Chapter 32.1: Cockroaches (7)
The rubber overalls they found in the truck came with gloves. Relying on this layer of protection, James held a small knife and inserted the tip into the seam along the cockroach’s back. With a forceful twist, like prying open a clam, the exoskeleton “cracked” open.
Inside the shell was the cockroach’s body, still wriggling like maggots—it looked extremely disgusting.
Cockroaches in the middle of molting were pure white, with only their two eyes pitch black, like tiny black glass beads. Without the protection of their shell, the body underneath was very fragile. A careless stab from the knife would pierce the skin, releasing a clump of yellow-white fluid. The sticky liquid smeared on the knife, easily corroding the stainless-steel tip into a pitted, uneven surface.
“Their acid can even corrode metal?” Everly shouted in alarm.
“It can, though not this strongly… they’re still evolving. You can expect that once this molt is complete, the acid inside these cockroaches will be even harder to handle.” James disgustedly poked the knife into the yellow sand, wiping off the sticky residue, then moved the worn, pitted knife back to the wriggling cockroach. He scraped away the obstructive fluid to expose the insect’s back.
“And look here,” he continued. “This wrinkled, mesh-like layer? That’s actually the cockroach’s wings, which haven’t unfolded yet. After it molts, its internal fluids will gradually fill the wings, inflating them. Once the wings harden, the cockroach will be able to fly.”
“You mean… after this molt, these cockroaches will be able to fly?” Everly exclaimed.
Although she had always thought cockroaches could fly, this particular V-spotted cockroach that had been terrorizing the town had never grown wings. Its attacks had only been sudden bites, which made Everly mistakenly assume that this type of cockroach was wingless. Turns out they weren’t wingless—they just hadn’t grown their wings yet.
James nodded gravely. He told Everly that he suspected the creatures people had been fighting all along were merely the nymphs of this new cockroach species.