Chapter 118: Shuke

Zhang Shagen was gripping a steel shield, currently locked in combat with a Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat. These skinless, giant rats possessed immense strength, like young calves, and their impacts left Zhang Shagen's bones feeling as if they were about to fall apart, forcing him to retreat continuously.

"Monster, this giant rat is a monster." Zhang Shagen exclaimed; just a moment ago, another soldier beside him had been eaten by this kind of blood-red giant rat.

Zhang Shagen also saw a soldier not far away who was a First Grade Martial Artist; although that soldier had killed one giant rat, he had also been blown to death by the explosion of the giant rat before it died.

"Rip! Rip!" The Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat, while slamming into the shield, also used its sharp claws to scrape against the steel shield, leaving behind a series of one-inch-deep claw marks.

Zhang Shagen held on for half a minute, but the steel-made shield was like wood in the face of the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat's claws, becoming riddled with holes until finally, with a crack, it shattered completely.

Zhang Shagen was greatly shocked. The Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat charged over, and he had no time to grab other weapons, so he could only engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat unarmed.

"Get lost, you bastard!" Zhang Shagen kicked out, landing exactly on the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat's belly, but the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat took advantage of the momentum to grab Zhang Shagen's right leg, climbing up with a scuttling motion, and soon reached Zhang Shagen's neck.

"Squeak! Squeak!" The Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat let out a terrifying roar, its one-foot-long sharp fangs aimed at Zhang Shagen's neck, ready to bite down fiercely.

Zhang Shagen grabbed the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat's head with both hands, wanting to push it away, but he was only an ordinary person with limited strength, at most a little over one hundred kilograms.

This Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat had already devoured the flesh and blood of two soldiers, and its strength had evolved to over three hundred kilograms, three times that of an ordinary person. Although Zhang Shagen tried his best, he could not push the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat away and could only watch helplessly as its fangs drew closer and closer to his neck.

"It's over. I never thought I, Zhang Shagen, would end up dying in the mouth of a giant rat. What a stifling way to die."

Just as Zhang Shagen was in despair, he suddenly saw another giant rat appear not far away, one with a much larger build and a body covered in blood-red scales.

This made Zhang Shagen even more sorrowful; he never expected that his wretched skin would end up in the bellies of two giant rats.

"Squeak!" The blood-red giant rat that appeared later let out a sharp cry the moment it arrived, then charged over as fast as a thunderbolt, instantly slamming into the rat preparing to bite Zhang Shagen's neck and sending it flying, before the two giant rats began tearing at each other.

"Huh! Are the two giant rats fighting over food?" Zhang Shagen was stunned for a moment, but he couldn't care about that anymore; he hurriedly picked up an Elm Cannon from the ground, deciding that no matter which giant rat wanted to eat him, he would perish together with it.

Zhang Shagen would rather be blown to smithereens by the final explosion of a Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat than be eaten bit by bit by one.

The fight between the two Bloodthirsty Ghost Rats soon reached a result. The Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat that arrived last was strong and sturdy, with greater strength, faster speed, and scales protecting its body, quickly crushing the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat that had originally wanted to bite Zhang Shagen.

Then, to Zhang Shagen's utter astonishment, the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat with the blood-red scales bit the smaller Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat's hind leg with its mouth and dragged it away into the distance, not even sparing a glance at Zhang Shagen, who was holding the Elm Cannon as if facing a great enemy.

"What the hell! What is this situation? Why are the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rats having an internal conflict?" Zhang Shagen was as confused as a monk who couldn't find his way.

Zhang Shagen followed at a fast pace and soon saw the larger Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat run up to Meng Yifan.

Meng Yifan held the Ghost Head Blade and placed it on the head of the smaller Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat, and that Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat was swallowed up by the Ghost Head Blade.

"Squeak! Squeak!" The larger Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat rubbed against Meng Yifan's pant leg, wagging its tail like a pet asking for credit.

Meng Yifan petted the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat's head as if it were a puppy, then pointed toward another trench and said, "Shuke, continue to help me catch Bloodthirsty Ghost Rats. Remember, the soldiers here are all my men; you cannot bite them."

This Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat understood Meng Yifan's command; it nodded obediently and then quickly charged into the trench Meng Yifan had pointed to.

"Lord Meng, have you subdued a blood-red giant rat?" Zhang Shagen asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Meng Yifan nodded. Meng Yifan had named this larger Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat Shuke, and it now possessed strength comparable to a Second Grade Peak Martial Artist.

The soldiers of the Divine Machine Battalion had left behind a large number of severed limbs and broken arms on the battlefield; such an abundance of flesh and blood had easily cultivated Shuke to the strength of a Second Grade Peak Martial Artist.

Moreover, just one piece of flesh and blood could allow Shuke to evolve into a Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat comparable to a Third Grade Martial Artist, though in that case, Shuke could only fight for ten minutes before it would have to explode, or have some of its energy swallowed by the Ghost Head Blade, reverting to a Second Grade Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat.

With the Mysterious Rune in control, Meng Yifan could control Shuke's life and death with a single thought. It was unknown how the Artifact Spirit of the Ghost Head Blade had managed it, but Shuke now recognized Meng Yifan as its master and followed his commands implicitly, being very obedient.

Meng Yifan also found it very handy to use.

Meng Yifan and Shuke split into two paths to capture Bloodthirsty Ghost Rats simultaneously, greatly increasing their efficiency; they had now almost finished catching all the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rats on the front line.

"To think Lord Meng could subdue such a terrifying giant rat; it is truly incredible." Zhang Shagen looked at Meng Yifan with admiration, as if looking at an omnipotent god-like man.

Meng Yifan was stunned for a moment; he saw on the Game Panel that Zhang Shagen's Loyalty had increased by a large margin again, reaching 89 points; one more point and he would become a Dead Loyal Subject.

Among the one thousand soldiers Meng Yifan had recruited, Zhang Shagen had the highest loyalty. Meng Yifan had already decided to focus on cultivating Zhang Shagen in the future; once this battle ended, he would find a way to improve his strength and make him a capable general who could stand on his own.

On the opposite Divine Machine Battalion front, after Zhang Chao fired a special cannonball, he heard miserable screams and intermittent explosions coming from those trenches, which made him laugh involuntarily; it seemed this special cannonball was very effective.

"Wang Zhanbiao, organize the elites who are Second Grade Martial Artists or above. Let's take advantage of the chaos among those rebels and charge over to wipe out these damned rebels in one fell swoop," Zhang Chao said through gritted teeth.

Wang Zhanbiao accepted the order and soon organized all the remaining Second Grade Martial Artists of the Divine Machine Battalion.

The Divine Machine Battalion had come to attack the rebels in Luolong County, and now half of them were dead or injured, leaving only five hundred soldiers, with only thirteen Second Grade Martial Artists remaining.

Led by Third Grade Martial Artists like Zhang Chao and Wang Zhanbiao, these Second Grade Martial Artists charged toward the opposite trenches.

When the Divine Machine Battalion fought, their main tactic was to use Cannons to bombard, then have the infantry charge; if the infantry couldn't advance, the Cannons would continue to bombard.

However, in several artillery battles with the Luolong County rebels, the Divine Machine Battalion's pride and joy, the Shenwu Great General Cannon, had absolutely no room to display its power; instead, they had suffered heavy losses in men and equipment. From this point of view, the Divine Machine Battalion had already lost.

With the battle reaching this point, Zhang Chao had already fired their prized special cannonball, and now he was going to lead an elite squad to assault.