Fu Juemin and his men had laid several rings of kindling around the kiln’s opening in advance.

Originally, it was to stop the Mouse Demon from escaping, but now they had no choice but to use it ahead of schedule.

At Fu Guoping’s command, the ambushing group stopped hiding. They all jumped out from the shadows—in truth, they couldn’t have hidden any longer anyway.

The five rings of kindling were lit, and the blazing flames illuminated the vast kiln yard. In the bright light, the tide of rats looked even more horrifying.

Even Fu Juemin, who didn’t have trypophobia, felt goosebumps break out all over his skin.

Cao Tian, Qian Fei, and a few others quickly ran to Fu Juemin’s side, protecting him in the center of their formation.

They had expected a small-scale, vicious battle between men and rats to break out. But unexpectedly, whether it was the rapidly approaching dark shadow or the swarm of rats, they all completely ignored the people present and rushed straight for the kiln opening filled with sesame oil.

Aside from one unlucky fellow who was knocked over by the swarm and broke out in a cold sweat from the shock, the rest of the group was completely unharmed.

Everyone had underestimated the allure that the vat of sesame oil held for the Mouse Demon.

The five rings of fire couldn’t stop the surging swarm of rats. They were instantly broken apart and then extinguished, one layer after another.

In the flickering firelight, Fu Juemin finally got a clear look at the true form of the dark shadow in the lead—

It wasn’t just a simple, enlarged version of a common rat. Instead, it looked like a cross between a wild boar and a badger. It was the size of a calf, pitch-black all over, with two strange white stripes growing from either side of its brow and extending all the way to the tip of its tail.

Fu Juemin caught a whiff of a stench so thick it was almost tangible—a bizarre odor like a mixture of years-old sewage grime, rotten grain, and the gamy smell of cattle and sheep.

Fu Juemin glimpsed the Mouse Demon’s eyes: two constantly trembling, vertical slits of murky yellow.

This was, fundamentally, a malformed Demon born of filth and greed.

THUD!

With a muffled crash, the cover Fu Juemin and his men had placed over the kiln opening was brazenly smashed aside by the Mouse Demon.

The Mouse Demon plunged headfirst into the kiln. The swarm of rats followed close behind, pouring into the opening like a black, rushing flood, even pushing all the kindling placed by the entrance down with them.

"Light it!"

Fu Juemin stared at the kiln opening and shouted sharply.

The men immediately grabbed their torches and lit the pre-laid fuses.

But before the flames on the oil-soaked hemp ropes could reach the kiln opening, they were stamped out midway by the crowded swarm of rats.

One of the men from the Civil Affairs Bureau cursed and stepped forward, intending to clear the rats on the ground with something. Fu Juemin’s brow furrowed. He snatched the torch from Qian Fei’s hand and, without hesitation, hurled it directly toward the kiln opening.

Seeing this, the others followed his example and threw their torches as well. A few landed at the opening only to be immediately knocked away and extinguished, but two were swept up by the rats scrambling to get inside, carried, still lit, into the kiln...

BOOM—

In that instant, a dull roar erupted from underground. A fiery, surging pillar of orange flame shot out of the kiln, soaring four or five meters into the air!

The shockwave from the explosion blew out the large swarm of rats and the Mouse Demon that had just entered the kiln.

SCREEE—

The Mouse Demon, its body still on fire, let out a piercing shriek like a saw cutting through an iron bar. Its murky yellow, vertical pupils stared death at the group as it opened its mouth, revealing a set of grim, scimitar-shaped incisors, yellowing-white in color.

The ferocious and terrifying sight made everyone’s heart tighten. On instinct, they all chambered rounds and raised their guns to fire.

"Wait!"

But at that moment, Fu Juemin suddenly raised a hand, stopping the others from opening fire.

He stared at the overtly hostile Mouse Demon, his expression grim, as if he were waiting for something.

One breath, two breaths...

After several breaths passed, just as Fu Juemin had predicted, the Mouse Demon—its ferocity stoked by the flames and the explosion—ultimately couldn’t resist the scent of the oil, which had become even richer and more enticing after being heated by the fire.

The cruelty in its murky eyes was gradually replaced by desire and greed once more. It abandoned the group and, braving the raging inferno that was still billowing out and seemed to warp the very air around it, it dove back into the kiln, which had now become a fiery pit.

PHEW—

Fu Juemin’s heart relaxed. He then took a deep breath and, with a calm expression, issued his orders to the group: "Keep adding oil, and then... seal the kiln!"

Without realizing it, the men from the Civil Affairs Bureau had come to follow Fu Juemin’s orders completely. They all got busy.

They watched as barrel after barrel of the pre-prepared tung oil was poured into the burning kiln. Then, several men worked together to cover the opening, leaving only a small air vent, two fingers wide.

Everyone present slowly began to feel at ease.

More rats were still arriving in a continuous stream, but with the kiln sealed, they couldn’t squeeze inside. Unwilling to abandon the enticing aroma, they refused to leave, instead circling the opening endlessly. They were seared by the flames that licked out from time to time, and the entire kiln yard became filled with a foul, burnt stench.

Fu Juemin led his men a little farther away, letting the rat swarm congregate there.

So far, Fu Juemin’s plan had been perfectly executed.

The sealed kiln would now become a perfect combustion chamber, with no way for the flames and high temperatures to escape.

The Mouse Demon inside the kiln probably wouldn’t realize the severity of the situation at first. But once the fire became unbearable and it came to its senses, it would suddenly discover—

The four walls of the kiln were coated in sesame oil, too slick to get any purchase on. The exquisite, fragrant oil that had made it drool was now the fire’s best accelerant—including the oil it had already consumed...

It couldn’t climb out. There was no escape. It could only wait until it was burned alive.

It was a vicious plan designed specifically to exploit the Mouse Demon’s greedy nature. Throughout the entire process, the Civil Affairs Bureau team wouldn’t have to spend a single bullet. With just some sesame oil and fuel, they could force the cunning and savage Mouse Demon into a certain death.

"Compared to last time in Taohuang Village, you’ve grown so much..."

Fu Guoping watched the scene before him, the outcome now decided. He walked up, clapped Fu Juemin on the shoulder, and sighed with emotion, "As your Second Uncle, I almost don’t recognize you anymore."

Fu Juemin’s eyes reflected the dancing flames erupting from the kiln. He suddenly spoke, "Second Uncle, how about we find a way to deal with that Water Demon at the docks some other day?"

Fu Guoping’s expression froze. He was silent for a moment, then simply shook his head and walked quietly to the side.

Fu Juemin knew Fu Guoping still had his reservations. After all, the Water Demon at the docks was no ordinary foe; the Civil Affairs Bureau had already sunk an unknown amount of manpower and resources into dealing with it over time.

Of course, he had only mentioned it casually. Fu Juemin hadn’t yet thought of a foolproof plan to deal with the Water Demon.

The bloodcurdling howls of the Mouse Demon in the kiln echoed throughout the night. It wasn’t until dawn the next day that the kiln finally fell silent.

Still not feeling assured, Fu Juemin had his men add more oil and let the fire in the kiln burn for another two hours before ordering them to extinguish it and check the situation.

The nine o’clock morning sun shone down on the desolate, ravaged ground of the kiln yard. Fu Juemin stepped over the charred remains of rats littering the ground, slowly approaching the kiln opening, which was still radiating waves of heat.

At the kiln opening, the men from the Civil Affairs Bureau had just laboriously hooked and hoisted up a charred, lumpy mass of a corpse.

It was impossible to recognize the Mouse Demon’s original form. The entire lump of flesh was almost completely carbonized, with some parts still giving off sparks.

Fu Juemin was secretly relieved. ’If I’d waited another half hour to put out the fire, this Mouse Demon would have been nothing but ash.’

He covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief and walked up to the rat’s corpse.

Before he could even bend down to take a closer look, a ferocious gray shadow lunged straight for his face.

Fu Juemin was prepared. His body swayed slightly before steadying, and he immediately checked his character panel.

He saw that on the panel, the previously empty right Energy Slot was instantly filled with brilliant Golden Energy, and the familiar golden Skill Points "+" sign appeared once more.

And behind the Talent category, two brand-new, grayish-white words appeared, named—

[Yao Ling].