Killing the Giant Rats

"You want me to lead a search and rescue unit to look for the cleanup team?" Winter stared at Arlan with a cold gaze.

Arlan nodded. "Lieutenant General Rivera needs to be here to organize the operation so he can't leave. That means there's only you and me who can lead the search and rescue."

"It looks like that guy told you not to go there in person…" Winter muttered.

Arlan smiled awkwardly.

"Alright. Leave it to me." To his surprise, Winter actually agreed.

"Wait. You agree?" Arlan stared at him in shock. Usually, she would reject him without hesitation.

"Although I don't want to go there, I can't allow you to go there either. That place has become more dangerous at this moment and even you might not survive if you encounter the powerful creatures that evolved in that forest." Winter said.

Arlan's face turned grave. "You mean there already exists powerful evolved creatures that can threaten my life there?" He was injected with the Body Enhancing Serum and the Evolution Liquid. His strength was already close to Winter who was an Advanced Artificial Life Form. He could even kill ordinary evolved creatures with his bare hands.

Winter stared at him calmly and replied. "You've already seen one of them and there are more such creatures inside that forest. I have a feeling that there is also a strong evolved creature in the cave where the cleanup team was last spotted."

Arlan frowned upon hearing this. If that was true, that means the cleanup team was in trouble. Even though they were led by five members of the Oorlwende Unit, even those guys might not survive against the truly powerful evolved creatures.

Winter stood up and said. "Don't worry. I'll find them and take them back here."

Looking at her serious gaze, Arlan nodded his head. "Be careful." Winter didn't say anything and just stared at him deeply. She then left the office without saying another word.

After she left the office, Arlan took out his communicator. "I managed to persuade her." He said.

"Eh? You did? That's good." Lieutenant General Rivera's voice sounded like he was surprised.

"Please send the best soldiers we have to go with her." Arlan muttered in a serious tone. Although it was important to save the cleanup team, he didn't want Winter to sacrifice her life just to save them. As cruel as it sounds, Winter is more valuable to the base than the whole cleanup team combined.

"I have already prepared the soldiers. You can rest assured." Lieutenant General Rivera responded.

"That's good to hear."

***

Meanwhile, inside a hidden cave in the province of Palawan, Codename 11 and the cleanup team were fighting a large group of giant rats in close combat.

"Kill them all!" Codename 11 shouted to the team.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone responded in a loud and clear voice.

The giant rats were as big as a German shepherd. Their fur was black and their claws were like sharp knives.

The soldiers of the cleanup team were careful when dealing with the giant rats. Although they were wearing protective gear that was cut-proof, they still acted cautiously.

Codename 11 wielded a claymore that was 1.3 meters long and four fingers wide. Whenever he brandished his claymore, multiple giant rats were slashed in half! They couldn't even withstand more than two blows from him before being ruthlessly killed!

Just right behind him were four African men who wielded the same weapon as him. They were also from the Oorlewende Unit. Their sword skills were precise and accurate, not even needing to use any fancy movement to eliminate the giant rats. With just a few moved from them, numerous rats fell into the ground in their pools of blood. Meanwhile, the soldiers of the cleanup team also displayed remarkable strength in close combat. Although they weren't as skilled as the Oorlewende Unit, they still easily killed the giant rats.

This battle continued for over thirty minutes and by the time all the giant rats were eliminated, the cave was already filled with blood and rat body parts. The gruesome scene could make any man puke, but the soldiers of the cleanup team remained unbothered.

"Sir, do we really need to head deeper into the cave?" One of the African soldiers asked. He was built like a tank and his biceps were as big as the average soldier's leg. This man was Codename 19, the second-strongest person in the team.

Codename 11 furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the dark pathway. Their only source of light was their flashlights. The moment they ran out of battery, they would be in total darkness inside the cave. "What about the extraction of the minerals?" He asked instead of answering.

"We have already gathered enough to fill five of our vehicles." One of the soldiers answered. action

Codename 11 pondered deeply before he came up with his decision. "Let's return."

The others were relieved to hear his words. The number of evolved creatures they encountered was increasing the more they headed deeper into the cave.

The cleanup team stopped venturing deeper inside the cave. They retreated orderly while also collecting the scattered minerals that they hadn't collected earlier.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Suddenly, the cave shook as if there was an earthquake.

Codename 11 who was leading the retreat felt an overwhelming presence approaching them at a fast speed. "Prepare for battle!" He shouted as he took out his claymore. He then rushed towards the rear part of the team and waited for the creature that he sensed to arrive.

The soldiers also took out their swords upon seeing his serious gaze. Meanwhile, the four members of the Oorlwende Unit gathered behind Codename 11 with stern faces. They also sensed the powerful presence coming towards them.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

"Don't use your guns! There might be some explosive gases inside this cave that would trigger an explosion!" Codename 11 warned the team

Soon, everyone finally got a clearer look at what was coming towards them. It was a big worm that was over 15 meters long. Its 2-meter wide mouth was filled with sharp saw-like teeth.

Roooaar!!!