Chapter 96: An Invitation (Part One)

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Although the young man was incredibly powerful, he was currently facing an endless swarm of rats!

By now, the ground around him was piled high with rat corpses, almost obscuring his figure entirely. The only sign that he was still alive came from the incessant shrill cries of the rats from that direction.

But no matter how strong one is, there must come a time when strength runs out, right? So much time had passed already, and she was deeply worried about the young man’s safety.

Xiao Lei’s heart pounded as she watched the scene from afar. Instinctively, she glanced towards Xue Feifei and Tuan Tuan for support.

“Don’t worry!” Xue Feifei gently patted Xiao Lei’s head. Though a trace of concern lingered on her face, she did not show it outwardly but instead comforted them both: “He knows his limits… probably…”

Amidst the swirling flames and mist, Kong Zhe felt his shoulders aching and wrists growing weak. He had been trapped in the rat swarm for nearly half an hour.

Originally, his magic reserves were insufficient to sustain such a long fight, but through continuous hunting, he gradually grasped some tricks in using the Samadhi Card.

It was essentially similar to the principle of magic attachment. By condensing the flames precisely at the moment of attack, he could not only unleash the intended effect but also drastically reduce magic consumption.

Discovering this, Kong Zhe was overjoyed and began practicing this method relentlessly, allowing him to endure for so long.

Yet even so, his magic was now almost depleted.

Surveying the scattered piles of gold, silver coins, and equipment around him, Kong Zhe nodded with satisfaction, ready to call it a day.

Suddenly, he noticed the density of rats around him sharply decreasing.

Puzzled, Kong Zhe looked up and saw terror shining in the rats’ eyes. Fleeing in panic, the swarm quickly scattered, leaving him completely alone.

The rats dashed off at great speed, squeaking chaotically as they vanished from sight in moments.

Kong Zhe chuckled to himself. This time, the rats were genuinely terrified of him.

In his previous life, he had heard that spiny rats, though fearless in large groups, would flee once their numbers fell below a critical threshold.

But he had never witnessed a rat swarm retreating before, so he always thought it was a myth—until now, when the scene confirmed its truth.

Far away, Yang Fang stood agape in shock.

This was a rat swarm! They had encountered one once at school, but it was much smaller in scale. Back then, with all the awakened fighters still present and the safety zone’s barrier in place, it had taken half a day for them to drive the swarm away.

But now? She had been worried about the young man’s safety, yet here he was, single-handedly defeating the entire swarm!

What kind of concept was this? If she told the students, no one would believe it. Even she felt like she was dreaming.

Xue Feifei and Xiao Lei, however, were less surprised. They had no concept of the strength of awakened beasts or fighters, so this was not so shocking to them.

Besides, the shocks Kong Zhe had brought them over these days had already numbed their senses.

Seeing Kong Zhe standing there unharmed, both women breathed a sigh of relief.

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At this moment, Kong Zhe was their pillar of support. If he fell, the three women would surely face a grim fate.

“Tuan Tuan, come help!” Kong Zhe called out.

“Oh-oh!” Tuan Tuan squealed, jumping to her feet and running outside the safety circle to gather the gold, silver coins, and equipment scattered about.

She refused to do other tasks, but picking up loot? That she was more than willing.

Outside the safety zone, a thick carpet of rat corpses lay, between which gleamed countless glittering gold and silver coins.

Any awakened fighter would have their heart race seeing such a trove. Yang Fang was no exception, watching the two figures busily collecting their spoils with envy.

But no matter how jealous, these were the fruits of someone else’s hard work; all she could do was watch and admire.

Kong Zhe’s eyes sparkled as he surveyed the loot. Although these were mostly low-value, basic items, their sheer quantity was impressive. The gold and silver coins alone amounted to a considerable sum.

After a short while, the two finished collecting everything. Kong Zhe quickly tallied their haul: over ninety gold coins and more than three hundred silver ones, increasing his current assets seven- or eight-fold.

There were also over thirty white-grade pieces of equipment. Since both of them were already fully equipped, they had little use for these.

After rummaging through them, they picked out a few decent pieces to replace their old gear. Kong Zhe then packed up the remainder, planning to sell them later.

“Um, aren’t you going to take the rest?” Yang Fang approached from behind, pointing at the pile of rat corpses.

“Huh? What would we do with those?” Tuan Tuan blinked, looking disgusted at the rats.

Kong Zhe, however, glanced at the female teacher behind him and noticed a hint of urgency in her expression. Without hesitation, he said, “We don’t want them. If you want, take them.”

The teacher had not fled even in such a dangerous situation. Although the rat swarm was initially her doing, her instinctive actions had earned Kong Zhe’s favor. Understanding her intention, he didn’t make things difficult.

Though he had guessed a powerful person like her wouldn’t be without food, it was still reassuring to hear it directly. Yang Fang’s excitement was palpable as she thanked him and hurried to gather the rat carcasses.

“What does she want with those?” Xue Feifei asked, puzzled, watching Yang Fang eagerly collect the revolting rats.

“Well, what else? To eat them!” Kong Zhe replied.

“Eat... rats?” The three women stared at him in disbelief. Xue Feifei found it hard to believe.

“Of course. Nowadays, with beasts everywhere, growing crops is out of the question. Most beast meats contain toxins and are inedible for humans. The spiny rat is one of the few beasts that can be eaten directly. Though its meat is sour and foul, it can stave off hunger. Plus, these creatures are low-level and weak, so even ordinary people with some courage can kill them. In the early apocalypse, they were a vital food source. Many survived by relying on them.”

Watching the teacher busily at work in the distance, Kong Zhe sighed softly, as if seeing a reflection of his past self.

The three women looked uneasy after his explanation. Xiao Lei instinctively covered her mouth, wincing. Tuan Tuan even made a gagging motion, disgusted: “Those are rats! They might’ve even eaten people... If I had to eat that, I’d rather die!”

“When you’re truly starving, you won’t say that,” Kong Zhe said with a wry smile, shaking his head. Yet he understood their feelings.

They had followed him since the apocalypse began. Though not living lavishly, at least he had never let them starve. So subconsciously, they had never worried about food and couldn’t grasp the desperation of those who couldn’t find any.

Just then, Xue Feifei glanced at Kong Zhe and said instinctively, “Sounds like you know the future…”

She suddenly paused, remembering something. Approaching Kong Zhe, she whispered, “By the way, you still haven’t explained your time travel to me!”

He had only mentioned it briefly before and refused to elaborate, no matter how she pressed.

“Come on, tell me what happened? What’s going to happen in the future? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone!”

Seeing her curious face, Kong Zhe smiled bitterly.

“Don’t think I’m some all-knowing prophet. Although I did time travel, the current timeline has diverged completely from what I knew. I can’t predict the exact future, only a general direction.”

“Ah?” Hearing this, Xue Feifei’s face fell in disappointment. To her, the future was changed, and Kong Zhe just didn’t want to tell her. Pouting, she muttered softly, “So stingy!”

Kong Zhe chuckled and didn’t argue.

Meanwhile, the female teacher had finished collecting everything. Besides a backpack on her back, she carried two large bags, one in each hand.

Yet even so, she looked at the remaining rat corpses on the ground with reluctance, clearly wishing she could take them all if she could.

“Thank you!” she said sincerely as she returned to Kong Zhe’s group. But instead of leaving immediately, she hesitated, seeming to want to say something.

“What’s on your mind? Just say it!” Kong Zhe asked directly, sensing her hesitation.

From her expression, he guessed she had something to ask but was embarrassed to voice it.