After leaving the supermarket, Chen Mochuan said goodbye to Li Biao and walked home.
He'd spent a little too long shopping, so, eager to get home, Chen Mochuan turned into an alley to take a shortcut.
It was ten o'clock, and darkness had fallen. The alley was dimly lit and quiet, with poor visibility. It was also full of branching paths and winding turns, making it easy for anyone unfamiliar with the area to get lost.
But Chen Mochuan had no trouble finding his way. He often took this route and knew it like the back of his hand.
Just as he was about to pass the last junction and leave the alley, a series of faint squeaks suddenly came from the branch beside him, accompanied by a metallic scraping sound that made his scalp crawl.
Every hair on Chen Mochuan's body stood on end. A bone-chilling dread shot up from the depths of his heart.
In his Martial Arts General Knowledge class, Chen Mochuan had learned about many common Ferocious Beasts, including their habits and calls.
He knew that sound all too well. It was the noise a Ferocious Rat made when it encountered prey, excitedly grinding its sharp teeth.
And hiding in the dark to ambush isolated targets was a classic Ferocious Rat habit.
Though the Ferocious Rat was the lowest-ranked Ferocious Beast, it still took a seventh-stage Martial Warrior to face one head-on.
Chen Mochuan was only a Martial Warrior whose Blood-Qi Value had just passed the third stage. Against a Ferocious Rat renowned for its speed, he stood no chance.
"Run!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Chen Mochuan poured all his strength into his legs and sprinted for his life toward the brightly lit mouth of the alley.
He didn't call for help, afraid of provoking the predator lurking in the dark. He didn't look back, either, terrified that even a moment's distraction would leave him in the rat's jaws.
The light at the alley's entrance drew closer. He knew there was a bustling night market outside. If he could just make it out and lose himself in the crowd, he'd be safe.
Ten meters, five meters, three meters...
Never had ten short meters seemed so long.
The stench of blood from behind seemed to brush his neck. He could almost picture the Ferocious Rat's gleaming fangs closing in.
At the brink of life and death, as he neared the alley's entrance, he unleashed the fastest burst of speed of his life. He kicked off with all his might, shooting out of the alley like an arrow loosed from its bow.
He kept sprinting for a while, only stopping once he had completely merged with the surging crowd at the night market.
Surrounded by bright lights and clamor, Chen Mochuan felt as if he had returned from another world.
Only then did he dare turn around and look toward the deep alley, where darkness swallowed the light.
In the depths, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a pair of glowing green eyes, hungry for blood. They flickered twice, then vanished without a trace.
The danger had passed! Ferocious Rats were timid and cautious, daring to attack only isolated targets. The moment their prey entered a crowded area, they retreated and hid.
After a desperate escape that had come down to seconds, Chen Mochuan stood amid the safe crowd, his chest heaving as he gulped down air.
That brief sprint of a few dozen meters had nearly drained him. His Martial Arts uniform, dry moments ago, was now soaked through with sweat.
A night-market vendor nearby asked with concern if Chen Mochuan needed help. The question helped calm his pounding heart a little. He managed a smile and rasped out his thanks.
Once he had calmed down, he noticed that a message had appeared on the screen in his field of vision:
[You encountered danger and unleashed your potential in a life-or-death crisis. Your Blood-Qi was stimulated, improving your physical abilities.] [Blood-Qi Value: 3.69→3.71]
Seeing a Blood-Qi increase that would have taken more than half a day of hard cultivation, Chen Mochuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was this what they meant by "surviving a great disaster brings great fortune"?
After steadying himself, he immediately contacted Li Biao and solemnly warned him to take the busy main roads home, and never to use a deserted alley.
Then he called the police at once, clearly and quickly explaining where he was and that he had encountered a Ferocious Rat.
While waiting for the police, Chen Mochuan forced himself to stay alert, keeping his eyes fixed on the alley entrance and watching for any sign of movement. He also managed to stop two passersby who were about to enter.
He worried that telling them the truth before the police arrived might cause needless panic and chaos, or even provoke the Ferocious Rat inside into attacking someone. So he had a sudden idea and claimed that a few punks were hiding in there to mug people.
The white lie worked. The passersby immediately changed course.
Fortunately, reports of Ferocious Beasts in a city's bustling districts were treated as major emergencies, and the police responded with astonishing speed.
Just five or six minutes later, several police cars arrived at a rush, their lights flashing and sirens wailing. They quickly cordoned off the area around the alley.
"You're the one who called the police, right?" A lean, sharp-eyed middle-aged officer strode up to Chen Mochuan to confirm.
Chen Mochuan nodded quickly. "Yes, officer. There's a Ferocious Rat in that alley!"
The middle-aged officer worked swiftly and decisively. After a brief rundown of the situation, he immediately began making arrangements.
First, he directed officers to quickly evacuate the night-market crowd near the alley entrance and set up a cordon. He also dispatched personnel to block every exit connecting the alley to other areas, preventing the Ferocious Beast from escaping.
Next, he ordered the fully armed special police officers to split into teams and cautiously enter the dark alley to search for and eliminate the threat.
Their first priority was to protect the public and prevent the Ferocious Rat from escaping and attacking anyone. After that, they would make sure to eliminate the threat completely.
Fortunately, the alleyways here connected to a small commercial street, not a residential area. Once the shops closed for the night, hardly anyone came through, so relatively few people would need urgent assistance.
The police cars and cordons had already drawn a large crowd of onlookers.
The sudden sirens and tense atmosphere stirred up some commotion and chatter, but the officers calmly guided and reassured the crowd. Before long, everyone settled down and was moved to a safe distance.
With the powerful middle-aged officer standing beside him, his strength clearly unfathomable, Chen Mochuan finally let all the tension drain from his body.
That was when he noticed that the sole of his left shoe felt strange.
He looked down and was stunned to find that the sole of his sturdy Martial Arts shoe had torn away from its upper. The edges were badly damaged. It must have happened when he'd kicked off with all his might in that life-or-death moment, exerting far more force than the shoe could withstand.
He gave the shoe a light kick, and it flew off, battered beyond repair.
Then he simply took off his still-intact right shoe as well and stood barefoot on the cold ground.
He had survived and escaped with his life. A pair of shoes was nothing by comparison.
The middle-aged officer had seen what Chen Mochuan did. Looking at the badly damaged shoe, he flashed a hint of approval and said in a low voice, "Impressive explosive power, kid. You managed to stomp a regulation Martial Arts shoe to pieces."
Only then did Chen Mochuan get a good look at the middle-aged officer. A strange sense of familiarity welled up, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.
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