Chapter 33 Deterioration

Space had an effect on Jiang Yan that "Washed Essence and Marrow" to improve her overall physical quality.

But that effect was gradual, not instantaneous, turning her into Superman.

Just like she could easily hold that seven- or eight-kilogram electric saw in the air with one hand for ages, but at this moment, her wrist still felt a bit of soreness.

Of course, this strength was already far superior to that of an ordinary person.

However, this also made Jiang Yan soberly realize that although all supplies were now stockpiled according to plan, to survive smoothly in the apocalypse, she still had a long way to go and many things to do.

Stockpiling ample and complete supplies was just the beginning.

A very simple beginning.

The rest, every unknown danger she had to face alone, whether natural disasters, man-made calamities, or others, were the major themes of this survival game in the apocalypse.

Improving her physical quality and quickly learning various grappling techniques and getting familiar with firearms and other weapons were imperative.

After all, she'd only encountered a few ordinary laypeople today, most of whom couldn't carry weight on their shoulders or lift with their hands.

To put it bluntly, the apocalypse had not yet arrived.

Although people were unreasonable, at least they still had their basic bottom lines and moral principles.

In terms of attitude, it was all bark and no bite.

But when the real apocalypse arrived, once social order collapsed and resources became scarce, when it was truly a matter of life and death, that's when human nature would truly reveal itself.

And that was often when the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, truly began.

Moreover, most of the time, not provoking others didn't mean others wouldn't provoke you.

Of course, her principle had always been that she didn't cause trouble, but she wasn't afraid of it either.

She did have Space, but she couldn't stay inside it forever.

Otherwise, what was the difference between that and spending a lifetime in prison?

Except that this 'prison' was too comfortable to criticize.

Survival of the fittest.

She didn't want to become a greenhouse flower in Space, utterly defenceless against the outside world.

And this Space came out of nowhere.

Perhaps one day, it might also disappear just as mysteriously.

Using it wisely, allowing herself to slowly adapt to the harsh environment of the apocalypse, rather than being entirely dependent on it.

This was the first thing Jiang Yan came to understand after obtaining this magical Space.

So, only by making herself completely strong could she better face everything.

But, the plan to make herself stronger, she'd start that tomorrow.

Today, she'd indulge herself in slacking off for a while.

*

Jiang Yan lay on the sofa for a good while until her spirit and physical strength had somewhat recovered.

The temperature in the room had also gradually dropped.

She sat up and took out a bottle of chilled Coconut Water from Space to drink.

Getting up, she glanced at the thermometer, where the current outdoor temperature had soared to fifty-seven degrees Celsius.

Looking at the weather forecast on her phone, the temperature was still rising, and it might very well shoot up to sixty degrees tonight.

The phone had several messages sent hours ago by Anming City officials through the telecom provider.

Some were high-temperature red alerts.

The message roughly stated that due to overheating protection and other reasons, a widespread cutoff of water, electricity, and gas would occur around ten o'clock tonight. All citizens were urged to stockpile enough food and drinking water in advance.

If possible, it would be best to store some common medicines and ready-to-eat foods.

In fact, several cities with higher temperatures than Anming had already experienced cutoffs of water, electricity, and gas for a day.

But this warning was not very meaningful.

Supermarkets and stores had been emptied out early in the morning.

Once the power was out, the meats and dumplings originally stored in refrigerators, among other things, would face quick spoilage in such high temperatures.

Water was easier to accumulate.

But in the city, without electricity and gas, it was impossible to cook uncooked rice.

Not every household had the foresight or camping hobbies to prepare alcohol stoves or charcoal grills.

If one had stockpiled biscuits, canned goods, and Sausages, it would be somewhat manageable for a while.

Also, it used to be that when one city was in trouble, other sibling cities would quickly provide support with supplies and medical aid.

But now, as the temperature had risen too fast and exceeded official expectations, every city or, indeed, the entire world, was on its own, left to hope for the best and clean the snow from their own doorsteps.

Another message was about the giant Blood Mosquitoes.

It stated that global scientists, after several days of research, had still not discovered any medicine that could completely eradicate the Blood Mosquitoes.

Regular insecticides and repellents could only deter the Blood Mosquitoes and not kill them.

And these Blood Mosquitoes were still mutating and improving their physiological capabilities, with their drug resistance concurrently strengthening.

However, some experts pointed out that certain authentic Chinese medicinal herbs had much more effective repellent capabilities against these Blood Mosquitoes than ordinary repellents.

The experts suggested that those who could should make their own herb packs, put them into cloth or mesh bags, and hang them on their bodies or at windows and doors to significantly reduce Blood Mosquito attacks.

The message also provided some names and suggested quantities of Chinese medicinal herbs.

Additionally, when the temperature rose above sixty degrees Celsius, the Blood Mosquitoes would enter a peak breeding phase.

And only after seventy degrees Celsius would the Blood Mosquitoes begin to show signs of dying off.

Jiang Yan's gaze lingered on the words "seventy degrees Celsius" for a while, and she couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

If the temperature truly reached seventy, many people probably wouldn't make it through.

After reading the messages, she checked out the news app.

"How to cook at home in the city" had become the top trending headline during this time.

The news also reported for the first time an analysis of the origins of the giant Blood Mosquitoes.

It mentioned that, on one hand, the issue was caused by Japan releasing contaminated nuclear water.

On the other hand, it was due to ancient viruses that had been frozen under the thick ice layers of the Southern Pole and North Pole being released after global warming.

And the first wave of these viruses was carried out by a mosquito.

Subsequently, a butterfly effect triggered sudden mutations across various mosquito species.

However, this piece of news was quickly removed by officials.

Such news could clearly cause public panic.

Because if viruses could now affect mosquitoes, what was the next step...

The thought was distressingly frightening.

Jiang Yan quickly skimmed through and felt a sinking feeling in her heart.

She got up and pulled back the curtains, taking a look outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The scorching sunlight outside was nothing like what was expected around seven o'clock.

It was much more blinding than at noon.

She even wondered if the distance between the sun and the Earth had become problematic.

Jiang Yan's apartment had a layout that allowed light through from both the south and north sides.

The living room's floor-to-ceiling window faced the central garden of the complex.

At the moment, a large group of people was gathered in the garden.

Jiang Yan frowned slightly.

At this hour, not only was the temperature very high, but there was also the constant threat of Blood Mosquitoes.

Were these people not afraid of dying?

However, being on the 32nd floor, she couldn't see or hear clearly what was happening.

With a thought, she took out a high-magnification telescope from Space.