In the early hours of August 19, 2026, the first sound of gnawing came from the base of a wall in the old city. No one knew where the hard-shelled insects, their carapaces glistening with oil, had come from. The official emergency broadcast played only three times before cutting out completely. Rescue helicopters exploded into fireballs above the city, and within three days, the once-bustling streets had been chewed to pieces by the swarms.
