After a night of hunting, the thirteen men caught more than twenty rats in total, including two of the young man with tattoos.

Lu Yuan also managed to get two, and after a busy night, he was exhausted when he got home. He fell asleep on the bed shortly after.

Lu Yuan didn't know how long he had slept when he was awakened by a loud barking from a large yellow dog.

After getting dressed and going outside, I saw Big Yellow carrying a large rat that was nearly half a meter long, showing off, while the old man was frowning, carrying a broken cage and sighing.

"How can this rat grow so big! It chewed up my perfectly good cage!"

Lu Yuan smiled.

"Grandpa, I told you, these rats are definitely not ordinary. Your cage simply can't handle them! Think of another way!"

...

Several more days passed, and the rat-catching team's work was indeed very successful. To show off their results, they dug a large pit in a deserted field near the entrance, which was now full of rats.

However, just when everyone thought the rat infestation had been resolved, another piece of bad news arrived.

Chen Ke, No. 33, Bungalow: "@Everyone, recently there have been signs of rats attacking people. Many households have been attacked by rats. Please prepare some rat-catching equipment! If you have children at home, it is best to take turns resting to avoid the children being bitten by rats!"

Song Heng Villa No. 3: "Holy crap! Whose house is this?! That's terrifying! By the way, have any adults been bitten? Could they get sick?"

Ge Shunshun, No. 6: "Yes, the old man next door was bitten by a rat. He has trouble walking, and I heard he saw the rat bite him. A piece of flesh was bitten off his calf!"

After saying that, Ge Shunshun even posted a photo. Immediately, someone in the group said that such a bloody photo should not be posted in the group, so as not to frighten the children.

Ge Shunshun, Square No. 6: "Scared the kids? Heh! Everyone needs to take this rat problem seriously. We can't let this continue! Our rat-catching team has such a heavy workload right now! Many people are waiting for the higher-ups to catch the rats. You guys should at least get involved yourselves!"

Chen Ke, No. 33, Bungalow: "That's right, everyone should think of some ideas and pay more attention, so as not to be bitten by rats and have trouble going to the hospital. I heard from my cousin that the hospitals in Qingshui City are full every day, and you have to wait in line for a long time to see a doctor and get treatment!"

Liu Tiantian, Villa No. 9: "How can we prevent this? There are rats everywhere now. We can't just not sleep! It's terrifying to hear the rats gnawing at the door every day!"

Song Heng Villa No. 3: "Hehe, does Sweetie need someone to protect her? I can do it!"

Lu Yuan sighed and looked at the old man who was preparing to make a rat trap. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

Lu Yuan No. 19: "@Song Heng Villa Area No. 3, is your family engaged in iron processing?"

Song Heng Villa No. 3: "Yes! But there's no electricity now, so the factory has been shut down for a long time. Do you want to buy some machines? Let's talk privately!"

The other person immediately became interested when they heard someone calling them.

Lu Yuan No. 19: "No, I think since your processing plant has machines, why don't you make a batch of rat-catching tools for the residents here!"

Chen Ke, No. 33, Bungalow: "Oh right! I forgot about that. Since there's no electricity, we can connect a line and process a batch, how about that?"

No. 3, Song Heng Villa District: "Damn, you make it sound so simple. Who's going to pay for the wiring and electricity? Besides, the factory workers have already gone back to their hometowns. Who knows how to operate the machines? And now, even if you have money, you can't buy steel. Where are we going to get steel?"

Chen Ke, No. 33, Bungalow: "Isn't this a matter of finding a solution together? At worst, everyone here can chip in and pay for it. We'll calculate it however we need. Your machines are just a pile of scrap metal if they're idle, so why not turn them into something useful!"

No. 3, Song Heng Villa District: "How dare you talk like that! Do you even know how to speak properly! What do you mean by a pile of scrap metal, and what do you mean by turning waste into treasure! My machine cost millions to buy as an imported product! If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense!"

Lu Yuan No. 19: "Alright, it's just a matter of one word. Whether you do it or not, everyone will contribute money. I'll get the steel, and you'll get a commission on the mousetraps we make!"

Liu Tiantian, Villa No. 9: "I agree with Lu Yuan. Let's do it. The machines are just sitting there anyway, and you'll get a commission later! We can make some money, why not!"

After much discussion, Song Heng finally nodded in agreement. However, he stated that Lu Yuan would handle the workers and steel himself, and he would only be responsible for providing the venue and equipment, with the rest of the expenses covered by the others.

After finalizing the matter, Lu Yuan drove directly to Xiao Shan's house.

"Huh? Lu Yuan, what brings you here? Xiao Shan hasn't gotten off work yet!" Xiao Shan's father was surprised to see Lu Yuan when he opened the door.

"Uncle, I came here to ask you something." Lu Yuan got straight to the point without beating around the bush.

"Oh, come in and tell me what's up?"

"I need a batch of steel to make mousetraps!"

"What? Making mousetraps? You have connections?" Xiaoshan's father was clearly pleasantly surprised.

"Well, there's someone in our area whose family owns a processing plant. They have all sorts of equipment, so I'm planning to get some steel from you!"

Xiao Shan's father then revealed a wry smile.

"Sigh! Lu Yuan, to be honest, the factory is now very strict about steel management. Except for some common orders, we don't accept any other orders. It's been clearly stipulated by the higher-ups."

"Huh? You can't sell them anymore? Why?"

"You know the weather right now, there are power outages everywhere, and factories can only operate with approval from above. Moreover, iron ore is hard to come by now, and the smelting and casting equipment is only being used for special projects. We're not accepting any orders from other small private factories."

"Damn, I really blew my own horn!" Lu Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.

They had originally planned to get some steel to process rat traps, but they couldn't even get the steel. The people in the district were busy preparing various cables to connect to the power grid, and Chen Ke and his team were also busy raising funds to start construction.

The two sat on one side sighing, when suddenly Xiaoshan's father had a flash of inspiration.

"By the way, do you want any of those scraps or offcuts?"

"Scraps? How big are they?"

"It's about half the size of a table!"

Lu Yuan was overjoyed. Steel factories produce steel plates or sections of steel columns, and the scraps they cut off are almost the same as the steel that can be bought outside!

"Of course! Uncle! Let's get in touch with them right away!"

So, at Lu Yuan's urging, Xiao Shan's father dialed the factory leader's number.