Chapter 93: The Swarm of Rats

Moreover, she was a woman, and as such, possessed an innate fear of creatures like rats. Without a second thought, she spun around and fled desperately, food tumbling from her arms and bag, scattering across the ground—she had no time to retrieve any of it.

The rats moved swiftly; even with the speed granted by her awakened abilities, she could not outpace the swarm. Without looking back, she could sense their relentless pursuit. If she paused for even a moment, she would be engulfed by their tide.

As she reached a park, she noticed a figure at the corner ahead. Perhaps it was humanity’s instinct for companionship, but in that moment, she clung to the hope like a lifeline, instinctively rushing toward the silhouette, crying for help as she ran.

Arriving near the figure, she realized it was merely a lone young man standing there, isolated and unmoving.

Her heart sank, a trace of apology and despair etched across her face. Though he wore magical gear, clearly an awakened one, what could even the strongest awakened do against such a swarm of rats? Worse, his previously safe haven was now at risk because she had lured the horde over. Now, through her actions, she had embroiled him in the crisis.

Anxious, she saw the man still standing foolishly at a distance. She shouted urgently, “Hey, run! The rats are coming!”

But she quickly noticed that, faced with the dark mass of rodents, he remained motionless. Even as she dashed past him, he seemed not to hear her, merely staring in a daze at the approaching swarm.

“He’s doomed, must have been scared witless...” Yang Fang thought, stopping unconsciously. She had managed to gain some ground on the rats, but her halt allowed them to close in, their screeching cries swelling as they surged forward, about to overwhelm them both.

“No, I can’t let him die alone. After all, I brought the rats here. If I just escape now, what kind of person would that make me?”

Resolute, Yang Fang gritted her teeth, hurried to Kon Zhe’s side, and grabbed his arm: “Hey, you need to run! I’ll try to hold the rats off for a bit—delay them for you. Escape now, you might survive!”

Without waiting for his response, she stood determinedly in front of Kon Zhe, pulling a staff from her inventory and facing the advancing horde.

Yet, no matter how resolved she was, she was still a woman—facing such a vast swarm, terror gripped her. The thought of her impending fate made her knees tremble, her hand clutching the staff shaking violently.

There was no time for hesitation; she had brought the rats, and she could not drag anyone else down.

Well, admittedly, she already had. Still, she had to buy him as much time as possible to escape, hoping he wouldn’t resent her for it later.

She’d missed her last chance to flee; death was inevitable. If she could save another before the end, her death might have some worth.

With that thought, Yang Fang took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prepared to charge at the rats.

Yet just as she was about to move, she found herself immobilized—a large hand gripped her shoulder firmly.

She opened her eyes instinctively, the rats now perilously close. She didn’t even need to charge—they would soon engulf them both.

Who held her? There was no need to ask.

Yang Fang glanced back and, sure enough, the young man stood behind her, holding her shoulder tightly.

She couldn’t fathom his strength. Despite her awakened physique, she couldn’t break free in the slightest.

---

Behind her, the man had not fled!

She was both shocked and filled with despair. It was over—he’d missed his chance to escape, and now both of them would surely perish in the swarm.

“Don’t move!”

A deep, calm voice came from behind. Yang Fang didn’t know what to say—why was this man so composed? Not only did he refuse to flee, he wouldn’t let her move either?

She couldn’t help but resent the young man behind her. He had wasted the survival chance she had worked so hard to create; now her death felt meaningless. She might as well have escaped alone!

Yet even as she thought this, she glimpsed the rats rushing forward, their shrill cries ringing in her ears. The ones at the front even leaped toward her. Yang Fang trembled, closing her eyes in hopelessness.

“Hm?”

Waiting for death, Yang Fang soon sensed something was off. She’d had her eyes closed for quite some time, yet the rats hadn’t attacked. She was certain they’d reached her.

Curious, she opened her eyes, and was startled—the swarm was a single step away, a dense black mass layered upon the ground before her.

The closest rat was less than a centimeter away, its paw nearly touching her shoe.

But what astonished Yang Fang was that the rats seemed to be terrified of something. They all crouched low, trembling, not daring to move.

Their eyes still glowed red, full of hunger for her, yet they remained motionless, the mere ten centimeters between them and her now an insurmountable gulf.

What was happening?

Yang Fang was baffled. She knew she had no such intimidating power; their eyes made it clear they feared nothing about her.

There could only be one explanation—the situation was caused by the young man behind her.

The hand on her shoulder released. Yang Fang instinctively looked back.

“Ah!”

What she saw made her cry out in shock.

There stood a giant serpent, as tall as a two-story building, its neck supporting nine heads. Each snake-head hissed, tongues flicking, mouths filled with sharp fangs, terrifying beyond measure.

The serpent surveyed the swarm of low-level monsters disdainfully. The nine heads opened their jaws simultaneously and let out a thunderous roar.

The deafening sound swept the area like a hurricane. At its cry, the rats acted as if confronted by their nemesis. Especially those nearby—they dared not linger, squealing as they scattered in all directions.

In moments, a circle of ten meters cleared, the rats prowling at its edge, unwilling to leave but not daring to step inside.

---

Though the crisis of the rat swarm was resolved, the roar was clearly not meant for the rodents alone. Yang Fang felt her face blanch, her hair stand on end, goosebumps prickling her skin.

First rats, now snakes—the two creatures she feared most in life, both appearing together at this very moment.

“Relax, Little Nine! Don’t scare them all off!”

The young man, looking resigned, reached out to stroke one of the nine serpent heads, as if soothing it.

The terrifying nine-headed serpent responded like a docile child, curling up on the ground, its faces showing a clear desire for affection.

Yang Fang stared in astonishment, her jaw nearly dropping. Was this serpent the young man’s pet? That seemed the only explanation; otherwise, how could such a powerful beast obey a human?

Watching the young man calmly beneath the serpent, Yang Fang finally relaxed a little. As long as the serpent wasn’t an enemy, all was well. Against the rats, she could at least take a few down with her, but against this serpent, she knew she’d be swallowed whole.

Now that the tension eased, she noticed her own discomfort—her head spun, her stomach churned. If the situation weren’t so dire, she might have fainted already.

“Are you all right?”

Just as her knees threatened to buckle, she felt someone support her, a gentle, youthful voice at her ear.

Turning, she saw a girl, not much bigger than a child, bundled in thick winter clothes, her scarf wrapped several times around her neck, looking at Yang Fang with worry.

Yang Fang was dazed. She didn’t know who this girl was—perhaps a companion of the young man. Yet what caught her attention wasn’t that; the girl was so beautiful that even Yang Fang, a woman herself, couldn’t help but steal a few glances.

“Little one, who are you?”

“Don’t worry, you’re safe now…”

As Yang Fang voiced her question, another voice chimed in.

A woman in a white lab coat, her hair somewhat disheveled, walked to the girl’s side, adjusting her glasses and pointing in a direction. “Let them handle the monsters.”

“Huh? Them?”

Yang Fang had no idea who “they” were. She instinctively believed she’d stumbled upon a powerful awakened team and thus been rescued. But when she looked back, she saw no team—only two people fighting the rats: the young man from earlier and a frail little girl!

Yet their combat prowess astonished her.