The military had been unable to do anything about the devil’s cave in the Ningyuan Mountains.
They had thought about pouring molten iron into the cave, but due to the mountain’s insufficient structural integrity, the cracks being too long and prone to leakage, and the thermal expansion and contraction potentially causing rock collapses, they ultimately gave up on that plan.
Similarly, they had abandoned the methods of using hot oil, deep explosions, and cement burial… The military only hoped to find a flawless and safe solution, but the expansion of the devil’s cave wasn’t giving them any time to consider alternatives.
In one more day, the cave’s opening would be large enough to accommodate the massive rats. At that time, larger and stronger rats would pour out from the cracks, devouring the mountains, towns, and military camps until there was nothing left. Their hunger would never be satisfied, and once they finished devouring Qu Kang Province, they would immediately spread to the surrounding areas.
What would the consequences be? No one dared to think about it. All they could think of was killing as many as they could before the second wave of rats emerged, and the milky-white virus spheres were the military’s last trump card.
The sphere was covered by a layer of frosty white metal armor, inside which were shock-absorbing capsules, with the liquid virus swirling in the center. It followed its pre-determined path and began to descend. Three hundred meters, five hundred meters, one thousand meters—deeper and deeper, until it reached the concentration of rats at the eighteenth node.
The rats, dark and numerous, swarmed over the virus sphere. When they used their sharp claws to tear open the casing, the scent of blood, sweet and rotten, filled the air. In an instant, they rushed to the sphere, furiously licking the “blood” and uncontrollably attacking each other, devouring their own kin.
The first wave of infighting began without warning…
“The D215 virus can stimulate the appetite of the rats. Before the cave opens, they will end up killing each other,” the researchers said with bitter smiles. “But don’t celebrate too early. This method is like raising poisonous insects—those that remain are likely to be the more troublesome ones, and some of them may have developed resistance to the virus.”
“I’m not exaggerating. We’re used to working with lab mice, and we know exactly what happens to them after they’re injected with the virus.”
“The D215 virus can kill all the white mice within ten seconds, but some of them can resist the poison for up to thirty seconds. If white mice can endure that long, imagine what the rats from the devil’s cave could do.”
“If they mutate, we’ll have to be prepared for the worst.”
Upon hearing this, Old Jin nodded slightly: “Thank you for your hard work.” His sharp eyes swept over the soldiers in the camp, and he spoke in a deep voice, “Lingtong and the northwest are holding strong. It’s up to us in Ningyuan now.”
“True, the giant rats are dangerous. The likelihood of death is high, indeed.”
“Fear of the unknown is human nature, and it’s normal to be afraid of death. But if we retreat, our home will be truly lost.” Old Jin spoke slowly, each word deliberate, “Tomorrow, no matter what emerges from the devil’s cave, we cannot retreat. Remember! You are soldiers! Behind you are families, communities, and the nation!”
“Take on our mission. Understood?”
“Understood!” The response came without hesitation.
The military formed a long line, surrounding the edge of the cave, setting up multiple layers of defenses from above to below. They stood there, their flesh and bones guarding against the darkness before dawn, like towering pines, unwavering. Deep within the cave, the sound of a sharp roar could be heard, echoing in the air, traveling far and wide…
Snow began to fall again.
The Ningyuan Mountains seemed to always have snow falling endlessly. It drifted in the cold wind, landing on tiles, in the palms of hands, and in dark hair.
Ji Si extended his hand to catch a flake of frost, gently inhaling its melting scent and drawing countless images from it. He “saw” soldiers scattered across the mountains, prepared armaments, and the restless monsters. He also “saw” animals fleeing the forests, the destruction of mountain spirits and earth deities, and the shared sorrow of all beings.
The heroic souls of the land mourned the unavoidable disaster…
“Sir?” Shu Yuting looked up at Ji Si, pressing her small hand over her chest and speaking slowly, “It hurts here.”
“Hmm.” Ji Si gently touched her head, his voice soft, “You hear the world’s voice, don’t you? It’s crying. Can you close your heart, like a flower? Slowly fold it in, and the pain will go away.”
Ji Si opened his palm and slowly closed it again, his pale, slender fingers moving as if opening and closing a lotus flower. Shu Yuting watched his hand, and after a moment, she closed her eyes. Before long, she felt that the world had quieted.
The beauty of teaching a child to awaken was that they were pure, like blank slates, never questioning whether “awakening” was scientific or not.
When Ji Si said, “The world is crying,” she believed that the world was crying. When Ji Si said, “Close your heart,” she learned to close her heart. She believed everything he said. Pure consciousness and belief combined, and Shu Yuting made rapid progress, but she felt nothing unusual.
Everything that seemed abnormal to her became ordinary.
“Go play,” Ji Si encouraged.
In truth, though five years old, Shu Yuting wasn’t unable to speak, but her coordination between body and mind wasn’t very developed. Occasionally, the things she said would scare the adults. Over time, with the side glances and whispers of others, she “lost” her ability to express herself.
Now, with Ji Si acknowledging the world she saw and the heart she heard, she had undoubtedly regained her confidence, stepping out from the shadow of being “the strange child.” She had regained her lost strength and found a new playmate.
So, Shu Yuting nodded and walked off, turning back every few steps.
Once the child ran out of sight, Si Nuocheng, who had been sitting on the couch reading the newspaper, raised his head, pretending to be casual as he said, “You really like kids, didn’t you raise one before?”
With how he could get a child to circle around him in just a short time, calling him “Mr. Ji” all day—could it be that Ji Si had been a father before?
“No.” Ji Si brushed the snowflakes off, “It’s not about liking them. Kids are pure. It’s hard not to feel drawn to them, that’s all.”
Si Nuocheng shook his newspaper, feeling much better about himself.
To be honest, his current level of awakening didn’t even come close to Ji Si’s, and comparing the two made him feel pretty inadequate. If Ji Si got married and had children before him, that would be a huge blow!
Luckily, that hadn’t happened yet. He could still hang on.
Si Nuocheng flipped another page of the newspaper, clearing his throat before asking, “So, have you ever had a girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Really?”
Ji Si looked at him, his gaze deep, “Really.” He paused and then asked, “Why the sudden questions? Normally, you don’t care about other people’s private lives.”
This guy wasn’t having a personality change, was he? Ji Si couldn’t help but grip his Cosmic Heart Staff.
“Is it strange to ask these things?” Si Nuocheng put down his newspaper and said slowly, “When men get familiar with each other, besides awakening and business, what else is there to talk about except women?”
Ji Si blinked: “So, what’s your great insight?”
He couldn’t understand it—how could a soul reincarnated multiple times and a bunch of unlucky single men be in the same space, and yet talk about women so confidently?
Sure enough, Si Nuocheng fell silent. He was quiet for a long time before muttering, “It’s got to be something for the experienced to handle.”
Ji Si: … So this is “baiting” someone for a response?
Clearly, Si Nuocheng had been triggered into enlightenment by the “mission to find a partner,” but he stubbornly refused to admit it and only wanted to drag Ji Si down with him, hoping to gain love experience without putting in the effort. What a surprise, he hadn’t even dated anyone himself—ha!
But, even if Si Nuocheng couldn’t extract anything, he wasn’t at a loss either. If he dragged Ji Si along to talk to someone, at least the embarrassment wouldn’t be all on him.
Tsk, the scheming dog, always plotting his next move.
Ji Si shook his head in amusement but fully participated. His earlier life had been tiring, with no chance to talk to friends about women; his later life was even more exhausting, surrounded by people who weren’t normal. Now, for the first time, he had a chance to experience what it was like for men to discuss women with each other. He was indeed curious.
Thus, five minutes later, the discussion began smoothly.
The “experienced” Yu Mingyang, sitting in his wheelchair, passionately began to speak, “I’ve had three girlfriends! Impressive, right? Let me tell you, getting girls is really not that hard!”
“My first girlfriend loved watching me solve math problems. To see my graceful hand on the test paper, she gave me all her papers from the past two years. When I solved them, she’d call me ‘hubby’; when I didn’t, she’d get angry. If it weren’t for that damn high school entrance exam separating us, we’d probably be soulmates by now.”
Laki sarcastically asked, “So, how much did she score on the math exam?”
“33 points.”
“Hmm, 33—‘scatter, scatter.’ It’s good to part ways amicably.” Ji Si took a sip of coffee, adding a final jab. Si Nuocheng had added sugar and milk to his coffee and remained expressionless.
Yu Mingyang slapped his broken leg and grimaced, “Enough with the mockery, alright? I’ve dated three girls!”
“My second girlfriend loved how patient I was when we went shopping. We had similar tastes and interests, and we left our mark on every street in Yanjing. I’d accompany her to coffee shops to study, and she’d go with me to watch games at the club. If it weren’t for a baseless bankruptcy crisis, we’d be married by now.”
Qi Xinli shook his head, “Good thing for the bankruptcy crisis…”
“My third girlfriend loved how persistent I was when chasing her. I did everything—wrote love letters, carried her luggage, brought her milk tea—and finally, I won her over. If she hadn’t thought being with a photographer was a dead end, we’d also be the envy of everyone.”
“So, do you all get it?” Yu Mingyang said confidently. “The key to winning a girl isn’t the result, but the process. As long as we learn to give, be patient, and be persistent, we can win over the girl we like, and she’ll like us back!”
With a sudden shift in tone, the conversation took a profound turn, leaving everyone stunned.
Laki leisurely spoke up, “So, the real question is, where are the girls?”
Everyone: …
The killer blow that ended the conversation—no one could handle it.
They continued joking and bantering until dawn. The entire outer city was blanketed in white snow, leaving behind a profound silence.
The tall building in the hotel finally fell silent as the lights were turned off. As light or heavy breaths filled the air, a small team of awakened individuals moved swiftly toward the Ningyuan Mountains, closely followed by a team of police officers.
Three vehicles entered the inner city, speeding toward their destination. Ji Si stood on the rooftop, watching them leave. His calm gaze seemed to pierce through all obstacles, heading straight into the depths of the Ningyuan Mountains.
Inside the bloodied devil’s cave, a monster was forcing its way through the cave’s barriers, crushing layers of rock, rising up with immense power…
The wind came, filling its white robes.
Ji Si smiled as he looked at the magnetic anomaly in the Ningyuan Mountains. He felt that the emergence of the earth’s monsters was perfectly timed.
It was truly the right moment for the special awakened individuals to make their entrance.
The way ordinary people live is how awakened ones should live as well. He would not allow those who followed his footsteps to remain in the shadows, acting as so-called “night wanderers” and “saviors.”
Awakened ones should live in the praise of holy light, in the focus of attention, surrounded by gratitude and admiration. Humanity should not conceal the abnormal, but instead, embrace differences and tolerate one another. Only then can the friction between awakened individuals and ordinary people be squashed at its root.
The world needs awakened ones to save it, and awakened ones need people to support them. Divinity and humanity have always been one, inseparable.
His awakened ones…
“Let me see how far you’ve awakened.”
…
With three hours remaining until sunrise, the electric fences near the devil’s cave were triggered by the giant rats! Though the military had already mentally prepared for a fierce battle, they never anticipated the rats would mutate this quickly, advancing nine hours ahead of the expected timeline!
“How is that possible?” The researchers’ faces turned pale as they shakily held documents, muttering to themselves, “Impossible, how could it be nine hours off?”
In experimental research, even a slight error can lead to disastrous results. A difference of one second could ruin everything, let alone nine hours. After thousands of experiments, dissecting and analyzing tens of thousands of rat carcasses, they had developed the D215 rat-killing virus, which was specifically designed to target giant rats. But now, they had no answers.
What was supposed to take 24 hours was completed in just 15, with the rats mutating, killing, and developing antibodies in a fraction of the time. Now, the enraged rats surged forward, smashing through the devil’s cave, ready to unleash their vengeance on humanity!
“This was all planned! It was all supposed to happen at night…” The researcher’s eyes filled with tears. “We planned for a daytime battle, how could it be the middle of the night? The soldiers… what will they do?”
Old Jin spoke seriously: “Don’t blame yourselves. If you can hold out for even ten hours, you will be heroes to the people! Stop crying and pull yourselves together!”
“Old Jin!”
Old Jin grabbed his trusty large machete and commanded, “Take all the D215 virus data and get in the military trucks immediately. Leave the rest to us rough men!”
“Take the researchers out!”
With a single order, the evacuation began swiftly. At the same moment, the sharp cries of the giant rats pierced the night, and the electric fences around the devil’s cave erupted with a brilliant flash of white light. Sparks flew, black smoke rose, and the smell of burnt rat flesh filled the air.
One rat fell onto the electric fence, and another immediately stepped over its body. The first rat’s flesh melted into the metal wires, while the second rat’s gnawing caused the fence to collapse. The number of rats was simply too overwhelming. They didn’t care about the self-inflicted violence in the cave or the traps humanity had set.
All they knew was to advance and destroy—to devour anything in their path and kill anything that stood in their way!
In just ten minutes, the electric fence was destroyed; another ten minutes, and the fire-net defense was gone! The fifty-kilogram rats, with thick hides and abundant blood, filled in the traps and cleared the obstacles, charging toward the final human wall.
“Fire!”
The sound of gunfire rang out, bullets piercing the rats’ skulls with precision. Just then, the rats suddenly flared out their dark gray fur, which had become unusually hard, like quills from a porcupine, providing protection from the bullets and greatly reducing their effectiveness.
Under the illumination of flares, the soldiers finally saw the true form of the mutated rats:
Crimson eyes, sharp fur, scythe-like claws, and even barbed tails! They no longer resembled rats at all—these were demons, monsters!
And there were millions of them…
“Hold the line!” The horns sounded, and the air grew thick with the scent of blood.
Old Jin personally joined the battle, his machete skills still as sharp as ever. Though the rats had thick hides, they couldn’t withstand his precise strikes. He focused on the weak points in their bellies, driving his blade upward to kill the monsters one by one.
But even the best-laid plans have flaws. One of the men guarding Old Jin’s back was knocked down by a rat. As Old Jin turned to help, another rat suddenly appeared from his blind spot.
Quick as lightning, it lunged at his neck.
Old Jin’s eyes widened, and as he turned around, he saw a beast’s maw filled with needle-sharp teeth.
In the blink of an eye, a faint golden arrow pierced through the rat’s skull!
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PS: Laki: The girl across the street, look over here, look over here, look over here~~
Cross-dressing big shots: My brain is already melting~~
Laki: … I think I’ll just stick with the bear…==
1 thought on “Chapter 48 – The Forty-Eighth Ray of Light”
Thanks for the chapter!
I really like this MC, he’s really cute, ML was right. But!!!
I think ML was full oh shit (vinegar?) here, even if he didn’t realize. Feels more like he didn’t want the other to have had someone important before, lol