Wasteland Hideout: Upgrading from the Sewers

Chapter 245: Obtaining the Rare Treasure: The Hidden Mouse

Inside the civil defense shelter level passage.

As the flamethrower's flames sprayed, thick black smoke rose, carrying a foul stench.

The fur on the Giant Mutant Rat in the pit trap was directly ignited under the 1200-degree Celsius high-temperature flames.

Although the flamethrower's spray duration was only a brief 5 seconds.

What it sprayed wasn't just flames, but also fuel oil. This fuel oil, once it clung to the Giant Mutant Rat, wasn't so easy to extinguish.

Squeak—

The Giant Mutant Rat kept squealing inside the pit. It wanted to leave the pit, but the trapezoidal structure of the pit—wide at the bottom and narrow at the top—made it impossible for it to climb out.

Forget that the exit was already blocked by the spike trap; even if it tried to use the spikes on the pit walls to climb up, it couldn't.

Because the front half of the spikes were electrified, and the back half, under the scorching flames, had turned into red-hot steel rods.

And fire was the Giant Mutant Rat's only weakness. Even though it had now entered the Metamorphosis Period, it ultimately hadn't completed its metamorphosis, and this sealed its tragic fate.The entire passage was filled with a foul, thick black smoke.

Yu Yuan had already returned to the shelter at this point, watching the scene in the pit through the surveillance cameras.

"King, this rat is truly terrifying!"

Fang was still feeling a bit of lingering fear.

Yu Yuan nodded.

"That's why we absolutely cannot have any accidents this time. If we let it escape now, finding it again in the future will be harder than reaching the heavens. It already knows the location of our shelter. If it gets away, our future days will be filled with constant trouble and unrest."

Time passed minute by minute, second by second.

The flamethrower sprayed every few seconds. The high temperature inside the pit was so intense that even the spikes on the pit walls began to melt and deform.

Under the high-temperature roasting, tiny cracks appeared on the pit walls.

This trap had essentially fulfilled its mission. To use it again in the future, it would need to be completely rebuilt and repaired.

The Giant Mutant Rat no longer moved, lying charred black at the bottom of the pit, with only residual flames still burning on its body.

"Is it... dead?" Fang asked uncertainly.

But Yu Yuan knew the Giant Mutant Rat wasn't dead yet.

Because his Positioning Watch hadn't captured any dissipating spirituality.

However, looking at the massive, motionless black shadow in the camera feed, Yu Yuan also understood it was time to finish this.

Even if the Giant Mutant Rat still had some fighting power left, it was probably negligible.

Leaving the shelter and reappearing at the edge of the pit trap, Yu Yuan looked down at the Giant Mutant Rat at the bottom. A smell of burnt protein assaulted his nostrils.

A grenade appeared in Yu Yuan's hand, and he immediately threw it at the Giant Mutant Rat.

At the very moment he threw the grenade, the Giant Mutant Rat, which had turned into what seemed like charcoal, suddenly split open down the middle.

A blood-red figure shot out from within. Who else could it be but the Giant Mutant Rat?

Only now, its size had shrunk by at least two full sizes. It had no fur left, only muscle fibers, blood vessels, and bones.

The blood-red Giant Mutant Rat shot right through the now-deformed spike blockade, opening its large mouth to bite at Yu Yuan.

"Hmph! I knew it!"

However, the instant the Giant Mutant Rat appeared, Yu Yuan already had the [Ruined City No. 15 Steam Kinetic Heavy Hammer] in his hands. He didn't even charge it up.

Holding the hammer with both hands, he swung it down hard at the leaping Giant Mutant Rat, just like playing whack-a-mole.

*Duang~~*

A crisp impact sound rang out, accompanied by the *crack* of the Giant Mutant Rat's skull shattering.

The Giant Mutant Rat was hammered back down into the pit trap once more.

But this time, without its tough fur for protection, its body was directly pierced by the deformed, twisted spikes at the bottom of the pit. The residual heat on the spikes was still very high. The *sizzling* sound of something being grilled echoed through the passage again.

Only now, the Giant Mutant Rat didn't even have the strength left to make a sound.

That last attempt had been the Giant Mutant Rat's all-or-nothing final struggle.

Down in the pit, the Giant Mutant Rat looked up. Its lone, dark green eye was filled with unwillingness, resentment, and hatred.

Above the pit, Yu Yuan stood at the edge, looking down at the Giant Mutant Rat below with a steady, focused gaze.

Without a doubt, the Giant Mutant Rat was the most powerful enemy he had ever faced, bar none.

Its strength was comprehensive.

But in the end, he had won this month-long battle!

At the bottom of the pit, the *sizzling* sound from the spikes had faded. The Giant Mutant Rat's life was about to reach its end.

Looking at the now-limp Giant Mutant Rat at the bottom of the pit, Yu Yuan produced an exquisite horse bit set in his hand.

He looked at the Giant Mutant Rat's single eye and said calmly,

"Remember, my name is Yu Yuan. I am also your future..." A faint smile curled at the corner of Yu Yuan's mouth as he slowly uttered the final two words.

"—Master!"

[Are you sure you want to use — The Missionary's Enslavement Bit — on this target?]

[Please note: Using this item can eliminate one Conquest Card matching the level of the enslavement target. Do you wish to continue?]

—【Yes】 Yu Yuan made his choice.

The next moment, the [The Missionary's Enslavement Bit] in his hand fell onto the Giant Mutant Rat's body. Then, in a flash of light, the bit appeared in the Giant Mutant Rat's mouth before transforming into reins that returned to Yu Yuan's hand.

The distinctive BGM of Fate Cards sounded in Yu Yuan's ears.

The Bronze-tier Conquest Card snapped in half before Yu Yuan.

[Fate Card — Bronze-tier Conquest Card successfully eliminated. Fate Points +2]

[Detected that the conquered target has conversion value. Initiate conversion? Requires consumption of 4 Fate Points.]

Yu Yuan looked at the prompt before him, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Four points."

Yu Yuan had previously accumulated a total of 3 Fate Points. Adding the 2 just obtained, that made 5.

Now it actually required consuming 4 points? The Giant Mutant Rat's potential was even greater than he had imagined.

Back then, after completing the Gold-tier [Luxury Card], the Gold-tier [Empty Room] he received only consumed 5 Fate Points.

"Convert!" Yu Yuan didn't hesitate at all.

[Detected possession of conversion materials compatible with the enslaved target, which can significantly develop the enslaved target's potential. Consume them?]

Yu Yuan didn't even care what the materials were anymore and directly chose to agree.

Even if the consumed item was that Epic-grade [Spiritual Enhancement Potion], he didn't care.

He wanted to see exactly what spending 4 Fate Points could strengthen into.

Soon, Yu Yuan learned what the materials compatible with the Giant Mutant Rat were.

It was actually those spiritual organs he had collected before.

— The [Salamander Core] obtained when killing Loris.

— The talons obtained when killing the White-tailed Kite.

— The spiritual placenta obtained when killing the Venom Spitter.

— The vocal cords obtained when killing the Shrieker.

— The snake-like slits obtained when killing the mutated King Cobra.

.......

Finally, there was 100ml of Yu Yuan's own blood.

After all these materials disappeared.

The final prompt finally appeared.

[Fate Points -4. Obtained Rare Treasure: Stealth Rat.]