29: Rat King

The deafening gunshots gradually thinned out, replaced by the "click" of rifle bolts locking back on empty chambers and the soldiers' stifled gasps as they reported with a hint of despair:

"Sir! I'm out of ammo!"

"Me too!"

"The magazine is empty!"

The standard 90-round reserve for Conscripts was a mere drop in the bucket against such a frantic, never-ending surge of rats that resembled a black tide. To suppress the rat tide, the automatic rifles had to maintain a high rate of fire for a long time, consuming ammunition at an alarming rate.

Even for the elite Red Alert Soldiers, precise semi-automatic fire was impossible in the face of such a dense and fearless charge; suppressive fire was the only option.

"Prepare to throw grenades! Toss every grenade we have!" Zhang Long's voice boomed like thunder in the smoke-filled hall, which was choked with the shrieks of rats and the stench of decay.

Without a moment's hesitation, the soldiers pulled the safety pins and hurled oval-shaped grenades deep into the heart of the surging rat tide!

"Boom! Boom! Rumble—!"

A series of deafening explosions bloomed within the rat swarm. Fire and shockwaves instantly cleared a large area, sending severed limbs and charred organs flying everywhere. The violent explosions not only temporarily checked the rat tide but also caused an invisible aura to suddenly surge from many of the Conscripts on the front line who were under immense pressure—they had been promoted! Their "star" rank, representing experience and ability, had increased! Better yet, with the level-up, their exhausted ammunition was instantly replenished!

"Soldiers out of ammo, fall back! Riot Troopers! Move up!" Zhang Long seized this brief opening to quickly adjust the defensive line.

Over a dozen heavy infantrymen, clad in reinforced protective suits and wielding thick riot shields, immediately charged from the flanks. Like a steel dam, they slammed into the stray Mutated Rats that had broken through the wall of fire. The thud of heavy shields striking and the muffled sound of combat knives piercing flesh rose and fell. They formed a defensive line with their sturdy shields to block the bites, while their specialized knives precisely and ruthlessly pierced the heads of the large rats lunging at them. Supported by shields and blades, the defensive line temporarily stabilized.

However, the number of rats seemed endless, and the area just cleared by the explosions was filled by a new black wave in the blink of an eye. The pressure on the Riot Troopers intensified, and their arms went numb from the continuous impacts against their shields. The soldiers gritted their teeth, sweat mixed with blood dripping from their brows as they struggled to hold on.

At that critical moment!

"Boom—!!!"

A roar ten times, even a hundred times more terrifying than a grenade explosion erupted from outside the Government Building like the wrath of a god! The entire ground shook violently! Everyone looked out in horror to see a massive fireball rising from the street not far from the building, with a visible shockwave spreading out! At the center of the explosion, hundreds of Mutated Rats didn't even have time to scream before being instantly torn apart and vaporized, leaving only a scorched crater and a radial spray of smoking shredded meat on the ground!

"It's a tank!" a soldier shouted in pleasant surprise.

Amidst the earth-shattering gunfire, Zhang Lei, whose vision far exceeded that of ordinary people, fixed his sharp, eagle-like gaze through the smoke and rats, locking onto an unusual figure at the rear of the tide! It was a giant rat, ten times the size of a pre-apocalyptic rat! Its fur had a strange dark-gold hue, standing out like a crane among chickens in the chaotic swarm. Its crimson eyes flickered with a cold and cunning light, and it continuously emitted sharp, rapid squeaks, seemingly commanding the rat tide's assault!

"Brother Jiang! Behind the swarm! Coordinates XXX, XXX! There's a Golden-furred Giant Rat! It's likely the Rat King! Have the tank blast it!" Zhang Lei immediately contacted Jiang Xin, his words coming out like rapid-fire, his voice tinged with the urgency of discovering a key target.

"Understood! rhino! Target coordinates XXX, XXX! One High-explosive shell! Fire immediately!" Jiang Xin's command was crisp and decisive.

In the distance, the turret of that rhino tank, resembling a mobile fortress, turned slightly, and its thick 125mm smoothbore barrel suddenly spat out fierce flames and thick smoke!

"Boom—!!!"

Another earth-shaking roar! The shell, carrying a whistle of death, accurately slammed into the position Zhang Lei had indicated!

Flames soared into the sky! The earth groaned!

Before the absolute destructive power of the 125mm high-explosive shell, the golden-furred Rat King, which had looked so majestic just moments ago, along with the swarm within a dozens-of-meters radius, was instantly torn into its most primitive molecular state by the violent energy! Not a single trace of remains was left; it was completely evaporated from the face of the earth!

Almost at the moment the Rat King was eliminated, a system notification that only Jiang Xin could hear sounded in his mind: "Congratulations, Commander, for slaying a Tier 1 Mutated Rat King, you have received 1 hero badge!"

Inside and outside the hall, the rat tide that had been charging frantically and fearlessly seemed to have been hit by a pause button. Then, like a disorganized rabble that had lost its backbone and Commander, its offensive momentum suddenly collapsed. The piercing shrieks turned into chaotic squeaks, and the black tide began to retreat in disarray, scrambling back into the sewer openings they had burst through. In the blink of an eye, they vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a mess of rat carcasses and a thick, inescapable stench of blood.

Watching the nightmare-like black tide recede, everyone, including Zhang Long, let out a long sigh of relief as if they had just survived a catastrophe, their backs already drenched in cold sweat. Those few minutes just now felt like a walk along the edge of hell.

"Everyone! Rest and reorganize for five minutes! Check your gear and treat your wounds! Then board the vehicles immediately! We're evacuating the Government Building!" Zhang Long's command rang out again, firm and unquestionable... After several hours of tense but orderly relocation, Jiang Xin's heart finally settled back into his chest when the last armored personnel carrier drove through the heavy gates of Yongjiang Ancient City. Looking at the fortress before him, which exuded an aura of cold metallic luster interwoven with ancient desolation under the sunset's glow, a strong sense of lingering fear welled up in him. Today's Mutated Rat tide was so large and sudden that it far exceeded his estimates. It had almost caused him heavy losses and could have even shaken his very foundation!