Chapter 51. Pei Qing fell...

Pei Qian fell into a dilapidated reservoir.

She hadn't expected there to be such a large space below the seventh floor; now she knew where all that chilly wind was coming from.

The ground was pitch black, without a single ray of light. Pei Qing lay listlessly in the cold pool of water. Thinking about what that madwoman, Lin Ka, had made her do, she suddenly felt that death might be a good thing.

She looked up at the sky, tears streaming down her face. What was she going to do? She was supposed to escape in a few more days, but now it was all over.

As Pei Qing lay there, her eyes gradually adjusted to the pitch-black underground environment, and she was able to see some blurry things.

She noticed a huge, round glass panel above her head. A thought flashed through her mind: could she escape by breaking the glass?

Pei Qing climbed out of the reservoir and looked around, trying to find a higher spot to lean on. After searching for a while, she sadly discovered that the terrain here was convex.

In other words, the reservoir is the highest point here.

Pei Qian looked up at the glass on the distant horizon again and wisely chose to give up.

Since going to heaven won't work, we'll have to try going underground.

Pei Qian suddenly felt a tickle on her face and ears. She wiped her face and scrambled off a bunch of dark, wriggling little bugs.

She was startled and quickly swatted the bug away. After falling to the ground, the bug scurried into the reservoir.

Pei Qian squatted down and took a look. The reservoir was not only broken, but also dirty. It was dirty, which was bad enough, since it was underground. But inside it was a bunch of messy insects, microorganisms, and fragments of unknown animal corpses!

The thought of lying in such a disgusting place for so long made Pei Qing gag a few times.

No, I can't stay around here. Who knows what disease I might catch if I stay too long? Pei Qing sneezed. I need to find a dry place.

She walked in a shaky, random direction. It was so dark inside that she could only vaguely see about five centimeters in front of her, which was practically the same as not being able to see anything at all.

As she walked, Pei Qing vaguely heard rustling sounds behind her. She stopped and listened carefully, but the sounds disappeared.

She ignored it and continued walking forward. The place was very open, with the sound of flowing water everywhere, and it was cold and damp.

Where will all this water eventually flow to? If she goes with the current, will she be able to get out?

Pei Qing was deep in thought, completely unaware that the noises behind her were growing louder and more numerous...

Suddenly, a foul stench assaulted my ears!

She reacted quickly, turning her head to dodge, but her face was still scratched by something sharp, leaving a deep bloodstain.

"squeak--!"

It was a huge rat! Its eyes were bloodshot, its teeth were sharp, and it was staring at her menacingly!

It is described as a rat, but it is actually the size of a medium-sized dog. Its fur is sparse, and its purplish-red body is covered with large and small fleshy bumps. Its lower limbs are unusually thick, and its claws are like those of an eagle!

Is this some kind of failed gene mutation experiment?! How disgusting!

Pei Qing frowned subconsciously, and before she could react, another mutated rat pounced from her side and behind!

She rolled forward, barely dodging the attack. The mutated rat missed its target and fell into the water, splashing water droplets of its filth everywhere. Pei Qing quickly dodged to the side.

The rustling sound grew louder, and a pair of scarlet eyes emerged from the darkness. Soon, another pair of scarlet eyes appeared, and then another…

In no time, Pei Qing's vision was filled with a dense array of red eyes in front of her. She was amazed that so many mutated rats were lurking here, and slowly moved closer to the wall behind her.

She reached for the rotten water pipe beside her, stared straight ahead, gritted her teeth, and knew that she had no weapons left but to make do with what was available.

Here it comes! A smaller mutated rat took the lead, moving incredibly fast, much faster than the previous ones! In no time, the mutated rat darted in front of Pei Qing, its sharp teeth aimed at her face!

Pei Qing dodged, and the mutated rat missed its target. After flicking its tail to regain its balance, it lunged forward at an even faster speed! Pei Qing took the opportunity to swing the water pipe and, seizing the chance, struck it hard on the weak back of its neck!

With a loud "Bang!", the mutated rat was slammed hard against the stone wall.

Pei Qian looked at the water pipe that was now half broken in her hand and smiled wryly. Her father's broken thing was too fragile!

Before she could finish her thought, several whooshing sounds came from the darkness! Seeing the situation was bad, the mutated rats decided to move out en masse! Dozens of mutated rats gradually surrounded Pei Qing, their scarlet eyes glaring at her menacingly, filled with murderous intent!

His dad has way too many! She can't fight them head-on; she only has a broken water pipe at hand and definitely can't win! Pei Qing's eyes darted around; having exhausted all thirty-six stratagems, she decided to run!

The mutated rats pressed closer, eager to attack. Considering the water pipe, Pei Qing decided not to rush forward rashly and decided to run first. She quickly scanned her surroundings and saw a low-lying area to her side and rear. She heard the sound of wind!

"Go there!" Her eyes sharpened, she lowered her body, pretended to rush forward, and waved the water pipe in her hand. Sure enough, several mutated rats fell for the trick and rushed forward.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Pei Qing quickly turned around and ran to the side and back. Several mutated rats reacted quickly and rushed forward to intercept her, but their numbers were obviously not enough. They were swept away by her long legs and kicked away!

Just as Pei Qing was about to reach the stone wall, the mutated rats finally realized something was wrong and immediately gave chase. However, when they reached a few meters from the low stone wall, they gradually stopped, their long, narrow snouts twitching as if they were communicating with each other.

The first few of the stronger mutant rats stopped at the farthest point. Seeing that Pei Qing had already entered the stone wall, they gave up completely and gradually disappeared into the darkness.

After running to cover, Pei Qing stopped, panting heavily. Before she could catch her breath, she began to look around for the mutated rats.

When did they stop? She frowned deeply. This was not what she had expected. Pei Qing had thought that the mutated rats would keep biting her. She had prepared to use the advantageous terrain to fight back if she couldn't outrun them, and kill as many as she could.

Generally speaking, living things have an instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, especially those groups that are relatively weak or that have lived in a specific area for a long time, such as those mutant rats.

They all stopped outside the stone wall, abandoning the large, fragrant piece of meat that was almost within their grasp. Does that mean there is something inside that they would rather give up the food resources they have worked so hard to hunt than provoke?

Pei Qian felt a chill run down her spine, a cold aura emanating from behind her. She dared not move rashly and stood motionless. Her enhanced hearing compensated for the inadequacy of her eyes in the darkness; she heard the sound of water growing louder, as if some enormous creature was emerging from the water.

Sensing the impending danger, the mutated rats grew anxious, and low hissing filled the air. Some of the mutated rats that hadn't had time to run away and hide even started biting their companions in front of them.

Several thin, mutated rats were pushed off the pipe by their strong companions, falling flat on their backs. Before they could even regain their footing, they tried to climb back up, but it was too late.

The chilling aura drew ever closer, and Pei Qing froze, as if she were being watched by some large predator, too afraid to move, her cold, bloodthirsty gaze slowly sweeping over him.

She only felt something cold and sharp graz her face, then snatched away the mutated rat struggling nearby with lightning speed. She could even smell an extremely strong stench of blood.

As the sound of water subsided and darkness returned to calm, even the mutated rats dared not come out to forage. All around was silent, with only the sound of the wind audible.

Pei Qian finally snapped out of her shock and started breathing heavily. She carefully crouched down, rubbing her aching shoulder blades, while observing her surroundings. There was nothing unusual.

That mysterious, exceptionally dangerous large creature is gone.

No wonder those mutated rats didn't dare come over; it seems this is 'its' territory. Well, since 'it' didn't choose to eat me when there was such a perfect opportunity, it means this place is safe for now, and I can rest here temporarily.

However, it was still too damp here to stay for long. Pei Qing carefully observed the environment and used the sound of the wind and water to determine the direction. The sound of the water flow suddenly became louder about ten meters to the left, which meant that the terrain there was low and the water flowed down.

A breeze occasionally blew from the left front, indicating that the area was at least well-ventilated and higher, with less water. Pei Qing repeatedly reached out to check, while paying attention to the gravel and sewage underfoot, and slowly made her way there.

She walked cautiously, keeping her eyes and ears open, afraid that some monster might suddenly leap out from the darkness and snatch her away. Fortunately, the journey was uneventful, except that Pei Qing was startled by the echo of her own footsteps and almost tripped.

The destination matched her assessment perfectly: a huge rock stood on the water, with a gentle breeze blowing from above from time to time.

This place is nice. Pei Qing touched the surface of the stone; it was dry and there were no large insects. Not bad at all. She climbed onto the rock and found a flat spot to sit and rest.

Achoo!

Pei Qing sneezed and rubbed her nose. It was still a bit chilly here, and quite windy. But if there were no wind, it would probably be as damp as other places.

Forget it, what time is it? We can't expect the environment to be comfortable. It's already difficult enough to find a dry place.

Pei Qing lay down again, this time changing her position and placing her hands under her head, which made her feel a little more comfortable.

She began to think about what she should do. She definitely couldn't follow the instructions of that madwoman, Linka. Putting aside her own ability to accept things, just look at that... with his destructive power, she probably couldn't even get close to him without mechanical restraints.

Besides, even if they did as Linka suggested, there wouldn't be enough time. Pei Qing only needed to follow Feng Qi's plan and escape smoothly in a few days, but now she's trapped in this godforsaken place, with no idea what lies ahead.

Having finally found a place to rest, how are we going to solve the problem of food?

Could it be...mutant rats? No, no, she couldn't eat even a little bit. The thought of those disgusting things made her shudder.

Suddenly, the rock beneath her trembled slightly. Pei Qing reacted quickly, scrambling to her feet, lying prone to steady herself, and gripping the protruding rock tightly with her hands.

"Crack—snap—"

Something hard was slowly rubbing against the rock, as if some large reptile was flapping its scales. She dared not utter a sound, and cold sweat silently soaked the back of her clothes.

Pei Qing lay quietly, only to hear the sounds getting closer and closer. The sound of scales rubbing against the rocks seemed to stir up some kind of memory, the cool touch that had brushed against her cheek not long ago.

The narrow space was pitch black; the sound of scales rubbing together mingled with a faint whisper of wind, growing ever closer…

Despite the imminent danger, she suddenly and inappropriately recalled those dark golden vertical pupils.

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Author's Note: [Go for it!][Go for it!][Go for it!] My darlings have been busy with the start of school these past few days and haven't had time to apply for the rankings. Updates will resume as normal this week! [Heart emoji][Heart emoji][Heart emoji]