After communicating with his two beasts through their mental link, Zhao Yin quickly ducked into the bushes.

The two beasts sprang into action immediately, entering from two different directions.

Bang bang bang!

Soon, another dozen or so rats were knocked unconscious by Zhao Yin.

Just then-

Squeak squeak...

A rat's cry rang out. Before Zhao Yin could react, his vision went black and his entire body was sent flying.

He tumbled out of the bushes, dizzy and disoriented, a dull ache spreading through his chest as if he'd been hit by a train.

The bushes shook violently. Then a giant rat the size of a calf stepped out.

All the previous rats had been gray-furred, but this one was pitch-black and glossy. Not a single drop of rain clung to its body.

Its blood-red eyes locked onto Zhao Yin, filled with bloodlust and cruelty.

The giant rat squeaked, revealing two fangs over ten cun long. Saliva dripped from them.

This alone wasn't enough to panic Zhao Yin. But then his expression changed completely.

The bushes shook even more violently. Another identical black giant rat emerged. Then a second. A third. A fourth...

Twelve black giant rats came out in succession!

[Rat: Rank E, Strength 36, Agility 44, Stamina 27, Spirit 9. Mutated after infection by the zombie virus.]

[Rat: Rank E, Strength 39, Agility 43, Stamina 31, Spirit 8. Mutated after infection by the zombie virus.]

[Rat...]

All twelve were E-rank Pseudo-Mutant Beasts!

The giant rat that had knocked Zhao Yin over had an Agility of 44. Even Old Bull couldn't match their speed.

"Monkey, Old Bull, come save me!"

Without a second thought, Zhao Yin mentally called for his protectors.

Boom!

Old Bull was closer. He burst out of the bushes first, slamming into a giant rat near Zhao Yin and knocking it over.

His horn tore a large hole in the giant rat's belly.

But as an E-rank Pseudo-Mutant Beast, the rat didn't retreat after being injured. Instead, its ferocity was provoked. It bit down on Old Bull's front hoof.

Unfortunately for it, Old Bull had already activated his Iron Armor ability. The rat's teeth scraped against the scales, sparking, but failed to break the skin.

With the strength boost from his Great Strength ability, Old Bull flicked his hoof. The injured giant rat went flying, losing a fang from the impact.

Squeak squeak squeak...

All the giant rats were enraged. They surrounded Old Bull instantly.

Their intelligence seemed nearly human. They had all seen Old Bull's Iron Armor ability earlier, so none attacked recklessly. Instead, they circled him, using their speed to dodge his attacks while searching for weak points.

Old Bull charged back and forth but couldn't touch a single rat hair. He panted heavily in frustration.

Rip!

One giant rat took advantage of Old Bull's momentary distraction and swiped its claws at his single eye. Old Bull closed his eye instantly. The scales on his eyelid blocked the claws, producing sparks.

The giant rat struck and retreated. By the time Old Bull charged in anger, it had already circled behind him.

Then another giant rat seized the opportunity. It clawed at the area under Old Bull's tail-his rear!

With only one eye, Old Bull's perception was significantly impaired. He was completely unaware, still charging at another giant rat.

"Old Bull, watch out!" Zhao Yin sent a mental warning while leaping forward.

Everything happened in a flash. Zhao Yin was still too late.

Blood splattered. Old Bull's rear was drenched in an instant. Zhao Yin felt his heart clench. Without time to mourn, he gritted his teeth against the dull pain in his chest and swung his Mountain-Cleaving Machete down.

Crack!

The claw reaching for Old Bull's rear-damn it, it was going for a second strike-was severed by Zhao Yin's blade!

Then Zhao Yin himself was surrounded by the rat swarm.

He could only swing his Mountain-Cleaving Machete in a whirlwind, creating an impenetrable barrier.

Compared to Old Bull with his Iron Armor ability, Zhao Yin was in far greater danger.

Just then, Little Monkey finally returned from a hundred meters away. He saw his master locked in a bitter struggle at a glance.

Roar!

Little Monkey's eyes turned red instantly.

"Master, I'm here!"

"Where the hell have you been? Finally decided to show up?" Zhao Yin cursed.

Little Monkey didn't dare explain. In truth, only about ten seconds had passed since Zhao Yin was knocked flying and called for help, to Old Bull charging out and getting injured.

Unlike Old Bull, both of Little Monkey's abilities provided speed boosts. In a few steps, he caught up to a giant rat and, fueled by rage, smashed its head open with one swing of his club.

Zhao Yin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He deliberately positioned his body to cover Old Bull's rear and was about to tell Little Monkey to go easy-

The next moment-boom!

Little Monkey's massive body was sent flying.

Squeak-

This cry was enough to rupture an ordinary person's eardrums!

The entire mountain forest trembled. The roar echoed in Zhao Yin's ears, reverberating endlessly.

An even larger snow-white giant rat stood at the spot where it had just knocked Little Monkey flying. Nearly two meters tall. Seven to eight meters long from head to tail.

At the same time, the remaining eleven black giant rats halted their attacks. They quickly formed a guard formation around the snow-white giant rat.

The expression on the snow-white giant rat's face was like an ancient emperor on a royal tour.

Arrogant. Contemptuous. Cold. Unapproachable.

[Rat King: D-rank Mutant Beast, Strength 74, Agility 89, Stamina 57, Defense 82, Spirit 12. Bloodline Talent: Extreme Speed.]

Zhao Yin's face turned pale as he read the Rat King's stats.

"Does this damn world even want me to survive?"

This Rat King wasn't some Pseudo-Mutant Beast. It was a genuine D-rank Mutant Beast with an ability!

Even ignoring its ability, with 82 points of Defense, Zhao Yin wielding his Mountain-Cleaving Machete could barely scratch its skin.

Little Monkey got up immediately after being sent flying. He shook off his Heavy Armor, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Master, it ambushed me," Little Monkey reported mentally. "I want to crush it!"

"Don't be impulsive. This is a D-rank Rat King!" Zhao Yin warned quickly.

With Zhao Yin and Old Bull's speed, they probably couldn't even touch a single hair on the Rat King. They'd just be eating its dust.

Right now, the only one who could fight the Rat King was Little Monkey with all his abilities activated. But that was only if the Rat King didn't use its Extreme Speed ability.

Once the Rat King activated its ability, how fast could it go? Zhao Yin guessed even Little Monkey with both abilities active would be eating its dust!

What to do now?

Zhao Yin's mind raced.

If only he had a bottle of Iced Black Tea, Little Monkey could match the Rat King!

Unfortunately, the Iced Black Tea had long been consumed. He hadn't obtained any Star Crystals recently.

Among the remaining Supernatural Food and drinks in his Spatial Ring, only one bottle of Glutinous Rice Wine could boost strength.

But that was a double-edged sword. It could increase Strength by 80 points for ten minutes, but it would cause mental confusion for three hours afterward.

Besides, what the two beasts lacked against the Rat King wasn't strength-it was speed!

Had he been reborn only to die today?

Just then, the Rat King's gaze turned toward the direction Zhao Yin had come from.

When it saw its rat offspring and subjects-some knocked unconscious, some with broken limbs, all at the hands of Zhao Yin and his two beasts-it let out an enraged roar!

Squeak-

The eleven black giant rats beside the Rat King shot out instantly. Bang bang bang-they crushed the heads of the dozen or so gray rats Zhao Yin had just knocked unconscious.

They weren't rescuing them. They were executing them!

Like an emperor punishing defeated generals!

By now, Zhao Yin had no time to think about his Contract Beast army. He only wanted to know how to survive.

His only hope was the Invisibility Tent.

If Zhao Yin could get inside, he'd be temporarily safe. The Invisibility Tent had several hundred points of Defense. Even the current Rat King couldn't breach it.

But the problem was, they had chased the rat swarm nearly two kilometers. How could they possibly get back under the Rat King's watchful gaze?

Boom!

The Rat King suddenly charged at Zhao Yin. It had already figured out that the human before it was the leader of this group.

"Master, watch out!"