Daily Life of Being Turned Gay by the Male Lead After Transmigrating into an Apocalypse – CH59

Chapter 59: Mutant Rat

Scritch… scratch… scritch…

A very faint noise echoed in the dead of night, sounding like something gnawing on dry wood.

The sound was intermittent. It seemed to come from outside the house, yet it also resonated as if it were coming from deep underground.

Little Yu and his grandfather were sleeping in the west room. The floor here wasn’t covered with wooden boards or cement; it was just packed earth, with a few rusty farm tools and random clutter piled up in the corner.

Little Yu was curled securely in his grandfather’s arms. The old man’s rough, calloused palm rested comfortingly on the boy’s back, his breathing slow and even.

Scritch… scratch… crack.

The sound grew louder.

In his sleep, Little Yu frowned and unconsciously shrank deeper into his grandfather’s embrace.

Suddenly, the packed dirt in the corner bulged up into a small mound, sending loose soil tumbling down with a soft rustle. A pointed snout poked out from the earth, followed by two round eyes that glowed with an eerie, blood-red light in the pitch-black room.

It was a mutant rat.

The creature was the size of a squirrel and covered in thick, grayish-black fur. Its teeth were so vicious and sharp they hardly looked like they belonged to a rodent.

It shook the loose dirt from its coat, its long, thin nose twitching as it sniffed the air. Immediately, its glowing red eyes locked onto the grandfather and grandson sleeping on the bed.

Baring its ghastly white fangs, the rat pushed off with its hind legs and lunged fiercely at the old man’s lower leg.

“Ah—!”

A shrill scream pierced the silent night.

Little Yu’s grandfather jolted awake instantly, a sharp, agonizing pain radiating from his calf. He kicked out on pure instinct. The mutant rat was flung away, hitting the wall with a dull thud, but it scrambled right back to its feet and lunged again.

Meanwhile, the rustling from the dirt hole in the corner intensified.

One, two, three… more mutant rats crawled out of the shadows. Their eyes shone with the same blood-red glint, packing closely together in a swarm large enough to make anyone’s scalp tingle with dread.

The beasts seemed to move with coordinated purpose, launching their attack simultaneously. Two of them leaped straight onto the old man’s chest and shoulders. Their razor-sharp teeth instantly tore through his thin, worn cotton coat and sank deep into his flesh.

“Grandpa! Grandpa, what’s wrong?!” Little Yu jolted completely awake, snapping his eyes open. Through his blurry vision, he saw his grandfather writhing in pain on the bed, several dark shadows squirming frantically over his body.

Panicking, the boy fumbled inside his coat and pulled out the small fruit knife his grandfather had given him for self-defense.

Just then, one of the mutant rats seemed to notice Little Yu. It shifted its target, locked its glowing red eyes on him, and pushed off with its powerful hind legs, lunging straight for his face.

Terrified, Little Yu leaned back and swung the small knife wildly.

“Squeak!” the rat shrieked as the blade managed to slice a shallow gash across its flank.

Dark blood splattered onto the back of Little Yu’s hand, sticky and hot. The beast fell heavily to the ground and rolled once. Instead of retreating, the injury only thoroughly enraged it.

Arching its back, the rat let out an even sharper series of vicious squeaks. Its claws scratched white marks into the sleeping mat before it lunged at Little Yu again, moving twice as fast as before!

Little Yu was terrified. His back was pressed tightly against the packed earth wall, his entire body trembling violently. But seeing his grandfather struggling in such agony, an inexplicable surge of power suddenly welled up from deep within his heart.

He couldn’t afford to be afraid. He had to save his grandfather.

Gritting his teeth, Little Yu tightened his grip on the small knife and fiercely charged right at the mutant rat.

However, this time the creature lunged into thin air. Just as its teeth were about to sink into him, Little Yu’s body suddenly vanished from where he stood.

It wasn’t just rapid movement; he had truly vanished into thin air, as if his very presence and breathing had been entirely erased from the world.

The mutant rat landed heavily on the bed, turning its red eyes in total confusion as its long, thin nose sniffed the air frantically. Where had its prey gone? The boy had clearly been there just a second ago…

Little Yu was equally bewildered. He could feel his hand gripping the knife, and he could hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Yet, when he looked down, he couldn’t see his own body. It was as if he had become completely invisible.

Furthermore, the rats seemed truly unable to see him. But he had no time to wonder about it; his gaze remained locked on the mutant beasts that were still tearing at his grandfather.

The old man’s screams were growing weaker, and his cotton coat was already soaked through with blood. Little Yu bit down hard on his lower lip, tasting the metallic tang of his own blood in his mouth.

Gripping the knife tightly, he moved on his tiptoes, approaching in total silence. For his first strike, he aimed at the back of the neck of the rat perched on his grandfather’s chest. It was their softest weak point.

Holding his breath, Little Yu channeled all his strength into his wrist and drove the blade down.

Squeak—!

With a sharp shriek, the rat convulsed. The small knife had pierced perfectly into the gap between its vertebrae, and the beast rolled limply off the old man.

Sensing their companion’s sudden death, the other two rats raised their heads warily. Their red eyes scanned the darkness, but they couldn’t find the attacker anywhere.

Little Yu didn’t hesitate. His second strike pierced straight into the temple of another mutant rat from the side. Using all his strength, he drove the tip of the knife deep into its skull, killing the creature instantly.

The third, then the fourth…

By the time Little Yu stabbed the last mutant rat through its eye socket and into its brain, his figure suddenly flickered and reappeared by the bed.

He stood there panting heavily, his hands slick with hot blood, the small knife dripping steadily onto the floor.

“Grandpa… Grandpa, are you okay?” he cried, throwing himself down beside the old man, his voice choking with sobs.

The old man lay in a growing pool of blood. His cotton coat was torn to shreds, and his exposed skin was covered in vicious bite wounds of varying depths. The most severe injuries were on his lower leg and neck. Arteries had been severed, and blood was gushing out, impossible to stop no matter how hard the boy tried to press his small hands against the wounds.

“Little Yu… Little Yu, where are you?” his grandfather rasped. His eyes were half-open, and his gaze was entirely unfocused. His voice was so weak it was barely a whisper. He struggled to move his eyes but couldn’t seem to find his grandson. “Why… why can’t Grandpa see you…?”

“I’m here! Grandpa, I’m right here! Can you see me? I’m here!” Little Yu wept, grabbing his grandfather’s hand tightly. Only then did he fully realize he had “changed back,” his body visible once more.

The old man’s cloudy eyes finally focused on the boy’s face. The corners of his mouth struggled to pull into a faint smile. “Ah… there you are. My Little Yu… has become an Ability User too… Good… that’s so good…”

As he spoke, he broke into a violent fit of coughing. A mixture of dark liquid and bloody foam gushed from his mouth.

“Grandpa, don’t talk! I’ll go find Brother Chu Yang, I’ll go get Brother Little Bai! He has healing powers, he can definitely save you!” Little Yu tried to stand up and run outside, but his grandfather grabbed his wrist tightly.

The old man’s hand was ice-cold, yet his grip was surprisingly strong.

“Don’t… don’t go.” His grandfather’s voice was faltering, every word squeezed out with the last dregs of his remaining strength. “Grandpa knows… it’s no use. The wounds are too deep… I’ve lost too much blood…”

“That’s not true! Grandpa, please don’t say things like that!” Little Yu cried, heavy tears falling like rain onto his grandfather’s wrinkled, pale face.

Trembling, the old man struggled to lift his other hand and gently stroked Little Yu’s head, his movements terribly slow and weak.

“Little Yu… it’s fine if Grandpa goes… I’ve lived for over seventy years… I’ve seen enough of this world… and lived a full life.” His breathing was growing erratic, the rise and fall of his chest becoming shallower by the second. “It’s just… I’m so worried about you… You’re only twelve years old… In this man-eating world… how will you ever… survive on your own…”

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