Chapter 169: Rat Swarm

"Ah!"

The sudden attack startled Tie Tou, who had been standing at the front of the group leading the way for the two.

This fierce-looking, bald, burly man shivered uncontrollably when faced with the giant grey-skinned rat that had lunged out from the darkness.

He stumbled backward with a scream, his heel catching on the rubble on the ground; had it not been for the support of the wall behind him, he likely would have fallen to the floor.

Exerting force through his arm, Xia Nan tossed the grey-skinned rat—which had been skewered through the chest like a kebab by his blade—onto the ground.

He flicked the remaining bloodstains off the sword, his gaze sweeping over the rat, which was twitching with increasing weakness as its life rapidly ebbed away.

Xia Nan's eyes turned toward Tie Tou, a strange expression on his face.

He still remembered the arrogant, overbearing air the man had displayed when they first met, facing Jeff and that passerby in the tailor shop.

He hadn't expected him to be so pathetic when faced with a slightly larger rat.

Mistaking this for some critical detail he was unaware of, he couldn't help but ask:

"What's wrong? Is there something special about this rat?"

"No, no, nothing." Realizing he had appeared far too flustered, Tie Tou denied it repeatedly, his face still pale and shaken.

"It's just... it was too sudden. I didn't react in time. Usually, my brothers in the gang and I catch these grey-skinned rats to eat."

"The taste is actually quite decent," he said, quite deliberately changing the subject. "They say there are a few taverns in Hegu Town that specifically pay people to ship them over from Niumu; they sell for quite a lot of money."

"So, is it normal for a rat like this to actively attack humans?"

Xia Nan asked, looking at the grey-skinned rat lying in a pool of blood, now completely dead.

He didn't care about the content of the man's reply; before he had transmigrated into this world, the original host had already been treated to a meal of grey-skinned rat by the hunter Maji, and he had long since forgotten the specific taste—it likely wasn't anything good.

Right now, he was more concerned with whether the rat's behavior of actively attacking humans was a harbinger of some danger, and whether they needed to heighten their vigilance to deal with potential threats.

"Should be... normal?"

Regarding Xia Nan's question, the expression on Tie Tou's face appeared somewhat hesitant, and he gave an ambiguous answer:

"Generally speaking, the grey-skinned rats in the Niumu sewers are much larger than their kin. They often come up to the surface to snatch stray dogs, stray cats, and the like."

"Sometimes, if they appear in large packs, they can also cause losses to the property of those noble lords."

"They aren't exactly 'monsters,' but if they are truly starving, it's not impossible for them to attack creatures far larger than themselves in the sewers."

"What's more..."

As he spoke, he suddenly seemed to recall something, and a look of sudden realization appeared on Tie Tou's face.

"The Moon Feast!"

According to him, the Moon Feast was approaching. Every year at this time, all sorts of strange things would appear in the sewers. These large, furry rats also seemed able to sense the increasingly bright moonlight outside, becoming agitated and highly aggressive.

As he explained this to Xia Nan, Tie Tou's eyes, which had been unfocused from the shock of the rat's sudden attack, regained their former luster, though deep within his pupils lay a hint of suspicion and anxiety.

The approach of the Moon Feast, the sudden appearance of the grey-skinned rat, the guards missing from their posts...

It couldn't help but trigger some ominous associations in his mind.

Meanwhile, Wood, who had remained vigilant and highly focused since before the grey-skinned rat appeared,

had also completed a check of the surrounding environment with extreme speed.

"In the direction leading deeper into the pipe gallery, there are many footprints left by rats. I also found some scraps of clothing and blood that is still fresh; someone should have already met with misfortune."

He held a sharp, gleaming dagger in a reverse grip, clutching it tightly in his palm.

His calm eyes glanced over the iron-grey decapitation longsword in Xia Nan's hand.

Outwardly, he showed nothing, but Wood still harbored a hint of surprise in his heart.

In just over a hundred days, to transform from a pure newcomer who had just stepped into the adventurer's path and only mastered a single combat technique into a professional like himself was enough to be astonishing.

But what he hadn't expected was that when faced with sudden danger, Xia Nan's reaction was just as fast as his own, despite him having held professional levels for years.

He even possessed some kind of special ability he couldn't identify, which caused that rat—whose speed was not slow—to lose control of its body in a short amount of time.

"Could it be that he isn't a 【Warrior】 class professional?"

Recalling the combat techniques he knew under the 【Warrior】 classification, Wood wondered to himself.

Of course, despite his confusion, he wouldn't take the initiative to ask Xia Nan such sensitive questions for an adventurer; he only sighed in his heart at the speed of the other's progress.

They were about to reach their destination, but the situation had turned ominous.

Xia Nan stood in place, sword in hand, his gaze fixed on the depths of the pipe gallery swallowed by darkness.

He pondered in his heart, weighing the pros and cons.

He turned his head, wanting to discuss a few things with the experienced Wood beside him.

However, the roar of a human suddenly came from the depths of the darkness.

Faint, flickering firelight could also be seen.

Standing nearby, feeling somewhat uneasy due to his own conjectures, the thug Tie Tou's expression changed abruptly upon hearing the sound.

Ignoring Xia Nan and Wood standing right in front of him, he took off running toward the direction the sound came from.

"Don't be anxious, I remember the way back. Let's follow slowly."

Just as he was hesitating, Wood patted Xia Nan on the shoulder and followed.

The speed of his footsteps was controlled with exquisite precision.

While being able to see every move Tie Tou made ahead, he also maintained a safe distance that would allow both of them to retreat and escape.

Since he had said as much, Xia Nan couldn't stay alone in the dimly lit, dangerous sewer, so he hurriedly followed.

As they gradually drew closer, the sounds that had been echoing and blurring between the gallery walls became clear.

It was a grand noise formed by the overlapping of countless sharp, piercing "squeaks," a sound that made one's eardrums ache and scalp tingle.

It was as if even the damp air filled with water vapor was vibrating along with it, causing ripples to rise on the surface of several murky pools on the ground.

Only occasionally, in the gaps, could one clearly hear the faint roars and curses rising from the depths of the noise.

The Grey Badger Gang's base was a dried-up, abandoned reservoir in the Niumu sewers.

The pipe gallery, which had been built to be exceptionally spacious, appeared even more massive here, like a small plaza.

The bottom of the reservoir had been cleared, leaving only bare stone bricks. On both sides, leaning against the walls, crude stairs and high platforms had been built using dark wood transported from the outside.

Tents, fire basins, weapon racks... at a glance, it gave one a messy and shabby feeling.

But if one observed the specific structure carefully and possessed the relevant knowledge, one could perceive the substantive function of the various buildings.

They couldn't compare to those towering, sturdy fortresses standing on main thoroughfares, but combined with the sewer environment they were in, they possessed defensive capabilities far exceeding their outward appearance.

And this was precisely the reason why those dozens of thugs, who had never undergone professional training, could stubbornly hold out until now under the siege of countless grey-skinned rats, relying on the torches and metal weapons in their hands and the fire oil bottles occasionally thrown out for deterrence.

"Damn it, where is Han Sen? How did it go when he went out to seek help?"

A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, draped in an ostentatious fur cloak, barked coldly with a gloomy expression.

"Boss Eight-Fingers, Brother Han Sen is already dead. He didn't even make it to the exit, and not even his bones are left."

A young man with tattoos, drenched in sweat, waved the torch in his hand and shouted loudly without looking back.

"Damn it! Everyone hold your ground for me! Once this wave passes, I'll treat you all to a full month at the Nightingale's Nest!"

The middle-aged man, the leader known to the thugs as "Eight-Fingers," stood at the highest point of the wooden platform, feigning composure as he encouraged the crowd.

It was a pity, however, that the effect was limited.

In normal times, when seizing territory or fighting other gangs, these simple and direct promises might have greatly boosted the spirits of these thugs—who could barely read—and doubled their combat effectiveness.

But in the current situation, where the entire gang was in jeopardy and even survival was in question, the underlings of the Grey Badger Gang were merely driven by the instinct to survive, frantically waving their torches without regard for their stamina.

"Iron-Head, Boss Eight-Fingers, it's Iron-Head!"

A thug at the edge of the platform saw the bald, burly man running out from the side passage and reported it with an excited look on his face.

"Good, good, good!"

Eight-Fingers turned his head abruptly, looking at Iron-Head, who was charging toward them, and felt a surge of wild joy.

Ignoring his already hoarse voice, he shouted with all his might:

"Don't come over here, go outside and call for help!"

"The Church, the Sheriff, anyone will do!"

Then came the annoyance of seeing Iron-Head stop in his tracks, hesitation appearing on his face, failing to turn back immediately to seek reinforcements.

"What the hell are you standing there for? Go!"

Finally, there was the surprise and astonishment of seeing two other strange figures in the direction Iron-Head had come from.

"Gulp."

Xia Nan stood at the entrance of the passage, feeling the vibrations in the air and the incessant, shrill, deafening noise in his ears, looking at the countless grey shadows swarming on the ground before him.

Goosebumps immediately broke out all over his body.

They were Grey-skinned Rats, countless in number, with dirty grey-black fur, massive bodies, emitting a thick stench, and surging forward with shrill screams!

The sheer scale, almost completely surrounding the Grey Badger Gang's wooden platform, combined with the disgusting and ugly appearance of the giant rats.

Made Xia Nan feel the urge to retreat the moment he saw the scene, and he stopped in his tracks.

But the next second, the resilient will and refined thinking ability he had developed over more than half a year of adventuring subconsciously suppressed his body's instinctual repulsion.

He began to analyze the situation on the field in as comprehensive and detailed a manner as possible.

First, it was certain that the members of the Grey Badger Gang could not hold out much longer under the siege of the rat swarm.

They might be able to use the rats' fear of fire, utilizing torches and fire oil bombs to deter and limit the enemy's advance.

But these disgusting little creatures living in the complex sewers were not as stupid as the pigs and sheep in a pen.

Xia Nan could see that a few larger Grey-skinned Rats were already attempting to cross the flames, gnawing and tugging at the thugs' pant legs.

And if one failed to maintain their balance and was pulled to the ground, they would be instantly submerged by the rats surging from all directions.

Under the gnawing of their hard and powerful mouthparts, there would likely be nothing left but bone fragments in a matter of seconds.

If the situation were allowed to develop, his own advancement mission, which had just made progress, would once again come to a standstill along with the total annihilation of the Grey Badger Gang.

Should he choose to stand by and watch, taking advantage of the fact that the rat swarm's attention was not on him to slip away;

Or should he lend a hand for the sake of the mission, at least saving the gang members who knew the location of "Colander's" headquarters?

His brain raced, and the risks and rewards were placed on the two ends of a scale.

And it was precisely because Xia Nan began to think about the feasibility of the battle that he finally realized.

The danger these rats posed to him was perhaps... not as great as he had imagined?

Equally numerous, equally physically fragile, equally relying on group hunting...

To a certain extent, the rat swarm and the Goblins did not seem to be much different.

It was merely replacing the crude wooden clubs in the hands of the green-skins with the sharp incisors in the mouths of the rats; the former were even slightly more intelligent and knew how to use some basic tactics.

The rats, however, only knew how to swarm and gnaw, and a few torches could force them back.

With this as a premise, if he could rely on 【Tooth Hunt】, 【Spinning Slash】, and his strong physical constitution to move freely and maintain high-speed movement on a battlefield with hundreds of Goblins without worrying about being besieged by them.

Then, replacing the opponent with the rat swarm before him, it seemed... it would be the same?

In just a few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Wood also standing in place, yet not retreating.

Making eye contact, the other's silent nod while staring at the rat swarm confirmed Xia Nan's thoughts.

Awoo—

In the sewer filled with the chaotic cries of the Grey-skinned Rats, a long, high-pitched wolf howl erupted in the air.

Time and space seemed to freeze at this moment.

A Grey-skinned Rat with darker fur maintained its threatening posture, half-standing with its mouthparts wide open, revealing its two hard incisors.

Reflected in the depths of its scarlet eyes was the flickering firelight ahead, along with an iron-grey sharp radiance that was gradually becoming clear and bright.

A biting wind, like a knife, shredded the fragile fur; blood spilled from the gashed wounds, and together with fragmented internal organs and severed limbs, it was swept upward and rolled, condensing out of thin air into a ferocious, blurred, roaring wolf head.

In the blink of an eye, the black-haired figure who had been standing at the entrance had already arrived at the other end of the field.

The surface of the blade in his hand had a few more smears of blood radiating residual warmth, and fragments of flesh and blood rained down from the air around him.

Behind him, in the dense rat swarm, was a path running through from front to back, paved with corpses and severed limbs.

(End of chapter)