Cyber Era Witch

Rats, rats, swarming in groups.

Xu Yang heard the grating and bristling noises rising from all directions, sounds were everywhere, crawling, low howling, rustling, endless and continuous.

The number of Ratmen must have already reached a terrifying count.

"We need to wait for the right moment to leave," Xu Yang moved to the entrance of the arcade and peered outside cautiously.

Around the low tin huts, the ventilation openings in the Underground City's dome, the dark alleys, and the rocky ravines beneath the earth, shadows were everywhere. One by one, they emerged, their bright yellow eyes scanning around, searching for prey.

Countless hungry monsters.

It wasn't possible to go out now; the only option was to lay low for the time being.

Xu Yang turned around, only to see Kojima Kanako taking out a cheap white syringe from her backpack, injecting herself in the arm with some sort of drug.

"What's that?" Xu Yang asked, puzzled.

"A sedative," Kanako said, "If you stay in the gaming pod for too long, your mind gets confused, you see double images, you can't tell reality from illusion, you get auditory hallucinations, and you feel like punching someone. This makes it much better."

"...Is that prescribed by a doctor?"

"I don't have money for doctors," Kanako said, "Cheap injections are all I can go for."

"You're like a junkie addicted to stamps," Xu Yang said.

The so-called "stamps" is a slang term for a potent hallucinogenic drug that is rampant worldwide and highly addictive. To protect employee efficiency, the company strictly prohibits "stamps".

But outside of the company, many people are willing to take a few puffs and then find themselves unable to ever quit.

Its harmfulness is so great that it fills Xu Yang with deep loathing and abhorrence.

"Come on, it's not as scary as 'stamps'," Kanako said.

"Xu Yang, you guys say these are Ratmen," Farosa observed the Ratmen's corpses, "how come I've never seen them before? They're not even mentioned in the Monster Compendium, stranger than anything from my time."

"They only appeared after the Witch War; you naturally haven't seen them."

"I didn't expect that the stories on the horror forums were true; Ratmen actually exist," Kanako said.

"The rat extermination was too successful, many Ratmen were killed. But I guessed they couldn't possibly be wiped out; Ratmen are even better at surviving than cockroaches."

In the past, Ratmen proliferated around most underground cities, requiring very simple conditions for survival and proving to be extremely resilient.

Some believe that Ratmen were bioengineered weapons secretly created by the Witch for revenge, which would otherwise be hard to explain their odd characteristics.

Ratmen stole numerous technologies from humans and almost became a second intelligent civilization, spreading all over the world. But their active development was intercepted by humans, butchered by bullets and chemical poisons, faced with annihilation, and violently excluded from civilization by humans.

What else is left in their hearts besides hatred and rage?

Xu Yang didn't know, but the Ratmen indeed returned, and at such a time of all times.

"Ahhhh—"

"Help!"

"Aaaaa—"

Screams kept erupting as the Ratmen invaded home after home, causing slaughter and cannibalism.

The cries were so close, as if they were right next to you.

Many Ratmen were originally heading towards the arcade, but there were too many tin huts nearby, all drafty and offering food, catching their attention.

This was a place without security services, where everything was left to suffer or thrive on its own.

Comprehensive security services include a lot, such as shuttle machines for immediate rescue, rapid response teams, medical emergency services, insurance claims, fire safety, and other services.

Security services purchased by companies are very affordable since company employees live a routine life between dormitories and workstations, and the security company has fewer things to deal with.

If the security services are for individuals, the price is much higher.

Real, decent security services must be effective 24/7 in all terrains, costing tens of millions per month, which even Xu Yang couldn't afford.

Some companies extend their purchased security services to the neighborhoods around their locals, where residents are associated with the company name and receive company protection; such neighborhoods are referred to as company jurisdictions.

Similarly, mega-corporations also provide some protection for the companies within their influence, forming their security departments with their substantial financial resources, ensuring that transactions follow Corporate Alliance law, and protecting the lives of their corporate subjects.

In this way, a total of 20 mega-corporations divided the whole world into 20 jurisdictions, and only these mega-corporations had the qualifications to send representatives to participate in the Corporate Alliance council, deciding the commercial rules of the world.

Now, Xu Yang was nominally within the jurisdiction of Kyoto Infinity, but this was the Underground City, the land of the poor. There were too few decent companies, and the residents' purchasing power was limited. Kyoto Infinity didn't want to spend too much on it and didn't care about their life or death at all.

The residents of the Underground City had no choice but to buy expensive security services or seek the protection of gangs.

The residents of this area couldn't even afford the gang's protection fees and were completely outside the range of any form of security services, living under the shadow of death.

After the sounds of slaughter, came the noise of gnawing on corpses.

The Ratmen chowed down with big bites; they even made simple vocalizations.

"Yummy... yummy..."

"Come here, this way..."

"Food..."

As they called out to each other, more and more Ratmen emerged. Even if some residents tried to resist, it only attracted more Ratmen, and they ended up being nibbled to death.

Xu Yang furrowed his brow.

This couldn't go on; the Ratmen would eventually find the arcade, and they'd capture us all. Farosa had only recovered a fraction of her power, Kanako obviously couldn't fight at all, and while I could shoot, even bullets would run out eventually.

"Having you along is like dragging an anchor," Xu Yang said to Kanako, "You have to cooperate with me unconditionally, or I won't take you with me to survive."

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"Understood." Kanako observed Xu Yang, "You really are from a corporation, which one? I know all the companies in the Archipelago, you must be from Xia District, right? Mingzhu? Dafeng? Or one of those two giant enterprises?"

"Let's start with you, where did you run away from?"

"Shangjing."

"The headquarters of Kyoto Infinity? That place has become quite prosperous."

"I wouldn't catch the eyes of corporate people," Kanako pursed her lips, "nor do I care for any poser lifestyle. It's all the same wherever I live, now it's your turn."

"My true situation would only complicate matters if I revealed it."

"You! You clearly..."

"Quiet, we need to make a run for it right away," Xu Yang checked outside for the situation.

A deep roar echoed from afar.

The noise was huge! It was obviously from some kind of gigantic monster, far beyond any puny Ratman could produce. Was it some new species of monster?

As the massive roar echoed, the Ratmen whispered to one another, looking in all directions, and emitted a concentrated chorus of squeaks before clustering together and running off in one direction, seemingly heeding some form of summoning.

Perfect opportunity! The Ratmen around them had significantly thinned out.

Xu Yang called Farosa and Kanako inside the house to run away with him.

"Keep up!" Xu Yang led the way, sprinting towards the center of Katagi District.

There were shops and squares in the heart of Katagi District, meaning corporations were present!

No matter how much one detested corporations, there was no denying they could offer services and protection, especially precious at times like these. Even if there were risks within the corporate territories, it was still better than staying in the dark and getting attacked by Ratmen.

It was likely the corporations hired emergency power services, or had their own generators. If power was restored to this area, the various companies would undoubtedly be the first to be taken care of.

Even the smallest company, as a commercial entity, was considered important and respected within the Corporate Alliance's rules.

Sure enough, as they turned a corner, Xu Yang saw light shining through the steel and concrete.

In the Underground City where one couldn't see the sky, this weak, pale light faintly illuminated the icy metal dome above, reflecting off the curvature of the dome and stretching out for several meters before being swallowed by the darkness.

To Xu Yang, this scene was as beautiful as blue skies and white clouds.

A symbol of civilization!

He took a deep breath.

"We're safe once we reach the light," he looked back. The Ratmen had noticed them and were rushing out of the darkness at top speed, crazily climbing along walls, pipelines, and concrete pathways, like avenging evil beasts.

The Ratmen were on their tails!

And more and more kept appearing; where on earth were they all coming from?

As the Rat Tide gathered, their courage grew exponentially.

At first, the Ratmen only dared to murmur quietly, but as time went on, they started to screech and roar louder and louder, their momentum growing like a flood.

"Can't kill too many," Farosa said as she ran, "My last bit of power... I can annihilate at most 50 of them."

Even with so little power, Farosa could slaughter fifty Ratmen, and Xu Yang felt both admiration and helplessness.

However, the chasing swarm was well over fifty.

Everywhere he could see was crawling with Rats, calling out to each other, pouring out en masse, one after the other, driven by sheer madness and swarm mentality, intent on devouring their flesh on the spot.

They weren't fast, except for Farosa.

Xu Yang was suffering from unstable implant syndrome, and he could even hear rattling from the broken parts inside his right hand, which reduced his mobility.

As for Kanako, Xu Yang wanted to ask if she ever participated in any physical activity? She was out of breath just after running a hundred meters and looked like she was going to faint on the spot.

Only Farosa was astonishingly good at running, quickly leaving them far behind.

Passing through the winding underground passages, Xu Yang saw a building resembling a bathhouse or hot springs, still in operation; the previous light had indeed emanated from this building.

The exterior decoration of the hot springs was quite eye-catching, with a dozen red lanterns hanging from the eaves and the shop's name "Suzuki Springs" written in brush strokes on the signboard.

Two strings of colored lights twisted around the fence, adorned with daruma dolls, pink dolls, and masks.

Would they be safe there? Would the people in the store be willing to help?

Xu Yang wasn't sure anymore, but knew he needed to get there; it was their best chance for survival.

He turned and fired a few shots toward the surge of Rats; some small ripples stirred in the Rat Tide as grey-furred Ratmen toppled over and were instantly trampled into mud by their comrades, their screams insignificant amidst the roar of the group.

It didn't slow them down.

With bared teeth and snarls, the Ratmen's rage intensified. Some were throwing stones at Xu Yang and his group, and others were shooting with crude, homemade firearms, though their aim was woefully inaccurate.

Still, the pressure doubled. A single hit could cause injury, followed by being overwhelmed.

There were still 500 meters to go, but the sound of the charging Rats seemed right next to their ears.

"I... can't run anymore..." Kanako was gasping for air, carrying her large backpack, looking utterly disheveled.

"Your life was saved by me," Xu Yang's nerves were nearly snapping, his jaws clenched tightly, his heart racing, and he turned, aiming his gun at Kanako, "I also don't want to see you die in the mouths of Rats again! I'd rather kill you myself! Get moving!"

While the Ratmen were still at a distance, bullets could reach them in an instant.

Kojima Kanako was breathing heavily, her face deathly pale; she suspected that if she didn't move, Xu Yang would shoot her on the spot, he didn't seem to be joking.

She had no choice but to sprint forward, her strong desire to live reinvigorating her pace, not enough to distance herself from the swarm, but at least not dragging them down.

The final stretch!

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