Chapter 5

Link only knew that the other party was using a Bezos T1 micro submachine gun, but he had no idea how many spare rounds the person had, so he didn't dare to make any rash moves.

"Treasure Rat, one more wave!"

The Treasure Rat, hiding in the corner opposite, heard the signal and crept along the wall toward the mercenary.

Seeing the rat again, the mercenary almost pulled the trigger on the micro submachine gun but held back.

The mercenary's expression was complex. On one hand, this rat had wasted over a dozen bullets, and he wished to get rid of it as soon as possible. On the other hand, in this eerie atmosphere, seeing a rat in his field of vision made him feel a bit more at ease, giving him the illusion that he wasn't alone.

Seeing that the other party didn't shoot, the Treasure Rat continued to boldly move forward along the wall.

The mercenary's attention was partially drawn to the rat, and Link, hiding in the dark, was very patient.

It wasn't time to launch a surprise attack yet. He would wait for the Treasure Rat to enter the sprint range and then coordinate to finish off the enemy.

The Treasure Rat kept getting closer. Although Link was hiding behind the wall, the unique blood connection allowed him to clearly sense the rat's position. The 10 points of health deducted to form the blood cocoon were to nurture the pet, providing nutrients for its birth. This special form established a blood-thicker-than-water, unbreakable bond between Link and his pet.

Forming a cocoon and hatching, it was like being both a father and a mother.

Squeak, squeak, squeak...

The Treasure Rat made a few sounds, suddenly standing up and staring blankly at the mercenary.

The mercenary's eyes lit up, his right hand still holding the gun and pointing it outward.

He extended his left index and thumb, rubbing them together and making "tsk, tsk, tsk" sounds to attract the Treasure Rat.

"Since he's calling you over, act it out. When you get close, launch a sudden attack!"

Link conveyed the plan telepathically, sensing the rat's position while preparing himself.

The Treasure Rat tilted its head, examining the mercenary with a curious look.

Then it crouched down and slowly approached the mercenary.

The mercenary's expression gradually brightened. After spending so much time in the desert, he knew these animals had a certain level of intelligence.

The presence of a rat indicated that his area was temporarily safe.

The mercenary extended his palm, trying to catch the little rat in his hand.

Suddenly, the Treasure Rat sped up, using the mercenary's palm as a stepping stone to jump onto his head.

The mercenary was startled by the sudden change and instinctively reached out to swat the rat off his body.

Seizing the opportunity, Link peeked around the corner, holding the Glock 17 with both hands and decisively aimed and fired.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Some bullets hit the wall, others hit the mercenary.

Each time he pulled the trigger, Link's arms were jolted by the recoil of the pistol.

[You successfully used the Glock 17 to hit the enemy, activating the skill [Basic Shooting]]

[[Basic Shooting] Progress 1%... 2%... 3%...]

Two pale blue numbers appeared above the mercenary's head.

-20!

-23!

Two shots hit his arm and shoulder, both non-fatal wounds.

Link fired six shots in total, with only two hitting the target. The remaining four were abstract outlines, and his arms were already slightly numb from the recoil.

This body's physical condition was really poor, with no experience or skills in handling weapons. It was like a max-level soul inhabiting a weak body, with the awareness of a king but the skills of a bronze player.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

The micro submachine gun's retaliation followed closely. Link dodged back behind the wall, the bullets chipping away at the sharp edges of the wall, making it look like it had been gnawed on.

The mercenary stood up, leaning against the wall, one hand holding the micro submachine gun, the other quickly swatting the rat that was running around on his body.

The Treasure Rat burrowed into the mercenary's body, biting him unexpectedly as he ran.

The mercenary's head kept showing -1, -1, -1 damage.

"Damn! This guy has a Glock!" The mercenary instantly realized that his companion's death had nothing to do with any mysterious unknowns; it was this slave who had somehow killed him. Now, he had also obtained the pistol and magazine, making the situation suddenly critical.

He had to be wary of the slave behind the wall while dealing with the rat on his body, causing him great anxiety.

The rat darted around his body like lightning, and the mercenary, who had been shot in the shoulder, was much slower in his movements.

Seeing this, the mercenary grabbed the front of his T-shirt, gritted his teeth, and tore it off his body.

The Treasure Rat, seeing this, retracted its head and squeezed into the mercenary's pants.

Burrowing and drilling were innate skills for rats.

The mercenary felt a furry mass in his crotch, causing him to shiver with cold sweat.

At the same time, a small message appeared on Link's system interface.

[Your pet hit the enemy's weak point, dealing 12 points of critical damage!]

[Your pet hit the enemy's weak point, dealing 15 points of critical damage!]

...

Accompanied by the critical damage notifications, there were the mercenary's agonizing screams.

Link instinctively clamped his legs together. This attack was truly vicious and impossible to defend against. Could he shoot himself in the crotch?

Link peeked around the corner. The mercenary, now in no position to be vigilant, had thrown the micro submachine gun aside and was clutching his crotch, completely defenseless.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Five consecutive shots, three of which hit, completely killing the mercenary.

[You killed the Wasteland Gang mercenary, gaining 200 experience points]

Link turned the dead mercenary over, and the Treasure Rat's head emerged from the waistband, still covered in blood.

Link winced, feeling a phantom pain in his own crotch.

Perhaps this was what it meant to feel someone else's pain!

"You go clean yourself up."

The Treasure Rat obediently crawled out, ran to the corner, and rolled in the dirt, using its little paws to groom itself and clean its body.

"You, a slave, dared to kill a Wasteland Gang mercenary. You're dead!"

Link was crouching, searching the body, when a stern voice came from the satellite phone on the ground.

It turned out that when Link first appeared from the corner, he had already been captured by the satellite phone's camera. However, the mercenary, in his attempt to deal with the rat, had torn off his clothes, causing the satellite phone to fall to the ground.

The mercenary's agonizing screams were still heard by the Wasteland Gang headquarters, and the sound of the Glock pistol naturally led them to guess the outcome.

Link snorted, his tone mocking.

He pulled the T-shirt aside, picked up the satellite phone from the ground, and, with a deep breath, said firmly, "The machine never dies, the Führer lives forever! The secrets of the desert belong to the Mechanic Cult!"

With that, he ended the satellite phone call.

The slogan Link shouted was unique to the fanatical believers of the Mechanic Cult.

This move redirected the blame to another force in the desert, the Mechanic Cult.

After all, neither of these forces were good, and a dogfight would leave them both bleeding.

Most importantly, the city ruins were part of the Mechanic Cult's territory. By saying this, he might force the Wasteland Gang to abandon their rescue plans.

[You obtained 1 satellite phone, 1 Bezos T1 micro submachine gun]

"A bit of a pity, this guy didn't have any spare submachine gun magazines."

Link searched the body thoroughly but only found a phone and a micro submachine gun, no extra magazines.

Fortunately, both the pistol and the submachine gun used 9mm bullets, so he could transfer some bullets from the pistol magazine to the submachine gun to ensure medium-range firepower.

After looting the spoils, Link's attention returned to the dead mercenary.

He examined the body for a moment, even licking his dry lips...

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

Just as Link was taking out a dagger to modify the military boots to fit him, the Treasure Rat jumped in front of him, calling urgently.

"You mean there's someone else here!?"

Cold sweat broke out on Link's forehead, and he immediately put away the dagger and drew his pistol.

"Only three people, including myself, escaped from the quicksand. Why is there still someone here?"

There was no way someone could have crawled out of the quicksand, Link was certain.

The only possibility was the Mechanic Cult!

Link quickly checked his ammunition and equipment.

The Glock pistol magazine had 6 rounds left, two full pistol magazines, and the submachine gun had 12 rounds left, totaling 52 9mm bullets.

Facing a mechanical soldier in powered armor would be a tough battle!

"How many are there?"

The Treasure Rat's normal search range was 500 meters, and its metal detection range was 1000 meters.

Link's only advantage was using the Treasure Rat as a "metal detector" to target and eliminate enemies one by one, continuously engaging in guerrilla warfare in the city ruins.

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

"What? One?"

This left Link puzzled.

Mechanical soldiers did not operate alone; low-level mechanical soldiers had tactical chip settings, and the minimum tactical requirement was five soldiers.

Link slung the submachine gun over his shoulder, replaced the pistol magazine, and patted the Treasure Rat's head. "Let's go, lead me to the person!"

The Treasure Rat, now clean of blood, shook off the remaining dust and led the way.

Link followed, realizing this was the path out of the maze.

The Treasure Rat stopped at the maze entrance, squeaking a few times to indicate that the person was outside.

Link pressed his back against the wall, slowly turning his head around the corner, and caught a glimpse of someone.

The next second, Link's expression was one of shock.

|д?′)!!

A chubby, dark-skinned boy, wearing the same slave linen clothes as Link, with a bulging camouflage backpack on his back.

Link's eyebrows furrowed, unable to determine the boy's identity.

While the slaves he had seen were all emaciated and malnourished, he had never seen a slave as fat as this one!

Was there no rule of basic fairness?

"Treasure Rat, go and test him out. Don't use lethal force, and don't attack vital points!"

The Treasure Rat scratched its head, tidied its hair, and then ran out along the wall.

|_?))

Link observed from the shadows, judging the boy's background based on his reactions.

The Treasure Rat quietly approached along the wall, while the chubby boy crouched, his large, black, round eyes alert and lively, like a cat. At the slightest sign of danger, he would run to a pile of debris and hide, waiting for the coast to clear before peeking out again.

Over a short distance of about a hundred meters, Link counted.

Due to the wind and the noise of debris being blown around, the boy had hidden four times.

This chubby slave was extremely cautious!

However, Link was even more cautious. He wouldn't act rashly until he had a clear understanding of the boy's background and strength.

The boy's appearance was quite mysterious.

The Wasteland Gang mercenaries and Link had escaped the quicksand in vehicles, but this boy, without any vehicle and carrying a full backpack, how did he manage to escape?

However, Link soon had the chance to find out.

After the wind and noise subsided, the boy peeked out again, crouched, and took quick steps forward.

Suddenly, the Treasure Rat slipped out from its hiding spot and ran toward the chubby slave.

The boy, seeing a gray-black mass quickly approaching, turned and ran.

But a "mobile lard" couldn't run as fast as the lightning-quick Treasure Rat.

The Treasure Rat leaped, grabbed the coarse linen clothes, and quickly climbed onto the boy's body.

The boy screamed and rolled on the ground.

Link hadn't even ordered the Treasure Rat to bite; it was just crawling on him.

Even so,

The boy's screams were like those of a pig being slaughtered...

Most of the alertness was gone, leaving only the need to clarify things.

Link emerged from the maze, gun in hand, pointing it at the boy.

"How did you escape?"

Link's sudden question made the rolling boy stop and immediately kneel, hands on his head, pleading, "Please spare my life! Take me back, do whatever you want, just don't kill me!"

"Look up!"

The boy looked up, seeing Link, dressed in the same slave clothes, pointing a gun at him, and was momentarily stunned.

"Big brother, you are..."

"I asked how you escaped!"

Bang!

Link fired a shot at the ground, making the boy's fat body tremble, and he didn't dare move.

"I, I hid in the trunk of a jeep."

"Impossible! The mercenary camp is heavily guarded. How could someone of your size hide in a jeep's trunk?"

The boy was almost in tears, quickly explaining, "I was responsible for cooking. Last night, while delivering midnight snacks to the mercenaries, I overheard that they would be going on a mission today. So, I packed a bag and stole some food from the kitchen. I sneaked into the camp under the cover of darkness and hid in the trunk, waiting for the mission to start so I could find a chance to escape."

Link believed this explanation.

The dark skin, if not for the smile at night, wouldn't be noticeable even up close.

Link then checked the boy's information.

[Use Recon on target. Due to similar levels, only partial information can be viewed]

Name: ???

Race: Human

Level: LV1

Identity: Slave

Health, Energy, Attributes: Strength 4, Agility 5, Endurance 5, Intelligence 4, Energy 1, Charisma 3, Luck 9

Evaluation: Do you know what it means to have your wishes come true?

...

Indeed, a slave, but the boy's attribute values made Link's teeth chatter.

Why?

Why did he have a charisma of 3 and luck of 9!

"What's your name?"

"Fürbes."

Link looked at Fürbes, his expression complex.

He had survived through numerous dangers, outsmarting the mercenaries to stay alive.

This fat boy, on the other hand, had it easy.