Late at night.
A stealthy rat sneaked into the ward.
The ward was filled with the scent of herbs.
Two beds stood parallel to each other on either side of the hallway.
Locke and Jenny were both dozing.
The rat crouched in the middle of the hallway, its eyes flickering with an eerie red light.
"Squeak! Wake up, wake up!"
The rat suddenly spoke in human language.
"A distinguished guest has arrived, won't you entertain us?"
Jenny, half asleep, vaguely heard the conversation.
She rolled over and sat up in bed.
She opened her eyes and looked down at the ground, dazed.
The moment she saw the red-eyed rat, her face paled and she was about to scream.
Just then, a broad hand covered her mouth.
"Jenny, don't be afraid, I'm here."
"Brother Locke!"
Jenny threw herself into Locke's arms.
"Friend, you and your girlfriend need our help."
The red-eyed rat whispered.
"Just do as I said, and I guarantee you'll be cured."
"My fellow apprentice, Alan, has his own way to treat lycanthropy!" Locke said gravely. "There's no need to ask you cultists for help!"
The rat sneered, its shrill voice tinged with seduction.
"Think about it."
"That kid named Allen is neither a master alchemist nor a naturalist."
"How much can a mere first-level violent sorcerer know about alchemy?"
"Did he tell you to use belladonna to make the potion?"
"Hehe... As everyone knows, belladonna itself is extremely poisonous. How dare you eat it?"
"Let's put it another way: even if his potion works, it will permanently deprive you of your powerful beastly abilities. My method... , yet retaining the beast form."
"As long as you do as I tell you, you'll gain a special meditation method that suppresses your beastly impulses and enhances your strength through your beastly bloodline!"
"Our Beast Cult warlocks are able to maintain their sanity even after contracting the disease thanks to this secret meditation method!"
"Two paths lie before you, choose yours!"
"Isn't it obvious which is better?"
A moment later, the rat quietly left the ward and disappeared into the gutter.
The next day.
The group of seven continued their journey.
After days of investigation, Allen and the others had located the Beast Cult's base on the island, located in the magic stone mines.
They set out early in the morning, planning to reach the mines before dark, raid the cult's base, and capture all the cultists.
At dusk, the setting sun shone like blood.
They reached an abandoned miners' dormitory.
Alan suddenly stopped and warned his companions.
"High viral concentration detected, thirty meters ahead! Beware of an ambush!"
Before Alan could finish his words, Locke suddenly spun around and punched him in the face!
Hound gait!
Alan narrowly avoided Locke's sneak attack.
At the same time, Jenny was also casting a spell.
She cast a "Grease" spell towards the crowd.
"Bitch! You deserve to die!"
Andy suddenly realized he had been tricked, and infuriated, he lunged at Jenny.
As soon as he took a step, he stepped on the slippery grease.
With a thud, he landed hard on his butt!
The damage wasn't great, but it was extremely insulting.
By the time everyone escaped the greasy area, Locke and Jenny had already run into the miners' dormitories.
At the same time...
On both sides of the street, the half-closed doors of abandoned miners' dormitories suddenly burst open, and hordes of ratmen rushed out.
All dressed in leather armor, wielding swords, bows, and crossbows, their faces filled with murderous intent.
The elite Beast Cult forces had been waiting here for a long time!
Seeing this scene, everyone understood.
If Alan hadn't been using the "Virus Detector" all the way, spotting the ambush and warning everyone in time, they would have fallen into the trap and been killed by Locke and Jenny, and still remain ignorant!
"Locke! Jenny! You will get your comeuppance, and you're destined to die a miserable death!"
Pamela's pretty face flushed with anger.
Her sapphire eyes glared fiercely at the two traitors.
Locke and Jenny seemed guilty, afraid to meet her gaze.
They lowered their heads and hid behind the ratmen.
The crowd parted, and five figures approached side by side.
Standing in the center was a blue-robed sorceress.
She had a graceful figure, and a ferocious spider mask on her face.
Through the two holes in the mask, a cold gaze shone.
Beside the blue-robed woman, two black-robed men each stood.
Three men and one woman, all wearing rat-head masks.
"Are you the leaders of the Beast Cult on the island?"
Pamela drew her electric rapier, a murderous aura.
"Tell me your names!"
"Haha..." the blue-robed woman sneered. "A dying man has no right to inquire about our names."
She waved her hand, and magical power surged.
A glowing magic circle unfolded on the ground beneath her feet, and a giant spider as big as a round table was summoned from it.
At the same time, the four black-clad sorcerers beside her also cast a combined spell.
Instantly, swarms of rats filled the road.
Even more terrifying was yet to come.
The four black-clad sorcerers began to pray in solemn tones.
"Lord Squark!"
"Lord of Plague!"
"Please grant me the power to slay myriad enemies!"
The four sorcerers channeled their divine power simultaneously.
A golden glow radiated from them, spreading out to a distance of ten meters.
Below them, the rats swarming on the ground were illuminated by the divine light.
Each one seemed to be on hormones.
Their bones and muscles expanded wildly!
In the blink of an eye, they all transformed into ferocious giant rats, stronger than even the gray wolves!
A vast, black mass filled the air.
Screams rang out one after another!
"Oh no!"
Seeing this scene, even the arrogant Pamela's expression changed.
"We're outnumbered! Retreat!"
Before she finished her words, countless giant rats had already descended upon them, like a gray tide, one wave after another.
There were simply too many to kill.
If they stayed here, they wouldn't be able to hold out for long; they would be surrounded and gnawed to death, leaving nothing behind!
Everyone had no choice but to flee.
Everyone who escaped was gone!
In the midst of the chaos, Allen wanted to take Angel with him.
He could protect the fragile Angel.
Angel's genius spellcasting ability could also help him control the situation and provide him with a wider range of tactical countermeasures.
Unfortunately, Pamela got ahead of him, grabbed Angel's wrist, and bolted away.
Alan disliked Pamela greatly.
In his eyes, this young lady was nothing more than a blonde brute with a pretty face!
Arrogant, overbearing, cruel, and possessed of a strong desire for dominance.
However, Alan had to admit that Pamela was more qualified to protect Angel than he was.
"I hope they're okay."
Recovering from his thoughts, Alan turned and left alone.
...
Mining area.
A large, dusty brick house, stained with blood.
A giant rat crouched at the door, greedily gnawing on the miner's corpse.
The sound of footsteps alerted the giant rat!
He suddenly looked up and bared his bloody front teeth at the tall boy approaching.
Alan flicked his finger.
Bang!
A "finger wave" struck the giant rat, blowing its head off.
Alan walked towards the door, intending to hide inside for a while.
Just then, a slight tremor echoed from the ground beneath his feet.
Alan lowered his head and looked down.
Everything seemed normal.
But in the next second...
The ground suddenly cracked, and a pair of giant, pitch-black hands reached out!