Zombie Rat

The entrance to the Plague Rat Burrow was sealed by a pile of stones and overgrown with weeds. If not for the satellite coordinates, the group would have had a hard time finding it.

"Teacher, why was the cave entrance sealed?" Wu Xiaoyan asked.

Xiao Jinsheng said, "The Plague Rats may have done it. They aren't stupid. Never mind that for now. We'll rest for an hour, eat something, then go in. We'll be spending the next few days in this underground den, so prepare yourselves mentally."

The two girls, Jiang Wen and Wu Xiaoyan, both went pale.

Xiao Jinsheng lit a campfire, and the five of them sat around it.

Bai Xiaowen took off his tactical backpack, let out a long breath, and rubbed his aching arms and calves.

"Heh, a thirteen-kilometer cross-country trek and you're already done for?" Zhou Yi never passed up an opportunity to mock Bai Xiaowen.

Bai Xiaowen's Constitution was 2.1, which was not particularly low even among combat-class students. Of course, compared to Zhou Yi's Constitution of 4.9, it was far behind.

The other two girls, Wu Xiaoyan and Jiang Wen, were about as exhausted as Bai Xiaowen. Against the backdrop of the three of them, Zhou Yi appeared quite at ease.

Bai Xiaowen could not be bothered with Zhou Yi. He warmed up his rations over the campfire, ate them with some water, and slowly recovered his strength.

Their homeroom teacher, Xiao Jinsheng, was deep in thought. Zhou Yi had always been one of Class 17's top students, so such performance was nothing surprising. Bai Xiaowen's showing today, however, had somewhat exceeded Xiao Jinsheng's expectations.

Unlike Zhou Yi, Xiao Jinsheng had been observing the four students under his charge the whole time, assessing their strength.

Bai Xiaowen had originally been destined to fail the college entrance exams, but his performance today had given Xiao Jinsheng quite a pleasant surprise. By Xiao Jinsheng's estimation, Bai Xiaowen's Strength and Agility had both increased greatly. With those two attributes as a foundation, improving his fighting skills and Equipment Specialty would actually be quite easy.

Of course, Bai Xiaowen's Constitution was his weak point, and Xiao Jinsheng had noticed that as well.

An hour passed, and the four students had mostly recovered their stamina.

With a wave of Xiao Jinsheng's hand, the five began clearing away the rocks. However, the extent of the blockage exceeded their expectations. Dozens of stones of various sizes had sealed off more than five meters of the passage beyond the entrance.

"These damn rats are pretty strong," Zhou Yi said irritably. He lifted a millstone-sized rock and hurled it more than five meters away.

Half an hour later, the rocks sealing the entrance had been cleared. Led by Xiao Jinsheng, the four students stepped into the rat burrow.

Affected by Psionic Particles, Plague Rats were dozens of times larger than ordinary rats, standing nearly half a person tall. The tunnels they dug were also quite spacious, and the interior was a world of its own. After walking several dozen steps, the passage ahead broadened considerably, enough for all five of them to walk abreast.

A faint stench hung in the air. This group of Plague Rats had sealed off all the tunnels, so they must have handled eating, drinking, and relieving themselves inside. No one could expect a nest of rats to care about hygiene.

The darkness limited their vision. Only some mutated moss, weeds, and other plants gave off a faint glow. Fortunately, the five had prepared helmets with searchlights in advance, illuminating the way ahead.

Riiip!

A dark shadow lunged out from the side, targeting Wu Xiaoyan!

Wu Xiaoyan screamed and stumbled back two steps. The dark mass slammed into the opposite wall, then sprang off it and pounced at Wu Xiaoyan again.

In that brief instant, Bai Xiaowen got a clear look at the dark mass. It was a huge rat! Green fur covered its entire body, its eyes glowed an oily green like a wolf's, and it had two sharp fangs and black claws.

"Don't panic!" Xiao Jinsheng shouted in a low voice. "It's only a Plague Rat. Zhou Yi!"

Zhou Yi drew his two-handed greatsword from his back, answered excitedly, and slashed at it.

Zhou Yi's Basic Weaponry had already reached Level 3, and he specialized in two-handed swords. His slash was powerful and heavy. During the cross-country trek, three Plague Rats had already died beneath his greatsword.

However, this Plague Rat was clearly somewhat different from the three of its kind that had died earlier. It let out a shrill squeak, suddenly accelerated, darted beneath Zhou Yi's greatsword, and rammed its head into Zhou Yi's lower abdomen.

Riiip!

The Plague Rat's Claw strike sent blood bursting from both sides of Zhou Yi's ribs.

Zhou Yi cried out in pain and staggered backward. His combat experience was not much to speak of either. The pain immediately threw him into a panic, and he held his greatsword horizontally before him, shifting into a defensive stance.

Bai Xiaowen cast Insight on it and immediately received information about the Plague Rat.

[Zombie Rat]

[Race: Undead Species/Corpse Demonfolk]

[Attributes: Strength 3.8, Agility 6.5, Constitution 4.1, Spirit 0.2]

[Skill 1: Plague Fangs: Enemies damaged by the Zombie Rat's claw strikes and Bite attacks will be poisoned.]

[Skill 2: Stiffened Skin: The Zombie Rat feels no pain, does not bleed, and its fur's defensive power is greatly increased.]

"This isn't an ordinary Plague Rat. It's a Zombie Rat! Its Agility is incredibly high, and both its Strength and Constitution are much higher than those of a Plague Rat. It sacrificed Spirit in exchange for a complete boost to its physical attributes!"

Bai Xiaowen concentrated, hoping to see more information about the Zombie Rat.

A line of small text appeared after the Zombie Rat's name:

"Influenced by a mysterious object, this Plague Rat has lost its mind. It is no longer a beast, but a more terrifying undead predator."

At that moment, Xiao Jinsheng shouted, "Be careful, there's something very wrong with this rat! Bai Xiaowen, get in there too!"

With a flick of his wrist, Xiao Jinsheng threw two flying knives. His Level 5 Basic Throwing was indeed extraordinary. Both knives struck the Zombie Rat precisely, with one hitting it in the neck.

However, the Zombie Rat felt no pain and had no vital points. It sprinted wildly with the knives stuck in it, while only a trickle of black blood seeped from its wounds.

Realizing things were going badly, Zhou Yi desperately retreated. His two-handed greatsword whirled so tightly that not even water could pass through, protecting his lower body from another injury.

Unable to break through Zhou Yi's sword range, the Zombie Rat was instead struck by one slash. Squeaking wildly, it turned and pounced at Jiang Wen!

Bai Xiaowen had already arrived. However, instead of using his machete, he stepped forward empty-handed, clasped his hands into a heavy fist, and smashed down from above like a volleyball spike.

The Zombie Rat's target was Jiang Wen. It was in midair as it pounced, with no room to turn or evade. Even its Agility of 6.5 was useless.

This was exactly the opportunity Bai Xiaowen had been waiting for. The Zombie Rat possessed the passive ability Stiffened Skin, making it highly resistant to slashing attacks from sharp weapons, and it would not bleed either! That was why Bai Xiaowen chose a blunt strike.

With a thud, the Zombie Rat was smashed to the ground. The immense force of the impact made its body freeze for an instant.

And that instant sealed its death!

Swish!

Xiao Jinsheng arrived, and his rust-speckled iron sword came crashing down.

The Zombie Rat's body was cleaved directly in two, black blood slowly seeping from the cross-section of the wound.

"What the hell was that thing?" Zhou Yi blurted out.