The Sneakiest Rat Starts with Me

The city's protective wall towered into the clouds.

It was grayish-black from top to bottom.

Under the three o'clock afternoon sun, it gleamed with a cold, grim luster.

Jiang Fu stood atop the wall and looked up.

An awe-inspiring pressure radiated from the wall.

What if I Multiply by Ten this wall...

No sooner had the thought appeared—

Than Jiang Fu shook his head.

"The design of this kind of wall has gone through a series of precise calculations."

"From its foundation, density, size, and load-bearing capacity, they calculate its maximum defense coefficient... If I Multiply by Ten recklessly, its defensive power might even become worse than it is now."

"Or maybe I could directly Multiply by Ten the wall's defensive power?"

Jiang Fu withdrew his gaze.

He headed toward the entrance to the Safety Passage.

The safe entrance leading to the Wilderness Area was beneath the city wall.

It was an arched passage with a radius of roughly ten meters.

Eighteen checkpoints had been set up inside, guarded with utmost vigilance.

They were meant to prevent Mutated Beasts or Realm Beasts from invading the city through this Safety Passage.

"Another high school student in a school uniform... Huh, it's you!"

At the entrance,

A guard dressed in heavy black armor saw Jiang Fu approaching.

His eyes widened.

He blurted out, "I remember you!"

"Last time, you went out standing and came back lying down... No, you were so badly injured, yet you're still alive?"

Jiang Fu coughed. "Well, I got lucky. Just lucky."

The guard nodded. "Then your luck really is pretty good."

"What, you're leaving the city again?"

Jiang Fu looked at the guard innocently. "...Can't I?"

The guard sighed. "You can."

"But you've only just become a Martial Artist, and you're still a student. Your future is limitless."

"I suggest you study properly at school first. Go hunt Mutated Beasts and search for resources after you've grown stronger."

"Luck won't always be on your side."

As he spoke,

The honest-looking guard could not help looking Jiang Fu up and down.

The helplessness in his expression deepened.

The last time this kid went into the Wilderness, he had at least been wearing a Combat Suit.

This time was even worse. He was heading into the Wilderness Area in a school uniform.

And that girl just now, too!

Were high school students these days all this crazy?

Wearing school uniforms to the Wilderness?

Jiang Fu looked innocent. "I'm just going out to enjoy the scenery. I'll be right back."

The guard curled his lip. "I think you're going out to pick a grave."

Jiang Fu: "..."

He did not want to talk to the guard anymore.

He stepped into the entrance of the Safety Passage.

The guard watched Jiang Fu's retreating figure.

He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he could only sigh helplessly.

The instant Jiang Fu entered the Safety Passage,

A red light seemed to sweep across him.

The Martial Artist Badge hanging from his jacket zipper beeped.

A cold electronic voice sounded by Jiang Fu's ear.

"Martial Artist identity verified."

"Permission granted to enter the Wilderness Area."

Jiang Fu was no stranger to this procedure.

He did not linger there for long.

He quickly headed toward the other end of the passage.

The Safety Passage was not straight.

Over a mere fifty meters, it turned eighteen times.

A defensive checkpoint was set up at every turn.

Even if Mutated Beasts or Realm Beasts invaded the Safety Passage,

They would never be able to build up momentum inside it.

Besides that,

The walls inside the Safety Passage were fitted with all kinds of high-definition cameras, as well as concealed laser weapons.

In short,

To human Martial Artists, this was a Safety Passage.

To Mutated Beasts and Realm Beasts, it was an absolute forbidden zone.

Not long after Jiang Fu entered the Safety Passage,

Seven Martial Artists wearing camouflage Combat Suits and carrying Battle Knives on their backs

Strutted into the Safety Passage.

Seeing this, the guard secretly nodded.

"Now that's what someone entering the Wilderness Area should look like!"

"Those two high school students... Sigh! I hope they come back standing."

Jiang Fu quickly passed through the Safety Passage.

He arrived in the true world beyond the city.

The Wilderness Area!

But the next moment,

Jiang Fu shivered.

He hurriedly pulled his clothes tighter around himself.

I nearly forgot. It's March... It's still a little cold.

Bin City was located in the north of Xia Country.

Though it was spring, the weather remained cold.

He had not felt much while inside the city.

But once he entered the Wilderness Area, a bone-chilling cold immediately enveloped him.

As the cold wind blew,

Jiang Fu's body, which had only just reached the Quasi-Martial Artist realm, could barely endure it.

"Multiply by Ten the coat's warmth!"

As soon as he spoke,

The chill vanished.

The cold air and freezing wind from outside were immediately cut off.

Jiang Fu stretched his body.

Then he turned and glanced at the city wall behind him.

The next instant, his pupils contracted.

The wall behind him was covered in pitted marks.

It had clearly suffered more than one fierce attack.

The most eye-catching of them all

Were the hundreds of enormous gouges, each more than twenty meters long and several meters deep.

They had clearly been ripped out by the claws of some gigantic creature.

Jiang Fu could not help baring his teeth.

"The person who invented this Defense Wall was simply a genius!"

Although he had never seen that terrifying giant beast for himself,

That claw mark alone was enough to imagine how terrifying it had been.

"I wonder whether it was a Mutated Beast or a Realm Beast..."

"Luckily, my target is the Red-tailed Rat!"

"The smallest kind of Mutated Beast."

Jiang Fu turned back around.

He said quietly, "Good luck multiplied by ten, lasting two hours!"

"Multiply by Ten the chance of finding a Spiritual Fruit, lasting two hours!"

"Multiply by Ten the chance that a Spiritual Fruit is found by me, lasting two hours!"

"Multiply by Ten the chance of finding an Abyss Fruit, lasting two hours!"

"Multiply by Ten the chance that an Abyss Fruit is found by me, lasting two hours!"

Jiang Fu had not used these Multiply by Tens in the city.

The city was densely populated.

If he really found an Abyss Fruit or Spiritual Fruit in the city,

There was no way he could hide it from everyone else.

He would immediately become everyone's target.

There would not even be anywhere to hide.

The Wilderness Area was vast and sparsely populated.

And Jiang Fu was a Psychic Master.

He could leave before anyone else discovered him.

It was three in the afternoon.

Sunset would be around five-thirty.

Jiang Fu's plan was to return to the city at five.

The Wilderness at night was far more dangerous than during the day.

Jiang Fu had neither a phone nor a watch.

However... the time-limited Multiply by Tens had countdowns.

He could use them to keep track of time.

Jiang Fu pondered for a moment.

Then he said quietly once more, "Multiply by Ten the maximum radius of my Spirit Power coverage! Lasting two hours."

As soon as he spoke,

Jiang Fu's Spirit Power instantly spread outward.

Its coverage radius of ten meters

Instantly became a sphere with a radius of one hundred meters and a diameter of two hundred meters.

"Hm?"

The next moment,

Jiang Fu turned back again and looked at the city wall behind him.

"This wall... can actually obstruct Spirit Power detection?"

"Looks like there are Psychic Masters among Mutated Beasts and Realm Beasts too."

At once,

Jiang Fu's vigilance rose to the maximum.

A Psychic Master was not some amazing profession!

A Spirit Power of 1,000 was merely ordinary!

Even the Martial Artist Guild's supervisor had disdained to recruit him!

Besides, he was still a rookie.

He did not have even the slightest bit of experience facing Mutated Beasts in the Wilderness Area.

"Stay low. I absolutely have to stay low!"

"The sneakiest rat starts with me!"

Jiang Fu took a deep breath and looked ahead.

In his field of vision.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but desolation and bleakness.

The sky was gray.

The land beneath his feet was dark red... At a glance, he could see the end of the horizon.

Starting from the safety exit,

the area stretching thirty li ahead

had no visual obstructions whatsoever.

Within thirty li, not a blade of grass grew.

Even mountains, hills, and low-lying ground had been leveled and filled in.

This prevented Mutated Beasts or Realm Beasts from hiding there and launching surprise attacks on the city.

If Martial Artists wanted to hunt Mutated Beasts,

they could only go beyond thirty li.

Within thirty li of the safety entrance,

the area had long been plowed over several times by Martial Artists.

Not even a single beast hair could be found.

Jiang Fu's target was the Red-tailed Rat.

A small rodent-type Mutated Beast that lived underground.

Jiang Fu went over the Red-tailed Rat's information in his mind once more, including what he had learned at school and the materials he had found online.

"Speed, Multiply by Ten, lasts for two hours."

"Go!"

Whoosh—

The next instant,

Jiang Fu's body turned into an afterimage.

He vanished completely from where he stood.