"NYAW."
["Complaints, complaints with you."]
"NYAW."
["So you'd rather be eaten by your failed attempt at flirting?"]
"Nyaaa~~~"
["My definition of 'eaten' and yours seem to be different."]
I walk along the river, soaked. The filthy cat trots beside me, complaining. If it looked like a millionaire's cat before, now it's just a wet rat. Heh.
"GRRRR."
["I'd like to see you try."]
If it follows me home, I'll have Zeus eat it. I haven't slept at all and I swam for hours to avoid that super-developed cat. And now, this stupid cat has stuck to me ever since I told it Kiti is at my house.
By the way, Kiti's mansion is by the lake. So much money and she dares to eat my food? The rat kid will charge interest.
...
["Well, that's my target,"] —I say to the cat, pointing with my chin—. ["If you can cross that bridge over there, you just have to wait on this side until I get back."]
"Nya."
["I'm not going to abandon you."]
I need a scapegoat for what happened in that house.
"Nya."
["It's your imagination."]
Why is this damn cat so smart? A genetic experiment? Whatever, I'm already close to the bridge and the crazy cat could be following me. Let's pick up the pace.
........
When I reach my destination and think about checking if I can cross, I see a group of people parked at the beginning of the bridge. There are no barricades or anything, so I assume they're just passing through.
The rat kid will just pass by on the side. If I don't see them, they're not there.
["Astrad? You're Astrad, right?"]
A girl I've never seen in my life suddenly tries to strike up a conversation as I approach.
["It's us."]
Interesting. The rat kid doesn't care.
"Nya?"
["I've never seen them before, and don't look at them or they'll follow you."]
["Aren't you just admitting that you do remember us?"]
["Tsk."]
Stupid police girl, she knows the rat kid too well.
Did she let her hair grow out? As if the orange color wasn't eye-catching enough.
Anyway, since there's no other way, I accept that I know this group of annoying teenagers. It's the faction that decided to go to the safe zone. No, it's just a part of it. Did they split up or die?
["Do you hate them that much?"]
["The rat kid has nothing to say about it. I'll be on my way. Don't see me and I won't see you."]
["I see you're still as full of yourself as ever."]
I try to continue on my way, but a student blocks my path. He's from the football team. What was his name? Let's just say he's "Friend A." He's almost two meters tall, burly, and wearing sports pads and a baseball bat, which makes him quite intimidating. Are you really a high school student? Don't tell me you self-identify as one, right?
[[[[….]]]]
The rest of the guys start to surround me. The girls glare with hostility from behind.
["Wait a minute,"] – The police girl tries to mediate as always.
It's not really necessary. The rat kid knows about diplomacy.
"Pop."
["AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"]
I shoot the area of his leg that has no protection. Friend A writhes in pain on the ground. I wonder if the bullet went through his leg. I hope so.
"Nya…"
["Slander. The rat kid is the picture of eloquence. Don't you see how convinced he was by my argument?"]
By the way, the students stopped approaching.
["We're not looking for a fight."]
["And I'm not looking for a conversation. With that said, goodbye."]
["The bridge is almost destroyed. There's only a small section left, barely wide enough for one person to pass."]
["And?"]
["I can give you all the information we've gathered. About the creatures in the area and the behavior of the light."]
["Police girl, how nice that you're okay. There's so much I want to talk about. Have a soda with the rat kid for old times' sake."]
["As charming as ever, you bastard prisoner."]
["Only if it's you, you jailer bitch."]
The police girl and I sit on some nearby rubble to catch up. The rest of the group? If I don't see them, they don't exist.
.........…
["That's basically the whole situation…"]
["I understand. The rat kid will pay. What do you desire in return?"]
The information she gave me was useful. I'll pay the fee. The rat kid owes no favors.
["Is it impossible for you to believe that I'm just helping you because we're companions?"]
["Fine, then I owe you nothing."]
I get up to leave, but she grabs my hand.
[…]
["Companions should help each other."]
["The rat kid never agreed to be anyone's companion."]
["You seemed very willing to accept the benefits before."]
["The rat kid offered a payment, you rejected it."]
["Do you know what courtesy is?"]
["That hard corner of the bread."]
["That's the 'crust.' Whatever. I want the favor now."]
["Tsk."]
["Did you just click your tongue at me? Whatever, take us with you to the safe zone."]
["You have two legs. Just go."]
["Did you hear anything I said?"]
["The rat kid heard: the mystical light doesn't disintegrate, it drags you to the other planet. There's a small gap to pass through. The light fluctuates, so you can get stuck midway."]
["The other thing. I'm talking about the other thing."]
["Blah, blah, strange creatures, blah, blah, death, blah, blah, separation."]
["You little…"]
The girl pouts, the rat kid feeds. Rich, rich despair.
["Fine, whatever. You can follow me, but without making noise, and whoever gets into trouble for disobeying me gets left alone to be eaten."]
The information was useful. The rat kid has principles. And the police girl is something of a strange frienemy.
["Wait, who died and made you leader?"]
Friend A, now recovered, seems to have something to say.
At least they learned to keep their distance after any attempt to get closer was eloquently discussed with the tip of my rifle aimed at their faces. A ranged weapon is only useful if there's distance.
["With that said, the rat kid moves on."]
["W-wait!"]
I ignore the boy and move forward. The police girl hurries to gather her things to follow me. There's no reason to argue. As payment, whoever wants to come can come.
["Wait, Carla? Are you really going?"]
["Our situation is getting worse and worse, and he has proven he can deal with what's happening. I'm going with or without you."]
What happened to "companions help each other"?
["Don't ask about things you're not buying yourself."]
Did she read my mind?
"Nyaa."
Shut up, you.
…..
["Didn't you say one person could fit through there?"]
["Well… If you walk sideways, you'll still pass…"]
When we got to the pillar of light and checked the intact area of the bridge, it turned out the path had become narrower.
["The rat kid can fit, but will your fat ass?"]
["Repeat that."]
["After all, we should just give up."]
As I was arguing with my new toy for fun, the rest of the group seemed to be voting to go back. Why are they following us?
"beeeep!, beeeep!"
Just when I was wondering if I should continue, something that pushed my irritation to the max happened.
["Damn it. If I had known public transport would start working today, I would have waited to leave the house. Do you know how much I've walked?"]
["Is there no way they're public employees?"]
["With that gang-like appearance? What else could they be?"]
["WHAT ARE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES IN YOUR EYES?"]
As always, the police girl has to contradict the rat kid. Looking closely, the bus approaching at full speed seems modified, armored with metal plates. It's surrounded by motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles.
The peculiar group advances across the bridge, running over the abandoned vehicles in their path as if they were nothing. The roar of their engines can be heard all over the city.
["Rat kids and pets first."]
"Nya."
["That's not the protocol."]
While I argue with the girl, the rest of the teenagers react differently.
["People!"]
["That's great!"]
["We can join them."]
How the hell did they survive this week?
["Why did you stick with the most idiotic group?"] - The rat kid can't help but ask. The police girl was smarter than this.
["I understand my mistake, could you not rub it in?"]
["Never. That's not how the rat kid works. The rat kid has principles."]
Manners make the rat kid.
................
JOURNAL ENTRY NO: 6667
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Limax mundator
REGIONAL ALIASES:
Latin America (Infection Zones): El Limpiador / El Rastro de Cal (The Cleaner / The Trail of Lime)
The Network's Term (Technical): The Fungivore
Urban Folklore (Anglo): The Slow Scourge
NICKNAME (ASTRAD): The Toxic Janitor
📊 THREAT ASSESSMENT
CLASSIFICATION: ANOMALY
It doesn't fit into any standard predatory role. Its existence is a highly specialized biological anomaly, a clean-up system of nature designed to counteract a specific biological threat: the Corpus Fusile. It does not hunt, it does not guard, it does not parasitize in the classic sense. Its only function is to sterilize.
DANGER LEVEL: GREEN (3 stars)
3 Green stars, but it's a paradoxical rating. The creature itself will not attack you, but its body and its trail are a first-order chemical hazard. Touching it is a guaranteed burn. However, its presence is a sign of hope: it means that an Orange-Level threat, the Corpus Fusile, is being neutralized nearby. It is the safest creature and at the same time the best indicator of a deadly danger.
AGGRESSIVENESS LEVEL: PASSIVE
Its passivity is absolute. It will ignore any living being that is not the Corpus Fusile. You could walk beside it and it wouldn't flinch. Its only directive is to find, consume, and eradicate its food source. Its aggression would only manifest as a defensive reaction if it is directly attacked.
🧬 COMBAT FILE (TL;DR)
TYPE: Aberration
AFFINITY: Earth / Toxic (Alkaline)
🎯 PRIMARY WEAKNESSES:
Salt in large quantities (causes catastrophic dehydration), Extreme cold (slows its metabolism to a halt), Physical barriers it cannot dissolve.
📌 KEY STRENGTHS:
Total immunity to fungal toxins and spores, Corrosive Fungicidal Slime, Ability to slowly dissolve organic and inorganic matter, Moderate regeneration.
📚 ORIGINS AND COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY
Biology: The main theory of the Network is that it is a case of accelerated evolution. A species of terrestrial mollusk that, exposed to the same anomaly that created the Corpus Fusile, developed an immunity and a predatory specialization. It is the planet's immune system response.
Alchemical Folklore: It is reminiscent of the legends of the "Alkahest," the universal solvent, but in biological form. A creature capable of dissolving everything, but that only has an "appetite" for the impure.
Gamer Culture: It's the clean-up NPC of a world event. It's not an enemy; it's the mechanism that nature uses to "reset" a zone after an infestation, leaving the ground clean for the next round.
Astrad's Analysis: Nature has a brutal sense of humor. For a flesh fungus that explodes and reanimates corpses, it creates a giant slug that is basically a jug of bleach with a metabolism. It's biological warfare in its slowest and most disgusting form.
📝 DETAILED ANALYSIS
PHYSICAL AND SENSORY DESCRIPTION:
A massive terrestrial mollusk, capable of reaching the length of a small vehicle. Its body is semi-translucent, of a pale and sickly white color, allowing the dark, reddish shapes of the Corpus Fusile it is slowly dissolving inside to be seen. It has no visible eyes or other features, only a circular mouth on the underside that adheres to surfaces to feed. Its most notable characteristic is the slime it secretes: a thick, alkaline mucus that emits a slight vapor and an acrid smell, similar to ammonia or quicklime. The trail it leaves in its wake is unmistakable: a strip of completely sterile and smoldering ground.
BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY:
It is the only known natural predator of the Corpus Fusile. It moves with a relentless slowness, attracted by the pheromones emitted by a mature fungal colony. Upon finding one, it does not attack the "Florets" (the reanimated bodies) directly. Instead, it can project jets of its slime at short range to neutralize them, dissolving the fungal structures that animate them. Once the defenses are disabled, it proceeds to crawl over the colony, methodically dissolving and consuming the mycelium, the corpses, and a thin layer of the soil, leaving behind nothing but sterilized earth.
☣️ PROTOCOLS
RECOMMENDED ENCOUNTER PROTOCOL:
DO:
Maintain a safe distance.
Observe it, as its presence indicates the proximity of a greater danger.
Use the trails it leaves as safe and clean paths free of infection.
DON'T:
NEVER TOUCH IT OR ITS TRAIL.
Do not attack it (it's a waste of resources and probably won't do much damage).
Do not stand in its path towards a fungal colony.
FIELD REPORT:
"We were trapped. The hospital corridor was covered in that red shit and there were at least three 'florets' blocking the exit. We could already smell the spores seeping in. We thought it was the end. Then, we saw something entering from the other end. A white thing, huge and slow, that shone under the emergency light. It didn't make any noise. One of the florets spat something at it, but the thing didn't even flinch. It just kept moving forward, and everything it touched... melted. The fungus, the bodies... everything. An hour passed. When it was finished, the corridor was clean. It smelled like a swimming pool. I don't know what it was, but it saved our lives."
🎤 ASTRAD'S NOTES (THE ONLY SHIT THAT MATTERS):
Seriously, nature has a solution for everything. You have an infestation of hyper-aggressive zombie fungi? No problem, here's a giant, corrosive slug that moves at the speed of a glacier. It's the personification of 'slow and steady.'
It's the Roomba of the apocalypse. It's not pretty, it's not fast, but it gets the fucking job done. And it's a sight to behold: body horror meets industrial cleaning. The best part is you don't have to do anything, just sit at a safe distance, hold your breath because of the chemical smell, and watch the toxic janitor take out the trash.
So the new rule is: if you see a trail of steam and everything smells clean, it's not a miracle. It's that the slug has already passed through. It means you're safe, and that you've missed the best pest eradication show on the planet.
..........
< Chat Channel: #Rat_Kid_Network >
RatKid2: [VIDEO attached: hospital_cleanup.mp4]
RatKid2: Hey, remember the red salad movie from the Cúcuta hospital? Well, it has a sequel… And I don't know whether to feel relieved or traumatized.
RatKid8: LOLOLOL, a giant slug? The final boss is the janitor?
RatKid15: i, i, i, i, i, i, i, i, I WANT IT, I WANT IT, I WANT IT. ASTRAD, PLEASE, I WANT IT.
RatKid1: Yeah, that's not going to happen.
RatKid2: Oh, the new girl finally speaks.
RatKid3: She seems like an interesting girl.
RatKid7: Welcome.
RatKid8: You and 12 will get along well.
RatKid5: That reminds me, is that moron alive?
RatKid2: Who knows.
RatKid7: No idea.
RatKid4: Knowing him, he ran into the jaws of some strange animal.
RatKid8: Quite possible.
RatKid3: Back to the topic, that's a fucking biological tank. Did you see how the "Floret" spat at it and the jet dissolved before it even touched it? It has a chemical shield!
RatKid15: Muuu, at least I want a sample of that slime!
RatKid1: That's more possible. Anyone near Cúcuta?
RatKid3: Nope.
RatKid2: Sorry.
RatKid7: Nah.
RatKid6: Closer to the Amazon.
RatKid8: Leave my house?
RatKid15: But I want it…
RatKid5: There, there, anyone will pick some up if they get the chance.
RatKid15: Yes, thanks… but be careful when collecting the slime. Use glass jars and avoid direct contact. It's a highly alkaline secretion. From what I can see in the video, it's dissolving the fungal structure at a molecular level. It's... a perfect biological countermeasure.
RatKid10: I get it, but what if we find one? Do we throw salt on it to test the journal's theory?
RatKid3: Are you dumb? The only thing we need to know is if it attacks people or not.
RatKid6: And apparently, it doesn't.
RatKid1: Then it's our new best friend, unless you want to burn the city down every time the red broccoli appears.
RatKid8: I've got it! New business plan! We capture one, call it "Roomba," and rent it out to clean shelters! We'll get rich!
RatKid7: I second the motion! I can build a harness for it so it doesn't escape!
RatKid2: Rejected. If we catch one, it's 15's. If we catch another, it's mine. If there's a third, do whatever you want.
RatKid15: I support 2.
RatKid8: DOWN WITH TYRANNY.
RatKid1: What about me?
RatKid5: Lol
RatKid8: Lol
RatKid7: Lol
RatKid3: Lol
RatKid2: Lol
RatKid1: Anyway, the rat kid finally has a chance to update his journal.
RatKid15: Oh, I'll help.
RatKid1: Yeah, that's not going to happen.
RatKid15: Do you even know what the Alkahest is?
RatKid1: A PC game?
RatKid15: See? You need me.
RatKid1: Huh?