The Rat King and his mate left. Due to communication issues, they never fully explained why they were giving Ye Zhongming a battle pet.
Ye Zhongming figured it out after a moment of thought.
One thing was certain: this little rat was the biological offspring of the Rat King and his mate—not some third or fourth-generation descendant, but a true second-generation offspring!
Moreover, Ye Zhongming learned something else: the little rat’s mother, the Rat King’s mate, would no longer be able to reproduce. This was her last child.
As for the reason, Ye Zhongming had heard Liu Zhenghong mention it before. Essentially, even species with rapid reproduction rates had their limits. Once they reached that limit, they would lose their ability to reproduce.
For example, house mice before the apocalypse matured quickly and began reproducing soon after. The number of offspring per litter would increase over time, reaching a peak before their reproductive abilities began to decline, eventually ceasing altogether.
The Rat King would naturally have other descendants, but it was her last litter for this particular mate.
At first glance, it might seem like this little rat wasn’t the Rat King’s last child, but it was the crown prince!
While its mother wasn’t the Rat King herself, she was the second-in-command of the entire rat colony, second only to the Rat King in status. Their levels alone spoke volumes about their power.
Such a biological son, and the youngest at that, being given to Ye Zhongming as a battle pet, carried a strong sense of being a “hostage.”
The timing of this gift was also crucial.
The Rat King and his mate were on the verge of evolution. Perhaps upon returning, they would evolve to level eight.
This was quite intriguing.
The Rat King and its colony currently worked for Cloud Peak, but the Rat King knew it wasn’t truly a part of Cloud Peak—unless it willingly became Ye Zhongming’s battle pet.
But was it willing? Clearly not!
It was accustomed to being a king. It could work for Ye Zhongming, but it would never become a servant.
However, the Rat King was well aware that it wasn’t irreplaceable. As Cloud Peak grew stronger, the work it and its mutant rat army did could be replaced or accomplished by other lifeforms.
This feeling became especially strong when it encountered the battle rat army that Cloud Peak had cultivated.
It knew that Cloud Peak had bred more obedient rats. Even if they couldn’t reproduce in large numbers yet, given time, the battle rat army’s size would rapidly expand. And the Rat King’s value would diminish until Cloud Peak no longer needed it.
Faced with obsolescence, the Rat King had only two options: either migrate far away with its colony, or become a target for Cloud Peak’s hunters, contributing its demon crystal and materials.
But was the first option feasible? No matter how the Rat King thought about it, it couldn’t see itself escaping Cloud Peak’s pursuit.
In this situation, it had no choice but to consider its future.
It dared not even evolve to level eight, fearing that Ye Zhongming would kill it and use its level-eight demon crystal to spin the wheel.
Cloud Peak was currently on a rampage, hunting level-eight lifeforms! The Rat King had even participated in several of these hunts with its subordinates. Cloud Peak’s two main combat teams could take down a single level-eight lifeform with almost no casualties. Adding Yangos or Yellow Ball to the mix made it an easy victory, even against group-dwelling lifeforms. If they encountered something even stronger, Red Hair would step in.
The Rat King knew Cloud Peak could kill it without even needing Red Hair to intervene.
It was during this time of anxiety and worry that its son was born, presenting a potential way out.
The relationship between a battle beast and its evolved was undoubtedly close. While the essence of their bond was master and servant, they often saw each other as partners.
If its son became Ye Zhongming’s battle pet based on this relationship, Ye Zhongming would naturally leave the Rat King alone.
Coincidentally, this son was exceptionally talented. The immense energy within its body had shown remarkable potential from birth, making it the most successful “product” of genetic modification so far.
Thus, the scene today unfolded.
When the Rat King left, it had Ye Zhongming’s assurance: it was safe.
“Boss, are you planning to take a rat as your battle pet?” Ah Yang scratched his head, feeling that this didn’t sound very impressive.
Ye Zhongming laughed without a hint of concern.
“This isn’t an ordinary rat,” he said, turning the little creature over in his hands and even probing its body with his mental energy. The more he examined it, the more pleased he became.
“Once it grows up, I estimate that even that nasty dragon won’t be a match for it. The only one who might stand a chance against it is Red Hair.”
That powerful?!
Everyone was stunned, unsure where Ye Zhongming’s confidence came from.
While Yangos was annoying, everyone acknowledged that within Cloud Peak, only Ye Zhongming, Xia Bai, and Red Hair could definitively overpower it. Yellow Ball might be able to put up a fight, but no one else or any other battle pet stood a chance.
This little rat would one day be on par with Red Hair?
Ye Zhongming was delighted and took it to Liu Zhenghong’s lab. Sister Hong was also very interested and decided to keep it for further study.
After spending some time in the lab, touring the top-secret genetic lifeform project, and having a meal with Sister Hong, Ye Zhongming finally left.
After another day of crafting weapons and equipment, Ye Zhongming stepped out to rest and saw Xia Lei, Guang Yao, and Mo Ye—who had been staying behind to handle coordination and logistics—standing outside his door. They were all frowning and discussing something in low voices. It seemed they wanted to talk to Ye Zhongming but hadn’t decided.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Zhongming asked, knowing that these three were decisive individuals. If they were hesitating like this, something serious must be going on.
Seeing the other two look at her, Xia Lei spoke up, “It’s about Chuyin.”
Ye Zhongming raised an eyebrow. “What about her?”
“The territorial expansion plan isn’t going well, especially in Guan City, which is under Shasha’s responsibility. Not only did they suffer an ambush during their recruitment efforts, but the surrounding organizations also formed a coalition to resist Shasha’s team. Both sides have been fighting almost daily, suffering heavy losses.”
As Xia Lei explained, her voice grew colder. Such open and large-scale resistance against Cloud Peak had filled her with anger.
“After you gave the order for Cloud Peak to intervene, Chuyin’s team was assigned to assist Shasha. But before they could reach their destination, they were attacked. The losses weren’t catastrophic, but over a hundred people died. You know how long it’s been since we’ve taken a hit like that. Chuyin was furious when she found out and went to join her team with just two others. But… we just received word that Chuyin’s team has joined up with Shasha’s forces, but Chuyin herself… is still missing.”