In Westside, inside an underground chamber beneath an abandoned residence.
"Cult Leader, something seems to have happened outside." A cultist hurried over to report, his voice tinged with fear.
"Speak," said the leader of the Black Lotus Cult.
"Today, the City Guard Office started investigating the rats and disappearances throughout the Outer City. And... a constable brought a few men to the Green Bamboo Gang and has already learned about this abandoned residence of ours. Cult Leader, should we..."
The cult leader sneered. "A handful of Outer City constables, nothing more. They won't stir up any waves."
"If you ask me, it's a good thing the City Guard Office has noticed. It proves that we've caused enough of a stir lately that even those officials who sit in their posts drawing pay for doing nothing can no longer sit still."
With that, the cult leader turned and walked to the center of the chamber, where a black lotus soaked in the middle of an enormous pool of blood.
Bubbles gurgled up through the blood pool, which was densely packed with gray baby rats.
Around its edges, cultists with numb expressions constantly poured fresh human blood into the pool.
"Another half a month..." The cult leader gazed at the blood pool and murmured to himself. "In another half a month, the Black Lotus Rat King will be fully mature."
"This rat was bred from our cult's sacred relic, the Black Lotus Flower. Once the rat king emerges, it will be able to breed over a hundred demonic rats at a time. These demonic rats are extremely fast, and their bites can control people's minds. Given enough time, we can unleash this tide of rats, and every resident of the Outer City will fall under the Black Lotus Cult's control."
"When that