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"She’s fine!" Gu Xiaoxi called the doctor on the phone.

By dawn, the woman who had fainted from fear had awakened.

When she saw Gu Xiaoxi again, she promptly knelt before her, grateful that her encounter with Gu Xiaoxi saved her and her child’s lives.

Gu Xiaoxi dared not let her kneel and comforted her, asking about the situation.

Afterward, as recounted by the woman who drove the car.

"My son had a high fever last night, and I had no choice but to go to the hospital. Just as the car neared the hospital, it was hit by something; then the engine died and wouldn’t start again. They had such sharp claws, with terrifyingly large incisors... so scary!"

Based on the woman’s description and what she had seen,

Gu Xiaoxi realized that these Giant Rats could attack not only people but also cars. They were indeed powerful!

At the same time, the incident had made the news in Lan State.

Residents were reminded to avoid going out at night if possible.

Yatang City also dispatched more patrol teams to strengthen nighttime patrols.

The next day, Gu Xiaoxi led a team back to the kindergarten.

Classes continued, and with Gu Xiaoxi and others on guard, the children were finally allowed to play in the schoolyard.

"Xiao Xi, do you think there could be a lot of these Giant Rats?" Tang Yisheng asked anxiously.

"Hard to say! Judging by the number of attacks, I think there are quite a few. Almost every night there are incidents, sometimes involving dozens of people," Gu Xiaoxi said with an indifferent tone, indicating just how terrifying their numbers were.

"Are these Giant Rats as fast as you said?" Che Junqing asked. Even though they were Special Ability Users, they still found it somewhat frightening.

Special Ability Users’ greatest fear is encountering beings that surpass their own speed and strength.

This would severely limit their Special Abilities.

"If they’re on high alert, they move very quickly. But once they’re focused on attacking a target, they tend to ignore their surroundings and become somewhat slow to react. Therefore, to deal with these Giant Rats, everyone must be quick to respond."

"I’ve also noticed that it’s very difficult to chase after them when they retreat while on high alert. Likewise, it’s hard for us to dodge when they suddenly attack. To minimize injury, we must always be vigilant."

Willy, after hearing Gu Xiaoxi’s words, felt some dissatisfaction, "Why didn’t you take us with you last night! You just want to kill more Giant Rats yourself, then take the credit when reporting back to headquarters!"

Gu Xiaoxi took a deep breath and rolled her eyes, not wanting to speak with such a person, "Next time, I’ll let you go alone!"

Yun Xiao and others had no respect for Willy’s conjecture. It was an insult to intelligence!

Just because Gu Xiaoxi alone could kill seven Giant Rats didn’t mean they could do the same. Idiots!

Everyone dispersed, not wishing to deal with Willy and his ilk.

...

After Gu Xiaoxi’s attack, the city grew quiet for two days.

During the day, Gu Xiaoxi led the team to protect the kindergarten, and at night they rested. At dawn, they joined the patrol teams to circle the city, guarding against the stealth attacks of the Giant Rats.

The quiet of those two days was like the calm before a storm.

On the morning of the fourth day, a sensational piece of news swept through Yatang City.

Around three in the morning, a patrol team of twelve on motorcycles was attacked by Giant Rats on KG Road.

Twelve people died a horrific death, their blood staining the streets.

The news hung over the city like a dark cloud.

At City Hall,

The Mayor, along with local military officers and members of the International Alliance, all gathered there.

In the large conference room.

Everyone had begun discussing this matter.

The mayor was extremely anxious; the citizens that could be evacuated were already in the process. The airport was packed every day, and now tickets to other cities or abroad were very hard to come by.

If this continued, the once-glorious city would become a post-apocalyptic ruin.

Kate’s expression was grave as she finally said, "I think we need to resolve this quickly! The longer we wait, the more dangerous it will become."

"The key issue is how to resolve it!" The mayor was so anxious that his hair had turned white.

Gu Xiaoxi pondered for a moment before raising her hand and saying, "Organize a team to go into the mountains!"

At the same time, she looked up at the mayor with a serious tone and said, "I hope you can tell us the truth about what you found when you went into the mountains before."

Gu Xiaoxi’s questions were always direct, hitting the key points each time.

At this moment, her suggestion struck at the heart of the matter.

After a long silence, the mayor finally explained with a pained expression, "I won’t hide it from you; I’ve sent ten teams into the mountains, each with a hundred people. Not a single one returned!"

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

As the mayor finished speaking, a chill settled over everyone, and they all drew a sharp breath.

A thousand people had gone into the mountains, and not one had come back.

It was clear, without guessing, that the number of giant rats was terrifyingly large. Perhaps there were other dreadful creatures in the mountains as well.

Silence...

A prolonged silence spread throughout the large conference room.

Gu Xiaoxi, clenching her teeth, still firmly declared, "I suggest organizing a team to head into the mountains! We should take the initiative to strike, find the root of the evil, and eradicate the danger completely."

Kate stopped Gu Xiaoxi, saying, "You’re right! But we can’t be reckless. I’ll contact headquarters first and ask them to send more people. At the very least, we should get the advanced weapons delivered here."

Gu Xiaoxi nodded; she was aware they couldn’t act rashly.

She didn’t suggest going into the mountains right away.

This matter took Kate and headquarters a full two hours of video conferencing to discuss.

In the end, the headquarters decided to send five people over first and then provide each Special Ability User with a set of advanced technological weapons.

No matter what, this was an assessment, and sending five more people from headquarters to protect everyone’s safety was already a generous effort, not to mention gifting them weapons.

Although Kate felt this was a bit imprudent, considering the giant rats were very dangerous and the team members’ lives could be at risk at any time, as the team leader, all he could do was lead the assessment and ensure everyone’s safety to the best of his ability.

Once the people from headquarters arrived, everyone quickly armed themselves with the weapons, and the International Alliance joined with Yatang City’s SWAT and special forces to organize a hundred people once again ready to enter the mountains.

They chose to depart in the early morning.

Each person carried weapons, rations, and maps, ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

The suburban forest was densely wooded, but thankfully it was not the kind of primitive forest where you could not see the sky when you looked up.

The underbrush was thick, so as they cleared a path, they remained vigilant, cautiously moving forward.

"There shouldn’t be any danger during the day; let’s move quickly so that we can find a cave to rest in before it gets dark," Kate, holding the map, instructed.

The others trudged along with their heavy gear, sweating profusely, yet all were tense, daring not to relax even a bit.

The team quickened their pace, advancing into the forest while also looking for a safe place to stay.

Yun Xiao looked around at the chaotic underbrush and asked, "Searching blindly like this, can we even find the giant rats’ lair?"

"Whether we find it or not! Our presence will definitely attract the giant rats!"