Bab 87: Chapter 87: Caught!
From this day forward, the radiated and polluted region of the garbage mountain would be ruled by the new Rat King, Bigfoot Rat.
Standing atop a high mound, Bigfoot Rat gazed down at the mutant rats below, squeaking loudly, as if giving a speech.
The speech concluded with a roar from Bigfoot Rat.
The mutant rats were intimidated, lowering their heads and flattening their ears in submission to their new king.
Bigfoot Rat had fully established its dominance and was satisfied with the result.
After the ordeal, it suddenly felt its stomach growling with hunger.
Clang.
A noise came from a nearby pile of trash.
It sniffed the air, raised one paw, and pointed in the direction of the sound, issuing a garbled command:
"Food... there!"
Squeak—
With its command, the mutant rats rushed toward the pile.
In the corner of the heap was a mutant clad in scrap armor, covered in sores, wielding a staff topped with a skull.
Realizing he'd been spotted by the rats, the mutant let out a scream and turned to flee.
But it was too late.
The mutant rats swarmed him, sinking their sharp teeth into his flesh.
The mutant swung his skull staff wildly, managing to kill a few of the rats.
But against the overwhelming numbers of mutant rats, such resistance was futile.
In no time, he was overrun, torn apart by the ravenous swarm.
This was the brutal law of the underhive—survival of the fittest. Death was commonplace here.
After the mutant rats killed their prey, they didn't dare touch a bite of the corpse.
Instead, they eagerly dragged the "delicacy" to their king, Bigfoot Rat.
The mutant rats offered up the body, then looked at their king with fawning eyes, seemingly awaiting praise.
Bigfoot Rat nodded in satisfaction and bent down to feast on the offering.
Once it was full, it tossed the remains back to its underlings, allowing them to fight over the leftovers.
Excited, the mutant rats fought viciously over the scraps.
They bit and tore at one another, leaving bloody wounds in their frenzy to claim a piece of the carcass.
Bigfoot Rat watched the chaos with amusement, unconcerned by the violence.
Satisfied with the display of loyalty, it turned and, with two of the largest female mutant rats in tow, returned to the former Rat King's "palace."
In reality, the palace was nothing more than an abandoned transport vehicle.
Bigfoot Rat sniffed around, inspecting its new home with contentment.
With the two plump female rats, it began to settle in, preparing to father countless offspring and establish a true rat kingdom!
...
Meanwhile, back in the secret laboratory...
The dark passage leading to the lower hive and underhive lay open, and next to it lay a skeletal corpse, its bones exposed.
This was Yusef's body, now more than 70% devoured.
The skin and flesh of his face had been stripped away, his eyes bulging wide, his mouth agape, with bared teeth visible in a terrifying grimace.
The sight was utterly grotesque.
It was clear Yusef had experienced tremendous fear and torment.
Yet, slowly, his gaping mouth twisted into a grim, mocking smile.
He was still alive!
Once again, Yusef had survived by playing dead.
He flipped over and began to crawl, leaving a long trail of blood as he dragged himself forward.
The dark tunnel loomed closer and closer, and his excitement grew.
As long as he made it inside, he would live.
Once his strength returned, he would come back.
And when that time came, he would defeat that fool, Eden, and bring even greater suffering to the King's Court!
Just a little further…
Yusef's trembling hand grasped the edge of the tunnel, and he was moments away from escaping into the lower hive.
But suddenly, he froze, his body paralyzed.
He struggled, but couldn't move.
Was it… psychic power?
Moments later, someone grabbed his spine and slowly dragged him backward.
He watched helplessly as the dark tunnel, his only hope of escape, grew farther and farther away.
Yusef finally broke down:
"No! Please, let me go!"
But no one heeded his pleas. He was slammed into a wall, then dropped to the ground.
Struggling to his feet, he saw the face he hated most.
It was Eden, clad in gleaming golden power armor.
After dealing with the Horror of Tzeentch, Eden had returned to find Yusef's body.
Finishing off enemies was crucial!
Especially when dealing with Chaos-related foes—the best way to ensure they were truly dead was to burn them to ashes!
And of course, one couldn't simply scatter those ashes. That could still cause trouble, like contamination or the creation of new Chaos offspring.
Having seen Yusef's tenacity firsthand, Eden wasn't taking any chances.
Luckily, he had arrived just in time to catch him.
Eden planned to incinerate Yusef along with the Chaos creatures' corpses, purging them with his powers before sealing the remains inside special metal blocks.
These blocks would be stored deep underground in a secret vault, ensuring Yusef couldn't return.
Eden sneered at Yusef, mocking him:
"Trying to escape, huh? Too bad, you're not going anywhere."
Yusef scowled. If it hadn't been for that damned rat, he would've escaped!
With a cold smile, he spat:
"You fool, you're too late. If it weren't for that wretched—"
Crack!
Eden shoved a skull-marked gag into Yusef's mouth.
The device expanded, clamping his jaws shut and preventing him from speaking.
The best way to deal with people like Yusef was to silence them, leaving them to choke on their own arrogance.
"Still boasting? You've failed so many times that it's embarrassing to call you my enemy. Frankly, it's humiliating…"
Eden's taunts continued.
Yusef's face turned bright red as he struggled, unable to say a word.
It was as if he had been in the middle of an argument, only for the other person to block him. He was furious, but had no way to vent.
For someone as prideful and arrogant as Yusef, being silenced was the ultimate torment.
After a few more jeers, Eden lost interest in the conversation.
Without further ado, he grabbed Yusef and stuffed him into a transparent container filled with a special liquid.
The liquid would suppress Chaos energy, preventing Yusef from regenerating his body.
It also intensified the sensation of pain.
As soon as Yusef was submerged in the container, he knew he was doomed.
He thrashed about, eyes wide with terror, silently begging Eden for mercy.
At that moment, Yusef finally understood why the ancestors of the Hoffman family had once begged the Grant family for forgiveness.
Life was precious, after all. Only by living could one enjoy anything.
Yusef wanted to plead for mercy, but he knew there was no chance left.
He would be taken to face judgment as the number one heretic, in front of the Emperor's statue and the people.
The Imperial Guards fitted a ceramic-steel shell around the glass container, sealing it, and prepared to transport Yusef.
As Eden and the others exited the secret laboratory, a group of soldiers armed with flamethrowers marched in.
They would use intense heat to cleanse this defiled place once and for all.
(End of Chapter)
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