Chapter 27: The Plague King

Dachun feigned indifference, chatted casually with the group, and strolled back to his private room. Once inside, he logged into the game with frantic urgency. A row of system notifications flooded his screen:

——System Notification: Dear player, the current time in the Golden Continent is 0:12 AM...

——System Notification: Congratulations! Your muscle memory has successfully recalled the Basic Mining skill. You have received an additional achievement reward: Life +1.

——Black Iron Pioneer City Announcement: Warning! The sewer’s Magic-Infused Bat King has undergone a midnight mutation and its strength has increased. The Sewer Plague King and the Cockroach King have devoured the corpses of the Stray Dog King and the Piranha King; they have undergone a midnight mutation and their strength has increased.

——Black Iron Pioneer City Lord’s Martial Law Order: Citizens, please take note. To eliminate the threat of disease spreading from the Stray Dog King, Plague King, and Cockroach King, a curfew is now in effect. All non-essential personnel are forbidden from entering the streets. Further notice will be provided at 6:00 AM.

——System Notification: Congratulations! You have completed the Evil Spirit Contract quest "Handle the Vampire Bat King."

Dachun switched to his Little Angel avatar to check on things.

——System Notification: You have completed today's quota submission. Would you like to continue automatic AFK grinding?

Submission? What did he submit?

Just then, Ailian’s voice echoed in his ear: "Finally? These cockroaches and rats have grown stronger and are blocking the cave entrance, trying to deal with me! Just come over and draw the rats away."

——System Notification: You have received the Evil Spirit Contract quest "Eliminate the threat of the Plague King and the Cockroach King."

Damn it!

I’m already a "Red Name" player stuck in the mines; I can't even get out, so what can I do? But since the quest is already issued, I have no choice but to finish it! I'll let the avatar keep grinding for now.

The only thing I can think of is to contact Shirley and hope she can find a way. But I’m surrounded by Red Name players, and there’s likely a corporate faction monitoring me...

Dachun simply pretended to be exhausted and flopped onto the ground, covering his collar before equipping the Attendant’s Badge.

Shirley’s message came through the badge: "What is going on with you?"

Dachun replied, "I'm sorry to worry you, my dear. I’m being watched and didn't dare reveal my status as your attendant, so I took off the badge. I’m currently in prison, but I really want to go into the sewer to eliminate the Plague King and the Cockroach King. Do you have any ideas, my dear?"

Shirley was shocked: "So many powerful players can't go down there; how could you possibly defeat them?"

Of course, the Bat King would be the main force, and I’d just be splashing water in the sewers to harass them! But I can't say a word about Ailian.

"I am a Sweeper, so I’m not afraid of the plague, and I have specific knowledge of the Plague King and Cockroach King’s weaknesses. I’m very confident."

Shirley replied immediately: "I’ll go talk to Miss Fafna! She is the City Lord’s daughter, and the City Lord is currently hesitating about whether to lock down the city tomorrow morning. If you can eliminate the Plague King and the Cockroach King tonight, we will have performed a great service!"

Exactly! The star mage’s connections are solid! If I pull this off, it won't just be leveling up to VIP 3 or 4; it’ll mean clearing my Red Name status and taking down the top guild! No, wait—it might even mean taking down the star mage herself!?

Dachun was excited: "But my foot still has a bite wound. I’d like to bandage it before I set off!"

"Just bandaging? You can request some potions."

In this game world, potions are as easy to come by as pharmacies on every street corner, but the price...

Dachun decided not to be shy: "Then send some Life Potions and Stamina Potions!"

"As long as I can convince Miss Fafna, it won't be a problem. Wait for news."

"Understood."

As soon as the call ended, Ailian’s sarcastic voice mimicked him: "'I'm sorry my dear...' 'We will have performed a great service!'"

Dachun snapped, "We’re here to help you. What’s your problem?"

Ailian sneered, "Help me? Can she even enter the sewer? I’m doing all the fighting, and the credit will become hers?"

Dachun sighed helplessly: "Honestly, if we really want to topple the Count, relying on her connection to the City Lord’s daughter is our only real chance."

Ailian scoffed, "Topple the Count? Do you think the court hearing tomorrow morning won't just pin all the lost assets on you?"

Damn, I believe it! That bunch of slick operators at the shipyard is exactly how I ended up in here!

Either way, I have to take down these kings.

Shirley’s reply came quickly: "Miss Fafna agreed. Someone will come to the prison to pick you up shortly. The cost of the potions has been advanced to your account; if the mission succeeds, the cost will be waived! And since you have the Count’s theft case hanging over you... you must succeed!"

Damn! Advanced payment!! It’s so hard for a player to take advantage of an NPC; these are truly realistic NPCs.

Dachun steeled himself: "I will succeed!"

Before long, a few overseers arrived: "It's this kid. Take him away."

Dachun was carried off under the astonished gazes of the Red Name players. He was first taken to the infirmary to have his wound dressed, then given two boxes of ten Life and Stamina potions each.

Stamina potions—the price of these ten must be worth more than that bottle of wine, right?

The nurse laughed, "Don't think it's enough? You can take a few more boxes of Life Potions! They can save your life in a pinch!"

That makes sense, doesn't it? Dachun shivered, "Mission advance?"

"Yes!"

Since finishing the quest means getting them for free, I'll take them!

Dachun steeled his heart: "How many boxes do you have left?"

"Ten boxes."

"Then give me all ten!"

The nurse was surprised: "Ten boxes take up a lot of inventory capacity."

"I can carry it!"

Are you kidding? My carrying capacity is four times that of an ordinary player!

Escorted by prison guards, Dachun was taken to the main street. The usual bustling night market and sea of lights were gone. Apart from a few workers checking manhole covers, there were no players or NPCs in sight.

This meant no player surveillance—much more comfortable. Wait! I actually see a pack of stray dogs!

Dachun couldn't believe it: "It’s this late, and you’re not dealing with the dogs?"

The guard sneered, "We only deal with people, not dogs!"

Damn!

Dachun reached the manhole cover, which was covered in lime that steamed with heat. The workers moved the lid slowly, constantly pouring lime water into the cracks to prevent the cockroaches from flying out—a truly professional technique.

Just as the lid opened enough for a person to fit through, Dachun was shoved forcefully—he didn't even have time to react before he plummeted into the pit—Clang! The lid seemed to graze his scalp as it slammed shut!

Splash! Dachun landed in the lime-slurry water.

The surroundings were shrouded in dark, misty fog, but he could see the light from the bats in the distance and hear the sound of countless squeaks approaching.

Rats! Now that he lacked the suppression aura of holy artifacts or S-rank pets, he had no choice but to jump into the trench and swim.

He hadn't been swimming for long when something swam toward him.

——System Notification: Warning! Your Purify skill has detected the presence of filth!

Damn, it’s the little piranhas again! Dachun suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, as if he had traveled back to the morning.

Fortunately, as a Sweeper, he had a natural +5 defense. As long as they didn't use special attack modes, he could hold out for a while. However, both the rats and the piranhas used the "Gnaw" special attack. At first, his defense could negate their attacks, but after gnawing for a while, they would break through.

Soon, the piranhas were everywhere.

Seeing it was going poorly, Dachun scrambled onto the bank to shake them off.

As soon as he climbed up, the rat swarm surged forward. Dachun had to leap into the trench ahead, splashing a wave that sent the piranhas flying, then continued his advance with a rhythmic "jump-in-and-out-of-the-water" style. The rat swarms and fish shoals couldn't stop him!

The closer he got to the cave entrance, the more his vision merged with the bats. His ears were filled with piercing sonic waves until, like an infrared night-vision scope, he could see the area around the entrance clearly: the place where the dog and fish corpses had been piled was now a surging, steaming "Rat Mountain"! Five cat-sized rats with their tails tangled together were stepping on the mountain, leaping toward the cave entrance!

Dachun was disgusted: "Is this the Rat King?"

Ailian said, "All five of them are! Actually, there are thirteen in total; the other eight are dead, turned into zombie rats, but because their tails are tangled, they survive as a collective. The Rat King is actually immobile; it relies on this swarm of little rats to carry it. The Cockroach King is inside the cave, confronting me—you find a way to restrain the Rat King, just don't let it climb up."

Dachun remembered the medieval legends of the "Rat King"—not a single giant individual, but this special phenomenon of tangled tails.

Dachun had had enough of these piranhas. He unleashed a Purify strike, creating a wave that killed a whole school of fish!

He swam to the base of the cave entrance and unleashed a Purify strike directly at the Rat Mountain on the bank. However, the mist steaming off the mountain formed a fluctuating protective barrier that blocked the impact of the purifying water.

No effect?

The rats at the bottom of the mountain were under the most pressure, so Dachun aimed his strike there, but the barrier at the bottom was the most stable and solid!

Is the water too soft?

Dachun grabbed a dead fish that had been stunned to death and threw it—but the protective barrier acted like a gel, softly blocking the fish.

Too solid is no good either?

Then I'll combine Throwing with Purify to create a "Soft-and-Solid" dead-fish-purification technique?

Dachun grabbed another dead fish, unleashed a Purify strike on the water, and the wave, carrying the fish, smashed into the barrier again!

——System Notification: Skill failed! Throwing skill proficiency increased.

Skill failed! But it actually boosted Throwing? Maybe I can break through to Intermediate level!? If I break through, maybe I can do the reverse—

Ailian was losing patience: "Are you going to do something?"

Dachun felt guilty: "I'm looking for the Rat Mountain's weakness!"

Ailian was even more irritable: "And?"

Dachun’s heart tightened. There was no time to gamble on unreliable skills, and even if he did, he’d be betting his life—he’d gambled his life to defeat the first two bosses!

Dachun made a split-second decision: "The corpses under the rat pile must have been gnawed down to bone, right? If I rush in and yank the skeleton out, the mountain will collapse!"

Ailian was surprised: "You might die—"

Rarely, an evil spirit cares about me. Did I succeed in redeeming her?

Ailian added, "But you cannot fail!"

Damn!

Dachun was conflicted: "I’m just worried about whether I can get in!"

Ailian said in a deep voice, "I will use all my strength to create an opening for you! But it will cause me to be suppressed by the cockroach—get ready!"

Then I'll get ready!

The next moment, the cave entrance erupted with a piercing, ear-splitting sound like a giant loudspeaker. Dachun wasn't prepared and almost dropped his headset!

Under the sonic shock, the Rat Mountain’s barrier trembled violently—this was the opening!

Dachun lunged onto the bank and dove into the rat pile—Boom! It felt like hitting a mass of foam, unable to penetrate further. But the foam wasn't airtight; Dachun’s hand reached inside and touched—the skeleton!!

——System Notification: Warning! You have been hit by the Rat King’s plague attack. Your "Whale Power" failed to resist the disease; you are now infected with the plague...

What? As long as I’m not one-shot, I have plenty of potions!

It was time to show off the power of 400 points of carrying capacity—Dachun put his strength into his hands, kicked off the wall, and pulled the skeleton back into the trench with him!

The Rat Mountain collapsed with a roar. Aside from the rats crawling all over Dachun, hundreds of others tumbled into the trench!

Success!

Dachun immediately unleashed a flurry of Purify strikes in the water, killing all hundreds of them instantly!

One could imagine that without these hundreds, even if the Rat Mountain rebuilt itself, it wouldn't be tall enough, or the slope would be too steep. The restraint mission could be considered complete, right?

Watching the rats re-stacking, Dachun had no other tricks. He grabbed a dead rat and tried to throw it with Purify again.

This time, the target’s mist barrier was clearly weaker than before. It was working!

Dachun decided to aim for the largest target, the Rat King. Fighting a boss was bound to skyrocket his proficiency!

Missed! Missed again!!

Out of stamina—drink a Stamina Potion—hmm?

Looking at the empty bottle, which felt even better in his hand after drinking, a thought struck Dachun: Why am I throwing awkward dead fish and dead rats? Use the bottle! No, fill the bottle with water and throw it!

That’s it! When he first became a Sweeper, he felt the class skills were too limited because they relied on water! In places without water, did he really have to carry a bucket? Now it seemed the trick was to throw water-filled bottles!