Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies-Chapter 287: Where is the deity?

"What a mess," Ethan muttered as he watched the refugees scrambling to escape the rats.

They tried their best to keep their distance, but it was useless. The rats were far too fast—and there were too many of them.

Some people even dragged others down just to buy themselves a few seconds to run, a sight that left Ethan in disdain.

It was as if the law of survival of the fittest had descended upon them. Only those with means had any chance of living.

On the other side, Ethan finally saw the mutated rat up close.

Its body was covered in black pus, its eyes glowing a bloody red, with huge, sharp front teeth bared and ready to bite.

Thick black saliva dripped onto the ground, and wherever it landed, dark smoke hissed and rose.

Chunks of burned flesh also clung to its massive frame—scars from the abbots’ earlier strikes—yet the creature seemed entirely unbothered by the damage.

It moved as if nothing had happened at all.

Hearing Ethan’s voice, Lieutenant Fern paused his sniping and turned toward him.

"Chief, you’re finally here," he said grimly.

"The situation is really bad. This mutated rat is far too similar to the mutated cat we fought before. It’s definitely another Tier 1—an extremely troublesome one."

He frowned, clearly worried, and continued, "I don’t know why, but the abbots keep using flashy elemental attacks instead of targeting its weakness. Now its burned flesh is already regenerating. At this rate, their attacks are almost useless."

If the abbots heard Fern’s words, they would definitely roast him—the situation was far from simple.

They already knew the mutated rat’s weakness.

After scanning its body, they had sensed spiritual energy gathering in specific spots—likely the location of its core.

They also knew that its insides were fragile, but the real problem lay in execution.

Every time they tried to strike those vital points, the creature dodged instinctively or used its own body to block the attack, as if guided purely by survival.

That made landing a killing blow incredibly difficult.

"Not totally useless," Ethan replied calmly. "As long as they keep exhausting it and force it to burn through its core energy, killing it will become much easier. The real question is—can they outlast it?"

"By the way, I haven’t seen Andrei. Where is that boy?"

Lieutenant Fern replied quickly, "Andrei’s inside Paradise. He suddenly collapsed, so I pulled him back. He might be starting to awaken."

"Alright," Ethan said, looking forward to Andrei and Daniel’s abilities as he already had plans for these two teenagers.

And upon seeing that the mutated rats were gaining the upper hand, he decided it was time to act.

"Keep monitoring the area. I’ll help the abbots for now."

"Understood, Chief," Fern answered, immediately resuming his sniping as he kept watch over the chaos.

In the next instant, Ethan vanished, activating [Shadow Cloak]. He then reappeared just as the bunch of rats lunged toward a group of fleeing refugees.

Without sparing them a glance, he activated [Shadow Forge].

A thread-like shadow surged forward like living needles, stitching through the swarm of rats. Wherever the shadows passed, screams erupted, and death followed.

It was disturbingly easy. The shadow threads slipped straight into the rats’ bodies, tearing them apart from the inside.

It seems that their minds were focused only on killing and feeding, completely careless of their own safety.

Wooosh! Wooosh!

Ethan then unleashed a barrage of shadow threads, slaughtering the rats in droves; though the effort rapidly drained his core energy, the destruction was deeply satisfying.

Fortunately, he had stored plenty of well water, allowing him to replenish his spiritual energy and continue fighting without pause.

The only concern was the risk of overusing it. Too much—even for him—could take a toll on his body.

Seeing the rats fall as if by magic, the refugees were left utterly stunned as they struggled to flee the area.

Soon after, cheers erupted as they realized they could finally escape.

"The deity is real—it’s killing the rats!"

"Should we stay here? It feels like something is protecting this area."

"Let’s leave first. We’ll decide after the deity clears this place."

"Where is the deity? I can’t see it."

"Oh, deity, please save us!"

Hidden beneath [Shadow Cloak], Ethan was once again left speechless by the refugees’ frantic thoughts.

They had completely convinced themselves that a deity was watching over them.

Not bothering to correct them, he continued moving forward, cutting down rats as he advanced toward the true battlefield.

Dozens of tierless rats fell, their deaths drawing a furious screech from their leader, the mutated rat.

Its bloody eyes then swept across the area, searching for the one responsible, until they landed on Ethan and locked onto him.

Its instincts screamed that this man was dangerous, yet it couldn’t resist—he was different from the two men it was currently fighting.

To the creature, he seemed... more delicious.

Abandoning the Abbotts, it lunged straight at Ethan, eager to devour this prey brimming with spiritual energy.

The Abbotts’ bodies could help it replenish its core and possibly raise its tier over time—but a man like Ethan, with a fully formed core, was far more valuable.

Ethan thought the same—this mutated rat might be dangerous, but its core could greatly benefit Paradise’s daily operations.

He had to take it.

Seeing it charge, he didn’t flinch. Instead, he unleashed his ability.

"[Shadow Forge], create a sea of thorny vines!" he commanded.

Immediately, shadows surged, twisting into a circling mass aimed to trap the mutated rat.

A loud screech echoed as it tried to evade, but the vines closed in relentlessly.

Soon, the thorny shadows pierced and wrapped around its massive body, pinning it from inside and out.

Victory seemed within Ethan’s grasp.

But then the rat activated its ability—anything that touched its body began to melt.

The shadow vines trapping it sizzled as they burned away, slowly disintegrating.

"Its body seems corrosive... like it has an acid ability," Ethan murmured, frowning.

He recalled the black saliva hissing as it hit the ground—so it was indeed acidic.

Now it made sense why the abbots couldn’t get close: the acid could even eat through defensive talismans, leaving them completely exposed and vulnerable.