Swallowing the Stars: The Wind Sword Master.

Chapter 17 The Sudden Rats

"Thump...thump...thump..."

Communication has not yet been established.

Flying Eagle's expression turned somewhat grim; this was the third time he had dialed.

"Boss, they're not answering?" Da Zhuang asked in a low voice.

"Golden Fire Bear's son's reputation has been around for some time now, and they must be looking for an opportunity. Let's wait and see. I left him a message, and I should get a reply soon."

Flying Eagle was also getting anxious. He frowned and said, "Send a message to Xuanzi, asking him to keep an eye on the members of the Warfire Squad from the high ground. We can't let them escape. But we must be careful to hide ourselves; that Barbarian Blade is a mid-level warrior with very keen senses."

"Yes, boss!"

the other side.

The Warfire Squad is constantly moving in the opposite direction from the Blood Eagle Squad.

"Will they still ambush us?" Ning Ze asked, frowning.

Zuo Xingyuan snorted and said, "They will definitely ambush us. That high-level beast general-level Black Tide Bull isn't actually that expensive. 8500 million Chinese yuan is okay, but 9000 million..."

"Those guys in the underground alliance are very shrewd. They usually won't offer the highest price. They always have to make some profit, unless they're selling a large quantity of goods. In that case, the Black Tide Wild Bull is just a bonus and they can only offer that price."

Ning Ze nodded; he had already checked the price beforehand.

But he didn't expect that the highest price and the lowest price would have such a meaning.

"So what do we do now?"

Zuo Xingyuan added, "That guy Flying Eagle is extremely ruthless. He survived by betraying his teammates. Since he's making concessions, he must have his own calculations."

"However, we're stronger than them, so we don't need to worry. Anyway, Boss Ning is watching outside, so nothing unexpected will happen. They're simply not good enough!"

"My dad?" Ning Ze was very surprised. They were already close to the wilderness area, while Ning Hua was still in the base city. What did he have to do with his dad?

Zuo Xingyuan glanced at him with surprise, then exchanged a brief look with Ma Yu. He understood immediately, 'This kid doesn't know yet.'

He grinned and asked mysteriously, "Do you know what the most powerful strategy is in the wilderness?"

Ning Ze pondered for a moment, then tentatively replied, "Requesting backup?"

Zuo Xingyuan laughed and said, "What do you mean by requesting support? That means calling for reinforcements!"

"No matter how cunning their schemes, we'll have two or three teams of martial artists waiting here; they won't be able to escape even if they grow wings!"

Ning Ze nodded in deep agreement. How could they lose when a group of people were attacking one?

"Our main mission this time is to train and hone your skills. If we happen to find something big, we'll hunt it down. If not, then you'll go and fight the monsters."

"This is just a small county town, there aren't many monsters of the Beast General level. Once we feel you're ready, we'll take you to a more dangerous city to hunt monsters," Zuo Xingyuan said.

This is training my own child, so of course I'm doing my best.

If they were to train newcomers to the martial arts school, they would ostracize them if they couldn't keep up, send them back if they couldn't keep up, and if they didn't go back, they would die. They certainly wouldn't delay making money by training newcomers, and they wouldn't let newcomers drag them down.

"I will work hard! I will definitely not let everyone down."

Ning Ze was very excited. Although the battle just now lasted only twenty minutes, it was still within a horde of beasts.

At that time, his proficiency increased very quickly. His proficiency in "Swift Movement" increased by 45 points, and his proficiency in "Wind Slash" increased by 40 points, which was equivalent to four hours of practice at home.

Even his physical strength has increased by 10kg, which is not considered dangerous. If the crisis in the battle stimulates his life potential, his strength will definitely increase even more.

If he could keep fighting, his cultivation speed would be several times faster than at home. Unfortunately, his stamina is limited, and he simply cannot fight indefinitely.

Zuo Xingyuan's eyes flashed with a cold light. He turned around and glanced back, saying, "As for the issue of sneak attacks, you don't need to worry. We will provide support during your battle and keep an eye on those sniping positions."

"As long as I stay vigilant, and there's plenty of cover around, sniper rifles aren't that scary. If I reached the level of a high-ranking general, I could blast any bullet away!"

"I don't believe they would really dare to fight us head-on. As long as they don't call for reinforcements, keeping them here shouldn't be too difficult."

These words were spoken with great authority, and Ning Ze certainly trusted these uncles very much.

"Captain, when do we begin?"

Ning Ze's eyes were filled with a thirst for battle; he had come to the wilderness area to quickly improve his strength.

His current strength is still relatively low. Ma Yu and Zuo Xingyuan are both warriors, and their strength is definitely stronger than his. He is being trained under their protection, which can save his life if necessary. There are also many monsters with similar combat power, which can give him a sense of crisis.

Once his strength increases, his two uncles will be unable to control the situation. This is the only chance for him to improve rapidly in a short period of time; after that, he will have to rely on himself!

If he moves to a dangerous city, he won't have such good fortune again. At that time, it will be harder to find general-level monsters, the frequency of battles will definitely decrease, and his leveling speed will slow down.

Zuo Xingyuan slapped Ning Ze on the back of the head and laughed, "You brat! Are you out of your mind? Let's hide first and wait until Old Yang has surveyed the terrain before you come on in."

"Beast-level monsters are hard to find, but F-level monsters are plentiful. Have your Uncle Zhang and Uncle Xu bring a bunch over, so you won't be too scared to fight later."

Ning Ze chuckled lightly, then said dismissively, "I'll be waiting!"

"Huh!"

Zuo Xingyuan's eyes widened as he turned to ask, "Old Ma, is this kid provoking me?"

"If that's how you see it, then that's it," Ma Yu replied with a smile.

Ning Ze had been following behind him, so he was quite familiar with Ning Ze's combat strength.

There are many monsters, but that's not a problem. Because of their size, he can only face three or four monsters at most, and they won't attack at the same time. Ning Ze's movements are so precise that he can handle them.

Zuo Xingyuan stared at Ning Ze with his bull-like eyes. "Kid, were you just provoking me?"

Ning Ze replied in a serious tone, "If possible, I'd like a smaller monster."

"Tsk tsk!"

"Tsk!"

The mocking voices around them were quite noticeable.

Xu Liang joked, "Captain, Xiao Ze didn't mean anything by it, he was just worried that the monsters you arranged wouldn't be strong enough."

"snort!"

"You're something else!"

"Just wait!"

"Don't beg for mercy then!"

Zuo Xingyuan was furious, feeling that his position had been challenged.

Ning Ze stared straight ahead without fear and calmly said, "Beg for mercy? Don't worry, I won't beg for mercy."

He knew from the age of six that begging for mercy was completely useless.

"Let's go! Let's hurry!"

"I need to find him a bunch of monsters right now!"

"Kid, speed things up, don't lose them!"

Zuo Xingyuan couldn't tolerate a junior's provocation, so he kept increasing the team's speed, thinking of arranging for Ning Ze to join as soon as possible.

Ning Ze smiled. His own understanding of how to exert force was not learned from the manual, and he was not bound by the misconception that exerting force could only be used for attack.

His power wasn't just used for attacking; on the first day, he tried using it in his legs to increase speed.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold on despite Ning Hua's all-out attack these past few days.

Now his physical strength exceeds 3300kg, and when he exerts his strength, he is less than 1000kg lighter than Zhang Chen, Xu Liang and others.

Because he was the weakest in the team, carrying only his own supplies and not even having any bullets, he would definitely be the third one to run!

Yang Chao followed the signal and caught up with the enemy.

The group stopped at an abandoned karaoke bar. It was located on a pedestrian street less than ten meters wide, in a relatively secluded spot, making it a good location for monitoring and sniping.

Zuo Xingyuan became much quieter; he realized that his eldest nephew had a rebellious streak!

A few simple words often challenge his status!

If it weren't for the vast difference in combat strength, he suspected that Ning Ze would have attacked him!

"Old Yang, how's the inspection going? Have you checked for any dangers?"

Old Yang stood at the entrance of the KTV, looking eastward. He turned around and looked westward, observing carefully before saying, "No problem. There are no tall buildings on the east and west sides, and there are other buildings blocking the way at the intersections on both sides. As long as we lure the monster over, we can fight safely."

Zuo Xingyuan nodded and immediately ordered, "Old Zhang, go to the roof and look for any big guys. Old Ma and I will keep watch. Old Yang, go to the second floor and protect us with the machine gun. Old Xu, make some noise to lure the monster over! Choose a small, fast monster to lure. I want to see if it's still so stubborn in a little while."

Xu Liang chuckled and said, "I'll go lure some small monsters over for you."

Everyone sprang into action.

Ning Ze stood in the center of the pedestrian street, holding a sword in one hand. He was still covered in dust, except for his long sword, which was silvery white and flawless, and his eyes, which were very bright.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake rhythmically, and the already dilapidated shops began to collapse. Dust covered the pedestrian street, obscuring the view on both the east and west sides.

Inside the karaoke bar, Zuo Xingyuan's lips twitched slightly. "What kind of bastards did Old Xu bring here? Such a commotion!" Then a loud shout rang out, "Prepare for battle!"

Ma Yu didn't speak, but frowned and listened intently, as if a stampede of horses was driving through the air, not like a single monster, but rather like a herd.

The ground shook more and more violently, as if it were an earthquake. Ning Ze felt as if the sky was swaying. Cracks spread across the ground like a spider web, and gullies appeared in the continuous collapse of the streets.

soon.

On the east side of the street, Xu Liang slammed on the brakes and rushed into the pedestrian street, running desperately, his face trembling.

Immediately afterwards, a group of monsters appeared, and countless black figures surged into the pedestrian street like a tide, filling the entire street.

Just as Zuo Xingyuan recognized what it was, Xu Liang yelled, his face contorted in pain, "Run!"

Zuo Xingyuan's face contorted instantly, and he shouted towards the rooftop, "Old Zhang!"

Ning Ze's expression froze for a moment.

That dark mass was full of rats, just like the waves in the ocean.

Each rat is not very big, only about half a meter long, but when countless rats are piled up together, they are taller than the buildings on both sides of the pedestrian street!

The buildings were destroyed, and the ditches on the ground were filled with rats. The earth itself seemed to be singing and dancing for them!

"squeak!"

"squeak!"

"squeak!"

The rapid and dense sounds entered Ning Ze's ears, and he shuddered.

"Bang!"

Just then, a figure jumped down from the rooftop; it was Zhang Chen, who had just gone upstairs to look for the monster.

"Run with me! It's a small, thin branch! We still have a chance!"

Zuo Xingyuan quickly shouted, "Keep up!"

Many reactions occur in an instant.

Ning Ze followed the group and ran. He glanced back but couldn't make out how many rats there were. He felt a chill run down his spine, his heart pounded with fear, and his hair stood on end.

Zuo Xingyuan turned around and asked anxiously, "Old Zhang, what happened?" Zhang Chen was looking for the monster on the roof just now.

"Earth dragon!"

"It's an armored earth dragon!"

"Those rats are chasing a lord-level monster!"

Zhang Chen's face was somewhat pale. "I was looking for a War General-level monster when suddenly the earth cracked open, and then an armored earth dragon rushed out, followed by endless rats surging out from underground."

"I judged the direction that monster fled in. This side should be safe. The direction is opposite to that of the Lord-level Armored Earth Dragon."

"What bad luck!"

Zuo Xingyuan cursed, glancing behind him. The dense, dark shadows sent shivers down his spine. "How many the hell are there?"

Ma Yu said coldly, "Run first. Regardless of whether we can handle it or not, we can't attract the attention of the rat swarm."

"Of course I know to run first! How can we possibly kill them all!" Zuo Xingyuan was getting agitated. He turned around and said, "Kid, you're not slow, but can you keep going?"

The group's current speed exceeds 65 m/s, while the minimum speed for advanced warriors is 60 m/s.

This speed is only to accommodate Ning Ze; otherwise, the entire squad could run even faster!

Ning Ze nodded and said seriously, "I can go even faster."

Zuo Xingyuan glanced back. The black wave had receded further, leaving only darkness on the ground. Clearly, these rodent monsters were relatively weak; only a small number of them were F-rank monsters, which was why they were chasing after him.

"No need. Going too fast is a waste of energy, and we don't know how long they'll chase us. Let's get out of their sight first. We're not too far from the base city, so they shouldn't catch up. If they do, we'll slow down again."

Ning Ze nodded slightly. Their maximum running speed was much faster than the swarm of rats.

However, since it is the maximum speed, it is destined to be unsustainable!

Just like humans before the Great Nirvana, when running 100 meters in 10 seconds was considered extremely fast.

One hundred meters, taking nearly ten seconds.

But what about 1000 meters? Can you do it in 100 seconds?

10,000 meters? Does that mean 1000 seconds is enough? In fact, before the Great Nirvana period, the men's 10,000-meter record was around 1580 seconds.

The same goes for the War Squad; for example, the two strongest captains can instantly exceed 150 speeds per second!

However, it is impossible to sustain this speed for an hour. With the added weight, they would struggle to maintain even 50 m/s.

The group stopped talking and wasting their energy, focusing solely on fleeing. Only Ma Yu and Zuo Xingyuan casually dealt with a few of the monsters that caught up with them.

Ning Ze controlled his breathing rhythm and mentally prepared himself for the long-distance run.

His leg muscles were aching, and he tried to distract himself and block out the discomfort, running as if he had no feeling at all.

His thoughts gradually slowed down, and in the darkness, he seemed to sense the omnipresent cosmic energy.

Strands of cosmic energy flowed into his body from all directions. Although it was not as much as the energy he received during cultivation, it still relieved his fatigue and soreness.

Ten minutes passed like this.

Looking behind him, Zuo Xingyuan could only see dust filling the sky, like a giant yellowish-brown mushroom, while the dark swarm of rats on the ground had vanished.

"Slow down and maintain a speed of 30 m/s."

"Old Zhang, which way should we run?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen replied immediately, "City 103, let's avoid the beast tide first and inquire about the rat horde's movements from the base city."

Ning Ze slowed down, and as he came to his senses, the strange feeling disappeared.

"Alright, let's head to City 103 first." Zuo Xingyuan turned around, revealing a relieved smile. "Xiao Ze, not bad. You managed to maintain this speed for so long."

"Uncle Zuo, don't worry about me, I feel fine."

Ning Ze seemed to be deep in thought. He didn't feel particularly tired. The feeling he had just experienced was similar to cultivation, but also different. He had absorbed relatively little cosmic energy, which was not enough to strengthen his body, but it could replenish the energy his body had lost and maintain the state of his cells.

He felt that this was the system's function, allowing him to forcibly enter a cultivation state whenever he wanted.

Is it because of poor posture that I absorb so little energy while running? And is it necessary to mentally detach from the sky to accelerate cultivation?

Zuo Xingyuan smiled slightly as he watched him deep in thought.

They dare to fight alongside them, never hold them back in life-or-death crises, and are impeccable in battle.

Everything was perfect, and he was very satisfied with Ning Ze.

(End of this chapter)