Chapter 13 Mosquitoes and Green Bean Flies

On the 20th day of the apocalypse, the temperature hit 60°C!

More and more residents in the group chat wanted to buy food, as everyone had already stocked up on quite a bit.

But with such high temperatures and the power outages, a lot of the food had spoiled.

Some people also wanted to barter, offering a variety of items.

Lipstick, handbags, baseball bats, and even a hamster—who knew young people could be so imaginative.

...

At nine in the morning, drones brought good news: to ensure the normal living conditions for the citizens, a large supermarket on each street would be open. Residents could go shopping together in the evening, taking care to protect themselves.

"We can buy things now, should we go?" Dad asked.

"Yes, if we don't, it'll be suspicious, and we'll be at greater risk of being targeted.

I'll go with Dad in the evening, and Mom, you stay home with Xiao Nuan."

"Okay..."

It wasn't just her who wanted to go; many others in the group chat were eager, making plans to go together to buy supplies.

After all, with the weather being so hot, even if one didn't have a car, catching a break in the air conditioning would be good.

In recent days, Jhiang Yuan noticed something strange: there were a lot of Green Bean Flies and long-legged mosquitoes outside.

With such high temperatures, logically, these creatures should have died from the heat, yet suddenly, there they were.

After much thought, she came to a conclusion: they must have mutated, since animals have a stronger ability to adapt than humans.

Then again, whether the mutated mosquitoes and Green Bean Flies posed any new dangers to people was unknown.

But certainly, it wasn't a good sign.

They still needed to do pest control thoroughly since the elderly and the young at home could not afford any issues.

They had hot pot for lunch, and since they planned to head out in the evening, eating a bit more wasn't a problem, especially since they would soon have fresh vegetables.

"Mommy, veggies～"

"Right, Xiao Nuan needs to eat lots of veggies to grow tall～"

"Eat veggies, grow tall..."

It was uncertain how long these joyous days could last, and she couldn't help feeling sorry for Xiao Nuan, who at least had a happy childhood.

Her own daughter was so little, yet she had to face these circumstances.

It was unclear whether this situation would ever end, sigh...

In the afternoon, Mom and Dad were doing physical training. They may have been older, but staying in shape was crucial, as no one would be more reliable than oneself.

Jhiang Yuan didn't have any other wishes but hoped that when the apocalypse arrived, everyone would have the ability to protect themselves.

She kept watching videos non-stop, knowing that before long, the internet would be completely cut off.

The signal was unstable these days, but intermittently, some people were still repairing it.

She was particularly interested in a forum post about the apocalypse, which had become increasingly popular, with comments exceeding five hundred thousand. Just imagine that.

There were many imitations of the original post, and a few had gained traction, causing widespread anxiety online.

But what caught her attention was a different post, where the author mentioned their home was under siege by Green Bean Flies because of the uncollected trash, creating a dense and disgusting sight.

Moreover, the Green Bean Flies were larger than usual, raising the question of whether they could bite humans.

The comments below exploded with reactions, and there was also mention of the long-legged mosquitoes.

Where one appeared, more followed, and someone even commented about being hospitalized after a mosquito bite.

Jhiang Yuan clicked on the profile of this commenter, which was a private account, leaving no way to delve further.

After searching a bit, she indeed found, there were a few less popular, yet concerning, posts.

Everyone mentioned Green Bean Flies and long-legged mosquitoes, along with striped herpes, which is like the new three scourges.

She sprayed disinfectant water all over the house, inside and out, and then dressed in long clothes, masks, and hats before leaving the house.

The corridor here can't be overlooked; after all, it only takes a moment of carelessness for them to fly into the house.

Indeed, there were already signs of mosquitoes. Jhiang Yuan didn't dare to be careless, wielding the insecticide like it was free and spraying it around. When they finally fell, she stomped on them viciously twice.

She only looked up when she heard laughter, "Song Yi, what are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing, just going down to throw out the trash." Song Yi didn't seem very natural, probably because she'd noticed him.

Then she realized that the garbage she had left at her door was also gone. This guy couldn't have also thrown out her trash, could he?

"Our trash?"

"It was on my way, no thanks needed. Didn't you also help disinfect for me?"

Pfft, as if she wanted to thank him. She was just wondering how he could go out in broad daylight and not fear being scorched to death.

"Lately, there have been a lot of mosquitoes and Green Bean Flies around. It seems they have quite potent biting abilities, so be careful when you go out. We must disinfect our corridor every day."

"Okay..."

After some thought, Jhiang Yuan offered another constructive suggestion, "If you can, you should give your dog a bath too."

"Okay..."

Is that all he can say? Well, a promise is better than nothing, she supposed.

"Today, it seems like hearses from the funeral home have been arriving in our residential area."

Song Yi's voice was cold, which felt oddly comforting amidst the scorching temperature.

"Really, I didn't notice."

Was this guy starved for conversation or what? They weren't that close—why would she want to make small talk with him?

"Recently, there have been too many incidents, and the hospitals can't keep up. Many people have died waiting for help. You should be careful as well."

Damn, that sounded ominously foreboding.

"Yeah, you take care too."

After all, if you fall, there will be no one to call for help for you—unless that dog of yours is some kind of spirit.

Jhiang Yuan didn't want to engage in awkward chat with him, so she quickly returned home after finishing her spraying.

By evening, the temperature was nearly 40℃. She and her father, fully geared up and carrying a bucket of water, headed out.

It had been days since she drove her beloved car. If the vehicle overheated, that would be the end of it. So they brought some water, just in case.

They were going to the nearest open supermarket, where the scene at the entrance took them aback.

Two rows of armed police stood at the supermarket's entrance, all equipped with guns.

Who knew if the guns were real or not, but they looked as daunting as the cops in Hong Kong movies—definitely intimidating.

They only let fifty people in at a time, and the supermarket accepted only cash. Those without cash could exchange at a stand nearby, but each person was limited to 200 yuan.

And nobody complained about the small exchange amount since the supermarket was stocked with emergency supplies, limited to a 200 yuan purchase per person.

Seemingly reasonable!

They had arrived early, with cash on hand, and were among the third group to enter.

There was no time limit for shopping; nobody wanted to stay outside in such heat, let alone with swarms of Green Bean Flies and mosquitoes around. If luck was against them and they caught striped herpes, they'd be in deep trouble.

Good grief, a 5kg bag of rice was already selling for 200 yuan. Was this calculated in advance or what?

Jhiang Yuan didn't bother with that. She bought a few cans of fermented black beans with fish and some noodles, while Jhiang Xingzhi picked up two cabbages and ten eggs.

Tsk tsk, these prices...