Chapter 19 – High Temperature

The mosquito’s head must have fallen off and been crushed under the car wheel.

But this mosquito-like creature… it was nearly the size of two adult palms!

In Jiang Yan’s memory, mosquitoes couldn’t withstand either heat or cold.

Normally, if temperatures rose above 30°C or dropped below 10°C, mosquitoes would stop reproducing and soon die off.

Could this be some new species she didn’t recognize?

Jiang Yan pulled out her phone, snapped a photo from a safe distance, swept her gaze around to check for others, and quickly got back into the car.

Door shut. Windows closed. All in one swift motion.

The young driver finished his phone call, fetched cleaning supplies and bottles of mineral water from the trunk, and washed away the bloodstains from the windshield. He then climbed back into the car in a hurry.

“Miss, sorry for wasting your time,” he said, wiping sweat from his forehead before starting the car again.

“It’s fine,” Jiang Yan replied.

Just now, she had run the photo through an online search. The results showed the creature bore traits of the Aedes genus.

Mosquitoes of the Aedes genus were notorious for spreading yellow fever, dengue, and encephalitis.

But in reality, they never reached this size.

The world’s largest mosquito, the Toxorhynchites speciosus, measured only about 35mm—and fed on nectar, not blood.

Yet the blood spilled by the one just now had been at least 500cc.

If this really was a mutated mosquito, then humanity was about to face an unimaginable disaster.

Because if mosquitoes could mutate, then other species surely would too.

Unable to find any useful information, Jiang Yan uploaded the photo online anonymously:

#HelpNeeded #UnknownCreature #PossibleGiantMosquito — Have you seen this before?

She even tagged several science bloggers and the official Academy of Sciences.

“Miss,” the driver said nervously, “that bug did look like a mosquito, but there’s no way a mosquito could grow that big. Don’t you think so?”

As he spoke, he suddenly went, “Huh?” and exclaimed, “That’s strange—the temperature just keeps rising!”

At his words, Jiang Yan glanced at the dashboard.

Sure enough, the outside temperature reading had already shot up to 40°C!

And it was nearly 5 p.m.—not even the hottest time of day.

Online, discussions about the heat and the relentless rise in temperature had already exploded.

If even spring-like Anming was suffering like this, then the so-called “Four Furnaces” cities would be beyond imagination.

It seemed likely the apocalypse would descend earlier than expected.

Jiang Yan rubbed her brow, closed her eyes, and began reviewing what preparations she had yet to finish.

---

Rush hour traffic was brutal.

By the time Jiang Yan returned to Shallow Water Bay, it was nearly 7 p.m.

At the main gate of the complex, an ambulance and several police cars were parked, red and blue lights flashing.

A crowd of anxious residents—men and women, young and old—had gathered, whispering and exclaiming in fear.

The entrance to the underground parking garage had been sealed off with police tape.

The scene, coupled with the rising temperature, left people with a suffocating sense of dread.

Seeing this, Jiang Yan got out of the car early.

The air outside was stiflingly hot.

Even fully covered, she felt her breathing grow labored after just a few quick steps.

As she reached the gate, the voices of the onlookers grew clear:

“God, it’s terrifying! They say the whole body was drained dry!”

“The wound on her body was the size of my kid’s fist!”

“I heard it was a mosquito the size of a human face—it sucked her blood out completely!”

“Don’t exaggerate! An adult has at least 4000ml of blood—how could it all be drained?”

“The point is, it wasn’t just one mosquito, big guy—it was a swarm!”

“A swarm??! Could these mosquitoes really be mutating?!”

“Damn… I heard only female mosquitoes drink blood. What if after sucking blood, they lay eggs inside too?! My god, the victim lived in Building D. I’m never going near that place again!”

“Heavens! Could this really mean the end times are here?! Just look at how hot it’s been today! I can’t remember Anming ever being this hot! Oh, right—I saw a post warning about this. My god, that poster really predicted it!”

“Where’s the post? Show me!”

“Think it was posted by a foreigner. Super accurate. Let me see if it’s been deleted.”

---

Even though everyone was sweating buckets, the crowd was still abuzz with frantic chatter.

Jiang Yan’s heart gave a jolt.

So the blood mosquito she’d seen earlier wasn’t an isolated case.

Soon, several fully-suited medical staff in protective gear emerged from the community, escorted by the property manager and security guards. They carried a stretcher covered with a white sheet.

Behind them came community police and a stern-looking woman with short hair, clearly an official.

The woman swept her grave gaze over the crowd and called out:

“Residents, the weather is dangerously hot. Please don’t linger outside chatting—go home immediately! Make sure to shut your doors and windows tight! Also, tell your parents—no square dancing these next two days.”

Outside the fresh market at Shallow Water Bay was a broad plaza.

Every evening at 7:30, the loud music of square dancing would normally fill the air.

“Leader, what exactly happened? That bloodsucker—it was a giant mosquito, wasn’t it?” someone shouted.

The short-haired woman dodged the question:

“Big brother, nothing happened. In this heat, people can suffer heatstroke easily. Hurry home!”

Then she added:

“Let me remind you all—do not spread rumors, do not believe rumors, do not create rumors. If there’s anything important, the authorities will announce it through official channels immediately!”

Jiang Yan didn’t stay to hear the rest. She quickly pulled her suitcase and returned to Building A, where she lived.

If blood mosquitoes had appeared here too, lingering outside was sheer recklessness.

But most people clung to hope, thinking that only a few unlucky individuals would be targeted.

The infestation in the complex had been found in Building D, which was now completely sealed off. Workers in hazmat suits carrying disinfectant sprayers hurried in and out.

The other buildings still looked normal.

Most residents weren’t going to suddenly become vigilant just because of a heatwave or a few strange mosquitoes.

Jiang Yan, however, wasn’t like them. Without pausing, she went straight up to the 32nd floor.

She lived in Unit 3201. Before unlocking her door, she habitually glanced at her neighbors.

3202 remained tightly shut, looking as if no one lived there.

3203’s door was half-open, with two beer boxes piled at the entrance, bottles scattered inside.

The sounds of men and women laughing, shouting, and clinking glasses spilled out.

Judging from the noise, it seemed they were celebrating a child’s birthday.