Guo Wutao heard the news and immediately linked all the information together, no wonder there had been such a sudden increase in rat monsters.
He found Su Han, who was controlling the Angel Envoy to fuse with the corpses of rat monsters, and told him about the tunnels.
Su Han's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he said, "Let's go and see."
The group walked out from the mountain hollow to a wasteland about three hundred meters away. Crystals from the Lamp Tree had been placed nearby, dispersing the fog, and illuminating the area ahead.
The ground was littered with large amounts of soil piled into ridges, with traces of being trampled by something huge, and right in the center of the soil was the tunnel that had been found.
More than ten meters wide, pitch-black, it was impossible to see how deep it was at a glance.
At this time, around the tunnel, footprints were scattered, and there were many bloodstains. Some of the rat monsters that had escaped had fled from this tunnel.
"Is this an existing tunnel or was it recently dug?"
Yan Tiejun's expression was solemn. If the tunnel had been there all along while they ambushed in the hollow, it was no less than setting an ambush right in the enemy's main camp— a serious and grievous intelligence failure.
Su Han examined the surrounding soil, which was damp and fresh, appearing to have been dug out not long ago.
"If the rat monsters' den has already spread here, we were attacked before we even had the fortifications ready."
He explained briefly, then thought for a moment and added, "However, their ability to dig tunnels is much stronger than we anticipated. I'm afraid the burrows not only spread throughout the grain warehouse underground but some of them have just run back there."
Guo Wutao and Yan Tiejun's expressions tightened. It was impossible to prevent a portion of the monsters from escaping in such a battle.
Even though Su Han had many Fast-growing Vines of the Ancient Worm Tree, they were somewhat insufficient compared to tens of thousands of rat monsters.
"Director Guo, Director Yan, delays can lead to unexpected problems. Gather your people and let's get started. We need to go now."
Whether rat monsters could send signals through the air, or what the situation underground was like, no one could say for sure at the moment.
Although many rat monster corpses had not been Devoured, compared to the entire grain warehouse where even more powerful rat monsters could exist, Su Han felt it would be okay to postpone the Fusion slightly.
After all, according to the Contract, the bodies of these rat monsters all belonged to him.
Although they had only rested for an hour, everyone had somewhat recovered and were able to fight again.
Guo Wutao and Yan Tiejun exchanged a glance, nodding and saying, "Okay, let's go now. But this time, we may all rely on you to take action."
Naturally, it was impossible for humans to explore burrow situations. A few Second-Rank Apostles might attempt it, but the previous battles made them realize that doing so was very dangerous.
Because if a Second-order Intermediate monster appeared again, a single Angel Envoy would not be able to defeat it.
And in a space like a burrow, it was difficult to launch a group attack, only 1v1, which was not good at all.
The order to move was sudden, but both the Southern City Guards and Su Han's people immediately made battle preparations.
Those who dared to join the battle sequence, even if they were only ordinary civilians before the apocalypse, had the tenacity, execution, and awareness of the apocalypse.
If they didn't fight, they would inevitably die sooner or later.
Everyone got into the vehicles and rushed towards the grain warehouse a kilometer away, all holding their breath, ready for the upcoming battle.
As they approached the grain warehouse, everyone became more vigilant, as this was now the area pervaded by the burrows, and rat monsters could erupt from the ground at any moment to attack them.
The nerves of the people in the car were increasingly tense. Anthropomorphic tree people followed closely outside, while Tree-born Worms rushed under the ground, detecting the underground conditions ahead of time.
As soon as the worms detected any movement of rat monsters, they would immediately return to relay the information.
Instead, they headed in one direction in unison, their speed remarkably fast—they felt the call.
Su Han's face grew stern, as expected, the next moment the ground shook even more intensely, something huge moved rapidly underground.
"Rumbling..."
From three hundred meters below, it shot straight towards the surface, tearing apart several of the Ancient Worm Tree's roots.
The main gate of the Bei Qing Grain Warehouse suddenly crumbled, the concrete road collapsed, and a hole over ten meters wide appeared before everyone, from which a colossal being burst forth.
Shrouded in black, it stood eleven or twelve meters tall with massive black horns atop its head, its crimson eyes fierce and wild.
It bore not the usual appearance of rat monsters with a rat head and humanoid body, but rather a robust form with two arms on each side, the upper arms black and muscular, ending in large hands with sharp claws.
Beneath the ribs were another two limbs, not fingers but serpentine tentacles, with sharp tips sheathed in a layer of bone-like keratin, resembling drill heads.
Upon its arrival, its cold gaze immediately locked on the Ancient Worm Tree, and its bellowing roar echoed through heaven and earth.
Behind it, the rat creatures streamed out neatly, flocking around it with utter subservience.
"This monster is very dangerous!"
Zhao Yaqian's temples throbbed as her sense of danger warned her of the immense threat posed by the creature, far more dangerous than the previous Mountain Corpse Giant Rat.
Suppressing the sting of the danger perception, she relayed the information to Su Han.
In fact, the moment this colossal creature appeared, everyone knew it was not to be trifled with.
However, just when everyone was preparing for battle, the ground began to stir again.
Everyone's faces changed as the earth bulged, forming a large hole from which another towering rat creature burst forth.
It resembled a flesh mountain, nearly twenty meters tall, entirely rat-like in form, muscles exposed in pink flesh, bereft of fur.
Its lower body lay prone on the ground with six limbs, while its upper body slightly elevated in an erect posture, its head rat-like, and its limbs, unlike the slender arms of a typical rodent, were sharp and fearsome.
At the junction of its lower and upper body, there was a writhing orifice whose purpose was unknown.
Following the appearance of this giant rat, several more large and round rat-like beings emerged, each standing four to five meters tall.
"Roar"
The Troll Mouse King let out a furious roar, following which all rat creatures charged toward Su Han and his companions. Although totaling only in the thousands, fewer than before but seemingly fiercer under its command.
Especially on the side of the broodnest queen, the towering Birthing Rats, despite their round shapes, were not slow in charging, and their overall strength was at least of the First Order Upper Grade.
The waves of rat creatures moved forward in an imposing array. Su Han sneered, "Finally showing true desperation, everyone attack. Second-Rank Apostles take the lead in breaking their ranks, followed by the First-Tier Apostles, while the Contractors provide sniper support. Leave the two lead creatures to me."
Unlike the previous Mountain Corpse Giant Rat, these two creatures would not be swiftly taken down even if Zhu Xiong and their Second Order Inferior Apostles worked together.
They were at least Second-order Superior, and with their combined efforts, they would undeniably be more formidable.
His Book of Blood Spirit gleamed red, and the Scorpion Spider Demon's towering figure charged out, heading straight for the Troll Mouse King.
Swinging the Wolf Fang Club in hand, any rat creature that blocked the way was turned into minced meat.
Behind the Scorpion Spider Demon, the remaining ten Second Order Inferior Apostles lined up side by side, keeping a ten-meter interval, charging through the waves of rat creatures.
First Order Upper Grade Apostles filled the gaps, acting as a dam to hold back the surging tide of rats.