Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 108 Carcass Rats

Yan Mingzhang bent down, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it into the swarm of rats. With a "whoosh," the rats scattered instantly.

His expression was grave as he analyzed, "It doesn't seem like it. These rats look big, but they're very timid. They're afraid of light and sound, so they probably only eat corpses. But that's not necessarily true. It's always better to be careful."

"They even eat the corpses of their own kind?" Upon hearing this, Su Zhan couldn't help but gag, filled with disgust and fear. No wonder there were so many rat bones!
"My lord, there are several human skeletons over there!" Changfeng pointed to a pile of white bones in the distance, frowning and looking grim.

Holding a torch, Yan Mingzhang slowly approached the nearest human skeleton and crouched down to examine it closely.

The skeleton was dressed in tattered, worn-out clothes. The clothing around its abdomen was torn open, with clean edges, clearly indicating it had been slashed by a sharp blade. The knife wounds at the ribs were extremely deep, almost severing the ribs.

"This person probably had his ribs broken by a knife and died from excessive blood loss," Yan Mingzhang said confidently.

"You mean, they were trapped here and then killed each other? The smell of blood attracted rats to eat the carcasses?" Rong Wanyin felt her stomach churning, waves of nausea washing over her, and her face turned extremely pale. She already had a sensitive sense of smell, and now, in this confined space with poor air circulation and so many stinking rats, Rong Wanyin really didn't want to stay a moment longer.

“It could be to seize the last grain, or there could be other reasons…” Yan Mingzhang stood up, his face pale and his expression solemn. Sometimes, people are more terrifying than animals. “Let’s follow the current and see if we can get out. These bones are quite old, so Brother Mi Quan shouldn’t be among them. However, judging from the degree of decay in their fur and the broken bones, these rats that died recently might have been killed by Brother Mi Quan.”

"Huh? Can we really get out of here?" Su Zhan's voice trembled noticeably. "This cave has so many branching passages, it's too complicated."

"We have no choice but to give it a try. If some people can enter the valley and come out, then we can too!" Rong Wanyin took a deep breath, drew the soft sword from her waist, and held it tightly in her hand. Although she was afraid, she still followed Changfeng forward.

Carrying torches, the group cautiously advanced. Wherever they went, the flickering firelight caused the timid rats to scatter like a receding tide. Although uneasy, they made it through the journey without incident.

With a "crack," Su Zhan accidentally stepped on the skeleton of a rat on the ground. The skeleton broke apart, and his foot got stuck in it. He staggered and almost fell.

In his panic, he instinctively tried to steady himself by holding onto the stone wall with his left hand, but the wall was full of sharp edges that cut his hand instantly, and bright red blood dripped to the ground. To make matters worse, the torch in his right hand also fell into the water and went out with a "plop."

The smell of blood instantly stirred the rats. The rats, which had been scattering and fleeing, gathered together and surrounded the group in the blink of an eye, eager to attack.

"Oh no, these rats..." Mo Yun suppressed his fear and lowered his voice. Before he could finish speaking, a huge rat kicked off with its hind legs and pounced on Su Zhan, landing directly on his back and gripping his clothes tightly with its claws. Su Zhan could even feel the rat's sharp claws through his clothes and smell its stench. Su Zhan turned pale with fright and couldn't help but scream at the top of his lungs, the sound echoing in the empty cave.

Rong Wanyin reacted with lightning speed, swiftly wielding her sword and precisely slicing the rat away. The rat fell to the ground, its belly slashed by the sharp sword. Before it could even turn and escape, it was overwhelmed by the swarm of rats. In the blink of an eye, the rat was completely devoured, leaving only a bloodied skeleton. Everyone was shocked, filled with indescribable disgust and fear.

Only two torches remained, one in Mo Yun's hand and one in Chang Feng's hand. The flame of the torch in Mo Yun's hand was getting smaller and smaller and was about to burn out!
"Quick, we need to get out of here! If Mo Yun's torch goes out, the rat swarm will be completely out of control!" Yan Mingzhang's voice trembled slightly as he had Changfeng lead the way, while he held Rong Wanyin tightly and followed closely behind. Su Zhan didn't dare to delay either, scrambling to keep up, while Mo Yun, suppressing his fear, stayed behind to protect everyone.

Changfeng held the torch as close to the ground as possible, sweeping it back and forth quickly until he finally cleared a space, then hurried forward. As he ran, he waved the torch and shouted loudly to drive away the frenzied rats. But the rats seemed to have been blinded by the smell of blood, ignoring the firelight and rushing towards the group one after another.
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"There's light ahead!" Changfeng suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with surprise, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"It's the cave entrance!" The group instantly perked up, their steps quickening as they drew closer to the entrance, their minds focused on one thought: Hurry! We have to be fast!

Su Zhan was already exhausted, and he had just been frightened. Just as he was about to reach the exit, his legs gave way and he fell to the ground.

Several rats nimbly leaped onto his back, their sharp claws scratching him painfully. Behind him, a dense swarm of rats surged forward like a tide, threatening to completely engulf him.

In a flash, Mo Yun rushed forward, grabbed Su Zhan by the back of his shirt with his right hand, and with a shout, threw him away with all his might. Chang Feng, who was prepared, stepped forward and caught Su Zhan steadily.

In that instant, a rat spotted Mo Yun's right hand and bit it hard, blood flowing down his arm. Mo Yun groaned and slammed the rat to the ground, its head hitting a rock and bleeding profusely. The other rats, their attention diverted, swarmed forward, giving Mo Yun a chance to catch his breath.

"Mo Yun, come out quickly!" Rong Wanyin stood at the cave entrance, sweating profusely and her voice trembling.

Mo Yun gritted her teeth, quickly pinched the acupoints on her right hand with her left hand, endured the excruciating pain, and rushed out of the cave.

The rats inside the burrow seemed afraid of something. They rushed to the entrance but stopped there, crowding together inside. They pushed and shoved each other, their densely packed bodies rubbing against each other, making a rustling sound that made one's scalp crawl.

As soon as Mo Yun came out, the wound on his right hand turned black at a visible speed, and his face was as pale as paper.

"Oh no, this rat is poisonous!"