I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World
Chapter 99: Giant Rats
When they reached the twentieth trap...
His confidence had already completely disappeared.
"Maybe none of them worked."
Then they heard it.
"SKREEEEEE!"
A loud screech. Sharp. Angry.
Lukas immediately raised his head, his heart racing.
Prata shot toward the sound, her legs moving so fast they were almost a blur.
"Wait!"
He ran after her. Astra partially spread her wings in surprise, holding onto his shoulder. Tilbo accelerated, his legs striking the ground heavily.
A few seconds later, they arrived. And finally found something. One of the traps had worked.
Lukas smiled.
"We did it!"
He ran over. But as he got closer... His smile faded.
Half of the web had collapsed, the threads broken. A large portion had been destroyed, as if something had bitten and pulled at it with force, leaving only fragments behind.
Even so, something remained trapped. A rat.
It was not very large. Perhaps the size of a small cat. But something immediately caught his attention.
Its eyes. Red. Completely red. Without a trace of brown or black. They looked like tiny embers.
Moreover... The rat did not seem frightened. It was furious.
It growled. Screeched. Tried to bite through the web, its sharp teeth sinking into the strands. It tried to attack anything nearby, thrashing with desperate energy. Even trapped. Even doomed.
It remained aggressive.
Lukas observed in silence, feeling a chill run down his spine. That did not seem normal.
The rat immediately turned its head toward him. The red eyes seemed filled with hatred, an irrational, blind, animalistic fury.
Then, Prata attacked.
The spider moved so quickly that Lukas almost could not follow it. Her front legs grabbed the rat with surprising strength. The chelicerae, the hollow fangs that injected venom, sank into the animal’s body with a wet sound.
"SKREEEEEEE!"
The scream echoed through the forest, sharp and piercing, causing nearby birds to take flight.
The rat struggled. Tried to escape. Tried to attack. Tried to bite Prata with its sharp teeth.
But a few seconds later, it began to weaken.
The venom worked quickly, a paralyzing toxin spreading through the prey’s body.
Less than half a minute later... It was dead.
Prata immediately began feeding, her chelicerae crushing the flesh.
Lukas looked away.
He still was not used to that. He knew it was natural. He knew it was necessary. But it was not pleasant to watch.
"I’m going to take a look."
Prata did not even respond. She was far too busy with her meal, her multiple eyes fixed on the prey.
Tilbo followed Lukas. Astra remained watching from his shoulder.
Lukas moved through the forest. Toward the hillside.
Soon, he found the countless tunnels again. Dozens. Perhaps hundreds. Spread across the earthen wall like the burrows of giant ants, some so wide that a man could crawl through them.
He observed for several minutes. Waiting to find something. But nothing happened.
No rats appeared. No sounds. No movement.
Silence.
Then he decided to continue.
He followed the hillside. Observing every detail.
Rocks. Roots. Trees. Holes. Anything unusual.
Minutes passed. Five. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Nothing.
Lukas was already beginning to believe he was wasting his time.
Then, he saw it. He stopped immediately. His eyes widened.
"That..."
Between two rock formations. Partially hidden by dense vegetation, ferns, moss, and vines twisting like green snakes.
There was an opening. A cave. Large.
Much larger than any of the rats’ tunnels.
Wide enough for three adults to pass side by side.
Tall enough that there was no need to crouch.
Lukas stood still. Watching. The interior was dark. Deep. Silent.
A chill ran down his spine, making the hairs on his body stand on end. Even so, he approached.
Perhaps because he was curious. Perhaps because something there felt important, an instinctive sensation, as though the cave were calling to him.
He reached the entrance. Looked inside. Darkness. Nothing but shadows.
He thought for a few seconds. Then made a decision.
"Tilbo."
The ant raised its antennae.
"Come with me."
Tilbo immediately approached, his metallic body gleaming in the dimness.
Lukas took a deep breath, feeling the cave’s cold air. And entered.
The interior was cold.
Much colder than the forest. The air was heavy, damp, stagnant, as if it had been trapped there for centuries. The smell hit him almost immediately.
Rot.
A strong odor. Heavy. Unpleasant. A mixture of decaying flesh, wet earth, and something else, something he could not identify, but that made his stomach churn.
Lukas grimaced, covering his nose with his hand.
"What a horrible smell."
He continued walking.
Step after step. His sandals touched the stone floor with muffled sounds. The light from the entrance gradually diminished, swallowed by the darkness. He could still see. But only partially.
Then, he found something. Bones. Scattered across the ground.
Small. Large. Some clearly belonged to animals, rabbit skulls, deer bones, broken ribs. Others were difficult to identify, with shapes Lukas did not recognize.
Lukas stopped. Observed.
A few more meters. More bones. More smell. More silence.
His discomfort grew with every second, a knot tightening in his stomach.
"Something lives here."
Something large. Probably dangerous. And probably responsible for part of that smell.
Perhaps it was simply absent at the moment. Perhaps it was sleeping deeper inside. Perhaps it was watching.
The thought did not help. Not even a little. Lukas decided he had seen enough.
"Let’s leave."
He turned around. Began walking back. Then, he heard it. A scream.
"HEEEELP!"
Lukas froze.
A human scream. Distant. But clearly human.
"Help!"
Another scream, more desperate.
His heart accelerated, beating so hard that he could feel the pulse in his temples.
Someone was in danger. Without thinking twice, he sprinted toward the exit.
"Tilbo!"
The ant ran after him.
Lukas emerged from the cave, the blinding forest light striking his eyes.
The scream echoed again. Closer. More desperate.
He identified the direction. Forest. To the left. Then, he ran.
Branches struck his clothes. Leaves flew past. Astra clung tightly to his shoulder, her talons gripping the fabric of his tunic. Tilbo followed without difficulty, his legs pounding against the ground.
The scream grew louder. Closer. Until he finally found the source.
Lukas stopped abruptly.
His eyes widened.
A man was running desperately through the trees. He was covered in blood. His clothes were torn into strips. Wounds covered his body, deep scratches, bites, and claw marks. His face was consumed by panic, his eyes wide, his mouth open in a continuous scream.
But that was not the worst part. Behind him came the pursuers. Eight rats. Giant.
Each one almost the size of a dog.
Red eyes glowing with a sinister light. Huge teeth, sharp as knives, covered in saliva. Muscular bodies covered with thick, dark fur, marked by scars and signs of old battles. They moved far too quickly, their paws striking the ground in a frantic rhythm.
Lukas felt a chill run down his spine.
"Those are not normal rats."
The man saw him as well.
For a moment, he seemed hesitant to run toward him. Naturally. Lukas was only a child, small, fragile, helpless.
But then his eyes found Tilbo. The enormous ant.
And something resembling hope appeared on his face.
"LORD LUKAS!"
He ran toward them. Nearly stumbling. Nearly falling. He managed to reach them.
Then he collapsed to his knees. Panting. Injured. Exhausted.
Lukas immediately stepped forward. Positioning himself in front.
The rats slowed down. Watching. Growling.
Their red eyes fixed on them. Lukas swallowed hard, feeling his heart pounding.
Then he pointed forward.
"Tilbo."
The ant moved its antennae.
"Protect us."
Tilbo advanced a few steps. Then positioned himself in front of them. Like a living shield.
The giant mandibles slowly opened, revealing rows of sharp teeth capable of crushing wood. His metallic carapace gleamed beneath the sunlight, silver veins pulsing with an inner glow.
The rats stopped.
For a brief moment. Simply observing the enormous ant.
The wind blew through the trees. The leaves rustled.
The man breathed heavily behind Lukas. Astra remained motionless on his shoulder.
And the eight red-eyed rats stared at Tilbo.
As the forest sank into a heavy silence. Like the moment before a battle begins.