Chapter 55: The Mad Security Guard

In the darkness of night, the security guards set out. For the sake of efficiency, Chang Jieming first led the group responsible for digging trenches to trigger a landslide to the designated excavation site.

“You dig here. Be careful not to make too much noise,” Chang Jieming instructed, glancing downwards. The spot was barely a hundred meters from the company camp. Through the gaps between the pine trees, they could clearly see the busy disaster victims below, the combat team members, and the bodies strewn across the ground.

“Don’t worry, Captain,” the guards replied with cheerful smiles.

“Alright, I’m going to lead the others to catch the big rats. Remember, as soon as you’re done digging, run!” Chang Jieming patted their shoulders and slipped into the shadows.

Returning to the team, Chang Jieming took the remaining ten guards to the newly discovered giant rat burrow. Due to their enlarged size, the mountain rats had to dig bigger holes to live in, and as long as the rain didn’t wash away the fresh earth outside, they were easy to find. This had been learned some time ago when tourists ventured into the mountains to hunt the giant rats.

At first, these rats would attack humans proactively, but after the hungry disaster survivors repeatedly hunted them, the smarter rats rarely made the first move anymore. They preferred scavenging corpses downstream from landslides rather than risking trouble with the upright apes that walked.

Arriving at the burrow, the rats inside quickly sensed the presence of people outside, emitting anxious squeaks in an attempt to drive them away. But it was futile.

“Did you bring everything?” Chang Jieming asked.

“Don’t worry, Captain. The best stuff,” replied the bespectacled young guard, lifting his burlap sack. Inside was a mutated catnip, which, when burned with weeds, produced smoke that rendered the rats temporarily catatonic.

Once, passing by a flooded flowerbed, the security guards had found several thirty-kilogram rats twitching near the mutated catnip. They feasted on delicious roast meat for days. Later, they discovered that smoking out rat burrows with this catnip and weeds was an effective method for catching the giant rats. After all, each of these rats weighed over a hundred kilograms—no weaker than wild boars—and fighting them risked injury.

“Light it up!” Chang Jieming ordered.

The mutated catnip quickly began to burn, and the damp environment produced copious, pungent smoke. Soon, all the rats inside succumbed to catatonia.

After fifteen minutes, Chang Jieming verified the situation and called for his brothers to drag the rats out and tie them up. Luck was on their side: three giant rats and five medium-sized ones, just enough for them to carry.

“Tie them up and take them away,” Chang Jieming commanded. He and the older guard, Chen, hoisted a giant rat and led the group along the rough mountain path toward the company’s temporary camp.

They soon reached the slope on the west side of the camp, close to the tent where bait was stored and easy to escape from if a landslide struck.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak…” The catatonic rats began to stir, agitated by the scent of bait.

“Hold these beasts down,” Chang Jieming ordered, pressing the rats into the mud. It wasn’t time to let them loose yet—they needed to wait for the landslide.

A few days earlier, while scouting for rats, Chang Jieming had confirmed the area was prone to landslides. The spot he’d had people dig was riddled with cracks, just waiting for water to flood in and trigger a collapse.

Once the camp was hit by the landslide and the rats released to attack the bait tent, they’d have a chance to grab guns, sow greater chaos, and escape safely.

“Captain, what about the disaster victims?” a guard asked, eyeing those under control.

Chang Jieming replied, “Miss Su Miao is such a good person, yet they help the villain. What else can we do? We’re avenging our brothers—can't worry about everyone.”

“If the company people don’t die, it’ll be us dead next time.” The others agreed, waiting in silence for the artificial landslide.

Suddenly, explosions from the villa district caught Chang Jieming’s attention.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground shook violently. After several blasts, two villas near number 36 were engulfed in flames, thick smoke billowing, and cries, shouts, and wails echoing from afar, unsettling the security team.

“These people are truly insane.”

“Captain, will Miss Su Miao be alright?”

“What could happen to her? The company people either have broken minds or watch too many movies, thinking catapults are cannons. Ancient siege catapults only had a range of five hundred meters at most. The one they’ve built, three hundred meters is already impressive,” Chang Jieming said with a laugh.

Hearing this, the guards chuckled.

Miss Su Miao was fierce indeed.

Suddenly, the ground trembled.

Chang Jieming’s expression changed. “The landslide’s coming! Brothers, jab the rats, let them loose!”

The guards moved quickly, stabbing the giant rats as they released them. In pain and rage, the rats would normally flee, but the bait ahead proved irresistible.

Three giant rats and five medium-sized ones charged toward the bait tent.

“Ah, rats!” The armed combat team members inside cried out.

Rumble! At the same time, the landslide surged down the mountain. The camp residents, distracted by the explosions below, didn’t realize the disaster until it was too late. In mere seconds, most of the combat team and disaster victims were buried.

“Quick and decisive!” Chang Jieming shouted, charging toward the camp.

“Captain, I’ll handle this tent!” The older guard, Chen, who had vowed to avenge his brother, intercepted Chang Jieming and rushed toward the bait tent. “Where are the rats? I’ll help!”

“Here, here!” The frightened combat members called out.

But as Chen approached, the combat member was suddenly speechless. Chen stabbed him in the heart with a dagger.

“What are you doing?” another cried out, alarmed.

“There’s a rat behind you, get down!” Chen snatched the AK-47 from the guard and yelled, “Idiot!”

Bullets poured out, riddling the obedient combat member.

Chen quickly advanced, grabbed another gun, and threw it to Chang Jieming in the distance. “Captain, catch!”

Chang Jieming seized the gun and opened fire, covering his brothers.

Now, all that remained was to open the bait boxes.

“Enemy attack!” A warning rang out as bullets rained down from afar, suppressing all eleven security guards.

Chang Jieming cursed inwardly. His plan had gone awry, and might cost all their lives.

“Hold on!” From the company side, Fu Yongpeng led his men, firing a shot that hit Chen in the shoulder. “Where are Yang Ribo and Yu Dongping?”

Suddenly, two even more terrifying explosions erupted in the villa district below, illuminating the night sky. A fireball shot upward and blasted the approaching group leaders Yang Ribo and Yu Dongping to pieces. The six combat members called by these leaders perished with them.

“Miss Su Miao is unbeatable!” Chang Jieming shouted loudly.

The explosion had saved the entire security team.

Fu Yongpeng’s eyes turned red instantly.

Rumble! The ground trembled more violently. The explosion had amplified the scale of the landslide.

“Evade the landslide! Kill those people!” Fu Yongpeng shouted.

Seeing the company team trying to escape the landslide, Chang Jieming made a swift decision. “Brothers, retreat! I’ll cover!”

At this moment, Chen stepped forward. “Captain, you retreat. I’ll cover!”

“Chen, go!” Chang Jieming said.

Chen threw his gun to the bespectacled young guard and dashed toward the bait crates. He’d already been shot—without medicine or a doctor, he wouldn’t survive. Better to go out fighting.

“Captain, remember to burn paper for us on Tomb-Sweeping Day—if there’s still paper left!” Chen smashed open the wooden bait crates with an axe, scattering meat-bait everywhere. The giant rats around him instantly went berserk.

“Burn paper for ghosts!” Chang Jieming’s eyes reddened, his expression shifting. He led the remaining guards in a rapid escape.

In the distance, Fu Yongpeng watched as Chen, the crazed guard, scattered bait. There was no way to pursue now—unless they wanted to be marked by the scent.

“Ha! You’re scared of this, huh? Let’s all die together!” Chen smashed open the rest of the bait crates, then grabbed half a crate and charged at Fu Yongpeng and his men.

Damn!

Fu Yongpeng fired his pistol furiously, riddling Chen with bullets. Chen collapsed, clutching the half-empty crate, his blood glowing red in the firelight.

At that moment, several giant rats thundered down from the mountain and tore into Chen’s corpse.

“Go! Hurry!” Fu Yongpeng glanced up the mountain, his face twisted in terror. He led the survivors in a desperate retreat.

It was all over now.