Chapter 43: – Mouse Kid! (Please keep reading!!!)

Pulling the hand shovel from his chest, Ji Ming fidgeted with the nearby furniture while verifying his guess.

The painful result was certain: at some point, the poisonous creatures captured from the wild had already taken over the entire Clinic.

Three centipedes were racing on the floor, and a lizard was fighting a centipede under the sofa.

Even in the treatment room, a pair of lizards were idly loafing on the wide bed, conducting petty affairs.

"Bullying, huh!"

Ji Ming, enraged, yanked a bag and began catching black centipedes and stone dragons.

For the other species he couldn't manage in time, he simply executed them on the spot.

"Is that all, one by one? For the slow ones I just smash them dead with my shovel, argh!"

"Keep fighting, either you lose and get swallowed or you win and get smacked; you figure it out yourselves."

"Ward round, everyone squat!"

Brandishing the shovel, he clanged it wildly, and Ji Ming searched and pursued all the way.

Although somewhat extreme, we can call it efficient.

At that moment, he suddenly saw a centipede poking its head through the crack of the medicine‑brewing room door.

Right, for convenience he had previously stored all captured poisonous creatures in the medicine‑brewing room.

If the problem has a source, it must be there!

He kicked the door open and realized the noise outside was only for amusement; true amusement required looking inside.

Perhaps at first only one bag broke.

But under the effort of the poisonous creatures, all the bags burst.

So, what would happen if a group of terrified or angry, starving highly toxic beings were confined together?

In this cramped medicine‑brewing room, the chaotic poisonous creatures, regardless of strength, fought a cataclysmic battle.

During the melee, the pot on the stove was knocked over and the bottles in the corner shattered.

The floor and cabinets were littered with the gnawed corpses of the poisonous creatures.

Various half‑used potions were splattered everywhere, and lizards were still licking them.

Closed‑room war, poisonous‑creature deathmatch, supplemented by potions strengthening their foundations…

Ji Ming, with strong associative ability, suddenly recalled an ancient Chinese term

—'nurturing gu'.

The ones that survive this endless melee would indeed be the true gu insects.

For example, that unusually huge black lizard covered in armored scales.

Or that slender centipede with a faint golden back armor, a giant among its kind.

And the big black rat, wildly chased, squeaking and fleeing with its head tucked.

They're all top contenders in the battle‑royale!

Wait a moment…

Mouse Kid!!!

Ji Ming didn't know how the big black rat escaped from the drawer, but now it had been bitten alive by the poisonous creatures into a blood‑red mouse.

Even so, it stubbornly clung to life, gnawing fiercely, even holding half a centipede in its mouth.

What a magnificent spirit; Ji Ming was moved to the point of tears.

It seemed to sense his gaze; even amid the chaos, Mouse Kid struggled to lift its head, repeatedly opening and closing its tiny mouth at him.

It looked exceedingly refined, gentle, and polite.

Ji Ming nodded forcefully, clenching his fist.

"Stop talking, Mouse Kid, I understand—keep it up!"

Yet while on the verge of tears, looking at the green lizard at his feet, already poisoned into a dazed state and ready to flip over and die, Ji Ming realized another issue.

The rat must have taken more bites than it, so the poison inside it would be even deeper.

But why does the mouse look fine, as if it's about to be devoured?

Could it be that Mouse Kid tried many versions of the rejuvenation elixir, honing some poison resistance, becoming an extraordinary mouse?

Following that line of thought…

Ji Ming watched the two that had clearly calmed down, whose behavior even showed a hint of logical 'gu insects'.

Could the fundamental reason for their evolution be that they fed on the flesh and blood of Mouse Kid?

He didn't trouble his mind, but simply exited the game.

【Hello, in Yangyue World, is it practically feasible to use rejuvenation elixir to feed poisonous insects for nurturing gu?】

【What?】

The Yangyue CPU almost crashed, and after a long while finally sent a response.

【Greetings, I have fully understood your question and request】

【Based on my analysis and speculation, it should be due to the combined effects of the rejuvenation elixir and mutual predatory competition that three creatures in your medicine‑brewing room have triggered evolution.】

【Namely the black‑armored lizard, the gold‑backed centipede, and the feral mouse.】

【According to the current progress, they are in a mutually‑promoting, co‑evolution stage, and must wait for a true victor to emerge before full evolution.】

【In other words, the surviving side will acquire one ability from each of the other two, evolving into a true demon beast.】

Ah, really cultivated gu?

Ji Ming pondered carefully, then discovered another crucial issue.

【But I don't know how to control gu insects; what if I get bitten?】

【Is there any method to control gu?】

Yangyue World replied in an instant this time.

【I just checked the system log and found that this issue has already been resolved automatically; please wait patiently for the corresponding function to trigger.】

Alright.

Since the little boss hadn't deceived himself anyway, Ji Ming returned to Yangyue World.

He closed the door, continued sweeping up the spilled toxins, and only after cleaning them up did he return to the decoction room.

At this point, only three popular battle‑royale players remained on the field.

But they weren't in a hurry to duel; instead they began gnawing on a nearby corpse to restore their stamina.

Amid the bloody chaos, only the rustle of eating could be heard, giving the atmosphere a decidedly eerie feel.

Because they were already strong, the black‑armored lizard and the golden‑backed centipede were still relatively healthy overall, having lost only a few scales or legs.

But the mouse was miserable; seeing the Mouse Kid drenched in blood and utterly wretched, Ji Ming, who had spent five days living with it, couldn't help feeling compassion.

Fortunately, he had previously kept a bottle of Rejuvenation Fourth‑Generation Emergency on hand.

Ji Ming poured some into an empty bottle and brought it to the mouse's mouth.

"Mouse Kid, this is good stuff—drink it quickly,"

He twitched his nose, sensing the faint sweet aroma spreading, but the mouse remained as still as a mountain.

Why don't I believe it…

"Don't be afraid; replenish your stamina, and don't lose later,"

... Alright.

Seeing Ji Ming's sincere gaze, the mouse tentatively stuck out its tongue to taste a bit.

Then its eyes widened instantly, and it dove in, drinking ravenously.

Rejuvenation liquid works quickly on small animals; under the surge of vigorous life force, its wilted demeanor instantly became spirited.

Ji Ming stepped out of the arena, patiently awaiting the end of the battle.

This time, the centipede couldn't curb its ambition and launched a surprise attack first, targeting the nearest lizard.

Coincidentally, the lizard's primary target seemed to be the same, as it turned and opened its mouth.

The two fought fiercely, giving their all, and seemed to pay no attention to the mouse.

Understandably, who would see a small, furry creature with blunt teeth, dull claws, and no armor as a priority threat?

But mammals, as a higher form of life, also have their advantages.

Perched on the table overlooking the battlefield below, the mouse's beady eyes flashed with a hint of brilliance.