Chapter 6: Killing Demonic Rats
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
From morning until afternoon, there was no news from the pursuit team that entered the wayward pine forest. Bored, Xia Ping’an closed his eyes and quietly rested on the helicopter.
It was only in the evening when the intercom of the helicopter rang once again.
“Calling Black Hawk 3, Black Hawk 4, we have a man down. We need a medic dispatch immediately. We are in pursuit of the target. Do you copy?”
“This is Black Hawk 3. Copy that.”
“This is Black Hawk 4. Copy that.”
“We will mark our location with a red smoke canister.”
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“Roger.”
...
In the blink of an eye, the two helicopters took to the skies and flew towards the wayward pine forest. The helicopters had just climbed over a ridge when they could see a red plume of smoke rising from the ground far in the distance.
The two helicopters swiftly flew towards the smoke.
After just a few minutes, the helicopters arrived where the red smoke rose from. They sent the red smoke coming from the canisters on the ground, scattering in all directions.
On an open field in the wayward pine forest, four members of the pursuit team were lying on the ground. Some of the members had their guts spilling out of them. The others were with bloodied necks and thighs. They seemed to have had an intense battle with the demonic rats.
The other members also had injuries, but they could still move.
The bald guy and the short-haired beauty were not around. However, near the edge of the pine forest nearby, Xia Ping’an saw the burned corpse of a demonic rat that had been chopped into many pieces.
The group swiftly lifted the injured members onto one of the Black Hawk helicopters. The other seven members who weren’t injured got on the helicopter that Xia Ping’an was in. The two helicopters took to the skies at the same time. The helicopter carrying the injured members headed towards Xianghe City, whereas the one Xia Ping’an was sitting in headed towards the valley in a distance.
Xia Ping’an closed his eyes one more time. After a few seconds, an image once again appeared in Xia Ping’an’s consciousness: A demonic rat was swiftly escaping through the forest. Two drones were pursuing it in the sky above.
A blade missile shot out by the drones was blocked by the dense trees. After chopping down a few trees and large sections of foliage, it flew off course and crashed heavily onto the back of the demonic rat.
Another drone was shooting at it from the skies with a machine gun. Its shots caused earth, stone, and splinters from the tree trunks to splatter in all directions. The demonic rat that was being pursued was heavily injured, yet it still possessed frightening speed and movements. It even knew how to use the trees and its surrounding environment to evade pursuit.
More importantly, the wounds on the demonic rat’s body were healing on their own as it ran.
Xia Ping’an even saw the bleeding wounds on the demonic rat’s body rapidly cease bleeding. The wounds closed, and the bullets that entered the demonic rat’s body were pushed out of the wounds and fell to the ground.
About 200 to 300 meters behind the demonic rat, the bald guy, Big Tu, wielded his big knife. He was pursuing the demonic rat in the forest at the pace of a hundred-meter race. His speed was practically superhuman. There was a tree that had fallen up ahead. The bald guy leaped up more than 2 meters and instantly jumped over the tree trunk.
The short-haired beauty was running beside the bald guy. She was not any slower than the bald guy. She was even more nimble. When she encountered foliage in her way, she tumbled and twisted like a gymnast on a balance beam, easily avoiding the obstacles.
Honestly speaking, Xia Ping’an had never seen a woman who could run so fast and in the forest at that. A female hurdles gold medalist paled in comparison with this short-haired beauty.
The bald guy and the woman were like two pincers, surrounding the demonic rat from the left and right. The demonic rat seemed to have nowhere to run.
Right at this moment, a dark cave on a slope appeared in sight. The demonic rat plunged into it without thinking.
The drones whizzed past. They had lost the chance to continue shooting at it.
By the time the bald guy and the short-haired beauty caught up with the drones, the demonic rat was nowhere to be found. There were many branching passages in the cave. When the two of them chased the demonic rat past the entrance of the cave, slightly further in, they discovered that there were too many diverging pathways. They could not help but come to a stop.
“Thirty kilometers, three o’clock. Pass the valley up ahead, and we will be there,” Xia Ping’an immediately instructed the helicopter pilot, providing him with directions.
...
After a few minutes, the helicopter hovered above a spot near the entrance of the cave. Xia Ping’an and the other members of the pursuit team descended from the helicopter. They came to the entrance of the cave.
Once the bald guy saw Xia Ping’an, he walked over with large strides. He had a serious expression on his face. He said, “There are too many branching paths in the cave. Can you sense which way the demonic rat escaped? It is female. It is no ordinary demonic rat. Its healing powers are very strong. It might be evolving. We cannot let it escape from the cave!”
Everyone around turned silent and looked at Xia Ping’an.
Xia Ping’an initially wanted to say that he couldn’t do so. However, when he looked at the faces around him and thought of the injured teammates that were carried away by the helicopter, he still nodded his head in agreement in the end. He decided to take the risk. “It just entered the cave. As long as I enter there too, I can follow behind it and identify its location.”
The bald guy scanned his team and swiftly ordered, “Xue Cheng, give Xia Ping’an your helmet, tactical vest, and weapon. Teach him how to use them. Zhao Yang and Lin Feng, prepare climbing equipment and ropes. The two of you will enter the cave with us. Your main duty is to protect Xia Ping’an. The rest of you, stay put at the entrance. Set up remote-controlled landmines. We’ll not let the demonic rat escape this cave alive!”
“Yes!”
Nobody talked idly; everyone got to work right away. The guy named Xue Cheng took off his helmet and tactical vest, and put them on Xia Ping’an. At the same time, he taught Xia Ping’an how they functioned.
The helmet came with night vision goggles, an intercom, and sensors to monitor the body function of the user. It was rather convenient to use. Xia Ping’an learned how to use it without breaking a sweat.
The weapons used by all squad members were assault rifles. Courses on using weapons were taught in all high schools in the Great Flame Republic. Every student in the country knew how to operate a pistol, rifle, and assault rifle. Xia Ping’an similarly knew how to use the weapons.
It took only two minutes before Xia Ping’an-equipped with a helmet, tactical vest, and assault rifle-entered the cave with the rest.
After the five of them entered the cave, the squad members outside immediately set up remote-controlled landmines.
The team had only traveled for less than 50 meters before it was pitch-black in the cave. Only a speck of light came from the entrance. Xia Ping’an had to use the night vision goggles on the helmet in order to see his surroundings clearly.
The entire cave appeared in a faint green light before him.
Xia Ping’an was positioned second last in line. He received the best protection.
Walking first in line was the bald guy with his machete. The short-haired beauty was behind him. In front of Xia Ping’an was the guy named Zhao Yang while the last in line was the guy named Lin Feng.
Xia Ping’an noticed that the bald guy and the short-haired beauty actually did not need any night-vision devices to see things clearly in this pitch-black cave.
“The demonic rat is in the second cave to the left,” Xia Ping’an said while focusing all his attention on scanning the cave. The creature had just entered the cave not long ago, and Xia Ping’an had his eyes set on it. He still remembered the route it took, so they could tail it.
...
“Turn left ahead.”
...
“There is a cave above.”
...
“There is a crevice in the left wall. We can climb through it.”
...
“We need rope to climb down this boulder, which is more than 5 meters tall.”
...
Xia Ping’an became the squad’s tour guide in the cave. At first, the pathway in the cave was still rather easy to travel on. However, the deeper they ventured in, the harder it was for them to advance. The cave was gradually getting wetter, and a creek formed. The squad advanced with their feet dipped in water. Soon, Xia Ping’an’s clothes were all wet.
Thankfully, since the demonic rat was huge, the places that it could access were surely places that Xia Ping’an and the rest could pass through too.
2
...
After more than 40 minutes, Xia Ping’an suddenly stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes.
The entire squad came to a halt.
Xia Ping’an pointed at a pitch-black cave entrance 20 meters away from them while nodding seriously. The entrance was taller than the height of an average person. He then pointed in the three o’clock direction.
Everyone understood that the demonic rat was in the cave ahead. It was hiding in the three o’clock direction.
The bald guy gestured at the short-haired beauty and the two squad members who were protecting Xia Ping’an. Lin Feng immediately retreated with Xia Ping’an. He instructed Xia Ping’an to hide behind a huge rock. Zhao Yang took out two flashbangs and walked up to the cave entrance. Then, he raised three fingers.
Three...two...one...
The two flashbangs were thrown towards the right side of the cave at the same time. Everyone outside the entrance immediately turned around.
Bang. A muffled thud sounded from the cave. The blinding light caused everything in the cave to appear white momentarily.
The moment the white light disappeared, the bald guy lowered his body, and, with a combat roll, he dashed into the cave. The short-haired beauty was the second to enter the cave.
The swooshing sound of a machete being swung could be heard from inside the cave. They could hear the bald guy cursing, “Brute, die!”
The sound of gunshots followed immediately after. A crimson light lit up inside the cave, causing it to look like a burning kiln.
The shriek of the demonic rat reverberated in the cave.
...
Two minutes later, the commotion in the cave ceased. The bald guy, who had a few claw marks on his left shoulder, emerged from inside nonchalantly with his machete. The short-haired beauty followed right behind him.
The bald guy ordered, “This cave has bats and other cave-dwelling animals. Zhao Yang and Lin Feng, the two of you stay here and make sure that the other animals do not enter here. I will inform the office to carry out anti-epidemic and sanitary disinfecting treatment here.”
“Yes, Sir!” The two members immediately took their spots at the entrance of the cave. They scanned the surroundings warily.
The bald guy looked at Xia Ping’an and walked towards him. He patted Xia Ping’an’s shoulder, revealing his frightening mouth full of steel teeth.
The bald guy’s grin turned into a menacing look of a ghoul the moment he revealed his mouth full of steel teeth. His grin would surely frighten kids to tears. “Kid, your performance today is not bad. You have guts. I reckon the director will not let a talented person like you go into hiding again. It’s hard to find someone with clairvoyance. Come under my wing. I’ll look after you from now on.”
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