"What an incredible sensation..."
He focused on the various enhancements surging through his body, a warm current flowing into every corner of his being.
Merlin could feel a newfound lightness in his movements. As he hopped on the spot, his body felt remarkably agile. Even in the dim environment, his heightened hearing and sense of smell allowed him to clearly perceive things from a considerable distance.
Under the influence of this strange power, a sense of security—one he hadn't felt since his parents were alive—quietly blossomed in his heart.
"So I really can [Equip] living things. But it seems the creature has to be unable to resist first!"
Merlin's understanding of his [Equipment Slot] deepened slightly. Gripping the dagger in his right hand, he crouched low like a cat and dashed toward the city outskirts.
The border of Flevance wasn't far. Merlin believed he could make it out and escape this hell.
Equipped with the rat, he was influenced by the biological traits inherent to the creature.
As he ran, Merlin gradually adapted to the subtle changes occurring in his body.
His stamina and agility were increasing significantly compared to before he equipped the item. Sniffing the air, he picked up the scents of various living beings permeating the atmosphere.
Following the scents, Merlin avoided the executioners scouring the streets for survivors, his eyes filled with excitement.
"Are rats really this strong?"
Half an hour later.
Hiding on the roof of a three-story guesthouse, Merlin's eyes widened.
He looked at the border line a hundred meters away at the edge of the city, completely enclosed by a steel fence.
"Is it completely quarantined?"
He looked at the foreign soldiers behind the fence, wearing hazmat suits and holding guns on alert.
Merlin fell silent. Suddenly, a group of residents slipped through a breach in the fence.
Merlin's eyes lit up.
But then, muzzle flashes erupted continuously, followed by a jet of orange-red fire spewing toward them.
Flamethrowers.
Amidst shrill screams, bodies trembled and fell in the storm of bullets. Merlin felt an icy chill engulf his heart.
"Total extermination?"
He squeezed the words out through gritted teeth. He bit his lip so hard that the sharp pain registered in his brain.
"I can't stay here. The outskirts seem even more dangerous than the inner city right now. The sewers... yes, the sewers lead to the sea.
"I can equip a fish. Yes, I can definitely escape."
Because of the immense wealth brought by the Amber Lead mines, Flevance had a highly developed underground sewage system.
Merlin slowly lowered his body and moved backward. Soon, he jumped effortlessly from the five-meter-high roof to the street below.
He ran quickly toward the city center.
Along the way, he avoided the foreign soldiers shooting indiscriminately.
At the same time, he also steered clear of the "rebel mobs" gradually rising up within Flevance.
Before long, weaving through streets and alleys, he arrived at a sewer entrance. Seeing no one around, he lifted the manhole cover, slipped inside, and closed it back up.
He glanced down at the five-meter drop.
Splash!
His feet landed in the muddy sewage, which came up to his calves.
A thick stench rushed into his nose, but surprisingly, Merlin didn't feel much psychological or physiological discomfort.
Simultaneously, he noticed quite a few squeaking rats in the darkness. He paused for a moment, then pursed his lips and murmured softly:
"I'm just like a rat right now!"
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, he observed the flow of the sewage and waded through the filthy water, one deep step after another.
He headed toward the sewer outlet.
Accompanied by the squeaking of rats and the chirping of strange insects, Merlin used the sewer wall for support as he navigated the complex underground tunnels.
A moment later, Merlin suddenly stopped at a corner.
From not far around the bend came the sound of splashing footsteps, mixed with curses.
"Damn Dalami, making me come down to this filthy place. It's all because of these damn infected Flevance people..."
As the cursing grew closer to the corner, an orange glow approached with it.
Merlin's breathing slowed. His eyes flickered with intense conflict. He wanted to retreat, but reluctance surged in his heart, quickly transforming into ruthlessness.
There was no way around.
The knuckles of his right hand tightened around the dagger. Having equipped the [Rat], his hearing was significantly boosted, allowing him to clearly judge the distance of the opponent.
Merlin pressed himself tight against the corner.
Listening to the approaching footsteps and the suppressed breathing, he counted down silently in his heart. Five, four... two... The orange light grew brighter, and a leg pulled out of the filth stepped past the corner.
In that instant, Merlin raised his left arm and slammed it forward. Thud!
His left arm locked around the man's neck, tackling him into the sewage. Straddling the man, he drove the dagger viciously into his neck with his right hand.
The sharp blade pierced the protective mask around the neck. The man let out a gurgling roar and struggled violently. Bang! An ear-piercing gunshot rang out.
Merlin's eyes widened. He pulled the dagger out and stabbed it forcefully into the side of the man's neck again. Squelch!
The struggling force beneath him weakened instantly. A few seconds later, the movement ceased entirely.
Merlin stared blankly at the dead figure beneath him. The foreign soldier had died so simply under his blade.
Surrounded by the stench, the thick smell of blood flooded his nose. Merlin shivered violently, his throat seized up, and he began to dry heave.
But the next moment, shouts came from the distance around the other side of the corner.
Merlin snapped back to reality, scrambled up, and ran quickly back the way he came.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out behind him, bullets striking not far from his back.
Merlin dodged left and right with agility in the tunnel, rolling and leaping through the surrounding sewage.
He soon put a significant distance between himself and his pursuers.
Heavy panting and the sound of fading footsteps echoed behind him. As time passed, and after turning another corner, a savage look flashed in Merlin's eyes.
He gradually slowed his pace.
Pressing against a filth-covered wall at a corner of the sewer, he listened carefully to the distant sounds.
The noise grew fainter. Thanks to the rat's spatial awareness, Merlin realized his pursuers had stopped chasing.
He slowed his breathing, calming his violently beating heart. "They stopped? Or couldn't keep up?"
He pondered, 'Should I sneak back and kill them? If I let them go, this route through the sewers will become extremely dangerous later.'
Having killed someone, Merlin's mindset had subtly shifted. Right now, he was like a predator that had tasted blood.
As he calmed down, Merlin suddenly felt a stinging pain on the outside of his left thigh.
He was startled and quickly checked. A few seconds later, he sighed in relief.
"It wasn't a gunshot wound from earlier."
But he quickly realized that during his frantic escape, he had been cut by something unknown in the sewer.
His expression became uncertain. The environment here was atrocious. If he stayed too long and the wound got infected...
"I can't just let them go."
A savage glint returned to Merlin's eyes.
"[Rats] have an extraordinary resistance to harsh environments."
Making up his mind.
Merlin turned around, listening carefully to the fading sounds in the distance, and slowly crept back toward them.
He had been chased like a rat, but they hadn't realized that a rat... could turn back and bite.
As he got closer, Merlin heard their conversation.
"That little rat can really run. These damn infected people actually tried to escape through the sewers?"
"Tell me about it. Luckily, Lord Dalami had the foresight to have us guard all the sewer exits."
"I heard other squads have already wiped out quite a few rats. Why can't these damn Flevance bastards just stay put and die quietly?
"They have to make trouble for us.
"Amber Lead Syndrome is supposed to be an incurable, highly contagious disease. They're going to die anyway, why drag us into it?
"Alpha actually got killed.
"Bunch of damn bastards!"
Not far away, Merlin's gaze turned silent. It seemed he wasn't the only one with bright ideas.
'It looks like the sewer route is a no-go.'
Hesitation flashed in Merlin's eyes, then he slowly backed away. The risk didn't match the reward.
He couldn't risk getting shot to walk down a dead end. He had to learn to cut his losses.