The entire group fell silent.

Liu Hao stared at the Mutated Rat King for a long moment, then nudged Zhang Wen beside him. "This has to be a coincidence, right?" ’There’s no way this little thing can actually count, can it?’

The Mutated Rat King, who was in the middle of seeking a reward from Gu Xi, heard this. It lifted its beady, crimson eyes and shot Liu Hao a very human-like glare over its shoulder. "Squeak!"

’What does a fool like you know? If you’re so tough, you try pulling off a "coincidence" for me to see!’

Liu Hao was amused by its glare. "Well, look at this little guy. Give him an inch and he takes a mile, huh? Nope, we’re doing this again." Otherwise, the can of food he’d wagered would have been a total waste.

As soon as Liu Hao said that, the others started clamoring in agreement.

Even Qi Xiang and her group found it fascinating. It was one thing for a mutated beast to understand human speech, but to be able to do math? Now that was something special.

Liu Hao and a few others huddled to the side, whispering secretively for a moment. Then, they all sprang into action, quickly harvesting all the other vegetables in the patch until only a few lotus roots were left in the ground.

Zhao Qingxiao circled the lotus roots, finally pointing to one at random. "Let’s go with that one."

"Alright, little guy, time to get to work." Liu Hao looked up at the Mutated Rat King, his expression clearly showing he was scheming something.

The Mutated Rat King, squatting next to Gu Xi with its front paws clasped, gave him a contemptuous "Squeak!"

’You silly fool, you think you can outsmart me?’

Liu Hao, who somehow understood the meaning behind that look: "..." ’Hey, did I just get dissed by a rat?’

The Mutated Rat King looked up at Gu Xi again. "Squeak squeak?" ’Should I go now?’

Gu Xi nodded. "Go ahead."

While the Mutated Rat King began to heave and ho, pulling at the lotus root, the others gathered around to place their bets again.

Just as Gu Xi was about to speak, Liu Hao walked over, scratching his head and chuckling. "Miss Gu, how about you guess a high number this time?"

Gu Xi: "..." ’Fine by me.’

Recalling Zhao Qingxiao’s earlier action, Gu Xi extended her spiritual power into the vegetable patch, then shot him a knowing glance.

Zhao Qingxiao smiled back at her.

Everyone else had placed their bets; only Gu Xi was left.

The Mutated Rat King was a cunning one. After pulling out a large portion of the lotus root, it started slacking off, clearly waiting for a signal from Gu Xi.

"13," Gu Xi said casually, calling out a number.

Zhao Qingxiao seemed a bit surprised and gave her a puzzled look.

Gu Xi didn’t explain.

Next, it was time for the Mutated Rat King’s performance.

Heave-ho, heave-ho, pull the lotus root...

The Mutated Rat King worked with great effort, quickly pulling out 13 plump, white sections of the large lotus root.

Then it stopped. Its beady, crimson eyes stared at the sections it had already pulled out, its little head nodding slowly... Finally, as if confirming something, it plopped its butt down on the end still connected to the ground—

"SNAP!"

With a crisp sound, thirteen sections of lotus root lay in a straight line before everyone.

The Mutated Rat King stood on its hind legs, lifted its forelimbs, and rubbed its paws together mischievously. It turned back to Gu Xi with an eager grin. "Squeak?"

’I helped you win all this stuff. Shouldn’t you give me a little something for my hard work?’

Gu Xi didn’t think the request was unreasonable. After a moment’s thought, she pulled a pack of spicy strips from her storage space and handed it to him.

The Mutated Rat King was dumbfounded. "Squeak?"

’This is all you’re giving me?’

Gu Xi raised an eyebrow. "What else? This wasn’t part of our original deal." Her tone made it clear: he was being awfully picky for someone getting a freebie.

The rat’s glare seemed to retort, ’And you have the gall to act like this is fair?’

The Mutated Rat King stared at her for a moment, then turned away dejectedly, clutching the spicy strips with a crestfallen expression.

’Fine, spicy strips it is. Better than getting nothing for my work. Who’s to blame but me for not being able to beat this two-legger... A rat under the eaves has no choice but to bow its head.’

Thinking about how a rat of its stature had fallen on such hard times, the Mutated Rat King was overcome with sorrow. It clutched the pack of spicy strips with its front paws and viciously tore it open with its teeth...

In the next second, its beady, crimson eyes lit up. ’Huh? This stuff is delicious!’

It polished off one spicy strip in a few bites. Instead of eating the rest, it carefully folded the opening shut and stuffed the remaining strips into its ear (storage space). Then, rubbing its little paws together, it swaggered slyly back to Gu Xi.

"Squeak squeak squeak..." ’I helped you win twice. Isn’t one pack of spicy strips a little stingy?’

Gu Xi thought about it. This was, after all, a mutated beast that could do math. So, she gave it another pack.

The Mutated Rat King stared at the spicy strips before it, its sly, beady crimson eyes darting around. ’That was easy. In that case...’

It tentatively squeaked at Gu Xi a couple more times.

Gu Xi glanced at it without a word, but the small green sprout at her fingertip suddenly shot up a little, swaying in the wind...

’Damn it! If you’re not giving me more, just say so! Why threaten me? Can’t you just use your words?!’

The Mutated Rat King didn’t dare squeak again. It silently hugged its spicy strips and lay on the ground, looking thoroughly wronged... All in all, as a rat that knew how to read the room, the Mutated Rat King was undoubtedly top-tier.

Qi Xiang thought she understood what was happening, but she wasn’t entirely sure. She looked up at Gu Xi and asked, "What... are you two doing?" ’It looks an awful lot like you’re haggling.’

Gu Xi stood up, dusted off her hands, and explained casually, "It wanted a cut of the winnings. I said no."

Qi Xiang’s gaze fell on the Mutated Rat King, which was silently hugging its spicy strips and nibbling on them off to the side. She grew thoughtful.

’So, they really were haggling, and the rat lost, huh?’

The members of the Special Service Team who had been standing around and watching the whole thing were utterly astounded.

For a moment, they didn’t know what was more shocking: that this rat could not only understand human speech and count, but that it even understood the concept of splitting the loot.

You had to admit, this little rat had a few tricks up its sleeve.

In the end, it was Zhao Qingxiao who recovered his composure first. He put a fist to his mouth, coughed a few times, and said nonchalantly, "Weren’t we going to have hot pot tonight? What’s everyone standing around for?"

The Special Service Team members immediately scattered. Some went to prepare the pot, some to wash vegetables, and those handling the mutated beast meat drew the daggers from their waists. The Lin Family brothers went to find Ouyang, planning to show off their skills tonight...

Shen Yue, who had been leaning lazily against a large rock nearby, suddenly took a few steps forward.

He crouched down to look at the Mutated Rat King, which was lying on the ground, savoring its spicy strips with its little paws. The snack was so spicy that its mouth was watering and its nose was running. Shen Yue reached out a finger and poked its round little head.

Mutated Rat King: "Squeak?" ’Why are you poking me, you fool?’

Its expressions were so vivid and rich!

Shen Yue couldn’t help but chuckle. He pointed at the spicy strips in its paws. "Hey, as an intelligent rat, surely you know that onlookers get a share, right?"

Nearby, Qi Xiang, who was about to leave, shot Shen Yue a look of utter disdain. When she looked back at the Mutated Rat King, which appeared to be deep in thought, she felt a wave of sympathy for it. ’Now that Shen Yue has his eyes on it, that little guy’s spicy strips are probably a lost cause.’

But who would have thought... the Mutated Rat King only gave Shen Yue a lazy glance before silently turning its back to him. With its butt now facing Shen Yue, its actions made it clear it had no intention of dealing with this fool.

Shen Yue: "..."