Chapter 438: You Can’t Catch a Wolf Without Sacrificing a Child
Chapter 438: You Can’t Catch a Wolf Without Sacrificing a Child
Zhao Ru brings the SUV to a stop. Behind them, the tanker truck Yun Tao drives rumbles to a halt. Their vehicle is crammed full of children and vulnerable survivors.
She glances sideways at An Ran and asks, “Do you think your ex-husband can hold out?”
“Of course he can,” An Ran replies, eyes fixed on the flames ahead—on Zhan Lian, who slashes through waves of rats at the edge of the fire with his crescent-shaped scimitar. “But there are too many of them. Look at the bus station.”
She points at the massive terminal visible through the car window. The three-story hall of the provincial capital’s main bus station once accommodated 80,000 passengers at the height of the Spring Festival.
Now, it’s a grotesque, swarming nest of rats. They crawl across the ceiling, walls, and every surface, a writhing tide of fur and fangs.
And in the center of the terminal? Chaos.
Huge rats are mating. Mutant females cluster together, birthing litter after litter. Infant rats crawl everywhere.
As for how many birthing females there are? Too many to count. Packed shoulder to shoulder, doing just one thing—multiplying.
Zhan Lian and Luo Feifan are strong, yes—but even they can’t kill rats faster than the females are giving birth.
An Ran calls Zhan Lian back and reports the situation. He frowns, then glances toward the tanker truck parked behind her.
“We’ll send the tanker in,” he says grimly. “You all retreat. We’ll blow up the station.”
It’s the only way. This nest is a massive threat. If they have a chance to destroy it now, they can’t afford to wait.
Just then, Yun Tao and Liang Ziyu jog forward.
When they hear Zhan Lian’s plan, Liang Ziyu clutches his chest like he’s been stabbed. “This truck’s full! That oil could take us from Xiangcheng to Beijing—twice! And we’re just gonna burn it?”
“You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a child!” Zhao Ru snaps from the driver’s seat, shooting him a glare.
Liang Ziyu winces and forces a smile, backing down with theatrical resignation.
An Ran furrows her brows and looks at Zhan Lian. “Are you sure about this?”
She’s worried—deeply. Zhan Lian might be their strongest metal-type ability user, but he hasn’t seen what’s inside the terminal. He doesn’t truly know how dangerous it is. He’s guessing.
Zhan Lian meets her gaze and smiles. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this kind of thing plenty of times. Just delivering a truck—I’ve had worse.”
Without hesitation, he turns and strides toward the tanker.
Yun Tao tosses him the keys, and Zhan Lian catches them smoothly without looking back.
An Ran watches his back—the calm, focused pace, the way he still holds the keys loosely in one hand—and feels a sudden pang. She flings open the door and jumps out, shouting, “Zhan Lian!”
He turns, smiles at her, and makes a quick gesture—Don’t worry.
Even in the firelight, she can see the dark sweat stains on his short-sleeved shirt. His skin, flushed from heat and exertion, gleams under the glow. He still hasn’t closed his hand around the keys.
Then he turns away again and walks on, toward the tanker.