Above the underground passage.
Wang Hai and the others stood silently.
In his ears, he heard Shen Heng's conversations and thoughts transmitted through the translator.
"Mistress, it's not time yet..." Han Ling frowned slightly, recalling the Sharp-Horned Rat's thoughts that had just been transmitted.
"What the mistress said is that the leader of their group is a female Sharp-Horned Rat, which isn't too surprising."
"The key is the time that hasn't come yet. What does 'the time that hasn't come yet' mean?"
She turned her head and looked at everyone with some confusion.
Le Gu Nan for a moment, then said softly:
"External forces, other Calamity Beast, the Ruins Realm, or humans should not be considered for the time being."
"Given the current circumstances, this situation is unlikely to occur."
"Then we can only consider their own internal factors."
"They might be preparing some kind of plan, which will take some time to complete."
"It's also possible that their strength will increase after a certain period of time."
"This improvement could be due to an increase in the overall strength of the clan, or it could be an increase in the strength of that matriarch."
"It's important to note that this might be due to an increase in the strength of their matriarch."
"Then it's possible that it's upgrading from Fourth Tier to 5th Tier."
"After all, this Sharp-Horned Rat incident was something that was overlooked more than two years ago."
"Based on the relatively easy occurrence of Tier 3 at the time, their matriarch would now likely be at Fourth Tier."
"Perhaps he's preparing some plan, or maybe his strength will improve in a while?" Upon hearing this, everyone frowned.
What's enough to make an entire group endure this for over two years...?
The fact that this happened is terrifying enough!
Moreover, none of these three seem easy to handle.
Whether it's advancing from Fourth Tier to 5th Tier, some Sharp-Horned Rat improving their strength, or preparing some kind of plan.
"Is there any way to find out what the specific situation might be?" Wang Hai looked at Wei Leyang.
Wei Leyang frowned.
"If it's about increasing strength, that's easy. We just need to bluff a bit and they should come out."
"But if it's a plan, then it's difficult."
"Many details cannot be explored in depth. Once you do, because the Sharp-Horned Rat hasn't mentioned them before, it will immediately realize something is wrong."
"If it comes to a sudden realization, the interrogation might become completely impossible to continue."
"There's no need to continue." Wang Hai's eyes were deep.
"At this point in the interrogation, aside from those few pieces of information, we have enough."
"I know it's related to the incident more than two years ago, and I know their approximate location."
"Plus what the Sharp-Horned Rat just said, it's not time yet."
"The fact that someone can say something like that usually means there's still quite a while to go."
"In this situation, with Shen Heng around, we can slowly search for him."
"We'll determine whether our Linhai Supervision Bureau should handle it ourselves or seek support, depending on the situation."
"In that case, I understand." Wei Leyang nodded, then said:
" Shen Heng, you could first ask about its population structure, using a comparative method. For example, other rat populations are all male..."
Inside the underground passage.
Shen Heng lowered his eyes slightly and spoke casually.
"Is your tribe's leader male or female? Hmm... males are generally stronger, so your tribe's leader must also be male, right?"
Seemingly because this question offended its esteemed mistress, the Sharp-Horned Rat bared its teeth and said:
"Foolish! The male is only fit to obey orders and fight! Of course, it's the mistress! The great and wise mistress reigns supreme!"
"The Mistress?" Shen Heng's face revealed a perfectly timed hint of "curiosity." "Sounds impressive. What rank is it at now? Fourth Tier? Or... is it almost at Fifth Tier?"
His tone was somewhat tentative, as if he were just casually mentioning it as part of the conversation.
This time, the Sharp-Horned Rat didn't speak, but it let out a soft, proud snort from its nostrils.
"You can't fathom the power of the Mistress! Soon... very soon..."
The thought paused abruptly here, as if it had touched a forbidden zone, but it was immediately filled with a fervent loyalty.
"In short, the mistress is invincible!"
"When the time comes, you damned humans will be trembling!"
Shen Heng's expression remained unchanged, but his heart skipped a beat.
Judging from the situation, it seems that Le Gu Nan's guess was correct; the female mouse is about to advance from Fourth Tier to 5th Tier.
After a moment's thought, he didn't bother to verify the possibility of some of the Sharp-Horned Rat' strength increasing, but instead inquired about possible plans.
Of course, he didn't ask directly, but after chatting for a few more minutes, he casually said:
"Actually, I've always been curious. You've been hiding for so many years. You could have continued to live outside, and we could have kept to ourselves."
Why come back suddenly? Is it because food is hard to find outside, but humans are easier to find?
"But your mistress should know the power of us humans, and shouldn't dare to come here so easily."
"Then what's his motive? Is it simply because he finds us humans uncomfortable, or does he want as many of us as possible?"
"If that's all there is to it, then... all I can say is, they really are a bunch of brainless idiots."
His tone carried a perfectly measured hint of "contempt," as if he considered the rats' target to be nothing more than this.
This "disrespect" indeed provoked the Sharp-Horned Rat; its bound body twitched excitedly, and it suddenly opened its mouth:
"Kill a few humans? Hah... Foolish! What we want is..."
He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
Shen Heng lowered his eyes slightly, pausing several times, as if the thoughts of the Sharp-Horned Rat in front of him were being restricted by something.
An unknown ability restrained it, forcibly suppressing its urge to speak.
A serious look flashed in his eyes, and his words carried an inexplicable tension.
"What are you trying to do? Not just kill a few? But kill many more? How many more?"
"Destruction! Destruction! The entire Linhai will be destroyed under the will of the Matriarch!" The Sharp-Horned Rat did not reply; it lay there, but its mind was still active.
"What can destroy Linhai? A mere Fifth Tier being?" Shen Heng murmured, his words carrying an indescribable Induction.
"Rely on the mistress... rely on the plan..." Seemingly influenced by something, the Sharp-Horned Rat's eyes turned increasingly bloodshot.
"What plan?" Shen Heng asked, his eyes flashing coldly.
"Explosion... Destruction... Smoke... Death..."
My train of thought suddenly came to a halt.
In that instant, the Sharp-Horned Rat's immense anger suddenly froze as if extinguished by ice water!
It suddenly realized a terrible problem!
This human... he clearly didn't say those questions he asked earlier!
Moreover, that's not all; why did he keep asking even though I hadn't replied...?