With the cup of hot water warming her hands, Ru Jiao finally managed to calm down.
This was the first time in either of her two lives that she had come face-to-face with such a monster. After taking a sip of hot water, her mind gradually settled.
The severed tentacles on the floor were still writhing. Lin Zhen had already tried using his abilities on them. His lightning ability could barely slow their movements, while his wind blades could slice them into several pieces, but even that was not enough to eliminate them completely.
A ball of fire appeared in Ru Jiao’s hand. She cautiously brought it into contact with one of the tentacles, which immediately began twitching violently and trying to retreat from the flames.
However, the moment the fire touched the tentacle, it caught fire. It took a full ten minutes for that section to burn completely to ashes. Even so, a single flame could only destroy a tiny portion of a tentacle. With her current reserves of spiritual energy, even if she used up every last bit, she could only inflict minor injuries on the monster.
Perhaps the fire cultivation technique she had chosen earlier would prove useful. Once she mastered the technique, attacks powered by spiritual energy would be several times more powerful than those made by simply releasing spiritual energy directly. There was plenty of high-concentration alcohol in the hospital. If the two of them collected enough, they could use it to fuel the flames. There was no reason they should not be able to burn the monster to death!
Having made her plans, Ru Jiao was about to discuss them with Lin Zhen when the wolf pup suddenly bared its teeth and growled at the window.
The two exchanged a glance. Lin Zhen immediately stored the wardrobe blocking the door and the refrigerator covering the window back into his space.
The monster was still clinging to the outside of the window, desperately trying to force its tentacles through the narrow gaps. Five or six tentacles had already squeezed inside, and the window was about to be forced open.
They were not prepared to fight yet, so the two quickly collected the remaining belongings in the room. Ru Jiao had already recovered her composure. She took a rope out of her space and tied one end around each of their waists.
“I can see in the dark. Put the lamp away and follow me when we leave.”
Lin Zhen did not ask how she had acquired such an ability. He simply stored the bedside lamp in his space, plunging the room into darkness.
The two quickly reached the door. Ru Jiao opened it swiftly and quietly. Several zombies had already been attracted by the light earlier, but she dispatched them in just a few moves. The wolf pup had long since been placed inside the carrier strapped to Lin Zhen’s chest.
In the dark corridor, dozens of zombies that the two had previously attracted were wandering aimlessly.
The corridor was narrow, making it unsuitable for them to linger there.
Ru Jiao studied the dark hallway, chose a direction, and stepped forward lightly. Her footsteps were almost silent as she did her best not to attract the zombies’ attention.
Lin Zhen followed closely behind without making the slightest sound.
Ru Jiao carefully moved around the zombies blocking their path. Whenever one could not be avoided, she swiftly killed it without making a noise.
After proceeding cautiously for more than ten minutes, Ru Jiao finally spotted a suitable examination room.
When they reached its entrance, she stopped and tugged on the rope. Lin Zhen stopped as well.
Ru Jiao dealt with the zombies near the door and quietly lowered their bodies to the floor.
She and Lin Zhen entered the room and gently closed the door behind them.
Neither of them hurried to turn on the light. After Ru Jiao checked that the doors and windows were secure, she asked Lin Zhen to take several large objects out of his space and use them to block the entrances and windows. Only after making sure no light could leak outside did she let him switch on the bedside lamp.
Just as the two settled into the examination room, a loud bang came from the other end of the corridor. The monster had finally forced open the window of the patient room they had previously occupied.
For the time being, their current room was safe, and the monster would not find them immediately. Ru Jiao explained her idea of using alcohol to fuel the flames and burn the monster to death. Lin Zhen agreed with her plan.
They had not collected any alcohol that night, so it was not suitable to take action yet. The two decided to spend the next two days searching the hospital for alcohol while also investigating where the monster’s lair might be. They would deal with it three days later!
The two made the most of their time and rested.
The room was completely dark. Ru Jiao sat cross-legged on the massage chair and replaced sleep with meditation and cultivation.
She recalled the fire cultivation technique in her mind. Fortunately, she had already reached the first level of Qi Refining. By the time dawn arrived, she had mastered the first level of the technique.
When Lin Zhen opened his eyes, Ru Jiao also got up from the massage chair.
After eating a simple breakfast, the two decided to split up to search the hospital and collect alcohol more quickly.
Lin Zhen had the wolf pup to warn him of danger, so he was not worried about being ambushed by the monster.
After cultivating throughout the night, Ru Jiao’s divine sense had also recovered somewhat. Although she could no longer release it over the same range as before, she could now investigate an area within two meters of herself. That was sufficient.
They agreed to meet back in the room at four in the afternoon. Ru Jiao opened the door, and Lin Zhen followed closely behind.
Neither of them wasted time fighting the zombies they attracted. They simply put some distance between themselves and the creatures.
After an entire day had passed, Lin Zhen and Ru Jiao returned to the room and compared what they had collected.
Since Ru Jiao was unfamiliar with the hospital’s layout, she had searched through the rooms one by one and found more than a hundred small bottles of alcohol. About a third of them had already been partially used.
Lin Zhen, however, was familiar with the hospital and had gathered quite a haul.
He had gone to one of the hospital’s warehouses, where an entire room was stacked full of cartons of alcohol. He collected every last one.
Ru Jiao was delighted. With so much alcohol, all they needed to do now was find the monster’s lair.
“We first encountered the monster at the window of that patient room on the third floor. Could it be hiding somewhere on the third floor?”
Ru Jiao offered her theory.
Lin Zhen frowned thoughtfully, his gaze falling on the wolf pup in his arms.
“No. Perhaps we encountered that monster much earlier. You said animals were more sensitive to danger than humans. Maybe it was already hiding somewhere nearby when we were on the staircase on the second floor that day.”
Both of them looked at the wolf pup. After a moment, they turned to look at each other, immediately understanding what the other was thinking.
They would take the wolf pup and search the hospital from top to bottom. Wherever it reacted strongly would likely be the monster’s hiding place!
Neither of them had encountered the monster during the day, so they ruled out the areas they had already searched. All they needed to do now was investigate the remaining locations.
After agreeing on the plan, both felt much more at ease. Lin Zhen took some chopped pieces of meat out of his space and fed them to the wolf pup, gently stroking its head.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be counting on you.”
The wolf pup rubbed its head against his palm before concentrating on its meal.
After taking care of their food, the two prepared to rest in the room.
As usual, Ru Jiao replaced sleep with meditation and cultivation. She had discovered that after cultivating, she felt no less refreshed than she did after sleeping. She decided that from now on, she would cultivate every night instead of sleeping.
The two of them and the wolf pup spent the night peacefully.
Early the following morning, they packed up and set out with the wolf pup to search for the monster’s lair. Thanks to her diligent cultivation, Ru Jiao’s divine sense had recovered a little more. She could now investigate an area within four meters of herself.
If she focused on just one direction, she could extend her range to eight meters.
The two decided to begin their search on the hospital’s basement level. Ru Jiao had seen cockroaches and rats among the heads inside the monster’s body. They both agreed that these creatures were more commonly found in the basement, on the first floor, or on the second floor.
They entered the basement through the emergency staircase. The first area they came to was the parking lot. Several vehicles were parked haphazardly inside, and scattered bloodstains marked the floor.
Apart from encountering a few zombies attracted by the two of them, there was nothing unusual. The wolf pup remained inside the carrier and showed no reaction.
The two changed direction and prepared to search another area of the basement: the morgue.