While it did not include one fool-proof plan, it still had notes inside about how each and every able person in Wecha had a role to play. They had been prepared for the rats to play dirty. While not as numerous as Moloch fabulous playbook against the Demon Horde, Gold still had formulated dozens of what if scenarios which he submitted to the System based on the current information they had on them.
Naturally, one of them had always been an underground invasion. After all, they know those rats were capable diggers long before they got access to Weslie’s steam technology.
Thus the sewers had been rigged with explosives, all meticulously covered and camouflaged with mud, dirt and smelly garbage. The foul-smelling job had not prevented the citizens from earning extra coin which the System had an abundance of in the weeks before this ambush.
Technically it was not intended to be used as a defensive measure, but instead, they had planned to use the very same trick that had lured the rats into the various empty towns to blow them up into pieces with the help of Peppers. However, that would have been a last resort only after the people of Wecha had evacuated the area and moved to the seaport.
After all, exploding each and every explosive could possibly obliterate not just the sewer systems but cause existing buildings on the surface to crumble from the loss of their underground foundation. Yet, the System had determined that detonating a few could increase the number of chokepoints and buy more time for the humans fighting against the threat while preventing the entire town from becoming a quicksand pit of death.
And the most obvious choke points were undoubtedly the ones closest to the fountain as the townsfolk could feel the intense rumbling coming from the centre of Wecha. The centre collapsed inwards, and it halted the incoming onslaught of the Demon Rats through the makeshift tunnel entrance.
At the same time, women all armed with rifles or bows were shooting as best they could from the rooftops at those Demon Rats who were scurrying into the complex slums of Wecha. While many missed because of the Demon Rats’ agility and the townsfolk’ inexperience at hitting moving targets, the rest were actually killed by either the shots or the surrounding traps made by the children in town.
From hidden spikes to simple grease tricks, the traps enabled the women on the rooftops and upper floors to have a better chance to finish them off. It was a combination tactic which was unprecedented in their history books.
Upon the Demon Rats’ death, the children reset the traps while the women made sure that the rat was deader than dead before looting their corpse for any valuables or weapons. As for the elderlies, they were not useless at all in their contribution to the war effort.
They had started to inject odourless rat poison courtesy of System into the food and water in case the place got taken over. This was in case the rats decided to cripple the town by stealing the food supplies for their own war efforts.
That was what had happened during the initial phase of the invasion, causing the humans to starve. These made the subsequent fights easier and made the humans more subvertable to their demands. At the same time, they had also prepared rations and got the children to transport them to the men and women of the militia.
Gold had also repeatedly ensured that they all had sufficient supplies and did not have to worry about getting food if they survived. But the elderlies knew that that was something akin to a wonderful dream to survive the onslaught of the Demon Rat horde.
So the only way to persist dreaming was to have a chance in fighting for it. Most if not all of the elders were also equipped with a hunting shotgun for the worst case possible. Unlike the weapons that the militia were holding, they were not imbued with any conversion inscription charms. Instead, Octofussy had inserted basic lesser recoil and easier reloading inscriptions, so the elders could contribute if necessary.
Armed with only two shotgun shells, and a couple more of them in a side bag. The elders were also given reloading kits, enabling them to have an easier time to dish out a hell of pain.
Escaping from the enslaved towns had already been a miracle but now entrapped at all fronts, most of the elderlies were already glad they could do something to contribute to the death of those Demon Rats before their inevitable demise.
——
“… Actually, won’t it be worse after we explode that area?” Jin realised after he had already pressed the button to detonate the explosives. “Those rats will eventually find the other exits too.”
“System assures User that it was only a matter of time for those rats to pop up everywhere. System merely recommended exploding those points as a way to frustrate the rats underground while delaying the inevitable so that User finds a way to execute his plan.” The System stated.
“Send us. We are small enough and a decent deterrent against the rats in the sewer systems.” A meek voice spoke out in the System Channel, and it was none other than Poppy, one of the vice leaders of the mousefolks.
“Ya, and at the same time, detonate all the exits or entrances to the sewage system.” A yawn from Meomi interrupted the conversation. “We will take it from there and clear the sewers out to their entrance.”
“As seen from the dead Demon Rats on the streets, most of the rats should not be as geared up as the ones outside the gates. They are likely to be armed with just the essentials to fight us with overwhelming numbers instead.” Pippy, his brother in arms, examined the current situation.
“Are you guys sure about this? It is bound to be a suicide mission. Even though you can be reborn again, dying isn’t the most pleasant of all experiences.” Jin warned as he checked the Dungeon Maker interfaces to see where the locations of all the explosives were.
“Heh, that’s the same thing Qiu Yue told us before we manned the machine guns on the flying dragon statue. Gosh, that was insane but awfully fun.” Poppy recalled how much Pippy was nearly shitting his pants from the sudden dives and rise with the dragon’s constant evasive movement.
“I’d rather die a few more times than ride that dragon statue again…” Pippy swore that was the first and last time he was flying on that statue. (Don’t be so sure, Pippy…)
“Then that settles it. Chop chop. Nyanmi, remember to bring short weapons like daggers, our whipswords can’t do shit in the sewers.” Meomi ordered as she clapped to hurry the execution of the plan from Jin.
“We can always rely on our claws and jaws.” Nyanmi replied, and Meomi was already salivating to tear the life out of those rats.
“I wish you guys all the best.” Jin sent them off. Then he took a page out of the rat’s book and used their own means against them. He made sure he exploded part of the sewers which would not break the foundations and teleported the mouse folks and the werecats into battle, making it appear as if they had broken through.
With a smaller stature than the Demon Rats, the mousefolks used the smoke and dust from the explosion to perform their opening volley before switching back to the mini blades and rushed off to cut the vermin’s throats.
Needless to say, their performance was stellar enough to not tarnish the name of their teacher bellator.
