Capítulo 30: Chapter 30
The deserted streets echoed with the hurried steps of Vela, Suri, and Roka as their enormous bodies broke through the snow and ice covering the city. Alex rode on Vela, clinging to the creature's back, almost hugging Eira, who, although trembling slightly with fear, kept her gaze fixed ahead. He could feel the tension in every muscle of Vela, and while the creature seemed a bit irritated by the closeness of the young girl, it didn't slow down.
Alex tried not to think too much about the discomfort of the situation. The biting cold air rushed past them, but his mind was focused solely on the mission. "Ariel," he said seriously, "have you located the place?"
Ariel's voice resonated in his mind. "Yes, I've detected the building. It's a five-story structure, completely surrounded by a horde of rats. They're particularly concentrated near the bottom, right at the basement entrance."
Alex observed the images Ariel projected to him. The sight was terrifying. Around the building, a swarm of rats gathered, scaling the walls, trying to force their way inside. Some were enormous, with glowing red eyes and dirty gray fur, giving them a sickly, grotesque appearance. Every move they made was a mix of violence and desperate hunger.
"So many rats…" Alex muttered, feeling a mixture of awe and resignation. He knew this wouldn't be easy. "How many drones can we deploy?"
"We can divert up to ten drones for this mission," Ariel responded with her usual precision.
Alex nodded to himself. "That should be enough. At least the rats aren't as tough as other animals. Even the squirrels have proven to be more resilient."
At that moment, Eira turned her head just enough to look at him, her eyes filled with determination, though fear was still present. "We're close," she said urgently, her voice barely audible over the wind. "We're almost there."
A few minutes later, the building appeared before them. It was a gray, desolate structure, like everything else in the city. But what caught Alex's attention the most was the sheer number of rats surrounding the place. There were so many that they almost covered the building's façade, like a dark swarm of creatures searching for any entrance to reach their prey.
"Get ready, Eira. This won't be easy," Alex said as he signaled Vela to stop. With an agile jump, Alex dismounted from her back and grabbed his shotgun. It was one of the few weapons he had on hand, and though it wasn't ideal for such a large horde, he knew it would do its job at close range.
"Roka, Suri, move forward," Alex ordered as the two creatures advanced. Vela, calmer now that Alex was off her back, joined the offensive, following her companions closely.
As soon as the rats saw the enormous creatures approaching, they began to hurl themselves at them in a wild attack. Roka was the first to clash with the rats, using her massive tail to sweep several away at once, crushing them against the walls and ground. Suri, on the other hand, used her claws to tear apart those trying to climb up her legs—her speed and precision were lethal. Vela, advancing just behind Alex, snatched up rats with her powerful beak, flinging them into the air as if they were mere toys.
Alex walked just behind, firing his shotgun at any rat that managed to slip past his animals. The blast of each shot echoed through the empty streets, and each bullet felled one or two of the creatures, but there were too many. He could barely keep up with the number of rats appearing, and though Suri and Roka were slaughtering dozens, the horde seemed endless.
Eira stayed behind Alex, her body tense and her eyes fixed on the battle unfolding before her. Though she said nothing, it was clear she was terrified. It wasn't just the danger of the rats that scared her, but the brutality with which Roka and Suri were annihilating the creatures. The snow was stained red as the rats fell one after another, torn apart by the enormous beasts.
The battle raged on, with Vela leading the charge. Her beak was a true weapon of destruction, tearing the rats apart with terrifying precision. Every time a rat lunged at her, Vela caught it mid-air and shredded it before it could even touch the ground.
Alex fired again, his shotgun roaring as another rat fell at his feet. Sweat began to cover his forehead despite the cold. "Ariel, how far are we from the basement?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the chaos in front of him.
"You're less than a hundred meters away," Ariel responded. "The rats are concentrated at the main entrance. If you keep this up, you'll reach it before they break down the door."
Alex nodded. Though the rats were numerous, his animals were holding their ground. Vela, Suri, and Roka were in their element, and every step they took was a step closer to victory. But that didn't mean the battle was easy. The rats kept coming, and for every one that fell, it seemed like two more appeared out of nowhere.
"We can't stop now!" Alex shouted, raising his shotgun to fire again. Beside him, Eira could barely contain the terror on her face as she watched the massacre unfolding before her eyes. But there was something more than fear in her expression—a small glimmer of hope that began to grow as she saw how Alex and his animals pushed the rats back.
As time passed, the fight didn't seem to let up. The rats kept coming from all angles, and though Roka, Suri, and Vela were tearing through dozens with each move, the creatures kept piling up. Surrounded by the horde, the three creatures didn't relent. With every slash and bite, more rats fell, but the flow seemed endless. Despite their strength and speed, the rats managed to get close to vulnerable parts like the eyes or exposed areas of feathers.
Fortunately, Vela, Roka, and Suri had been modified over the past few months. Their plumage was as tough as steel, something Alex had achieved thanks to the crystals and the creatures' accelerated evolution. Though the rats were numerous and fierce, they couldn't inflict significant damage. Their teeth bounced off the feathers as if they were low-caliber bullets. However, that didn't mean they were safe. The constant effort to stay mobile was exhausting, and they knew that if they didn't finish off the rats soon, fatigue would catch up with them.
As for Alex, he had set aside the shotgun, cursing himself for not bringing his spear. Ariel had reminded him several times to carry a melee weapon, but in his haste, Alex had left it behind. "Damn it, Ariel was right," he thought in frustration. But he wasn't defenseless. After his encounters with the wolves and the bear, he had worked hard to improve his combat skills.
Alex stepped forward to move Eira out of danger. "Stay back," he instructed, just as one of the rats lunged at him with its claws extended. With a swift movement, Alex extended his arm and struck the rat in the chest. The rat barely had time to growl before its body convulsed, its skin turning a charred black. Dark smoke began to rise from its fur as it fell dead to the ground.
Alex smiled. His training was paying off.
The rats kept coming, but now Alex was prepared. He launched himself at the next one with a direct punch, repeating the same action, sending electric shocks through his body. The creatures fell in his path, convulsing before dying. As he continued fighting, Alex thought about how he had perfected his electrical ability.
Alex's body functioned like a closed electrical circuit. For a long time, he had watched videos of people who, like him, had started posting their abilities online. His video had only been the spark for this trend among those who had survived the global winter. Some were capable of throwing lightning, lighting up their bodies like light bulbs, or even manipulating electricity from a distance. However, Alex's power was different. He couldn't throw lightning or manipulate electricity externally. In his case, it was more like being an electric generator.
His body worked like a battery that generated and stored electricity, but the initial problem was that this electricity couldn't be released without direct physical contact. After researching and experimenting with his ability, Alex came to a conclusion: What if his body became a constant electrical circuit, a flow of electricity that increased in intensity over time?
He began working on the idea, using the basic principle of electric potential. Alex used his body's cells to create a constant flow of electricity, linking the positive and negative poles of his cells as if they were in a giant battery. Electricity flowed through his body, from his fingertips to his feet, circulating continuously. Every time he ate, exercised, or even rested, he increased the amount of energy his body stored. The longer he maintained the flow, the more energy accumulated.
This generated a kind of "charge" in his body that he could release all at once when he wanted. By physically contacting another being, like one of the rats, he could release that electrical potential in a single discharge, causing a fatal shock. But this didn't just depend on the voltage, but also on the amperage, the amount of current flowing through his body. Low voltage with high amperage was what caused real damage. The human body, like animals, is composed of water and salts, which makes it an excellent electrical conductor. By sending that direct shock through the rat's cells, the electrical interactions between the creature's nerve cells overloaded, causing instant paralysis and eventually death.
Alex had lost track of time, focusing on the fight. Somehow, the chaos was starting to seem entertaining to him. The months of non-stop training at the farm, where he barely slept from working on his fungal devices, caring for his animals, and perfecting his skills, were paying off. The sensation of seeing the result of his effort made him smile with a strange satisfaction as he electrocuted rat after rat.
Each discharge he released was precise and deadly. Although his ability wasn't as impressive as shooting lightning, like he'd seen in other videos, the effectiveness of his direct contact made him even more fearsome. His body, functioning like a constant electric generator, was perfectly in sync with his ability. And every time his fists struck a rat, the result was lethal.
Eira, for her part, watched everything in shock. Although she already knew about people with abilities, she had never seen anything like this. In her experience, most abilities were limited to enhancing physical aspects or providing small advantages in specific situations. Even she had developed one: the ability to manipulate the temperature around her, something that helped her avoid freezing to death. It wasn't an offensive ability, and though useful for survival, it couldn't match the magnitude of the power she was witnessing at that moment.
As the rats fell helplessly, Eira couldn't take her eyes off Alex. The rats had been a plague for the citizens trapped in the city. Individually, they were despicable but manageable creatures; however, in groups, they became deadly. They had attacked more than one family, and often, survivors didn't even have the chance to defend themselves. Alex's ferocity contrasted with his calm and modest appearance, and Eira was beginning to understand why he had decided to help her.
Just then, a sharp, terrifying screech broke the sequence. The sound echoed through the desolate streets, high-pitched and piercing. The rats, which had been throwing themselves at Alex and his animals, began to pull back as if receiving an order. The ground trembled slightly under the weight of something much larger. Alex tensed, and cold sweat ran down his back. Eira, beside him, took a step back, her face reflecting the panic she felt.
Suddenly, the rats began to scatter, creating a path among them. At the end of the path, a creature appeared, far larger than the others. A monstrous rat, over two meters tall, emerged from the group. Its dark gray fur was matted, covered in grime and dried blood. The claws on its front paws were long and sharp, capable of tearing apart anything in its path. Its red eyes gleamed with cruel intelligence, and its snout dripped saliva mixed with remnants of flesh. Its grotesque, dirty teeth jutted from its lower jaw, gleaming sinisterly under the dim light.
The air around the creature reeked of rot, and its presence made even Alex's animals uneasy. Even Vela, always imposing and calm, let out a low growl. The monstrous rat let out another screech, this time deeper and more threatening, as if directly challenging anyone who dared oppose it.
"It's... the rat king," Eira whispered, her face pale. "He... he controls all the rats in the city. He's the worst of them all."
Alex carefully observed the so-called "rat king." At first glance, it was nothing more than a huge, deformed creature, but deep down, he knew its size and control over the rats made it a formidable enemy. Despite its grotesque appearance, there was a dangerous malice and intelligence behind its eyes.
"Ariel?" Alex said, his gaze fixed on the enormous creature standing before them. The tension was palpable, and the smaller rats had begun to retreat, forming a ring around the group, as if they knew the real fight was about to begin.
Ariel, without wasting time, initiated a detailed analysis, her clear voice resonating in Alex's mind. "I have started a complete analysis of the creature. Its physical characteristics suggest notable muscle and bone hypertrophy, with accelerated development in its secretion glands, likely responsible for its control over the other rats. This leadership ability, combined with territorial behavior, could explain its dominant position in the urban ecosystem. Its auditory signals seem to be in a frequency range that allows direct communication with other animals, an advanced form of control we haven't seen before in mutations of this magnitude."
The rat king continued screeching, its sharp sound reverberating in the air. The smaller rats seemed to obey immediately, moving aside as if receiving orders. The three dinosaurs, Roka, Suri, and Vela, instinctively went on high alert, forming a protective barrier in front of Alex and Eira. What Alex noticed with concern was that Vela, his closest companion, began emitting a low, prolonged growl, something unusual for her. It was as if, somehow, the rat king's screech was affecting her.
"What's happening, Ariel?" Alex asked urgently, seeing how Vela started moving unusually while the rat king continued its strange screeches.
Ariel responded after a moment of analysis. "It seems that the rat king is not only emitting signals to control the other rats. It is trying to communicate directly with Vela and the others. The tone of its sounds has changed to a range that coincides with the communication frequency used by some intelligent species. This ability could indicate an advanced evolutionary capacity to influence, and perhaps manipulate, larger and more intelligent animals."
"Manipulate?" Alex felt a pang of alarm. "What do you mean by that?"
"It's possible that the rat king is attempting to convince Vela, Roka, and Suri to see it as an ally or leader. This confirms superior intelligence in the creature, one that surpasses that of usual predators. If it manages to establish effective communication, it could influence their behavior."
Eira, who had been watching the situation with growing panic, hastily interrupted. "Sir, please, let's run! I've seen what this monster can do! It doesn't just control the rats. It can talk to other animals. Some humans in the shelter even claimed to have seen it controlling dogs and other mutated animals. Please, we have to escape before it's too late!"
Alex, still tense but determined, smiled calmly and looked at Eira. "Don't worry. A stinking rat doesn't have what it takes to convince Vela. I know her too well."
Eira looked at Alex with surprise, but the certainty in his voice and the confidence he exuded left no room for further protests.
"Vela," Alex continued, with authority in his voice, "it's all yours."
At that moment, the rat king's screech intensified, almost like a direct challenge. However, it was overshadowed by a powerful roar that erupted from Vela's chest. It was a deep, fierce sound, a roar that seemed to shake the very snow beneath their feet. Suri and Roka joined their leader, emitting their own growls as they prepared for battle.
The rat king, despite its size, did not back down. It was clear that this creature hadn't just survived in this brutal environment but had thrived, dominating everything it encountered. Its eyes shone with a malevolence Alex had rarely seen in any living being.
Without further delay, Vela charged. Her massive claws dug into the snow as she sprinted toward the rat king, closely followed by Roka and Suri. The rat king responded with another screech, but this time it was deeper, like a war cry, and the smaller rats surrounding it launched themselves at them.
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