When the Rats Rise
After the ministers left the meeting room, they moved swiftly, executing every order that had been issued.
Without hesitation, emergency policies were enacted one by one, creating waves of disruption across the nation.
The media quickly caught wind of the drastic measures.
Criticism poured in from all sides—journalists, political experts, and ordinary citizens alike.
But the government didn't flinch.
They no longer cared about public opinion.
The country moved in only one direction: the path laid down by its leader.
And it wasn't just Country "B" taking action.
Around the globe, nations began initiating their own radical steps.
Especially those rich in food resources—they halted exports completely, even sealing off their agricultural outputs from the rest of the world.
The result?
Global trade collapsed.
Stock markets plunged, currencies crumbled, and food-dependent nations began to spiral into despair.
Chaos spread, slow at first, like fire creeping across a dry field.
On the other side of the city, Lin Xian sat cross-legged on the floor of his living room, practicing control over the golden chain he could summon spiritually.
He focused, using the chain to lift a small porcelain cup—an exercise to train his precision and control.
The idea came from Liu Yanyan, and Lin Xian had to admit—it was working well.
Liu Yanyan watched from the couch, eyes fixed.
This wasn't her first time seeing the golden chain.
She had seen it before—when Lin Xian killed her pet cat that had mutated into a savage beast.
But now, she saw it up close.
And silently, she felt awe... and a tinge of envy.
"So powerful... a strength like that..."
The room was silent, save for the soft sound of the glimmering chain swaying in the air.
Then—
The TV screen, originally showing the morning news, flickered.
The image distorted... then changed.
A live broadcast from the national congress hall appeared.
Lin Xian and Liu Yanyan turned to look.
They watched in silence.
Over ten minutes passed before an elderly man stepped onto the podium.
His steps were slow, yet steady.
Even through the screen, his presence was overwhelming.
He began to speak, his voice calm… yet heavy with authority.
"Starting today, our nation is in a state of National Emergency."
He went on to announce sweeping policies—military recall, export bans, safe zone construction, and the gathering of all elite personnel.
Each word landed with weight.
Yet he delivered it with unwavering composure, as if the world wasn't crumbling.
His speech ended with a chilling statement:
"No one will save us… except ourselves."
The screen went black.
Lin Xian and Liu Yanyan sat still.
Silent.
But both knew—the storm had arrived.
---
Elsewhere, in a place forgotten by humans...
Beneath their very feet, beyond the sewage tunnels long ignored…
A group of creatures stirred in the dark.
Black rats.
But these were no ordinary rodents.
Their bodies were massive—each one as large as a grown cat.
What made them terrifying, however, wasn't their size…
But their number.
Thousands. Tens of thousands.
They slithered, crawled, celebrating their escape from the depths of the sewers.
Glowing red eyes pierced the darkness, spiked fur stood like needles, and tiny, glinting fangs gleamed hungrily.
Many had already begun to mutate.
Some had two tails.
Others grew extra legs.
A few even had hardened, armor-like skin.
Now, one by one…
They began to rise.
From the shadows, toward the surface.
Toward the world of humans.
And with that, humanity's nightmare began.
---
Cities once calm now fell into madness.
Thousands of giant mutant rats flooded the streets, emerging from underground with terrifying speed.
A hospital, once filled with sick patients, became a slaughterhouse.
Rats burst through hallways, tearing into anyone they found.
Nurses trying to help patients were overwhelmed—ripped apart in seconds.
---
In the middle of a busy street, a man ran frantically, looking for shelter.
Before he could reach safety, a swarm of rats blocked his path.
He screamed.
But in mere moments, he was on the ground—bleeding, twitching, and then still.
---
A school filled with children was not spared.
Teachers and students ran, screamed, scattered.
One child tripped near the exit.
Claws and fangs descended upon them.
The hallway echoed with the screams of the children left behind.
The rats didn't stop.
They chased relentlessly.
---
From the third-floor window of an apartment, a young man stood frozen.
His breath was shallow, eyes wide.
Below, the parking lot had become a killing field.
He saw an old woman—probably his neighbor—trying to flee with a bag of groceries.
She stumbled.
She fell.
The rats lunged.
He wanted to scream, to help.
But his body refused.
He could only watch.
He saw her scream… roll… and then fall silent.
The rats dispersed, leaving behind a torn, mangled corpse.
He stepped back, trembling.
The window closed slowly...
But the sound of her screams would never leave his mind.
---
Elsewhere, a bus driver found himself trapped on the main road with passengers.
Before he could steer away, rats tore into the bus.
Panic.
Screams.
People trying to flee were dragged down, one by one.
The bus became a tomb.
---
The chaos spread like wildfire, turning a vibrant city into a battlefield drenched in blood.
No one knew where the rats came from.
But one thing was clear—humanity stood on the edge of destruction.
This was hell on Earth.
And it was just beginning.
Mutant rat outbreaks weren't limited to this city.
They emerged across the globe—especially in major urban centers.
Panic escalated everywhere.
The Vermin Apocalypse had begun.
---
Author's Note:
Thank you so much for reading this chapter!
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