Chapter 23: Overnight, Everything Plunged into Chaos!

#High Temperature Alert!! Global Geological Storms May Be Imminent!!#

#Evil Deeds Bring Their Own Retribution! Twin Typhoons Suddenly Form and Head Toward the Island Nation! Three Major Earthquakes Erupt Within 24 Hours! The Ocean’s “Revenge” Has Arrived!#

#Giant Double-Mouthed Mosquitoes Discovered Near an Abandoned Nuclear Power Plant in the Island Nation! Two Can Drain an Adult’s Blood Completely!!#

#Shocking!! The Only Two Places in the World Without Mosquitoes—Ice Island and the Southern Pole—Have Today Been Overrun by Giant Mosquitoes!!#

#Red Alert for High Temperatures and Giant Bloodsucking Mosquitoes! All Citizens Are Urged to Stay Indoors for the Next Three Days and Avoid Going Out!!#

Jiang Yan glanced over the headlines and took a deep breath.

Overnight, the world was flooded with apocalyptic news about extreme heat and giant bloodsucking mosquitoes.

Even the warning post she’d once left in some obscure corner of the internet had been bumped to the trending topics, with crowds of people searching for the original poster.

They were calling her a prophet.

But the phone card linked to that account had been cut up and flushed down the toilet by Jiang Yan back when she was abroad.

According to the news reports, the giant blood mosquitoes had started appearing in various places a few days ago.

But their numbers were small at first, so most countries and regions had enforced information blackouts.

It wasn’t until today that it seemed as if all those mosquitoes had hatched at once.

More and more people were being attacked, and governments everywhere were forced to come to a consensus and make a public announcement.

These mutant mosquitoes didn’t just have bloodsucking females—males sucked blood too, and they mainly targeted humans.

Of course, just like with regular mosquitoes, people with type O blood or stronger body odors were more likely to be attacked.

What’s more, these mosquitoes could withstand extreme heat and cold, and their lifespan was three times that of ordinary mosquitoes.

As for whether they carried diseases or could trigger other adverse reactions, the authorities hadn’t released any information.

But the official statements did mention that radioactive contaminants had been detected inside these mutant mosquitoes.

And so far, the island nation had the largest and most diverse population of blood mosquitoes.

Genetic tracing showed that all the blood mosquitoes suddenly appearing around the world were closely linked to the first batch discovered near the island nation’s abandoned nuclear power plant.

From a scientific perspective, evolution and mutation in plants and animals don’t happen overnight.

This suggested that the island nation had likely been secretly discharging nuclear-contaminated water ever since the nuclear accident occurred years ago.

Normally, when disasters begin, officials tend to say things like “stay calm” and “trust the authorities.”

But for them to suddenly release all this information in a single burst, as they did today, was highly unusual.

After all, this kind of move could easily trigger public panic, hoarding, and even worse consequences.

Yet the authorities still went public.

This could only mean that the real situation was far worse than anything she’d seen or guessed.

Another headline was about the global heatwave.

The extreme temperatures had only started suddenly in the past couple of days, catching everyone off guard.

Since yesterday, temperatures worldwide had only gone up, never down.

In some tropical areas, the temperature had soared to 50 or 60 degrees Celsius in just a single day.

Officials urged citizens to stock up on food and water and to stay indoors or work from home as much as possible.

Don’t go out unless absolutely necessary, and if you must, make sure to fully protect yourself.

As for schools, many places had already announced early in the morning that classes were suspended and switched to online learning.

With the power grid overloaded, the authorities had temporarily shut down some factories early in the day to prioritize residential electricity needs.

The internet was flooded with rumors of the apocalypse.

Some people posted videos of supermarkets being cleaned out by panic buyers early in the morning.

Yet just yesterday, those same supermarkets had been calm and orderly.

Of course, the authorities quickly sent personnel to the larger supermarkets and malls to help maintain order.

On Anming’s local trending list, air conditioner installation orders had suddenly exploded to the top.

Compared to other places, Anming—mild in winter and cool in summer—rarely saw people install air conditioners.

But just this morning, the phone lines for AC installation had been jammed.

After all, there were plenty of ways to buy an air conditioner, but only so many local installers.

Online, more and more people were talking about the end of the world, and many influencers had switched their livestreams to survivalist themes.

There were also plenty of bloody photos of people attacked by the blood mosquitoes.

Jiang Yan suddenly felt lucky she’d made it back to the country in time.

The news about the twin typhoons about to make landfall on the island nation made her heart sink.

So it was true—the apocalypse had come early!

A whole month early!

No matter what, she had to wrap up all her previous preparations today!

Otherwise, as temperatures kept rising, it would become impossible to go out.

Jiang Yan rubbed her temples, then called her rideshare driver and asked him to come pick her up at Shallow Water Bay ahead of schedule.

The driver had seen the news that morning and, coupled with the extreme heat, was actually thinking of backing out.

He hadn’t planned to work today, but when Jiang Yan offered triple the fare, he had no choice but to drive over as quickly as possible.

*

Jiang Yan had heat-resistant clothing and a helmet in her storage space, and she hung a portable neck fan around her neck. Fully geared up, she finally stepped outside.

The entrance to her building and the gate to her residential complex had been temporarily sealed off, just like during the mask-wearing days.

The security guards said they’d received orders early that morning: to prevent chaos from panic buying and considering the heat, only one person per household was allowed out to buy supplies.

Anyone going out without proper mosquito protection on exposed skin would be turned back.

Everyone else had to stay home.

The property management had also arranged for people to seal off public areas and any nooks or crannies where blood mosquitoes might get in.

Thanks to the experience gained during the mask period, even her average-quality property management company was responding quickly.

The security guards stared in surprise at Jiang Yan’s fully armored appearance for a few seconds.

She took her exit pass and left the complex.

The driver picked her up, and they sped toward the warehouse.

On the roads, the whole city seemed to have been put on pause overnight—there were few people or cars outside.

Water trucks were spraying mist on the streets nonstop.

But the mist did little to cool the roads.

Every so often, fire trucks and police cars sped by, sirens wailing.

These were the true heroes, especially in times like these.

After dropping Jiang Yan off at the warehouse, the driver left.

Before the supplier’s delivery arrived, she took out all the solar panels she’d been hoarding in her storage space.

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