Chapter 66 – Earthquake? Rat King Invasion?
Su Ning didn’t care about the power struggle. At this moment, she was fully focused on the Purple Fragrant Wisteria simmering in the large pot.
This plant was inherently poisonous. To consume it safely, it needed to be handled with care.
Su Ning patiently explained to the chefs, “You must peel the skin off the Purple Fragrant Wisteria thoroughly. Otherwise, there’s a 60% chance you’ll end up meeting your great-grandmother.”
Sensing the tension, Su Ning threw in a joke.
However, one of the chefs shivered upon hearing this. “If it’s that dangerous, why are we even eating it?”
His companion, however, had a different opinion and retorted, “That may be true, but you have to admit—once the toxic skin is removed, the fragrance of the food made from this stuff is absolutely mouthwatering.”
“Totally agree!”
“If you know that, then why are you still whining?”
“Hehe, I’m just venting. We’ve been eating insect cakes every day. I haven’t had a proper bowel movement in days. Now that we finally get a change in flavor, of course I’m going to treasure it. Even if this stuff is actually poisonous, I’d still eat every last bite without hesitation.”
“You’re tougher than me, man!”
Su Ning rolled her eyes at the two and realized she couldn’t get a word in. There was no point staying, so she turned and left to check on other areas.
Everyone was doing their best to survive.
Su Ning quietly observed the scene before her, a swirl of indescribable emotions rising in her chest.
The familiar darkness still blanketed the night sky, as if it would never change.
“The temperature’s dropped again,” Su Ning muttered to herself.
With this continued drop in temperature, Su Ning figured it wouldn’t be long before they could move around during the daytime.
But at the same time, she was also aware that the threat of extreme cold was silently approaching.
The predicted extreme cold was even more terrifying than the current extreme heat.
Thinking back to past days, Su Ning couldn’t help but sigh, “Just got used to the heat, and now we’re facing extreme cold. Thank goodness for the appearance of the game Survival, or who knows how many people would’ve died.”
She quietly squatted to the side and began pondering her future plans.
In fact, after experiencing three game copies (instances), Su Ning had gained quite a lot.
Even if she chose to kick back and enjoy life now, she could get by comfortably for a while.
However, Su Ning knew she couldn’t fall into complacency. The moment she relaxed, waves of negativity would surely flood her mind.
Just as she was lost in thought, a burst of commotion snapped her out of it.
She turned to see a crowd gathered around. In the middle, a middle-aged woman was loudly complaining.
“This is how you people do rescue? What kind of food are you giving us? I need iced water! And this place is disgusting! I’m a clean freak! Do you even know who I am? I need water! I need to shower!” she yelled while throwing a fit at the rescue station, claiming to be someone important from Shelter No. 9.
People around looked at her strangely, but no one dared step forward to intervene.
Su Ning silently watched, dumbfounded, and found the woman’s words unbelievable.
“Who still acts like this at a time like this? Does she think we’re still living before the apocalypse?”
Su Ning didn’t get it. But Jiang Nana, who had come over to spectate, clearly knew more.
“Just look at her. She’s probably from one of those wealthy families who donated a ton of supplies and got first dibs to move into Shelter No. 9,” Jiang Nana said, pointing to Ke Dingshan, who had followed her over. “This guy knows all about this—his family moved into Shelter No. 6 the same way. These people lived far better than we imagine. The disasters outside barely affect their luxury.”
Jiang Nana clicked her tongue as she spoke. She had visited those homes with her father—clean water and food were plentiful, and bathing was a regular luxury.
Ke Dingshan gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Don’t lump me in with them. My family never flaunted it like that.”
Jiang Nana rolled her eyes—not just for show but to cover up her own jealousy. If I could lump myself in, I totally would.
Su Ning had been thinking of taking it easy, but after hearing all this from Jiang Nana, she realized she was still too naïve.
I don’t even have enough water to bathe, and these people are wasting it daily. Disgusting.
Guess I still need to grind in the game copies.
Su Ning muttered, “I really haven’t collected enough supplies. I’d better ditch the idea of taking it easy.”
The scene quickly resolved. The rescue team wasn’t about to coddle such people. Just saving them was already gracious—giving them food, water, and shelter. And now she wanted a shower? Talk about pushing your luck.
While everyone was busy again, the ground of the temporary base suddenly began to tremble.
Su Ning quickly balanced herself—the shaking nearly knocked her over.
Ke Dingshan caught Jiang Nana just in time as she stumbled.
“An earthquake! It’s an earthquake!” The previously quiet rescue base was thrown into chaos.
Su Ning immediately checked the communication channel to see if this was a global incident or just a local accident.
But the channel was calm. People were only discussing the game’s different copies or talking about some powerful players.
Su Ning even caught a fleeting mention of Tang Yuanbin’s strength.
But now wasn’t the time for that.
“If there’s no earthquake elsewhere, then what the hell’s happening here?”
Su Ning exchanged a look with Ke Dingshan—both of them were full of questions.
Su Ning silently wondered: Could this be a new type of natural disaster?
At that moment, the tremors intensified. It felt like something powerful was surging underground.
Su Ning and Ke Dingshan quickly braced themselves against nearby objects to avoid falling.
Then Su Ning realized—this wasn’t a normal earthquake.
“We need to find a safe place, fast!” Ke Dingshan shouted.
Everyone began scrambling to find shelter.
Ke Dingshan held onto Jiang Nana’s hand tightly, trying to comfort her.
Jiang Nana’s face was pale, but she still nodded firmly.
While the others were in chaos, Su Ning returned to her tent. Using the tent as cover, she summoned Unit No. 3.
She instructed it to use its perception ability to find out what was really going on.
Perception activated.
Su Ning linked up with No. 3, and in the next second, the underground view stunned her.
Rats. Dense swarms of rats moving underground.
And the tremors—they were caused by the movement of those rats.
But what shocked Su Ning even more was the giant rat leading the charge. It looked completely different from the others in both size and state.
Su Ning instantly thought of the creature that had destroyed Shelter No. 9—
The Rat King!
She cursed in her heart, Damn it! Are we getting home-invaded by the Rat King now?!
(End of Chapter)
