(Warning: This chapter contains content not for the faint of heart—proceed with caution!) Jack Young said, "Do you still remember those bugs we saw by the seaside in Yantai?"
"Of course. You've told that story a million times."
When he was little, Jack went to play by the seaside in Yantai and spotted a kind of bug among the rocks. It looked like a pill bug, but way bigger. These bugs swarmed in and out of the cracks in the boulders, totally unfazed by wind or waves. Young Jack couldn't stand these gross little critters, so he picked up a pebble and smashed one—and that's when the nastiest thing happened: out of the squished bug's corpse, a bunch of tiny bugs burst forth!
That scene burned itself into Jack's memory, and his devious nature made sure to share it with everyone he met, just to gross them out and make himself feel better. Sophie Soo, of course, was his prime victim.
"I always thought that was the grossest thing alive on Earth." Jack rubbed his forehead and sighed. "But clearly, I was wrong. This thing is the new champion." Even a single one was disgusting enough, but the constant rustling in Jack's ears reminded him there was a whole tribe of them—which was the worst part. "So what are these things, anyway?"
Sophie replied, short and sweet: "Two words—cockroach."
"What?!" Jack was instantly shocked. "Are southern cockroaches always this hardcore?"
Where there are people, there are cockroaches—and where there aren’t, there are still cockroaches. Ever since Sister Pomegranate stomped one outside the Huafu gate, the word 'cockroach' became legendary. Jack had seen cockroaches before, but up north, they're just the size of a fingernail and pale in color, looking like any ordinary bug. And while Jill had seen even tougher bugs in underground spaces, that was in another world, in ancient realms. In those places, weird creatures popping up was just par for the course.
But! Jack truly never expected that here in southern China, on good old planet Earth, these monsters existed too! I mean, southern folks are all petite and delicate, the girls are cute and dainty—so why are the bugs total mutants?!
Anyway, with Jack’s Insight Technique lending an ear, Sophie finally managed to seal up her clothes safely. During the process, cockroaches kept tumbling out, and Sophie grabbed a shoe and smacked them all—splattering bug guts all over the balcony and the sole. Of course, that shoe belonged to her roommate...
Sophie calmly sipped her tea. "I’ve never seen the bugs you talked about, but you’re living smack in the middle of Cockroach Central. Honestly, cousin," she said, her face shadowed, flashing a wicked grin, "you’re less a Gemini and more a—well, let’s just say you totally deserve this. It’s the perfect payback! Mwahaha!"
"You!" Jack’s head was ready to explode. If she’d heard that story herself, she’d freak out too! Seriously, how do all those urban fantasy heroes just ignore cockroaches? How do they put up with this? "Fine. You want gross? I’ll show you exactly what you’re living with!"
Jack grabbed a plastic box and slid on some heavy-duty cleaning gloves. He popped open the kitchen cabinet, rummaged around, and snatched three cockroaches, dropping them into the box. Another cabinet—four more bugs. Sophie just stared as Jack plucked out roaches with surgical precision, skipping the whole search-and-destroy, just snatching them straight up.
In no time, the box was crawling with dozens of cockroaches, all stacked and wriggling, trying to climb out. Jack’s left hand trembled, sending a weird vibration through the whole box, and suddenly none of the roaches could escape.
While Sophie was still in shock, Jack had already caught more than a hundred cockroaches—a half-full box. He snapped the lid on tight and handed it to Sophie. "That’s all the ones running around. You deal with them."
"Uh…" Sophie peered through the clear lid at the squirming mass of roaches and freaked out. Suddenly, she realized her prank had totally backfired—trying to gross out Jack had just ended up grossing herself out too.
Just as she was wondering what to do, Jack grabbed an even bigger box and marched into her bedroom.
"Wait—there’s more?!" That was her bedroom! What was he planning with a box that size?
"Not just more. Way, way more." Jack pointed to a crack in the floorboards. "They’re all hiding in there. Hundreds, maybe thousands."
"What? In the cracks?" Sophie’s face went pale. "Wh-what do we do, Jack?" She was so shaken, she started to stutter.
Jack just shot her a cool glance. "Just brace yourself. You might wanna be mentally prepared."
"What now?" Sophie swallowed hard. That shady look in Jack’s eyes was all too familiar—he was about to pull off something truly wicked.
"Because—" Jack pressed his left hand against the wall. He didn’t use much force, but a weird ripple spread out, humming through the whole wall. "It’s time for—witnessing a miracle!" As soon as he finished, a chorus of rustling erupted and cockroaches started pouring out of every crack. They were scrambling like their lives depended on it. Every crack in the room was a cockroach fountain—bugs swarmed the floor, walls, ceiling. In a heartbeat, Sophie’s cute pink bedroom turned into a horror show.
"Aaaahhh!" Sophie screamed and bolted.
"Hey!" Jack stomped the floor, sending a shockwave through the room. The cockroaches tumbled down, dazed. He grabbed a broom and swept them up like leaves, dumping the whole mess into the box.
"Hey, Sophie, you think when that nerdy chick talks in her sleep, maybe a cockroach crawls into her mouth for a little spin? Or if she grinds her teeth at night, maybe she crunches one without even knowing?" Jack’s voice floated over, full of mischief.
"Blegh—" Sophie gagged. Yup, she talks in her sleep and grinds her teeth, too.
"Not just more. Way, way more." Jack pointed to a crack in the floorboards. "They’re all hiding in there. Hundreds, maybe thousands."
"What? In the cracks?" Sophie’s face went pale. "Wh-what do we do, Jack?" She was so shaken, she started to stutter.
Jack just shot her a cool glance. "Just brace yourself. You might wanna be mentally prepared."
"What now?" Sophie swallowed hard. That shady look in Jack’s eyes was all too familiar—he was about to pull off something truly wicked.
"Because—" Jack pressed his left hand against the wall. He didn’t use much force, but a weird ripple spread out, humming through the whole wall. "It’s time for—witnessing a miracle!" As soon as he finished, a chorus of rustling erupted and cockroaches started pouring out of every crack. They were scrambling like their lives depended on it. Every crack in the room was a cockroach fountain—bugs swarmed the floor, walls, ceiling. In a heartbeat, Sophie’s cute pink bedroom turned into a horror show.
"Aaaahhh!" Sophie screamed and bolted.
"Hey!" Jack stomped the floor, sending a shockwave through the room. The cockroaches tumbled down, dazed. He grabbed a broom and swept them up like leaves, dumping the whole mess into the box.
"Hey, Sophie, you think when that nerdy chick talks in her sleep, maybe a cockroach crawls into her mouth for a little spin? Or if she grinds her teeth at night, maybe she crunches one without even knowing?" Jack’s voice floated over, full of mischief.
"Blegh—" Sophie gagged. Yup, she talks in her sleep and grinds her teeth, too.