The group sat around the conference table under harsh fluorescent lights, their faces finally showing a sense of relief.
Mountain Ape grinned, flashing a row of white teeth. "As expected of the vice leader. The moment you stepped in, the case was solved."
Lily smiled brightly. "Now those missing person cases can finally be closed."
"Don't celebrate too soon," Ethan Cole said calmly. "There might be more than just those two rat monsters."
Lily blinked. "Then what do you mean?"
"I want to eliminate the problem completely."
He turned to Eyelash. "Prepare a custom protective suit for me. It needs to be windproof, waterproof, and resistant to claws."
Eyelash rubbed his chin. "You're planning to go down there yourself?"
Ethan nodded.
By evening, Ethan was fully geared up and ready.
"You really don't need us to come along?" Mountain Ape asked, rubbing his rough palms.
Ethan shook his head as he tightened the straps on his gas mask. "The space down there is too tight. More people will just get in the way. Guard the exits."
"Should we bring explosives? Just in case…"
"The tunnels are too complex. Blasting could cause a collapse. Don't worry. I'll be back soon."
With a loud clang, the rusted manhole cover was lifted.
Ethan stepped onto the slippery metal ladder, his figure slowly swallowed by darkness.
The sewer was worse than he imagined.
Filthy water rose past his ankles. Every step stirred thick, black sludge.
In the beam of his flashlight, rats scattered in all directions. Some fearless ones even darted forward to bite at his pant legs.
Ethan kicked a fat rat aside. It slammed into the wall with a dull thud.
"Chi chi!"
A sharp screech echoed from ahead.
Ethan switched off his flashlight and moved along the damp wall.
At the corner, a strange green glow flickered. It came from countless pairs of glowing rat eyes.
The nest was far larger than expected.
Inside an abandoned pumping station, hundreds of rat monsters were devouring something.
The darkness obscured details, but their hunched backs and twitching tails were clearly visible.
Ethan charged in.
His fist crushed the first rat monster's skull.
The sound of cracking bone mixed with shrill screams. Warm blood splattered across his suit.
In less than five minutes, more than twenty corpses lay on the ground.
"Boom!"
A brick wall collapsed.
Through the rising dust, a massive shadow slowly stood.
The Rat King appeared.
Eight meters long, its hunched back loomed over the rubble. Rotting yellow fangs dripped with saliva. Its blood red eyes locked onto Ethan.
Its grotesque mouth opened, and to Ethan's surprise, it spoke in human language.
"Human. Why do you slaughter my kin?"
Ethan let out a cold laugh. "No special reason. You and your entire nest deserve to die."
The Rat King arched its body.
"Pathetic human! You take the surface for yourselves and leave us this filthy sewer. I will devour you piece by piece!"
Before the last word fell, it leapt.
Its speed was terrifying. The massive body cut through the air like a cannonball.
Ethan rolled to the side just in time.
Boom!
The spot where he had stood exploded into a crater half a meter wide.
Amid the flying debris, Ethan seized his chance.
He dashed forward before the Rat King could turn.
His right fist slammed into its jaw.
Crack!
A dull, heavy sound echoed as bone shattered. The Rat King let out a painful screech, its massive head snapping to the side.
Enraged, it lashed out with its tail like a whip.
Ethan ducked low, the tail slicing through the air above his head.
After several failed attacks, the Rat King grew frantic.
It abandoned precision and began ramming wildly.
The narrow sewer trembled under the impact. Walls cracked, bricks fell.
Ethan was forced into a corner.
Just as the Rat King charged again, he suddenly flipped, kicked off the wall, and spun midair.
His elbow came crashing down onto its back.
Crack!
A clear bone breaking sound rang out.
The Rat King froze mid charge, then spat out a large mouthful of blue blood.
It staggered back, and for the first time, fear appeared on its twisted face.
"Chi!"
A piercing shriek echoed.
The ground began to tremble.
From every direction came the sound of scurrying.
Out of the darkness, hundreds, then thousands of rats poured in from pipes, cracks, and sewage.
Their eyes glowed red like a tidal wave of madness.
In an instant, Ethan was swallowed by the swarm.
"Get off me!"
He roared, fists striking like a storm.
Each blow crushed a skull, but there were too many.
His stamina drained rapidly.
Meanwhile, the Rat King retreated to the edge of the battlefield and began devouring the corpses of its fallen kin.
As flesh and blood disappeared into its stomach, its wounds visibly healed.
"Damn…"
Ethan realized the danger.
Sweat and blood soaked through his suit. His vision blurred.
His movements slowed.
At this rate, he would be worn down and die here.
"I need to retreat…"
He gritted his teeth and prepared to pull back.
"Boom!"
A massive shadow slammed down in front of him.
The Rat King had fully recovered and now blocked his only escape.
It looked down at him, its eyes filled with cruel delight.
"Trying to run? Too late."
Ethan frowned slightly.
This was bad.
The Rat King grinned. "I told you. I will devour you piece by piece."
The swarm closed in from all sides.
Just as the Rat King prepared to strike
Chaos erupted in the western side of the swarm.
"Ethan! We're here!"
Mountain Ape's booming voice echoed.
Behind him came Eyelash and the others.
The Blizzard Group had arrived.
After encountering the Rat King, Ethan had sent them a message.
Now they were finally here.
Mountain Ape charged into the swarm like a cannonball, crushing two rat monsters instantly.
Though trembling with fear, Lily still swung her three section staff.
"Focus on the big one!" Eyelash shouted while fending off the smaller rats. "Leave the rest to us!"
Ethan nodded.
"The Rat King is mine."
He stepped forward.
The Rat King looked down at him with mocking disdain.
After feasting on its own kind, it had returned to peak condition. Its wounds were gone, its strength restored, its muscles even more swollen. The stench of blood surrounded it.
Ethan, on the other hand, was exhausted.
The Rat King was at full strength.
Ethan was running on fumes.
The advantage was obvious.
"Stand still," the Rat King sneered, "and let me bite through your throat."