Qin Shilei listened carefully for a moment, hearing no mouse activity outside.
He spoke, "This should just be a wandering mouse, but the rest of the rats should follow the scent soon."
Zhang Xiaoli frowned and asked worriedly, "Then should we keep going?"
Qin Shilei shook his head and waved his hand, releasing Xiao Qiang from his pet space.
Having eaten a healing pill, Xiao Qiang's sword wounds had mostly healed, allowing it to fly with some difficulty.
Qin Shilei thought for a moment and then took out a handful of crystal cores.
As soon as it saw the crystal cores, Xiao Qiang affectionately nuzzled Qin Shilei's arm, like a puppy begging for food.
"These are all for you." Qin Shilei patted Xiao Qiang's head, indicating they were all for it.
Xiao Qiang pecked gently, picked up a crystal core, and swallowed it whole.
In no time, thirty to forty crystal cores were devoured by Xiao Qiang.
Seeing that Xiao Qiang still looked unsatisfied, Qin Shilei patted its feathers, "Go find the Rat King for me, and I'll give you more crystal cores."
"Swoosh!"
Xiao Qiang chirped, walked out the door, flapped its wings, and disappeared into the dark night sky.
Zhang Xiaoli looked at the dark night sky with some worry, "Will Xiao Qiang actively attack the Rat King? Will something happen?"
Qin Shilei replied calmly, "If it weren't injured, a mere Rat King shouldn't be able to do anything to it. Even if it can't win now, it can always fly back."
An Qian said with some envy, "Qin Shilei, is that your pet? It looks so majestic."
If only she had such a big eagle, would returning home become easier?
Qin Shilei smiled and said, "I obtained it by chance."
Meanwhile, Xiao Qiang had been circling above the small town for several laps but had yet to find any trace of the Rat King.
Xiao Qiang swooped down, grabbed two large rats from the road, and flew back into the air.
With a gentle squeeze of its claws, the two rats squeaked.
It released them, and they fell to their deaths. Then, it swooped down again, grabbed two more rats, and dropped them to their deaths.
In this manner, the rats on the ground were terrified and fled in all directions.
"Chirp chirp!"
Xiao Qiang let out a challenging cry.
"Squeak squeak."
A massive rat emerged from a four-story building and screeched at the sky.
As if saying, "This is my territory, get out quickly."
Xiao Qiang swooped down, its claws reaching for the Rat King on the ground.
The Rat King transformed into a bolt of lightning, darting rapidly across the ground.
Just as Xiao Qiang was about to grab it, it leaped, not only avoiding the eagle's talons but also landing on Xiao Qiang's abdomen, grabbing onto its feathers and sticking to its body.
Xiao Qiang pushed off the ground with its claws and flew rapidly towards the sky.
The Rat King grabbed hard and, with more than ten feathers, jumped back to the ground.
A spray of blood also drifted down from the sky.
"Chirp chirp!"
Xiao Qiang's angry cry came from the sky.
If it weren't for being pregnant with the next generation, which greatly reduced its strength, and the fact that its injuries hadn't healed, how could such a stinky rat have injured it in the first confrontation?
Seeing that it couldn't do anything to the Rat King, Xiao Qiang turned and flew back towards Qin Shilei.
"Chirp chirp."
After chirping a few signals to its master from a low altitude, it turned and flew back above the Rat King.
"Wait for me here. I'll be back soon." Qin Shilei mounted the Thunder Dragon, preparing to head over.
"I'll go with you."
Zhang Xiaoli and An Qian said in unison.
"There are too many rats. Don't risk it."
Qin Shilei twisted the throttle and sped off.
In the sky, Xiao Qiang occasionally swooped down, grabbed rats near the Rat King, flew high, and then dropped them to their deaths.
The Rat King, enraged by Xiao Qiang's provocative behavior, jumped up and down.
But it was helpless against Xiao Qiang, who consistently evaded it.
"Rumble!"
The vibration of the engine grew closer.
The cautious Rat King turned and burrowed back into the building.
"Squeak squeak!"
Back inside the building, the Rat King shrieked, calling for its subordinates.
More and more rats gathered around the building.
The further Qin Shilei drove, the more perilous it became.
If he drove too slowly, the rats on the road would jump onto the vehicle and crawl all over it.
If he drove too fast, the dense mass of rats on the ground would cause the car to slip and sway.
"Holy crap!"
The rats ahead had actually built a half-meter-high rat wall.
"Swoosh!"
Fortunately, Xiao Qiang swooped down and scattered the rat swarm.
Qin Shilei charged through and arrived at the entrance of the four-story building.
He parked the car, put away the Thunder Dragon, and drew the Seven Star Sword in one smooth motion.
Facing the swarming rats, Qin Shilei swung the Seven Star Sword like a curtain of water.
Wherever the cold light passed, rats were cut in half.
A strong smell of blood filled the air.
On the surface, Qin Shilei appeared to be engaged in a one-sided massacre.
In reality, he was not at all relaxed.
Not only were the rats numerous, but they were also small. Once they breached the defense perimeter and climbed onto him, a single bite would take away a chunk of flesh.
To prevent even a single rat from getting close to him, Qin Shilei's energy and stamina consumption were greater than when he faced the zombies in the laboratory yesterday.
"I must find the Rat King as soon as possible."
Qin Shilei kicked off and charged towards the entrance.
As soon as he entered the hall, he saw the Rat King lying on the coffee table, baring its teeth at him.
Perhaps seeing that Qin Shilei was alone and not posing a threat, the Rat King did not hide.
"Squeak squeak."
The Rat King shrieked at the rats surrounding Qin Shilei, and the swarm retreated.
"Squeak squeak."
The Rat King then raised its front paw, pointed at Qin Shilei, and let out fierce growls.
"Is it challenging me to a one-on-one fight?"
Qin Shilei was delighted and nodded in agreement to a duel.
As the overlord of this small town, the Rat King had just been provoked by a giant eagle. Now, a mere human dared to massacre its subjects under its nose. This was truly unbearable.
It would definitely make sure to brutally kill this human, and it would also allow its subjects to witness its invincible might.
The Rat King immediately transformed into a bolt of lightning and rapidly approached Qin Shilei.
One Punch Man!
Qin Shilei instantly activated his strongest state.
The rapidly approaching Rat King felt as if the human in front of it had suddenly transformed into a prehistoric beast. Its fur involuntarily stood on end.
The instinctual sense of danger caused it to halt abruptly and turn to flee upstairs.
"You only remember to escape now, it's too late."
Qin Shilei took a step and instantly appeared in front of the Rat King.
With a casual wave, the Rat King was easily sliced in half.
The Rat King's tough hide had no effect against Qin Shilei, whose strength had increased tenfold.
"Squeak squeak squeak."
With the Rat King dead, the rat swarm erupted as if in an explosion.
Some rats fled in disarray, while others ferociously swarmed towards Qin Shilei.
With a wave of his hand, he collected the Rat King's corpse and a bronze treasure chest nearby.
Shunpo!
Taking advantage of his One Punch Man state, Qin Shilei activated Shunpo again.
His speed instantly reached its peak.
Transforming into a blur, he rapidly sprinted towards the distance.