"What a mess," Ethan muttered as he watched the refugees scrambling to escape the rats.
They tried their best to keep their distance, but it was useless. The rats were far too fast—and there were too many of them.
Some people even dragged others down just to buy themselves a few seconds to run, a sight that left Ethan in disdain.
It was as if the law of survival of the fittest had descended upon them. Only those with means had any chance of living.
On the other side, Ethan finally saw the mutated rat up close.
Its body was covered in black pus, its eyes glowing a bloody red, with huge, sharp front teeth bared and ready to bite.
Thick black saliva dripped onto the ground, and wherever it landed, dark smoke hissed and rose.
Chunks of burned flesh also clung to its massive frame—scars from the abbots' earlier strikes—yet the creature seemed entirely unbothered by the damage.
It moved as if nothing had happened at all.
