If you were made a mascot, you would become a legend in the police force.

"Run!!!"

Although Li Tuantuan didn't know what had happened, his animalistic intuition (plus Jin Dou's warning) told him that something was about to explode!

That damned Rat King actually transformed its body into a giant biological bomb! The spiritual energy and marsh gas stored within it went out of control the moment of its death, about to trigger a devastating explosion.

Lin Wan and the special police officers also realized what was happening.

"Retreat! Retreat at full speed!" Zhao Gang roared, grabbing the injured teammate beside him and running out.

But it was too late.

The Rat King's belly was swollen to its limit, like a red balloon about to burst, with an eerie glow emanating from its surface.

"boom--!!!"

A sound ten times louder than the "Buddha's Palm" exploded in the center of the cave.

A terrifying shockwave, carrying green venom and bits of flesh, swept outwards. The entire underground cavern shook violently, and stalactites fell from the ceiling like rain.

"Lin Wan!"

Li Tuantuan turned around and saw that Lin Wan, because she was running slowly (and also had to take care of her wounded comrades), was right in the blast radius. A huge rock was falling towards her head.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still.

Li Tuantuan wasn't thinking about anything. She completely forgot about things like government positions, being breastfed, or being afraid of pain.

He had only one thought: That's my human!

"roar!"

Li Tuantuan suddenly turned around, using the last bit of strength, and like a giant meat shield, pounced on Lin Wan.

He pinned Lin Wan down, using his broad back to shield her from the falling rocks and the shockwaves of the explosion.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The gravel hit my back, and the pain was excruciating.

But that's not the most fatal thing.

The explosion ripped up construction debris, and a rusty, thumb-thick threaded steel bar, carried by the shockwave, pierced Li Tuantuan's back like a sharp arrow.

"Pfft!"

The steel bars pierced through the skin, penetrated the muscles, and even got stuck in the bones.

"Awooo—!!!"

Li Tuantuan let out a piercing scream. The excruciating pain almost made him faint on the spot, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound, stubbornly supporting his body so as not to crush Lin Wan beneath him.

Blood flowed down the corner of his mouth and dripped onto Lin Wan's face.

Lin Wan was pressed down in the darkness. She felt the heavy body on top of her trembling violently and felt warm liquid dripping on her face.

"Tuantuan? Tuantuan, what's wrong?!" Lin Wan shouted in alarm.

"N-nothing...it's nothing..." Li Tuantuan responded weakly in his heart, but he could no longer make a sound.

The explosions continued, and the cave began to collapse on a large scale.

Li Tuantuan felt her consciousness becoming increasingly blurred. That damned system kept issuing alarms:

[Warning! Host has suffered fatal damage!]

[Warning! Vital signs are rapidly declining!]

[Using merit points for emergency repairs... Insufficient balance...]

Insufficient balance?

Li Tuantuan gave a wry smile. That "Buddha's Palm" technique was too expensive; it emptied their savings.

"Looks like... this time it really is time to just give up..."

In his last moments before losing consciousness, he mustered all his strength to stuff the gold bean he had been hiding in his bosom into Lin Wan's hand. Then, his arms fell limply to his sides, and his heavy head slumped onto Lin Wan's shoulder.

Darkness descends.

The entire cave was completely buried by the collapsed soil and rocks.

……

on the ground.

The once bustling commercial street was now in complete chaos. The ground trembled slightly, and black smoke billowed from the manhole covers.

The rain poured down.

Large raindrops pounded on the flooded road, washing away the city's grime.

Zhao Gang, along with a few surviving SWAT officers, crawled out of another exit in a disheveled state. They were covered in wounds and their faces were filled with despair.

"Where's Captain Lin?! Where's Tuan Tuan?!"

No one answered.

That exit has been completely destroyed.

"Dig! Dig for me!!" Zhao Gang, his eyes red, knelt in the mud and water, disregarding his image, and used his hands to dig at the rubble.

But that's a landslide weighing tens of tons; how could it possibly be dug out by manpower alone?

A sense of despair was spreading.

Just then, a black crow, soaking wet, struggled to emerge from a crack in the ruins.

It's a coal ball.

One of its wings was broken, and its once glossy feathers were now a mess. It carried a small golden mouse in its mouth and stumbled as it flew towards Zhao Gang.

"Gah! Gah!" (Over here! Come quick!)

The coal ball placed the gold bean on the ground.

Jin Dou was trembling all over, and the golden light on its body had dimmed considerably, but it still managed to stand up and let out a rapid cry towards a corner of the ruins.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

It's telling humanity: They're down there! They're still alive!

The rain poured down, and thunder rumbled.

The collapse site in the commercial street has been cordoned off, and several fire trucks, ambulances, and large excavators are working intensively. Beams of searchlights crisscrossed in the rain, illuminating the chaotic ruins.

"Quick! Hurry! There are still signs of life down there!"

Zhao Gang roared as he directed the rescue efforts. His voice was hoarse and his hands were covered in blisters, but he felt no pain at all.

Beside him, the little golden mouse, Jin Dou, was lying on a huge concrete slab. It was soaking wet and shivering, but its sapphire-like eyes were fixed on the ground below, occasionally letting out a faint "squeak" to adjust its digging direction.

"It says, 'A little to the left! Don't dig that corner, it'll collapse!'" Although no one understands rat language, miraculously, whenever the excavator bucket approaches a certain spot, Jin Dou will squeal urgently. And when the operator adjusts the direction, it will quiet down.

This cross-species understanding unexpectedly became a lifeline at that moment.

"This rat is amazing..." The operator wiped the rain off his face and moved even more carefully.

The coal ball wasn't idle either. Although its wings were broken and it couldn't fly, it stood on the highest pile of rubble, acting as a "megaphone".

"Ouch! Be gentle! That's a load-bearing column!"

"Gah! There's a cavity underneath! Don't force it!"

Time passed by, second by second.

Finally, with a shriek of excitement from Jin Dou, the excavator dug through a thick layer of soil, revealing a black and white fur.

"I see her! It's Tuantuan!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Zhao Gang threw down his walkie-talkie and was the first to jump into the pit.

When he saw what was happening before him, this tough man burst into tears.

Li Tuantuan remained kneeling, his arms braced on the ground like an arched bridge, desperately protecting the space beneath him. A rusty steel bar was shockingly embedded deep in his flesh on his back, the surrounding hair stained dark red with blood.

Beneath him, Lin Wan was curled up, her face covered in dust, but thanks to Li Tuantuan's protection, she was completely unharmed.

"Tuantuan..." Lin Wan had already woken up. Looking at the familiar, chubby face above her with its eyes tightly closed, she cried her heart out, "Wake up! Don't scare me!"

Medical staff rushed over, carefully pulled Lin Wan out, and then began to treat Li Tuantuan's injuries.

"The injury is very serious. The steel bar may have damaged the spine, and there has been excessive blood loss. He must be taken to the hospital immediately!" The doctor's expression was grave.

Lifting Li Tuantuan, who weighs 300 pounds, out of the pit was a huge undertaking. It took seven or eight strong men shouting as they struggled to lift him onto a specially made stretcher.

It's still raining.

The moment Li Tuantuan was carried out of the rubble, the surrounding crowd, police officers, and firefighters all spontaneously took off their hats to pay tribute to this hero in black and white.

Jin Dou jumped onto the stretcher, snuggled into Li Tuantuan's arms, and licked his cold nose with her tongue.

Coal Ball limped up and jumped onto Li Tuantuan's chest, whispering, "Big brother, you absolutely mustn't die. If you die, who's going to buy me bird food...?"

The ambulance sped away, its siren piercing the long, rainy night.