After receiving support from various regions, Pudong's defensive strength greatly increased. They no longer needed to worry about attacks from mosquitoes and gnats in the sky, as Shen Feng could prevent them from flying easily.
On the ground, however, the situation was different. Despite the ongoing fierce battles, insects from the water and on the surface continued to appear in the city without end. There was no hope of completely eradicating them because the insects entered the city through an unusual route: the sewers, not the land.
Mu Ying found this situation the most unbearable. She watched as she cleared the insects from the surrounding areas, thinking she was the first to complete her combat objective. However, the insects in the water were simply inexhaustible.
Once the water striders on the surface had their four legs frozen, a torrential downpour would soon descend from the sky, quickly submerging the ground again. The water striders would then be able to walk on water, and the same applied to the water spiders. As long as there was a water path, other water spiders would immediately arrive.
"You people over there, go find me the map of Pudong's sewer system. I need to block all the sewer exits now, so these damned insects stop appearing!" Mu Ying, unable to tolerate it any longer, directly said to the staff members in the distance.
The staff member, from Pudong, quickly replied after hearing Mu Ying's words, "That won't work! If we open the drainage outlets, the city will definitely be flooded. If it continues to rain for the next few days, and the accumulated water in the city cannot be drained, the city will be submerged!"
"Can you not be so short-sighted? If there's accumulated water, it can be drained later. The insects are still appearing non-stop. If this continues, all the support will be in vain!" Mu Ying said sternly.
"But there are many poor people in Pudong who live in low-lying areas. If the sewers are blocked, these people will have nowhere to live!" the staff member continued to explain cautiously.
"Then look around! How much water is there in the city now? Much of the water is pouring in from outside the city. If the sewers are not blocked, there will be even more accumulated water!" Mu Ying said with frustration.
The staff member then realized the situation and quickly said, "Please wait a moment. I will immediately explain this situation to my superiors and bring the sewer line map."
Countless people in the city were extremely worried due to the sudden crisis. Their greatest concern was that Pudong would not be able to safely overcome this danger. Many people were already forced to take their families and seek refuge in corridors. It wasn't that they didn't want to return to their homes, but those without money could only live in the low-lying areas of the city. Now that seawater had poured into the city, their homes were already submerged.
Thus, those who lost their homes could only helplessly hide in the stairwells, quietly waiting for the disaster to end.
"I wonder when the rainy season will end!" everyone sighed in their hearts as they avoided the accumulated water in the city. Now, everyone was hoping for the rain to end sooner. The reason was very simple: the insects appearing in various parts of the city came with the seawater. Therefore, as long as the seawater stopped rising and the accumulated water in the city was drained, Pudong would be safe.
The climate this year was truly abnormal. First, there was widespread drought in the spring, leading to a massive locust infestation and reduced yields of winter wheat in many areas. But that was not all. When summer arrived, Pudong's crisis had just begun. The rainy season, which should have alleviated the drought in various regions, instead caused floods in East China, accompanied by countless insects.
The areas further north had not yet received any moisture when the wind and rain seemed to favor Pudong specifically. Countless rain clouds gathered over Pudong and refused to move, followed by continuous heavy rain. A torrential downpour is defined as 1500 millimeters of precipitation within twenty-four hours. However, Pudong received rainfall that met the criteria for a torrential downpour every single day.
Pudong had already suffered severe casualties. Many people died in their sleep without even realizing it, as insects could easily sneak into their homes. It was especially tragic when encountering mosquitoes and gnats, as they could be sucked dry and die without anyone noticing. Even walking on the street required caution due to the insects that might be hidden in the accumulated water. All three types of insects were carnivorous and secreted many toxins, which could kill a person with just one mistake.
If it weren't for the accumulated water everywhere in Pudong and the muddy, difficult terrain caused by the heavy rain, these people would have already fled.
"Oh God, please open your eyes and look at us! We've been living in this doomsday for ten years, and we can barely survive!" someone exclaimed, looking at the city under the pouring rain and praying to the heavens.
In this doomsday, order had completely collapsed. Each city could only maintain its own safety, and everyone yearned for a day of peace, when they could live good lives. However, ten years had passed, and the doomsday showed no signs of ending.
Gusts of wind continuously unleashed their abilities in the sky, gathering the strong winds to form a giant whirlwind. Even within the city, one could only hear the whistling sound of the wind. The howling winds were incredibly powerful, and the mosquitoes and gnats flying in the sky were swept up by the gusts, scattering everywhere. The rain had already dampened their wings, making it difficult for these insects to fly. Unexpectedly, the strong winds began to howl again, scattering all the insects in the sky.
"I can handle these insects in the sky by myself. I'm just not sure if the people below can handle the insects on the ground!" Shen Feng said as he flew in the sky, observing the situation on the ground.
Soon, a staff member brought the underground drainage system of Pudong and respectfully handed it to Mu Ying, saying, "Ice Maiden, here is the underground drainage system you requested. If you want to cut off the underground pipes, do it quickly."
"You don't need to remind me. I know what I'm doing!" Mu Ying said calmly.
After obtaining the underground drainage system, Mu Ying began her actions. She no longer intended to freeze the accumulated water on the ground; her target was the underground drainage pipes.
Mu Ying dared not freeze all the pipes in an entire area, because if she did, the expansion of water upon freezing would cause the pipes to burst. Ice has a larger volume than water, and the pressure from the expanding ice would definitely shatter the pipes. Therefore, Mu Ying could only freeze a section of a pipe, as long as it stopped the flow of water.
The torrential rain in the sky continued incessantly, not stopping even now. However, as the pipes were successively frozen, the number of insects in the city decreased significantly. This was because the underground pipes were blocked, preventing insects from outside from entering the city through the sewers. Meanwhile, the soldiers and ability users within the city were actively killing the insects. As a result, with the decrease on one side and the increase on the other, the number of insects steadily declined.
The residents in the city finally felt some relief as they saw the insects gradually decreasing. They realized that these insects were not invincible, and at least they were close to being eradicated. In the future, as long as they prevented insects from entering through the sewers, it would be enough.
With everyone's continuous efforts, they finally managed to kill all the insects found in the city. The combat power of these insects was actually average. An ordinary person could step on and kill two or three of them. The only concern was that these insects might ambush them while hidden. However, as the entire city worked together to eliminate the insects, they quickly disappeared without a trace, leaving only a ground full of corpses.
"Ice Maiden really has a way! By directly cutting off the insects' entry into the city, the danger is naturally resolved." After killing all the insects in the city, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Pudong's crisis had been temporarily resolved, all thanks to Mu Ying's method.
Mu Ying said calmly, "It's not that my method is so good, but many of you were reluctant to act, fearing that you would damage the pipes. If you had blocked the insects' entry into the city earlier, Pudong's crisis would have been resolved long ago!"
"It seems to be true, but even now, it's not too late to block the insects' path into the city," everyone said with a smile.
After the city's sewers were blocked, insects could not enter from outside. However, similarly, the accumulated water in the city could not be drained. The torrential rain from the sky seemed endless, pouring down continuously. Soon, the accumulated water in the city deepened. If it continued, the residents of the city would face floods again.
Many soldiers had traveled from afar to fight in Pudong. They were already very tired and had barely slept the previous night. Now that the battle had temporarily ended, they began to look for open spaces to sleep.
However, about two hours later, a huge sound suddenly came from the distant seaside. Everyone was stunned. There were city walls in the direction of the seaside, and now a rumbling sound was heard, giving them a bad premonition.
Everyone then rushed towards the seaside. Upon arriving at the seaside, they discovered that many city walls had collapsed.
"Why are Pudong's city walls so fragile? They collapsed so easily. It seems there was no external damage, and they collapsed on their own," Li Xiankang couldn't help but question upon seeing this scene.
"These city walls can no longer be described as fragile. They collapsed just by being soaked in seawater without any external damage. They can only be described as shoddy construction!" Wang Ao Ye also frowned.
Many staff members of Pudong were sweating profusely. Seeing the city walls collapsing at the seaside, they became like ants on a hot pan. This was because the tide had risen, and the city walls had just collapsed. Much of the seawater from the sea flowed into the city through the gaps in the city walls.
The seawater entering the city through the gaps meant that many insects from the sea could also enter the city with the tide, implying that Mu Ying's objective of sealing the sewers had failed.
"What do we do now? Should we hurry to block the gaps?" Yun Lai Zhe couldn't help but ask.
"It seems that to prevent insects from continuously entering the city through this gap, we can only find a way to block the city walls. I wonder if there are enough sandbags in the city!" Ke Yi Ming also frowned.
So, at this time, a section of Pudong's city walls had collapsed. Fortunately, the gap was not too large, and the rising tide was not too high. As long as there were enough sandbags, it could be blocked.
However, as everyone was discussing, another section of the city wall in the distance collapsed with a "boom." This section of the city wall collapsed very quickly, almost instantly, splashing countless water droplets.
"If only one gap appeared, we could say it was an accident during construction. But now that two gaps have appeared consecutively, should I say these city walls are completely useless?" Li Xiankang couldn't help but say.
Yi Xing Zhong stepped forward, grabbed a brick from a city wall, and with a strong pull, he directly pulled the brick out. With one hand, he split the brick in half.
"This is completely shoddy engineering. I never expected that we would try our best to kill the insects, only to be defeated by shoddy city walls in the end!" Ke Yi Ming sighed.