Chapter 47 Mommy, I Saw Superman!
"Dad! There's another one over there!!"
"Dad, be careful!!"
"Honey, watch your right side!"
"Oh no! We've been spotted too!!"
"..."
"Bzzzzzz!" An ear-splitting noise filled the air.
Massive swarms of mosquitoes, dark as storm clouds, flew hungrily toward the rare feast they'd discovered.
Panic spread like wildfire among the migrating crowds.
Soon, agonized screams and the sizzling sounds of mosquito repellent sprays filled the streets.
The repellent couldn't kill the Blood Mosquitoes—it could only temporarily drive them away at best.
Whether they could hold out until reaching the Official Shelter remained uncertain.
Some in the crowd were heading toward the shopping center.
Two backpackers even peered through the glass doors of the coffee shop.
Jiang Yan sat in a somewhat hidden corner, and with the interior pitch black, outsiders naturally couldn't see anyone inside.
Not that they intended to enter anyway.
These street-side shops were even hotter than their homes—going inside would be suicide.
There were no subway stations here, just a two-level underground parking lot and a supermarket beneath the shopping center.
Jiang Yan guessed they were probably seeking temporary refuge underground after seeing the scorching weather forecast for the coming days.
After a while, the crowd outside gradually thinned.
Estimating the time was right, Jiang Yan finally stood up and retrieved a bulky Jetpack flight suit from her dimension, putting it on over her oversized Heat-resistant suit.
The flight suit weighed sixty kilograms—over ten kilograms more than her own weight.
Wearing it felt like carrying a full-grown man on her back.
Only her enhanced physical condition made it bearable; otherwise, this double-layered, cumbersome outfit would have rendered her immobile.
Just as Jiang Yan finished storing the U-shaped lock from the door, she noticed the dried corpses lying on the tiles outside the glass door twitch slightly.
Her heart skipped a beat—
Could they be turning into zombies?!
But this wasn't a movie or a novel.
As she puzzled over it, swarms of half-inch-long, fully developed mosquitoes burst through the corpses' skin.
To be precise, they emerged from the dried corpses' exposed necks, faces, mouths, and even stomachs.
"!!!!" Jiang Yan's pupils contracted as she instinctively gasped.
Mosquitoes typically laid eggs on water surfaces, with each female capable of producing 50 to 500 eggs at once.
But after the extreme heat, the city's ponds, rivers, and small lakes had almost completely dried up.
Jiang Yan had been wondering how these mosquitoes survived and reproduced.
Now, the mystery was solved.
Every host drained of blood by the Blood Mosquitoes—whether human or animal—had become an incubator for their eggs and metamorphosis.
A cold sweat broke out over Jiang Yan's body.
Fortunately, these juvenile mosquitoes seemed less aggressive than the adults.
She waited patiently until the swarm buzzed away before finally opening the door and stepping outside.
The flight suit's directional controls operated through arm movements that adjusted the jet airflow.
As a result, her hands were empty—no Electric Mosquito Swatter, no Mosquito Repellent.
Nothing at all.
However, most mosquitoes can only fly up to the height of a six-story building.
As long as she quickly ascended above the seventh floor, the number of mosquitoes would drastically decrease.
Of course, there was always the possibility of mutated mosquitoes with stronger flight capabilities.
But if she flew fast and high enough, the mosquitoes wouldn't be able to catch up with her.
Though she thought this way, Jiang Yan wasn't in a hurry.
She methodically activated the power switch of her flight suit, first testing the stability of hovering half a meter above the ground.
After confirming everything was in order, she gradually increased the jet propulsion.
As the thrust intensified, Jiang Yan quickly rose to the height of seven stories, then adjusted her angle to a 45-degree incline, slowly flying toward Repulse Bay.
Soon.
Eight stories.
Nine stories.
The devastated urban area grew farther and farther away from her.
Jiang Yan's altitude steadily increased.
Just one more old residential district, and she would reach Repulse Bay.
She wasn't worried about being spotted.
After all, with her fully armed and bizarre appearance, there was little chance of being recognized.
However, when she was close to Repulse Bay, she paused mid-air to observe.
At this hour, the people in the buildings should have already moved to the underground parking lots.
The houses were pitch-black, not a single light visible.
Like a desolate ghost town standing silently.
Just as Jiang Yan's figure flew past the old neighborhood near Repulse Bay, a pale and weak little girl in a seventh-floor apartment suddenly widened her eyes in disbelief.
The girl, about three or four years old, was dressed in a nearly brand-new pink Barbie princess dress.
A delicate little tiara adorned with rhinestones sat atop her head, and her slightly cold little wrist bore a cute bracelet.
Her parents lay quietly beside her, also dressed neatly.
Her mother wore a beautiful long yellow floral dress and had even applied delicate makeup.
Her father had shaved his beard clean and styled his hair with pomade.
Unfortunately, the temperature was too high.
Her mother's makeup had long smudged, and her father's hair was damp with sweat.
On the bedside table nearby, two empty medicine bottles lay...
"What's wrong, Nan Nan? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Feeling her daughter stir, Zhang Xue struggled to open her heavy eyelids slightly.
"Daddy, Mommy, I'm so hot, but I just saw a superhero!"
The girl's eyes sparkled like two bright stars in the dark night, filled with innocence and curiosity. She gently tugged at her parents' hands, speaking in a sweet, childish voice.
"A superhero??" Her father, Zhao Lei, also opened his eyes, his gaze red-rimmed as he exchanged a silent look with his wife.
"Mm-hmm. She just flew by in the sky." The little girl tilted her face up earnestly.
But after just two sentences, her breathing became labored.
Tears glistened in her mother's eyes as she leaned over and pressed a firm kiss to her daughter's forehead, whispering softly:
"Nan Nan, go to sleep now, okay? The magic will only work when you fall asleep. Then we'll not only see the superhero, but also lots of Little Elves coming to take us away!"
"Wow! Mommy, can the Little Elves cure my sickness? Nan Nan really doesn't want to go to the hospital for more shots. It hurts so much."
"Mm-hmm, the Little Elves have lots of magic. They can make all of Nan Nan's wishes come true!"
"Mommy, do the Little Elves have big air conditioners in their homes? Then Daddy and Mommy wouldn't feel so uncomfortable, right?"
"Mmm." Zhang Xue's nose stung, her throat too choked to speak.
She turned her head slightly to secretly wipe away a tear.
"Mommy, can I meet Peppa Pig, George, and Doraemon in the Magic Castle?"
"Mmm! Of course! Baby can meet anyone you want!" Zhang Xue mustered the last of her strength to say firmly.
"Then I'll become best friends with George and Peppa! And I'll borrow lots of things from Doraemon, then just like that superhero earlier, I'll fly Daddy and Mommy around the world!"
"Don't worry, Nan Nan, whatever you wish for will come true!" Zhao Lei bit through the blanket, his eyes red and voice choked with emotion.
"Daddy, Mommy, I'm so hot... and sleepy... I'll go to sleep first, okay? I love you. You have to come too, or the magic won't work together. I really want to hold Daddy and Mommy's hands when we enter the Magic Castle."
The little girl's voice grew fainter, the small hands that had been clutching her parents' fingers slowly slipping away.
"Daddy and Mommy love you too." Zhang Xue wanted to speak, but she was already engulfed by overwhelming drowsiness.
"Yes yes, Nan Nan sleep first, Daddy and Mommy love you too!" Zhao Lei used his last ounce of strength to pull his wife and daughter, both with eyes tightly closed, into a tight embrace.
The next second, the 180cm-tall man was already buried in the blankets, weeping uncontrollably.