there.

Once they understood the situation, everyone would do their best to cooperate when necessary.

"Same name. The protagonist is a doctoral student at Yunteng Agricultural University, and so is the lady on the third floor. The protagonist's research direction is oranges, and although we don’t know what Miss Yu on the third floor is researching, with such a rare name, the likelihood of two people with the same name in one school should be low, right?"

Sheng Qingquan was still unsure, but Yu Jiaojiao, as the person involved, sneered.

She knew better than anyone that the Yu Jiaojiao mentioned by the other party could be no one else but her.

Because there is no second Yu Jiaojiao growing oranges at Yunteng Agricultural University. Not even a Yu Jiaojiao, let alone a Yu Jiaojiao!

Don’t let her find out who wanted to steal and eat the fruit.

Once she finds out, she will buy a basket of sour oranges and make them swallow every bit, skin and seeds included!

"What? It’s outrageous. The old lady who secretly took all the fruit from Yu Jiaojiao's mutated orange tree while she was away is actually the mother of Yu Jiaojiao's boyfriend!"

"That old lady knew those fruits were crucial for Yu Jiaojiao's graduation, and she did it on purpose."

"Her reason was that her son and Yu Jiaojiao are of marriageable age, and her son had proposed several times without success. The old lady thought Yu Jiaojiao was playing hard to get. Her son is handsome, well-built, and a top student. She felt her son was at a disadvantage by being with Yu Jiaojiao."

"Yet, Yu Jiaojiao kept taking advantage without agreeing to marry him."

"She thinks that Yu Jiaojiao is already like this before even finishing her studies, what would she be like after graduating? She'd be too big for her britches."

"This girl has her sights set too high. The old lady figured that by picking the fruits, she could sabotage Yu Jiaojiao's graduation. Then her son could chime in, pushing the idea of settling down before focusing on a career. Isn't it said that if your career isn't going well, love will make up for it? The same goes for studies—one has to rise in one aspect."

"Then the marriage would be settled."

"How could someone be so vile?"

A stream of curses ran through Sheng Qingquan's mind.

"I thought the old lady was just senile, unaware of the tree's importance, and stealing the fruit out of greed. After all, there have been similar news stories before."

"I didn’t expect it to be like this—how vile!"

"If the phoenix won't land, they clip its wings to turn it into a chicken, so they can keep it caged, right?"

"Wait, how would an old lady know that picking the fruits would ruin Yu Jiaojiao's graduation?"

"Could it be..."

Sheng Qingquan suddenly had a bad premonition.

There was no doubt—it was definitely him. Yu Jiaojiao gritted her teeth.

Without her ex-boyfriend's help, that old woman wouldn’t even know where the fruit tree experimental area was. Let alone accurately pick the fruits from the tree she used for her thesis among so many trees.

She had no idea when they made their move. Could it be happening right now?

The experimental area is quite far, and she worried it might be too late to get there in time. Though unsure how the speaker knew, Yu Jiaojiao wanted to hear more to avoid missing details.

Thinking of this, Yu Jiaojiao quickly took out her phone and called her best friend, asking her to go and guard the fruit tree.

After explaining and getting her best friend on board, Yu Jiaojiao hung up.

Coincidentally, her ex-boyfriend—long dead to her—texted asking when she’d be back.

Yu Jiaojiao ignored it, looking at the constantly jumping avatar, she impatiently put away her phone.

She must have been blind to end up with someone like him.

Fortunately, she was busy with her thesis before, dizzy every day, thinking of graduating first, now there’s no time for a wedding, so she never agreed to the proposal.

Thank God she got a chance to escape that mess!

Still, Yu Jiaojiao didn’t want to accuse him unfairly. So she planned to listen to everything, then verify one by one.

"Luckily, Yu Jiaojiao isn’t the type to back down—she broke up with him and called the police right away."

"But it’s still maddening. The police couldn’t act because the damages were too minor to warrant a case."

"Though, as a new orange variety, if successfully developed and mass-produced, it could be worth a fortune. But for now, it’s just one tree of oranges gone."

"Oranges don’t cost much per pound. And her tree bore fruit for the first time this year—it’s said to be a tree of oranges, but actually only eight fruits. That’s about four pounds. Four pounds of oranges only cost about ten yuan."

"Even at higher prices, it’s only around twenty yuan—hardly enough for more than a slap on the wrist. The old lady is shameless and unfazed."

Sheng Qingquan was livid. The old lady ruined someone’s hard work and got off scot-free. And Yu Jiaojiao has to delay her graduation.

It’s hard for anyone to stomach, let alone Yu Jiaojiao.

If this were true, Yu Jiaojiao would be shaking with rage.

She had been growing these oranges for several years, planting three batches in total, and out of all of them, only this one tree had successfully mutated.

While the fruit tasted just like regular sweet oranges, it had a more fragrant aroma.

But the fruit's flesh was a rare pink.

Even without considering its scientific value, just the color alone, if further studied to ensure the variety's stability, it could be mass-produced and marketed.

With just the seed patent, she could rake in a fortune.

These were pink oranges! With such a unique feature, even if they tasted like regular sweet oranges or were slightly worse, people would still buy them.

Whether out of curiosity, to try something new, or for high-end venues to use in fruit platters, or even as gift boxes or baskets, there would be no shortage of buyers.

Just like white strawberries, even if they don't taste as good as cream strawberries and are ridiculously expensive, people still shell out for them.

Plus, the color pink instantly conjures up images of youth and love.

With the right marketing, it could become a Valentine's Day staple, a must-have for confessions, just like roses.

Even if she left this field later, she could live off this for life.

The more Yu Jiaojiao thought about it, the more her heart sank. This wasn't just her diploma; this was cash! Big bucks!

Though she definitely wouldn't leave this field, who'd ever complain about too much money?

Especially since scientific research always needs funding.

What really ticked her off was that the fruit tree's traits were still unstable. This batch happened to be pink, but next year's might not be.

In other words, if this batch were ruined, delaying her graduation would be the best outcome. If luck wasn't on her side, she might have to pick new research materials and start from scratch.

Just thinking about it made her blood boil.

Just as Yu Jiaojiao was gearing up for action, Sheng Qingquan had already caught wind of the new twist.

"Her boyfriend did it on purpose. But it wasn't just because the proposal flopped and he wanted to vent."

So what was the reason?

Not just Yu Jiaojiao, but even the staff, hearing such an infuriating twist, couldn't help but feel outraged and curious.

"A top industry research institute is recruiting. Once Yu Jiaojiao's thesis is submitted, she's likely to be chosen."

"Her boyfriend thinks that while Yu Jiaojiao is top-notch, he's not far behind. Among this batch of students, they're the standouts. And he heard the professor is already planning to recommend Yu Jiaojiao to the big shot."

"He's got to take her out!"

"He figures that without Yu Jiaojiao, the spot is his for sure."

"He told his mom, and she figured that since they'd be family soon, such a great opportunity should go to whoever's available."

"Besides, Yu Jiaojiao's a girl, and girls don't need to push too hard in their careers. Their family's standards for a daughter-in-law aren't sky-high. As long as she's pretty and can take care of their son, that's enough. They don't care about her having a career."

"And it's too exhausting for a girl to work in the fields every day. Even though she's not officially part of the family yet, her future mother-in-law pities her. Such hard work should be left to her son. So they made their move."

"How low! Both mother and son are completely selfish!"

"It seems like a relationship issue, but it turns out to be a conflict of interest."

Sheng Qingquan leaned back strategically.

"They even had the audacity to kill two birds with one stone. They aimed to seize the opportunity and smoothly marry her. A double harvest of career and love."

"Tsk, they’re really laying it on thick. I need to find a way to warn Ms. Yu."

He planned to knock on her door later that day. After making his decision, Sheng Qingquan couldn’t help but voice his confusion.

"Although I sympathize with Yu Jiaojiao, what does this have to do with the end of the world?"

After Tianlan Planet and the alien cats established diplomatic relations, Sheng Qingquan noticed that his Qiankun Coin balance got a hefty boost.

Now he finally had enough coins to purchase VIP chapters.

So, seeing the VIP chapter, Sheng Qingquan hit the purchase button without hesitation.

Continuing to read, Sheng Qingquan suddenly understood.

"Is this really possible?"

"The culprit turned out to be an ancient tomb robber. While digging for burial items in an ancient tomb, he brought out a lush, green vine."

"He thought it was a treasure. Otherwise, how could it remain so vibrant in the tomb?"

"Unexpectedly, as soon as it left the tomb, the vine turned into a heap of ash. The tomb robber thought it was like the murals, crumbled when exposed to air. He mourned its loss briefly but didn't take it to heart."

"He had no idea that by bringing out the vine, it affected global plants, triggering a global transformation."

"The vitality of the plants was completely unleashed. Despite it being winter, a season of withering, the plants flourished as if it were midsummer, bursting with life."

"But this wasn’t a blessing."

"Because the excessive vitality came at the cost of their very essence. Soon, the plants would reach their peak and then wither away."

Seeing this, Sheng Qingquan had a sudden realization. He took out his phone and searched for yesterday's news.

Although everyone had been excited about Tianlan Planet's diplomatic relations with aliens, life went on as usual.

The biggest recent news was the diplomatic relations, but that didn't mean there were no other news.

"I knew I’d seen it, and sure enough, I found it in yesterday's morning news."

As Sheng Qingquan said this, unlike the staff who needed to pull out their phones to search for yesterday's morning news, Yu Jiaojiao, still confused about the sudden shift from condemning her ex-boyfriend to the apocalypse channel, immediately thought of the specific news Sheng Qingquan was referring to.

As an agricultural student, Yu Jiaojiao always kept a close eye on farming news.

Yesterday's morning news mentioned that China's rapeseed harvest was bountiful, with a yield 30% higher than last year.

"So, this increase in yield is actually a manifestation of the stimulated vitality?"

"Rapeseed is China's largest oil crop. Before it flowers and seeds, it can be eaten as greens. When it bolts and flowers, it's a sight to behold, and rapeseed fields are incredibly popular. After seeding, it yields another harvest of rapeseed. It's truly a treasure in every part."

"While everyone was celebrating the bountiful harvest, no one realized it was actually a sign of the impending apocalypse."

"This harvest is nothing but the final celebration before the end!"

Sheng Qingquan couldn't help but sigh in dismay.

Just as he was about to close the news article, he stumbled upon another related piece that also hinted at an impending apocalypse.

"Global warming? Experts are urging everyone to take environmental protection seriously. They claim the greenhouse effect has kept the leaves of many non-evergreen plants green, with no signs of yellowing or falling."

"Some trees have even budded prematurely, appearing ready to bloom."

"This is troubling. It completely disrupts natural cycles. Normally, plants shed their leaves and wither to conserve energy for winter, but now this anomaly is hastening their demise."

"Judging by the comments, it seems no one heeded the experts' warnings, with many even planning outings to view the flowers. Little did they know, this time the experts were spot on, not just crying wolf."

"This clearly shows the vitality being unnaturally stimulated."

"Plants are already suffering. The solution researchers finally came up with requires a very unique experimental sample. Agricultural scientists searched high and low but couldn't find it. Attempts at temporary cultivation were futile. Ultimately, they could only watch in despair as the situation spiraled out of control."

"At the time, Yu Jiaojiao was working as an assistant to an agricultural scientist."

"Once the agricultural scientists identified the required experimental sample, Yu Jiaojiao remembered the research materials from her graduation thesis."

"To her surprise, Yu Jiaojiao discovered that the pink oranges she had cultivated, distinguished only by their flesh color, perfectly matched all the requirements."

"Sadly, the oranges had already been consumed. By the time they thought to look for the peels or seeds, it was too late—they had already decomposed into fertilizer or trash."

"Yu Jiaojiao did provide the orange tree that bore the fruit, hoping it would aid the research. But the pink oranges were a mutation, and their traits were highly unstable."

"Of the eight oranges produced, not all were pink. The fruits from that year were inconsistent, and the next year's yield was even more unpredictable."

"The fruit tree proved even less reliable. Thus, despite discovering a highly feasible solution, halting the apocalypse was out of reach."

"Food is the paramount necessity of the people. When all the vitality of the plants bursts out at once and then withers and dies, there is no way to save seeds or plant new crops."

"After the seeds in the seed bank are exhausted and the stored food is also depleted, what awaits people is self-evident."

"Not to mention the series of changes in climate and other factors caused by the absence of plants."

"So what the old lady ate was not a graduation thesis, nor was it money?! She was clearly eating the vitality of humanity!"

Seriously? Humanity wiped out over a stolen fruit?