Chapter 30: Battling the Demon Rat, Courage Above All!

At this moment, the Burning Sky Squad was unaware that they had been plotted against by the Thunder Bolt Squad. The two combat teams were still struggling to deal with the Bristle Demon Rats that were continuously pouring out of the ventilation ducts.

Of the three reinforcements, Gu Xiaoyuan moved quickly. While using the only remaining drone to observe the battle in the factory, she explained to the other two: "There is no need to worry about Captain Geng. Beyond the fact that he is a Third-Tier Iron Bone Realm expert and has the tacit support of Ling Xiao’s long-range firepower, he also possesses a piece of precious armor. Coupled with his combat experience and fire-based area-of-effect damage, he is safe for the time being."

"The Han team was originally a three-person group. Mu Chao was responsible for the heavy assault, Captain Han for crowd control, and Meng Huai for maneuvering and finishing off targets. But ever since Mu Chao was lost, the Han team has lacked sufficient burst damage and area-of-effect capabilities."

As she spoke, the display showed Han Yuesu weaving her Life Weapon, the Spirit Rhyme Ice Chain, into a sheet, knitting it into an ice wall to temporarily block the pursuing swarm of Bristle Demon Rats. Following Gu Xiaoyuan’s instructions, they retreated toward the designated location.

At that moment, Gu Xiaoyuan performed a series of operations, and the remaining swarm drones converged toward the crumbling ice wall.

Boom!

The final image was one of bursting sparks and a deafening roar.

Search-and-strike integration—this was another use for the swarm drones besides battlefield reconnaissance!

"Right there, let’s hurry!" Gu Xiaoyuan pointed ahead.

Hearing this, Yu Le and Su Rui looked up and saw the sparks generated by the explosion at a certain point in the factory; it was the effect of the swarm drones self-destructing.

"Watch out!"

As soon as the three entered the factory, they were spotted by a Bristle Demon Rat that leaped from a high vantage point, its sharp claws aimed at Su Rui!

Su Rui had never seen such a sight. In his panic, he even forgot to summon his Life Weapon. Fortunately, Yu Le reacted in time, drawing his Dragon-Subduing Rod before the rat had fully landed.

Bang!

The rod struck the Bristle Demon Rat’s abdomen with such force that the creature was sent flying. When it hit the ground, its body arched and trembled uncontrollably, blood vomiting from its mouth; it was clearly severely injured.

Gu Xiaoyuan moved in two quick steps, drew the dagger from her waist, and, without the slightest hesitation, plunged it into the neck of the wounded rat, ending its life completely.

Blood splattered, staining her small face.

Yet, she didn't care at all. Looking back at the visibly nervous Su Rui, she said, "If you don't even have the courage to overcome the fear of a beast's appearance when fighting, then don't expect others to protect you forever. Cowardice will only increase your probability of death!"

Without waiting for them to catch up, she rushed toward the location of Han Yuesu and her companion.

A heat flushed over Su Rui’s chubby face. It wasn't just due to his poor performance, but also because he had been thoroughly lectured by a girl younger than himself.

Yu Le patted him on the shoulder and said, "We are Demon Hunters now. There is no time for us to adapt slowly. Since you want to surpass your brother, you must first shine in your own line of work!"

"Let's go!"

Although this was also Yu Le's first time facing a terrifying beast at close range, both his age and his adaptability were better than Su Rui’s.

"Wait for me!" Seeing that Yu Le was leaving, Su Rui didn't have time to think and hurried to keep up.

But just after turning a corner, they encountered three more Bristle Demon Rats blocking the path, baring their fangs and claws, closing in with a triangular pincer maneuver.

"Judging by their size and details, the two on the left and right are roughly Sixth-Tier Rock Realm, and the one in the center is Seventh-Tier Rock Realm. I..."

Before Gu Xiaoyuan could finish, Yu Le held his Dragon-Subduing Rod horizontally, blocking her.

"Xiaoyuan, step back. Su Rui, show the courage you had when we sparred yesterday. Let’s take care of these three rats together!"

"I..." Su Rui opened his mouth.

Yu Le glared at him: "Do you want to rely on a little girl to protect you?"

At that moment, the three rats closed in. Yu Le couldn't wait for Su Rui and charged forward with his rod!

He swung the rod, but it was easily dodged. The largest rat in the center lunged, its claws swiping at his face.

In his desperation, Yu Le raised his rod to block, but before he could catch his breath, the other two rats attacked as well.

"Get lost!"

Yu Le kicked the rat in front of him and then rolled, causing the attacks from the side to miss.

There was no time to think; the Bristle Demon Rats were fast and lunged again.

Yu Le couldn't dodge in time. As he stood up, he felt a pain in his left arm; the rat’s claws had torn through his combat suit. Seeing another rat clawing at his neck, Yu Le broke into a cold sweat!

He pushed away the rat that was trying to bite his left side, but he had no time to defend against the attack on his right!

"I'm not afraid of you!"

A shout came from behind, followed by a heavy punch delivered with gold-breaking knuckle dusters from the side. The rat attacking Yu Le had no time to react; the punch struck its hideous head with such force that the skull deformed and then burst like a watermelon.

Rat blood stained the fist and sprayed all over Yu Le’s face.

"Are you okay?" Su Rui stood on Yu Le’s right, his breath ragged, his voice trembling. His body was shaking like a massage gun, whether from excitement or fear, he didn't know.

Yu Le smelled the thick scent of blood and wiped the stains off his face with a dazed expression.

He shook his head: "I'm fine..."

Su Rui’s single punch had shattered a rat’s head, truly shocking the remaining two. They stood a short distance away, emitting sharp, high-pitched squeaks.

Behind them, Gu Xiaoyuan put away her short blade and summoned her Life Weapon, the Healing Sprite.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here if you get hurt!"

She was originally an support-type, but having brought two green recruits to save the day, she had no choice but to act as a combat member for the time being.

But the situation had now changed from three-on-three to three-on-two. And in terms of realm, as Su Rui had shown by shattering the rat's skull, Yu Le (Seventh-Tier Rock Realm) and Su Rui (Eighth-Tier Rock Realm) were more than enough to crush the opposition!

"Leave the big one to me; you take the smaller one," Yu Le said.

Su Rui, having just claimed his first kill, had wanted to take the big one, but Yu Le, no longer fighting alone, didn't give him a chance to argue and charged straight at the large Bristle Demon Rat.

"Fine, then let’s see who finishes their fight first!"

No one is born without fear. Only after experiencing much can one ensure their heart remains as still as water.

The prerequisite for achieving anything is courage first.

Just like in Digimon, Tai and Agumon were always the first to evolve because they represented courage!

With courage leading the way, one can overcome any difficulty!

As a fellow newcomer, Yu Le’s performance gave Su Rui great encouragement. Now, his eyes were firm; he stepped with the Shadow-Glide Footwork and swung his heavy fist toward his target!

Bristle Demon Rats didn't have many attack methods; their greatest advantages were their agile movements and claws capable of disemboweling prey. After severely injuring their enemies, they would deliver a fatal bite with their fangs and then feast.

Having overcome his fear, Su Rui was not a bit weaker than the rat in any aspect.

After several rounds of entanglement, the rat was covered in wounds, and its movement speed had slowed significantly.

"Su Rui, it’s trying to run!" Gu Xiaoyuan reminded him just in time. Su Rui reacted, and as the creature lifted its feet to flee, he grabbed its tail.

"Get back here!" Su Rui smashed the rat away and followed up to end its life completely.

Meanwhile, Yu Le was also locked with his target. He suddenly realized a problem of his own.

He had been habitually swinging the fishing rod, trying to exert more power and reach from a distance.

But whether it was the spar with Su Rui yesterday or the fight just now, this idea had failed him.

The reason was that when he extended the Dragon-Subduing Rod too far, although the force at the tip increased, the movement was too obvious and the arc too large, making it easy for the target to dodge!

Furthermore, swinging a long rod required more exertion, and every time he missed, he would fall into a brief moment of vulnerability, giving the target an opportunity.

This time, he got smart. He retracted the Dragon-Subduing Rod to the size of a baseball bat and gripped it with one hand as he charged at the rat!

The creature didn't fear him and lunged with its claws.

It seemed both sides were going for a direct collision.

Bang!

Crack!

Rod and claws collided. Without a doubt, the Bristle Demon Rat’s arm snapped, twisting and deforming, and it let out a roar of pain.

However, it wasn't afraid. Its eyes were filled with malice, and its other claw swiped at Yu Le’s back.

If that claw had landed, Yu Le would have been in serious trouble!

Gu Xiaoyuan held her breath watching this. She was just about to shout a warning, but the next scene stunned her.

Yu Le performed a strange, swaying footwork, moving as if he were drunk, and dodged the sneak attack from behind by a hair's breadth.

At the same time, the Dragon-Subduing Rod extended from behind him and pressed against the rat’s chest.

Before the creature could react, Yu Le gave his right arm a slight vibration and flicked the rod upward. The rat was caught and sent flying, slamming into a steel pipe above. Amid the sound of shattering bones, the beast’s body crashed to the ground.

At the same time, Su Rui had also caught up to where his target had landed, and with a simple, unadorned punch, finished it off.

He was just about to turn back to boast to Gu Xiaoyuan, only to find her staring at Yu Le with a look of astonishment, her hand covering her mouth.

"Yu Le, what was that you just did..."