The morning after the bug disaster, cameras caught sight of the Westlake Restaurant chef stepping out of the imposing Grimm Tower.

In the interview, it was revealed that the billionaire had taken on the crucial responsibility of liaising with superheroes and had to leave ahead of time. He entrusted his life-saving benefactor to escort his girlfriend to the Grimm Group headquarters for safety.

Since the bloodsucking giant mosquito crisis in Lone Star City was far from over, the Taiwanese supermodel girlfriend would stay in Grimm Tower, receiving top-notch protection from Matthew Grimm for the next few days. This made women (and many men) around the world envious.

The media then asked Nemo why he didn't stay at Grimm Tower as well. The curly-haired chef looked at the camera with a perplexed expression and said, "I have to work!"

This line quickly became a new internet meme. Various spoof and mashup images emerged, even including the U.S. president in the memes. It quickly ascended to the top of the most popular meme charts, and some even humorously turned the Lone Star City emblem into a mosquito prohibition sign, with the phrase "I have to work!" translated into Latin as a city proverb beneath the mosquito emblem.

Major metropolitan areas across the U.S. followed suit by modifying their own state emblems, proudly declaring: Lone Star people know how to play.

The summoner of bloodsucking mosquitoes was listed on the villain rankings with the simple yet blunt codename "Mosquito Man." While the disaster caused by this villain was severe, his appearance was so repulsive that he didn't receive many votes. Lone Star City’s citizens even publicly opposed Mosquito Man being considered as the city's representative villain. Since he was captured by Michael, Mosquito Man’s whereabouts were unknown, and the rankings for both villains and heroes were now clearly divided.

On the hero rankings, a new masked hero appeared, wearing a black robe and veil—"Salamander." Standing over 180 cm tall, the hero's gender was unclear. Since Salamander's transformation was into a fierce, large lizard, many speculated that the hero was male.

The black Ford ’s dashcam recorded Salamander in action, ferociously devouring bloodsucking giant mosquitoes, further emphasizing the hero’s masculinity. Using soundwaves, Salamander frightened off the remaining mosquitoes. The camera then shifted to the world’s richest man, who "bravely" climbed onto the giant lizard’s back and showcased unparalleled courage as he followed Salamander up a building, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, using superhero-style movements to return Matthew Grimm to the Grimm Group headquarters.

Nemo could only say that the Grimm Group’s AI image editing technology was flawless.

The new hero, Salamander, had rescued Matthew Grimm from the encircling mosquitoes, allowing him to enter Grimm Tower and use a special communication channel to request help from superheroes.

A hero with abilities similar to Leviathan had emerged, who could maintain a human form, indirectly proving that Leviathan was not an alien creature. Many who had already admired Leviathan voted for the new hero, and Salamander’s popularity skyrocketed.

When Nemo returned to Westlake Restaurant, he found that the glass windows and entrance were boarded up, and other businesses had similarly reinforced their defenses.

Even though it wasn’t mealtime, several people were quietly gathered at the door, knocking three times. A bag of takeaway was handed over, and Nemo recognized the boss's rough hand. As they quickly exchanged payment, the transaction felt like something straight out of an underground organization. Even the veteran detective from the city police station wouldn’t have been able to fault their practiced method.

"What's going on? Suddenly switched to an all-day takeaway bento service?" Nemo walked inside and saw that the dining area still had customers, but they were all eating takeaway bento boxes instead of the usual bowls and plates. It was said that in case of an emergency, customers could grab their bento and run without wasting food.

The regulars knew to come during meal prep times, when the self-service section offered a wider variety of fresh dishes. During meal times, only takeaway meals were available.

Though not very environmentally friendly, this method had saved the restaurant significant labor costs. Lao Chen now just had to keep cooking rice, frying pork ribs, and preparing large batches of buffet dishes. Two temporary workers were hired to pack the bentos.

"In these times, if all the restaurants closed, the people of Lone Star would starve," boss Liu explained. " The customers said they didn't mind receiving bentos with simple dishes, as long as hot meals kept coming. Even the city police and the hospital have been ordering ribs every day, we can barely keep up."

" Sunny Jie, did you decide to stay open after all?" Nemo asked.

"Yeah, after the bug disaster started, we had no choice but to keep operating. It's not safe outdoors, so we decided to stay put at here," boss Liu replied.

"And what about Tolya?"

"He’s taking the next two weeks of deliveries, but expect prices to be about five times higher, because going out is too dangerous. In the rich areas, the prices are even ten times more. Tolya is good with his hands, has lots of friends, so we let him take a few friends to help with deliveries and earn a little extra tip money. He can also help buy ingredients for us."

"Did you see the news? The city council is deciding today whether to allow volunteer hunter groups from other states to come to Lone Star City to help with the bug infestation. But the current medical capacity is severely lacking, and the antidote for the mosquito venom hasn’t been developed yet. The mayor might not approve it unless Grimm Group quickly develops a cure," one customer pointed to the news broadcast.

"Looks like it’ll only be a matter of days. Don’t forget, Matthew Grimm is a super genius, and he has a whole team of geniuses working under him. His group also includes medical tech branches. Didn’t they just conduct health checkups for the bosses and employees here not long ago?"

"I almost forgot about that..."

It seemed like the citizens of Lone Star City were adapting to the monster invasion faster than expected, Nemo thought.

"Yesterday, I heard from Tolya that you were supposed to stay at the hotel downtown to help, but we couldn’t get in touch with you. We were all scared," Sunny Jie gave him a pat on the side of his back, right where he had bumped into the wall. The bruise hadn’t healed yet, but Nemo silently endured the pain.

"I didn’t end up being much help. Matthew asked me to escort his girlfriend back to the headquarters, and later some superheroes came to escort us into Grimm Tower. Matthew is the financier behind the heroes, so his girlfriend is also an important figure. I just got to tag along." The real story was that it was the billionaire's girlfriend who had escorted them.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Luckily, Mr. Grimm knows to look after you. You were the first one to grab a bloodsucking mosquito and crush it! The internet videos have already gone viral, and everyone’s saying you saved Mr. Grimm again," boss Liu said with gratitude.

"It was through several layers of tablecloths that I grabbed the mosquito! And yesterday I was at Grimm Group headquarters, thoroughly disinfected and checked for biological contamination, just to make sure I wasn’t infected. And I immediately contacted you guys to let you know I was safe," Nemo emphasized once again.

“It's good you're okay. You look exhausted, what are you doing here at the restaurant? I'll call Tolya to take you home in a bit,” boss Liu said.

“It’s just a few blocks away, no need to make such a fuss,” Nemo yawned. He had been put through a full checkup by Matthew until nearly dawn, and even the injuries from his sparring with Tolya hadn’t been left out. He had been subjected to all kinds of new treatments that Nemo had no knowledge of.

Still buzzing from the night’s events, Nemo couldn’t fall asleep even after returning to the apartment. A few safety check-ins over the phone with the restaurant staff didn’t quite ease his mind, so he decided to head to Westlake Restaurant to see if he could lend a hand.

“Better be careful, the bloodsucking mosquitoes haven’t been cleared out yet,” boss Liu immediately contacted Tolya, who said he was just finishing up his last delivery and was about to turn back.

Boss Liu poured a cup of orange juice and asked Nemo to sit down and drink slowly, forbidding him from sneaking into the kitchen. “Just take the bento and eat it back home, also check how Old Chen’s recipes could be improved. I’ve told Tolya not to do deliveries tonight; it’s not safe. You haven’t even reinforced your windows and doors, right? I managed to get a few rolls of tape for you—hard to come by, it’s a scarce item today. You can add a few more layers of cardboard, that’ll help.”

“Thanks, boss,” Nemo didn’t mention that the bloodsucking mosquitoes could easily get through a Ford’s trunk, but fortunately, the mosquitoes usually didn’t have the intelligence to use venom to target weak spots, so creative emergency defenses set up by the general public were still somewhat effective.

Over the next three days, Nemo spent about two hours each day at Westlake Restaurant helping with meal prep before being shooed back home by the boss couple. During this time, he stayed in his apartment, watching the news and resting to recover. After this period of rest, He was finally starting to recover.

What was unsettling to the city’s two million citizens was that while the federal government had sent the National Guard to Lone Star City to help with pest control and disaster relief, they still hadn’t announced when the crisis would be over or how the injured would be treated.

Frustrated, people couldn’t help but encourage Nemo to use his special connection with the billionaire to find out more information.

Actually, Nemo was in touch with Matthew every day, exchanging emails and chatting on the phone. Although it was mostly Matthew reaching out to bother him, Nemo wasn’t tactless enough to ask about the antidote. Matthew didn’t bring it up either.

Besides, the antidote for the giant mosquitoes was far from a magic potion that could be brewed in a pot. It likely involved new gene technology, a huge commercial secret that global biotech companies were eager to obtain venom samples and voluntary test subjects for, competing to develop new treatments.

One day, Matthew invited Nemo to Grimm Tower to discuss the latest research on the bloodsucking giant mosquitoes. With the kidnapping incident from their first meeting now in the past, the relationship between the billionaire and the chef, surrounded by giant mosquitoes in the same car, could now truly be called a bond of life and death.

Nemo also wanted to check on Angie’s condition, so he brought a takeaway bento to Grimm Tower. The receptionist kindly instructed him to take the private elevator to the group president's domain, saying Mr. Grimm was already waiting for him inside.

The fact that the leader of Grimm Group, a man who usually met with reporters for just a few minutes, was waiting to greet a chef from Westlake Restaurant showed just how much respect he had for Nemo.

There was a reason why an ordinary chef was admired by the billionaire. At the banquet, many of the city’s elites and media had witnessed it firsthand. The bodyguards were still waiting for orders, but standing next to Matthew Grimm, Nemo didn’t hesitate to single-handedly kill a bloodsucking mosquito that could have attacked anyone nearby, including the second closest person: Matthew Grimm.

After that, even though Nemo politely said he was just delivering food, anyone with eyes could tell that he wasn’t just Matthew Grimm’s savior; he had become the world’s richest man’s new close friend. Since Mr. Captain was a man who disliked media interviews and public socializing, it was Matthew who had made the first move.

Thanks to Matthew Grimm’s quiet but firm pressure, any media outlet or anyone trying to get close to the Grimm Group in the future quickly learned the unwritten rules. Before contacting the chef from Westlake Restaurant, they’d better check in with Matthew Grimm’s PR department to ensure they didn’t accidentally flatter him and get on his bad side.

“Are you sure this Pork Rib Rice has bean paste and spicy radish? Last time, your takeaway forgot it. I suspect it was on purpose,” was the rich tycoon said when he saw Nemo.

“Overthinking it. The bento was packed by the kitchen. The delivery guy is just responsible for transport. We’ve been too busy these past days. This bento is the one you paid extra for me to make by hand. You can have as much bean paste and spicy radish as you want,” Nemo placed the bento box on the massive desk, big enough for someone to lie on.

“Good, I’m starving,” Matthew skillfully opened the disposable chopsticks. After a few days working in the research area with the venom research team, Matthew had gotten used to the convenience of heavy-flavored, quick-to-eat worker-style meals. He also just wanted to eat the food made by Nemo.

“What do you want to drink? I can have my assistant bring it up.”

“No need, I’m not thirsty right now.”

“But after I finish this bento, I will be thirsty. Why didn’t you bring your iced black tea with you?”

“Use your brain. The tea would have warmed up by the time it got here, and you wouldn’t drink that cheap stuff they make in the restaurant.”

“You always underestimate me. I actually like your free iced tea with bento. I’ll have my assistant bring me a bottle of apple juice and two cups.” Matthew shot back. When he was too busy to care for himself, energy bars and canned coffee were his go-to. Today, this meal and drink felt high-end to him.

As the two sat facing each other, each with a glass of apple juice, the man with the golden eyes finally got to the point.

"The bloodsucking giant mosquitoes we encountered are just larvae. The Mosquito Man possesses a drop item called the 'ovarian nest,' which, when exposed to Earth's environment, continuously hatches larvae. We’re not yet sure what the maximum number of larvae an ovarian nest can hatch, but when the larvae first emerge, they’re about the size of a normal mosquito."

"However, once they grow to the size of a basketball, they begin to suck human blood. Luckily, as long as the ovarian nest and the Mosquito Man are kept apart and stored in a vacuum container, the larvae won’t hatch any further."

"It sounds like if this thing is used correctly, it could be more terrifying than a nuclear bomb," Nemo said.

"Exactly. But as you said, 'used correctly,' the reality is that even a housewife’s vacuum-seal jar can seal the ovarian nest. The key is always in the player, not the goal," Matthew replied.

Nemo was about to say something reassuring, but Matthew’s furrowed brows made him hold his tongue and wait for the disturbing truth to unfold.

"Let’s call the unfortunate victims in the hotel 'Initial-Level Victims.' The toxin secreted by the larvae is a digestive enzyme, similar to how spiders feed. First, they inject venom to liquefy the internal organs of their prey, then they consume it. Humans are highly water-content creatures, so they absorb the blood directly. If you had continued watching at that moment, you would have seen the giant mosquitoes feeding on the liquefied human body tissues. There are videos that prove this, but the federal government is controlling the footage online to avoid causing mass panic."

"This means there's no antidote for the venom? The media is just playing along with the government to stabilize the public, while the military and superhumans handle exterminating the bugs?" Nemo asked, feeling the need for something stronger than apple juice at that point. "What about treatment? There must be some people with less severe injuries who need help."

"Right now, the only option is surgery—cut out what can be removed, and if the surgery fails, euthanasia as soon as possible. In light of humanitarian considerations, I’ve suggested this as a professional opinion. Yet, Congress is constrained by protests from certain religious and human rights groups, so it's unlikely that an emergency euthanasia bill will be passed. Hospitals will probably provide palliative care until the victims die in pain. Unfortunately, the larvae toxins affect the nervous and circulatory systems, so patients don't respond well to morphine. In short, researching an antidote for the larvae is meaningless." Matthew shrugged.

"The mosquitoes don’t transmit diseases, do they? We were all in close proximity to those creatures that night. At least the government wasn't lying about that, right?" Nemo asked again.

"That’s true," Matthew responded ambiguously.

Nemo immediately sensed that something was off.

"But Grimm Group—'you' are still researching an antidote. What’s it for? You mentioned 'initial-level,' so what’s next for the victims? Why do the mosquitoes specifically target humans? Other creatures could provide nourishment too." Nemo set down his glass and stared intently at the golden-eyed man.

"I know this is classified information, and it’s likely not just a matter of business or national defense, but there are people I must keep safe, Matthew Grimm. If you don't come clean now, there's no need to talk later. I'll find out the truth myself. After the mosquitoes have fed and matured, will they mate and reproduce? Are humans their exclusive hosts?"

Matthew continued sipping his apple juice until his glass was empty. "This is why I still can't touch alcohol. The situation is progressing so quickly that my brain needs to stay sharp every second."

"Why the mosquitoes specifically target humans is still unclear. It might be due to the awakened abilities of the 'Fragment' holder or its instinct to target the dominant species. What we do know for sure is that these supernatural creatures don’t have genders, which makes the situation even worse. Once they mature, they can directly lay eggs in the human body, reproducing asexually. This was a new case I received yesterday afternoon. It’s not that I’ve been deliberately keeping it from you; I just needed more time to determine the next steps," Matthew explained.

Nemo thought for a moment and then asked, "The larvae’s hatching and growth in Earth's environment take time, so you’re saying the 'advanced-level victims' might survive, and the antidote is for them?"

Matthew finally smiled. "Luckily, your bento tastes great. If no one appreciates it, you’d have to go out and conquer the world."

"I wouldn’t go to that trouble," Nemo replied.