Golden Finger

Swish—

In the narrow tunnel, Moss darted forward rapidly, following the guidance in her memory.

Rustle, rustle, rustle—

A few seconds later, several Black Rats caught her scent and gave chase, pursuing her relentlessly.

"Huff... huff..."

Moss panted heavily. She glanced back at the Black Rats closing in and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

She knew she had to shake them off here, and she had to be quick.

Otherwise, once the Black Rats outside finished off the mice in her colony, it wouldn't be so easy for her to escape!

At this moment, Moss didn't notice that her running posture was quietly changing.

It was becoming smoother! More fluid!

A voice seemed to ring out in her mind, and Moss's speed increased by another level!

But Moss had no time to think about it; the only two words in her mind right now were "survive" and "escape"!

Vision, smell, hearing... the sense of crisis pushed all of Moss's senses to their absolute limit!

The voice rang out in her mind again, but Moss ignored it once more!

The dim environment suddenly brightened in her eyes!

Various scents became much clearer in her nose!

The distant squeaking, which had been fading, now returned to her ears!

Everything around her seemed to have been refreshed in her perception!

"What's going on?"

Moss muttered to herself in confusion, but she had no time to ponder it.

She simply assumed it was a burst of potential, and escaping remained her top priority!

The tunnels were a complex maze, and Moss needed to find the path leading to another sewer line.

According to my memory, I need to turn right at the next opening!

Moss thought to herself, seeing the fork in the road ahead with left and right tunnels just as she remembered!

She didn't hesitate for a second, ducking her body and darting into the right-hand tunnel!

Several Black Rats followed closely, but because the right tunnel was very small, a few of them couldn't fit!

Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak—

The Black Rats that couldn't enter let out anxious cries, and after a few attempts, they stopped chasing.

Meanwhile, Moss began to weave left and right, jumping up and down through the tunnels!

She specifically chose narrow passages to escape, shaking off several more Black Rats in the process!

As she ran, Moss couldn't help but silently admire her colony's digging ability.

Such a complex and long tunnel must have taken more than a day or two to build.

"Huff, huff... a few more turns and I should be able to get out..."

Moss said, panting, a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes!

According to the little mouse's past memories, the area past this direction led to another sewer line!

The food in that sewer was far less abundant than in the current one, so very few rats ever went there.

"I really have to be thankful for the excellent memory I've had since I transmigrated."

Moss whispered to herself while running.

According to the little mouse's memory, she had only walked this path once!

Looking back, of the four or five Black Rats that were originally there, only one remained!

This Black Rat seemed extremely persistent; even though its body was being scraped bloody by the narrow tunnel, it still didn't stop!

"Wow, you've got to be kidding me, big guy. Do we have a grudge or something?!"

Moss tried to communicate with the Black Rat while running.

"Did I eat your rice? Is it really necessary to chase me so relentlessly?"

"Look, you've already been hurt pretty badly. It's not worth it to go this hard for a measly two ounces of meat!"

Her squeaks were interspersed with heavy, ragged breaths!

She had long since reached her physical limit and was barely able to keep running!

Squeak—!!!

However, the only response Moss received was a sharp, piercing cry. There was no meaning behind it, only intense hostility!

There wasn't a shred of reason in the way the Black Rat looked at Moss!

Moss finally understood: there was no possibility of communicating with these rats!

"Damn it, these guys must all be crazy!"

Moss cursed in frustration and kept running!

Ahead was a crossroads. Turning left would lead all the way to the other sewer line!

But past that intersection was a wide, flat tunnel!

There was nothing there, and it was very wide!

In her current state, Moss wasn't confident she could shake off the Black Rat behind her!

As for going straight or turning right, Moss had never been there and didn't know what the situation was like!

If she chose to turn left, being caught and forced into a fight was inevitable!

If she chose to turn right or go straight, the consequences were unknown!

Which one should Moss choose?

Seeing that she was getting closer and closer to the intersection, Moss felt a bit troubled.

"At this point, turning left is definitely out, so should I choose the right or the front?"

In the blink of an eye, Moss reached the crossroads!

She turned her head to look at the approaching Black Rat, then looked at the tunnels in front and to the right.

The tunnel in front was as large as the one she was in, but the tunnel to the right was clearly smaller!

One big, one small—she definitely had to choose the small one!

Moss hesitated for a split second, then darted toward the right tunnel!

But just then, a sharp gust of wind flashed past her ear!

Pain!

Moss felt a violent surge of agony in her hind leg!

"Ah!"

Moss shrieked, collapsing onto the ground.

She turned her head and saw a long, gruesome wound on her right leg!

The intense pain made Moss feel dizzy, and she felt as though her right leg could no longer move.

"No... this is bad, I have to be quick..."

The small shred of reason remaining in Moss told her that she wasn't safe yet!

Squeak—!

The next instant, a massive rat head poked out from the tunnel entrance and bit down on Moss, who was trapped at the edge!

"Ahhh—!"

Moss screamed, but the dizzying pain actually cleared her head once more.

She felt as if time had slowed down; she could see everything around her clearly.

Sure enough, the narrow tunnel on the right was no longer big enough for this Black Rat to enter.

The Black Rat's head was stuck; it couldn't get out, and it couldn't get in!

But the Black Rat had already bitten down hard on Moss. If she didn't find a way to make it let go, everything would be for nothing!

"You!"

Knowing her life was hanging by a thread, Moss's face twisted, and the ferocity in her heart erupted!

Not wanting to fight didn't mean Moss was afraid of fighting!

Her combat awareness as a human was far superior to that of a rat!

"Die!"

Knowing there was no way to avoid it, Moss thrust her claws directly toward the Black Rat's eyes!

Pfft!

Moss felt as if she had punctured something; her entire claw sank directly into the Black Rat's eye!

Squeak, squeak, squeak—!!!

The Black Rat let out a miserable howl, and its teeth, which had been clamped tightly onto Moss, finally let go!

The Black Rat thrashed wildly, and Moss was flung away!

She landed on the ground, and a cold voice rang out in her mind once again.

Talent: Golden Finger (Activated)

Activation Effect: Talent Construction and Optimization

Talent: Claws → Claws I

Finally, Moss had clearly heard the voice in her mind!

At this moment, as if guided, she jumped up involuntarily and thrust her claws toward the screaming Black Rat again!

An inexplicable power flowed into Moss's claws, and she swung them in a perfectly natural arc!

Pfft!

Another strike, and the Black Rat's other eye was destroyed!

This time, Moss's claws sank in completely, her entire forepaw disappearing into the Black Rat's head!

Tremble, tremble...

The Black Rat stopped howling, its body shuddered a few times, and then it went limp.

"Haa—haa—"

Moss pulled out her forepaw and lay on the ground, panting heavily!

She ignored the dead Black Rat and dragged her injured right leg toward the deeper parts of the tunnel.

Drip! Drip!

In the sewer, the sound of water droplets slowly echoed.

The sound passed through the tunnel and reached Moss's ears.

Moss curled up in a dark corner and fell into a deep sleep once again!