This was already the third national press conference since the apocalypse began. The theme of the conference, as Qin Sang had anticipated, was the authorities directly announcing the existence of mutated insects and releasing all the footage of mutated insects collected so far.
Once these images were released, no one paid attention anymore to the pictures of mutated cockroaches circulating online. Everyone was discussing in the bullet comments just how terrifying these mutated insects really were.
The authorities didn’t hide anything. They released all the characteristics of mutated insects that had been studied so far.
For example, mutated insect bodies were very hard and difficult to kill with ordinary weapons. The mutated spider’s eight legs were sharper than blades. The mutated cockroach had an insane regenerative ability. The mutated centipede was covered head to toe in deadly venom.
In short, this information seemed like pure fantasy to many people. Some accepted it quickly. Others found it hard to accept. But regardless of people’s opinions, the authorities truthfully reported the current situation.
“Currently, global temperatures continue to rise. The average daytime temperature is approaching 80 degrees Celsius. It is expected to exceed 80 degrees Celsius next month. At that time…”
“The national water supply is critically low. All safe zones must stockpile drinking water. Residents with spatial spaces should…”
“The national power supply is critically low. Hydroelectric power can no longer continue. We are currently transitioning to a solar-powered electricity supply system. To maximize efficiency, effective immediately, the authorities will open a number of public cooling zones…”
Qin Sang hadn’t expected the press conference to also address water and electricity issues.
Tap water had already been cut off. Residents’ daily water was supplied by water trucks. The amount wasn’t large, but it was sufficient for drinking. And because everyone had known about the apocalypse in advance, many households had stored a lot of water. So even though over twenty days had passed since the apocalypse began, the situation hadn’t devolved into the kind of smelly, filthy mess often depicted in apocalyptic novels.
As for electricity, they were still using the previous power grid. But judging by what was said at the press conference, the power grid could no longer handle the massive electricity consumption.
That made sense. The temperature was so high. Even at night, it was nearly 50 degrees Celsius. Without air conditioning, very few people could endure it. So electricity was being consumed extremely quickly. Those who could afford it had already installed solar generators before the apocalypse. The electricity issues mentioned at the press conference were aimed at those who couldn’t.
No wonder the survival app’s mission board had recently been releasing so many missions to clear out underground parking garages. They wanted to clear those spaces to create underground cooling zones. This would save electricity and allow people to be moved there.
“Thank goodness we don’t live in an apartment complex,” Qin Ma sighed at this point. According to the news, residents in high-rise apartment buildings would basically have to move into underground parking garages. Because the power grid couldn’t handle the massive electricity consumption. Living upstairs with direct sunlight during the day, the indoor temperatures were too high. Even if their air conditioners still worked, the amount of electricity they consumed was staggering.
“What I’m worried about is that we might have a lot of relatives coming to stay with us in these villages…”
Qin Ba thought even further ahead. Because urban villages consisted of self-built houses. They had advantages over apartment buildings. It wouldn’t be surprising if relatives came to seek shelter. The village was about to get lively.
“Let’s see if they can get past the cockroach swarms on the roads first,” Qin Sang said, seeing things more clearly.
The press conference had announced various mutated insects. However, it hadn’t mentioned that other types of insects had also grown larger in size like the giant cockroaches. That was very unusual.
They were all insects. Cockroaches couldn’t be the only special ones.
Although giant cockroaches couldn’t compare to mutated cockroaches in lethality and didn’t have energy cores inside them, when they gathered in large numbers, they could still kill people in terrifying ways.
The authorities wouldn’t just ignore that.
Sure enough, at the end of the press conference, the authorities released a video that reignited hope in many people.
In the footage, a team of people in combat suits faced a swarm of giant cockroaches. Instead of using weapons, they simply swatted with their bare hands, killing many cockroaches in one go.
At this sight, the bullet comments exploded with exclamations. No one understood how the cockroaches were dying. Could it really be that a single slap had enough force to kill a giant cockroach? After all, even if they weren’t mutated cockroaches, they were still palm-sized. The idea of killing one mid-air with a bare hand sounded incredibly fantastical.
“Through research, the Academy of Sciences has discovered that people who absorb the free-floating energy in the outside air into their bodies experience a significant increase in physical fitness over time. The people in this video are not actually rigorously trained soldiers. They are researchers from the Academy of Sciences conducting an experiment. This proves that absorbing more free-floating energy can significantly enhance people’s combat abilities.”
If previously the authorities had been encouraging everyone to exercise and cultivate more, many people had felt it was useless. Because the benefits of early-stage cultivation were really not noticeable. But now, looking at those researchers who had become so powerful, people finally started taking cultivation seriously.
—
“Hee hee, I feel like I could kill a giant cockroach with one slap too…”
After the press conference, the Qin family went outside to see how the villagers were interpreting it.
But as soon as they stepped out, they ran into several young people gesturing and comparing notes. Someone even went to flip over stones by the roadside to see if they could find a giant cockroach to test on. But they were about to be disappointed, because giant cockroaches had almost completely disappeared from the surrounding area.
“Stop dreaming!”
Just then, Second Aunt arrived with her army of stray cats and dogs. Hearing what these young people were saying, she couldn’t help but tease them.
“Sangsang, tell me, with how they usually cultivate, they can’t even keep up with an old lady like me. What makes them dream of becoming superheroes?”
“What superheroes?” Qin Sang thought to herself that she had been so busy with the mutated insect situation the past two days that she hadn’t had time to pay attention to what was happening in the village. Since when did the village have superheroes?
Second Aunt chuckled. “You know, those people on TV who can kill cockroaches with a single slap! I’m telling you, I’ve been feeling like I’ve gotten sturdier these past few days too. I can lift the big stone mill at home with one arm now.”
Hearing this, Qin Sang used her spiritual power to probe Second Aunt’s condition. She found that Second Aunt was actually quite impressive. She had managed to store energy in her body. It wasn’t much, but she had indeed succeeded. She was far ahead of those young posers.
“That’s great. Keep training your body. Maybe you’ll live to be several hundred years old someday.”
Second Aunt waved her hand repeatedly when she heard this. “How could something like that happen? I’d become an old witch!”
Qin Sang said, “Those giant spiders and long centipedes in today’s press conference—aren’t they basically spider demons and centipede demons?”
“Oh, that’s right!” Second Aunt didn’t realize until Qin Sang had already walked into Xu Lin’s yard. She slapped her own forehead.
Qin Ba and Qin Ma were standing outside and didn’t follow Qin Sang inside. Seeing Second Aunt like this, they laughed. “Don’t slap, don’t slap. Second Aunt! Never mind anyone else, just the stray cats and dogs you’re taking care of will keep you safe. The outside world is changing so fast. Now that there are spider demons, who knows, maybe humans really will be able to live for hundreds of years someday…”
Qin Sang, who was in Xu Lin’s yard calling for the little tabby cat, heard her mother talking to Second Aunt and thought they were adapting to the new world quite quickly.
Unlike some people online. They seemed impressive on the surface, but when faced with all those terrifying mutated insects, many fell into despair. Before she came out, Qin Sang had checked the emergency news. People were jumping from buildings all over the country.
They had survived the high-temperature disaster. They had survived the sudden cockroach swarm attacks. And then they died by their own hands. It was infinitely lamentable.
Just then, the little tabby cat finally appeared, darting out from somewhere after all that calling.
Qin Sang took the opportunity to take out a bowl of cat food she had brought from her spatial space.
Catching the scent of the cat food, the little tabby finally approached. It sniffed the food, then buried its face and began to eat.
Qin Sang took the opportunity to use her spiritual power threads to scan the little tabby cat very carefully. She didn’t find anything particularly unusual. She even specifically probed its little brain and found no energy core.
Yes, Qin Sang had come today to see if mammals had started evolving too.
Anyone familiar with apocalyptic novels knew that some stories featured animal evolution, plant evolution, human evolution, and so on.
In their world, insects had already mutated. Although it was due to energy crystals, insects had indeed evolved.
The aloe plant at her front gate was also showing signs of this.
And the little tabby cat before her was the same.
However, upon examination, there wasn’t much unusual about the little tabby. The only anomaly might be that this little creature had a tiny bit of energy inside it.
That couldn’t be used as a reference.
The main point was that as the apocalypse progressed, even people who didn’t cultivate could still increase the energy in their bodies through breathing or eating. However, the absorption rate of this energy was very low. It wasn’t as effective as getting it through training. It was almost negligible.
Just as Qin Sang was pondering the direction of the world’s progression, a buzzing sound rang in her ears.
It was very loud, but different from the sound of a mutated cockroach flapping its wings. This was more chaotic.
“Mom, Dad, get inside the house, quick!”
She couldn’t tell exactly what was approaching, but that familiar feeling of tightness in her chest told Qin Sang that danger was imminent.
Grabbing the struggling little tabby, she sprinted out of Xu Lin’s yard. As she ran, she shouted at her parents to get inside and close all the doors and windows. At the same time, she shouted at Second Aunt and the villagers who were still walking or talking in the street, “Everyone go home! All of you, go inside! Hurry!”
Ever since a villager had been decapitated in the city a few days ago, the villagers knew that Qin Sang was very capable. Even though the young people who were saved that day had been sworn to secrecy, it didn’t stop the villagers from knowing about Qin Sang’s abilities.
Now, hearing Qin Sang’s warning, most of them rushed home in a panic.
Qin Sang pricked up her ears, pinpointed the source of the sound, and shouted again, “Those who live too far, don’t try to make it! Run to the nearest house and take shelter!”
Then, Qin Sang took out her phone and made an emergency call to the management bureau.
After explaining the situation in a few words, regardless of whether they believed her or not, she hung up and rushed inside her house. Then she told her parents to close all the doors and windows.
Sure enough, the moment the doors and windows were shut, a deafening buzzing sound exploded as if right next to their ears. Countless mosquitoes, led by a mutated mosquito over a meter long, suddenly charged straight at the Qin family’s front gate.
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