Clyde entered the underground world alone and arrived at the territory of the underground ratmen. According to the agreement, he would kill Underground Rat King Braund. Like that, his side would be able to smoothly pass through the underground ratmen’s territory and carry out a surprise attack on Kurrus Fortress.
The buildings here were very rough since their building technology was inferior to even the insectmen monsters. The combat power of Underground Rat King Braund was actually no match for the previous Insect Monster King. His main advantage had been his relatively high intelligence and cunning and sinister nature. By running away from any risk, he was able to dominate the underground world. Allegedly, in the past when the insectmen monsters (cockroach men) had fought against the underground ratmen, Underground Rat King Braund had successfully evaded the Insect Monster King dozens of times.
This time was different. Clyde’s side had a mole providing assistance: Boolean who was Braund’s cousin and just as cunning. Among the underground ratmen, Boolean also had 40% of them supporting him, and he had only been waiting for a favorable opportunity to make Braund step down and capture the throne of the Underground Rat King. His best choice was to cooperate with Clyde’s side.
Clyde wore a cloak, completely concealing his appearance. He followed Boolean to the hiding place of Underground Rat King Braund. Because Boolean was leading the way, those patrolling underground ratmen directly ignored Clyde’s strange dress. Among the humanoid monsters, underground ratmen were quite greedy. In a certain aspect, their actions were exactly the same as human robbers.
In the underground ratmen’s territory, plundered human belongings could be seen everywhere. However, Clyde was less than impressed with the taste of these humanoid monster robbers. The underground ratmen robbed things regardless of their value. In fact, they didn’t value things correctly: they prized things according to the difficulty of taking them, so the most prized treasures included gold, silver, treasures, jewels, clothing, and so on.
Clyde even saw many beautiful women’s clothes and undergarments. The intelligence of these underground ratmen couldn’t be saved. Boolean didn’t know what Clyde was thinking but quickly led Clyde to Underground Rat King Braund. It was a small underground palace equivalent in scale to the residence of a human viscount. With the underground ratmen’s construction technology, building this type of place was already pretty good. It had practically reached the limits of the underground ratmen’s construction technology.
Underground Rat King Braund was a grey-furred giant rat not much different from an ordinary ratman. On his face were several obvious scars. Allegedly, the results of his fight against the Insect Monster King. Now, the Insect Monster King had already died in the hands of a passing Great Old One while Braund remained, wearing a gold crown and sitting on a golden throne. He held a golden goblet while occasionally sipping sweet wine that had also been robbed from the Human Race.
In Clyde’s View, this Underground Rat King Braund was dressed like a nouveau riche, similar to those local tyrants of the Human Race who had suddenly become rich overnight. He wore several thick and long golden necklaces and had a big golden ring on every finger. However, he could only dress this arrogantly in the underground world. If someone dared to be so ostentatious on the surface, he would be killed by the others in a matter of minutes.
“Boolean, I heard from an envoy that you secretly went to Saka Fortress. We are brothers, but you actually want to collude with outsiders!”
What surprised Clyde was that their machinations were exposed so quickly. In the end, aged ginger was spicier. Underground Rat King Braund had been the ruler of the underground world for all these years and was obviously better than Boolean in all aspects. The other party had already noticed Boolean’s secret scheme. With Braund’s words, many well-equipped underground ratmen soldiers swarmed into the palace hall, surrounding Clyde and Boolean. It seemed that Braund was well-prepared and had set up an ambush in advance while waiting for Clyde and Boolean to take the bait. After the other party walked into this trap, he could easily end this rebellion.
Underground Rat King Braund had made countless calculations. Merely, he had not thought that Clyde would far exceed the Insect Monster King. It thought that at most a senior assassin would accompany Boolean. After all, it was highly unlikely for Boolean to recruit a true powerhouse. Therefore, these elite troops wore heavy armor that specifically countered assassins. If their weapons failed, human assassins basically couldn’t harm them.
“Braund, you seemed to be mistaken. I’m not an assassin. You should understand my meaning!”
“What do you mean ‘understand’? Don’t you know what a hopeless situation is? Today, this king will let you know what…”
Underground Rat King Braund’s complexion greatly changed. He had his face slapped before he could be arrogant. The other party chose direct confrontation. Since his assassination attempt had failed, Clyde simply used a big move. Black energy burst out and scattered around with Clyde at the center. The ground below him seemed to turn into a black quagmire. Then, many white bone hands emerged and grabbed the legs of those underground ratmen. Afterward, these heavily armored underground ratmen soldiers were dragged into the ground without any time to react.
“Braund, I think that it’s you who doesn’t recognize a hopeless situation!”
“You… what exactly! Wait, misunderstanding! Just now, it was a misunderstanding!”
“Misunderstanding? Go down and meet the Insect Monster King!”
Clyde waved his hand, and a black energy tentacle lashed out like a whip. Underground Rat King Braund had no time to dodge and was directly cut into two halves. After being beheaded, his neck sprayed a lot of blood, dyeing his throne red. Boolean was dumbfounded, and his legs trembled continuously as he almost pissed himself. Although he had suspected that Clyde was powerful, he hadn’t expected the other party to be so terrifying and kill Underground Rat King Braund and the numerous well-equipped elite underground ratmen soldiers so easily.
Underground ratmen soldiers rushed in from outside the palace according to Braund’s previous arrangements. But just after entering, they saw a terrifying scene. That man’s terrifying strength so frightened them that they didn’t dare to move. As if that man were a deity, just his back made them feel huge pressure.
“Lord Boolean… Your Majesty Boolean is wise! Braund, that incapable ruler, cooperated with the Human Race for too long. If it had continued, our race would have been ruined.”
“Yes, yes, Your Majesty Boolean is the real king. Braund, that shameless person, was just an usurper. Now, we respectfully welcome Your Majesty Boolean.”
Those underground ratmen were very eager to survive. When Clyde looked at them, they immediately stated their positions, trying to draw a clear line between them and Braund. Braund was already dead, so it was time to seek refuge with the new king. In fact, Boolean had already arranged for some of his people to be present among these underground ratmen. Under their lead, these underground ratmen immediately welcomed Boolean as the new Underground Rat King. This change was faster than turning a page in a book.
Boolean sat on the bloody throne and trembled while wearing the crown with a stiff expression. The bloody and terrifying scene from just a moment ago had truly frightened him, and he struggled to control his fear. Clyde was relaxedly standing near the throne as if he had done something trivial. Even if they were allied for the time being, Boolean still felt a lingering fear, a psychological shadow that would remain for a long time.
“Boolean, what about those Dark Shamans who cooperated with Braund?”
“Lord Clyde, those fellows haven’t come down yet. They must still be in Kurrus Fortress. I fear they will be suspicious after they realize that they cannot contact Braund.”
“Don’t worry too much. Just inform your men to prepare themselves. I will attack the fortress without giving them any time to react. By the way, Boolean, you are a wise monster, so you should understand that I don’t like neutral fractions that curry favor with both sides. You…”
“I… I understand, Lord Clyde. I’m sincere. I absolutely will not betray you. I’m willing to make a vow!”
Clyde used a slightly stern tone, making Boolean panic and hastily express his loyalty. He feared that if it were a step slower, his end might be exactly the same as his cousin’s, who had been unable to even finish a sentence before being cut into two. This fellow had initially made some small calculations to curry favor with both sides. But now, he completely gave up those thoughts, not daring to play any tricks with Clyde. In front of absolute strength, all stratagems and schemes were useless.
After Boolean was submitted, Clyde directly left the palace. He planned to confirm whether those tunnels under Kurrus Fortress that Braun had marked on his map were functional. As for Boolean’s vow, Clyde had no interest in it. That humanoid monster was neither a woman nor a human subordinate, so it couldn’t enter Clyde’s eyes. Clyde not destroying him was already his great fortune.
