Chapter Thirty-Six: A Bountiful Harvest in the Mouse Hole

Soon, the little fox darted through the swarm of rats, cleaving a bloody path straight through their midst. Along the way, five rats fell victim to Li Yunfei’s scythe: one giant rat and four mature ones. The first giant rat had a long gash torn from its neck to its shoulder and back, while the other four were all disemboweled. Paralyzed, they stood frozen in place, unable to move, as blood and entrails spilled from their bodies. The paralytic jaws of the antlion not only delivered a potent effect but also lasted quite some time; the afflicted rats remained rigid for seven or eight seconds before collapsing, never to rise again.

After breaking free from the swarm, the little fox didn’t stop immediately but ran on for several dozen yards before coming to a halt. She turned around and charged back at the rats who had wheeled about in pursuit. In this way, Li Yunfei rode the little fox back and forth through the horde like cavalry storming a formation, harvesting the rats one by one. Thanks to the paralysis, the rats died silently, not even managing a single scream as they perished. The other rats, with their celestial rice crackers in tow, retreated into their burrows, offering no support.

Before long, all twenty-some rats lay strewn across the ground, a thick stench of blood spreading through the air. This was the first time since Li Yunfei had begun clearing dungeons that he had smelled the scent of blood. Ants and ground ox-beetles were insects; their fluids were not truly blood, just some form of bodily liquid. Insect ichor came in many scents, but never blood. Rats, being mammals, naturally possessed the blood of their kind.

After a moment spent acclimating to the coppery smell, Li Yunfei began to scour the battlefield. The level 11 dungeon was only one level below his own, so the drop rate was decent. Almost every mature rat dropped a five-yuan bill and a few coins, and the giant rats dropped ten-yuan notes. Still, the money from these drops was nothing compared to the profits from selling equipment.

Rat monsters didn’t drop clothing or armor, as their defense was poor to begin with. Their primary loot was weaponry, of two types: “Rat Claw Blades” and “Rat Tail Whips.” The only item that could be called defensive gear was the “Rat Fang Shield.”

The Rat Claw Blade resembled the claw weapons of ancient warfare. It had a ring at the end, through which the forearm slid and locked in place, while the hand gripped a crosswise handle, fixing the blade securely to the arm. The claws extended from the back of the hand, not unlike Wolverine’s claws, about sixteen inches in length. Unlike the usual three-bladed claws, the Rat Claw Blade had four, matching the rat’s four fingers.

The Rat Tail Whip was a long, flexible weapon about six feet in length, notable mainly for being tougher and more resilient than ordinary leather whips. As for the Rat Fang Shield, its name said it all: it was fashioned after a rat’s large incisor. Grayish-white, about a meter long, forty centimeters wide, and an inch thick, the shield was slightly curved inward, a shape that helped deflect force and slide away enemy attacks. This bone shield was exceedingly tough, far surpassing the ant carapace in defense. Li Yunfei tested it with the Corrosive Ant Leg Blade, but couldn’t cut through. With its level of protection, ordinary rifle bullets would not penetrate, except perhaps for armor-piercing rounds.

From twenty mature rats, Li Yunfei obtained two Rat Claw Blades, one Rat Tail Whip, and one Rat Fang Shield. Of the three giant rats, only one dropped equipment: another Rat Fang Shield, but this one came with the prefix “Reinforced,” boasting even stronger defense.

Apart from equipment, there were, of course, medicines. The “Giant Rat Powder” restored vitality, treated malnutrition, detoxified wounds, and healed burns, external injuries, frostbite, and bruises. More practical than the Autumn Ant Powder or Antlion Powder, the Giant Rat Powder leaned more toward wound healing. In game terms, Autumn Ant and Antlion Powders were support items, while Giant Rat Powder was essentially a healing potion. Li Yunfei acquired ten packets in all.

After cleaning up, Li Yunfei took the little fox aside to rest, waiting until he judged the time was right before riding her toward the rat burrow. Entering the hole, the light dimmed but was still sufficient to see by. The little fox moved silently, maintaining the utmost vigilance.

The rat burrow was far more intricate than the ant nest. The tunnels branched in all directions, clearly layered and uniquely structured, a marvel of engineering. As the saying goes, “Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and rats’ children are born to burrow.” This “born to” referred not just to rats’ innate ability to dig, but also to their mastery of the craft. Rat burrowing was never haphazard; beyond creating passageways, they also constructed functional chambers for storage, breeding and raising young, and rest—much like human houses with storerooms, bedrooms, and nurseries.

Moreover, the entrances to each chamber were at noticeably different elevations. This layout created pressure differentials between openings, promoting airflow throughout the burrow. As with ant nests, drainage was an essential feature. The chief difference between rat and ant tunnels was that, while ant nests had many branching paths, each trail led to a dead end and did not interconnect. The rat burrow, however, was a labyrinth, with tunnels joining chambers and multiple branches throughout.

Not far into the burrow, Li Yunfei encountered more rat monsters. But seeing their current state, he couldn’t help but laugh. The rats within the burrow were either sprawled out snoring or staggering about in a daze. Li Yunfei barely had to exert himself; whenever he came upon a sleeping rat, there was no need for tactics—he’d simply hook its neck with his scythe and finish the job.

In this way, Li Yunfei, riding his little fox, reaped the rats with ease, delving deeper and deeper, collecting equipment, medicines, and money as if picking them off the ground. After dispatching over thirty rats, he smoothly leveled up to 13, further enhancing his attributes and cultivation. By the time he had explored the entire burrow, the little fox had also reached level 13.

In total, he obtained twelve Rat Claw Blades, nine Rat Tail Whips, and five Rat Fang Shields—plus three Reinforced Rat Claw Blades, one Reinforced Rat Tail Whip, and two Reinforced Rat Fang Shields. Twenty-five packets of Giant Rat Powder and several hundred yuan rounded out his spoils. It was a tidy little fortune.

Though this rat burrow dungeon didn’t yield powerful defensive gear, its loot rate was higher than the ant nest or ground ox-beetle lair, a fair trade-off. Selling the standard equipment netted Li Yunfei a total of 76,800 yuan, pushing his system account balance past 300,000 yuan, totaling 313,653.80.

He slaughtered every rat in the burrow—even the hairless pups were not spared. Without the adults, they wouldn’t survive anyway; better to let them all go together. After nearly two hours exploring the rat warren, Li Yunfei finally arrived outside the Rat King’s chamber.