Chapter 10: Harvest
“Squeak, squeak.”
In the pitch-black sewer, a miserable sound came from the darkness.
If Zhou Ming hadn’t become a Beast Tamer, and if his courage hadn’t grown stronger with time, even he might not have been able to endure such an environment. He wondered how others managed to stay down here.
Poor? That seemed to be the only explanation.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to this place.
With his headlamp on and guided by the Ironthread Snake coiled around his palm, Zhou Ming reached a fork in the tunnel.
He turned directly into the right passage. After only a few steps, he spotted the Hardfur Rat he had been searching for.
Its body was about the size of a house cat, covered in coarse, bristly fur, and its eyes glinted with a feral, bloodthirsty coldness.
As Zhou Ming observed the Hardfur Rat, it stared right back at him, motionless.
Clearly, the light from his lamp had already alerted it.
“So ferocious.”
Zhou Ming frowned slightly at the scene before him.
Several ordinary rats had been bitten into bloody pieces by the Hardfur Rat—broken limbs scattered everywhere.
Crimson blood stained the creature’s mouth, and beads of blood still clung to its whiskers.
“Ssshh…”
When it saw Zhou Ming approach, the Hardfur Rat didn’t flee. Instead, it crouched low and hissed menacingly at him, its sharp claws scratching the ground with a harsh screech.
“No wonder they issued a Rat Extermination Order. Once these beasts multiply, they become a disaster for ordinary people.”
“Go.”
Having witnessed the Hardfur Rat with his own eyes, Zhou Ming understood why there was a bounty on them. Not only did they carry countless bacteria, but their bloodthirsty and mindless nature made them especially dangerous.
If they swarmed, it would be no different from facing a miniature beast tide without fear—Beast Tamers might survive, but unarmed civilians would surely suffer.
For such a creature, Zhou Ming immediately gave a command to his beast.
The Ironthread Snake’s coiled body tensed like a spring ready to strike. The moment it heard Zhou Ming’s order, it lunged toward the Hardfur Rat.
Seeing the Ironthread Snake attack, the Hardfur Rat’s fur bristled as it leapt up, claws slashing at the snake mid-air.
Its yellowed teeth gnashed as it prepared to bite down the moment it caught its foe.
But a contracted beast had a master, and it was the combination of a beast’s strength and its tamer’s intellect that unleashed true power.
Under Zhou Ming’s control, the Ironthread Snake twisted mid-air, narrowly dodging the claws and whipping its tail across the Hardfur Rat as it passed.
But the Hardfur Rat, a veteran killer, reacted quickly. Its tail lashed out toward the snake in retaliation.
However, with the Ironthread Snake’s agility and armored scales, the blow posed no threat.
Instead, it gave the snake an opening—it twisted its body and bit down on the Hardfur Rat’s tail, the creature’s coarse fur offering no defense.
“Bang.”
In just an instant, the Ironthread Snake completed its hunt.
The Hardfur Rat’s body went rigid mid-air, paralyzed, and crashed heavily onto the tunnel floor.
Not all parts of the sewer were muddy, and the ten-kilogram rodent hit the ground without cushioning.
“Bang.”
The Hardfur Rat tried to stand but collapsed again.
Not wasting time, Zhou Ming drew his prepared dagger and stepped forward. With a clean motion, he stabbed it through the ear into the brain.
Then, he sliced off its tail and sealed it in a plastic bag.
“One hundred Alliance Coins, earned.”
Holding the bloodied bag under his lamp, Zhou Ming didn’t show the slightest disgust. Instead, he looked at the tail with a hint of satisfaction—after all, this was money.
“Continue.”
Seeing that he had earned almost a full day’s wage in less than half an hour, Zhou Ming felt even more motivated.
The Ironthread Snake, having just done its part, slithered back up to Zhou Ming’s wrist when its master ignored it.
“Almost forgot about you.”
Ah, money—it truly bewitched the heart.
Zhou Ming continued his Hardfur Rat hunt. With good luck at the start, in less than half a day he successfully killed twenty-seven of them.
A few others, perhaps survivors from previous exterminations, immediately fled the moment they saw him.
“Time to head back.”
After half a day in the sewers, Zhou Ming checked the level of his portable oxygen tank and made his decision.
The sewer was mostly sealed off. The mixture of filth not only reeked but also emitted toxic gases in some areas.
Without the portable oxygen, Zhou Ming wouldn’t have lasted long. So, seeing that the tank was nearly empty, he began his return, his body completely covered in grime.
Thanks to the Ironthread Snake’s assistance, his return went smoothly, and soon he could see the entrance tunnel where he had first entered.
A few blinding beams of light appeared in his vision—it seemed to be other rat exterminators. Zhou Ming quickly had the Ironthread Snake slither back into his clothes.
He also unzipped his protective suit slightly and stuffed the bag of rat tails inside.
His chest bulged a bit, but not too obviously. Still, due to inexperience, he hadn’t come fully prepared.
“Brother, how’s the haul?”
Two groups of exterminators appeared—one with two people, the other with three.
All wore protective suits and masks, their faces indistinguishable.
And with the filth of the sewer clinging to their gear, they all looked nearly identical.
“Newbie. Walked around and came back empty-handed. I’ll be better prepared next time.”
When the leader of the three-man team greeted him, Zhou Ming replied casually.
“Yeah, not well-prepared. Didn’t even bring a steel fork.”
Hearing the teasing tone, Zhou Ming gave a light response and continued toward the exit.
“Hey, little brother, want to join our team? We’re short one man—you could learn a lot.”
As Zhou Ming was about to leave, one of the two-man group spoke up.
“Thanks, but I’m just trying this out. No need to trouble you, brother.”
Zhou Ming didn’t stop walking as he replied.
The two groups of exterminators exchanged glances. The hands gripping their steel forks tightened, but in the end, they just watched Zhou Ming’s back fade into the dark passage.
Those who lived long in the sewers—ruthless or not—were always cautious.
There were plenty of vicious people down here, but just as many of those had ended up as corpses in the muck after falling for dirty tricks.
Unable to gauge Zhou Ming’s background, both groups gave up on the idea of robbing him.
“Cold Blade, why didn’t you make a move? Feeling shy in front of an old friend?”
“Haha, if you’re not moving, how could I?”
After Zhou Ming left, the two groups of supposedly unfamiliar exterminators started chatting casually. Judging by their tone, it was clear they had pulled such stunts before.
Their voices were relaxed, but their grips on the steel forks never loosened.
Zhou Ming had no idea what happened behind him, but he could more or less guess their intentions.
Before deciding to become a rat exterminator, he had heard plenty of rumors. Just imagining the environment down here was enough to know what could happen.
This place—was far too perfect for murder and disposal.