"Yakov..."

Yu Yuan looked at this somewhat familiar yet strange name and scratched his chin.

Fang and Masier's attention had long been drawn to Yu Yuan.

Especially the pond that had suddenly appeared on the first floor and then disappeared, as well as this suddenly appearing duck nest, both left the two of them extremely astonished.

But both knew now was not the time to ask questions.

Yu Yuan, however, looked at Masier.

"Masier, make a trip and deliver this duck nest to Dale. Tell him to take good care of it. Whether we can have duck eggs for breakfast in the future depends on it!"

Duck eggs!

Hearing this term, Masier's eyes lit up.

"Don't worry, Investor! I'll make sure to explain it clearly to Professor Dale!"

Watching Masier leave carefully, Yu Yuan's gaze also turned to the virtual light screen in front of him. This round of Fate Card drawing was complete.

Seeing the card that appeared, Yu Yuan revealed an expression of "as expected."

[This Fate Card — Conquest]

[Conquest Card, quality 'Bronze' tier. The player must conquer one 'Bronze-tier' creature or an organization of over 100 people within 7 days. Otherwise, the player dies.]

(Friendly reminder: What I want is not submission, but for you to recognize who the true King is. If you can't recognize it, then go die!)

"Conquest!"

Yu Yuan's gaze fell on the flickering red dot on the combat detector, a dangerous glint appearing in the depths of his eyes.

"Isn't this just perfect?"

"King, there's a situation!"

Fang's voice suddenly rang out, pulling Yu Yuan's wandering thoughts back.

Fang enlarged a surveillance feed, revealing the creature on the screen.

A plump, black-furred rat, over four meters in body length, was slowly crawling out from the depths of the sewer.

Despite its slow crawling speed, it gave off a heavy sense of oppression and suffocation.

Yu Yuan looked at the giant rat on the screen. The change was simply too great!

Even through the camera, Fang beside him subconsciously took two steps back, his eyes filled with shock.

Behind Yu Yuan, Mie Mie, upon seeing the rat, instantly lowered its head, its front hooves stamping the floor.

This was Mie Mie's battle-ready posture.

Clearly, it also remembered that previous battle, and the memory was still fresh.

Yu Yuan gently patted Mie Mie's head.

"Alright, Mie Mie, don't be impatient. We'll go deal with it soon."

Hearing this, Mie Mie finally calmed down, but it also moved to a position between the security gate and Yu Yuan.

Maintaining vigilance.

As the rat got closer and closer to the camera.

More details appeared on the screen.

They could also see the blind eye on the head of the large black rat.

The Giant Mutant Rat slowly passed beneath the camera.

Just when they thought it would walk straight past.

The mutant rat stopped.

It slowly backed up two steps.

Under the watchful eyes of Yu Yuan and Fang, it reared up on its hind legs, its rat head staring directly and fixedly at the camera.

"Squeak~~~ Squeak squeak squeak~~~~"

A muffled rat squeak transmitted from the camera to the shelter. Although the sound wasn't piercing or sharp.

It still evoked a feeling of falling into an icy cavern.

Rat whiskers as thick as pencils were distinct and clear under the camera.

The two huge front incisors covered in yellowish enamel were so vivid.

Yu Yuan could even see shreds of fabric stuck between its teeth.

The Giant Mutant Rat turned its head. Its single remaining eye was a deep, dark green, with a hint of crimson deep within.

It coldly stared at the surveillance camera. The corner of its mouth twitched slightly, its whiskers trembling, as if it were sneering.

Yu Yuan silently watched the Giant Mutant Rat on the screen.

"King...." Fang's voice trembled slightly.

"It... seems to be taunting us!"

The corners of Yu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly as he let out a light snort.

"Don't doubt it. It *is* taunting. Not just taunting, it's issuing a challenge to me!"

"This..." Fang looked at the rat on the screen with disbelief.

Was this really just an animal?

While Fang was still in shock.

On the screen, the Giant Mutant Rat, under their gaze, lowered its body again and slowly began crawling towards the direction of the shelter.

And just as it was about to pass through, a thick tail lashed out towards the camera.

*Zzzt*......

Then the surveillance feed went dark. Clearly, that camera had been destroyed by the Giant Mutant Rat.

*Haa*......

Yu Yuan looked at the red dot on the combat detector whose appearance was becoming increasingly brief, and let out a long, heavy sigh.

This guy really is arrogant enough!

Fortunately, even though its concealment effect was getting stronger, the combat detector could still capture a faint trace of its energy fluctuation. They weren't completely passive.

But they couldn't delay any longer. They had to seize this opportunity.

Fang quickly switched camera feeds.

But Yu Yuan's thoughts turned to the Stag Shelter on the other side.

Had he gotten lost?

Or was Stag, like Star Duke before, already silently approaching the vicinity of the shelter, and he just hadn't discovered it yet?

Various thoughts flashed through Yu Yuan's mind. However, the Giant Mutant Rat had already entered within 500 meters of the shelter. If Stag still didn't appear, then Yu Yuan would have no choice but to deal with the Giant Mutant Rat first.

Thinking this, Yu Yuan had already made his battle preparations.

But just...

Just as he was about to make a move, the combat detector changed. A brand new red dot appeared.

This red dot was in the direction from which the Giant Mutant Rat had come.

Yu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted.

"Could this be Stag? But he... has he already reached Bronze tier?"

——————————

"Black Slayer, quiet!"

Tie Xiong looked at Black Slayer, who had suddenly entered a combat-ready state, and frowned.

His flashlight illuminated the sewer ahead. He then looked at the guiding icon for the Yu Yuan Shelter on the virtual light screen.

"About 1 kilometer left. The shelter guidance time also only has the final 10 minutes remaining..."

Sensing there might be unknown danger.

Without hesitation, Tie Xiong directly activated the [Hunting Vision] ability of his [Wilderness Hunter] title.

For one minute, it allowed Tie Xiong to see all traces left by creatures that had passed through within the last 5 days.

His vision turned grey. The previously empty sewer was now filled with countless red markers.

Some of these red markers were bright, others dim.

Tie Xiong's attention was immediately drawn to the freshest marker.

"The color is so bright, meaning the other party passed through here within the last hour. But what kind of footprint is this? It's so huge!"

Tie Xiong looked at the zigzagging footprint traces on the ground, alternating between four and five toes, quickly searching his memory for the corresponding creature's tracks.

However, when his gaze fell on the dragging marks that appeared near the footprints, a creature immediately came to mind.

"Is this... a rat?"

(I know everyone is getting impatient, but all the necessary preparations and groundwork are finished. What comes next is battle, subjugation, and evolution!)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com