Chapter 63: Departure – Mutant Rats
A group of people headed toward the destroyed Ninth Shelter.
Their movements caught the attention of others.
Jiang Nana stood among the crowd, her eyes locked onto Su Ning, watching her set off alongside the other team leaders.
It was obvious that Jiang Nana and Kou Dingshan were quite familiar with these team leaders—they had access to plenty of intel.
“Dingshan, that man in the floral shirt—could he be Tang Yuanbin from the Third Shelter?”
Jiang Nana’s voice was full of excitement, even tinged with joy.
Kou Dingshan followed her gaze, and his expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained composure.
He nodded, his tone a bit sour: “That’s right, it’s him. What, seeing him makes you that happy?”
Jiang Nana didn’t notice Kou Dingshan’s odd tone. She remained immersed in her excitement and nearly jumped in place, exclaiming, “Of course I’m happy! With him here, this rescue—or rather, the mission to eliminate the Rat King—is bound to succeed. Tang Yuanbin is incredibly powerful. As long as he makes a move, we’ll be able to go home sooner.”
Only then did Kou Dingshan realize the real reason, a blush creeping up his cheeks as he smiled awkwardly, “So that’s why…”
Jiang Nana looked puzzled. “What else would it be? Also, why’s your face so red?”
Kou Dingshan lowered his head, not wanting Jiang Nana to see his embarrassed expression. “So humiliating…”
A group of more than ten people had formed four squads to investigate whether the rat swarm carried any viruses.
Qin Fan thought it would be a waste of time and energy to send all the team leaders to the Ninth Shelter ruins.
He decided to send only the teams of Fu Qingge from the Second Shelter, Tang Yuanbin from the Third Shelter, and Zhang Xing from the Sixth Shelter. The rest were to stay behind, rest, and help manage the surrounding refugees.
There were still many people who had fled from the Ninth Shelter.
Although Tang Yuanbin was powerful, his demeanor was rather carefree—but his observational skills were excellent.
Earlier, he had noticed the eye contact between Su Ning and Fu Qingge.
While en route to the ruins, Tang Yuanbin asked lazily, “Comrade Su Ning, do you and Captain Fu know each other?”
Su Ning raised her eyebrows, not feeling any need to hide the truth.
She nodded and replied, “We met once in a dungeon. It was thanks to Captain Fu’s help that I was able to gain great rewards in that dungeon.”
She had received a treasure chest, after all.
Fu Qingge quickly responded, “Not at all. It was thanks to your help, Su Ning, that I improved significantly.”
Tang Yuanbin looked enlightened, balancing a stone in his hand while wearing a helpless yet envious expression. “Wow, who would’ve thought… Sigh, why can’t something like that happen to me? Surviving in dungeons is just so lonely. Maybe that’s the fate of a strong man…”
Su Ning twitched the corner of her mouth.
She thought to herself—this guy really has a different vibe.
That solitary and noble image of a powerful man crumbled in an instant.
Fu Qingge could only look speechlessly at Tang Yuanbin, clearly exasperated by his self-indulgence.
Just then, Lu You, the bespectacled man who always followed Fu Qingge, suddenly reacted.
His expression turned serious as he warned the group to stop moving forward. “Everyone, we’d better stop here.”
Tang Yuanbin looked at Fu Qingge in confusion. “What’s going on?”
Fu Qingge also turned to Lu You with suspicion. “Lu You, did you sense something?”
They were now only a li (about 500 meters) away from the Ninth Shelter. What could possibly happen at this distance?
Lu You closed his eyes and focused, sensing his surroundings.
He stomped lightly on the ground, sending a faint ripple through the earth, like a radar pulse.
Soon, the images from underground appeared clearly in Lu You’s mind—rats were rapidly approaching their location.
He opened his eyes, face grim. “It seems we’ve been discovered by the rat swarm. A group is closing in on us fast.”
Right after he spoke, Su Ning felt the ground lightly tremble beneath her feet.
Even without Lu You’s warning, everyone could tell that the situation was serious.
Yet no one showed fear—in fact, everyone looked eager for battle.
Electric arcs crackled around Tang Yuanbin’s body like a living thunderbolt.
He smirked. “Perfect. Saves me the trouble of walking over there.”
Around Fu Qingge, a faint white mist began to drift, and a chilling aura spread outward, causing the air temperature to drop significantly.
Zhang Xing stepped in front of Su Ning.
“Step back. You can’t afford to get even a scratch. Otherwise, no one will be able to test for poison.”
Su Ning appreciated Brother Zhang’s protection, but she felt she could handle herself.
She might not have the same overwhelming presence as the others, but when it came to trickery, she had an edge.
Lu You suddenly shouted, “They’re here!”
The ground shook violently the next second, as if something massive were breaking through from below.
Suddenly, a massive black rat with thick fur emerged. Its sharp teeth and claws made it clear this was no ordinary rat.
Su Ning’s eyes lit up with a flash of light.
[Mutant Rat]: A creature mutated under the guidance of a powerful Rat King. It’s massive, with extremely sharp teeth and claws. Excellent at digging!
Su Ning observed the half-meter-tall rat and noticed that, according to her data, it didn’t show signs of carrying a virus. That meant the rat swarm itself wasn’t contagious.
Still, this wasn’t absolute—rats, even without special viral abilities, could cause disaster if their corpses weren’t properly handled.
As Su Ning analyzed the mutant rats, Tang Yuanbin and Fu Qingge had already launched into battle.
Electricity crackled around Tang Yuanbin, and Su Ning could almost hear sharp screeches in her ears. In the next moment, Tang Yuanbin shot a bolt of lightning from his hand, striking dozens of mutant rats as they emerged from underground.
In an instant, the rats were incinerated, their bodies smoking as they dropped dead.
One strike, one kill. The power of lightning was terrifying.
On Fu Qingge’s side, the scene was even more astonishing.
He extended his palm and blew gently—an icy wind swept forward.
The mutant rats froze instantly into glistening sculptures of ice.
Zhang Xing looked at the two captains in awe. “Whoa… they’re insanely strong!”
In comparison, he felt like a world apart from them.
Lu You looked proudly at his leader. “Our captain is no less impressive than Captain Tang Yuanbin.”
(End of Chapter)
