PCJ – Chapter 535 The Bloody Battle

“Damn it, why are you chasing me?” Lao Wu turned his head and saw that Zeng Lei was right behind him.

“Running for our lives!” Zeng Lei gave Lao Wu a strange smile.

“Damn it! There’s no one behind you holding them off. Do you really think you can outrun those rats?” Lao Wu asked.

“I can’t outrun them all, but I only need to outrun you.” Zeng Lei laughed and picked up speed, flashing past Lao Wu.

“Screw your mother!” Lao Wu furiously threw the iron rod in his hand at Zeng Lei.

Zeng Lei had been on guard for this. With a swift dodge, he avoided the attack. This delay caused Lao Wu to fall even farther behind. Zeng Lei accelerated, leaving him in the dust.

In the tunnel, every little sound was amplified. Ma Fusong could hear everything clearly up ahead.

“Something happened!” Ma Fusong heard Lao Wu’s scream and his face twisted viciously. “If I see that guy Zeng again, I’m taking him out on the spot!”

Zeng Lei also heard Lao Wu’s tragic scream. Surrounded by that swarm of giant rats and having thrown away his only weapon, Lao Wu couldn’t last even a minute before being overrun. His final words were a curse at Zeng Lei.

“Zeng! Even if I die, I’ll haunt you to the grave!”

Zeng Lei saw a glimmer of light ahead but didn’t keep running. Instead, he stopped. There was no way Ma Fusong hadn’t noticed everything. If he kept running now, he would definitely be attacked by Ma Fusong and his men. Zeng Lei wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could take on a group of people in such a narrow tunnel. But the rats behind him were getting closer.

“Damn it. If I’m going down, I’m taking you bastards with me!” Zeng Lei waited on purpose, letting the rats get closer. He was planning to lure the swarm straight into Ma Fusong’s group.

The headlamps from Ma Fusong’s team all turned toward Zeng Lei.

“Brother Zeng, what’s going on up ahead?” Ma Fusong surprisingly remained calm.

“Brother Ma, it’s bad! We ran into a horde of giant rats. I can’t hold them off—come help!” Zeng Lei called.

“You come here first. We’ll cover you!” Ma Fusong replied.

“Bullshit! Are you still pretending to be kind at a time like this?” Zeng Lei couldn’t help but curse.

“Zeng, I didn’t plan to kill you before, but you shouldn’t have set up my brother. You’re dead for sure now,” Ma Fusong dropped all pretenses.

“Ma Fusong, don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. You never intended to let me leave alive. You knew how dangerous this tunnel is and sent me ahead to scout. That was a death sentence. But I won’t let you get away that easily. If I’m dying, I’m taking you all with me.” Zeng Lei regretted ever agreeing to this trip. If he had known it would be this dangerous, he would’ve bailed earlier.

Just as Zeng Lei was about to charge with the rat swarm toward Ma Fusong’s team, a familiar figure suddenly leapt out.

“Woof woof!”

The mountain leopard dog blocked Zeng Lei’s path and let out several growls that made the rat horde come to a sudden halt. Though they seemed fearless, survival instincts kicked in, and they hesitated. The mountain leopard’s presence was overwhelming—it exuded a terrifying pressure, like a predator of a higher tier.

It eyed the rat swarm with contempt. Although facing so many would be troublesome, it clearly wasn’t worried.

Zeng Lei stared blankly at the mountain leopard. He recognized it—but how did it suddenly appear here? Could it be… Zhang Jiaohua was also here?

The mountain leopard and the rats held a standoff for a moment, then the rats panicked and scattered in retreat.

From a distance, Ma Fusong saw the whole thing and growled, “Chase him! Kill that bastard Zeng!”

Zeng Lei heard that clearly. He glanced back, then shouted to the mountain leopard, “This way!” and chased after the fleeing rats. Before long, he saw fresh bones on the ground, stripped of meat and even cracked—clearly Lao Wu’s remains.

Zeng Lei only took a glance, with no pity at all. Guys like Lao Wu were bound to die eventually.

Ma Fusong, burning for revenge, was chasing hard. Zeng Lei, fleeing for his life, was running even faster.

Zhang Jiaohua followed closely behind Ma Fusong’s group.

Ma Fusong, blinded by hatred, didn’t even stop to wonder where the dog had come from.

Suddenly, Zeng Lei and the mountain leopard heard terrified squeals ahead. The rat horde had turned back, fleeing in panic.

“Woof woof!”

The mountain leopard roared again in the middle of the tunnel, but this time, it had no effect. The rats rushed past, still terrified.

“Something’s wrong—they’re not attacking, they’re fleeing! Something even scarier is up ahead!” Zeng Lei realized. Behind him, Ma Fusong’s group was closing in. No way forward, no way back—they were trapped.

Zeng Lei tugged the mountain leopard and pressed against the tunnel wall. The rats thundered past, even instinctively avoiding the leopard. Clearly, they still feared it.

Zeng Lei let out a long breath.

But Ma Fusong’s group was screwed. They had been chasing hard, when suddenly the rats charged toward them. They froze.

Ma Fusong instinctively pulled out his homemade shotgun and fired. Blood sprayed, but it wasn’t lethal—it only enraged the rats further.

“Squeak! Squeak!”

Their eyes turned blood-red. The ones blocking their escape became their new enemies.

The rat horde surged forward.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ma Fusong and his men fired their homemade weapons. That firepower had made him confident enough to keep Zeng Lei alive this long.

Some rats died instantly, others were only wounded, some were untouched. Most made it to Ma Fusong’s group.

“Ahh!” “Ahh!” “Ahh!”

Screams echoed. Nearly twenty giant rats—divided among the eight people, that was at least two per person.

Ma Fusong’s crew were tough men used to life on the edge. Even in this crisis, they didn’t break. When the guns failed, they pulled out whatever tools they had to fight.

“Fall back! Retreat to the exit!” Ma Fusong knew it was their only chance.

But one scream followed another. His men were dropping like flies. Even Ma Fusong had been bitten in several places, the pain searing through him.

“This deal’s a total loss.” He was already regretting it. He should never have taken this job.

Zhang Jiaohua, hearing the screams ahead, watched helplessly as one after another was taken down by the rats.

He worried about Zeng Lei and the mountain leopard. Were they okay?

“I hope they’re alright…”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ma Fusong fired several shots at the rats near him. One staggered a few steps and collapsed at his feet.

His remaining men fell back slightly and kept firing. Eventually, all the rats were dead—but only four of them were still standing, including Ma Fusong. They came in with nine people. More than half were gone.

“Brother Ma, help me!” A bloody hand grabbed Ma Fusong’s leg.

He looked down. The man’s throat had been chewed to shreds. Blood kept spurting out. He was as good as dead.

“Old Xiao, rest in peace. I’ll take care of your family,” Ma Fusong said coldly.

“Brother Ma, please…” the man begged.

Ma Fusong knelt down and shot him in the temple. Blood sprayed.

“Brother Ma, what now? Do we retreat?” one of the survivors asked.

“Not yet. Not until I kill that bastard Zeng.” Ma Fusong knew he was screwed. Losing this many men meant rebuilding would be nearly impossible.

Zhang Jiaohua was still worried about Zeng Lei and the leopard. He hadn’t expected Ma Fusong’s crew to be carrying so many weapons. Even with his abilities, modern firearms were dangerous.

Not far off, Zeng Lei had witnessed the entire massacre. He still didn’t know what had scared the rats so badly.

Ma Fusong and his men had terrifying firepower. Zeng Lei had suspected it, but seeing it all at once shocked him.

“Zeng! If I don’t kill you today, I’m not a man!” Ma Fusong yelled and fired a shot at him.

Zeng Lei quickly resumed running.

Boom! Boom!…

At that moment, the tunnel suddenly began to shake violently, as if some massive machine were pounding it rhythmically, blow after blow.