Chapter 29
The abnormal appearance of water ants has caused widespread discussion. Water ants, which only live near Province G and other areas, have appeared in City H and even in places further inland.
It was the first time I saw such a large black army of water ants, and it was dinner time. The most terrifying situation was that a large black-winged water ant flew into my mouth. Perhaps only a wild survival expert would say "high protein, swallow it."
Chao Youqian was grateful that he had sealed all the edges and seams during the previous renovation. The fresh air system was built-in ducted, and the filter in the middle was very tight, so no insects could invade.
The circle of friends is full of curses and videos of dense water ants clinging to windows or entering the house, flying around the lights and crawling on the ground. Especially for the students who are trapped in the school, the ventilation windows in the dormitory cannot be closed. If the lights are not turned off, water ants will come in one after another. Even if the lights are turned off, they cannot see the water ants coming in clearly and cannot eliminate them.
Water ants are ants with long and narrow wings, some are yellow and some are black. They sneak into people's homes and fly around in large numbers on the night before rain. They are large water ants that like humidity.
Did this sudden arrival signal more rain to come, or did the constant dampness confuse their senses, sending regional water ants roaming?
Chao Youqian and Lang Xin both received reminders from their building manager to keep doors and windows securely closed. The apartment designs in the complex were similar, and many owners, with large balconies, transformed them into open terraces or gardens during renovations. Some even installed small swimming pools within the building's load-bearing capacity.
The arrival of water ants disrupted everything. According to the housekeeper, these large water ants were different from the water ants Chao Youqian knew. They not only gnawed on plants, but also bit people, causing redness and swelling.
The flowers and plants in the open-air garden withered, and the surface of the swimming pool was like a blanket of insects. As long as there was a little light, water ants would swarm over everything they could see.
"Enclosing the balcony is definitely one of the best decisions we have ever made!" Chao Youqian sighed after replying to the building manager.
I felt this deeply when the rainstorm started. I saw on the news that not only were water entering the homes of residents on the lower floors, but their balconies were also facing the wind vents, and the rain poured in and washed away all the flowers and plants on the balconies. Things that were not fixed or brought in were also washed away.
Today's army of water ants is another attack on open balconies following the strong winds and heavy rains, and the progress of the cleaning work has been reset to zero again.
Lang Xin turned on his flashlight, shining it onto the balcony glass, allowing him to clearly observe the water ants. "It's hot and humid, and insects are always drawn to the light and want to flee home. Come and see these water ants. Aren't they a little too big?"
Chao Youqian moved closer to take a closer look. He knew that water ants would appear outside the classrooms on rainy days in high school. During the breaks in evening self-study, the boys would go to the corridor and step on the water ants that were attracted by the lights and lay on the ground. It was unclear why, but they didn't fly and were easily stepped on to death.
But the water ants in front of him showed no desire to retreat under the strong light of the flashlight. They could fly to a height of more than 20 floors. They were large and had a strange black color. The yellow wings seen before only accounted for a small part of them.
Chao Youqian turned off the flashlight and looked at the group of large black water ants with a bad feeling. "Let's just watch. The flashlight is too bright. Don't try to attract more water ants."
Lang Xin nodded. He was curious about what was so special about these strange water ants, but he couldn't see anything with the naked eye. It would be better to leave them outside the window. "No need to watch. Draw the curtains and let's go see a movie. Let's watch that new superhero movie."
Chao Youqian said, "Okay, go turn on the TV first, and I'll close the curtains."
Standing on the balcony, Chao Youqian felt that the moon was unusually bright tonight. The cloudy sky could not block the moonlight. He frowned but could not think of any disaster that could be related to the moon.
I drew the thick curtains to block out the moonlight outside, completely blocking out the light inside the house, leaving the water ants with nowhere to go. I checked the vegetables and fruits growing on the balcony and found they were all in good condition. The chickens in the cage, which had been listless a while ago, had now regained some of their spirits.
Without the flying water ants in front of him, Chao Youqian felt relaxed. He went to the kitchen to get two bottles of iced happy water, and took a bag of sharing potato chips from the storage shelf in the living room. Then he went straight to the audio-visual room to start a journey of enjoyment.
While Chao Youqian and Lang Xin were happily watching a movie indoors with their phones on silent, there was more and greater turmoil in the outside world's hot searches and public opinion.
The first to be affected are the unlucky people who are caught off guard and have water ants pounce on their faces or bodies. Those who bounce away without a care or swat them away in shock all find that the areas where they were bitten become red, swollen and itchy.
And it wasn't the kind of itch you get from a mosquito bite that can be suppressed with anti-itch lotion and pinching, but rather the uncontrollable nerve pain and tingling that comes with being bitten by a bullet ant.
After realizing they couldn't stop the pain, the ambulance line suddenly became busy, and more and more people began asking for help online on how to relieve the itching and pain after being bitten by giant water ants.
Especially if there are children at home, if the windows are not closed tightly, a few water ants will come in. Children like to touch all kinds of strange things, so they will reach out to touch them out of curiosity. If it were normal small water ants, it would not be a big deal, but this abnormal water ant group is different.
The children with delicate skin and low immunity had safely avoided the X virus, which was now under complete control, but were knocked down by the bites of water ants. The pain and itching shook their senses. They cried loudly and scratched the red areas hard. The fair skin quickly turned from slightly red to purple and swollen.
The pediatric emergency room was crowded with worried and frightened parents, becoming a place noisier than a vegetable market. Every parent was red-faced and yelling at the doctor to come and treat their child as soon as possible.
Residents of the blocked city are not allowed to leave the city, but they can go out for three hours a day with a community pass. Living in the coastal area, they are no strangers to water ants, but there are still some omissions and many people are bitten.
Most people use their daytime allotment for going out, but if a bite doesn't stop itching and hurting, most people would want to go to the hospital. Ambulances are in short supply, so bites often lead to people rushing to the clinic or hospital, even just to get some painkillers.
The conflict between the community and residents was on the verge of breaking out. Families with children were more likely to be angry. The children's unstoppable crying after being bitten aroused people's emotions. Soon, the verbal disputes turned into actions, and there were at least dozens of scenes being broadcast live.
The trending search terms immediately rose, and even those unaware of the situation received text messages. For example, in Province J, where it got dark as late as 9:00 PM and the sun hadn't set yet, residents of the province, accustomed to a dry climate, were plagued by the rain and humidity, forcing them to buy freezers as their food couldn't be kept.
The attack of giant black soldier ants has dealt a further blow to people who were already troubled by the humid weather and economic problems caused by the X virus. Many people are wondering what happened this summer.
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