Chapter 55: Rat's Demise

The speed of the rat was astonishing. Almost in the instant Ji Chang and Huang Mang noticed its presence, the rat lunged at them.

In a moment of urgency, Ji Chang's mind sparked into action. The wolf spider immediately sprung and leaped onto the wall, narrowly evading the rat's gaping jaws.

"Damn, are all the village rats this ferocious?"

Huang Mang, gripping the wolf fur tightly on its back, couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth a few times.

Ji Chang's brow furrowed as he observed.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The unsuccessful attack left the rat staring intently at the wolf spider on the wall. Its entire body was upright against the wall, claws incessantly scratching the tiles, producing a continuous series of sounds.

Judging by its posture, it seemed as if it wouldn't rest until it devoured the wolf spider and them both.

"Indeed, quite fierce!"

Hearing Huang Mang's words, Ji Chang looked at the rat that resembled a mad dog and couldn't help but snort softly.

Simultaneously, Ji Chang felt a sense of relief within.

Now that they had proactively found the rat, if they had waited for it to suddenly intrude into their stronghold, given the rat's current state, they would have been in a dire situation.

Squeak! Squeak!

Just as the rat furiously scratched the wall, the wolf spider made sharp clicking sounds as its chelae wriggled.

Sensing the eager anticipation of the wolf spider, Ji Chang no longer hesitated. He called out to Huang Mang at his side, "Mang, strike!"

As Ji Chang's voice fell, Huang Mang, who had long been prepared, instantly transformed his body into a metallic state.

At this moment, apart from his body being made of iron, his two arms were now made of steel.

In his hands, he wielded two steel blades that looked exceptionally sharp.

They were indeed the two pieces from the steel wall in the public restroom.

Currently, thanks to Huang Mang's level of spiritual power, he couldn't achieve complete steelization yet. However, steel and iron had perfectly fused together without the slightest sense of discord.

...

The moment Huang Mang's instant transformation was complete, he leaped down directly from the wolf spider's back. His whole body resembled a spear as he lunged toward the rat.

At the same time, under Ji Chang's control, the wolf spider's abdomen swelled suddenly, and numerous silken threads shot out toward the rat as if they cost nothing.

The rat, caught off guard by the sudden attack from the wolf spider and Huang Mang, was momentarily stunned. Before it could react, a multitude of silken threads tightly entangled it.

Following this, Huang Mang executed a graceful mid-air spin, and the two steel blades in his hands sliced through the rat's back from head to tail, resembling a lance in motion.

Splatter! Splatter! Splatter!

The blades' cutting through the rat's back produced a continuous series of sounds, and torrents of crimson blood gushed out in all directions.

Upon landing, Huang Mang seemed unsatisfied. With a loud roar, he raised the two steel blades high and swung them toward the rat's tail.

Thud!

Another heavy sound resounded as the rat's tail was sliced into two!

"Haha, that was exhilarating!"

Looking at the rat, covered in blood and with its tail severed, Huang Mang couldn't help but roar in excitement.

The broken tail and the gushing blood had also stained more than half of Huang Mang's body.

But for the metallic Huang Mang, it mattered little.

Moreover, Huang Mang, with the steel blades in hand, appeared quite bloodthirsty and manic.

In Huang Mang's moment of excitement, the pain-ridden rat twisted its body and, gnashing its teeth in agony, broke the layers of silk threads that bound it. It then lunged towards Huang Mang, teeth bared.

"Mang, be careful!"

Witnessing this situation, Ji Chang's heart tightened involuntarily, and he quickly issued a warning.

Simultaneously, along with Ji Chang's surging spiritual power flowing into the wolf spider's body through his palms, the spider's eight legs exerted force. It pulled the freshly shot silken threads upwards, climbing to a higher point.

Reacting instantly to Ji Chang's reminder, Huang Mang, who was poised for action, looked at the rat's teeth, larger than his own, about to bite him. He knew that dodging was already out of the question.

The rat's widely gaping mouth, the area it covered, left Huang Mang no chance to escape.

In response, Huang Mang instinctively raised the steel blade in his hand.

Just as the rat's fierce teeth were about to bite into Huang Mang, his body uncontrollably moved backward. Despite its claws desperately scratching the floor, it couldn't hinder the continuous retreat of its body.

After a few breaths, with the wolf spider's pulling force, the rat's body was directly suspended on the wall, upside down.

Although it kept wriggling, its efforts were futile. Its body remained sideways against the wall, swinging like a pendulum.

In an instant, the blood oozing from its back and tail stained a large section of wall tiles red.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

The helpless rat emitted a continuous series of cries.

"Dammit, you still want to ambush me? Watch me butcher you!"

Looking at the rat suspended by the silken threads on the wall, Huang Mang, who had narrowly escaped death, couldn't help but take a deep breath to steady his emotions. The two steel blades in his hands instantly converged into a long spear.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Accompanied by two faint sonic booms, two spears precisely hit the rat's body.

Two more bloody holes appeared on the rat's body, and fresh blood continued to gush out.

At this moment, under Ji Chang's command, the wolf spider that had securely anchored the silken threads began to descend to the ground.

"Let the wolf spider handle the rest on its own!"

Descending from the wolf spider's back, Ji Chang approached Huang Mang and spoke lightly.

Subsequently, the wolf spider excitedly crawled toward the rat, eager to enjoy its "afternoon tea."

The series of dazzling moves just executed, combined with the two spears thrown, seemed to have almost depleted Huang Mang's energy.

As Ji Chang approached, Huang Mang seemed to hook his arm around Ji Chang's shoulder, panting heavily.

Due to the grisly sight of the spider devouring the rat, Ji Chang and Huang Mang sprinted all the way to the door of the restroom, waiting for the wolf spider to finish.

"Ji-ge, wasn't I awesome just now? The mid-air spin covered a full 360 degrees, didn't it? And that smooth slicing from head to tail..."

Reflecting on his actions just now, Huang Mang's excitement grew subtly. "Oh, and, Ji-ge, did you see that? I instantly condensed the steel blades into a long spear!"

"It was alright. If you could stop lingering in self-admiration every time you strike, then... Hm? What's that sound?"

As Ji Chang spoke, he suddenly heard the faint rustling sounds again.

Not only did Ji Chang hear it, but Huang Mang did as well.

"Ji... Ji-ge, could it be... Could there be more than one rat?"

Huang Mang's shocked expression turned towards Ji Chang.

Just as Huang Mang said that, Ji Chang, staring intently at the floor drain, suddenly witnessed a dozen or so whiskers emerging successively from the drain!