Rat-Man

Unlike the startled Pietro, Zhang Ye frowned slightly.

Although he had not known Kara for very long, based on Zhang Ye’s understanding of her, while Kara usually seemed rather reckless, she was definitely not the kind of girl who got carried away easily.

Perhaps it was because she came from the family bearing the "S" symbol, a symbol of hope. Kara rarely went all out during her actions. She usually instinctively held back some of her strength, because to her, this world was too fragile.

But judging by that tremendous crash and the destruction it caused, either Kara had fallen into extreme rage, or the monster inside was probably not so easy to deal with.

"Zhang, should I go in and take a look? I have a bad feeling about this. This world is too awful, and we don’t know the exact situation here. Kara isn’t as strong as she used to be either. What if she runs into danger?"

Pietro came to Zhang Ye’s side. That had truly scared him into a cold sweat. He had originally thought there would be nothing inside the cave capable of threatening Kara, but now, Pietro was no longer so sure.

Hearing this, Zhang Ye did not answer immediately.

He first turned his gaze toward the entrance of the cave, then narrowed his eyes and extended his five senses as far as he could, trying to assess the situation within.

After that deafening crash, an eerie silence had fallen over the cave.

The entire area beneath the cliff was silent. There was not even the chirping of insects or birds. A cool breeze swept through, stirring the dust on the ground into a small vortex in midair, making the place seem exceptionally desolate and lifeless.

Pietro could not wait any longer. Having been an orphan since childhood, he had always longed for familial affection, and he had long regarded Kara as his own little sister. Without knowing the exact situation, he was deeply worried about Kara’s safety.

"Zhang, did you hear that?!"

Pietro spoke again.

"Kara is fine. She isn’t as weak as you think. What concerns me more is that thing inside," Zhang Ye said calmly. Based on his judgment, that tremendous crash had been the result of Kara striking with all her strength, and judging from the silence, her opponent presumably had no ability to resist.

At the same time, however, Zhang Ye was puzzled. What exactly had happened inside the cave, or what had Kara seen, that made her fall into such extreme rage in an instant?

The most likely possibility Zhang Ye could think of was that the thing inside had committed some heinous act, such as raising humans as food.

That would indeed be infuriating, especially to a kind and innocent Kryptonian like Kara, but Zhang Ye felt that things were far from that simple.

Kara did not keep Zhang Ye and Pietro waiting long. Before long, the two saw Kara walk to the cave entrance, dragging a strange creature covered in brown fur in her hand.

Kara swung her arm and threw the monster down. The shaggy creature traced an arc through the air before crashing heavily onto the ground. It did not react at all throughout the whole process, and it was impossible to tell whether it was alive or dead.

Then Kara leaped down, landing solidly beside the monster and leaving behind a pair of incredibly clear footprints in the ground.

"So this is the monster that has been hunting humans? It really is ugly, and it smells horrible too. Does this thing not know how to wash itself? How disgusting."

Seeing that Kara was safe and sound, Pietro’s suspended heart gradually settled. Then he turned his attention to the unconscious monster.

"This thing used to be human. I can see similarities in its mutated bones," Kara said, her expression terrible.

"It used to be human?!" Pietro was stunned. He could not imagine why something that had once been human would become like this, let alone add its former kind to its diet.

Suddenly, Pietro thought of something and could not help saying, "Zhang, do you think this guy might be a mutant, like those guys imprisoned in Mutant Prison?"

Watching the rapid changes in Pietro’s expression, Zhang Ye shook his head slightly. Then he stepped forward two paces and carefully examined the strange creature’s appearance. "There has never been a mutant like this in my memory. I’m not sure whether he’s a mutant, but I don’t think he is."

Pietro nodded thoughtfully. Then he raised a hand and fanned the air in front of his nose before speaking.

"Mutants come in all shapes and forms. I wouldn’t find it strange no matter what they mutated into. But if this guy really is a mutant, then he must be a Rat-Man. Look at that revolting appearance, that tail, and that smell. He’s as disgusting as a sewer rat."

Rat-Man.

The speaker had meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.

Zhang Ye carefully considered the term. Then it seemed to give him a clue. In his memories, there really was a so-called "Rat-Man" in the Marvel Universe.

"I may know who he is," Zhang Ye said slowly. "This guy really isn’t a mutant. He’s the product of genetic modification, mutated from a human. His original name should have been Edward, and he was one of Spider-Man’s enemies."

Thanks to his psychic cultivation, Zhang Ye’s memories from his previous life were much clearer. Otherwise, he might not have remembered this rather obscure fellow.

"Genetic modification? Ugh… that’s even more disgusting." Pietro made a retching motion. "I thought the criminals would have a better future after they won. How did this guy end up like this?"

"As far as I know, that alliance of criminals wasn’t stable. Besides, there weren’t enough resources at the time to distribute among all the criminals. So Red Skull naturally cast aside quite a few people with no backing once they had outlived their usefulness. He was probably one of them," Zhang Ye replied.

"Then can you still extract energy from him? He looks like he’s about to breathe his last," Pietro asked.

Kara, meanwhile, spoke quietly. "He isn’t dead. He was just frightened unconscious."

"Yes, I can sense the life force in his body." Zhang Ye confirmed Kara’s words. This thing’s vitality was quite tenacious; he could hear its faint heartbeat. Even so, Zhang Ye did not think it could provide much charge for the Time Twister.

Better than nothing.

"But compared to that, I’m more curious about something else. Kara, what… did you see inside?"

Zhang Ye’s expression was solemn as he looked directly at Kara, whose face still did not look well, and asked gently.

Hearing this, Kara did not answer. Instead, she raised the Batarang in her hand and held it out before Zhang Ye.

She knew that Zhang Ye understood the meaning of this object better than she did.