Era of Magic and Martial Arts

Feng Ju also swung his mechanical arm with all his might. Besides frantically waving the mechanical arm, he had no other techniques.

Martial Arts?

Martial Arts were for dealing with humans; they were useless against rats. At least, the martial arts Feng Ju had learned didn’t teach him how to deal with rats.

Moreover, these rats did not play by the martial arts code.

Gang fighting was one thing, but they also loved to attack viciously from below, as if there was a mutual stink there.

Feng Ju swung his arm downward, wiping at the base of his thigh, and grabbed the fat rat with his iron hand. The "squeak" of its scream was followed by its head exploding, brains splattering everywhere.

But it was still too late; several tooth marks were left on his thigh, and a chilling wind blew between his legs, sending a shiver down his spine.

In some ways, the terror brought by the rat horde to Feng Ju was at least ten times worse than that night with the [Mask].

"Damn it!"

Feng Ju’s heart pounded as he shouted angrily at Dong Ping:

"We can’t kill all the rats. We must find a way to lure them away. Otherwise, sooner or later, we’ll be gnawed clean and not even leave any residue!"

Without realizing it, Dong Ping was already covered with dozens of rats. Those rats crawled and scratched freely on his body.

The sensation was simply more terrifying than having dozens of hand grenades ready to explode hanging on him.

Dong Ping was so anxious that his face was contorted with tension, and he stammered:

"But Captain Feng, how exactly are we supposed to lure these rats away?"

The saying goes that times of crisis are the best test of a person’s overall qualities, requiring wisdom, courage, decisiveness, and more, none of which can be lacking.

Dong Ping perhaps lacked these excellent qualities, but Feng Ju happened to possess them all.

Feng Ju’s mind raced. Suddenly, he stopped swinging his mechanical arm at the rats and instead pounded heavily on the pipe wall beside him, shouting:

"I’ve got an idea, cover me!"

Although Dong Ping had no idea what Feng Ju had thought of, a glimmer of hope instinctively rose in his heart upon hearing those words.

He quickly stepped forward to tightly guard Feng Ju, waving his mechanical silver arm like a whirlwind, the air currents almost set ablaze, with wisps of blue smoke even coming off the mechanical silver arm.

Feng Ju’s mechanical black hand spun at high speed like a power drill before it plunged into the thick wall of the pipe.

Iron Blocks and debris flew everywhere, and the hydraulic pipes of the mechanical arm turned red-hot from overuse.

In the next second, a hole was forcibly gouged out of the thick pipe wall.

Feng Ju’s fingers clutched the edge of the hole tightly, grinding his teeth, urging the mechanical arm with all his might, his shoulder and neck veins bulging as if they were about to burst.

Feng Ju roared, inch by inch, tearing open and breaking apart the heavy pipe wall, the relentless sound of shattering metal and stone filling the air.

Finally, the pipe wall was forcibly pried open, forming a massive opening three meters high and wide.

Like a violently dismantled door panel, its uneven edges stood beside him, exuding the cold luster of broken metal.

Breathless, Feng Ju spat out two words to Dong Ping: "Shield!"

Dong Ping’s eyes lit up as he seemed to understand Feng Ju’s intention. Delighted beyond measure, he immediately moved to help lift the heavy metal shield.

However, before he could act, a great force suddenly struck.

The door-like metal shield, propelled by Feng Ju’s mechanical arm, like an out-of-control giant beast, first smashed heavily against Dong Ping’s arm.

CRASH——

With a sharp sound, Dong Ping’s mechanical arm snapped in two, hydraulic oil spraying out, metal shards flying everywhere.

He had no idea what was happening, then the shield, like a bulldozer, collided with his body, hurling him into the air.

Dong Ping’s body traced an arc in the air, crashing heavily into the slanted pipe.

As his body hit the pipe wall with a dull thud, his back almost shattered, immense pain gripping his chest as if his internal organs had shifted.

He landed sprawled in the sewage, the rats flattened into patties on his back, the broken mechanical arm emitting gray smoke.

Before Dong Ping could voice his questions, Feng Ju raised the shield in front of himself.

Dazed from the fall, Dong Ping’s vision was filled with swirling stars.

He struggled to widen his eyes but couldn’t even see Feng Ju’s face; the latter was already concealed behind the shield, his familiar cold voice sneaking through the shield’s gaps, clearly reaching his ears.

"One shield isn’t enough to protect both of us; the rats can still squeeze through the gaps. If we stay together, neither of us will survive."

A chill ran through Dong Ping, attempting to find a hint of hesitation or guilt in Feng Ju’s tone, but there was none.

Feng Ju’s voice continued:

"But if you could draw away most of the rats, I might be able to salvage a life from the remaining ones using this shield."

Dong Ping trembled with anger, feeling like his lungs were about to explode.

He struggled to stand up from the sewage, the broken mechanical arm drooping by his side, hydraulic oil mixing with the sewage, dripping with a "drip drip" sound.

His face twisted in anger, eyes bloodshot, his voice furious as though he wanted to devour someone:

"Captain Feng, I’m not running away. Even if I die, I want us to die together today!"

Behind the shield, Feng Ju’s expression shifted slightly, sighing as he said:

"It’s better if one of us dies rather than both of us dying here. Besides, you may not necessarily die.

The pipe behind you might be the path to life. If you run quickly now, you might be lucky enough to encounter others.

Then, you’d have a chance to survive, wouldn’t you?"

Amid their conversation, some clever rats had started to switch direction, surging towards Dong Ping with a rumble.

Feng Ju held the shield firmly, clearly feeling the pressure on it lessen rapidly.

His expression brightened, yet his tone remained low and profound, as if advising, as if reminding:

"Pingzi, even if you wish to die, think about your son at home. We are both fathers; we can’t just die here recklessly.

I do this to survive, to save my daughter. Are you really going to give up now, stop fighting for yourself and your son’s life?"

Previously, Dong Ping was ready to do anything, planning to defy the rat tide and rush towards Feng Ju, dragging the captain to hell together.

But now, staring at the swarming rats in front of him and hearing Feng Ju’s words, sharp as knives, piercing into his heart, his feet felt weighed down like lead, too heavy to move.

The flames of anger were instantly doused by a bucket of cold water, replaced by deep helplessness and struggle.

He let out a hysterical scream, then gritting his teeth, he abruptly turned around and dashed towards the pipe behind him.

Behind him, more and more smart rats chased after Dong Ping’s fleeting silhouette endlessly...