Chapter 64: The Gnawed Corpse of the Demon Rat

Qin Chuan's utterly sincere words made the lively chatter inside the car suddenly fall silent.

Fortunately, after chatting for so long, the assessment destination was soon approaching.

A few minutes later, the bus stopped beside the signpost of Gold Stone Road, Tang Qiuyi stepped out first, then waved at the five people on the bus, saying, "Follow me."

Under his lead, the five quickly appeared in a blocked-off road section.

Obstacles and armed police with guns blocked both sides of the section, with personnel on standby around every drain outlet.

"What you see is only the tip of the iceberg." Looking at the five people looking around curiously, Tang Qiuyi began to explain, "The sewer system is a very complex underground network, just as interconnected as the roads above ground; demon rat swarms appearing in the sewers make total eradication very troublesome."

"If any slip through the net, a larger demon rat swarm could appear soon." Saying this, Tang Qiuyi's expression grew slightly stern, "What you are responsible for is only part of the sewer area; other areas will be handled by other supernatural beings."

"The detailed area divisions have already been marked on the booklet."

While speaking, he had already led the five to a half-open sewer entrance.

He kicked the manhole cover to one side, Tang Qiuyi received five safety helmets from the arriving Special Affairs Group staff, handed them to the five, saying, "Wear this; it has a headlamp for illumination and a hidden camera, which will be an important record of your performance."

Thinking this might be a bonus point, he simply gave up the opportunity.

Xiao Pang beside him covered his mouth and waved at him, obviously also affected by the smell.

After confirming the five had put on their helmets, Tang Qiuyi jerked his chin at the well opening, saying, "All right, go down now."

A yellowish light halo surged; soon a small depression appeared in the ground beneath Xiao Pang's feet, while his body was quietly covered with a layer of rock, leaving only his eyes and nostrils exposed.

No achievements won't do!

Though his body was sheathed in rock, Xiao Pang's movements were strangely unaffected.

The underground drainage system of Long Prosperity City mainly consists of tunnel-type sewers, and this section beneath Gold Stone Road is no exception.

"I'll go second." Qin Chuan volunteered.

"It's safe down there, you can come in!"

Making a "cheer up" gesture to his four companions, Xiao Pang grabbed the handrail of the well opening and climbed down into the sewer.

He entered the sewer swiftly, and a foul stench immediately assailed his face.

Hearing this, Qin Chuan and the five quickly took and put on the helmets.

His chubby belly looked somewhat comical, but his expression was now exceptionally serious.

The third to descend was Zhang Yuemeng.

He had originally intended to go down first to scout for danger, but unexpectedly Xiao Pang beat him to it.

Xiao Pang bravely volunteered to take on the vanguard responsibility.

"I'll go first!"

Two minutes later, a muffled sound came from within the well.

"From now on, as long as there is no threat to your lives, I will remain silent throughout and will not intervene."

He took off his loose outer coat and handed it to Qin Chuan, revealing the form-fitting clothing underneath.

Qin Chuan covered his mouth and nose, turned on his headlamp, and soon his feet touched the ground.

The moment she reached Qin Chuan and Xiao Pang's side, the surrounding air suddenly became fresh.

"I was almost suffocated." Xiao Pang gulped a big breath, then recovered, saying, "I've also seen sewer construction before, but never such a stench."

"This must be related to the demon rats." Zhang Yuemeng, still timid in appearance, unexpectedly proved reliable, saying, "I can sense some toxins in the nearby air."

"If inhaled long-term, it will definitely cause problems."

Qi Fei and Sun He descended one after another, just happening to hear Zhang Yuemeng's remark.

"Good thing we have Mengmeng." Sun He grabbed Zhang Yuemeng's hand and spoke with a smile.

Friendship between girls seems to form especially easily; the two girls who were still strangers before boarding the car are now almost inseparable.

"Let me scout." Qi Fei nodded at Qin Chuan and the four others, then extended a hand.

He glanced at the filthy platform, then pressed his hand against the side wall of the passage.

"Hum—"

Accompanied by a surging yellowish light halo, a faint sound like a mosquito's buzz echoed in the quiet sewer.

After a moment, Qi Fei withdrew his hand, pointed in a certain direction, and said, "There's something over there."

"Go!" Xiao Pang took the lead, stepping forward with a fearless gait, his body guarded by rock; his short, stout figure now provided a considerable sense of security.

Behind him followed Sun He.

As one of the team's damage dealers, Sun He had already drawn a portion of domestic sewage from the sewer, purified it, and held it in her palm as a water ball, ready to strike at any moment.

When needed, water-system supernatural beings can filter out other impurities in the water, achieving its purification.

Zhang Yuemeng followed behind Sun He; this position not only lets her better purify the air for teammates, but is also relatively safer.

Behind them came Qi Fei and Qin Chuan, who was taking up the rear.

Tang Qiuyi also entered the sewer; at this moment, wearing a gas mask, he trailed far behind the team of five, making no sound and having no presence.

"This is the spot." Not long after, Qi Fei spoke up, indicating that the anomaly he had detected was nearby.

Several people used their headlamps to scan the dark sewer interior; soon Sun He let out a soft cry, "Here!"

The group gathered together and soon saw a demon rat with a twisted body, covered in pus-filled sacs.

This demon rat was already dead, its corpse incomplete, with only two eyes almost bulging out, making one feel nauseous.

"What the hell! It's already dead." Xiao Pang muttered discontentedly, "How unlucky!"

He was about to kick the demon rat's corpse away, but the silent Qin Chuan stopped his action, saying, "Wait!"

"Look at the wounds on its corpse." He quickly approached the demon rat, examined it carefully, then said slowly, "Do these wounds match the shape of its teeth?"

"Indeed." Xiao Pang crouched, examined it closely, nodded in agreement, then realized, "So it bit itself to death?"

Qin Chuan: "..."

He gave Xiao Pang a speechless glance, and Qi Fei behind him also couldn't stand it, hurriedly explaining, "Some rats have the habit of eating their own kind's corpses; demon rats should be similar, so these wounds must have been left by other demon rats."

"How dare they bite?" Sun He couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

Zhang Yumeng beside them had already turned their head away.

"This demon rat's corpse hasn't fully stiffened yet; it probably hasn't been dead long." Qi Fei poked it with a small stick he found. "I haven't found any traces of other demon rats nearby."

Qin Chuan glanced at the darkness ahead and furrowed his brow slightly.

He constantly felt that there was a hint of danger lurking within.

"Let's keep going forward to take a look."

——

The preceding setting underwent a minor tweak, removing the ice element from the material attributes; you don't need to go back and look, basically there's no change, just knowing is enough.

(End of chapter)