The next day.
Li Dong woke up early. After washing up and eating the breakfast prepared by the housekeeper, he turned on his million-dollar, 120-inch television and watched a replay of the weather forecast news from last night at 7:30 PM.
"The Meteorological Department continues to issue an orange high-temperature warning nationwide. Temperatures in most southern regions and parts of the northern regions may exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Residents in the following areas are advised to take precautions against heatstroke..."
"...Due to the persistent high temperatures, vast areas of the southern regions will continue to experience extreme heat in the coming months. It is expected to last until late November..."
"..."
"..."
"Yu'nan Province has seen no rainfall for several months. The vast majority of farmland has cracked due to drought. Farmers are working day and night under scorching temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius to irrigate their fields and combat the drought..."
"The artificial rainfall division of the Meteorological Department has exhausted all possible methods to induce artificial precipitation..."
"...Relevant disaster relief departments in our country have mobilized dozens of teams from across the nation to assist Yu'nan Province in drought relief efforts. A total of 37,977 personnel are en route. The people of Yu'nan Province are urged to trust in our relief teams..."
Watching these reports he had missed yesterday, Li Dong realized that his brother's warnings about an impending apocalypse might actually be true.
This damn weather was far too abnormal.
Since when did extreme heat last until late November? In the past, temperatures would cool down by September or October, or at the latest, mid-October. But now, the heat wouldn't let up until the end of November—whether autumn would even arrive was still uncertain.
If this continued, and if the sun were to act up further, it could very well plunge the world into an ice age.
Humanity, completely unprepared, would undoubtedly suffer catastrophic losses.
Moreover, the southern regions, despite the relentless heat, occasionally experienced torrential downpours—brief respites that cooled and moistened the air, only for temperatures to soar again the next day.
It was like being in a sauna. Even a trip to the bathroom felt like taking a shower.
Sweat poured down like rain.
After catching up on yesterday's weather reports, Li Dong switched to international weather forecasts.
He found that the forecasts for countries in the northern hemisphere were largely the same—Blue Star's northern hemisphere nations had all issued high-temperature warnings.
The situation was far from optimistic.
Some regions had endured months of continuous heavy rain, leading to severe flooding.
Many impoverished countries, devastated by disasters, had applied for international aid through global organizations—they simply couldn't hold on any longer.
Natural disasters were beyond human control.
Or rather, beyond the control of small or weak nations.
Far Star Union's international news platform issued a global high-temperature warning, along with an alert about Arctic ice melt. They warned that if the extreme heat persisted, the melting Arctic glaciers would cause global sea levels to rise, potentially submerging coastal cities.
Then came the call for nations to reduce emissions and conserve energy.
...Well, at that last line, there was no need to keep listening. "Reduce emissions and conserve energy"? That was never going to happen.
Anyone who took that seriously would be a complete fool.
Did they really think poorer nations would just stop developing?
Not long ago, some idiot island nation about a thousand nautical miles east of Great Xia had announced plans to release nuclear-contaminated water by March of next year.
The moment the news broke, it was met with immediate backlash from numerous countries.
But this small island nation, backed by its daddy the Far Star Union, withstood the pressure and stubbornly announced it would discharge nuclear wastewater next March no matter what. If they didn't release it soon, they claimed they couldn't hold out any longer.
Who the hell knew whether it was nuclear wastewater or contaminated nuclear water?
When this news reached Great Xia, public outrage erupted instantly. Some even clamored to wipe this island nation off the face of Blue Star.
Meanwhile, the international news platform of the Polar Bear Federation didn't mention disasters like extreme heat, melting glaciers, or floods. Instead, they boasted about their elite, unstoppable military, releasing videos showcasing their soldiers' heroic combat prowess on the battlefield.
They wanted the world to see how they beat down their disobedient little brothers and the Europa Federation's lackeys.
The beaten small nations: Sure, sure, you're absolutely right. You've been beating us for six or seven years now—why haven't you finished us off yet?
Of course, those bullied nations also fired back with their own news and videos, portraying their soldiers as valiant defenders against the Polar Bear Federation's invaders, all while pleading for support from the Europa Federation.
"The world's in utter chaos, yet here we are, safe and orderly. If only the apocalypse weren't coming…" Li Dong sighed as he turned off the TV.
Who would willingly hide in an underground shelter, gnawing on mushrooms and maggot protein bars when they could live under the sun?
Would you rather eat cockroach protein bars or maggot protein bars?
Hell, you might not even get Corpse Starch to eat.
As the saying goes: Better a dog in peace than a man in war.
"Aunt Liu, clean up the dishes. I'm heading out," Li Dong called to Aunt Liu, who was tidying up the courtyard.
"Got it," she replied without looking up, continuing to sweep the ground.
Aunt Liu was one of the housekeepers Li Dong hired to maintain his villa.
Of course, he wasn't about to do the cleaning himself. Spending ten or twenty thousand a month on professional housekeeping and cooking services was a no-brainer.
As long as he didn't start a business, gamble, or do drugs, the Li family's wealth was practically inexhaustible.
Cars, yachts, gaming, watches, electronics—how much could Li Dong possibly spend on these things?
With multiple buildings in downtown Pengcheng generating rental income, several factories, and a highly profitable supermarket chain, the money just kept rolling in.
Today, Li Dong drove out in his Maybach from the garage.
Since this was a business meeting and not a night out picking up girls, his collection of sports cars could continue gathering dust.
These days, he even turned down invitations from pretty girls asking him out.
Only one business meeting was scheduled for today—with a local canned fruit producer. After wrapping that up, Li Dong had another appointment in the afternoon with Li Jiadong, chairman of Lianhai Petroleum & Shipping, to discuss business.
After all, this was an 800-million-yuan deal for 200,000 tons of crude oil.
If he waited until oil prices surged, it'd be too late to act.
As for stocks, Li Dong had already lined up professionals and prepared a substantial fund for a market bottom-fishing spree.
Of course, the finer details would have to be discussed with his younger brother, Li Tiang.
Li Dong knew nothing about finance or stock trading.
His philosophy was simple: If you don't play the stock market, you might not make money, but you'll never lose it either.
Aren't there plenty of investors trapped in the stock market, suffering huge losses?
"Hello, Boss Jin."
"Hello, Young Master Li. Thanks for your patronage."
"Hey, hold on. Business is business. What's your wholesale price per ton for canned fruits?"
"If you're buying in bulk, Young Master Li, I can offer 9,200 per ton for canned yellow peaches, 9,100 for canned pineapple, and 9,300 for mixed fruit cans..."
"What's the minimum order quantity?"
"At least ten tons. Anything below that, and I'd be losing money."
"Do you have other types of canned fruits?"
"Yes, we also have strawberry, hawthorn, grape, orange, water chestnut, pear, mango, lychee..."
It has to be said, having your own supermarket makes things much easier. Factory owners are all eager to establish supply channels with you.
If it were a private buyer trying to stockpile this much canned goods, they wouldn't get such favorable terms, let alone have the boss come in person.
They'd probably have to go negotiate themselves or just deal with a sales manager.