Many people were left weak-kneed by the sight. Hearing the exchange between Qin Sang and Brother Fa, they slowly snapped back to reality. Screams erupted—those who were timid ran home screaming, while the bolder ones crowded closer to Brother Fa.
“Don’t be afraid. These things fear light. Brother Fa, I’ll stay here and watch the light. You take some people—it’s best if you make some torches or something. Wear protective gear from head to toe, then go rescue them. I’ve already reported this to the administration bureau.”
Rescuing people was fine, but not at the cost of their own lives.
Brother Fa nodded without hesitation and called the patrol team to make preparations.
Qin Sang didn’t stay idle either. She asked her parents to help watch the light, then zoomed in with her camera and took several photos of the pond, sending them directly to Xu Lin.
This was absolutely not an isolated incident. If it happened here, other places were in danger too.
Because the cockroaches in the pond were not the ordinary household kind. They were truly giant cockroaches—larger than the ones she had seen in the tunnel last time, roughly the size of an adult’s palm.
These creatures feared light, which was why they didn’t dare come out.
So daytime was safe. But nighttime from now on would definitely not be safe.
It wasn’t just outdoors—homes would need to keep their lights on constantly. Nothing had happened last night probably because when everyone went out in the evening, their house lights were still on. The streetlights were also lit. Without the right conditions, these things simply didn’t dare show themselves.
As for those people in the pond—they were practically a meal delivered to their doorstep. Why wouldn’t they take it? Before, Qin Sang’s flashlight had only illuminated a limited area, so these creatures could avoid the light and keep attacking.
It wasn’t until she brought out the high-power floodlight that the giant cockroaches all retreated.
—
The administration bureau arrived quickly. Every single person was fully armed. This further proved that the appearance of giant cockroaches was not an isolated event.
As soon as they arrived, they set up lights and began dispersing the onlookers.
Seeing that their lights were even larger and brighter than hers, Qin Sang knew the authorities had indeed made preparations. The tunnel incident last time had probably served as a wake-up call.
“I’m the one who filed the report. This floodlight is mine too. Our village patrol members have already gone to prepare torches and protective gear.”
Qin Sang reported the situation directly to the administration bureau personnel.
After listening, the person in charge nodded approvingly. “Good job. You didn’t blindly go down to rescue them.”
With that, the leading captain directed several fully equipped team members to go down into the pond and rescue the injured. Brother Fa and his team also arrived. They went over to assist the bureau personnel.
Just then, more people came running from the direction of the village. Before they even arrived, they started wailing.
Second Aunt said, “Those must be the families of the people in the pond.”
Qin Sang figured the same. The pond was right at the edge of the village, just past the village exit, and was one of the intersections connecting several nearby urban villages. The people arriving likely included some from their village and some from other villages. When they saw the horrific scene at the bottom of the pond, they screamed even louder.
Personnel from the administration bureau were in charge of maintaining order. They went over and told them to be quiet—people were trying to rescue others down there.
These family members didn’t dare challenge the bureau, because during the recent resettlement of relocated people, the bureau had acted swiftly and decisively, without wasting words.
Then—and Qin Sang didn’t know if she’d call herself unlucky—these people turned and started yelling at her. “Why didn’t you bring out the floodlight earlier?! If you had, my husband and son wouldn’t have been bitten like that by the cockroaches!”
At the bottom of the pond, the bureau personnel had already placed the injured onto stretchers and were carrying them up to the shore. The victims looked battered and torn—it was hard to say if they could be saved.
Qin Sang twitched the corner of her mouth.
Her mother, father, Second Aunt, and several other villagers who hadn’t run away couldn’t stand it and immediately shouted back at the woman.
“They were told not to go over there, told over and over again, but your husband and son insisted on going. Were they rushing to their deaths? What does that have to do with us?”
“It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t shined your flashlight at the pond, my husband and son wouldn’t have run down there. This is all on you, you damned woman. If it weren’t for your meddling, my husband and son wouldn’t have been bitten like this!” The woman yelled and sobbed.
Not far away, many people were holding up their phones, recording videos. Some might even have been livestreaming.
Qin Sang rolled her eyes directly. She didn’t bother arguing with this woman. Instead, she walked over to the bureau personnel and said, “This woman is being very loud. Do you have any way to stop this kind of shakedown?”
The bureau personnel raised an eyebrow at this and said quietly, “Don’t worry about her. Your actions today saved lives. The bureau will handle everything else.”
Hearing this, Qin Sang stopped her parents and the others from shouting back. There was no need.
The administration bureau’s ability to execute could be trusted. They say that in times of chaos, harsh measures are needed, and that was precisely the Disaster Response Administration Bureau’s guiding principle. Otherwise, there would be no way they could have completed the relocation of half the country’s population by today.
Just then, Xu Lin responded. He called directly.
“Are you okay? You and your aunt and uncle—everyone’s fine, right?”
Qin Sang said, “We’re fine. Just saw some people doing something stupid, couldn’t stop them, and then almost got shaken down over it.”
“Don’t worry about it. If those people try to cause trouble, the bureau will directly deduct their points and supplies.”
Well, hit them where it hurts. Five-star review.
“Get home early. These giant cockroaches are no joke. It’s not just us—they’ve appeared in many places tonight.”
“Okay. Once they’re done with the light, we’ll head back.”
The bureau had only brought one large light. Brother Fa was still helping with the rescue. Qin Sang wasn’t about to take her light away just yet.
The whole ordeal dragged on for over an hour. When the bureau finally packed up, the lead captain thanked Qin Sang again. He also assured her that no one would come looking for trouble. And if anyone did, to notify the bureau immediately.
Qin Sang nodded and, along with Brother Fa and the others, led the group back to the village.
The village was brightly lit.
Even the households that usually pinched pennies had turned on all their porch lights. Inside their homes, it was even more so—it seemed every single room had its lights on.
Many people saw Qin Sang and the others returning and called down to them from their balconies:
“A Fa, are those giant cockroaches really that terrifying?”
“Sang Sang, how did you know the giant cockroaches are afraid of light? Besides light, are they afraid of bug spray?”
“Hongxia, do you have giant cockroaches at your place too?”
“Second Aunt, do giant cockroaches really eat people?”
A flurry of questions rained down from above. Qin Sang exchanged a helpless look with her parents.
“Brother Fa, go report the situation to the village chief.”
Brother Fa understood immediately that Qin Sang wanted to go home. He pounded his chest and swore he would tell the village chief everything that had happened tonight, and make sure no one bothered her.
Amid the barrage of questions, the family of three entered their own yard. And there, standing at the stairwell entrance, was Qu Meijing.
Clearly, she wanted to ask questions too.
Qin Sang’s mother said directly, “The giant cockroaches are real. If you’re worried, just keep your lights on—then you won’t have to be afraid.”
Hearing this answer, Qu Meijing’s face turned green. This damned world was completely different from what she remembered before her rebirth.
Walking ahead, Qin Sang caught Qu Meijing muttering under her breath behind her. It further confirmed that what this woman called her “previous life” was nothing more than residual memory from how the Blue Planet simulation world was supposed to unfold.
In other words, Qu Meijing’s memories were not reliable.
The family got home and hadn’t even sat down yet when their phones started ringing incessantly. Relatives and friends were all inquiring about the giant cockroaches.
Some sent photos of the bug sprays they had at home—various brands—asking if they would work.
Even more absurd were the roach motels. Those might work on ordinary household cockroaches, but they were way too small for giant cockroaches. The cockroaches probably couldn’t even fit inside.
Though a bit annoyed, Qin Sang patiently answered her relatives’ questions. Everyone just wanted to survive.
After answering a round of questions, she posted a message directly in the village group chat: “The authorities will definitely release information about the giant cockroaches. You don’t need to ask me anymore. Whatever the official says is final.”
And the authorities didn’t move slowly. Within just an hour after the rescue operation ended, the survival app’s news page had pinned all the intelligence about the giant cockroaches at the top.
Meanwhile, major safety zones across the country began disseminating information on how to deal with giant cockroaches.
The official store also started listing batches of insecticides.
These insecticides, though, were different from the small bottles common before the apocalypse. They came in canisters of tablets. The kit included a plastic tank to carry on your back and a connected spray nozzle. It was essentially the same as a pesticide spraying setup.
The tablets needed to be diluted with water. To kill the roaches, you had to carry the tank on your back and spray. It was a bit cumbersome.
An easier method of extermination was electrocution.
But that method was quite dangerous, so the authorities hadn’t made it public. However, Qin Sang learned from Da Linzi that the authorities were equipped with something like an electrified net—similar to a fishing net, but electrically charged.
There were both hand-thrown versions and projectile-launched versions.
Qin Sang was interested in this.
Xu Lin said he would apply for one specifically and bring it home tomorrow when he was off duty.
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