CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46: GIANT RAT_1

"This is good enough."

Upon leaving the club, Lu Yuan had Lin Zhiquin stop the car two blocks from his home.

Today had ended early; it was just past nine o’clock. Lu Yuan planned to walk the rest of the way home at a leisurely pace.

"Okay."

After Lu Yuan got out, Lin Zhiquin leaned out of the car window to speak to him.

"There’s another match in two days, around the same time. Will you be available?"

Two days... Lu Yuan considered. That seems to coincide with my final exams. However, since the boxing matches are at night, it shouldn’t be a problem.

So, he nodded and said, "That’s fine, Coach. You can arrange it."

"Alright. Be careful on your way home."

With that, Lin Zhiquin started the car and quickly drove off.

Watching Lin Zhiquin’s car disappear down the street, Lu Yuan turned and began to walk slowly toward his home.

Feeling the envelope of money in his pocket, Lu Yuan quickly opened his profession panel.

A series of notifications immediately popped up.

[Your Advanced Fist Skills have improved, Experience Points +5]

[Your Advanced Leg Skill has improved, Experience Points +7]

...

[You have experienced a battle, Professional Experience +56]

[Congratulations, your [Fighter] Profession level has increased!]

His Experience Points for Advanced Fist Skills had a minor fluctuation, Advanced Leg Skill Experience Points increased by over thirty, and his Professional Experience rose by fifty-six.

The gains weren’t substantial.

However, considering Lu Yuan’s current increase in strength and higher Profession level, the difficulty of obtaining Experience Points had also risen.

This amount of Experience Points wasn’t considered small anymore.

Moreover, fifty-six points of Professional Experience were enough for his [Fighter] level to rise again.

Level 5 [Fighter].

He had officially surpassed his first profession, [Student].

He received an additional 1 Attribute Point and 1 Skill Point as a reward.

I can finally unlock the second Core Skill of [Student]!

Lu Yuan stared at the gray dot on his [Student] profession panel. It had been flashing for nearly half a month but still hadn’t lit up. A surge of urgency and excitement welled up inside him.

The thought of unlocking it once he got home made his footsteps unconsciously quicken.

He rapidly crossed a street.

There weren’t many people on the street at this hour, but it was much better than that previous rainy night.

Before he knew it, Lu Yuan found himself at the entrance of that same old alley.

Lu Yuan instinctively scanned his surroundings.

He quickly located the newly installed surveillance camera. It looked like it had been installed after the kidnapping case.

Lu Yuan slowly walked past the mouth of the alley and habitually glanced inside.

The instant he glanced inside, a dark shadow seemed to flit past his eyes.

WHOOSH!

Lu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.

He stopped in his tracks.

"What the hell was that?!"

Lu Yuan was sure he hadn’t been mistaken.

Now that his Constitution had reached 11 points, his eyesight was far superior to that of an average person. A dozen or so days of practical combat training had also made his senses incredibly sharp.

Something had definitely flickered past his vision just now.

Lu Yuan stood rooted to the spot, peering into the alley.

It seemed that since the kidnapping incident, the last few remaining residents of this old, dilapidated urban village area had also moved out.

There were no streetlights in the alley; it was utterly pitch-black.

Compared to the brightly lit street where Lu Yuan stood, the alley looked like another world.

Suddenly, Lu Yuan caught a whiff of a foul smell.

It was like the overpowering stench of a backed-up sewer in summer, assaulting his nostrils.

He frowned and instinctively covered his nose.

Just then, a rustling sound emerged from the darkness.

Lu Yuan tensed up. He wanted to turn and flee, but an inexplicable curiosity compelled him to linger for just one more second, then another...

However, the next second.

Two oily green points of light suddenly pierced the fetid darkness.

The lights flickered rapidly, and then something lunged at Lu Yuan.

"Shit!"

Lu Yuan instinctively sidestepped, dodging.

His 11 Agility points allowed him to narrowly evade the thing that pounced out of the alley.

Having missed its target, the creature was fully exposed under the bright streetlight.

Only then did Lu Yuan get a clear look.

It was a gigantic rat, easily over a meter long!

"Damn!"

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but swear for the second time.

But anyone in his shoes would have reacted the same way.

This was because the rat before him was simply monstrous.

It was more robust than the fattest house cat, its pitch-black fur gleaming like satin under the streetlight. Its long tail, like a whip, thrashed on the ground as it bared its fangs at Lu Yuan.

He could smell the distinct stench of old sewers emanating from it.

This rat was not just large; it was extraordinarily fierce.

Its pair of oily green eyes stared intently at Lu Yuan, its face a mask of savage ferocity, like that of a wild beast.

Lu Yuan’s body tensed, his gaze locked onto it as well, bracing for its next attack.

HONK! HONK!

At that moment, the sound of a car horn blared from nearby.

The headlights of a rapidly approaching car suddenly sliced through the tense standoff between man and beast.

Lu Yuan shifted a few steps toward the rear of the passing car.

As the car sped by, he saw the giant rat dart into a dark alley beside a residential building across the street.

It ran away?

Lu Yuan wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

He glanced back at the alley from which the giant rat had emerged.

The foul stench had lessened considerably, and the oppressive darkness of the alley no longer seemed so menacing.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then took out his phone and called the police.

"...Yes, right here at the intersection of XX Street."

"A huge, a really huge rat... I’m not kidding!"

"There’s a surveillance camera here; you can check the footage yourselves..."

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP...

Lu Yuan hung up, unsure if the police would dispatch anyone. Judging by the operator’s tone, they seemed to think he was pulling their leg.

It was mainly because his claim was so outlandish—who had ever heard of such a massive rat?

Even if they dispatch officers, they might not be able to catch that beast. At this time of night, if it dives into some sewer, not even a God could find it...

Then again, not necessarily!

This world has Mechas, after all.

Lu Yuan pondered this as he walked toward home.

When he reached his family’s small shop and saw the sign "Xinghua Food Store," Lu Yuan suddenly froze.

Good heavens!

My family runs a grain and oil shop! Isn’t that a prime target for rats?!

His mother, Zheng Qiuling, was swatting mosquitoes on her legs with a fan. He hurried over and told her to prepare more rat traps and glue boards.

However, Zheng Qiuling dismissed his concerns.

"I’ve been in the grain and oil business for decades. You think I need you to teach me this? Go on, go on, hurry upstairs and do your homework!"

Well, that was a wasted effort.

Lu Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to tell Zheng Qiuling about the giant rat he’d encountered. But afraid he’d scare her, he reluctantly kept quiet and went upstairs.

「Two days later.」

Lu Yuan paid close attention to any news about the giant rat.

His call that night had indeed brought the police to the scene. After reviewing the surveillance footage, the police were reportedly quite startled.

However, since they couldn’t find any trace of the giant rat, there wasn’t much the police could do. They simply reiterated the importance of rodent prevention measures to the local neighborhood committee. They had the committee print flyers for distribution in the nearby residential areas, advising residents to notify them immediately if the rat was sighted again.

The incident caused a stir in the surrounding neighborhoods for a time, but apart from Lu Yuan, no one else reported seeing the giant rat.

So, the matter quickly died down.

TICK-TOCK. TICK-TOCK.

In the Fourth Middle School examination hall, during finals.

Lu Yuan glanced up at the clock hanging above the blackboard, gave his exam paper one last check, then rose from his seat.

The proctor at the front of the hall frowned and called out to him, "This student, you are not allowed to go to the restroom within the first half hour of the exam!"

Every student in the hall looked up at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan, however, replied calmly, "I’m not going to the restroom, Teacher."

"I’m turning in my paper."