Mr. Rat of the Steam World

Chapter 94 She's practically a war goddess

That was indeed the best opportunity that Lu Ran sensed.

One reason was that they couldn't bear to watch the somewhat crazed Perez take a scalpel and cut into Mattia.

Another possibility is that, even if it's not out of sympathy for someone you know, Mattia must possess some secret that can suppress or alleviate the current state of anomaly.

Lu Ran will definitely take advantage of the moment when he is at his worst and least focused to unleash a fatal blow.

But now——

"Crunch...squeak...hiss..."

The bursting, bloody flower of flesh on the neck was instantly filled by countless wildly writhing, emerald green roots! They greedily sucked up the gushing hot blood, making a nauseating gurgling sound. The bone fragments, supported by the twisting and coiling vines, groaned under the unbearable strain.

The head, now freed from the constraints of the bones, was tilted at an extremely bizarre angle, supported only by thick vines.

That once handsome face was now completely distorted and deformed, the blood vessels beneath the skin bulging and protruding, as if they might be burst open at any moment by newly sprouted vines. The whites of his eyes were covered by a murky, lifeless gray-green, his gaze fixed intently on the gray rat in the shadows of the corner.

"Thief...you...you deserve to die!" The ruptured trachea, stained with blood, emitted a hoarse roar, like an old bellows leaking air, each word filled with venom and madness. "It was...a gray rat!"

"Heh heh... a gray rat... ruined my... promotion!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Ran's gray fur suddenly bristled!

"Damn it!" He was almost driven by his biological fear instinct to suddenly ricochet to the side and back, his small body leaving a gray afterimage in mid-air!

"Boom!" A dark green vine, as thick as a wrist and covered with barbs, swept by a gale and slammed heavily into the shadowy corner where Lu Ran had just hidden!
The ground was smashed open, creating a huge crack. Flying stone chips grazed Lu Ran's cheek, stinging painfully. Lu Ran felt that the hair in that area must have gone bald.

Perez emitted a hissing sound, like airflow passing through a broken bellows.

"Thief...deserves...to die..."

With terrifying strength, he dragged his swollen, mutated body, the heavy vines scraping against the stone floor with a harsh screech, as he once again crushed towards Lu Ran.

boom!boom!
In his haste, Lu Ran pulled the trigger again, and two bullets whistled out, accurately hitting Perez's swollen torso.

However, the bullet pierced the body, which was a mixture of vines and flesh, as if it had sunk into the sea, leaving only two insignificant holes. These holes were quickly filled and healed by the wriggling green roots, without even a drop of blood splattering out!
"Physical attacks are ineffective?!"

Lu Ran cursed under his breath, abruptly ripping open the cloth bag at his waist and swiftly shoving the heavy revolver inside. Facing the vine whip hurtling towards him again, his leg muscles tensed instantly, his body transforming into a blurry gray shadow lying close to the ground, pushing his Shadow Technique to its limit!

He slid rapidly along the cold ground, narrowly escaping through the deadly gaps between the swaying vines!

Bang! Boom! Another vine whip fell, smashing a deep crater in the ground he had just passed through!
Perez's eyes gradually turned dark green, his thoughts seemed to be stuck in a quagmire, and he stared blankly at the gray shadows in the space in front of him that were rapidly flashing and disappearing due to the shadow spell.

"What... am I supposed to do...?" A jumble of incoherent murmurs rolled in his throat.

"That's right...Matia...save me...Matia..."

Perez glanced at the plant roots entwined around him, and the indescribable horror of the change jolted him back to his senses. A primal will to survive overwhelmed his anger toward Lu Ran, and he turned his trembling gaze toward Mattia, who was still unconscious on the lab table, like a drowning man grasping at a last straw.

Dense, swarming roots, like leeches drawn by the scent of blood, sprouted from her body and suddenly lunged at Mattia's soft flesh!
Splash! Pfft!
The roots did not pierce the flesh, but instead firmly embedded themselves in the hard quartz test bench.

Crack! A fissure appeared on the desktop.

Perez's gaze became even more bewildered, as if he could not comprehend the scene before him—Matia, who had been motionless, had mysteriously slid a short distance toward the edge of the table at the last second, rolling right onto the ground and avoiding a fatal blow!
"Matia... why are you still moving..."

Perez's voice was slow and hesitant, filled with growing confusion. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened! He saw a gray figure struggling to drag Mattia's arm from the shadows under the table.

The next moment, an uncontrollable rage erupted.

"Thief! It's you...you deserve to die!"

The rage of being fooled instantly overwhelmed the chaos! Perez's last shred of reason was completely replaced by violence!

Whoosh! Another vine shot out from the front like a venomous snake, accompanied by a piercing sound, and viciously stabbed towards Lu Ran and Mattia.

puff.

The image shattered; it was another illusion.

After sliding off the quartz table, Mattia didn't move from her spot. Instead, she curled up and hid in the shadows under the table, manipulated by Lu Ran.

Click-clack. A sudden sound rang out from near the heavy, sealed door. A small gray figure was seen hanging on the massive mechanical lock knob, rapidly turning the cold, heavy metal!

"Don't...think...about to...run!"

Perez's entire attention was instantly drawn! All the fury and vines surged wildly toward the doorway!
I could hear the sound of wind breaking behind me.

"Damn, it was so close!"

In those critical fractions of a second, Lu Ran decisively gave up trying to open the door. He pushed off the corner of the wall with both legs, his body narrowly missing the edge of the vines. He ricocheted off at an incredible right angle, tumbling through the air several times before landing heavily on the other side of the secret room!
Bang! ! ! !

A loud, muffled explosion, more deafening than any before, suddenly erupted! Perez's all-out attack slammed into the spot where Lu Ran had just been standing—the heavy oak door studded with brass nails, and the stone wall surrounding the door frame!
Smoke, dust, and debris shot out like an explosion!
Crackling——

A piercing, teeth-grinding sound of metal tearing rang out! The sturdy wooden door, along with the thin steel plate layer behind it used for reinforcement, was smashed inward and torn apart by this terrifying force! The twisted and deformed steel plate turned outward like ferocious fangs, revealing the dim light in the passageway behind the door!

A huge, irregular hole appeared in the door, big enough for an adult to bend over and pass through!

Upon seeing the hole, Lu Ran's eyes lit up: "That works too!"

Outside the door, there was a moment of deathly silence, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps descending the stairs.

Lu Ran watched as a maid hurried down the stairs, bent down at the basement door, and cautiously peered through the broken hole.

Then came even more terrified screams and chaotic footsteps.

"A monster! There's a monster! Miss Mattia seems to be inside too!"

"Quick! Go find Mr. Perez! No... that one inside looks like it?!"

……

Whoosh!
Lu Ran continued to dodge, but did not crawl out of the hole, because if he left, only Mattia would be left.

puff!

Lu Ran noticed that Perez's attacks were becoming increasingly aimless; apart from a few that were consistently targeting his own roots, most of his attacks were beginning to take root underground.

Is this a complete assimilation?

As Lu Ran pondered, he suddenly heard a familiar, hurried voice.

"There's a monster down there? Do you know where the shotgun is? Give it to me right now!"

Before Lu Ran could even listen carefully, several more vines shot towards him, forcing him to continue dodging quickly.

However, when he took a moment to look at Perez, no, the guy in front of him could no longer be called Perez, but a new, semi-plant-like monster, and the plant part was growing rapidly, covering the walls and floor of the basement.

The attacks now seem to be driven entirely by biological instinct; he can no longer see how much self-awareness Perez retains, and the attacks are becoming increasingly chaotic.

Chi!
Lu Ran easily dodged another attack, while keeping his eyes fixed on Mattia behind the quartz table to avoid being noticed by the vines and accidentally injured.

next moment--

"Get out of my way!"

Bang!
The deafening gunshot seemed to blast Lu Ran's ears, causing him to roll on the ground in fright. He then looked at the door in horror and saw that a huge hole had been blasted open in the lock.

boom!
Afra kicked the oak door open with a bang, her slender yet remarkably steady hands holding a double-barreled shotgun, thicker and longer than her arm, level! The butt of the gun was pressed firmly against the back of her pearl-grey silk dress, the hem of which fluttered slightly from her hurried run, revealing her delicate leather shoes, slightly dusty.

Upon seeing the interior, a fleeting, barely concealed shock crossed his mind, but this shock lasted for less than half a second.

Her movements were fluid and precise, without the slightest hesitation. With a slight adjustment, the gun barrel locked onto the terrifying figure writhing in front of the doorway, trying to extend vines out!
"Get Mattia out of here first! Then go find some kerosene." Her voice was resolute, carrying a commanding presence beyond her years that burst forth in a moment of crisis, clearly penetrating the secret chamber!

Before the words were even finished, those incredibly steady hands had already pulled the trigger!

boom!
"Leave this to me for now."

Countless steel pellets burst forth.

(End of this chapter)