Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 435: Vermin

Chapter 435: Vermin

Zhang Yi resumed walking, his footsteps steady and composed.

“What does it matter to us? As long as we keep the area around the Shelter clear of zombies, that’s all that matters.”

In the apocalypse, who had the time to worry about others?

Fatty Xu nodded in agreement. “Makes sense.”

The group advanced at a measured pace.

Starting from the terminal station, they didn’t need to worry about being ambushed from behind. It was just a matter of following the tunnel until they found the source of the zombie horde.

The route was littered with bones, stripped clean of flesh.

“Man, they’re thorough eaters! Even the marrow’s gone,” Fatty Xu remarked, his chatter breaking the tense silence. “Look at these bones—not even a sliver of meat left. Talk about leaving nothing to waste.”

Fatty Xu countered, “In this cold? Meat doesn’t rot in this kind of weather. Haven’t you heard of frozen zombie meat? People pull it out of storage after years, and it’s still good to sell!”

“Ugh, gross,” someone muttered.

Despite the grim subject, Fatty Xu’s humor lightened the atmosphere.

At the front of the group, Hua Hua’s ears twitched, and it let out a low growl, its eyes widening in alarm.

“Stay alert!” Zhang Yi commanded, raising his gun.

A shadow darted across their path.

Before Zhang Yi could take a shot, Liang Yue drew a short knife from her waist and hurled it with precision.

The blade struck the shadow mid-leap, pinning it to the ground.

Lowering his weapon, Zhang Yi approached cautiously. In this environment, avoiding gunfire was best to prevent attracting more threats.

The group crowded around the creature, inhaling sharply at the sight.

The thing pinned to the ground was a massive rodent, its gray fur matted and filthy.

At first glance, it resembled a small dog, but its elongated tail and snout confirmed its identity: a rat.

“That’s a rat? It’s bigger than a cat!” Fatty Xu exclaimed, visibly unnerved.

No—it was twice the size of Hua Hua.

“A mutated rat,” Zhang Yi observed, his voice steady.

Rats, when provided with enough food, could grow to the size of a cat. But this one was unnaturally large, undoubtedly a product of mutation.

Looking back at the stripped skeletons they had passed, Zhang Yi realized the truth.

“All those bones we saw earlier… they were gnawed clean by these rats.”

Fatty Xu shuddered. “If there are this many corpses, there’s probably a whole swarm of them.”

A heavy silence fell over the group. Even Liang Yue, a seasoned Martial Arts Master, looked uneasy.

Despite her bravery, the thought of encountering a rat swarm stirred a primal disgust.

Just then, Hua Hua stretched its neck and let out a sharp, warning cry.

“Meowwww!”

The ominous sound reverberated, signaling the presence of a significant threat.

In the dimly lit tunnel, the air filled with a cacophony of squeaks and scurrying.

“They’ve got us surrounded,” Zhang Yi muttered.

From the shadows emerged an endless tide of rats, pouring out like water from unseen cracks.

The swarm varied in size—some as small as typical rodents, others the size of cats and dogs. Among them loomed a monstrous white rat, as large as a pig.

“Disgusting!” Liang Yue exclaimed, her voice quivering. Her normally unshakable demeanor faltered as her body tensed.

Zhang Yi noticed the eerie red glow in the rats’ eyes—a telltale sign of predators that had tasted human flesh.

It was clear how these creatures had survived in the dark, consuming the dead without hesitation.

Hua Hua bristled, growling menacingly, its fur standing on end. But outnumbered as it was, even the natural enmity between cats and rats offered little deterrent.

“Let’s clear them out,” Zhang Yi ordered.

Uncle You and Fatty Xu raised their flamethrowers, unleashing fiery torrents down the tunnel.

Though not as resilient as zombies, the mutated rats were still numerous. Thousands perished in the flames before the remaining rats hesitated, squealing and retreating just beyond the fire’s reach.

The swarm didn’t disperse entirely. Their glowing eyes glared from the shadows, waiting for the flames to die down.

“Persistent little bastards,” Uncle You muttered.

Zhang Yi frowned. “Put the flamethrowers away.”

The two hesitated but complied, extinguishing the fire.

No sooner had the flames died than the rats surged forward, a tidal wave of gray fur and gnashing teeth.

“Dimensional Gate!”

With a fluid motion, Zhang Yi summoned not one but two massive portals.

The translucent barriers spanned the width of the tunnel, trapping the advancing rats.

Unable to stop their momentum, the creatures hurtled into the portals, vanishing into the otherworldly void.

The sound of squealing rats was deafening, but not a single one reached the group.

As the rats continued pouring in, Liang Yue finally exhaled, her tension easing.

“Your Dimensional Gate… it’s upgraded?” she asked, watching the spectacle.

“I’ve been refining its use,” Zhang Yi explained. “Since the last major battle, I’ve learned to summon two gates simultaneously.”

“That’s handy,” Liang Yue remarked.

Two gates provided defensive coverage from multiple angles, turning situations like this into manageable skirmishes.

In the narrow tunnel, the gates were impenetrable.

The rats soon realized the danger. Those at the front tried to stop, but the pressure of the swarm behind them forced them forward, sending wave after wave into the void.

Eventually, desperate squeals echoed as the rats warned their kin of the danger.

At a great cost, the swarm retreated, the remaining rodents disappearing into the shadows.

The enormous white rat let out a series of sharp cries before leading the swarm away.

Within moments, the tunnel was silent once more.

“They know when they’re outmatched,” Zhang Yi said, lowering his arms. “Smart little pests.”

Author's Note