As Allen prepared to rush at the remaining ratmen, Eli shouted loudly, "Don’t go all out! Save your strength—let me handle this!"
The shout snapped Alan back to his senses, making him realize he couldn’t keep blindly charging forward.
He took a deep breath and shouted back, “Alright!”
Eli quickly stepped forward, swinging his baseball bat as he charged into the rat swarm ahead.
His movements were as calm and swift as ever, each swing precise and powerful, sending rat after rat flying.
Alan advanced alongside Eli, covering him as best he could.
Despite putting all his strength into swinging his axe and repelling wave after wave of rats, a few managed to breach his defense and darted toward Eli.
“Damn it!” Alan cursed under his breath, ready to assist, but it was already too late.
Out of the corner of his eye, Eli noticed the threat. He swiftly made a sharp turn, barely evading a sneak attack by two rats.
Before Eli could regain his footing, three more rats lunged at him in quick succession, their speed astonishing.
Eli was exceptionally calm, his body responding with lightning speed.
The first rat lunged at him, and he swiftly dodged, almost crashing into the wall.
The second rat followed, leaping with its mouth open to reveal razor-sharp teeth, but Eli was already prepared.
He sidestepped and swung his bat forcefully in a horizontal arc, smashing the rat’s head.
The rat let out a piercing screech before its body slammed against the sewer wall with a heavy thud.
The third rat was even faster, as if it had learned to anticipate Eli’s moves, lunging straight for his neck.
At the critical moment, Eli relied on his heightened instincts once again, delivering a sharp elbow strike that sent the rat flying.
After dealing with the rats, Eli caught a glimpse of a ratman quickly closing in on him.
Eli scoffed inwardly: In such a rush to die? What’s wrong with staying alive?
He quickly adjusted his stance, gripping the baseball bat tightly in his right hand, his strength and speed perfectly coordinated.
As the ratman came within striking range, Eli swung the bat at its head.
The ratman’s face froze in shock as its skull was instantly shattered. It collapsed to the ground, blood spraying everywhere.
From a distance, Ethan caught sight of the scene and couldn’t help but shout, “Nice one!”
The other ratmen, witnessing Eli’s swift and fierce reaction, were visibly stunned, their faces filled with shock as they instinctively stepped back.
They could sense that the enemy before them was far more terrifying than Allen!
Allen’s expression grew serious.
He had seen many battle-hardened veterans, but someone who could execute such a series of moves in such a short amount of time? Never!
This guy—there’s no way he’s ordinary!
Alan suppressed his doubts, raised his fire axe, and swung it wildly, striking the rats charging at him with all his might.
Meanwhile, Eli’s pace didn’t falter for a moment as he charged toward the enemies ahead.
He seemed like a fearless war god, charging with unstoppable force, his momentum like a thunderstorm.
Every step he took seemed to shake the ground, emanating waves of pressure that left the enemies with nowhere to run.
The nearest ratman scrambled backward in panic, but Eli was already closing in. With a sharp move, he drove his left foot forward, kicking it squarely in the chest.
The ratman had no time to react and was sent flying!
It crashed over two meters away into the wall with a dull thud, completely incapacitated.
The second ratman immediately lunged forward, swinging its sharp claws straight toward Eli’s chest.
Eli sidestepped, evading the attack, and while the ratman was off guard, he smashed his bat down on its head with force.
The blow struck its target squarely, slamming the ratman’s head into the ground, blood splattering everywhere!This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The third ratman, witnessing its companions fall one after another, flashed a trace of madness in its eyes and charged straight at Eli.
But Eli had already anticipated its move and dodged effortlessly.
With a quick swing of his bat, he struck the ratman’s spine, hitting it with pinpoint accuracy!
The ratman’s body shuddered violently before collapsing to the ground, losing part of its ability to resist. It let out a low, guttural moan.
Eli didn’t pause for even a second. His body leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light.
With a surge of immense power in his arms, he swung his bat down hard on the ratman.
“Crack!”
A crisp impact rang out as the bat struck the ratman’s head with precision.
The ratman’s skull shattered, blood and brain matter splattering in all directions.
Its body crumpled to the ground like a lifeless sack, completely devoid of breath.
Eli stood firm, his cold gaze sweeping over the few ratmen not far ahead, his message unmistakable:
Leave, or die. Your choice.
The four ratmen in front were visibly intimidated, their movements hesitating for a moment, their eyes filled with fear and unease.
Even the surrounding rat swarm seemed momentarily stunned, their movements stalling as an oppressive silence filled the air.
But the silence lasted only two seconds before one rat after another launched another attack on Eli and Allen.
Clearly, the four ratmen ahead had made their choice—to fight to the death!
"Kill!"
Alan roared, propelling himself forward with his legs, raising his axe as he charged at the ratmen like a wild beast.
Eli followed closely behind, his gaze icy as he lunged toward the ratman on the left, swinging his baseball bat without hesitation.
The ratman couldn’t react in time as the baseball bat struck its waist with pinpoint accuracy, eliciting a piercing scream.
Eli didn’t stop there; he swung the bat again with brutal force.
A resounding “thud” echoed as the light in the ratman’s eyes vanished instantly. Its skull shattered in an instant, and blood erupted like a fountain!
Eli didn’t relax for a moment, his gaze already locking onto another ratman.
Its body was larger than that of a typical ratman, with an ugly face twisted in madness and ferocity.
Its claws were as sharp as blades, seemingly capable of cutting through anything.
It lunged at Eli with incredible speed, its claws slashing toward his throat.
“So fast!”
Eli muttered to himself, slid his footwork, and dodged to the left, evading the fierce attack.
But the ratman wasn’t about to give Eli a chance to breathe; it pounced at him again.
Its claws sliced through the air, grazing Eli’s clothes.
A glint of coldness flashed in Eli’s eyes as the baseball bat swept out with lightning speed.
The ratman dodged swiftly, and as it evaded, its claws sliced through the air, slashing fiercely toward Eli''s head.
Eli ducked with astonishing speed, narrowly evading the attack.
Just as the claws passed over his head, Eli twisted his body with force, using the momentum to deliver a powerful kick to the ratman’s chest.
“Bang!”
The kick landed squarely, sending the ratman flying several meters until it slammed into the sewer wall with a heavy crash.
The ratman quickly scrambled to its feet, its eyes burning with rage.
Eli’s gaze remained icy as he advanced without hesitation, charging toward the ratman.
The ratman didn’t back down either, rushing toward Eli with lethal intent!
This time, its attack was even fiercer, its claws slashing straight for Eli’s neck.
Eli had already anticipated this move and dodged sharply to the right, avoiding the deadly strike.
“Thud!”
The baseball bat swung out fiercely, carrying explosive force as it slammed into the ratman’s back, producing a dull thud.
The ratman let out a scream, its body bending forward from the impact, nearly toppling over.
Eli seized the opportunity and darted toward the ratman’s flank like lightning.
“Die!”
He shouted fiercely, swinging the bat with thunderous might.
The ratman tried to evade, but it was too late.
The head of the baseball bat struck its head directly, delivering a powerful impact as blood splattered everywhere!
The ratman’s head twisted violently, and its body lost all balance, collapsing to the ground.
But it wasn’t dead yet!
Though the blow would have been fatal to an ordinary enemy, this ratman was anything but ordinary.
Its regenerative ability far exceeded that of typical creatures, and it wouldn’t take long before it regained its fighting strength.
Eli didn’t hesitate for a second, immediately adjusting his stance. Gripping the bat tightly in his right hand, he swiftly aimed at the ratman’s head and swung again.
“Thud!”
This strike was even more precise and merciless than the last.
The bat hit the ratman’s head with devastating force, completely shattering it.
This time, the ratman was completely dead. Blood and shredded flesh mingled into a horrifying mess, and the rage on its face instantly gave way to lifeless stillness.
Eli quickly scanned his surroundings, rapidly assessing the battlefield situation.
The first thing he noticed was the swarm of rats around him.
The rats had clearly lost their command, with most scattering in all directions.
While a few lingered reluctantly, their earlier frenzy and aggressive intent were gone.
Next, his gaze swiftly shifted forward, just in time to catch Alan delivering a devastating blow.
The fire axe swung like a bolt of lightning, and a ratman fell, its flesh and blood splattered, motionless on the ground.
In the distance ahead, there was one more ratman.
Its eyes, when looking at Eli, no longer held the madness they once did—only fear and trembling.
This ratman had clearly lost the will to fight and no longer posed a threat to Eli or the others.
Eli didn’t waste time on the ratman, whipping his head around to scan the rear.
The situation behind them made his heart sink.
The ratmen there were brimming with energy, as though the battle in front hadn’t affected them in the slightest.
He immediately realized that the front and rear ratmen were part of two different squads, each led by a ratman commander.
His gaze swept around rapidly and quickly found the ratman commander.
The ratman commander stood at the back of the group, its sharp gaze surveying the battlefield.
Eli’s instincts told him that these ratmen possessed some kind of mental network, enabling them to communicate seamlessly.
There were no delays from spoken commands, nor could environmental noise interfere or cause misunderstandings.
Every command could be relayed to all members within milliseconds, significantly enhancing the team’s responsiveness and coordination.
Moreover, the network allowed the commanders to monitor the status of every soldier in real-time.
They could rapidly adjust strategies in response to changing circumstances, greatly increasing the tactical flexibility of the entire group.
Eli clenched his fists. These creatures were far more dangerous than mindless zombies!
He thought so because the ratmen likely had an incredibly high reproductive capacity.
Ordinary rats could reproduce a new generation every two to three weeks, with each litter producing seven or eight offspring. Their breeding speed was alarmingly fast, and they were highly adaptable.
If the ratmen had a similar reproductive cycle, their population could explode within mere months.
This reproduction rate, combined with their intelligence and combat prowess, is nothing short of a calamity!