[edited]

Zhong Ping brought back a machine—a mousetrap. 

It was a task assigned to him, and it took several months of careful research and development.

The principle is similar to the ultrasonic fish device; the machine emits sound waves that stimulate the rats’ brains, exciting their sympathetic nerves and causing hallucinations. As a result, their bodies become sluggish, and they are unable to wake up for two hours.

Jiang Ning wondered, “Is it like how cats are attracted to catnip?”

Exactly. Zhong Ping’s inspiration came from catnip. 

The household had been tormented by rats, and many survivors outside had been bitten. Although hospitals and epidemic prevention departments were ready, restarting medicine production was not easy, so only the most basic treatments could be used, making the situation quite grim.

Zhong Ping suggested that the two floors continue to work together to completely eradicate the rats. 

Jiang Ning had no objections. Even though they had a dog on guard, the dog could get tired too. Over the past few days, it not only lost weight but was so exhausted that it snored while sleeping and even fought the red-eyed mouse in its dreams. 

The extreme heat was undoubtedly a disaster for a dog that could only cool down by panting. 

Drinking too much water could also lead to water intoxication. 

And that’s something she doesn’t want to see. 

So, everyone tested the mousetrap on the spot. 

They opened the corridor window on the 17th floor, along with the windows and doors of two other units. The plugged-in mousetrap emitted a faint buzzing sound.

About ten minutes later, a large mouse climbed up the drain.

It circled the mousetrap repeatedly, making squeaking sounds. Its movements were gradually slowing down, and its red eyes were filled with intoxication.

It looked like it was on drugs.

A few minutes later, the mouse wobbled and collapsed. 

More and more mouse crawled up, and in less than half an hour, there were more than a dozen. 

Zhang Chao and the others were dumbfounded. This was technology. 

A collaboration was established: the 18th floor would be responsible for catching and killing the mice around the clock. The Zhong family would provide the mousetraps, and both households would take turns sending the caught mice to the neighborhood committee for registration, splitting the canned food rewards evenly.

The 18th floor wasn’t interested in the canned food but was eager to eliminate them to improve their living environment, so they readily agreed. 

Thus, the mousetrap was taken to the 18th floor, and the corridor windows and doors were opened. 

One person would take a shift each day, with day and night shifts. 

Based on door numbers, Huo Yishen was first. He came out every two hours to kill the hallucinating red-eyed mouse and throw them into a sack. 

By the next morning, they had killed a total of 106 mice. 

Over 100 pounds—not something anyone could easily carry. 

When it was Jiang Ning’s turn, she didn’t even need to step in; the dog took care of everything. 

There were relatively fewer mouse during the day, and they caught over 70. 

Huo Yishen carried the inflatable boat downstairs, while Jiang Ning carried a sack of mouse. 

She wore thermal clothing underneath and medical-grade protective gear on the outside, with her mask securely in place, and drove the inflatable boat to the neighborhood committee to hand over the rats. 

There was still a lot of floating garbage in the water, but thanks to the strong efforts of the relevant departments, the environment was much better than in her previous life, and there had been no reports of outbreaks yet. 

In her previous life, there had already been outbreaks by this time. 

Many people came to the neighborhood committee to hand over the rats, but most brought only a few. A dozen were already considered impressive. 

When they learned it was from Building 1 of Jinrong Community, the staff were shocked. “Are the rats really that rampant in your place? This morning, a household from your building brought over 100 pounds.” 

Jiang Ning nodded. “Yes, our place is overrun with rats. We can’t even walk without stepping on them.” 

The canned food could be exchanged every half a month. After handing over the goods, they left. 

By then, the sun had set, and the heat had dissipated a bit. Survivors began to come out and move around. 

After enduring the extreme cold, the number of inflatables and motorboats drastically decreased. People avoided each other on the water to prevent being robbed. 

Even when going out in the evening, the temperature reached 50 degrees Celsius. Although they wore thermal clothing underneath, the perceived temperature was still high, and the protective gear wasn’t breathable. 

Back on the 18th floor, both of them were in wet clothes.

Jiang Ning went into the bathroom to take a shower, then took the dog to 1801 for dinner.

The two had been stuck inside the house all day; even with the air conditioning on, they felt wilted and had little appetite. 

Jiang Ning was the same; she whispered to Huo Yishen, “How about having cold noodles?” 

The supplies were hoarded by Jiang Ning, so he had no objections. “Sure.” 

She took out a dozen cucumbers from the space and taught Huo Yishen how to smash them. 

After smashing a lot, they had to use a large basin to mix them, leaving enough for three people’s portions and storing the rest in the space. 

The dish is sour and spicy, and it’s refreshing enough to instantly open up their appetites.

The dog couldn’t eat spicy food, so they mixed dog food with some milk and added a piece of chicken breast. 

For several days in a row, the 18th floor could collect over 100 pounds of mice every day. 

Downstairs, people couldn’t help but wonder, “Strange, why are there fewer rats?” 

The operating range of the mousetraps was 30 meters in diameter, and the mouse were so affected by the sound waves that they would run to higher floors. 

Rats could swim. If there were fewer rats in Building 1, they would come from other places. 

So, people on other buildings were also puzzled. 

The red-eyed mouse were indeed fierce, but as long as they were careful not to get bitten, there was a chance to catch them and fill their stomachs. 

During all this confusion, the municipal government issued an announcement that researchers had successfully developed a mousetrap and that staff would soon come to eradicate the rats. 

As a result, a ridiculous scene unfolded. 

Many survivors blocked the entrance of their community and prevented staff from entering. 

They don’t care whether others die or not, but if the rats are captured, how will they live? 

Even the neighborhood committee’s efforts to persuade them were futile. 

Blocking the door was useless because the staff brought large mousetraps with a working diameter of up to 100 meters. 

They pretended to leave, but actually turned around and started working outside the community. 

As a result, a shocking scene emerged: many drunken rats appeared in the water, swaying and swimming. 

The staff directly scooped them up with nets and threw them into iron cages. 

However, they were still discovered by survivors. Some brave ones even paddled over on motorboats, reaching out to the staff, their voices filled with resentment. “You’ve caught them all; how are we supposed to live?” 

The staff dared not give them the mice; many had died from eating mouse meat, which needed to be sterilized at high temperatures through a special process.

Naturally, they recognized the survivor’s struggles and spoke softly to avoid conflict. They stepped back when needed.

After more than half a month of continuous mouse-catching activities, the number of red-eyed mouse in Fengcheng’s various districts sharply decreased. 

Even with the mousetraps, they could only catch around twenty mice in a day. 

At the same time, the neighborhood committee distributed highly effective cockroach poison. 

Jiang Ning brought back a few packets when she handed over the mouse, and it was indeed very effective; the large cockroaches were finally eradicated. 

The 18th floor celebrated; the only ones unhappy were the rabbits. They would have to eat grass again. 

The extreme heat persisted, and Fengcheng was boiling every day. 

The tormented survivors were half-baked, spending each day in anguish. 

The extreme heat, lack of water, lack of food, hungry stomachs… 

For them, the only good news was the filtered water. 

No one cared about where the water came from, and they dared not think about it. They were worried about how to get water back. 

They hadn’t showered in a month; they were sweating and oily all over. They do not even dare to look in the mirror. 

Some with sharp ears and eyes had hoarded water in advance. Which makes life a bit more bearable. 

Life had its ups and downs, and people’s lives were hard. The sounds of anguish were endless. 

That day, Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen went to deliver the rats. Just as they reached the corner of the fifth floor, they saw a snake emerge from the water and swim up the stairs. 

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