“It’s very simple. If we don’t take action today, it will be too late.”
Meng Chao shrugged. “Once the Blood Hoof Army sets out, both the clan warriors and the rat soldiers will lose most of their free space. They will have to proceed under strict management. Moreover, if they set up camp in the field, the scouts will be sent dozens of miles away. It will be very difficult for them to make any small movements.
“Today is the only day that most of the Blood Hoof Clan’s legions are dragged out of the city and divided into different groups during the battle drill. Only a large number of rat people, who are destined to die, are left in Black-corner City. When the defense of the city is extremely low, it will be the perfect time to make a move.
“However, I thought that they just wanted to set half of Black-corner City on fire and help the rat people escape in the chaos.
“I never thought that they could make such an earth-shaking noise!”
“They?” Leaf asked.
“They are the authentic emissaries of the Rat God,” Meng Chao answered.
“Authentic emissaries?” Leaf said in surprise.
“Could it be that they were captured by the Blood Hoof Clan and the Ironhide Clan, but they are imposters?”
“They are not imposters. There are no spies from the Gold Clan at all. Even if there are spies, they have not been captured by the Blood Hoof Clan and the Ironhide Clan.”
Meng Chao grinned. “It’s just a lie fabricated by the rulers of Black-corner City!”
“So, there really is a Big-horned Rat God?” Leaf asked in disbelief.
“According to the evidence that I’ve collected, there should be one. However, the Big-horned Rat God is the same as Tom, Dick, and Harry. It’s just a name. It doesn’t mean that it’s a real god if there’s the word ‘God’ in the name!”
Meng Chao said, “We can only say that some faction that believes in the Big-horned Rat God, or at least a faction that claims to believe in the Big-horned Rat God, is eyeing Black-corner city. That’s all.”
Leaf pondered for a long time before turning around.
“So, this really isn’t a miracle?” He pointed at the burning city outside the window and asked.
“It’s not a miracle. It’s just a… Oh, maybe a hundred powerful methane explosions,” Meng Chao said.
“Methane… explosions?” Leaf did not understand.
“That’s right.”
Meng Chao thought for a moment and explained in detail. “Don’t advanced orcs especially like to eat mandrake fruits and the flesh of totem beasts that contain a large amount of spirit energy?
“I discovered that the digestive system of advanced orcs seemed to be modified by special genes, causing their appetite to be far more astonishing than that of other humanoid carbon-based intelligent life forms. It’s common for them to eat thirty to fifty kilograms of food in a single meal.
“With such an astonishing amount of food, the amount of excrement was naturally astonishing as well.
“Originally, the underground of Black-corner City had a fully-automated pipeline processing system with very advanced facilities to handle millions of tons of garbage and excrement.
“However, after tens of millions of years, just like all the facilities and technologies that the advanced orcs’ ancestors left behind, the garbage processing and excrement purification system buried deep in the underground gradually fell into ruin. It became blocked and collapsed.
“As a result, a large amount of excrement rich in high-energy substances accumulated, condensed, and fermented under Black-corner City, producing all kinds of reactions that nobody can explain clearly. Dozens of inflammable and explosive gases and liquids, including methane, have been released.
“It’s like hundreds of time bombs are buried deep under Black-corner City. Leaf, do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes… a little.”
Leaf nodded and said, “There used to be a big cesspool in our village. Green fireflies often floated above the cesspool. When we were young, we didn’t know how to behave. We thought the green flames were very beautiful and liked to play near it. When we grew up, we realized that they were the most disgusting things.”
“More or less. But the big cesspool under Black-corner city is much more powerful than the one in your village.”
Meng Chao clicked his tongue. “Actually, I didn’t think in this direction at first. After all, igniting the biogas to detonate Black-corner City is only a theoretical possibility. Although it sounds simple, how do you dig a tunnel and place the detonator at a key location? How do you ensure the sealing and stability of the biogas, as well as other inflammable and explosive gases? How to ensure that all the places in the city where the biogas is dense are detonated at the same time? And most importantly, how do you ensure that the biogas explosion only takes place in the area where the clan warriors live and does not affect the slums where the rats live?
“The technology involved is too high, and the amount of work involved is too large. It is definitely not something that a motley crew can come up with and complete.
“It seems that the rat militia’s true colors are quite different from what I expected. What kind of power is driving the Rat God’s descent?”
Meng Chao’s thoughts were racing.
A moment later, he cast his eyes on the rat youth again.
“Leaf, didn’t you say that you wanted to escape Black-corner City? Now is the best chance!”
“Yes,” Meng Chao said quickly. “Do you know that there is a large rat market at the intersection of Iron Axe Street and Steel Tooth Street, and there is the Red Head Tavern that serves the rat population?”
“Yes.”
Leaf nodded.
Red Head Tavern was one of the few places in Black-corner City that could make the rat population forget their lowly status for the time being. They would drink to their heart’s content there. They would also slam the gambling table and lose so much that their parents would not recognize them.
Whenever the servants in the Blood Skull Arena received their reward from the master warrior, they all liked to go to Red Head Tavern and lose everything.
If the rat militia performed well in the arena and helped their master win, their master would often wave his hand and reward the servants with three melons and two dates so that they could blow some steam.
However, Red Head Tavern seemed to be the same as many facilities in Black-corner City that served the rat militia. They were all destroyed by the clan warriors who went on a rampage during the Game of the Brave.
“It doesn’t matter whether it is destroyed or not. As long as you know where it is, that’s all that matters.”
Meng Chao said, “That place is not far from the Blood Skull Arena. I will create an opportunity later. You and the rat people who are unwilling to stay in the Blood Hoof Clan as cannon fodder will think of a way to rush out. I reckon that there will be a lot of smoke and chaos outside. You won’t encounter too many obstacles.
“Next to Red Head Tavern, there is an enormous tunnel that leads directly outside the city. I reckon that the Rat God’s emissary will be there to pick up the rat people in Black-corner City and escape the city through the tunnel.
“Judging from the fact that they were able to plan such a large-scale and high-tech explosion, they must have arranged everything outside the city to ensure that at least half of the rat people who escaped will be able to join their army and embark on their own journey!”
“This…”
There was so much information in Meng Chao’s words that Leaf could not grasp it. “Reaper, are you saying that someone will help us escape?”
“That’s right. The Rat God’s emissary has been hiding in black-corner city for a long time. His goal is to help the rat subjects who are unwilling to be cannon fodder to escape!”
Meng Chao paused for a moment before continuing, “Of course, it seems that their appetite is far greater than I imagined. They are definitely not satisfied with taking away a large number of rat subjects. However, that has nothing to do with you.”
“However, we don’t even know the emissary of the Rat God. Will he help us?”
Leaf felt a little guilty. He could hear the hidden meaning behind Meng Chao’s words. “Reaper, aren’t you coming with us?”
“Don’t worry. The emissary of the Rat God will bring you along.”
Meng Chao patiently explained, “The other party has taken a great risk and invested a lot of resources to plan and carry out all of this. One of their main purposes is to get a large number of rat people out of Black-corner City. At this moment, after the selection of the recruitment team, the long journey, and the torture of the arduous work, the remaining rat people are all the best of the best. Moreover, they are filled with a deep-rooted hatred for the clan warriors. They are simply the best source of soldiers.
“As for you servants who have gone through the life and death test in the arena, you are even one in a hundred strong soldiers. If you offer yourself to them, they will be more than happy. How could they not accept you?
“As for me, I won’t go with you for the time being. I have more important things to do. At least, I have to help you get rid of Brute Hammer so that you can have a chance to rush out of the Blood Skull Arena!”
“But…”
Leaf was anxious.
Ever since his head was covered and he was sent into the Blood Skull Arena, he had been receiving guidance from Meng Chao and drawing power from his body.
From a certain perspective, Meng Chao was more trustworthy than the Rat God.
He had also thought that the mysterious Reaper with black hair and black eyes must be shouldering an incredible mission. He had his own battles to fight, so he could not always be his nanny.
However, he did not expect the day of separation to come so suddenly and so… intensely.
“This is the best I can do for you. Some things can only be seized by your own hands. No one can give you freedom and dignity for free.”
Meng Chao patted the rat teenager’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Besides, we won’t be apart for long. I’ll catch up to you once I deal with the ‘problems’ in Black-corner City.”
“Liar!”
Leaf mumbled, “Since you are not with the real Rat God emissaries, how do you know where they’ll take us and where they’ll find us?”
“So, you have to take this and this.”
Meng Chao took out a dirty pendant from his pocket and a partially old bag made of animal skin, which he had bought in the rat market. Then he handed them to Leaf.
“This is…”
Leaf lifted the pendant curiously and found that it was a thumb-sized conch.
However, after a long period of friction, the shell had lost its bright luster. It was gray and inconspicuous.
It was filled with a brown substance that looked like cork, but it was densely covered in holes. When one placed it under the tip of the nose and sniffed it carefully, one could smell a very mysterious fragrance.
The animal skin bag was filled with another kind of greasy white powder, which also carried a faint fragrance.
“Once we are separated, every time you walk a few miles, if possible, find an opportunity to secretly sprinkle this white powder anywhere. If you don’t have the opportunity, throw some on yourself in advance and release it with your body temperature. It can help me lock on to your direction.”
Meng Chao explained, “As for this pendant, just hang it around your neck. As long as it is within the range of three hundred to five hundred arms, it can help me pinpoint your location.”
