CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53 - DIE!_1

Lu Yuan was uncontrollably flung backward.

His mind went blank for a moment.

A foul stench, carried on a putrid wind, assailed his right shoulder.

As if jolted by electricity, Lu Yuan snapped out of his stupor and instinctively twisted his head to dodge.

The next second—

"HISS—"

A ghastly, terrifying head abruptly appeared by his right shoulder, its lunge nearly grazing his cheek.

The noxious stench was so overpowering it almost made Lu Yuan gag.

He instinctively recoiled and fiercely punched the rat man in the jaw.

"THUD—"

A dull impact echoed.

Lu Yuan used the recoil from his punch to break free from the rat man’s grasp. He activated his Level 4 Basic Step Skill, executing several sliding steps to retreat to the wall.

The rat man, struck by his punch, staggered back a few steps, aggressively shaking its head.

"ROAR—"

A terrifying, inhuman growl rumbled from deep in its throat. A fierce light glinted in its eyes, and it sounded as if something had heavily thrashed against the wall behind it.

"BANG!"

A small crater blasted open in the cement wall.

The monstrous rat man transformed into a black shadow and shot towards Lu Yuan like lightning.

The rat man was too fast.

Lu Yuan, still holding his phone in one hand, barely had time to react before the shadow fiercely slammed into him, sending him tumbling into a pile of debris behind.

"ROAR—HISS—#%%..."

The rat man pressed its full weight down on Lu Yuan, its gaping maw incessantly uttering strange, guttural sounds.

Its long, fleshy tail thrashed wildly behind it, each slam against the ground echoing with a sharp crack.

Lu Yuan’s hands desperately gripped the rat man’s two front claws, his mind reeling from the shock.

The rat man’s strength was astounding.

His 12 points of Strength were surprisingly no match for it; he was pinned to the ground, almost unable to flip over.

"ROAR—"

In the darkness, Lu Yuan couldn’t clearly see the rat man’s current state, only hearing a low growl near his ear.

Then, it felt as if some slippery, warm liquid dripped onto him.

A wave of hot, fetid air, like steam from a ten-year-old sewer that had been brought to a boil, blasted Lu Yuan in the face.

The stench was so vile Lu Yuan wanted to retch, but his body wouldn’t move. He felt so awful he was about to explode.

"SQUEAK—"

A sound rapidly approached his ear.

RUSTLE, RUSTLE.

It was the sound of a giant rat scurrying closer.

Lu Yuan had no way to turn his head to look.

Because he could now see it clearly—

a massive mouth, split to its base, filled with jagged, interlocking fangs, and a black tongue that writhed and flicked like a viper’s...

It was aimed straight at his head.

Lowering, bit by bit.

Lu Yuan’s pupils contracted violently...

「...」

"Ugh, I really can’t make it!"

"Next time, okay? You guys have fun..."

On the roadside sidewalk, a fashionable, pretty young woman in her early twenties lowered her phone with a helpless expression.

She glanced at the time on her phone screen and couldn’t help muttering, Honestly, Mom. It’s not even eleven, and she’s already nagging me to come home.

Missing persons cases... Burnt Rock City has millions of people. What are the odds it’d be me?

Besides, the streetlights are on everywhere, and I’m not going into any dark alleys...

As she spoke, the girl instinctively glanced into an alley she happened to be passing.

Just as she was about to walk on by—

"CRASH—"

A sound from the alley startled her.

"What was that?" she whispered, eyes wide as she peered into the alley.

It was pitch black inside; she couldn’t see a thing.

But she sensed movement within, and faint, strange, heavy breathing sounds seemed to emanate from the darkness.

Curiosity compelled her.

She switched on her phone’s flashlight and slowly extended the device into the alley.

The beam, not particularly weak, gradually illuminated the scene within.

As the light reached a certain spot, the arm holding the phone suddenly froze.

The expression on her face solidified.

It was as if she had seen something utterly terrifying.

"THUMP!"

A dull, heavy impact suddenly erupted in the alley.

Accompanied by a beast-like howl of agony, a tailed black shadow shot past the girl like a cannonball, slamming into a trash can behind her with a loud THUD!

The girl shuddered violently.

It felt like an eternity, yet it was only a few short seconds.

"AHHH!!!"

Her piercing scream shattered the street’s silence.

「...」

The rat man, which had been crouching like a wild beast, jaws agape as if tearing into something, suddenly arched its back high.

It looked as if it had been struck square in the chest by a speeding truck.

With a BANG, it was sent flying.

It soared for over ten meters, out of the alley, tumbling to a stop only after crashing into a trash can at the alley’s entrance.

"SQUEAK—"

As the girl screamed at the alley entrance, the giant rat, which had been lying in wait, was spurred into a frenzy. It shrieked wildly and lunged towards the source of the explosive force.

Its eerie cry cut off abruptly the moment its form plunged forward.

A second later, the giant rat’s massive body was hoisted high by one arm.

Its head was clamped in the firm grip of five slender, pale fingers. Its plump body hung suspended, thrashing and twisting madly, yet it couldn’t break free in the slightest, only able to emit screeches of rage and frenzy.

"RUSTLE—"

Scattered debris and trash were flung aside as a figure rose from beneath them.

"PTUI!"

Lu Yuan spat fiercely, then expressionlessly wiped the filth from his face.

He glanced at the giant rat struggling in his one-handed grip.

A glint of savagery flashed in his eyes.

Veins bulged prominently on the arm gripping the giant rat.

With a sudden exertion of force, he slammed it against the nearby wall.

"SLAM!"

An indescribable force smashed the giant rat against the wall.

Several cracks spiderwebbed across the concrete.

The giant rat instantly went still.

Its plump body slid down the wall like a viscous liquid, revealing a distinct indentation.

Only after doing all this did Lu Yuan’s expression seem to lighten slightly.

However, when his gaze shifted to the alley entrance, where the rat man had already climbed to its feet and was glaring at him with a ferocious, venomous hatred...

The savage aura around Lu Yuan flared up again like a wildfire.

"Damn it!"

His handsome face twisted into a snarl.

Lu Yuan kicked aside the trash blocking his path and advanced step by step towards the rat man.

The rat man also seemed enraged.

It completely ignored the trembling girl, who had wet herself and lay limply on the ground.

Its eyes were fixed on Lu Yuan. With a low roar, it transformed into a streak of lightning and charged him.

Its long tail whipped behind it, producing a series of sharp cracks like firecrackers.

A fierce glint flashed in Lu Yuan’s eyes; his pupils momentarily dilated then contracted.

Level 3 Absolute Focus! Activate!

"SWOOSH!"

His perfectly executed whip kick sliced through the air like a massive axe.

It precisely intercepted the incoming black shadow in mid-air, then with a lateral press, slammed it viciously into the adjacent wall.

"BOOM!"

More than half of the rat man’s body was driven into the wall by Lu Yuan’s kick, deeply embedded.

Lu Yuan lunged forward, his muscular arm shooting out.

He seized the rat man’s neck and, with a powerful yank, wrenched it free from the wall.

Aiming at the ground beneath, he gathered his strength...

And slammed it down with all his might!

"You motherfucker... were you trying to kiss me earlier?!!"

"Die!"

"BOOM!"