Chapter 39 - Rat-like

Although the abandoned earth wall blocks the normal sight of the naked eye, it cannot hide the "human-like" behavior under the observation of the inner "eye". Tianxiang discovered that the eyes of the "humanoid" had never left the camp where the fire was burning. It seems that his target should be there.

Only, there is a rather strange detail. The "humanoid" eyes seemed to be deliberately avoiding those burning flames. Whenever his eyes come into contact with it, Tianxiang will find that the "humanoid" brain thinking always displays an inexplicable fear and hatred. Time passed by minute by second, and the flying snowflakes flew in happily from the gaps in the tree holes, and soon piled up a thin layer. Although the thick felt clothes can prevent the penetration of melted snow water, the cold feeling has always been attached to it and cannot be dispelled for a long time. More importantly, due to maintaining a fixed posture for a long time, Tianxiang felt that his hands and feet seemed to be a little numb. No matter how fast the Tai Chi mental method in the body works, it can't offset the stiff feeling.

Not only him, but also the sentinels on alert. And judging from the way he gently rubbed the joints of his legs, the situation seemed to be even worse than Tian Xiangxia's. "Damn! How long will he have to wait?" Tianxiang couldn't help cursing that damn "humanoid" in his heart. He "sees" the situation behind the abandoned wall clearly. A thick layer of snowflakes has accumulated on the body of the lying motionless "humanoid". Although he did not move, judging from the slight trembling of the muscles touched by his thoughts, he was under the cold attack. He probably won't be able to hold on much longer.

As if to confirm Tianxiang's idea, at that moment, the "humanoid" figure suddenly jumped out of the earth wall where he was hiding. The snowflakes falling all over the body also fell one after another and spread out in all directions. Forming a blurry visual barrier. "Bang - bang -" Two consecutive and orderly gunshots suddenly sounded. It ruined the monotonous movement composed entirely of wind and falling snow. Closely connected to them are two gray-white figures rushing out from an old dead tree on the side of the road.

Tianxiang fired a shot, accurately hitting the "humanoid" body that had just jumped up. This is mainly due to the observation of the "mind's eye". Although the warning sentry's shot was not as timely as his, it happened to be the moment when the "humanoid" fell from the air after being hit by the first bullet, and it penetrated into the huge body at the right time. Just like that, the attacker's hope was completely shattered. One hit the chest and the other hit the right leg. Two non-lethal shots. Two wounds the size of wine glasses were left on the "humanoid" body. He could only lie on the ground, wailing miserably.

The sound of gunshots is equivalent to an alarm. guided by them. The sleeping tribesmen were awakened one after another. They gathered in twos and threes.

Facing the surprise and inquiries from many tribesmen, Tianxiang remained silent. He just silently observed the "humanoid" lying in a pool of blood, unable to stand up again. This is supposed to be a female "humanoid". This can be seen from the breasts on its body. However, compared to humans. She had three more pairs of breasts, and their growth areas extended from her abdomen to her chest. At first glance, it looks like he is wearing a black double-breasted buttoned coat. "A strange creature, a creature that is similar to a human, but has no human mind at all." This is how he defined the "stranger" in front of him. Because, until now, the "humanoid" lying on the ground dying has shrewdness and cunning in his eyes. There is still a primitive desire to tear the human being in front of him into pieces and eat them. Moreover, from the inexplicable wailing coming from his mouth, one can clearly feel a deep-seated hatred and resentment towards human beings. This hatred is so strong. So much so that Tianxiang didn't need brainwave dialysis at all, and could clearly feel the contents just by relying on the most direct observation with his eyes and ears. As for everyone else. I believe you should feel the same way!

Looking at the "humanoid" covered in bright red blood, a very familiar yet slightly unfamiliar picture suddenly appeared in Tianxiang's mind. He felt that he seemed to have seen this kind of creature somewhere. Moreover, the information obtained from Base No. 2 and the ancient books in the library seem to have corresponding and detailed records of such creatures.

What exactly is it? For a moment, Tianxiang couldn't help but be confused. Looking at the others, their eyes were equally confused and confused. It seems that they also feel the same way.

"...This...this looks like a mouse!" A tribesman exclaimed from the crowd. Although it was quickly drowned in the howling wind, it was still clear enough to penetrate Tianxiang's ears. "That's right! It's a mouse." Tianxiang suddenly clarified all the seemingly incoherent questions in his brain. The ancient books, the information in the base, and the rats he had hunted when he was a child...all the bits and pieces came together to form a ferocious-looking rat. Rats, in the history of the earth, once far outnumbered humans in number, and they seemed to be an animal with a tendency to become the overlord of the earth. Although small in size, it has a strong reproductive capacity. Moreover, they are quite resistant to common causes of death such as diseases. To quote an ancient biologist: "Rats are simply one of the most successful representatives in the history of biological evolution on earth, apart from humans."

Despite this, the mouse at that time was a weak animal after all. Although they are extremely numerous and have extremely strong survivability, they do not pose a direct threat to humans. Although they can spread disease. The resulting plague almost wiped out all humans in Europe. All living things are evolving and are constantly evolving to adapt to new environments. But no matter what, it evolved from a mouse that was no more than ten centimeters in size to a "humanoid" that was nearly two meters long. The time I experienced was too short. It's unacceptably short. Moreover. Judging from the series of previous actions of this "rat man", it seems that they are already quite intelligent. However, in Tianxiang's memory, rats should have been completely extinct more than ten years ago. To fill your stomach. Hungry hunters hunted down every creature they could come across. In the same harsh environment where food is scarce, the weak rats cannot escape the fate of being exterminated.

But the facts before us obviously completely shattered this argument. "No matter what, these things are not the focus that should be considered now." Although he was full of surprise and doubts about the sudden appearance of the rat man, Tianxiang still suppressed all the problems in his mind. He knew very well that he was no longer the free hunter he had been before, but a leader with considerable responsibilities for hundreds of tribesmen. In this cruel world, any mistake in decision-making may bring disaster to the ethnic group. Therefore, even though the appearance of this rat man was purely accidental, there was no need to take it to heart at all. There is only one way to deal with people who are hostile to you:

kill! Kill them without mercy! Think of this. Tianxiang put away the surprised expression on his face, and with his usual indifference, he opened the bolt of the M5G43 in his hand and aimed at the head of the half-dead rat man lying on the ground.

Maybe I feel the threat of death! The dying rat man suddenly began to face the air, waving his limbs desperately. Hoping to find something to cling to. The sudden and inexplicable movement surprised many onlookers, and they all pushed away from the space where his claws were waving. However, an accident happened at this time. A tribesman who was too far forward had no time to avoid those claw-covered hands. After being violently grabbed, there was a "chi-la-" sound, and a leg muscle strip with bright red liquid, mixed with a strand of felt cloth, suddenly appeared in the hands of the dying rat man.

"Ah--" A huge scream came from the injured tribesman. The crowd of onlookers grabbed his arms and tried their best to pull him back. He immediately dragged his body back a few steps. Completely out of the attack range of the Rat Man's claws. Life was saved, but the price paid was huge. A piece of muscle about fifteen centimeters wide was torn from the upper thigh of the injured person to the ankle. Except for the sole of the foot, there is a trace of tough skin connecting the two. Under the influence of strong external force, it was completely out of the control of the body. Even the thick insect felt clothing seemed to have turned into a thin piece of fabric. Under the wanton tearing of the rat man, a long crack was opened. Tianxiang was very angry, why didn't he shoot earlier, so that now there were unexpected casualties. However, precisely because of this, he suddenly had the urge to see the rat man's next move. After all, at this time, the onlookers had completely retreated to a safe distance. Even if the rat man's arms were extended twice as far, he would definitely not pose any threat to them. The unexpected harvest seemed to satisfy the dying rat man. I saw him eagerly stuffing the piece of meat in his hand into his mouth and chewing it. Even the scraps of felt attached to it were not left out. The satisfied look on his face seemed to indicate that compared to death, horrific hunger was actually a far more terrifying existence.

Such violent movements aggravated the blood loss from the wound. A few minutes later, the once vigorous Rat Man had turned into a corpse covered in snow. Only the piece of human flesh left in his mouth, which he had not yet had time to swallow, could tell the onlookers that the person lying here was a person who once had a living life. Although, he is not completely human. At best, it can only be regarded as a "humanoid" that is very similar to humans.

The wind was still howling. Snowflakes are still flying. Everything in heaven and earth has not changed because of the small episode that happened here. However, in the originally quiet campsite, the noise and chaos of people began to appear. Fear, almost everyone is afraid. The sudden appearance of strange creatures brought so much fear to their hearts. The last bloody act of the Rat Man before his death also left a trace of uneasiness in the hearts of the hunters. Death is not terrible. When people are hungry and cold, they never feel the value of their humble life. When faced with thousands of insects biting madly, it would be far more terrifying than the current situation. But. In their view, the fear and threat posed by the rat men were obviously far greater than those of insects. Because, although bugs are scary. But they are alien creatures after all. And what about the Skaven? It was a humanoid creature that looked absolutely similar to myself. Although every hunter may have killed a human being, he may have also eaten human flesh when he was hungry. But compared with this horrific practice of tearing out muscles from human beings and swallowing them directly, all the previous barbaric behaviors are undoubtedly much more civilized. Moreover, the current ethnic group no longer has to worry about the threat of hunger. Being able to have enough food and clothing every day is compared to the bumpy and homeless life in the past. It's really much better.

Starvation is fashionable and no one would willingly die, let alone now?

Therefore, although this group of hunters is still strong. But they have a desire for survival and a fear of death. It is much more than ordinary people. Faced with the doubts of many tribesmen, Tianxiang only said one sentence.

"Believe in yourself, we are human beings. We are human beings with wisdom and strength. We are completely able to use the weapons in our hands to protect our lives. No matter how powerful the opponent is, we are confident to kill it." The rat man's body has gone cold. hard. No one has the slightest interest in it anymore. Injured tribesmen also received treatment. Although the wound was quite huge, the extremely low temperature also helped the blood coagulate in disguise. Wrapped with a few shabby pieces of cloth, the leg that had lost its muscles looked a bit weird. The huge stimulation brought by the pain also caused the injured to temporarily become comatose. Fire Ash, which acts as a hemostatic drug, once again successfully completed its task. The bleeding stopped. The injured person's visibility was therefore not hindered. However, it may be for a long time in the future. He could no longer walk on his two feet.

After the tense and heated discussion, everything became calm again. The people in front of the fire fell into a deep sleep again. After the shift, the sentries were also more vigilant and scanned all possible objects that they should pay attention to. However, the danger seems to have completely passed. There was nothing left to arouse suspicion. The night was cold and dark.

Calm, accompanying everyone until dawn.

The lingering inexplicable uneasiness in Tianxiang's mind did not dissipate with the death of the rat man. on the contrary. Before getting up and setting off in the morning, this feeling seemed to become more and more special. Although it was not strong, it lingered in Tianxiang's mind for a long time and could not be dissipated... "Let's go!" A simple and clear command made this small rescue team embark on the journey again. However, in the eyes of many tribesmen, the image of Tianxiang, the patriarch, has become more and more tall and respected.

Because, he did not abandon the injured who could not move and let them fend for themselves, as was customary during hunting. Instead, he handed his backpack to someone else, carried the injured tribesman on his back, and strode away. "Those who are unable to move on their own after being injured can only accept the fate of being abandoned. Because, for the entire group, they are a burden and a burden. At the same time, they also represent death and trouble." This is the rule in the dark world. If you want to get the same treatment as ordinary people, then you must keep your body strong at all times. Tianxiang's actions obviously broke this law. With an assault rifle across his chest, it was obviously quite difficult for him to bear the weight of a clansman who weighed more than 100 kilograms. Especially, there is a sharp contrast between an injured person who is nearly middle-aged and a boy who is only twenty years old.

"Clan leader, you take a rest, I'll do it!" Two hours later, a tribesman who was following behind said to Tianxiang. Therefore, the responsibility of carrying the wounded was transferred to his hands. That? , no need for too many words and encouragement, just a pair of eyes full of praise and affirmation.

Half an hour later, the same request was raised again by someone else. The injured person once again completed the transfer from one shoulder to the other.

Soon, the third and fourth carriers appeared... One day passed, and when it was time to camp at night, the injured was not pulled down, but sat comfortably in front of the fire like everyone else, Share the fragrant barbecue.

In this way, friendship and care are most perfectly expressed in the actions of the superior. Tianxiang's prestige as the patriarch also gained unprecedented recognition and satisfaction at that moment. However, the lingering uneasiness still shrouded Tianxiang's mind like a dark cloud.

Until now, he still hasn't found any danger. There are no clues to indicate the existence of a threat.

What exactly is the problem?

Tianxiang asked himself countless times, but could not get any answers or explanations.