Rats

After tidying up the grain and oil supplies on the second floor of the steamed bun shop, Lu Heng led the Bone Demon downstairs and continued to explore the unfamiliar streets of the Town.

The entire block was eerily quiet, with shops on both sides tightly closed, the road surface covered with a thin layer of dust, and not a sound or movement could be heard as the wind swept through the streets and alleys. A few dozen meters ahead, a supermarket appeared at the end of the street.

The supermarket's glass doors were shattered and crooked, and the entrance was piled high with broken cardboard boxes and crushed packaging bags. The ground was covered with layers of old and new footprints. Even without a close look, it was clear that the place had been ransacked repeatedly.

Lu Heng didn't take a detour; instead, he raised his hand and gently lifted his chin, signaling the Bone Demon to scout ahead.

A human and a Bone Demon stepped into the supermarket.

Large sections of the front-of-house shelves were empty, with exposed metal panels, and the floor was covered in crushed packaging debris. Anything that was easy to carry and use had been completely cleared away.

Lu Heng's gaze swept quickly across the front hall without lingering, and he walked straight to the storage compartment at the back of the shop.

The iron door to the cubicle was ajar, but could be fully opened with a gentle push of a fingertip.

The supplies inside were much better than those outside. Two boxes of unopened cartoned drinks were neatly stacked against the wall, and a bunch of individually wrapped snacks were scattered in the corners of the cardboard boxes.

Lu Heng bent down to inspect the box. The printed date was clear and there were no signs of expiration or spoilage. Although he didn't recognize the words, the numbers were still the same, so he could still distinguish them.

He reached out and put both cases of drinks into his Wristband Space, then picked up a whole plastic bag from the ground, squatted down and gathered, packed, and tied all the loose snacks together.

I picked up the bag and weighed it in my hand.

The food looks small and scattered, but the actual quantity is limited. If you eat it sparingly in small bites, it can barely last a week. If you eat it freely, it will be gone in two or three days.

My gaze shifted to the side, where the entire fast food shelf was spotless, without a single crumb or shell left.

The people who ransacked this place before were extremely thorough.

The most practical and convenient fast food staples were all gone, leaving only these unimportant snacks.

Lu Heng's gaze swept over the empty shelves, a hint of regret flashing through his mind.

Just as he was about to turn and leave the storage room, a faint rustling sound came from the shadowy gap at the bottom of the shelf.

The sound was very low, fragmented and rapid, drifting along the ground.

Lu Heng suddenly stopped, his fingers tightened, gripping the Hunting Blade tightly, his gaze fixed on the dark corner.

Several dark gray shadows suddenly darted out, aiming straight for his ankles.

It is much larger than a common house mouse, with dirty, stiff fur, a robust body, sharp teeth that gleam coldly, and swift and fierce movements.

The moment the first giant rat pounced through the air, Lu Heng sidestepped, raised his hand, and drew his knife.

A flash of cold light.

The Hunting Blade struck the giant rat's body precisely, splitting it in half mid-air before it crashed heavily to the ground, its limbs twitching violently and instantly losing its ability to attack.

The moment the body hit the ground, the bracelet on her Wristband suddenly lit up with a faint blue light.

The transparent system font is tiled and displayed in front of the viewer.

[Unknown mutated creature detected. Automatically unlocks the Bestiary.]

[Mutant Giant Rat]

Grade: Black Iron Tier

State: Complete mutation

Synopsis: Rats are inherently small and weak. Under the radiation of the apocalypse, the vast majority of individuals could not withstand the mutation and perished in large numbers. A very small number of individuals who survived completed their metamorphosis, becoming ferocious and hiding in the shadows of the ruins, possessing proactive aggression.

The entry briefly lights up and then automatically disappears.

Lu Heng understood.

No wonder we've seen so few of these mutated rats along the way.

They are already the weakest of the small rodents, with an extremely low survival rate after mutation. Those that have survived to this day are very few individual survivors.

The remaining Mutant Giant Rat remained fearless, rushing across the ground and lunging at his feet.

Lu Heng moved his feet lightly, constantly adjusting his position to avoid all attacks.

The Hunting Blade moved with clean, decisive strokes, each strike landing precisely on a vital spot.

Within seconds, the remaining giant rats were all injured. Some had severed limbs and collapsed to the ground, while others had their bodies cracked open. All of them lost their ability to move and could no longer pose any threat.

Not a single giant rat could get close enough to touch him the entire time.

The Bone Demon standing to the side stepped forward, stretched out its bone arms, and bent down to tear and crush the remaining rats on the ground.

The Bone Demon possessed ferocious power, and without any unnecessary movements, it quickly and thoroughly eliminated all the remaining rats, leaving only a few mangled corpses on the ground.

The smell of blood slowly spread.

Lu Heng looked down at the rat carcasses scattered on the ground, then his gaze fell back on the Bone Demon beside him.

From birth to now, it has been expending energy continuously for a full day without ever eating or replenishing any energy.

The current batch of Mutant Giant Rat carcasses is just the right number, enough for the Bone Demon to complete its first energy replenishment.

Lu Heng did not give any verbal orders. He simply turned his head, glanced at the corpse on the ground, raised his hand and pressed it down slightly, making a simple instruction gesture.

The Bone Demon instantly understood the intention.

The hard jaws slowly opened to the sides, the oral cavity bones stretched and expanded layer by layer, and the cavity became larger and larger, possessing a swallowing structure like that of a giant python, not limited by the shape of the bones.

It bent down and swallowed the rat carcasses on the ground, one after another, whole into its cavity.

There was no chewing, no tearing into pieces.

In a very short time, all the giant rat corpses were absorbed into the body.

After swallowing, the Bone Demon's flat chest and abdominal skeleton remained flat, without any sign of bulging or swelling. All the bodies it swallowed dissolved and transformed directly upon entering its body, leaving no visible changes on its surface.

Lu Heng watched quietly, with only one direct feeling in his heart.

It's incredibly powerful; the snake still retains its ability to devour its prey.

This ability to absorb, transform, and silently store energy is truly fast.

After resupplying, the Bone Demon stood still. Its previously dull and grayish-white bone surface now faintly glowed with a faint light, as the physical exertion from a day of continuous combat had been completely replenished.

Lu Heng withdrew his gaze and recounted all the supplies he had looted.

Two cases of drinks, and a plastic bag of loose snacks.

While not exactly a scarce form of hard currency, in a post-apocalyptic environment, something that requires no fire, no processing, and can be consumed at any time is a very practical small-amount supply.

By saving every penny, I can afford enough snacks and water for the next week.

The only pity is that the entire supermarket's instant noodles were completely looted by previous customers, leaving nothing behind, thus missing out on the most practical fast food resource.

He glanced around the corners of the storage room, the gaps between shelves, and the dead corners on the floor once more.

We confirmed that there were no supplies left behind and that everything that could be collected had been collected.

The daylight was still bright, and there was still plenty of time to continue exploring.

Lu Heng took a step forward, leading the fully recovered Bone Demon out of the abandoned supermarket and onto the street, continuing to steadily advance into the deeper, unknown areas of the Town.