The charred mass of flesh, now reduced to only an upper torso, had multiple puncture wounds where sharp objects had pierced it.
Yet, despite these grievous injuries, the body had not lost its spark of life.
This was Yusef—the chaos cultist and ambitious traitor responsible for the immense suffering in the King's Court district!
His head was intact, and slowly, tendrils of flesh began to regenerate, knitting themselves back together.
Suddenly, sparks flickered from his head, and his eyes snapped open.
It turned out that part of Yusef's brain had been specially modified, allowing him to survive under extreme conditions.
Though his face was horribly disfigured, a glint of smugness remained:
"Hahaha, that fool miscalculated. How utterly stupid of him to leave so easily...
He never imagined that I, the great Yusef, am still alive!"
As the greatest enemy of the Grant family and the future king of Urth, how could he die so easily?
When he realized things were beyond saving, he had already put an escape plan in place.
Playing the fool was just a way to lower that idiot's guard.
Everything was going according to plan!
Yusef dragged his half-ruined body, struggling to crawl toward a hidden mechanical device.
Gripping the edge of the device with both hands, he used his teeth to bite onto a lever, pulling it down with all his remaining strength.
With the sound of gears turning, the machine activated.
A steel panel on the wall of the incubation zone lifted, revealing a dark, gaping tunnel.
This was the secret passage leading to the lower hive and eventually to the underhive.
Yusef let go of the lever, falling to the ground, and began crawling toward the tunnel.
He had never been in such a pitiful state before, but this was only temporary.
Even though he had lost his territory and power, he still possessed the wisdom and strength granted by the Many-Eyed God.
Yusef crawled, inching closer to the tunnel. Once he reached the lower hive, he would hide in the chaos-ridden underhive, where he could slowly rebuild his forces.
His vengeance was far from over!
But soon, Yusef froze in place.
He realized he had miscalculated...
In the distance ahead, a shadowy figure was waiting for him.
It was the Mutant Grey Rat!
The intense battle had shattered its containment glass, allowing it to escape!
The Mutant Grey Rat hissed, its many black eyes turning red as it glared at Yusef with hatred.
It was furious. This was the human who had caused it so much torment!
Yusef remained still, not daring to make a move.
The Mutant Grey Rat crouched low, inching closer. It was preparing to attack.
"My little pet," Yusef cooed softly, forcing a smile. "I'm your master. I can give you delicious..."
But his words only enraged the Mutant Grey Rat further, the memories of its suffering at Yusef's hands flashing through its mind.
This damned human... The rat was furious!
With a roar, the Mutant Grey Rat pounced, sinking its sharp teeth into Yusef's skull.
Its fangs bit through his skull with a spray of sparks, exposing the mechanical components inside.
Yusef screamed in agony, trying desperately to pry the rat off him, but he was powerless.
The Mutant Grey Rat continued gnawing, tearing through flesh and bone!
After a few moments of struggle, sparks exploded from Yusef's head, and his body went limp.
The rat feasted on his corpse, its jaws drenched in blood.
Once it had eaten its fill, the Mutant Grey Rat looked satisfied.
It turned, flicking its tail as it scurried into the dark tunnel, leaving behind a mangled, skeletal corpse.
The Underhive of Urth
The underhive was a wasteland of broken walls and debris, with mountains of garbage and toxic waste piled high, emitting a foul stench. Here and there, deadly green fumes rose into the air.
Yet, despite the hazardous conditions, life thrived in the underhive.
Criminals, exiles, gang scum, and scavengers eked out a living in this nightmarish place, surviving on garbage and the flesh of others.
Of course, there were also all manner of mutants, mutated creatures, and even abhumans.
It was a harsh, yet teeming world, larger than both the upper and lower hives combined.
Somewhere within the garbage mountain, a clattering noise echoed from a pipe, as if something had fallen down it.
The Mutant Grey Rat tumbled down the garbage heap, bouncing a few times before standing up again.
After its initial disorientation, the rat cautiously surveyed the garbage mountain, wary of potential dangers.
Suddenly, a puff of green gas erupted nearby, startling the rat.
It cautiously approached, sniffing at the green fumes, and then its expression became one of bliss.
What a wonderful smell~
With its wariness subsiding, the Mutant Grey Rat began to scurry about, licking and gnawing at everything in sight.
It acted like a country mouse that had just arrived in the big city.
The rat was filled with happiness—this place was a paradise!
It decided then and there that it would make its home here.
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
However, it seemed this area already belonged to someone else.
Several mutated rats emerged from the shadows, their glowing green eyes fixed on the intruder.
The leader, a massive Mutant Rat King, hissed and screeched in warning.
This was its territory, and the Mutant Grey Rat had to leave, or it would be bitten to death!
But the Mutant Grey Rat had no intention of leaving such a prime location.
It lifted its head high:
"Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak!"
What it was saying in rat language was: From now on, this is my territory!
Perhaps it was because the Mutant Grey Rat had a foreign accent.
It wasn't until the third repetition that the Mutant Rat King finally understood what it was saying.
The Mutant Rat King became furious, baring its fangs as it charged forward.
It was going to kill this ugly intruder and defend its honor as the Rat King!
Seeing this, the Mutant Grey Rat rose up, adopting a battle stance.
The Mutant Grey Rat, strengthened by the essence of Chaos, had grown immensely powerful, and its strength was still increasing.
It dodged the Rat King's attack and, with its large and nimble claws, pinned the Rat King to the ground.
With a single bite, the Mutant Grey Rat snapped the Rat King's spine.
Squeak squeak squeak!
The Rat King, now torn in two, let out one final screech as it died.
After killing the Rat King, the Mutant Grey Rat turned its gaze to the remaining mutated rats and hissed menacingly.
With their king dead, the other rats, intimidated by the Mutant Grey Rat's power, timidly lowered their heads in submission.
Seeing the mutated rats bowing to it, the Mutant Grey Rat stood tall, its tiny paws resting on its hips, radiating confidence.
From now on, it would be the Rat King.
And this... would be its kingdom!
Suddenly, the Mutant Grey Rat had an idea.
As king, it needed a title.
But what should it call itself?
The Mutant Grey Rat thought hard.
Then, looking at its unusually large and nimble paws compared to the others, inspiration struck.
From now on, it would be known as... Bigfoot Rat!
(This is just a side story, and the will return to the main plot!)
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