154 Chapter 154: Ambush (1/2)
”Calm down.” I gave Harvey a bottle of water and forced him to take a sip. The poor guy looked like he was going to throw up. ”Take a deep breath.”
Harvey nodded and obeyed, accepting the bottle and inhaling heavily. He was still pale, but he seemed to be in better shape than before. I recalled that this wasn't his first time seeing corpses. He was there when the Crastrate killed our former society members. He was no stranger to death, but even so, seeing a young, innocent child being fed upon by a grotesque monster would leave him shaken.
He swallowed and glanced up determinedly at us. Behind, Bu Fan sneered, obviously thinking of Harvey as useless and weak, but I ignored the arrogant bastard.
”A single Cyclops Rat at the gas station, right?” Craig already had his spear out. Sheila also had her spear and shield out as well, the two Crimson Spear society members getting ready for battle. ”Should be an easy kill. Our job is to clear the route of monsters, right?”
”Wait.” Teacher Fielding raised a hand and turned back to Harvey. ”You said you only saw one Cyclops Rat, right?”
”That's correct.” Harvey nodded, a little calmer now. ”I say we nail the bastard.”
”Yeah!” Craig concurred enthusiastically.
”No.” Teacher Fielding straightened his spine. ”Cyclops Rats usually move around in swarms. There shouldn't only be one of them. There should be more lurking about.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. ”This is most likely a trap. The other members of the swarm should be lurking nearby. If we attack recklessly, we'll only walk right into an ambush.”
As expected of a teacher, he really knew his stuff. Even though I had read about Cyclops Rats and knew they always moved in packs, I didn't anticipate them being cunning enough to set a trap to ambush unwary human attackers.
”Harvey, you stay back and take up a position. I want you to keep your eyes and ears out, to detect any sign of the other Cyclops Rats. The moment you find them, let us know immediately. Is that understood?”
”Yes, sir!” Harvey immediately departed, disappearing into one of the buildings.
”As for the rest of us…” Teacher Fielding grinned as he turned toward us. ”Let us set up an ambush of our own.”
*
Craig, the most enthusiastic one out of us, threw his crimson spear forward and nailed the Cyclops Rat. It was so intent on its meal that it didn't even notice his presence. The spear impaled the shrieking monster and tore a hole through its body. The bloody remnants of its body flopped down, a mist of blood descending upon the splattered ground.
I tried not to look at the corpse of the poor child. Craig, on the other hand, calmly strode forward to recover his spear. Sheila moved quickly beside him, to give the illusion that he was not alone. The two of them entered the gas station alone.
”Bastard,” Craig muttered as he yanked his spear from the floor, giving the Cyclops Rat's carcass a glare.
”They are here.” my smartphone crackled to life as Harvey spoke up. ”Multiple signals, heading toward the gas station. Nine o'clock position, six o'clock position and four o'clock. About thirty in total. There are another five coming from the manhole about two meters south of the gas station.”
Harvey had really adapted to his role very well. I wasn't sure what he was using to detect the Cyclops Rats' movements, but it certainly wasn't his magic alone. He was generally a swordsman, but it seemed that he learned the basics of Divination Ba Qi. He would made a final Marine if he ever traveled to a world full of pirates.
However, he shouldn't have gotten that far yet, so I assumed he must have some equipment that allowed him to detect the monsters. Later, I would learn that they were video analysis software that he usually used for school matches, but modified slightly for use in reality. That guy had always been smart, and like me, he was a nerd. Just with different hobbies.
”Stay sharp,” Teacher Fielding ordered. ”Craig, Sheila, the both of you hold your ground. The moment they show up, we'll strike.”
”Heh! We'll try to leave a few for you, teach.”
”Don't come too late or you'll miss all the fun,” Sheila added, infected by her president's excitement.
There was a crumpling of metal as one of the Cyclops Rats clambered atop an abandoned school bus. Craig turned toward it, his spear ready, but it was being accompanied by a couple more of its brethren. Beside him, Sheila turned in the opposite direction as another Cyclops Rat smacked a motorcycle out of its path to crawl toward them. Behind it, another five or six black-furred monstrosities, each with a single glowing red eye, were barely visible.
”They are here.”
”Fire Team A, Fire Team B, go!” Teacher Fielding instructed.