The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?
Chapter 69: Rats Swarm

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Rats Swarm

"Heart of the Ocean (Enhanced) has taken effect."

As the system notification chimed, the dirty water submerged Liu Zheng’s mouth and nose.

Although the effect of the Heart of the Ocean was active, he still felt suffocated.

It was suffocation from the stench.

What he had smelled on the shore was just a hint of the prelude, but when you stir this dead water, you truly get to savor that deep, underlying scent.

He felt as though everything below his forehead needed amputation.

Surprisingly, when Liu Zheng actually jumped into the water, the corrosive alternation of cold and heat didn’t occur again.

Aside from being slightly smelly, it was no different from ordinary dirty water.

It didn’t even have that sticky, greasy feel; it was quite refreshing.

This reassured Liu Zheng quite a bit.

Although the effect of the Heart of the Ocean meant he definitely wouldn’t die, losing too much flesh could greatly impact his combat effectiveness.

"You, come here!"

He beckoned to the Skinning Monster with a hook of his finger, his attitude extremely arrogant.

The Skinning Monster stared coldly at him, licking its claws.

Not only was there blood on its claws, but also large amounts of flesh.

"Huh?"

Only then did Liu Zheng belatedly realize he was wounded.

He touched his waist, and a fist-sized chunk had been unnaturally gouged out of the right side.

However, it wasn’t a big issue, with 100% enhanced healing speed, the wound was healing at an astonishing rate.

Liu Zheng waited a few seconds; seeing the Skinning Monster was not approaching, he simply initiated an attack.

Tentacles entwined the boning knife, throwing it like a roped dart.

With his current strength, this move was equally impressive.

However, in the dynamic vision of the Skinning Monster, Liu Zheng’s attack was not fast.

It even had time to think, to dodge or to counterattack.

In the end, it made a decision.

The Skinning Monster swiped its claws again, but this time the expansion was much less.

But according to its calculation, this force was enough to rip apart the prey before it.

However, it didn’t know, in this world, there were things like items.

The sharp claw accurately hit the middle of Liu Zheng’s tentacle, but it only tore halfway before being blocked by the bones inside.

"Heart of the Ocean" effect two: Reduces damage taken in water by 50%.

"Didn’t see that coming, did you?"

He sneered and swung his tentacles again.

The vigorous motion caused the wound to expand again, spurting out a large amount of fresh blood.

But Liu Zheng didn’t care.

Opportunities were fleeting, and only the swift and decisive could seize them.

The boning knife traced an irregular arc and plunged into the Skinning Monster’s back.

This creature’s defense was nowhere as formidable as its attack power; coupled with the stacked damage enhancements, the boning knife sank deep into the handle.

"Ahhhh!!!"

The Skinning Monster let out a hoarse scream.

His hair stood on end; it was entirely the voice of a human male.

The Skinning Monster glanced at him with hatred, then turned tail and fled.

"Damn it, my knife!"

Seeing this, Liu Zheng immediately chased after it.

That knife was borrowed; if lost, the White Feather Chicken would definitely skin him even more cleanly than the Skinning Monster.

With the boost from the Heart of the Ocean, his speed in the water was not slower than on land.

While the grievously injured Skinning Monster’s speed slowed even more.

As time passed, Liu Zheng gradually caught up with it.

Just as he was about to attack, a rustling sound suddenly came from the opposite riverbank.

The noise quickly approached, soon turning into a thunderous rumble.

Liu Zheng’s heart chilled, and he immediately submerged his entire body into the water.

Through his blurred vision, groups of palm-sized black rats emerged from the darkness.

They formed a circle, each biting the tail of another, connected head to tail.

Upon reaching the riverbank, the swarm of rats immediately rearranged into a ball at the center.

The rat ball rolled forward, across the river surface, toward the Skinning Monster.

The Skinning Monster let out threatening cries while desperately trying to escape.

Sadly, its intimidations were ineffective, and its speed was not fast enough.

The rat ball quickly caught up with the Skinning Monster.

From one to many, from many to one.

The rat ball disintegrated into countless black rats that overwhelmed the Skinning Monster.

"Ah, ah, ah! It hurts so much. Save me, someone save me?"

The Skinning Monster let out a horrifying scream.

Liu Zheng, in the water, listened to the distorted sounds and shuddered.

Could the Skinning Monster have once been human?

Or was this just a trap it set to lure humans?

He had no chance to find out.

Because the rats soon left the Skinning Monster’s body and reformed their circle.

And the once muscular monster was now just a pile of bones, gnawed clean.

"Squeak, squeak!"

A black rat called out several times in Liu Zheng’s direction.

The swarm of rats quickly reached the riverbank, their multicolored eyes staring down at Liu Zheng underwater.

He remained calm.

If the rats could swim, they would have crossed over directly by now.

Sure enough, after a standoff, a particularly large black rat called out a few times.

Under its command, the swarm of rats once again rolled into a ball and disappeared into the darkness on the opposite bank of the river.

Liu Zheng poked his head out and waited a while, and seeing that the rats had indeed gone, he went ashore.

"The snipe and the clam grapple; the fisherman profits," he muttered.

He walked over to the pile of bones and sighed.

Struck harshly twice, soaked in foul water for so long, and yet he gained nothing.

Fortunately, the rats hadn’t taken the boning knife, otherwise he really would have been at a great loss.

Actually, Liu Zheng had been somewhat eager to try dragging a few black rats into the water.

But after thinking it over, he decided against it.

In case it created a lasting enmity, the rats might lie in wait for him on the shore, and that would be troublesome.

He picked up the boning knife, then suddenly had a stroke of inspiration and chopped down at the pile of bones on the ground.

Bone fragments splattered everywhere, leaving a shallow cut on the bone.

"Just as I thought."

Liu Zheng nodded in satisfaction.

The Skinning Monster’s explosive strength was so great; its bones must also be very hard.

Otherwise, it would fracture its own bones before even reaching its prey.

Liu Zheng picked up four bone clubs.

Now, even if he returned the knife, he still had a backup weapon.

He estimated the distance; it was about 300 meters from the entrance.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to fish once more right here.

Liu Zheng jumped back into the dirty river and then swallowed an attractant.

After waiting about ten minutes, there was still no sign of any fish taking the bait.

If this were in reality, he would definitely suspect it was just bad luck.

But now, having the "Never Fish in Vain" buff and the effect of the attractant,

if he still couldn’t catch any fish, that would mean there really were no fish in this part of the river.

Perhaps, try the other side of the river?

Liu Zheng lifted his head and looked toward the dark passageway ahead.

It likely connected to other sewer spaces and probably had other tributaries.

His heart wavered for a few seconds, and then he gave up.

The rat swarm might just be waiting for him in there now.

He certainly did not want to be like a turtle climbing into a jar on its own.

Since he decided not to explore a new path, Liu Zheng decided to walk another 500 meters ahead.

If there were still no fish after another 500 meters, then there really were none.

After all, he was almost out of the French Plane Tree street area.

He got up and walked along the riverbank.

After about 200 meters, he made a new discovery.

There were several black lumps on the ground.

Liu Zheng squatted down and poked around with the boning knife.

Upon close study, he concluded that these were likely the skins of roasted potatoes.

And they were overly charred.

Liu Zheng leaned closer and smelled a faint scent of pine.

He did not think there were pine trees in the sewer.

This meant that someone had brought these roasted potatoes down from above.

Who would bring roasted potatoes to eat in the sewer, as if they were on a spring outing?

Recalling what the French Plane Tree had said before, Liu Zheng’s expression changed.

Could it be that person?