ir pace quickened. After all, they needed to reach the imperial city before the auspicious time calculated by the Ministry of Rites.After traveling for five consecutive days, Lianyi fell ill. Cao Gong..."Everybody, get to the speedboats!"

Yuan Chongming loudly informed the remaining five squads.

"What about ripples"

Lin Yi directly asked.

"I'm back!"

Hearing the ripples return, the rest of the people didn't hesitate any longer. They quickly boarded the speedboat and started the engine. After the last ripple jumped onto the boat, they immediately changed direction and sailed away from this terrifying place.

The deafening explosions continued, half the shantytown behind them was in ruins, and then they saw mutated rats flying amidst the flames, with even more scurrying away in panic.

"Oh my God! We really stirred up a hornet's nest!"

Sun Zhou gasped and said with emotion.

You should be grateful we didn't go deeper, or we wouldn't have made it out alive.

Chu Hong's cold voice entered everyone's ears.

"Do you mean that everyone there died"

Tang Tianming licked his lips and asked.

"Or else! Otherwise, ripples won't use a time bomb!"

Zhao Jia responded.

Everyone turned their heads to look at Ripples, who was on the other speedboat and gasping for air. This mission had been her most embarrassing one so far after all this time.

After the ripples caught their breath, they immediately shouted loudly:

"Get out of here quickly, the rats are flooding in!"

As expected, because the ripples destroyed their nest, some rats were still carrying flames. These clever critters actually jumped straight into the water, and the five speedboats became their new target again.

"Retreat!"

This time everyone didn't hesitate, quickly leaving their current position. However, each person's expression was very grim.

"Ripple, are you okay"

Captain Lin spoke first.

The speedboat of Team Lin was the one that leapt over the ripples.

Upon hearing the other party's question, she waved her hand, sighed, and said:

"This rescue mission was a failure! There's no one left there, all I saw were bones."

""

Everyone on the speedboat was silent. This was the last thing they wanted to hear.

"But I teamed up with Cyclone and got Big Boss Mouse back. At least we can turn in our work when we get back."

The ripples ultimately still told a good news.

"Rat Boss"

Lin Yi was also surprised.

"Here I am! Going back to show you all!"

Ripple patted the backpack on her back.

"Meow! I contributed to this too, the whirlwind immediately took credit."

"You definitely deserve the credit!"

Ripples reached up and touched the whirlwind on her shoulders.

"At least this time, we still have some gains."

Lin sighed.

Afterward, a group of people, enduring the scorching heat, returned to their base before sunset.

After handing over Big Mouse, the team that took on the mission this time disbanded, and everyone's mood was not high.

Soon after they left, researchers in white coats took the big rat away.

After the crowd returned, they were greeted by Jia Yao and Liu Zili. Seeing that everyone who had gone out for a day had injuries, they immediately began to treat them.

"Uncle Liu, our wounds were bitten by rats, and we don't know if they'll be infected with a virus. Could you please help us treat them"

Okay, I understand!

After the wounds were treated, everyone ate something quickly and then gathered at Yuan Chongming's residence to discuss today's mission.

"This is the first time our team has failed to complete a mission!"

"Alas! Not being able to save the person, I always feel uneasy."

Zhao Jia said listlessly.

"This isn't our fault, those rats are just too strong. I thought those people would at least serve as rations for the rats, giving them a couple more days to live until our reinforcements arrived, but unfortunately..."

Even the ripples shook their heads helplessly.

"Do you think those rats will become a plague It feels like animals who have experienced extreme weather are all mutating."

When Li Qian spoke, his mind was filled with giant rats. Then he looked at Fenghuang, who was grooming herself in Lian Ri's arms.

"Indeed, the tornado has also mutated, otherwise how dare it fight that mutated rat boss!"

The ripples did not deny.

"Now that the temperature is constantly rising, and all the water will have evaporated, what do you think will happen then"

Sun Weifeng asked.

"I don't know! But we should store more water just in case!"

Yuan Chongming ended the conversation with a single sentence.

Three days later, the outpost issued an announcement to all survivors: those who caught mutated rats could come to the outpost to exchange them for food.

And make it clear to everyone who wants to try the mutant rats, that the mutant rats carry a large amount of virus. Although they won't die immediately after eating them, that's because the virus has a one-month incubation period. After that, it will start to rot from the internal organs. I hope everyone doesn't try this, and get food through legitimate channels.

After the announcement, survivors started to prepare various mouse-catching tools. These rats were no longer seen as loathsome pests in their eyes, but rather food, a source of sustenance to keep them alive.

A nationwide rat-catching craze has swept the nation. The more rats you catch, the better! This tasker named Lianyi is amazed by the sheer number of rats being caught. This is a war against rodents!

A few days later, Situ Yi came to find them and explained the ins and outs of the situation.

The rat king brought back by the ripples was dissected by researchers. It was found that although its skin carried the virus, the meat itself was indeed non-toxic. Although it was non-toxic, it couldn't just be boiled and eaten, which is why the base would recycle it. After high-temperature processing, it could be used as food and temporarily supplied to survivors.

Zhao Jia swallowed nervously and asked in a trembling voice:

"Can this really be eaten"

"Hmm!"

"Oh no! Are we being taken advantage of When we raided the mutant rat's nest, we wasted so many resources, practically giving them away for nothing. We only managed to bring back the boss rat!"

Zhao Jia sighed in regret.

Ripple touched her nose, she felt that under the circumstances of having other food, she wouldn't choose to eat mouse meat for now.

"Since we haven't had any missions lately, why don't we go there and try our luck At the very least, we could trade for a few catties of food."

Sisture Yi proposed.

"Okay, let's ask who else wants to go, and we'll form a team."

Yuan Chongming did not refuse.

"You go! I'm not going, it's too hot! Remember don't go too deep."

The ripples stroked the whirlwind, which had grown a little wilted from the heat. It instructed several people:

"Okay, we got it!"

Because of the extreme heat, it was almost 113 degrees Fahrenheit at noon. Even a slight movement would leave you drenched in sweat. Staying out for too long could lead to heatstroke. The water level is also steadily declining. Ripples felt that in less than a month, these stagnant waters wouldn't be able to hold the survivors any longer.

The ripples' guess this time was still accurate. After twenty-eight days, the water had almost evaporated. The shallowest water only reached the calves, and the deepest only reached the waist of an adult. A large number of survivors began to leave their trapped location and venture out to find food.

At the same time, a type of simple packaged meat patty appeared in the weekly relief rations. Although it was only the size of a palm and only salty, it was still meat. This gave the survivors, whose eyes were green with hunger, finally a glimmer of hope for survival.

"Brother, what kind of meat is this It's really chewy!"

After receiving the meat pie, a man immediately took a bite.

"Mutated rat meat!"sory courses for farm children. So she still had the energy to give her unsteady roommate a helping hand.In the beginning, everyone was walking at a relatively easy pace and had plenty of energy. Howe...