Chapter 707 - 431: Flooding? Smoking Them Out? Or a Fire Attack?

Chapter 707: Chapter 431: Flooding? Smoking Them Out? Or a Fire Attack?

Flood them out? Smoke them out? Or maybe an attack with fire?

Three methods flashed through Lin Li’s mind. In the end, he decided on a fire attack, as it was the most time- and energy-efficient option.

SNAP.

Lin Li raised his left hand and snapped his fingers, sending a spark shooting from his fingertips.

FWOOSH...

The scattering sparks quickly transformed into apple-sized fireballs, which hovered in front of Lin Li.

With a thought, the twenty or so apple-sized fireballs formed a line and flew one by one into the burrow before him.

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH...

Shortly after the fireballs entered the burrow, terrified squeals echoed out, followed by a series of muffled explosions.

SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK...

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM...

A wave of heat surged from the burrow. Sniffing the air, he could smell the scent of charred meat.

Lin Li activated his Spiritual Perception. Through the barrier of soil, he found that the Spiritual Energy Waves he had previously detected had vanished after the fireballs exploded.

’All done.’

He had eliminated the second nest of Flame Rats. Although he hadn’t managed to harvest any Mutant Beasts, he didn’t feel it was a pity.

His purpose in coming here to clear out the Flame Rats was to do his part in preventing a rat infestation. Obtaining prey was secondary.

......

The sky was a vast, cloudless expanse of azure blue.

Around the shores of a sparkling green lake, figures in camouflage could be seen busily at work.

These figures in camouflage were all Exotic Beast Hunters, performing a sweeping extermination of the Flame Rats around the lake.

The reproductive rate of Flame Rats was so high that Exotic Beast Hunters had to conduct such a sweeping extermination in this area almost every year.

Many Exotic Beast Hunters had participated in this operation nearly every year for many years, and each one was incredibly skilled at clearing out Flame Rats.

"Hand me the chili powder." A middle-aged Exotic Beast Hunter with graying hair stuffed a handful of dry grass into a burrow, then turned to his companion.

"Old Wang, smoking them out is one thing, but you’re adding chili powder too? You’re pretty ruthless!" the rookie Exotic Beast Hunter with a buzz cut said with a laugh as he handed the chili powder to his companion.

"You wouldn’t know this, but the Flame Rats in their burrows can endure ordinary smoke for a long time.

Without chili powder, it takes at least ten minutes before they run out..." the gray-haired middle-aged Exotic Beast Hunter said with a smile, pouring the chili powder into the dry grass.

"So with the chili powder, how long before they can’t stand it and run out?" asked the buzz-cut rookie. This was his first time participating in a Flame Rat extermination.

He wasn’t familiar with the habits of Flame Rats, so there was a lot he needed to ask the veterans.

"With chili powder, the Flame Rats hiding in the burrow will be overwhelmed and run out in less than a minute." The gray-haired middle-aged Exotic Beast Hunter took a lighter from his pocket and lit the chili-powder-laced hay he had stuffed into the burrow.

"Huh? Less than a minute? It shortens the time that much?!" The inexperienced, buzz-cut rookie had a surprised look on his face.

The gray-haired middle-aged Exotic Beast Hunter just smiled without a word. Instead, he took some freshly broken, verdant branches he had prepared and covered the burning hay with them.

Soon, once the burning hay was covered by the green branches, thick white smoke began to billow out.

The burrow led downward, while smoke naturally rises. This was where they needed some external help.

"Old Zhao, you’re up," the gray-haired middle-aged Exotic Beast Hunter called out to his companion, who was keeping watch nearby.

The middle-aged man called Old Zhao was tall with a square face and a receding hairline.

Hearing his companion’s call, the middle-aged man with the receding hairline turned around, raised his right hand, and aimed his palm at the smoky fire.

A faint golden Spiritual Light bloomed in his palm. A strong gust of wind suddenly appeared directly above the fire, and the surrounding air currents rushed toward the smoldering pile.

WHOOSH...

Driven downward by the howling gale, the white smoke, which should have obeyed the laws of physics and drifted skyward, was instantly forced into the burrow.

The power of the chili-laced white smoke was astounding.

Because he was standing too close to the fire, the rookie with the buzz cut got a faceful of smoke, and his eyes immediately started to water.

"You see? I told you not to get so close, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you’re feeling it, huh?" The gray-haired middle-aged Exotic Beast Hunter shook his head with a laugh, then took a water bottle from his backpack and poured some out for the rookie to wash his eyes.

After rinsing his eyes with the clean water, the buzz-cut rookie rubbed his eye sockets and remarked,

"Old Wang, getting that chili-powder smoke in your eyes... that’s a special kind of burn!"

"Why else do you think I said this chili-laced smoke would make those Flame Rats run out in less than a minute?" the gray-haired middle-aged Exotic Beast Hunter said with a hearty laugh.

While the two were chatting, the chili-laced smoke, aided by the artificially controlled gale, continued to pour into the burrow. In just a few seconds, the Flame Rats’ home was completely filled with it.

SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK...

Agonized squeals erupted from the once-quiet burrow. At the entrance, the Exotic Beast Hunters stood ready with their weapons, waiting for the moment the Flame Rats, unable to bear the torment of the smoke, would be forced to emerge.

The gray-haired middle-aged Exotic Beast Hunter listened as the commotion from within the burrow grew more intense. Based on his rich experience, he knew the Flame Rats were about to bolt.

So, he immediately called out a warning to his companions, "The Flame Rats are coming out! Get ready!"

SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK...

An agonized shriek sounded at the burrow’s entrance. A Flame Rat, emitting the Spiritual Energy Wave of a First Rank Initial Stage, was the first to charge out. It was nearly half a meter long, crimson all over, and had large front teeth.

Following close behind this adult Flame Rat were eight pups, each half its size.

"Now!"

The moment their targets appeared, a sharp cry went out, and the Exotic Beast Hunters, who had been lying in wait, launched their attack on the fleeing Flame Rats.

SQUELCH, SQUELCH, SQUELCH...

SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK...

With swift strikes of their blades, mournful cries rose and fell. In a very short time, the entire nest of Flame Rats was exterminated by the Exotic Beast Hunters.

"Old Wang, with your method, we can take out a whole nest of Flame Rats in just a few minutes. The efficiency is incredible!" the buzz-cut rookie exclaimed in admiration.

The gray-haired middle-aged Exotic Beast Hunter replied with a chuckle, "My method for driving out rats is effective, but without the help of Old Zhao’s Superpower, we’d never achieve this level of efficiency."

The buzz-cut rookie nodded. Afterward, the Exotic Beast Hunter team packed up the adult Flame Rat, the one with some Initial Stage cultivation, and set off to find the next nest.

A kilometer away from this Exotic Beast Hunter team, a young man was clearing out Flame Rats on his own.

After finding a Flame Rat nest, he would raise his hand and create more than twenty apple-sized fireballs, launching them all into the burrow.

Once the string of fireballs entered the burrow, they quickly exploded. A wave of heat carrying the scent of charred meat rushed out, signaling that the entire nest of Flame Rats had been wiped out.

The entire process of eliminating a nest took less than half a minute. His efficiency was off the charts.

"Fifty-eight." Lin Li muttered the number after casually wiping out another nest of Flame Rats with his Superpower.

He had been searching along the lake, and including the nest he had just destroyed, he had cleared out a total of fifty-eight of them.

He looked up at the sun high in the sky, then pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time. It was almost twelve noon.

’I should find a place to eat lunch before I keep going. After lunch, I’ll spend another hour or two clearing out Flame Rats, and then I can call it a day for now.’

Lin Li thought for a moment and decided to find a spot for lunch. He scanned his surroundings as he put his phone away.

Soon, his gaze landed on a large, leafy tree in the distance.

’That place looks good.’ Lin Li strode forward, deciding to make a fire and cook lunch in the shade of the distant tree.

......