Chapter 45: Chapter 45: A Bad Omen
Zhang Lingxue watched as everyone failed to promptly extract the Blood Core from the defeated Bloodstorm Rat, feeling a sense of unease.
The Blood Core is the energy core of the Bloodstorm Rat, containing incredibly frenzied energy that most Pet Beasts cannot absorb.
Only the Thousand-Change Silkworm is an exception. If one could figure out how it absorbs the Blood Core’s energy, it would turn waste into treasure.
"Ye Bai, stay here. I’ll leave Xiao Zi with you for protection."
Xiao Zi, Zhang Lingxue’s most formidable Pet Beast, was sufficient for Ye Bai’s safety.
The Light Goddess Butterfly accompanied Zhang Lingxue to find President Wang.
"Come forth, Sunflower King."
Ye Bai pulled out the Beast Card and summoned the Sunflower King.
"Help me retrieve all the Blood Cores scattered on the ground."
The people from the Pet Beast Union saw little utility in the Blood Cores, lazily ignoring them after defeating the Bloodstorm Rats.
If this continues unchallenged, the energy within the Blood Cores would be absorbed by other Bloodstorm Rats, potentially spawning more powerful Tier Three Exotic Beasts.
The Sunflower King was inherently the nemesis of Burrowing Rats, but Ye Bai was uncertain after they evolved into Bloodstorm Rats.
The Sunflower King landed from Ye Bai’s hand onto the ground, its thick stems digging firmly into the earth.
Then its body began to rapidly swell, doubling in size.
It felt like a sprout turning into a plump broccoli.
The rampaging Bloodstorm Rat suddenly felt a sharp, long thorn deeply penetrate its abdomen, spreading throughout its body.
Without a chance to alert its kind, the Bloodstorm Rat succumbed immediately.
Its Blood Core was extracted, and its Essence of Flesh and Blood was completely devoured by the Sunflower King.
When the other Bloodstorm Rats discovered it, only a thin cicada-wing-like skin and stark white bones remained.
The Sunflower King moved swiftly; its stems emerged from the ground and, within a second, excavated the Blood Core from the deceased Bloodstorm Rat.
Soon after, the ground beneath the Sunflower King cracked open, revealing numerous Blood Cores akin to fine rubies, including one the size of a fist, as red as pigeon blood, which surprised Ye Bai.
"Damn, could the Bloodstorm Rats have evolved to Tier Three?"
This was not good news.
He eagerly awaited midnight, hoping to gather useful intelligence from the system.
After the cargo ship incident, the Burrowing Rats had all advanced into Tier Two Bloodstorm Rats.
Currently, the Exotic Beasts they spawned were also Tier Two Bloodstorm Rats.
The people from the Jiaying City Pet Beast Union had held the line for so long, yet the number of Bloodstorm Rats hadn’t diminished, underscoring their terrifying capacity for proliferation.
The scariest thing about the Beast Tide isn’t the Exotic Beasts themselves but their reproduction rate.
During a Beast Tide, their proliferation speed increases several times.
And with ample flesh and blood nourishment, a young Bloodstorm Rat matures in eight hours.
Twelve hours later, it can reproduce.
"Teacher Zhang, you’re here."
President Wang obviously knew Zhang Lingxue.
"The Burrowing Rats in other parts of Jiaying City have been completely eradicated."
"Now, only this area remains."
"If we can control it, the Beast Tide will naturally end."
"But I didn’t expect the Bloodstorm Rats to be so troublesome."
President Wang rubbed his throbbing temples.
"They are fearless, and their Sharp Claws are Highly Poisonous; many Pet Beast Masters from our union have been poisoned, severely weakening their combat effectiveness."
"Even using Antitoxic Potions hasn’t improved the situation."
"Furthermore, the Bloodstorm Rats utilize the Frenzy skill, causing their bodies to double in size and their Attack Power to multiply."
"Once a Bloodstorm Rat dies, its flesh becomes food for its kind."
President Wang was deeply troubled.
"I noticed the people from the Pet Beast Union didn’t take the Blood Cores after defeating the Bloodstorm Rats."
"If this continues, I fear it will spawn High Tier Exotic Beasts."
Zhang Lingxue raised the issue.
"We’re shorthanded, and retrieving the Blood Cores would definitely risk Pet Beast Masters’ lives."
"I’ve already requested reinforcements from the Provincial City Union."
"We just need to hold out for four hours until their support arrives."
"I can only keep the cold storage guarded to prevent the Bloodstorm Rats from burrowing in."
"Teacher Zhang, I remember your Light Goddess Butterfly being highly skilled in detoxification. Could you assist those Pet Beast Masters poisoned by Bloodstorm Rat toxins?"
"After being poisoned, they develop a high fever, feeling as if their heads are being pierced by thousands of needles."
"Using the Antitoxic Potions are futile."
"I fear if not treated promptly, they might suffer lasting effects."
Zhang Lingxue sighed deeply: "Alright, where are the patients? I’ll have the Light Goddess Butterfly treat them quickly."
With Xiao Zi protecting Ye Bai, he shouldn’t encounter any issues temporarily.
The priority now was to bolster the Pet Beast Union’s combat capability, with detoxifying poisoned Pet Beast Masters as the key problem.
Humans and Bloodstorm Rats were locked in fierce battle.
The ground was layered thick with blood, the air heavy with a stench of iron.
Meanwhile, the Sunflower King was enjoying itself like a rat sneaking into a granary.
With a casual strike, its steel-like stems pierced the Bloodstorm Rat’s head, extracting the blood-red Crystal Core.
Having absorbed so much Essence of Flesh and Blood, the originally golden Sunflower King now gleamed with a fiery shade reminiscent of Hell’s Mansa Pearl.
On one side of its body, another golden flower blossomed; Ye Bai knew this was how the Sunflower King reproduced.
Shortly after, the golden flower grew stems and fell to the ground.
It opened wide eyes, curiously observing the surroundings.
This was the newly born Tier Two Sunflower.
Under the Sunflower King’s control, it fiercely clashed with the Bloodstorm Rats.
Provincial City Union.
President Zhang Yafeng received the urgent news from Jiaying City.
Jiaying City had erupted in a Beast Tide and the situation required immediate reinforcement.
President Zhang Yafeng stared at the map on the screen and sighed deeply.
In a matter of days, four or five cities in Yandong Province experienced small-scale Beast Tides.
All available personnel had been dispatched, yet he had to stay in the Provincial City and couldn’t leave easily.