novelraw Chapter 6 Side Quest: Drive Away the Spiny Rats
Chapter 6 Side Quest: Drive Away the Spiny Rats
One minute ago...
[A side quest has been detected]
[Mission: The Camp's Menace - Drive Away the Thorn Rats]
[Description: Those pesky thieves who steal rations are back again. As the camp leader, Zhou Yan is at his wits' end. Let's go see what they need.]
[Objective: Assist the refugees at Wild Grass Camp in driving away or eliminating the swarm of thorny rats attacking the camp, minimizing resource losses and casualties.]
[Basic Rewards: 100 Experience Points, 5 Denars]
[Note: Have you ever played whack-a-mole, but not with a hammer?]
"Task?"
Chen Huai's heart skipped a beat. He could still trigger missions, which was great news.
Having quests makes leveling up easier, but the real problem is if he's completely transported into an NPC template; that would be a disastrous start.
"accept"
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Huai accepted the offer and stepped out of the shack, standing shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Yan, who was about to rush out.
……
Zhou Yan looked at Chen Huai, who had suddenly appeared beside him, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, which was then replaced by intense joy.
He was just wondering how to test the depth and attitude of this mysterious superhuman! The other party had actually offered to help! He couldn't have been happier.
"That's wonderful! Thank you so much for your help, sir!"
Zhou Yan quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute, his tone filled with gratitude and anticipation.
"What's the situation now?"
Chen Huai followed along, asking questions as he went.
"It's a thorn rat! My lord!"
Zhou Yan's voice was filled with suppressed anger and deep helplessness.
"Each of these beasts is insignificant on its own; they couldn't even defeat a normal adult! But they come in huge packs, and there are just too many of them! And they're incredibly fast, like a black whirlwind!"
"Their target is our food! Those dried, mutated roots and the little bit of jerky we managed to save are the lifeblood of our camp! Every time they visit, we go hungry for days! What's worse, they not only steal our food, but they also attack us! A scratch from their claws or a bite from their front teeth leaves deep, slow-healing wounds, and many people get infected, develop fevers, or even..."
Zhou Yan's eyes dimmed slightly, clearly recalling unpleasant memories.
As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the scene.
In front of the food shed in the center of the camp, the refugees brandished their crude weapons, their shouts mingling with the sharp hissing of thorn rats, yet they could not stop those shadowy, swift creatures from darting through the gaps, tearing at the roots and jerky they depended on for survival.
When the two arrived, this was the chaotic scene they saw.
Several makeshift fences, pieced together from rusted sheet metal and rough wooden sticks, had been chewed open, and a swarm of spiky rats, each larger than a cat, rushed into the camp with extraordinary speed.
Their bodies were covered with short, blackish-gray hairs that stood up like steel needles, and their small, scarlet eyes gleamed with a greedy and ferocious light in the dim light. They must be the thorn rats that Zhou Yan had mentioned.
The refugees brandished rusty machetes and sharpened wooden spears, hacking and stabbing with all their might, but to little avail.
These thorn rats are small in size but incredibly fast. They often twist and dart away before the weapons fall, or simply slip past people's feet and head straight for the simple shacks in the center of the camp where food and supplies are stored.
Occasionally, a thorn rat might be hit by a stick or a rock, but it would only let out a sharper screech, roll over a couple of times, get up, and continue its attack, seemingly unharmed.
Seeing this, Zhou Yan said helplessly:
"We've tried setting traps, digging holes, putting out bait, making snares... We could catch a few the first time, but these beasts are too clever! The same traps don't work the second time. We can't keep up with their speed, and our weapons are hard to use. We can only passively drive them away like this, and they always succeed, resulting in heavy losses!"
His tone was full of frustration.
Chen Huai didn't reply, but stared intently at it.
Target: Spiny Rat (Mutant)
Level: LV1
Power: 1
Physical condition: 2
Agility: 9
Spirit: 2
Status: Hungry, Mad
Skill: Bite
Threat level: Low
……
"Just as I thought."
Chen Huai understood, confirming his previous feeling.
Their strength and physique were inferior to even the ordinary refugees in the camp. Their only advantage was their agility, which was as high as 9 points. No wonder these refugees were helpless even with weapons. Even the strongest Zhou Yan was far too slow compared to these thorn rats.
However, this level of threat was nothing compared to the level 14 cat demon with its off-the-charts attributes that he encountered during the day; it was utterly insignificant.
Otherwise, having learned his lesson during the day, he wouldn't have been so quick to stick his neck out.
Watching the refugees struggling and in a sorry state, while the swarm of thorn rats moved with impunity, frantically tearing at the limited supply bags and making annoying gnawing noises, Chen Huai's eyes turned slightly cold.
He gently moved his shoulders, which were only slightly tense, took a step forward, and picked up a wooden spear that a refugee had dropped in his panic.
The spear shaft was rough, with a small piece of rusted iron covering the tip, which was barely ground into a point.
A spiky rat darted past a woman's feet, its small, scarlet eyes fixed on a small bag of dried fruit scattered behind her, moving as fast as a gray shadow.
The woman retreated in terror, her wooden stick flying into the air.
Just as the thorn rat was about to pounce on the bag of dried fruit—
"laugh!"
A faster gray shadow arrived first, even after it had moved later!
That simple wooden spear transformed into a precise bolt of lightning in Chen Huai's hands; with a flick of his wrist, his arm lashed out like a whip.
The spear tip pierced the spiky rat's neck with pinpoint accuracy, pinning its entire body to the muddy ground! The sharp "squeak" abruptly ceased, leaving only the rat's body twitching weakly on the spear shaft.
Under the absolute crushing power and speed, the thorn rat's pitiful defense was as fragile as paper in front of Chen Huai's 18 points of strength.
This scene unfolded with lightning speed; before many refugees could even react, the rhythm of the battle had been instantly rewritten.
As the passive skill [Basic Combat] lit up on the status bar, Chen Huai's movements did not pause at all.
Another spiky rat, which tried to sneak up on his calf from the side, had its tail stepped on by him with a seemingly casual stomp! The spiky rat struggled in terror, its sharp claws futilely scratching at the ground.
Chen Huai didn't even look down at it. He flipped his wrist again, and the spear tip pierced down with precision, accompanied by the sound of wind cutting through the air!
"puff!"
The spearhead pierced the thorn rat's head, pinning it to the spot.
The difference in strength was so great that this blow almost slammed half of the thorn rat's body into the soft soil.
The third spiky rat had just crawled through the hole when it was met with Chen Huai's icy gaze.
A flicker of instinctive fear flashed in his crimson eyes, and he even considered turning around and running away.
But Chen Huai was faster! He took a step and blocked the cave entrance, his wooden spear thrusting out and retracting like a venomous snake.
On the spearhead, the third spiky rat had its heart pierced and hung limply on the spear.
The fourth one, the fifth one...
Chen Huai's figure stood out clearly in the chaotic center of the camp.
He took small steps, but precisely placed them on the paths where the thorn rats were most likely to escape or attack.
His absolute advantage in strength and speed allowed him to move through the swarm of thorny rats with ease.
The speed that the thorn rat was so proud of for the refugees became clumsy slow motion in his presence.
"laugh!"
"puff!"
"Snap!"
The sounds of wooden spears piercing flesh and bones shattering rang out one after another, each time accompanied by the end of a thorn rat's life.
Chen Huai's movements were concise and efficient, without any frills, yet they carried a deadly rhythm that was chilling.
In just a dozen or so breaths, more than a dozen thorn rat corpses lay at his feet, scattered on the muddy ground, their dark red blood quickly seeping into the soil.
The once rampant swarm of thorn rats was finally completely terrified by this bloody and efficient massacre.
Their gnawing motions froze, and in their scarlet eyes, greed was replaced by pure fear.
When Chen Huai's cold gaze swept over the last few thorn rats that tried to approach, they immediately let out terrified screams.