Chapter 76: Are You Trying to Make Me Die of Anger?

Jiang Yan’s fear of leeches was no less than her fear of snakes, caterpillars, earthworms, and the like.

But as long as she avoided looking at them, or didn’t have to touch them directly, she could just about tolerate the discomfort these soft-bodied creatures brought her.

Besides, most of the time, these creatures only existed in videos; the chances of encountering them in real life were pretty slim.

But now, these mutated leeches were crawling densely all over the walls of the apartment complex, their bodies having grown a hundred times larger—thick and long as an adult’s calf.

It was enough to make her skin crawl.

What’s worse, in a couple of days, once the rain let up, she’d have to take her inflatable kayak down through here.

If she slipped and fell onto a pile of those round, shiny black leeches… just thinking about it made her shudder.

She did have a flight suit in her storage space.

But things weren’t the same as during the heatwave—flying would be too conspicuous now, and finding a suitable, safe place to land would be a real problem.

So she’d have to stick to the waterways, keep things grounded.

Jiang Yan quickly searched her memory for anything that could help deal with these giant leeches.

Before the apocalypse, she’d once done a livestream in a remote border town, filming the scenery and the rice-fish harvest.

There had been plenty of leeches in those rice paddies—some even crawling up the villagers’ calves—so she knew a little about them.

She’d looked them up on her phone back then and learned that leeches, also called “shuizhi,” looked scary and sucked blood, but could actually be used in medicine once dried.

Some people even farmed leeches, since hirudin extracted from them could lower blood lipids, regulate blood pressure, dissolve blood clots, and so on. They were also rich in protein, peptides, and fats.

Leeches were incredibly resilient, able to withstand temperatures of fifty or sixty degrees Celsius. When out of water, their cells would shut down, but they wouldn’t die right away.

Once they touched water again, they’d come back to life.

To truly get rid of them, you’d have to burn them to ashes or stay away from all water sources for the rest of your life.

Which explained why, after most animals and insects had disappeared, these leeches could still make a comeback.

Not only had they grown in size, but they’d probably been soaking in this rainwater for a long time, with plenty of food from all those rotting corpses, mutating rapidly and thoroughly.

So, chances were, this rainwater was also contaminated with radioactive substances.

At this thought, Jiang Yan frowned slightly.

She wondered if people who soaked in this rainwater for too long, or those who drank it, would mutate as well.

But that was a problem for later.

First, she needed to figure out how to get rid of these leeches.

She did have a batch of flamethrowers she’d bought in the US along with other weapons, but taking them out would be way too conspicuous.

She had plenty of weapons, but unless absolutely necessary, she preferred not to use them.

If it came down to it, she’d just have to overcome her fear and pick off any leeches that landed on her kayak.

Thinking of the kayak reminded Jiang Yan why she’d come down here in the first place.

She counted the floor tiles in the hallway to estimate the size of the window in the passage.

Each tile was sixty centimeters, and there were three and a half of them—so the window was about 2.1 meters wide.

It was an aluminum-framed window, so with a fire axe or something similar, she should be able to break it open completely.

She could then slide the inflatable boat out diagonally—should be easy enough.

She’d just have to be careful to clear the wall thoroughly when breaking it, or she might accidentally tear the boat.

As Jiang Yan was thinking, there was a loud “bang”—the half-closed door of apartment 1604 was slammed open by something heavy.

A middle-aged woman with a worried face, sallow complexion, and average build came out, pushing a waist-high suitcase covered in clear tape.

Seeing Jiang Yan, a stranger standing near her door, the woman’s eyes flickered warily and she questioned sharply, “What are you doing here?!”

She glanced cautiously behind Jiang Yan as she spoke.

Jiang Yan shot her a sidelong glance and replied coolly, “Why shouldn’t I be here?”

The woman choked on her words, left her suitcase at the door, and turned to go back inside—only to spot the little boy crouched by the glass wall of the hallway.

Her expression changed instantly.

While the woman and Jiang Yan were talking, the little boy had let his hand drop outside the window, hiding his homemade fishing rod.

“Zhang Xiaohu! It’s pouring rain and you’re standing by the window with your sleeves rolled up—aren’t you cold?! Don’t you know you could get struck by lightning?! Where did all that common sense you learned go?!

Didn’t you say you had a stomachache and were going to the hallway bathroom?! You’re always causing trouble, pretending to go to the bathroom all the time!” The woman’s scolding poured out in a torrent.

Her voice was thunderous, laced with frustration and helplessness. Jiang Yan felt like her eardrums had just taken a ten-thousand-point hit.

Zhang Xiaohu’s eyes darted nervously. He pressed his lips together. “Mom, I—I wasn’t doing anything.”

He looked scared and guilty, but still didn’t move from the window.

The windowsill was already damp, and his back was pressed against it. It was obvious his shirt collar was wet.

Seeing this, the woman’s anger flared even hotter. She snapped, exasperated,

“Get back inside! I’m exhausted taking care of you and your father every day! Your dad’s crippled and can’t be counted on for anything! And you’re so disobedient—are you trying to make me die of anger?!”

She vented all her pent-up frustration and misery in her furious scolding, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.

The little boy’s face scrunched up in distress. His hand, hanging by the window, twitched, but then he stilled.

He bit his lip and pleaded, “Mom, please go inside first. I’ll be right there.”

The woman clearly sensed something was off. She strode over in a few quick steps, her face looking like she was about to eat Zhang Xiaohu alive.

“Zhang Xiaohu, what are you holding in your hand?!”

Zhang Xiaohu tensed up even more. “N-nothing…”

“I’ll say it again—bring your hand in! Hand over whatever you’re holding!” the woman demanded angrily, reaching to grab her son.

Zhang Xiaohu shrank back against the wall, then burst into tears.

“Mom, please don’t break my fishing rod again! I just wanted to help out at home, to catch a fish for you and Dad! Wuwuwu, I know I was wrong! Please don’t break my fishing rod again, it’s the last one I have, wuwuwu…”

“You still dare to talk back?! That’s the thread for sewing quilts at home, don’t you know?! All you do is cause trouble! You’re driving me crazy! Absolutely crazy!”

The woman seemed to lose control, letting go of him and swinging her hand to slap Zhang Xiaohu hard across the face.

“Smack!”

Zhang Xiaohu was stunned by the blow, a red welt blooming on his sallow, slightly dark cheek.

Before he could react, the woman grabbed his right hand, which was resting on the windowsill, and yanked it back forcefully!"