Chapter Fifty-Four: The Rampaging Demon Rat

Some people were still occupied with printing materials, but Baisheng Supermarket could last at least another week. Now that both the Flame Finch and Fire Heron had left, the most troublesome mutated beasts were gone; there was no need to worry about the remaining berserk demon rats and savage demon hounds.

After several hours of calm, a new swarm of demon rats finally began to stir outside. Bai Chen and Fang Na came along, Chen Ming brought Zack, and Zhu Liang arrived with the stranded student squad.

“How do we fight?” Zack asked dismissively. Mutated beasts of this level weren’t even enough to fill the gap between his teeth.

“You’ll go north with Chen Ming. Zhu Liang, take your unit south. I’ll hold the east. Fang Na, you and Bai Chen take the west. Listen carefully: if you encounter any real danger, do not try to hold your ground—run to me or Zack immediately. The rest of you, hide and don’t make a move. Firearms can’t pierce mutated beast hides; shooting them will only enrage them and draw their hatred, understand?” Yang Fan shouted to the assembled group, which included Zhu Liang’s squad and members of the Tiger Gang.

The Tiger Gang, eager to avoid risking their lives against mutated beasts, all agreed at once. Yang Fan had made solid arrangements in a short time. Zack was a second-tier Silver Knight, his power about half of his original form, but still more than enough to handle first-tier, level 7 to 10 berserk demon rats and savage demon hounds.

Zhu Liang was with the small team. With his leadership skills, nothing should go awry. After all, he had two fellow apocalypse system inheritors with him. Yang Fan had also given Zhu Liang level 4, 5, and 6 attribute potions for safety, and Zhu Liang wielded a silver-grade weapon—more than enough to slice through mutated beast hide.

Yang Fan positioned himself in the east, Zack in the north, so anyone in danger could run towards either of them. The plan was solid—now it was time to see how well the team could cooperate.

Drawing the Thunder Edge Blade, Yang Fan walked alone toward the east gate. He wore a long coat, his divine cloak set to a regal violet. About five foot nine, with strikingly handsome features, he looked like a protagonist from an anime, especially with the aura of strength that radiated from him—an aura belonging only to the truly powerful.

The door creaked open. A strong wind blasted in as Yang Fan stepped outside, snowflakes swirling around him. He had the door latched behind him and gazed ahead. The ground was blanketed in white, icy gusts howling, and a few corpses lay in the distance.

A shadowy mass far off gave a faint, chilling snarl.

[Berserk Demon Rat]

Health: 300/300.
Mana: 50/50.
Attack: 45–75.
Defense: 18.
Overall Ability: 6–12 times that of an ordinary human.
Skill: Berserk—All attributes increase by 10–20%
Description: A terrifying mutated beast, extremely fast, the largest rivaling the size of a truck. Highly reproductive and regenerative, they swarm in packs. Without overwhelming strength, avoid provoking them.

This information came from the Eye of the Undead. The individual stats were more than double Zhu Liang’s, but… Yang Fan saw them as no threat at all.

Three berserk demon rats, abandoning the corpses, charged straight for him. They preferred live human prey, turning to corpses only when desperate. Yang Fan gripped the Thunder Edge Blade, eyes fixed forward.

The demon rats, each the size of a small car, thundered across the ground. Their fur was jet-black, matted with blood in places; their sharp fangs exuded a chilling menace, eyes bloodshot with madness.

They were fast—almost upon him in the blink of an eye. The foremost rat lunged, aiming to crush him and swallow him whole. Yang Fan moved like lightning, blade flashing. In an instant, he sliced a chunk of flesh from the demon rat—blood spraying out, drenching him.

The rat screamed, writhing in agony, but Yang Fan spun, leaping in a graceful arc, and drove the Thunder Edge Blade from skull to tail through the creature’s head.

A deafening crash sounded—the first berserk demon rat was slain.

“Gained 50 experience…” The system’s voice echoed in his mind; the beast’s life was well and truly ended.

“I didn’t expect a single demon rat to give fifty experience points,” Yang Fan mused in surprise. That meant he was just over a thousand points from leveling up—two or three dozen rats would do it. He realized, though, that his own experience requirement was five times that of an ordinary person. The stronger he grew, the more it took to advance.

The other two demon rats, seeing their companion felled in a single stroke, hesitated, fear flickering in their eyes and movements. But just then, a whole pack of berserk demon rats appeared. Yang Fan wasted no time—his overwhelming strength did not make him underestimate these lesser foes.

The Thunder Edge Blade flashed, white arcs slicing through the air, and another rat was cleaved open. Blood splattered, steaming on the frozen ground. Another fifty experience points. Yang Fan, shrouded in hardened energy, closed on a rat trying to flee and smashed its skull with a mighty fist—bone shattering, hide and skull crushed to pulp by his lethal force.

On the second and third floors, those watching sucked in sharp breaths. Yang Fan’s power was overwhelming. To them, the demon rats’ speed seemed ghostly, yet Yang Fan dispatched them in bursts of blinding, decisive action—a true demonstration of swift, ruthless combat.

Now, seven or eight more demon rats rushed in. Seeing their fallen kin, they paused. They weren’t mindless; just less intelligent than humans. Among them lurked one noticeably larger than the rest—an elite-grade demon rat!

Back in his previous life, facing an elite demon rat meant turning and running. But now… the benefits of his save point were beyond measure.

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