dmims Chapter 620 Rats (1)
Chapter 620 Rats (1)
"Squeak!"
A small mouse with a golden tail poked its head out of Han Zu's pants pocket. Its round, black eyes, like obsidian dipped in oil, first warily scanned the silent corridor outside the recess, its small nose twitching rapidly, catching every unusual scent in the air. The tip of its fluffy, flame-like golden tail trembled slightly, not from fear, but from a hunter's alertness—just a second before Han Zu collapsed, it had smelled a scent deep in the pocket that sent shivers down its spine: a stench of humus mixed with the musty smell of old blood, and a hint of the pungent smell of metal corroded by strong acid.
The little mouse's front paws rested on the edge of the pocket, its pinkish-white paw pads turning white from the pressure. It moved its body carefully, trying not to touch Han Zu's stiff thighs. Its head was tilted slightly, its ears standing upright like two delicate ginkgo leaves, catching the faintest sounds coming from the end of the corridor—the "thump-thump" of heavy hooves on the stone slabs, each step carrying a force that made the ground tremble slightly, and the "rustling" sound of scales rubbing against the walls, like someone polishing stone with rough sandpaper.
It abruptly pulled its head back, its golden tail sweeping rapidly three times inside the pocket, like a miniature duster gathering the crumbs at the bottom. Then it curled into a fluffy little ball, leaving only its bright black eyes peeking out through the gaps in the pocket's edge. The pocket still carried the faint scent of Han Zu's sweat and the acrid smell of burning black and red flames. These two scents mixed together, unexpectedly forming a weak barrier that temporarily masked its own odor. The little mouse's pink nose twitched rapidly, confirming once again the chilling scent—a stench of humus mixed with the musty smell of old blood, with a hint of the pungent smell of metal corroded by strong acid. More importantly, it could detect an extreme fear in this scent, the fear of that beast. The little mouse knew that thing was coming—the monster that roamed the depths of Bastinburg. It had seen it once three months ago in the castle's armory, hiding in the gaps between piles of rusty armor, witnessing firsthand how this monster had torn apart a beast larger than itself. Even now, the memory of that scene made its golden tail tremble uncontrollably. It was a ferocious beast the size of a fully grown tiger, its entire body covered in dark purple scales, the edges of which gleamed with a cold metallic sheen. A viscous, dark green liquid seeped from the gaps, enough to corrode craters the size of fingernails on the ground. Its head resembled an enlarged coyote, but it had three eyes that shimmered with an eerie green light, their pupils narrow vertical slits. A constant trickle of clear saliva hung from the corners of its mouth, and undigested fragments of animal bone were embedded in its exposed fangs. Most terrifying of all was its intelligence. It never chased blindly; it would follow its prey like a ghost for hours, only launching a fatal attack when its opponent showed signs of fatigue or relaxation. The most striking characteristic of this monster is its instinctive fear of powerful energy. The little mouse once saw it in front of a floating blue energy body, and even though the object was not aggressive, it was so frightened that it curled up in a corner and trembled all over.
"Tap...tap...tap..."
The footsteps grew closer, and the little mouse shrank even more, deliberately slowing its breathing to a mere twitch of its nostrils. It saw a huge shadow cast on the ground outside the recess, its outline shifting with each step, three eerie green eyes flickering like will-o'-the-wisps in the darkness. The monster stopped not far from the entrance of the recess, its massive head lowered slightly, as if sniffing something. The little mouse's heart pounded, its golden tail pressed tightly against its body, afraid that even the slightest movement would bring about its demise.
Suddenly, the monster let out a low whimper, its voice like that of a wild dog being choked, filled with ferocity and barely concealed fear. Its nostrils twitched violently, and its three pairs of green eyes reflected the lingering glow of the flames emanating from Han Zu—a power that sent shivers down its spine. The little mouse could clearly see its front paws unconsciously scratching at the ground, leaving shallow marks—a typical animal reaction to fear. Its head turned towards the entrance of the recess, its three green eyes fixed on the rock fragments used for concealment. Its massive paws rose, but stopped half a meter away from the fragments, trembling slightly, clearly wary of the potential energy source behind them. The little mouse's eyes widened, its front paws gripping the inside of the pocket tightly, its claws leaving tiny scratches on the fabric. Even its fluffy golden tail was taut like a stretched-out string, as if afraid the slightest movement would shatter its fragile balance. It knew that the other party hesitated because the flame energy released by Han Zu before he fell into a coma still lingered in the air, but this fear was being offset by hunger and greed—such fresh "food" was rarely seen in the castle, and the faint breathing sound coming from behind the groove made it judge that the creature inside was in a weakened state.
The monster's claws hovered in mid-air, paused for a full five seconds. The little mouse could clearly see the sharp nails on its claws, their matte, cold sheen stained with dark red blood and a few strands of gray fur. Just as the little mouse thought the monster would overcome its fear and smash the rock, it suddenly retracted its claws, took two steps back, and turned its head warily towards the other end of the corridor, as if it had heard something—in reality, it was just the sound of a drop of water dripping from the ceiling, but in this extremely tense atmosphere, it became the final straw that broke its fear. It let out another low growl, this time filled with deep resentment and fear, then turned and its huge figure quickly disappeared into the darkness, its footsteps hurried and chaotic, completely lacking the composure it had displayed upon arrival.
The little mouse finally breathed a sigh of relief, its body trembling slightly uncontrollably. Its golden tail swayed rapidly like a stalk of wheat in the wind, trying to calm its inner turmoil. It slowly poked its head out, quickly scanning the corridor left and right before cautiously sticking half its body out of the pocket. Its front paws rested on Han Zu's trouser leg, the pinkish-white paw pads tinged with a faint pink from the previous exertion. It lightly jumped onto Han Zu's chest, its little paws gently patting his clothes, as if checking the ground's firmness. Its round eyes stared at Han Zu's tightly closed eyes, occasionally touching his chin with its nose, sensing the rise and fall of his breath. After confirming that Han Zu was only unconscious, it jumped to the entrance of the crevice, using its front paws to pry at the rock fragments. It dragged a sharp-edged piece of rock to the most conspicuous spot in the crevice, then stuffed several smaller pieces into the crevice, sealing the entrance even more tightly, as if setting up a more concealed barrier for Han Zu. After doing all that, it ran around the entrance of the groove, using its body to brush the dust from the ground to the edge of the gravel, making the gravel blend better with the surrounding environment. Then, it picked up a small piece of dry grass, returned to Han Zu's chest, and placed the grass next to his neck, as if covering him with a thin blanket.
Having done all this, the little mouse curled up against Han Zu's neck, where it could feel his steady heartbeat and clearly observe the movements at the entrance of the recess. It yawned slightly, revealing two pink front teeth, but its round eyes remained highly alert, glancing towards the entrance every ten seconds. Its ears, like two sensitive radars, twitched occasionally, picking up the surrounding sounds—the sound of gravel rolling down the corridor in the distance, the crawling of an unknown creature in the walls, and the pounding of its own heart. It knew that the monster wouldn't leave this area easily and was likely lurking in the shadows around the corner of the corridor, watching the movements here with its three green eyes. Han Zu, the human who had just released powerful fire energy, was at his most vulnerable. Although the remaining energy could temporarily intimidate the monster, once the energy dissipated, they would both become its prey. The little mouse licked its front paws and then used them to groom the fur on its cheeks, a habitual action when it was nervous; grooming its fur helped calm its emotions slightly. After grooming its fur, it nuzzled Han Zu's skin with its nose, feeling the warmth of his body, and silently prayed that this "sanctuary" would awaken soon.
After an unknown amount of time, Han Zu's fingers suddenly twitched slightly. The little mouse immediately opened its eyes, its body tensing instantly, its golden tail pressed tightly against its sides, its head slightly raised, watching Han Zu's face warily. Han Zu frowned, a low groan escaping his throat, as if he were having a nightmare, his chest heaving rapidly. It could feel Han Zu's body temperature slowly rising, the previous icy touch fading. Han Zu slowly opened his eyes, his vision somewhat blurry. He first looked blankly at the ceiling, then shifted his gaze to his surroundings. His head was still buzzing; the dazed feeling had lessened somewhat, but it still made him dizzy. He struggled to sit up, and as his arm braced itself on the ground, he accidentally bumped into the little mouse on his chest. The little mouse nimbly jumped aside, hiding under his armpit, where the shadow offered better concealment. Han Zu didn't notice anything amiss. His hand slipped, and he lost his balance, falling heavily to the ground. His head hit a piece of gravel, making a dull thud.
"grass.."
Han Zu cursed under his breath, his voice hoarse. He braced himself against the ground, this time holding on firmly, and slowly sat up, leaning against the cold stone wall. The little mouse shifted slightly under his armpit, finding a more comfortable spot to hide itself. Han Zu looked around and found himself still in the recess. The rock fragments at the entrance were still there, only now they seemed more solid than before he lost consciousness, with fresh dust clinging to the edges.
"Could it be that I did this myself before I passed out?"
Han Zu muttered to himself, but didn't think much of it, assuming it was just an instinctive reaction when his consciousness was hazy. He rubbed his throbbing temples, trying to clear his mind. Although the energy within his body was still somewhat disordered, he could clearly feel a warm current slowly repairing his fatigue, and the discomfort of the heat mixed with a chill was rapidly diminishing. He clenched his fist, feeling his strength gradually returning, even more abundant than before he fainted. This surprised him somewhat, but he didn't pay much attention, simply considering it a stress response from his body to the previous energy surge.
As Han Zu sat up, the little mouse swiftly crawled out from under his armpit and moved rapidly along his side, its movements as light as a falling feather. It was so light, and seemed to possess some unknown power, allowing it to remain undetected by Han Zu. Its paws made no sound as they touched Han Zu's hard skin. When it reached Han Zu's shoulder, it paused deliberately, touching his earlobe with its nose to confirm he wasn't aware, before sliding down his arm into his pocket. Once inside, it didn't immediately curl up. Instead, it used its front paws to tug at the fabric inside, creating a small dent, before squeezing in. Only its eyes peeked through the gap, observing Han Zu's every move while vigilantly watching for any movement outside. It knew Han Zu would soon leave, and it had to stay close to him. Only this human, who had just unleashed a powerful firestorm, could subdue the fearful yet greedy monster. It also deliberately sticks its golden tail out a little bit at the edge of the pocket, so that it can quickly sense changes in the airflow outside without revealing its location.
Han Zu rested for about ten minutes, feeling the buzzing in his head subside and his internal energy stabilize considerably. The previous groggy feeling had largely disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented sense of lightness. He stood up, dusted himself off, and his bones crackled softly—a sign that his body was fully relaxed. He glanced at the entrance to the recess, took a deep breath, and bent down to move the rock fragments. As he moved them, he noticed that the fragments were arranged systematically, not randomly, but he didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a coincidence. He carefully walked out, his steps steady, no longer as unsteady as before. The corridor remained silent. The fluorescent moss on the walls emitted a faint blue-green glow, casting an eerie light on the surroundings. Small claw marks could be seen on the ground, indicating that a small creature had passed by earlier.