Chapter 15: Zombie Rat

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The entrance to the Plague Rat Cave was sealed by a pile of rocks. The grass was lush. If not for the satellite positioning, it would have been difficult for the group to find it.

“Mr. Xiao, why is the entrance sealed?” Wu Xiaoyan asked.

Xiao Jinsheng replied, “It might be the work of Plague Rats. They’re quite smart. Regardless, let’s rest for an hour and eat something before going in. We’ll be spending the next few days in this cave. You have to be mentally prepared.”

Jiang Wen and Wu Xiaoyan’s faces turned pale.

Xiao Jinsheng lit a bonfire and the five of them sat down around it.

Bai Xiaowen removed his tactical backpack and heaved a long sigh of relief. He rubbed his sore arms and calves.

Zhou Yi scoffed. “You can’t even handle a 13-kilometer trek?” He did not let go of any opportunity to attack Bai Xiaowen.

Bai Xiaowen’s Physique attribute of 2.1 was not the lowest in the combat class. Of course, it was much weaker than Zhou Yi’s Physique attribute of 4.9.

The other two girls, Wu Xiaoyan and Jiang Wen, were equally exhausted. With the trio serving as a foil to him, Zhou Yi appeared to be able to handle the trek with skill and ease.

Bai Xiaowen could not be bothered to answer Zhou Yi. He barbecued some dry rations on the bonfire and ate them with water to slowly recover his strength.

The form teacher, Xiao Jinsheng, was deep in thought. Zhou Yi was originally a top student in Class 17, so it was not surprising for him to have such a performance. However, Bai Xiaowen’s performance today was a little beyond Xiao Jinsheng’s expectations.

Unlike Zhou Yi, Xiao Jinsheng had been observing the four students he led and evaluating their strength.

Originally, it was destined that Bai Xiaowen would not be able to enter university with such low attributes. However, his performance today gave Xiao Jinsheng quite a surprise. According to Xiao Jinsheng’s estimation, Bai Xiaowen’s Strength and Agility had increased by a lot. With these two attributes as the foundation, it was actually very easy to improve his combat and machinery skills.

Of course, Xiao Jinsheng also noticed that Bai Xiaowen’s Physique was weak.

An hour passed, and the four students’ stamina had almost recovered.

Xiao Jinsheng waved his hand, and the five of them began to clear the stones. However, the degree of sealing in the cave was a little beyond their expectations. Dozens of stones of different sizes blocked the passage within five meters of the entrance.

“These stinky rats are quite strong,” Zhou Yi said resentfully. He picked up a stone the size of a millstone and threw it five meters away.

Half an hour later, the stones that sealed the entrance of the cave were cleared. Under Xiao Jinsheng’s lead, the four students stepped into the rat cave.

Under the influence of the spiritual particles, Plague Rats were dozens of times larger than ordinary rats and were half the height of a human. The cave they dug was also quite spacious, and the interior was a completely different world. After walking for dozens of steps, the space in front of them became much wider, enough to accommodate five people walking side by side.

There was a faint stench in the air. This group of Plague Rats had sealed up the cave. That meant that they had eaten, drank, and pooped in the cave. But that was inevitable. After all, no one could demand a nest of rats to improve their personal hygiene and keep their cave clean.

The place was dark. There were only some mutated mosses, weeds, and other plants that emitted a weak light. Fortunately, the five of them had prepared safety helmets with searchlights in advance to illuminate the path.

Hiss!

A black shadow lunged at Wu Xiaoyan from the side.

Wu Xiaoyan screamed and took two steps back. The shadow crashed into the wall on the other side of the room. Then, it shot forward and continued to pounce on Wu Xiaoyan.

In a split second, Bai Xiaowen had already caught sight of the black shadow. It was a large rat! Its entire body was covered in green fur, and its eyes emitted an oily green glow like a wolf’s. It had two sharp teeth and sharp black claws.

“Don’t panic!” Xiao Jinsheng shouted in a deep voice. “It’s just a Plague Rat, Zhou Yi!”

Zhou Yi took off the two-handed sword from his back and agreed excitedly before slashing.

Zhou Yi’s basic machinery had already reached Level 3, and he had also chosen the two-handed sword type. This slash was powerful and heavy. On their way to the Plague Rat Cave, three Plague Rats had already died under his sword.

However, this Plague Rat was clearly different from the three other rats that had died previously. It squeaked and suddenly accelerated, darting out from under Zhou Yi’s sword and knocking into Zhou Yi’s lower abdomen.

Hiss!

The Plague Rat swung its sharp claws just beneath Zhou Yi’s ribcage. Instantly, blood spurted out.

Zhou Yi cried out in pain and staggered back. He did not have much actual combat experience. Upon feeling pain, he panicked and held out his sword in front of him to defend himself.

Bai Xiaowen cast Insight and immediately received information about the Plague Rat.

[Zombie Rat]

[Race: Spectre/Corpse Demon]

[Attributes: Strength 3.8, Agility 6.5, Physique 4.1, Spirit 0.2]

[Skill 1: Plague Claw: Enemies who are injured by Zombie Rat’s claws and bite will be poisoned.]

[Skill 2: Rigid Skin: Zombie Rats don’t feel pain and can’t bleed. Their fur will greatly increase their defense.]

Bai Xiaowen thought, “This is not an ordinary Plague Rat, but a Zombie Rat! It has such high attributes, all of which are higher than that of a plague rat. Only its Spirit is low. It sacrificed its Spirit in order to bring about a comprehensive increase in the other attributes!”

Bai Xiaowen focused his attention on the Zombie Rat.

A line of small words appeared behind the Zombie Rat’s name:

[If a Plague Rat is under the influence of a mysterious item, it will lose its mind. It is no longer a wild beast, but an even more terrifying undead predator.]

At this moment, Xiao Jinsheng shouted, “Be careful. There’s something seriously wrong about this rat! Bai Xiaowen, you should attack too!”

Xiao Jinsheng shot out two throwing knives. Having a level 5 in Basic Throw was indeed extraordinary. It accurately struck the zombie rat, and one of the throwing knives even hit its neck.

However, the Zombie Rat did not feel pain, nor did it have any vital points. With the knives in its body, it ran about wildly. Only a trace of black blood seeped out of its wound.

Seeing that he was in a dire situation, Zhou Yi tried his best to move backward and dodge the rat. He waved his two-handed sword hard in a wide arc, making an impenetrable shield that protected his lower body to prevent himself from being injured again.

The Zombie Rat could not charge through Zhou Yi’s shield of spinning knives, and it got slashed instead. It squeaked and turned around to pounce on Jiang Wen!

Bai Xiaowen had already arrived, but he did not use his machete. Instead, he charged forward empty-handed and clenched his hands into fists, smashing them down onto the rat. It was as if he was doing a smackdown on a volleyball.

The Zombie Rat’s target was Jiang Wen. At that moment, it had leaped into the air so it did not have any room to dodge Bai Xiaowen’s attack. Even though it had an Agility of 6.5, it was completely useless.

This was a good opportunity for Bai Xiaowen. Zombie Rats had the passive ability of stiff skin, so they were very resistant to sharp weapons and would not bleed! That was why Bai Xiaowen chose to use blunt force.

With a thud, the Zombie Rat fell to the ground. Because of the huge impact, it stopped moving for a moment.

This moment of hesitation doomed it to death!

Swoosh!

Xiao Jinsheng rushed over and slashed down with his rusty iron sword.

The Zombie Rat’s body was cut in half, and black blood slowly seeped out of the wound.

“What the f*ck is this?” Zhou Yi cursed.