Ratmen

"A-Bing, aren't you ready yet? That Heretic Cult member is getting more and more agitated, and the hostage's neck is already bleeding. The situation is critical."

"Captain, the guy is a professional. He's kept his body well-hidden, and I can't get a clear shot. There's no opportunity for a sniper strike."

"Chen Yan, have you identified the Heretic Cult member yet? Contact his family as soon as possible and have them come to the scene to talk him down."

"Captain, the suspect is an orphan."

"..."

Listening to the reports from his two team members, the Public Security Team captain wore a look of deep distress.

He desperately wanted to rush in and save the woman being held hostage, but he couldn't find a single opening to act.

The Heretic Cult member was huddled in a corner, keeping his body shielded behind the hostage, exposing nothing but the knife pressed against her neck, leaving no flaws in his defense.

"Captain, should we try using sleeping gas?"

One team member suggested in a low voice.

The Public Security Team captain shook his head: "It's useless. The gas is too obvious; it would likely provoke the criminal into extreme behavior before it even takes effect."

Just as everyone felt completely helpless.

Suddenly!

A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air!

"Hum!"

The next instant, a stone the size of an egg flew past the Public Security Team captain's eyes at a speed invisible to the naked eye, striking the Heretic Cult member's hand with pinpoint precision.

"Ah--!"

The Heretic Cult member let out a miserable shriek of pain.

The stone had struck the hand holding the knife.

Furthermore, the angle of the impact was incredibly tricky; the powerful force caused his hand to flip outward, forcing the kitchen knife away from the hostage's neck and causing him to drop it to the ground.

At the same time, Teacher Strawberry, who had been held hostage, finally managed to break free. Driven by a desperate will to survive, she scrambled toward the security officers.

The officers reacted quickly; one stepped forward to receive Teacher Strawberry, while the rest rushed in to subdue the Heretic Cult member.

From start to finish, the officers had no idea what had actually happened; they only knew the Heretic Cult member had suddenly clutched his hand and screamed, and then the hostage had escaped danger on her own.

Only Shen Qinghan, who had witnessed everything, stood there with her mouth agape, her face full of shock.

"Xiao Chen, you..."

"Let's go. We'll talk when we get back."

Lin Zichen had no intention of lingering. Seeing that Teacher Strawberry was safe, he sat back on his bicycle, ready to take Shen Qinghan away.

However, before he could even pedal, the Public Security Team captain ran over and blocked his path, panting slightly:

"Student, wait a moment. Don't be in such a rush to leave. Was that you who threw the stone just now?"

As he spoke, the captain held up the stone he had retrieved and placed it in front of Lin Zichen.

The Heretic Cult member's hand had been injured, and there was a blood-stained stone not far from his feet. Combined with the direction from which the stone had been thrown, the captain guessed it was Lin Zichen.

Although it was hard to believe, there was no more logical explanation at the moment.

"It wasn't me."

Lin Zichen didn't want to be bothered by follow-up matters, so he dropped that line coldly.

Then, he swerved the handlebars, bypassed the Public Security Team captain, and rode away.

The captain stood stunned for a moment, then, coming to his senses, he shouted at the boy's retreating back:

"Student!"

"Student, stop for a second!"

"You did a good deed, why would you deny it?!"

No matter how loudly the captain shouted, Lin Zichen had no intention of stopping, and his figure soon vanished around the corner ahead.

"That's strange. Why wouldn't someone want to admit to doing a good deed?"

The Public Security Team captain couldn't wrap his head around it.

However, he didn't dwell on it too much, planning to return tomorrow to pull the surveillance footage to confirm whether it was indeed Lin Zichen who had acted, and how he had managed it.

Just then, Lin Zichen returned with Shen Qinghan on the back of his bike. He looked at the captain and asked, "I just remembered something. Is there a reward for heroic acts?"

"Uh, yes, there is."

"In that case, it was me. My fingerprints are on the stone. You can take me back to compare them."

Public Security Team captain: "..."

The change in attitude was so abrupt that it left the captain speechless.

Lin Zichen didn't want to be this way, but to unlock the Ghost Shadow Squid Atlas as soon as possible, he had to find every possible way to save money, bowing to the necessity of five pecks of rice.

Public Security Team captain: "Alright then. Why don't you come down to the Public Security Station later to give a brief statement and compare the fingerprints? Once we confirm everything is in order, I'll apply for the heroic act reward for you."

"Alright, no problem."

Lin Zichen agreed readily.

Hearing this, Shen Qinghan in the backseat immediately took out her phone to call home, saying she would be back even later than expected.

Meanwhile, the captain of the Public Security Team returned to the park to handle the aftermath, intending to take the subdued Heretic Cult member back to the Public Security Station.

"By the way, Xiao Chen, I don't know how Teacher Strawberry is doing right now. Let's go check on her."

As soon as Shen Qinghan finished her call, she suggested this to Lin Zichen in front of her.

Lin Zichen replied, "Okay."

Having reached a consensus, the two parked their bicycle to the side and walked together toward the Public Security vehicle in the park.

Once rescued, Teacher Strawberry had been immediately taken into the Public Security vehicle to treat the wound on her neck, and she was likely resting inside now.

Just as the two were about to reach the Public Security vehicle.

Not far to the side, the handcuffed Heretic Cult member suddenly began making painful, wheezing sounds.

Immediately after, his face began to crack, revealing shocking, bloody fissures.

These bloody fissures grew longer and wider, eventually forming individual eyes evenly distributed across both sides of his face.

Counting his original eyes, there were exactly eight, no more and no less.

The officer responsible for escorting the Heretic Cult member noticed the problem, immediately drew his gun, chambered a round, and shouted nervously to the captain of the Public Security Team:

"Captain, a mutation! This Heretic Cult member is showing symptoms of mutation—he's turning into a Giant Mutant Rat!"

No sooner had he spoken than the mutating Heretic Cult member suddenly gained immense strength, snapping his handcuffs in one motion before turning and lunging at the officer to bite him.

Fortunately, the officer had been on guard and reacted quickly, sidestepping just in time to dodge the attack.

Giant Mutant Rat transformation?!

Lin Zichen heard these five words, then saw the eight eyes on the Heretic Cult member's face. Without a second thought, he scooped up Shen Qinghan, turned around, and sprinted toward the park exit.

He didn't know exactly what was happening, but he knew that getting away from the scene immediately was definitely the right move.

Shen Qinghan was still a bit dazed, but having been carried like this by Lin Zichen many times since childhood, she obediently wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against him to make it easier for him to carry her.

"Fire! Open fire!"

Just as Lin Zichen started running, the captain of the Public Security Team shouted urgently at the officers.

A moment later, a deafening volley of gunfire erupted, sounding exceptionally harsh in the silent dead of night.

"Bang!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"..."

By now, Lin Zichen had carried Shen Qinghan out of the park and onto their bicycle. He stomped on the pedals and took off, desperate to put distance between them and the dangerous area behind them.

However, whether it was because he pedaled too hard or something else, they had barely ridden twenty meters when the bicycle chain suddenly snapped with a loud "pop."

The chain had broken completely, not just slipped off; it was beyond repair.

"Damn it!" Lin Zichen cursed, a rare occurrence for him.

PS: Setting out my bowl, asking for monthly tickets and recommendation votes!