The mosquito's head must have fallen off and been crushed by a car wheel.
But this mosquito-like creature was easily the size of two adult palms!
In Jiang Yan's memory, mosquitoes couldn't withstand extreme heat or cold.
Generally, when temperatures rose above 30°C or dropped below 10°C, mosquitoes would stop reproducing and die.
Could this be some new species she didn't recognize?
Jiang Yan took out her phone and snapped a photo from a distance. After scanning the area for any companions of the creature, she quickly got back into the car.
Closing the door and windows was done in one swift motion.
The young man finished his phone call, retrieved cleaning supplies and several bottles of water from the trunk, rinsed the bloodstains off the windshield, and hurried back into the driver's seat.
"Ma'am, sorry for the delay," he said, wiping sweat from his forehead before quickly starting the car.
Jiang Yan: "No problem."
She had already searched the image online—the results indicated the creature shared physical characteristics with the Aedes mosquito genus.
Aedes mosquitoes were notorious for spreading yellow fever, dengue, and encephalitis.
But in reality, mosquitoes this large didn't exist.
The world's largest mosquito, Toxorhynchites, only grew to about 35mm and fed solely on flower nectar—not blood.
Yet the amount of blood spilled earlier was at least 500cc.
If mosquitoes had truly mutated, humanity was in for unimaginable disaster.
After all, if mosquitoes could mutate, other creatures wouldn't be far behind.
Finding no conclusive answers online, Jiang Yan anonymously posted the photo with the caption:
#Help #UnknownCreature Found what appears to be a giant mosquito. Anyone recognize this? She tagged several science-focused media accounts and official research institutions.
"Ma'am, that insect really did look like a mosquito, but there's no way mosquitoes could grow that big. Right?"
The driver shuddered as he spoke, then suddenly exclaimed, "Huh? That's weird—why is the temperature still climbing?"
Jiang Yan glanced up.
Sure enough, the dashboard showed the external temperature had already soared to 40°C!
And it was only around 5 PM—not even the hottest part of the day.
Online discussions about the rising temperatures were exploding.
If even Anming, known for its mild climate, was like this, the so-called "furnace cities" must be unbearable.
It seemed the Apocalypse was arriving ahead of schedule.
Jiang Yan rubbed her temples, closed her eyes, and began mentally reviewing what preparations she still needed to complete.
-
The return trip coincided with rush hour, and the roads were unbearably congested.
By the time Jiang Yan reached Qianshui Bay, it was nearly 7 PM.
An ambulance and several police cars were parked at the main gate, their red and blue lights flashing incessantly.
A crowd of terrified residents—men, women, and children—stood nearby, murmuring anxiously.
The entrance to the underground parking garage was cordoned off with police tape.
The scene, paired with the relentless heat, was unsettling.
Jiang Yan got out of the car early.
The air outside was stifling.
Dressed in full protective gear, she found even walking briskly made breathing difficult.
As soon as I reached the entrance of the residential complex, I heard the crowd gathered there loudly discussing.
"Oh my god! It's terrifying! I heard the entire person was completely drained!"
"That bloody hole on her body was as big as my son's fist!"
"I heard it was bitten by a mosquito as big as a human face—all the blood was sucked out!"
"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, bro—it was a whole swarm!!"
"A swarm??!! Could those mosquitoes have mutated?!"
"Holy crap, I heard only female mosquitoes suck blood—what if they laid eggs inside after feeding?! Damn, that person was from Building D. Guess we can't go there anymore!"
"God! Could this really be the start of the Apocalypse?! Look how hot it is today!! I don't remember Anming ever being this hot before! Oh yeah, I saw a post warning about this—damn, that person was spot on!!!"
"Where's the post? That's insane—find it and show me!"
"I think it was posted by a foreigner—super impressive. Let me see if it's been deleted."
"…"
The crowd was sweating profusely from the heat but still passionately debating.
Jiang Yan's heart skipped a beat.
So, the Blood Mosquito she encountered earlier wasn't an isolated case.
Soon, several fully equipped medical personnel in hazmat suits, escorted by the property manager and security guards, hurried out of the complex carrying a medical stretcher.
The person on the stretcher was completely covered by a white sheet.
Behind the medical staff were a few community police officers and a short-haired woman who looked like an official.
The short-haired woman scanned the lingering crowd with a grave expression and raised her voice:
"Residents, it's scorching hot—stop standing around chatting and go home! Remember to close your doors and windows! Also, tell your elderly parents to skip the square dancing for the next couple of days."
Outside the entrance of Qianshui Bay Residential Complex, near the fresh produce supermarket, was a fairly large square.
Every day at 7:30 p.m., the sound of square dancing would start without fail.
"Officer, what exactly happened? Was it those giant blood-sucking mosquitoes?" someone in the crowd shouted.
The short-haired woman sidestepped the question. "Sir, nothing's happened. With temperatures this high, heatstroke is a real risk! Everyone, please go home now!" She then added firmly:
"Residents, let me remind everyone: do not spread rumors, believe rumors, or fabricate rumors! Any official updates will be promptly released through proper channels!"
Jiang Yan didn't stick around to hear the rest. She quickly dragged her suitcase back to her own building, Block A.
If Blood Mosquitoes had appeared in the complex, staying exposed outside was clearly unwise.
But most people clung to wishful thinking, assuming mosquito bites were just isolated incidents.
The Blood Mosquitoes had been discovered in Block D.
The entire building had been sealed off, with personnel in hazmat suits and disinfection equipment rushing in and out.
The entrances to the other buildings remained as usual.
Most people wouldn't immediately become vigilant just because of a sudden temperature rise or the appearance of Blood Mosquitoes.
Jiang Yan belonged to the minority. Without stopping, she went straight back to the 32nd floor.
She lived in unit 3201. Before entering, she habitually glanced at the neighboring doors.
Next door, 3202 remained tightly shut, as if no one lived there.
The door to 3203 was slightly ajar, with two Tianya beer crates placed at the entrance, filled haphazardly with empty bottles.
The sounds of men and women laughing and clinking glasses drifted out from inside.
From the noise, it sounded like they were celebrating a child's birthday.
(End of Chapter)