I am a full-level celestial master, you let me enter the strange talk of rules?

Zhang Yangqing's actions were not in vain; they were all subtle psychological manipulations.

It was a skill of manipulating people's hearts that he naturally mastered during his long experience of ghost stories.

Any reliable follower needs to establish absolute authority in terms of competence and benevolence, and the old miner is no exception.

Just like now, Zhang Yangqing was clearly heading towards a more secluded side passage, where the air was more stagnant and strange winds could be faintly heard. Although the old miner also showed a hint of unease on his face, he did not hesitate at all and followed closely behind.

He even deliberately lowered the brightness of his miner's lamp to reduce unnecessary noise.

Zhang Yangqing definitely has control over this team.

Zhang Yangqing's walking posture gave him immense confidence.

With a steady pace and a moderate speed, they walked as if on flat ground on the uneven surface, which was sometimes covered with slippery moss, without the slightest stumble or hesitation.

His back was straight, his shoulders relaxed, without the tension and excessive vigilance one would expect when venturing into dangerous territory. Instead, he exuded a leisurely and composed air.

It was this deep-seated composure that made the old miner feel "confident" and "with everything under control".

If Zhang Yangqing were to act cautiously and hesitantly at this moment, the old miner would feel uneasy and wonder if he had taken the wrong path.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the mine became narrower and more winding, with low-hanging rock walls overhead, sometimes requiring one to bend slightly to pass through.

The stench of decay in the air seemed to have intensified, mixed with an indescribable, foul smell reminiscent of an animal's den.

Just as they passed a particularly narrow bend, with wet, dripping rock walls on both sides, Zhang Yangqing stopped abruptly.

The old miner following behind him also stopped immediately, held his breath, and pricked up his ears alertly.

The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the faint sound of dripping water in the distance and the two people's soft breathing.

But in the midst of this silence, a very subtle yet undeniable sound reached their ears.

rustling! Rustling!
The sound came from a dark corner not far ahead, sounding like many small feet quickly crawling across the gravel and slippery ground. Judging from the density and frequency of the movement, it sounded like a group of mice.

However, there was an indescribable "abnormality" about the sound.

First of all, it's too neat, unlike the messy state of ordinary mice.

Secondly, the sound seemed to contain an extremely faint "scratching" sound, similar to a hard object scraping against rock, rather than the sound of soft paw pads.

Most importantly, as an experienced old miner, he was very familiar with the habits of rats. When rats sense a human approaching, especially light, they usually scatter instantly, making a frantic running sound, or simply lie in wait quietly.

But the movements in the darkness ahead were unhurried, even rhythmic, as if they were groping and exploring, as if those things were not afraid of them, or were carrying out something in an orderly manner in the darkness.

The old miner's heart jumped. He instinctively gripped his pickaxe, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he whispered to Zhang Yangqing, "Hey buddy, something's not right up ahead. It doesn't look like an ordinary rat."

Zhang Yangqing didn't turn around, but simply raised his hand slightly, signaling him to be quiet.

His gaze was fixed on the darkness ahead, and his pupils seemed to be veiled in a faint glow under the dim light of the miner's lamp.

He also heard the unusual noise, and he sensed something that the old miners couldn't perceive.

The "qi" in that area carried a viscous, cold, and chaotic sense of filth.

Rule 2 flashed through his mind: [A healthy mouse won't bite you unless provoked. If a mouse attacks you, it means something is "wrong" with you.]

However, the rules didn't specify what would happen if the rat itself became "abnormal." According to Zhang Yangqing's understanding, carrying a healthy, normal rat as a "living alarm" would undoubtedly make exploring the depths of such a dangerous mine much safer.

But the prerequisite is that you have to find healthy mice.

The rats in this area are clearly abnormal. The key is to identify or find a healthy one among these mutated rats.

A faint, unnatural light source was faintly visible ahead; it might be some kind of luminescent mineral, or something more dangerous.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Zhang Yangqing gave the old miner a hand gesture.

The two understood each other perfectly, and simultaneously reached for the knob on the side of their heads. With a gentle twist, the dim yellow light from their headlamps instantly went out.

The surroundings were plunged into deeper darkness, with only a faint light source in the distance providing extremely limited visibility.

Like ghosts blending into the shadows, the two clung to the damp, cold rock wall, holding their breath and moving extremely slowly toward the light source ahead.

The closer you get, the more obvious the murky, viscous feeling in the air becomes, as if you are walking through invisible algae, and even breathing becomes a bit difficult.

The stench, the foul smell, and an indescribable fishy odor mingled together, irritating the nasal cavity.

The two stealthily crept behind a huge, protruding rock, peeking out half their heads to look in the direction of the light source.

Before us was a relatively spacious natural mine, with many pebbles scattered on the ground.

The light source was moss that emanated a pale green fluorescence from a crack in the rock wall in a corner, casting an eerie glow over the mine.

In the brightest part of the fluorescence, the faint outline of a twisted, unidentified creature can be seen. It is slightly smaller than a human, with fragments of wing membranes similar to those of a bat and sharp claws, but its body structure is more deformed.

Thin wisps of black smoke were slowly rising from the corpse, exuding a strong aura of decay and misfortune.

Around the carcass were six or seven large rats with dirty, matted fur!

They were frantically gnawing on the flesh and blood of the carcass, making a sickening chewing and tearing sound.

The rats' eyes gleamed an unnatural dark red under the eerie green fluorescent light, and their mouths were stained with blackish-red blood.

The old miner was horrified. He whispered to Zhang Yangqing, "Buddy, that corpse might be some kind of strange creature. Look, it's still emitting black smoke! Could it be that the rats that ate its flesh and blood have all mutated?"

Zhang Yangqing did not answer immediately, his eyes sharp as he carefully observed the rats and corpses.

After a moment, he slowly shook his head and said in a very low voice, "Not necessarily. Look at those rats. I feel that they have been acting 'wrong' for some time now. They don't seem to have just mutated. Look closely at their abdomens. There are obvious, irregular hard lumps protruding. Ordinary rats would never have such a thing."

He paused, then pointed to the corpse: "And that thing, although it's emitting black smoke, upon closer inspection, its blood isn't pure black; in some places, there's still a dark red residue. This doesn't seem to be a completely bizarre creature."

It's more like some kind of special creature that lived here, which was attacked and killed by these mutated rats. Its corpse became contaminated and started emitting black smoke, but it hasn't fully transformed into the eerie entity yet.

Zhang Yangqing's skill lies in seeing through the deceptive facade of the supernatural world to its true nature.

Following Zhang Yangqing's guidance, the old miner carefully observed and indeed discovered these details, marveling at Zhang Yangqing's keen observation skills.

He asked in a low voice, "Then what should we do?"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Yangqing calmly said, "There are two options. First, leave directly, bypass this area, and continue searching for ore. These mutated rats are harmful and of no benefit to us; there's no need to get entangled with them." (End of Chapter)