Chapter 146
Only the two women of the Moore family were at home, and they were extra cautious. "Who''s
there?"
Recognizing the voice of Amber, Ste spoke up: "It''s me, from the 18th floor."
Amber opened the door with a mixture of surprise and anxiety, "Ste, is something wrong?"
Before she could answer, her dog Cooper barreled in, followed by a series of gnashing sounds.
Fearing a misunderstanding, Ste quickly exined, "Some vicious rats have invaded the 18th
floor. They''re not scared of humans and they chew everything in sight."
Katie emerged from her room, "Rats are here?"
From the look on Katie and Amber''s faces, it seemed they had already anticipated a rat infestation.
They weren''t overly shocked, but their eyes reflected worry and unease.
The battle on the balcony between Cooper and the rats was loud and chaotic. The balcony was
filled with pots and nters growing sweet potato vines, all of which had been chewed through by
the rats.
Cooper was quick to act, killing three rats. Two managed to escape, and fresh rat droppings were
scattered across the floor.
But the rats weren''t limited to the balcony. They had also made their way into the living room,
chewing through the sofa to reveal hidden bags of grains. The grain bags were torn open, their
contents spilling out.
The women of the Moore family were shocked at the ferocity of the rats and felt a wave of fear wash
over them. If their food stock was ruined, they would have no means to survive.
Katie was visibly shaken, "Ste, we really owe you one tonight."
"No problem." Ste replied awkwardly as Cooper started marking his territory around their
apartment. "The rats may not be scared of us, but they sure are scared of Cooper."
"That''s good to know." Katie was an experienced woman who understood the value of Cooper''s
actions and praised him generously in front of Ste.
Having done everything she could, Ste left with Cooper.
Katie sighed, "What else can we do? Every day is a struggle."
With no sleep in sight, the two women found all the hidden food and locked it in an iron cab.
They cleaned the balcony with a shlight, renting the chewed sweet potato vines and brought
them indoors for protection.
"What do we do with the dead rats?"
The three rats were not small, each one looking to be about a pound. Amber was torn between fear
and anticipation. This was meat after all. But thinking about what the rats had been eating, she felt
sick to her stomach.
Katie considered this and reluctantly said, "Let''s butcher them, dry the meat and store it. We''ll only
eat it if we''re sure it''s safe."
Given the choice, who would willingly eat rat meat? They were simply out of options.
They had some food stored at home, but who knew what the future would hold. It was better to be
safe than sorry.
Amber followed her mother-inw''s advice, fighting off revulsion as she worked.
...
With Cooper around, Ste slept soundly until morning. After breakfast, she sat on the sofa, reading
a book in front of the air conditioner.
After some time, she heard amotion from next door, followed by an urgent call from Lukas over
the inte, "Ste, we need backup! Send Cooper over, the rats are back."
Without any hesitation, Cooper opened both doors and dashed to the neighbor''s apartment.
Damn rats had invaded their space. The ensuing chase between Cooper, Lukas, and the rats
resulted in shattered vases andmps.
After two hours of intense fighting, they finally managed to kill several vicious rats and threw their
bodies on the roof in frustration.
Tired from reading, Ste got up to stretch. Through the ss door, she was surprised to see three
rats gnawing at the stainless steel screen that had been chewed through the night before. They
were boldly eating away at the ss, ignoring the depleted rat poison beside them.
These brazen creatures were active even during the day, tantly challenging her in broad daylight.
Did they really think she was less intimidating than a dog?
Ste opened the door but they continued without fear, their sharp teeth gnawing at the screen and
ss while their red eyes shone with a strange light.
Ste was furious. She grabbed a jug of boiling water from the Arcadia and flung it at them. The rats
squealed in agony as they fell from the high-rise balcony into the water below.
It seemed like the people from the 18th floor had it easypared to the chaos below, where
sounds echoed non-stop.
It was a bittersweet situation. The bitterness came from the ruthless and bold rats. The sweetness
came from the fact that killing them provided meat.
As for what the mice grew up eating, they couldn’t care less. They were almost starving to death
anyway. As a result, the survivors not only fought rats in their homes but ventured into vacant
apartments and corridors in search of them. Some even made simple rat traps.
Of course, there were also those who were bitten by rats in the middle of the night and had to
borrow rubber boats to get to the hospital.
With great poweres great responsibility. Cooper was running non-stop between two floors,
marking his territory everywhere. It had to be admitted that his urine had a deterrent effect, but it
evaporated too quickly in the hot weather.
Seeing the balcony invaded by rats, Cooper quickly topped up his markings. Then, exhausted, he
copsed on the floor, panting heavily, ‘Human, I need some Gatorade. I''ve given my all for this
home. If I don''t replenish my fluids, I won''t be able to pee anymore.’
Ste filled arge washbasin with water for him.
Meanwhile, Jasper was also busy. He opened the triple doors on the 17th floor and let Rosie out.
With him by her side, Rosie was free to unleash her skills.
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At dinner, Rosie was extremely cheerful, "Ste, I killed several rats today."
Ste was surprised, "How did you kill them?"
"With a crossbow."
With Cooper around, there weren''t many rats on the 17th and 18th floors, so Rosie didn''t have
much chance to practice. That was why her brother took her downstairs.
In two hours, they killed 12 rats.
Ste knew Rosie was a good shot, but she didn''t expect her to be this good. She was definitely
Jasper''s protege.
"Where are the rats?"
Rosie looked at her brother, waiting for his approval before she spoke, "A lot of people downstairs
wanted the rats I shot. But my brother said we can''t give them away, or they''ll be reliant."
They were dirty and thin, all bald, and they gave off a foul smell.
While Rosie was scared, she also appreciated her current life more, "Ste, I didn''t give them the
rats. Instead, I threw them away."
Whoever picked them up, and whoever got sick from eating them, had nothing to do with her.
Ste praised her, "Rosie, you''re great."
Rosie was pleased by the affirmation. Not only did she volunteer to wash the dishes, but she also
insisted on mopping the floor.
For several days, the red-eyed rats continued to wreak havoc, especially at night. Katie, being a
wise woman, came up with a bottle of mineral water asking for Cooper''s urine.
Sprinkling it in the areas where the rats frequented was especially effective.
The residents of 1803 were shocked. Cody brought several basins over, "Cooper, we need your
help urgently."
The stunned Cooper stumbled backwards; he really did not have any urine left in him.
The city council released thetest news, stating that after testing, the meat of the red-eyed rat was
not toxic, but they were carriers of multiple pathogens, which could easily lead to Dengue fever or
other diseases. They advised against private consumption.
The news caused quite a stir. Rats were edible, better start catching some before others get to
them. There was no way that they would hand those rats over to the neighborhoodmittee.
A spark of interest flickered in Cody, "Ste, shall we join the hunt?"
Ste picked up the walkie-talkie, "You guys do as you please, I have no interest in this endeavor."
With word that many people in the neighborhood had been bitten, she decided it was far safer toy
low and protect her own skin.
That night, the door to the 18th-floor apartment was knocked on.