Chapter 54: The Mouse Appears

After more than ten minutes, Ji Chang and Huang Mang rode the spider-wolf away from the writing desk.

"Ji Ge, where should we look for the mouse?"

Excitedly rubbing his hands while standing on the back of the spider-wolf, Huang Mang looked towards Ji Chang and asked.

"The living room is unlikely, and as for the bedroom... it's probably unlikely too, right? How about we start by checking the kitchen?"

It's afternoon now, and the chance of the mouse coming out to forage is quite slim. We just need to find the mouse hole first!"

After a slight contemplation, Ji Chang said.

"Alright, Ji Ge, whatever you say goes. You find it, and I'll smash it!"

Hearing Ji Chang's words, Huang Mang waved his hand directly.

With Ji Chang around, he didn't want to use his brain.

"Then let's start by checking the kitchen!"

Ji Chang nodded and then urged the spider-wolf to crawl quickly towards the kitchen.

Grandpa Zhou's house had three bedrooms, two living rooms, one kitchen, and one bathroom.

A typical rural layout.

Before the spider-wolf and hornets arrived, their small bodies would have struggled to roam around in such a big house.

But now with the spider-wolf, their speed was remarkable.

So Ji Chang wasn't worried at all about finding the mouse hole.

Even if they couldn't find it in the kitchen, they could search the entire house. They would definitely find it; it was just a matter of time.

Soon, under Ji Chang's direction, the spider-wolf arrived at the kitchen doorway.

Climbing up the door and crossing the half-open window, the spider-wolf leaped onto the cupboard.

"Ji Ge, what's this?"

Coming up to the cupboard alongside Ji Chang, Huang Mang watched the spider-wolf continuously spewing bundles of spider silk towards the corner of the wall, curious about the scene.

Soon, Huang Mang realized that the spider silk spat out by the spider-wolf had coiled up into a large mass in the corner, looking incredibly elastic.

Just as Huang Mang was about to ask more questions, he saw Ji Chang lying down directly...

"Come take a break, unless you want to crawl under the cabinet with the spider-wolf and eat dust. I won't stop you!"

Ji Chang chuckled at Huang Mang, who looked puzzled.

The bottom of the cabinet was sealed with a panel similar to the floor. To truly get to the bottom, they would need to find a gap and crawl in.

Ji Chang had noticed this the first time he came to the kitchen.

Moreover, even though it was afternoon, the cabinet's underside had no light...

In this situation, Ji Chang naturally chose to stay here. He used his thoughts to guide the spider-wolf to search for the mouse hole on its own.

"Hehe, of course, it's comfortable lying here!"

Understanding Ji Chang's intention, Huang Mang grinned and lay down on the spider silk.

"I mean, Ji Ge, this thing is so comfortable, it's like a memory foam mattress!"

Huang Mang, who had just lain down on the spider silk, couldn't help but sigh, "Ji Ge, how about letting the spider-wolf renovate our beds as well?"

"Great idea!"

Feeling the comfort of the silk 'bed' himself, Ji Chang smirked and nodded.

In the following time, Ji Chang and Huang Mang chatted intermittently, continually receiving feedback from the spider-wolf and using their thoughts to guide it as it roamed the depths of various cupboards, searching for the existence of the mouse hole.

...

"What's wrong, Ji Ge? Did you find the mouse hole?"

After more than ten minutes, Huang Mang suddenly noticed that Ji Chang, who had been sitting beside him, abruptly straightened his posture. He couldn't help but ask.

"No! There's no mouse hole in the kitchen!"

Hearing Huang Mang's question, Ji Chang shook his head slightly, appearing somewhat surprised.

Initially, he had speculated that the mouse hole should be in the kitchen.

However, after these ten-plus minutes, the spider-wolf had thoroughly searched every nook and cranny under the cupboards. Besides the spider-wolf indulging in various 'delicacies,' there was no trace of a mouse hole.

"In that case... where do we look next?"

Huang Mang pondered for a moment and asked.

"If it's not in the kitchen, then it's probably in the bathroom!"

After some thought, Ji Chang murmured.

"Yeah, yeah, that's right. It must be in the bathroom. I've seen many videos where mice crawl out of toilets!"

Hearing Ji Chang's words, Huang Mang suddenly recalled the videos he had watched before.

Imagining a scenario where he was on the toilet, and a mouse suddenly popped out of the toilet drain with its pointed nose, long whiskers, gray fur, and tiny eyes...

For a moment, Huang Mang felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Forget about the toilet. Grandpa Zhou's bathroom doesn't have a toilet. It's more like a washroom!"

Patting Huang Mang, who had suddenly started, Ji Chang said.

"Uh, yeah, right. There's only the outhouse in the backyard!"

Huang Mang, who had just realized, vigorously nodded.

Then, Ji Chang called the spider-wolf back to his side and led Huang Mang towards the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Ji Chang directed the spider-wolf into the bathroom.

The bathroom wasn't very large; it housed a washing machine, a sink, a mop sink, and on the wall hung a heat lamp and a showerhead.

The moment Ji Chang entered the bathroom, he immediately deduced that it was unlikely the mouse had made its nest here.

Because the bathroom floor was tiled, and the walls were tiled as well.

It was too slick for the mouse to dig through.

However, since they had come this far, Ji Chang still instructed the spider-wolf to roam around the bathroom.

In the end, unsurprisingly, just as Ji Chang had guessed, they found nothing.

"In that case... could it be in the bedroom?"

Huang Mang's eyes widened.

"From what I see, it's quite likely it's in one of the bedrooms!"

Ji Chang shrugged.

Afterward, Ji Chang directed the spider-wolf to go towards one of the bedrooms to investigate.

However, before they could leave the bathroom, a series of rustling sounds suddenly echoed.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Both Ji Chang and Huang Mang froze in their tracks, exchanging a glance.

The spider-wolf also immediately assumed a combat stance, its two pincers twitched a few times, and faint strands of silk gathered on its eight legs. Its eight eyes were fixed intently on the center of the bathroom, right where the floor drain was!

"The floor drain?"

Sensing the subtle change in the spider-wolf's behavior and noticing its alertness, Ji Chang couldn't help but ponder aloud. He then looked in the direction the spider-wolf was focused on.

"The floor drain?"

Huang Mang also looked at the floor drain in confusion.

The floor drain didn't have a top cover; it was just a bare opening.

Ji Chang had overlooked this detail when he first entered the bathroom.

However, after glancing at the floor drain, Ji Chang suddenly realized that the mouse hole they had been searching for might be...

Just as Ji Chang was thinking this, a nose with long whiskers and sharp features emerged from the floor drain.

Subsequently, gray fur and two rows of sharp teeth became visible.

The next moment, a large rat burst free from the confines of the floor drain, but its headless tail remained trapped within!

The instant the rat emerged, it lunged forward, its huge mouth gaping, heading directly for the spider-wolf!