When Shen Feng heard about the appearance of the Rat King in Yuzhou City, he thought Yang Chang was being too timid. What kind of mutated rat could withstand a rifle? Even an elephant facing a thousand soldiers would be turned into a sieve in an instant.
However, after Shen Feng carefully questioned Yang Chang, he received an unexpected answer: "This Rat King is no petty creature. It doesn't engage us in direct combat, constantly harassing us. It seems to want to steal our grain. There are no living people left in Yuzhou City now!"
It turned out that after Yang Chang arrived in Yuzhou, he was eager to find the location of the granary. But when he reached his destination, he found only empty rooms. The walls were riddled with rat holes. Mutated rats had eaten the granary clean. The reproductive ability of rats is truly formidable; while eating grain, they also multiplied at an alarming rate. Yuzhou's grain supply was almost depleted.
Hearing this, Shen Feng frowned, "Can't you set traps to kill the Rat King?"
Yang Chang said helplessly, "I want to do that too, but the Rat King clearly has high intelligence. It doesn't fall for the traps we set!"
Shen Feng furrowed his brow, thinking, "I still have too few talented subordinates. If I had more ability users, I could send them for a decapitation strike. Unfortunately, Guo Pinming has also gone south, so there's no one to carry out such a mission."
Shen Feng hesitated for a moment, then instructed Yang Chang, "You first lead your men to prepare a temporary camp. Don't clear Yuzhou City for now. Collect information first. After a few days, I will come with reinforcements. Rest assured!"
After much deliberation, Shen Feng decided to increase the number of ability users. He happened to have three ability potions on hand. Since his parents couldn't come to Jiangyang now, he could only boost their combat power first.
Then, Shen Feng hesitated for a moment and said to his secretary, "Go find Chu Chaoyan. I need to see her!"
Shen Feng needed to increase their combat strength, but this couldn't be done blindly. If another traitor emerged, it would be troublesome. Therefore, Shen Feng chose someone loyal and capable. He had his eye on Chu Chaoyan, who always diligently completed her tasks at crucial moments.
The most important point was the hostage! Chu Chaoyan's grandfather was an old man and couldn't leave Jiangyang. With this leverage, Shen Feng could confidently use Chu Chaoyan. Once their combat strength was increased, it would greatly help in retaking Yuzhou.
Shen Feng shared his thoughts with his senior, Chang Jianyi, who agreed wholeheartedly. She smiled and said, "This choice is excellent. With a hostage in hand, Chu Chaoyan will certainly not dare to rebel. Also, I think we should use all three ability potions we have. If we can gain a powerful ability user, recapturing Yuzhou will be twice as effective with half the effort!"
Shen Feng hesitated. He actually hoped to make all his family members ability users, at least to enhance their self-protection capabilities. But right now, combat strength was urgently needed. He could only nod and say, "Alright, let's do it."
Shen Feng handed the ability potion to Chu Chaoyan and had her drink it. Then, he began preparing to depart with the second batch of people. As soon as Chu Chaoyan became an ability user, he would immediately lead his men. As for Jiangyang, it would have to be managed by Chang Jianyi again.
Six days passed. Yang Chang and his men stood on a tall building, constantly observing the interior of Yuzhou City. They had found a residential complex in the western part of the city and set up camp there. During this time, he had been observing the mutated rats in the city. Now, mutated rats were running rampant in the streets, completely unfazed by the plague in Yuzhou City.
The mutated rats were now brazenly living in houses, with many pieces of furniture and doors and windows gnawed through. Not a single living person could be seen in the city, not even a living zombie. It was likely that due to the plague, the Corpse King had led the zombies away from Yuzhou.
"If this mutated rat problem isn't solved, Yuzhou City cannot be recaptured. The plague will always exist alongside the rats," Yang Chang muttered to himself.
Yang Chang had also led his soldiers to charge into the city in the past few days, successfully killing thousands of mutated rats. However, when these mutated rats sensed danger, they would burrow into the sewers. Rats as large as rabbits, despite their increased size, had not lost their swiftness at all. They were incredibly agile when fleeing.
With firearms in hand, Yang Chang naturally wasn't worried about the mutated rats' combat strength being superior to his. But these rats were so slippery, making them incredibly difficult to deal with. Unless all the sewers in the city were cleared, which was completely impractical. The mutated rats could simply leave and return after the sewers were cleared!
"What should we do?" Yang Chang mused to himself. He really wanted to retreat to Jiangyang. He felt that their attempt to recapture Yuzhou had become a quagmire. If handled poorly, it would be a waste of vast resources.
The weather was already quite cold. It wasn't very noticeable during the day, but at night, it was extremely chilly even under blankets. Fortunately, they were all seasoned men, and sleeping together for warmth was no big deal. In any case, they wouldn't freeze to death.
Yang Chang and his men stored their carried food supplies inside the buildings. Otherwise, the mutated rats would frequently sneak in to steal food. This behavior was truly disgusting. They couldn't fight them, nor could they retreat. When their guard was down, the mutated rats would sneak in to steal food. They were simply scoundrels.
All thousand people wore masks. The water they drank daily was taken from the Yangtze River, purified with water purification agents, and then boiled. Even for washing their faces and brushing their teeth, they had to use boiled water. A lot of lime was sprinkled around the residential complex. With these precautions, the plague did not appear in the army.
As Yang Chang was observing the city, his walkie-talkie suddenly crackled to life: "Report to the Minister, the City Lord will arrive at the camp in half an hour."
Hearing this report, Yang Chang finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Finally, they're here. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do!"
Yang Chang quickly led his men to welcome Shen Feng. Then, they saw a vast convoy of vehicles, with over a thousand cars heading towards them. By this estimate, at least ten thousand people had arrived!
Among them, trucks and cargo vehicles were loaded with necessary goods, and there were also vehicles specifically for transporting personnel. In this doomsday era, no one bothered to fuss about the quality of their ride; being able to travel by vehicle was good enough.
"City Lord, you're finally here. There are too many mutated rats in the city, and there are no conditions for a direct confrontation. What do you think we should do now?" Yang Chang quickly inquired.
Shen Feng got out of the car and, upon hearing the question, pointed to Chu Chaoyan beside him and said, "You can rest assured about this. Chu Chaoyan is now an ability user and can control and use chlorine gas. It's perfect for killing rats hiding underground!"
"Ability user?" Yang Chang was stunned. He hadn't expected Chu Chaoyan to become an ability user as well. Was this too much? He was one of the earliest followers of the City Lord, and now he hadn't gotten a chance to become an ability user!
Yang Chang privately suspected whether the City Lord held a grudge against him. Otherwise, why had he never gotten a chance to become an ability user? It was a case of using people like piling firewood, with latecomers surpassing the early ones. Not to mention Guo Pinming, even Shen Feng's brother-in-law was now an ability user, flying around above Jiangyang City all day, looking quite pleased with himself!
"Why haven't I had my turn yet?" Yang Chang's mentality was a bit shattered. Even if Chang Haojie was the City Lord's brother-in-law, at least there was a relationship. But why had Chu Chaoyan also become an ability user?
Yang Chang blankly looked at Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan, noticing that Chu Chaoyan was currently chatting and laughing with Shen Feng, clearly looking very pleased with herself.
At this moment, Yang Chang understood everything. He knew why he hadn't had his turn. It was all favoritism, all nepotism. Chu Chaoyan was so beautiful and so close to the City Lord. It was likely she had used her beauty to captivate Shen Feng, which was why she could surpass him and become a new ability user!
"It's a shame I'm not a woman! Otherwise, I could sell my looks too!" Yang Chang thought mournfully.
At this moment, Shen Feng looked at Yang Chang and noticed that his expression was somewhat off. He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I'm just feeling unwell in my heart." Yang Chang replied hazily. He suddenly realized what he was saying. How could he have spoken his inner thoughts aloud?
So, Yang Chang quickly explained, "City Lord, I don't have any issues with you. It's just that I've been pushed to this state by the mutated rats these past few days. These mutated rats have made me so haggard, so I'm feeling unwell!"
At this moment, Yang Chang wished he could slap himself twice. Why would he say such a thing? Wouldn't it displease the City Lord?
However, Shen Feng didn't think much of it. He simply patted Yang Chang on the shoulder and smiled, "Then get some good rest. I'll need you in a couple of days. Recover your health first."
Yang Chang quickly nodded and changed the subject, asking, "Can chlorine gas or something like that kill rats? I'm not doubting your abilities, I just feel that the current mutated rats are not what they used to be, and we shouldn't underestimate them."
Shen Feng smiled confidently and said, "That's unnecessary worry. We tested it in Jiangyang, and the results were very good. Just put your heart at ease and watch our performance!"
Chu Chaoyan, having become an ability user, was also in a great mood and said, "Yang Chang, you should read more books. During World War II, chlorine gas was used as poison gas. Even if it couldn't kill people, it could cause blindness. It could lead to internal organ problems in a short period. Ordinary mutated rats are nothing to worry about!"
Chu Chaoyan never dreamed that she would also become an ability user. Although using chlorine gas didn't seem particularly impressive, combined with Shen Feng's ability, it would be incredible! One released poison gas, and the other dispersed it, creating a large-scale destructive force. The only drawback was that it could easily harm their own people, so companions needed to wear gas masks.
Shen Feng estimated the time. Seeing that it was still early, he directly said, "Half of the personnel will transport grain and other supplies. The other half will follow me. We'll start by recapturing one street and clearing it."
After speaking, Shen Feng set off with four thousand people. Among them, only a little over a thousand were soldiers; the rest were young men and women workers. Yang Chang, out of curiosity, also followed. He wanted to see what Chu Chaoyan's ability was like.
Yuzhou City was now littered with garbage. No one was cleaning the city, and the streets quickly fell into disrepair. Even the roadside trees had withered significantly, and weeds had grown in the cracks of the bricks. In the cold winter, they had already dried and turned yellow. There were scattered white bones on the ground, making it impossible to distinguish whether they were human bones or zombie bones.
As Yang Chang walked, he explained to Shen Feng, "When I came to Yuzhou, it was already like this. These corpses were probably eaten by the mutated rats. These mutated rats are too rampant. They don't even dodge people during the day. Only when we fire our guns do the rats scatter and flee."
The reproductive ability of rats is not just for show. It's common for a litter to have seven or eight pups, and their breeding cycle is short. Therefore, in the absence of natural predators and with abundant resources, the rat population will grow incredibly fast. Moreover, the city is already rife with plague. Apart from rats, there are basically no other animals here. Thus, rats can move around the city with impunity, as if the city were their own home.
"White bones lie exposed in the wilderness, a thousand miles without a single cock's crow." Shen Feng sighed.
The people around them quickly flattered him, saying, "The City Lord truly has extraordinary literary talent. To have such feelings about the fallen and desolate state of Yuzhou City is truly remarkable."
"The City Lord has a broad mind and compassion for the world, truly a role model for us. He will surely be a distinguished figure in the future!"
"In my opinion, the City Lord is lamenting the crisis of human survival. Can others bear such a heavy responsibility on their own shoulders?"
... A string of flattery flew directly towards Shen Feng, who accepted these compliments with a smile.
Chu Chaoyan looked at the group's fawning with surprise. She knew very well that Shen Feng knew these two lines of poetry not because of his literary talent, but because she had told him! Now, just by reciting two lines from an ancient poet, he was being praised so highly. It was truly exaggerated!