Chapter 222 - 221: Big Rats

Chapter 222: Chapter 221: Big Rats

Feng Ling didn’t stop her.

The moment the truck door opened, the humanoid Mouse Monsters outside immediately lunged in!

Ye Zheng flapped her wings violently, her sharp claws slashing mercilessly at the Mouse Monsters!

The thick stench of blood instantly filled the air, clinging like a bottle of potent liquor had been spilled and refusing to dissipate.

The Cat Spider and Cat Owl also left the truck, aggressively attacking the monsters nearby.

The surrounding Mouse Monsters were quickly cleared out.

Ye Zheng returned to the truck with her blood-stained claws, a look of disgust on her face. ’She must think these Mouse Monsters are hideous, too,’ Feng Ling guessed.

"These monsters don’t have eyes or noses. I don’t know what ability they’re using to pinpoint our location," Ye Zheng said in a low voice, frowning.

"Maybe... like snakes? They can sense the thermal infrared wavelengths living creatures give off?" Feng Ling guessed.

"We were inside the truck the whole time. They could still find us through the aluminum alloy body, which means their ability is more acute than thermal sense," Ye Zheng said.

Feng Ling turned to ask Li Qing, "Can you figure out what these things are? They must be related to local myths and legends, right?"

Li Qing’s expression was a bit grim, and he seemed somewhat frustrated.

"The Maze’s design elements draw from local folklore. Myths and legends are only one part of that. Just based on their appearance... I can’t tell what kind of monster they are," Li Qing replied.

Feng Ling said, "Giant rats, obviously~"

Ye Zheng glanced at her but said nothing.

"If we’re talking about rats..." Li Qing mused, "the most famous bit of folklore in the Guangshan area is the ’Rat’s Wedding.’ The locals believe rats are unlucky, so they need to be ’married off’ on the thirtieth night of the old lunar year to ensure peace and good fortune for the year to come."

Feng Ling asked him, "Anything else? Those humanoid rats outside don’t exactly look like they’re having a wedding."

Li Qing thought for a moment, looking troubled. "It’s possible it has nothing to do with any legends. The system might have just taken a local feature to use as a Maze element."

"A local feature?" Feng Ling asked, confused. "Are giant rats a local feature of Guangshan City?"

Before Li Qing could open his mouth, Xu Yiming chimed in with a nod. "Guangshan City’s rats and cockroaches are famously huge!"

"Don’t tell me there are giant cockroaches out there too?!" Huangfu Miaomiao tensed up.

It wasn’t that she found cockroaches disgusting, but that flying cockroaches were incredibly hard to deal with.

Ye Zheng said with some irritation, "More than rats, these monsters look almost human. They have human skin, human skeletons, just with a rat’s tail. I don’t see the point in discussing all these rat-related legends."

Ye Zheng was even more focused on efficiency than Feng Ling. The Pollution Value had whittled her patience down to almost nothing. The scent of blood only fueled her killing intent, making her want to rush out and slaughter every last monster.

The words had barely left her mouth when BANG! BANG! A few more impacts slammed into the truck!

Without a second thought, Ye Zheng charged out!

A few seconds later, the monsters’ wretched squeals echoed from outside. A few seconds after that, the night fell silent again, and Ye Zheng returned, reeking of blood.

"How many?" Feng Ling asked.

"Didn’t count. Probably five or six," Ye Zheng replied.

Feng Ling looked at Li Qing and asked in a pointed tone, "So, do you think these rats are just going to keep coming and causing trouble?"

They weren’t much of a threat, but having them constantly show up just to get killed was becoming a real nuisance.

Li Qing hadn’t been able to thoroughly research the local folklore before they arrived, so he couldn’t give a definitive answer. After some careful thought, he said to Feng Ling, "How about I perform a divination?"

Feng Ling nodded. "Alright. Cast one and see whether we should stay put or head out to find a safe house."

Li Qing took out his turtle shell and Ancient Bronze Coins. As everyone watched, he began to shake the shell. RATTLE, RATTLE—

The Copper Coins fell out. He continued to shake the turtle shell, repeating the process several times before getting a result.

"Stay put," Li Qing said, his tone firm.

BANG!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The truck was struck again! The impacts were followed by shrieks and scratching sounds—the Cat Spider and Cat Owl were outside, dealing with the Mouse Monsters attacking the truck.

Hearing the commotion, Ye Zheng couldn’t help but ask Li Qing, "Are you sure?"

’Are you sure we should stay here?’

Li Qing didn’t know anything about the Mouse Monsters, but he had absolute faith in his Divination Master Card. He pointed to the Copper Coins and explained, "This hexagram is called ’Darkening of the Light.’ Li represents brightness and the sun, while Kun represents compliance and the earth. The sun sinks into the earth, and the light is obscured. This means the path ahead is unclear and fraught with obstacles. We should bide our time, conserve our strength, and wait for a better opportunity."

He looked at Feng Ling and continued, "That’s why I think we should stay. We know nothing about this Maze. We can handle what’s here now, but if we move, we might face even greater dangers. If that happens, we’ll have no way to fall back."

Feng Ling was also leaning toward staying.

The dense fog in this Maze gave her a very bad feeling. She wanted to wait until dawn to see if it would thin out at all.

"Then let’s stay. It’s only a few more hours until dawn anyway," Feng Ling said.

Listening to the sounds outside, Xu Yiming asked Feng Ling, "Should we set up a watch schedule? We can take turns standing guard."

Feng Ling stretched her neck. "I’ll take first watch. I’m not tired anyway."

Ye Zheng said flatly, "I’m not tired either."

Huangfu Miaomiao immediately chimed in, "I’ll stand guard with you!"

These Mouse Monsters were all Pollution Bodies, which to Huangfu Miaomiao, meant they were all points for the taking.

Xu Yiming gave a helpless smile. "If all three of you are going, there’s no point in me staying in the truck by myself. I’ll stand guard with you, too."

Feng Ling smiled. "Then let’s all go. Whoever gets tired can head back into the truck to rest."

Everyone except the Daoist, who had no combat abilities, left the truck.

Huangfu Miaomiao placed a large emergency light at the front of the truck and another at the back, bathing the surrounding area in brilliant light.

The moment any Mouse Monsters emerged from the fog, they had nowhere to hide and were swiftly cut down by Feng Ling and the others.

The Mouse Monsters’ Attack Power was very low, and their only methods of attack were scratching and biting. Feng Ling grew bored after killing a few, so she sat by herself on the roof of the truck, directing her Cat Spider and Cat Owl to do the work.

Gradually, everyone began to show signs of fatigue.

Even though only five or six Mouse Monsters appeared at a time, the repetitive nature of the attacks gradually wore them down. Even a warrior like Ye Zheng found her movements and reactions becoming visibly sluggish.

Huangfu Miaomiao was the first to give out. She dissolved into a black Ghost Shadow and zipped back into the truck to rest.

Xu Yiming was next. He reacted too slowly and got bitten by a Mouse Monster, so he had to return to the truck to disinfect the wound.

The Cat Spider and Cat Owl grew increasingly lazy as well, reluctant to move.

Feng Ling sighed. She recalled her two creatures, then jumped down from the truck. "Hey," she called out to Ye Zheng up ahead, "go get some rest. I’ll take over."

Ye Zheng stood unmoving in the fog, her eyes scanning the surroundings, wary of any Mouse Monsters that might leap out at any moment. "I’m not tired yet," she replied.

"No, you’re tired," Feng Ling taunted. "Your reactions are as slow as a snail right now. I bet I could beat you without even using my second form. You believe that?"