Lu Cheneng, Wen Shifei, and Ajie stood at the cave entrance. Ajie's face was still pale, and he was wrapped in bandages to stabilize a broken bone. But his eyes were sharp as an eagle, and he held a modified sawed-off shotgun tightly in his hand. He pointed at a very hidden, distorted symbol painted in dark red fluorescent paint on the wall next to the cave entrance. It was an abstract pattern that resembled a rat's tail!

"The signal from the gray rat..." Applejack's voice was low and filled with a hint of disgust, "It's inside. The delivery time is almost here."

Wen Shifei, wearing a specially designed filtering mask, could still sense the pervasive stench. Fighting back the discomfort, she activated a portable energy detector. The screen was a chaotic sea of ​​interference ripples, with only a few faint red dots, representing vital signs, moving deep within. "The interference is too strong. I can only detect the approximate direction, towards Pump Station 13. And... the residual fluctuations from the forced awakening signal source are also pointing in that direction! They're very intense and have only just stopped!"

Lu Cheneng remained silent. Mithril's left arm drooped naturally, the magic blade tucked into a custom scabbard at his waist, its mercury gleam flickering faintly in the dim light. His remaining right eye, like night vision goggles, scanned the thick darkness within the cave entrance, picking up every subtle movement. The sound of flowing water from deep within the sewer, the faint scraping of metal in the distance, and... the rustling of some kind of rodent scurrying past.

"Let's go." He was the first to step into the maw that devoured the light. Wen Shifei and Ajie followed closely behind, turning on their powerful tactical flashlights. The beams pierced the darkness like swords plunged into a murky swamp.

The interior of the sewer was even larger and more complex than the entrance. Overhead, thick, rusted pipes dripped with a foul-smelling liquid. Underfoot, ankle-deep, slimy sewage, mingled with all sorts of unidentifiable garbage. On either side were slippery concrete walls coated in thick moss and an unidentified slime. The air was suffocatingly foul, and the beam of a tactical flashlight, dimmed by the thick humidity and dust, could only illuminate a few meters ahead. Footsteps echoed agonizingly in the empty tunnel.

"Watch your step! A lot of places are corroded!" Ajie whispered, walking in front, his shotgun barrel warily scanning the dark forks and ventilation ducts on the walls ahead and to either side. His familiarity with the Silent Zone came in handy, guiding everyone to avoid obvious traps and collapsed areas.

Wen Shifei's detector screen was still heavily cluttered, forcing her to frequently pause and calibrate, her mind intensely focused, trying to discern the target signal amidst the chaotic energy background. Each pause only heightened her unease in this filthy and dangerous environment.

Sudden!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Without warning, several dark shadows shot down from the cracks in the pipes overhead! Their speed was as fast as lightning! With a pungent, fishy wind!

"Be careful!" Ajie reacted extremely quickly and raised his shotgun instantly!

Bang bang bang!

The piercing sound of gunfire echoed through the sewers! High-intensity projectiles blasted several dark figures from the air as they lunged down! Smelly flesh and shredded fur rained down like raindrops! They were incredibly large, mutated rats, their eyes bloodshot and fangs bared! Their bodies were abnormally festering and swollen, clearly severely contaminated!

The sound of the gunshot was like pouring cold water into boiling oil, instantly detonating the silent sewer!

Squeak, squeak, squeak——!!!

From all directions, a shrill, hair-raising roar suddenly erupted, like a tide! Deep within the dark pipes, beneath the sewage, in the cracks of the walls... countless pairs of crimson eyes lit up! More mutated giant rats surged out like a black tide! They ignored the power of the shotguns and fearlessly pounced on the three men!

"Too many! Run!" Ajie roared, firing his shotgun wildly, blasting the rats that rushed towards him into pieces! But the number of rats was too large, as if it were endless!

Wen Shifei drew the laser pistol from her waist and accurately shot at the giant rats that rushed from the side and overhead. Her mental power was highly concentrated, forming a weak mental barrier to resist the flying filth and the crazy roaring of the rats! Her movements were slightly clumsy due to the injury on her hand.

Lu Chen's entropy stirred! He didn't draw his sword! The moment the rats pounced, his icy mithril left arm suddenly clenched into a fist, then, like a battering ram, smashed into the ground with a dull whistling sound that tore through the air!

boom--!!!

A loud bang that was extremely dull!

From the point where the mithril fist landed, an invisible shockwave, mingled with violent energy, instantly spread out! Viscous sewage was sent soaring into the air! The dozens of mutant rats that had pounced upon it were like they had collided with an invisible wall, their bones shattering and their internal organs shattering! They transformed into a foul-smelling mist of blood and shredded flesh! Even the rats further away were overwhelmed by this violent force, their momentum stalling.

The mithril arm retracted, its fist stained with filthy flesh and blood, its mercury veins flickering faintly. Lu Chenen's expression remained unfazed, as if he had only done something insignificant. His remaining right eye scanned the temporarily cleared passage with a cold glance, and he growled, "Go!"

Taking advantage of the moment when the rats were stunned, the three, guided by Ajie, quickly rushed into a relatively narrow branch pipe. Behind them, the rats' angry and frantic roars were like maggots clinging to their flesh, relentlessly pursuing them.

After desperately struggling through the maze-like, stinking pipes for nearly twenty minutes and repelling several waves of rats and unknown contaminated creatures, a faint light and the faint roar of machinery finally appeared in front of them.

"Right ahead! Pump Station 13!" Ajie panted, pointing to an entrance at the end of the pipeline, sealed by a heavy blast-proof door. The door was covered in rust and grime, but the hinges showed traces of fresh lubricant, indicating frequent use. Above the door, a rusted sign with the number "13" tumbled precariously.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!