Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy! - Chapter 235

Chapter 235: Bloodsuckers

Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Zhao Lin glanced at her clothes—already soaked through—and shook the nearly empty canteen in her hand. The buzzing around her ears made her scalp go numb.

These mosquitoes were no longer the kind from before. Each one was the size of a thumb, some even larger. As they flew closer, their grotesque forms became clear.

Pulsing veins crawled across their swollen abdomens. Their white-striped legs dangled in the air, each tipped with a curved hook sharp enough to cling onto flesh. From their mouths protruded a needle-thin proboscis glinting coldly under the sun.

Although they weren’t particularly dangerous—any ordinary survivor could swat them dead—their bites were vicious, burning like fire. Worst of all, they seemed to favor fresh wounds.

Zhao Lin frowned. She had only suffered a few scratches on her arm yesterday. Nothing serious, so she hadn’t asked Dao Yin to waste her power treating them. But now, those small wounds had become a banquet for the bloodsuckers.

The others nearby were cursing as well.

“Argh! Why’s this mosquito the size of a cherry?!”

“Ouch! You damned bug, dare bite me?!”

“Hell, even mosquitoes evolved? If this thing keeps sucking, won’t I get anemia on the spot?!”

Zhao Lin swatted one away and muttered darkly. On the way here, she had noticed unclogged drains overrun with moss, a perfect breeding ground for these bloodsuckers.

She crushed the last mosquito on her side and turned wearily to the man beside her.

“Brother Wu, let’s call it here and grab a bite first, hm? With these damn things swarming, I don’t want to stick around.” Her tone was half complaint, half exhaustion from yesterday’s mission.

She shoved the last of the jades into her bag and squinted upward. The sun was blazing mercilessly though it wasn’t even noon yet—hotter than yesterday, oppressive and suffocating.

Wu Hao shared her thought. He swept a glance around, then gave a small nod.

The shops near the mausoleum were nothing but breakfast stalls, souvenir stands, and photo booths. Word about jade merchants had spread quickly, drawing a crowd. But now that so many had already combed through the place, there was little point staying.

Just as they were about to board their vehicle, a small commotion from the mausoleum drew their eyes.

Zhao Lin’s expression stiffened. The group emerging from within was familiar. At their head was a man with half his face swathed in a strip of blood-soaked brown cloth, covering one eye. The resemblance to that hateful Thorn Team leader was unmistakable—save for the yellow stains on his teeth.

Their bulging brown sacks swung heavily as they trudged toward a blue SUV. One man was missing.

As they passed close, their voices rang out, crude and loud.

“Argh! You call this dressing a wound? It’s too tight! My eye’s killing me—loosen it!” “S-sorry, Brother, I’ve never done this before…”

“Useless trash!” the yellow-toothed man spat. The pain seared through his skull, his vision nothing but blurred outlines. His fury flared again at the memory of that sudden water sphere that had blinded him. Elder Meng! That damned old man!

He roared as his companion fumbled again, cuffing him across the head in irritation. The other man clenched his fists, swallowing his anger.

Zhao Lin couldn’t hear the rest of their conversation as Wu Hao started the engine, pulling them away. They couldn’t linger any longer with more mosquitoes swarming in.

But those faces, those voices, and their conversation stuck in her mind.

She had followed them earlier, only to lose them midway. The mausoleum, filled with debris and mounded like hills, was a maze.

Brother Wu was waiting for her, so she didn’t stay any longer either.

Seeing her deep in thought, Wu Hao asked, “Are you alright?”

Zhao Lin gave a small nod, still bothered.

The yellow-teethed man, still seething, shifted his focus. “What the hell’s going on there?” he barked when he noticed the bustle around the shops.

This place had long been emptied of food and water. Normally, no one came here. Yet today, it was crowded. Strange.

It didn’t take much for their notorious reputation to force an answer.

“I—I heard a jade merchant will come tomorrow… selling food and water for jades…” a trembling survivor confessed under their threats.

At those words, the Thorn Team’s expressions twisted—rage, greed, and faint fear. They immediately thought of the two who had stolen their spars the other night.

The yellow-toothed man clenched his fists. Perfect. If those two dared return, they’d be dragged before Lu Chenyu. Everyone who crossed that man ended up either in the dungeon… or floating in the pond.

Just picturing their fate stretched a cruel grin across his lips.

Meanwhile, the poor soul whose bag they had snatched dared to plead weakly, “Uh… handsome brothers, could I… have my bag back?”

The yellow-toothed man sneered, weighed the bag in his hands, then casually unleashed his ability. “It’s ours now. Get lost.”

The man paled, bolted like a frightened rat, cursing his rotten luck.

The Thorn Team snickered, pouring through the sacks they’d stolen. Moldy rice, broken biscuits, crushed noodles—but to their eyes, it was treasure. Lu Chenyu’s rations were stingy; stealing had long since become their habit.

When one man pulled out a can of preserved peaches, the yellow-toothed man’s head snapped around. His pupils shrank, greed lighting his gaze.

“Give it here!” He snatched it instantly, planting himself on the back seat like a king.

“Brother Ou—” someone licked his lips.

“It nearly cost me my sight to finish this job. I deserve more!” Brother Ou snapped, already prying the can open.

The others seethed but swallowed their resentment. They knew Ou’s brother was stronger, and Lu Chenyu had promised him spars as reward. No one dared provoke him.

Ou dug into the can barehanded, scooping the sweet golden flesh into his mouth. The others could only watch, envious to the point their fists trembled.

By the time Ou licked the last drop of syrup from his fingers, his stomach full and his mood smug, a sharp buzzing rang in his ears.

Then—stab!

“Fuck!” He jerked, smacking his palm against his cheek. The blurry outline of a fat mosquito smeared across his hand. The damn thing had pierced his wound straight through the bandage, blood already soaking through.

He hurled the corpse out the window in rage.

But before he could curse again, more mosquitoes swarmed in through the open window, drawn by the scent of his blood.

“What are you waiting for? Kill them!” Ou bellowed.

The others moved reluctantly, swatting the buzzing pests. But not before several bit down on their own half-healed wounds, leaving fiery pain behind.

Meanwhile, Ou flailed uselessly, his blurred vision unable to track the insects. By the time the others finished, his wounds had been punctured several more times, bleeding freely.

He snarled, berating them mercilessly. “Slow! Useless! Can’t even kill bugs properly!”

The others only bowed their heads, muffling their laughter.

The heat baked the car like an oven, the corpses of crushed mosquitoes piling up. Ou kicked the back of the driver’s seat viciously. “Drive! Back to the base!”

Yet even as the car jolted forward, the throbbing pain in his wounds only worsened.

Meanwhile, Zhao Lin and Wu Hao had just arrived at the base when they ran into the Gale Squad, who were frantically searching for someone.

“An old man?” Zhao Lin blinked.