Chapter 9: Hysterical Mortals, Do You Know the Alarm Bell Is Already Ringing in the Roar of Thunder?

“What are these things? Mutant rats?”

In the crowd, a boy stretched his neck, trying to make out the creatures’ shapes, his voice filled with doubt.

“They don’t look like it—I’ve seen mutant rats before; they’re just bigger than normal rats.”

“Even the mutated rats in the north weren’t this big before the Qi revival.”

“And haven’t they increased the toxicity of the rat poison? Even mutant rats should die.”

The people beside him shook their heads; it didn’t seem right.

“Could they be prodigies among mutant rats? The kind that survive rat poison?”

“That’d be pretty impressive.”

Under such speculation, their gazes toward the few mutant rats even held a hint of admiration.

“Is that the real issue?”

“Isn’t the real issue what we should do right now?”

Someone nearby, overhearing their conversation, couldn’t help but retort.

“The teachers haven’t said anything—what can we do?”

The earlier boy shrugged.

“They’re just a bunch of rats. What could they possibly do to us?”

Ye Xuan didn’t join the discussion; his eyes remained locked on the “mutant rats,” his brow slightly furrowed. He sensed dense Qi emanating from them, yet it differed from ordinary mutated creatures—too dense, too concentrated.

Could they really be prodigies among mutant rats? Had their mutation gone deeper?

But if they were truly mutated creatures, why were the teachers’ faces so calm? Not a trace of tension or panic?

Even if they were mutant rats, they were still just rats—nothing compared to humans.

Yet before the Qi revival, even a single ordinary rat would be dealt with immediately, and students were warned to avoid rat bites. Why would they suddenly ignore them after the revival?

Could it be

Ye Xuan had a hunch.

At that moment, a piercing scream shattered the playground’s calm.

“Ahh—!”

The “mutant rats” suddenly surged into the crowd, moving with astonishing speed. Their pale blue forms left afterimages in the sunlight, sharp claws carving deep grooves into the ground.

The students erupted into chaos—some screamed and fled, others fell to the ground, too terrified to even remember how to stand.

“Maintain discipline! Don’t run!”

The teachers shouted, trying to restore order, but no one listened.

“Run! They’re coming this way!”

“Don’t block me! Let me through!”

“Help! Help!”

The playground descended into pandemonium—some dashed toward the classroom building, others sprinted desperately toward the school gate.

Ye Xuan shook his head slightly. Regardless of whether his suspicion was correct, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

He stepped forward, hand gripping the hilt of Wang Quan Sword, ready to act—when a sudden, booming laugh halted him.

“Hahahaha—!”

The laugh was arrogant, bordering on madness, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

Unnoticed until now, a boy with silver hair stood before one of the “mutant rats,” hands in his pockets, a reckless grin on his face, utterly fearless, completely dismissing the few “mutant rats.”

The “mutant rats” that had been charging toward the crowd suddenly stopped, as if stunned by his laughter, their round eyes fixed on him.

“It’s been too long. I’ve waited for this day far too long.”

“Dimensional invasions? Treasures from countless realms? In the end, they’re just human fantasies. How could they compare to true human power?”

“Abilities—these are the greatest gifts this era has given humanity!”

“Hysterical mortals, do you know the alarm bell is already ringing in the roar of thunder!”

With his loud, impassioned voice, visible blue currents erupted from his hands—crackling arcs of lightning danced through the air, coalescing into a fist-sized ball of thunder. The lightning’s glow illuminated his face, radiating confidence, bordering on arrogance.

“An ability user!”

Someone cried out. The fleeing students froze, their attention drawn to this sudden spectacle; for some, watching the show mattered more than running.

Besides, if an ability user had appeared, weren’t these “mutant rats” already doomed? Why run?

Some even turned back, rushing closer for a better view.

Ye Xuan also saw the lightning ball in the silver-haired boy’s hand. But unlike the others’ shock, his expression was odd—because in his perception, though this ability user carried a decent amount of Qi, it was still less than that of the few “mutant rats.”

While measuring strength by internal Qi density might be imprecise, given the number of “mutant rats,” he thought this ability user stood a higher chance of losing.

“With thunder, shatter the darkness!”

The silver-haired boy, unaware of Ye Xuan’s thoughts, roared as he slammed the lightning ball into the “mutant rat” before him.

Lightning exploded instantly—blinding light made everyone squint; the air filled with the stench of burning fur, and the “mutant rats” emitted sharp, piercing shrieks.

But when the lightning faded, what met their eyes was a “mutant rat” whose fur was merely charred black—everything else untouched.

It shook its head, its round eyes now fixed on the silver-haired boy, its crimson pupils gleaming with danger.

“H-How is this possible?”

The silver-haired boy’s grin froze on his face, his voice trembling with disbelief.

“Damn it! If an ability user can’t beat them, run!”

The students who had rushed back to watch now sprinted away even faster than before, while those already far away wished they’d grown two extra legs.

“.”

Ye Xuan hadn’t expected such a vast power gap between the ability user and the “mutant rats,” but you all sat silent during the show—and then screamed and ran afterward? Isn’t that a bit too pragmatic?

Didn’t anyone notice something was off?

Even with its fur scorched, that “mutant rat” was just nudging the boy with its head—showing no intent to harm him at all.

Still, because of the silver-haired ability user’s appearance, Ye Xuan held off on acting. He glanced around, searching for other ability users or students who had obtained treasures from countless realms.

After all, these “mutant rats” wouldn’t truly hurt anyone—why not observe who else among the school possessed hidden abilities, besides himself?

(End of Chapter)