"No, but we detected increasing negative energy within, and they might emerge soon."
Uncle Sheng looked at Zhuo Ji.
Zhuo Ji walked forward a few steps. A man in military uniform reached out to stop her, "Getting closer might be dangerous."
"It's alright."
Uncle Sheng hurried over. After hesitating for a moment between the two, he said, "Let her take a look."
They had always known that Zhuo Ji understood the mutated creatures far better than they did, given how she could create so many specialized weapons. Otherwise, his first reaction to discovering this type of mutated monster wouldn't be to have Zhuo Ji examine it.
The soldier nodded but didn't step away, instead staying nearby to protect them.
The two approached the well. Inside, the water was bottomless. The ripples seemed to be spinning in circles, making the entire well look like a deep, lifeless eye staring up at them.
Looking at it for too long sent shivers down one's spine.
"How is it?"
Zhuo Ji stepped back two paces. "The thing inside is about to come out."
Uncle Sheng: "..."
He also quickly retreated. After two seconds, nothing happened.
He tentatively asked, "You're not joking, are you?"
"Step back!"
Everyone around instinctively ran away. The next second, something broke through the water in the well. Everyone raised their weapons, aiming at the well. A moment after the splash, something leaped out and lunged at the soldier closest to it.
The others didn't even have time to pull their triggers before the monster pounced on their comrade. The soldier immediately abandoned the idea of drawing his gun and instead drew a dagger, slashing at the monster lunging at him.
The monster, unable to dodge, crashed into the dagger with its fangs bared. Its sharp teeth tore through the soldier's arm, and at the same time, a patch of fur was ripped from its back.
It let out a scream and leaped to the side. Only then did everyone get a clear look at its appearance.
It was a rat with three heads, perhaps a hamster. But whatever it was, its size was far larger than a normal animal, about the size of an adult ginger cat. Its body was lean, its fur yellowish, giving it a malnourished appearance.
And this malnourished monster clearly saw the people here as food.
It had been grazed, and it resented the soldier who had wounded it. On its second attack, it lunged at him again.
Its three heads were roughly the same size. As it lunged, the mouths on all its heads opened, biting in different directions. The soldier switched hands holding the dagger and, the moment it leaped, slashed into the space between its three heads. With a twist, one of its heads was gouged out, and his hand was splashed with the little monster's blood.
This inflicted considerable damage on the little monster. It no longer attacked. After being flung to the ground, it ran to pick up its severed head, then turned to look at the soldier still holding the dagger. Its gaze was like that of a resentful human, glaring fiercely at him before it leaped back into the well.
The group was momentarily stunned that it would actually flee.
After their initial shock, Uncle Sheng ran towards the injured soldier. "Xiao Yu, are you alright? Tend to your wound quickly."
Before he could reach him, he suddenly felt a whistling sound behind him.
"Watch out!"
Someone tackled him to the ground. A larger figure lunged towards them. He felt himself being rolled across the ground, disoriented.
The sound of gunfire and the monster's screams erupted simultaneously, and they were different monsters' cries, indicating that more had emerged from the well.
As Uncle Sheng regained his senses, the person on him winced in pain, while a larger figure loomed overhead, watching them menacingly. Someone fired at it, but it caused no apparent damage.
It bared its fangs at the two of them.
"Beast!"
"Roar!"
It turned its head and let out a furious roar at Zhuo Ji. The sound of its multiple heads roaring at once was deafening, capable of intimidating an opponent.
That is, if the opponent considered it a worthy adversary.
A powerful gust of wind struck, and the mutated tiger's massive body was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground. It whined and struggled to get up.
Before the others could marvel at Zhuo Ji's prowess, they seized the opportunity and fired several shots at it, some with ordinary weapons and some with specialized ones. To their surprise, the ordinary weapons actually harmed it this time.
Its roar grew louder, but it now carried a hint of bravado.
"Don't kill it."
Hearing Zhuo Ji's warning, they fired a few more shots and then stopped.
Blood flowed from the mutated tiger. Its once imposing heads had become a burden, making it impossible to even lift its head. It could only lie on the ground, two of its heads bleeding, its imposing aura significantly diminished.
They then turned their attention to the other mutated creatures.
All sorts of bizarrely shaped mutated creatures continuously crawled out of the well, some flying, some walking, some swimming. Each was more grotesque than the last. There were creatures with two heads, both with mouths, resembling monstrous fish, and others covered in large bumps like toads. Legends of a hydra, perhaps more, it was too chaotic for anyone to count. Sudanshuwang.
The sounds of gunfire, specialized weapons, and the shrieks and roars of various monsters, along with human shouts, merged into a cacophony. Uncle Sheng, unable to assist, was protected and moved to the rear, observing the chaotic battle.
While everyone was engaged, a person suddenly flew out of the well.
A man in ancient attire, holding a long sword.
Everyone was again dumbfounded.
Zhuo Ji unleashed several gusts of wind. Most of the mutated creatures turned into smoke upon impact, though some lingered. The others, after a moment of stunned silence, resumed their attack, helping her to eliminate the remaining mutated creatures.
Someone ran to get a cage, while others surrounded the man who had emerged from the well, dripping wet.
"Who are you!"
The man looked bewildered.
At his feet, a creature resembling a white mochi clung to the hem of his robes, its large, watery blue eyes cautiously observing the surrounding people before finally resting on Zhuo Ji.
The man leading them sternly demanded, "Who exactly are you?"
The man looked at them, then at the sword in his hand. After a moment, he loosened his grip, cupped his hands in a bow, and said, "I am Dongling Sui, courtesy name Hengyi, Minister of State of the Jin Yong Upper Kingdom. May I ask who you all are?"
A few minutes later, he was surrounded, and his sword had been confiscated.
The man glared at him. "You claim to be from that Upper Kingdom? Where is your proof? And how did you get here? If you are impersonating someone or obstructing justice, I will send you to prison."
"The Jin Yong Upper Kingdom. I have no proof. I only remember that I was already a hundred years old, but it felt like I had just slept. When I awoke, I was in a void. It was this creature, a beloved pet my late wife once kept, that brought me here."
Everyone looked again at the little mochi-like creature.
Besides this man, it was the most normal-looking thing that had emerged from the well.
Even though they didn't recognize what it was.
Zhuo Ji reached out and picked it up.
The man tensed, wanting to stop her, but was met with the stern gazes of the others. He could only stand still, watching Zhuo Ji hold the little mochi.
"Zhu Kong Beast."