Ferocious Beast Emerges

After leaving the supermarket, Chen Mochuan said goodbye to Li Biao and began walking home.

Because shopping had taken a bit of time today, Chen Mochuan turned into an alley to take a shortcut so he could get home sooner.

It was ten o'clock, the sky was already dark, and the lights in the alley were sparse. The darkness was silent, visibility was low, and the alley had many forks and winding paths, making it very easy for those unfamiliar with the area to get lost.

Chen Mochuan, however, did not find it difficult to navigate, as he walked this route often and was extremely familiar with it.

Just as he was about to pass the final fork and exit the alley, a faint, shrill "squeak" sound suddenly came from the side path, accompanied by the hair-raising sound of metal grinding against metal.

Every hair on Chen Mochuan's body stood on end, and a bone-chilling cold surged up from the depths of his heart.

In his martial arts general knowledge class, Chen Mochuan had learned information about many common Ferocious Beasts, including their habits and calls.

He was all too familiar with the sound that had just reached his ears; it was the noise made by a Ferocious Beast known as a Ferocious Rat when it encountered prey and excitedly ground its sharp teeth.

Hiding in the darkness to ambush lone targets was the typical behavior of a Ferocious Rat.

Although the Ferocious Rat was the lowest-ranked Ferocious Beast, it still required a level seven martial artist to face it head-on.

Chen Mochuan was only a martial artist whose Qi and blood value had just passed level three; facing a Ferocious Rat, which excelled in speed, he had absolutely no chance of winning.

"Run!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Mochuan poured all his strength into his legs and sprinted for his life toward the bright opening of the alley.

He did not call for help, fearing he would provoke the predator in the darkness, nor did he look back, terrified that even a momentary distraction would result in him being buried in the rat's maw.

The light at the alley entrance grew closer. He knew there was a bustling night market outside; as long as he rushed out and blended into the crowd, he would be safe.

Ten meters, five meters, three meters...

Chen Mochuan had never felt such a short distance of ten meters to be so long.

The foul wind from behind seemed to have already brushed against his neck, and he could even imagine the scene of the Ferocious Rat's cold, glinting teeth closing in.

Life and death hung by a thread! As he neared the alley entrance, he erupted with the fastest speed of his life, pushed off with all his might, and shot out of the alley like an arrow released from a bow.

He continued to sprint forward for a distance, only stopping once he had completely merged into the flowing crowd of the night market.

Looking at the brightly lit, bustling scene around him, Chen Mochuan felt as if he had returned from another world.

Only then did he dare to turn his head and look back at the deep, dark alley that had been swallowing the light.

In the darkness, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a pair of oily green eyes, filled with bloodthirsty desire, flickering deep within the alley before vanishing without a trace.

The crisis was averted! Ferocious Rats were timid and cautious, daring only to attack lone targets; once their prey entered a densely populated area, they would immediately retreat and hide.

Having just experienced a life-and-death escape, Chen Mochuan stood in the safe crowd, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for air.

The short burst of sprinting for a few dozen meters had almost exhausted his physical strength, and his originally dry martial arts uniform was now completely soaked with sweat.

A vendor at the night market nearby asked with concern if Chen Mochuan needed help, which helped his violently pounding heart calm down slightly. He squeezed out a smile and thanked the person in a hoarse voice.

After calming down, he noticed a message refreshing on the light screen in his field of vision:

[You encountered a dangerous situation. Under the crisis of life and death, your potential erupted, your Qi and blood were stimulated, and your physical fitness improved.]

[Qi and blood value: 3.69 → 3.71]

Looking at the growth in his Qi and blood, which was equivalent to more than half a day of hard training, Chen Mochuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Could this be the legendary "surviving a great disaster brings future blessings"?

After composing himself, he immediately contacted Li Biao, warning him in a grave tone that he must take the main road where there were many people to get home and must not walk through secluded alleys.

He then immediately dialed the police, clearly and quickly explaining the location and the situation regarding the Ferocious Rat.

While waiting for the police to arrive, Chen Mochuan forced himself to endure his exhaustion, staring fixedly at the alley entrance, alert to any movement, and successfully dissuaded two pedestrians who wanted to enter the alley.

However, he worried that if he told the truth before the police arrived, it would cause unnecessary panic and chaos, or perhaps even provoke the Ferocious Rat inside to hurt someone. So, he had a flash of inspiration and lied, claiming that a few thugs were hiding inside to rob people.

This white lie worked, and the pedestrians immediately changed their route.

Fortunately, the discovery of a Ferocious Beast's tracks in a busy urban area was considered a major police emergency, and the police response time was astonishingly fast.

Just five or six minutes later, several police cars with flashing lights and wailing sirens arrived, quickly cordoning off the area around the alley.

"You were the one who called the police?" A middle-aged officer with a sturdy build and sharp eyes strode up to Chen Mochuan to confirm his identity.

Chen Mochuan nodded quickly, "Yes, Officer, there is a Ferocious Rat inside this alley!"

The middle-aged officer was efficient and decisive; after briefly understanding the situation, he immediately began making arrangements.

He first directed officers to quickly evacuate the crowd near the alley entrance, set up a cordon, and deployed personnel to block all entrances and exits connecting the alley to other areas, strictly preventing the Ferocious Beast from escaping.

Next, he ordered heavily armed SWAT team members to divide into groups and cautiously enter the dark alley to conduct a search and sweep.

The primary task was to ensure public safety and prevent the Ferocious Rat from escaping and hurting anyone, followed by completely eliminating the threat.

Fortunately, this alley connected to a small commercial street and was not a residential area; it was rarely visited after the shops closed at night, so the number of people requiring emergency rescue was relatively limited.

Because of the arrival of the police cars and the setting up of the cordon, the surrounding area had already attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

The sudden sirens and the grim atmosphere caused some commotion and discussion, but under the orderly guidance and reassurance of the police, the crowd soon quieted down and was evacuated to a safe distance.

Standing beside this middle-aged officer, who had a powerful aura and was clearly of unfathomable strength, Chen Mochuan's tense nerves finally relaxed completely.

It was only then that he felt something was wrong with the sensation under his left foot.

He looked down and was stunned to discover that the sole and upper of the incredibly sturdy martial arts shoe on his left foot had actually torn apart, the edges severely damaged; he figured it must have been caused by the force far exceeding the shoe's limit when he exerted his full strength to push off the ground during that life-or-death moment just now.

He tried a light kick and managed to shake off the tattered shoe.

Afterward, he simply took off the right shoe, which was still in decent condition, and stood barefoot on the cold ground.

Having survived a brush with death and saved his own life, a pair of shoes was truly not worth mentioning.

The middle-aged police officer witnessed Chen Mochuan's actions, and as he looked at the severely damaged shoe, a trace of admiration flashed in his eyes before he said in a deep voice, "Young man, you have impressive explosive power to be able to crush a standard-issue martial arts shoe like that."

Only then did Chen Mochuan carefully size up the middle-aged police officer, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity welled up in his heart, though he couldn't recall where he had seen him before.