12. Giant mutant rat

"Brother Sheng, no need to look anymore, those two kids are in the alley on my side!"

The woman turned her head and yelled back.

Soon after, a man with tattoos of two large flowers on his arms appeared beside her.

The man was gaunt, his face worn out and haggard, and he kept sniffing at his nose, seemingly an addict.

"What are you trying to do?"

Faced with these two uninvited guests, Lin Zichen didn't run, instead, he protected Shen Qinghan behind him and calmly looked at the two and asked.

Having evolved since birth, his physical strength had long surpassed that of ordinary people, which gave him enough capital to remain calm in the face of crisis.

Seeing how composed Lin Zichen was, the two were somewhat taken aback.

Quickly, the garishly made-up woman reverted to the amiable facade she had that morning, and smilingly said to Lin Zichen, "Little brother, little sister, I have lots of tasty treats and fun things at my home. Do you want to come over and play?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the tattooed man said impatiently, "You goddamn shrew! Why the hell are you wasting your efforts trying to lure the kids? Just go up, knock 'em out, and take them away! I'm in a hurry to sell them for money!"

After that, he pulled out two towels with a strong odor from his pocket and threw one to the woman before hurriedly walking towards Shen Qinghan.

"Xiao Chen..." Shen Qinghan was very scared, her little hand gripping Lin Zichen's arm tightly.

Lin Zichen patted her hand, signaling her not to be afraid.

Then, he took her hand away and with a burst of strength from his feet, the next moment, he shot forward like an arrow released from the string, becoming a blurry shadow as he hurtled towards the approaching man.

"Bang!"

A muffled sound of a punch rang out.

Lin Zichen, who had rushed to the man in an instant, fiercely punched him in the abdomen, sending him flying away.

He rolled several times on the ground before stopping, curled up like a shrimp, making a painful "heh heh" sound, blood continuously flowing out.

"You, you, you...!"

The woman was stunned on the spot, utterly unable to understand what had just happened, so frightened she couldn't even speak.

She couldn't comprehend how a primary school student who looked to be only in second or third grade could send an adult flying with a single punch; it defied all logic!

Lin Zichen didn't waste words with the woman. He instantly closed the distance to her, launched himself with a powerful leap, and fiercely punched her heavily made-up face.

"Bang!"

Another sound resonated.

The woman was sent flying by the punch, and along with her flight, several teeth were knocked out of her mouth, then she fell to the ground with a thud, motionless.

It was unclear whether she was knocked out or dead.

Lin Zichen looked around, there were no surveillance cameras, and he decided to stifle the discomfort in his heart and finish off the two to prevent future troubles.

Just as he picked up a brick, ready to execute the two people on the ground, a huge noise suddenly came from an abandoned tile house in front.

Immediately after, a giant rat with eight eyes and nearly three meters in length burst out from the tile house, snapping its gaping jaws at the woman closest to it.

With just one bite, the woman's head was torn off, blood spraying everywhere, and she died instantly.

Witnessing this horrific scene, Lin Zichen reacted extremely quickly, he turned and ran, picking up Shen Qinghan as he passed her and fled from the spot like a madman, intent only on getting as far away from the giant rat as possible.

Exotic Beasts!

It was the same giant mutant rat that had appeared in Sakura Sea Country!

There was one here too?!

This was a big problem!

Adrenaline was coursing through Lin Zichen's body, his heartbeat continuously accelerating, and the sense of security he had built up over many years of evolution dissipated in an instant.

Shen Qinghan, held in his arms, had already turned pale with fright and trembled uncontrollably, yet she kept herself from crying, not wanting to cause him any trouble.

After running out of the alley and ensuring they were far enough away,

Lin Zichen finally set Shen Qinghan down and shakily took out his children's wristwatch to dial the official public security team's number and report the incident.

"Old city area, in the alley of the old city area, there's a giant exotic rat, just like the giant mutant rat that appeared in Sakura Sea Country some time ago!"

Lin Zichen panted, trying to steady his breath to fully articulate the situation.

But the surge in adrenaline made his voice still quiver.

No sooner had his words faded, than a roar of machinery echoed from the alley behind him before the security team could reply.

He turned at the sound and saw a mechanically modified human with half of its body painted black, hovering steadily above the alley, raising its pure alloy right hand, aiming at the alley below.

Then, from the right hand of the mechanized human erupted a burst of sparks, firing a smoke-laden shell down into the alley.

"Boom──"

The shell fell into the depths of the alley, exploding into a burst of purple-blue flames.

The noise was loud, but the destructive power seemed weak.

Lin Zichen, standing outside the alley, felt no shockwave.

At the same time, the buildings within the alley didn't crumble into ruins as one might have expected.

The scene before him was simply filled with a dense, purple-blue smoke spreading through the alley.

The shell from before appeared to be something akin to a smoke grenade.

What exactly it was, Lin Zichen did not know.

But he guessed it must be something that could weaken the combat power of the giant exotic rats,

like a smoke with anesthetic effects.

Soon, Lin Zichen witnessed the hovering mechanized human slowly submerge into the smokey alley, landing on the ground to engage in close-quarters combat with the giant exotic rat.

Having evolved since birth over many years, his senses were exceptionally sharp, allowing him to clearly hear the sounds of the altercation inside, even from outside the alley.

"Xiao, Xiao Chen, what do we do now?"

Shen Qinghan clutched Lin Zichen's hand tightly, her voice trembling as she spoke.

Seeing her in such a state, Lin Zichen didn't hesitate, "We go home."

Although he was very curious about the fight taking place in the alley at the moment, he didn't dare to approach it recklessly, wanting only to hurry home.

Then, to sit and wait for tonight's news to see if there was any coverage of the events in the alley.

While he was thinking about this, his children's wristwatch continued to convey the voice of the security team's operator.

"Little friend?"

"Hey, little friend, can you hear my voice?"

"Quick, get away from the alley, don't go near it, it's very dangerous!"

The operator's voice sounded extremely anxious, deeply concerned for Lin Zichen's safety.

Lin Zichen quickly came back to his senses, calming his emotions to respond to her, "Sister, I have already left the alley, I am safe now."

"That's good, that's really good," sighed the security team's female operator in relief.

Lin Zichen gripped Shen Qinghan's little hand tightly, trying to reassure her, then curiously asked the female operator, "Sister, I just saw a mechanically modified human fly into the alley, is that one of your security team members?"

"It's a member of the security team," the operator confirmed and then advised Lin Zichen, "Little friend, if you're okay, don't stay outside, hurry home and stay safe by your parents' side, understand?"

"Got it, thank you, sister."

He politely thanked her and then hung up the communication with the security team.

Afterward, his gaze returned to the alley ahead, still engulfed in billowing smoke.

The sounds of intense combat continued to emanate from there, intermixed with a multitude of high-pitched rat squeals, indicating that the giant exotic rat was on the defensive.

Seeing him end the call, Shen Qinghan managed to speak with trembling lips, "Xiao, Xiao Chen, I want to go home..."

"I'll take you home right now."

"Okay."

"Can you walk? If not, I'll carry you."

"My legs feel a bit weak..."

"Then come on up, I'll carry you home."

Lin Zichen turned and hoisted Shen Qinghan onto his back, walking quickly and silently toward the direction of home.

...

PS: Begging bowl out, seeking monthly recommending votes!