As the group prepared to head to the morgue in the basement, the air raid sirens suddenly blared across the city. They rushed to the windows, looking out at the sky where black dragons appeared in the distance. These dragons flew closer and soon loomed over the city.
Upon hearing the sirens, the city's inhabitants quickly sealed their doors and windows. Even any gaps were stuffed with wet towels to prevent insects from entering. Those caught outside rushed to air-raid shelters for safety.
Gong Changfa observed the black dragons in the sky with a keen eye. He noticed they appeared somewhat blurry, suggesting they were composed of numerous insects.
The moment these insects appeared, they emitted sharp sonic waves, making it impossible to concentrate. Hearing these piercing, ear-splitting sounds, Gong Changfa realized they must be mutated cicadas.
"Quick, get away from the windows! Close all windows and curtains, and check all open areas. We absolutely cannot let these insects in," the hospital director rushed over, issuing urgent commands.
The hospital was already filled with many wounded and sick patients who had been attacked previously, with many unsure if they would survive. Now, countless cicadas were flying in, emitting sharp, grating cries as they swarmed through the sky.
As the cicadas descended from the sky, the ground began to retaliate. People, fully armed with flamethrowers, unleashed fire into the sky.
It proved that the simplest method to combat insect attacks was with flamethrowers. These weapons had a range of twenty to thirty meters, and once fired, they would incinerate all insects in a wide area.
However, the sheer number of insects in the sky was overwhelming. Even though many soldiers on the ground were fully equipped with flamethrowers to fight back, a significant number of cicadas still managed to land. Once on the ground, these insects immediately sought prey.
They were all cicadas with dark bodies, moving in swarms across the sky. From a distance, they resembled a spreading black dragon. However, once they landed, they posed an immediate threat to humans. Despite being only palm-sized, if one landed on a person's head, it would attack directly. Their proboscis could pierce directly into the temple or eyeball, and once inserted, they would furiously consume brain matter.
People's greatest fear was dying from such a terrifying attack. The insects were small and difficult to defend against. Once they landed on a person's head, the damage was immense. Consequently, everyone started wearing helmets. Motorcycle helmets, which were already difficult to wear in the summer due to the heat, were now a necessity.
These helmets were virtually airtight. At the neck, sponges created a seal, leaving no gaps. A visor at the front provided further protection. If it were winter, this would be incredibly warm. However, in the height of summer, wearing a sealed helmet caused profuse sweating within minutes.
Yet, despite the discomfort, people dared not remove their motorcycle helmets. Taking them off meant risking an attack. Wearing a helmet offered at least some basic defense compared to having none.
Witnessing the insect attack firsthand, Gong Changfa frowned and remarked, "I never expected to find such enormous insects in the south. These insects are truly difficult to deal with."
Gong Changfa had initially believed that the northern regions were plagued by countless terrifying locusts. These locusts, having learned to build nests, left the areas around their nests barren. Any shrubs or grass that grew were quickly devoured by the locusts. He hadn't anticipated that mutated insects would also appear in the south, posing an even greater threat to humans than locusts.
The primary impact of locusts on humans was famine. Generally, locusts did not attack humans directly; they only devoured the crops planted by people.
These mutated cicadas, however, directly threatened human lives. Their sharp proboscis, once inserted into a person's head, would immediately consume brain matter, leading to death within moments.
"Brother, you've seen it with your own eyes now. Should you believe what I've told you about the crisis in Jinling?" Yun Laizhe asked Gong Changfa.
Gong Changfa nodded. "Before I saw these cicadas, I thought your area was a place of leisure and enjoyment. After all, it's at the mouth of the Yangtze River with convenient transportation, and the surrounding plains are suitable for cultivation. To think that such a terrifying threat exists here!"
"I must go and fight these insects now. I am an ability user, after all. I cannot stand idly by when Jinling is under threat. You're on your own; I won't have time to see you off," Yun Laizhe said casually.
"It's alright. I can't stand idly by either. I'll help you fight these insects. I am, after all, the foremost in close combat. No creature can withstand a single move from me. I must show my skills to everyone now, or they'll think my reputation is unfounded!" Gong Changfa shook his head.
The two ability users then left the hospital and headed outside. As soon as the cicadas outside spotted people appearing without head protection, they swarmed towards them.
Yellow brass quickly emerged from Yun Laizhe's clothes, transforming into liquid and then into defensive weapons that blocked his path. If any cicadas landed on him, the brass would instantly form sharp spikes, impaling and killing them.
This was a basic application of his abilities. For ability users who controlled materials, they could change the shape of controlled objects into weapons at any time. Some could control steel, others sand, and some water. Generally, self-preservation was not an issue.
Gong Changfa also began his attack. In the past, his attack methods were very simple: he would rush to the enemy and finish them with punches and kicks. Even massive sea beasts could be beaten to death with a single punch. However, Gong Changfa could now project a berserk particle stream from his body to attack.
The universe contained many berserk particles. Even spaceships in space were attacked by these inexplicable particles. On Earth, humans did not encounter particle attacks because of the ozone layer; it wasn't that humans or other creatures could resist particle attacks.
Now, Gong Changfa unleashed countless rays from his hands. These rays were composed of individual particles, and any cicada they struck was instantly killed. After all, even giant mutated birds could not withstand their attack, let alone these smaller insects.
"Looking at this, it seems we should be asking you for help, not the other way around. Your strength is too great; these insects are no match for you," Yun Laizhe remarked.
Gong Changfa said calmly, "While my attacks have immense power, they are single-target. I lack area-of-effect capabilities. The person with true widespread ability coverage is Shen Feng. He is the world's only eighth-tier ability user, and his abilities have the largest global influence."
Yun Laizhe, however, said seriously, "It's just that he evolved faster. If you could obtain evolution crystals, your strength would surely surpass his. The universe never lacks particles. If you become an eighth-tier ability user, you will undoubtedly be the strongest!"
Gong Changfa did not refute this statement, as he recalled the battle in Siberia. If he hadn't become stronger then, Shen Feng might not have been able to make the storm vortex lethal. So, in a way, his strength was not insignificant.
The city's inhabitants had learned their lesson. Everyone had prepared defensive gear for their heads. Even those without motorcycle helmets had wrapped their heads with tape, preventing the cicadas from harming them.
However, upon discovering humanity's defenses, the cicadas adopted more aggressive attack methods. Originally, they only intended to consume human brain matter. But with humans prioritizing head protection, they found no way in. Consequently, they began targeting other parts of the human body.
Cicadas subsist on liquids. Ancient people believed cicadas fed on dew, considering them noble creatures because dew was pure.
In reality, cicadas feed on tree sap, absorbing the nutrients from the tree's body. Now that humans were protecting their brains, the cicadas targeted other areas, such as the human heart.
When a cicada flew to a person's abdomen, it would hang upside down and use its proboscis to pierce the body. After the sharp proboscis penetrated the ribs and diaphragm, it would target the heart. The two most vital areas of a human were the brain and the heart. Damage to either would cause death within seconds.
Now, with the cicadas' proboscis attacking the human heart, they could kill instantly.
Upon discovering this, people retreated into their homes, afraid to go outside, as venturing out meant risking an attack.
Gong Changfa frowned, noticing that the insects in the sky varied in size. He remarked, "I feel like the evolution of these insects isn't complete. If they were fully evolved, their attacks should be much more ferocious. And with their varying sizes, this population is too unstable."
Yun Laizhe then said, "There's no point in discussing this now. We've already sent people into the mountains to find the cicadas' nests. We believe they must have nests in some mountain, but we haven't found them yet. Once we locate their nests, we will bomb them immediately, ensuring they are annihilated."
It turned out that Jinling had also recognized the threat from the sky. These cicadas descended upon the city daily in search of food, treating humans like livestock they were raising. In response, the people of Jinling were not idle. They had already dispatched people into the mountains to search for the cicadas' nests. Once found, they would commence bombing operations.
At this moment, a fiery red figure suddenly appeared in the sky, leaving a trail of red flame behind it. These flames propelled it through the air. Although it consumed a lot of energy, the figure didn't seem to care.
"Look, it's Ke Yiming!" Yun Laizhe pointed to the sky.
"I didn't expect this guy to get stronger too. It seems I can't afford to slack off, or I'll eventually be surpassed!" Gong Changfa exclaimed with emotion upon witnessing this.