Chapter Thirty-Five: The Nocturnal Mouse

With the monkey’s guidance, the group rushed into the steel factory in a frenzy, only to find the immense workshop utterly deserted.

Monkey opened his mouth, worried that the others might doubt his words.
“They were just here a moment ago.”

“Are you stupid? They noticed you, so why would they stay?”
Ader mocked.

“Search carefully!”
Tang Ao’s voice was low and commanding.

On hearing this, Ader, Monkey, and the burly Lan Nuo began checking for traces, while Zhao Jun remained silent, standing at Tang Ao’s side, vigilant of their surroundings. In reality, he was Tang Ao’s henchman and bodyguard, long accustomed to shielding him.

“A remarkable figure,” Tang Ao murmured, turning the prayer beads in his hand.

At that moment, within the factory, Ader tossed several talisman papers into the air; as they burst into small flames, one streak of white light stretched out toward a certain direction.

The others nodded in tacit understanding, and Monkey, fastest among them, immediately chased after the white streak. Having previously fled in panic, he felt he’d lost face before his companions and was eager to redeem himself with a strong performance.

Monkey melted into shadow and vanished, the others hastening after him. Ader’s talisman tracking could only follow within a short range, unlike the earlier paper bird’s scent-based search.

While the five pursued their quarry, Murong Xun on the other side was encountering trouble.

After escaping the factory, he hadn’t gone far when he realized he’d been surrounded by a swarm of grotesque creatures.

They resembled rats, their bodies as though skinned, blood vessels and sinews exposed to the air, their crimson skin bulging in places—an appalling sight. Worse still, parts of them were festering; as they scurried, rotten flesh and yellow fluid splattered everywhere, and a powerful stench permeated the air.

Even Murong Xun, normally unperturbed by such things, frowned deeply at the scene. It was as if a jar of decades-old pickled vegetables had just been unearthed, the lid opened, and the pungency unleashed.

Besides the stench, there was something else mingled in the air—indistinct, but distinctly unpleasant, making Murong Xun uneasy. The longer he breathed it, the more dizzy he felt.

Checking his own condition, he discovered his mental state was gradually declining. His current mental strength was 1.6, that is, one hundred sixty points; after firing five arrows, fifty points had been used, leaving him with 108. As he hesitated, it slowly dropped again—to 107.

Thus Murong Xun confirmed that this stench was affecting his mind.

Without hesitation, he drew his golden bow and slaughtered the monsters, known as Night Rats, preventing them from approaching. His basic archery skills, combined with a guaranteed hit effect, made dispatching these low-level creatures effortless—one arrow per rat, costing only a single point of energy.

Soon, the ground was littered with Night Rat corpses. Yellow corpse fluid pooled everywhere, and as it seeped, the stench intensified.

Suppressing his disgust, Murong Xun picked up the bodies one by one with gloved hands. As monster corpses, they shouldn’t be wasted. Though their levels were low, their numbers were considerable, and he believed they could be useful.

Suddenly, Murong Xun rolled aside and drew his sword to parry an attack.

The tremendous force sent him tumbling several times across the ground. Where he’d just stood, a giant Night Rat crouched, its paw pressing down on the corpse he’d been about to collect; the ground around was cracked, and where the paw fell, a pit was driven into the earth.

Murong Xun staggered to his feet, warily facing the creature. Had his reaction been slower, he'd have been pinned beneath its claws.

Even so, when the giant Night Rat lashed its tail, Murong Xun’s short sword blocked the blow, but his head still throbbed from the impact.

The previous Night Rats were the size of a common mongrel—larger than ordinary rats, but manageable. But this giant one stood over a meter tall; with its body and tail, it stretched three or four meters long, charging like a small mountain of meat.

Compared to the previous rats, this one was far more presentable. Though its flesh was still red, it lacked rotten patches and corpse fluid.

Murong Xun stood his ground, sweat dripping from his forehead, soaking his back. At this moment, he felt as if a savage beast had locked onto him, making any movement perilous.

He knew that at this critical juncture, any action would trigger a lightning-fast strike.

This giant Night Rat was at least LV2, or perhaps higher; in a direct confrontation, he was no match.

Yet the monstrous rat didn’t focus its attention on him; its hollow eye sockets and tiny head were turned elsewhere, seemingly watching something.

From every corner, more Night Rats surged forth, gathering around it in regular patterns, the stench thickening until Murong Xun felt dizzy.

“What’s that smell—so strong!”
A rough voice called out.

“It’s worse than Lan Nuo after a month without bathing!”
Monkey’s shrill voice echoed.

“Boss, bad news! We’ve stumbled into the Night Rats’ lair.”
Ader, adept at talismans, knew more than the others and instantly recognized their surroundings.

“These are just insignificant creatures!”
Lan Nuo dismissed them, brandishing a long-handled axe and charging into the Night Rat horde.

“Don’t—”
Ader tried to stop him, but it was too late.

“What’s wrong?”
Seeing his expression change, Tang Ao asked.

“With so many of us barging in, and being quite strong, the Rat King will think we’re here to seize its territory and will fight us to the death!”

Ader answered hastily.

“Actually, since we’re powerful, we just need to stand our ground, show we’re not here to compete for their turf, only passing through. There’s no need for a life-and-death struggle.”

“Is it troublesome?”
Tang Ao frowned—he hated complications.

“Individually, Night Rats are weak, but their attacks against the mind are terrifying!”

As Ader spoke, he felt his mind blur; he quickly bit his tongue to clear his head, then retreated a few steps in alarm.

Having practiced talismans and strengthened his mind, he was surprised to be nearly caught off guard. He hurriedly pulled the others back as well.