I changed the world.

Page 216

The kitchen of Jiangpanju is located on the east side of the building, facing the river. It was the busiest time in the kitchen, and the burly head chef was shouting orders inside.

"Ahua, hurry up, the customer has already asked us to hurry."

"Lanzi, cut two more plates of sashimi and set them aside..."

"Beep beep... beep beep..."

"Hurry up, hurry up, take out that plate of steamed sea bass that we just made first, the others are rushing us to place an order..."

........................

"Master Li, something's wrong! The drain is clogged!" Just as everyone in the kitchen was busy running around, a chef suddenly shouted.

Upon hearing this, the head chef frowned, strode over, and looked at the sink full of stagnant sewage. He frowned and said, "Didn't they say there was a pipe leak yesterday? How come it's clogged again today?"

"I don't know. The plumber came to repair it this afternoon. He went down into the water to check and said that the pipes were old and rusted, and a section of the underwater pipe had a hole, which was quite troublesome. Because I was worried about affecting business tonight, I originally planned to replace the pipes tomorrow morning..." the chef explained. He was there when the plumber repaired it in the afternoon, so he knew the details.

However, a perforated drain pipe would at most cause a leak of contaminants, so how could it cause a blockage? Mr. Li deduced that the blockage was likely in the branch pipe of that sink, and immediately ordered, "Quickly call someone to repair it. Squeeze the water in sink number 3, first..."

Before the words were even finished, someone shouted from the No. 3 water tank next to them, "It's clogged here too!"

Immediately afterwards, the other two sinks also started making noises, and in an instant, all the sinks in the kitchen were clogged.

In this way, the situation becomes clear: if all the sinks are blocked, there is only one possibility: the main sewage pipe is blocked.

"What happened! How did they fix it?!" The head chef was furious. This happened during the restaurant's busiest dinner time, with all the sinks going out of order at the same time. He was so anxious that his heart was burning like wildfire.

However, before his roar could even finish, a creaking sound suddenly rang in everyone's ears. The sound was like metal twisting and deforming under pressure, making people feel a sense of discomfort in their ears.

Everyone's gaze instinctively followed the direction from which the sound came, seemingly from beneath the floor on one side of the kitchen...

Before anyone could react, they saw water gushing up from under the floor, and then the flow quickly increased, becoming a gushing torrent!

"what happened?!"

"I don't know, could it be a burst water pipe?"

The kitchen erupted into chaos. Some screamed and dodged the splashing water, some rushed to call the repairman, and others tried to go up and see what had happened...

However, the gushing water flow quickly increased, and then the composite material floor made a tearing sound, followed by large sections of the floor cracking like paper being torn apart.

Amidst the gushing, fountain-like torrents of water, numerous black tentacles could be seen shooting forth from the water's depths...

In the chaos, those who were close were quickly pulled down and dragged towards the crack in the floor. They screamed and tried to grab onto anything around them to steady themselves, but the force pulling them was clearly beyond their control. They were quickly dragged into the hole in the floor, and then their screams and cries for help abruptly ceased...

"Ah!!! There's a monster!!!"

"Help! Help me, pull me out..."

"There's something in the water! A monster!!!"

"Run!!!!"

A chef who had been pulled down waved his hands and cried for help in despair. Finally, he grabbed the feet of the fat head chef next to him and held on tightly as if he were a lifeline, trying to stabilize his body.

Chapter 390 The Monster Appears

The head chef lost his balance and fell to the ground, dragged towards the breach along with the other chef. Their combined weight of over 300 pounds was suddenly felt as light as a feather as they were being pulled backward…

"Don't hold me! Let go! Let go now!!!" the head chef screamed in terror, struggling violently and even swinging his fists to hit the chef who was holding his legs.

However, at this moment, the chef who was holding him was like someone grasping at a last straw. No matter how he was hit, he wouldn't let go and instead held on even tighter.

No sooner said than done, in just a few breaths, the two were dragged into the hole in the floor and disappeared into the dark abyss below.

In an instant, many people had been dragged into the breach, including the head chef himself. Sensing the danger, the kitchen staff began screaming and fleeing.

Some waiters and security guards who heard the commotion in the kitchen were unaware of what was happening and tried to come in to check. However, they encountered a swarm of kitchen staff rushing out, and the scene quickly became more chaotic. The kitchen staff were unsure how to explain what was going on. Those inside were desperately pushing their way through the crowd to escape, while those outside, still confused, wanted to go in and see what was happening...

However, everything changed when a security guard who had just reached the door was suddenly dragged to the ground, screaming as he was pulled into a hole in the floor. Everyone who sensed something was wrong began to run away.

Screams and shouts erupted in a cacophony. Amidst this chaos, the breach in the ground tore open further, emitting a piercing sound.

Immediately afterwards, a giant water monster began to climb up from the breach...

....................................

The kitchen of Jiangpanju is not far from the dining hall. At this moment, the chaos in the kitchen naturally affected the diners in the restaurant. Almost all the guests put down their cutlery and turned their attention to the kitchen, discussing among themselves and guessing what had happened.

Upon seeing this, the lobby manager quickly apologized to the guests, reassuring them to continue their meal, while gesturing to a nearby waiter to check what had happened.

However, the noise from the kitchen did not subside over time; on the contrary, it seemed to be getting louder. At this point, no guests paid attention to the lobby manager's attempts to calm them down. Some even got up and craned their necks to see what was going on.

The next moment, a group of staff members rushed into the lobby. Among them were security guards, chefs, and waiters. However, all of them ignored the questions from their colleagues and ran into the lobby, shouting and yelling as they ran towards the door, as if they were trying to escape some terrifying presence!

Immediately afterwards, there was a loud bang, and the wall on one side of the hall collapsed as if it had been hit by a truck. Amidst the flying dust, black tentacles like shadows shot out like arrows towards the people in the hall!

It was either a coincidence or misfortune that Zhang Jing and An Huiling were located not far from the shattered wall, separated only by an empty table. When the wall exploded, they were among the first to be hit.

..............................

"Brother Hongjian, what's wrong?" Just a quarter of an hour before the wall exploded, Zhang Jing stopped talking and turned his gaze to the river. An Huiling didn't realize anything and asked with a little curiosity when she saw her senior brother suddenly stop talking.

Zhang Jing didn't answer immediately, but instead made a gesture, indicating that An Huiling should listen carefully. This subtle gesture was a sign language that An Huiling had learned before, used within the sect to indicate when an anomaly was detected.

This coded language system, besides sign language, also includes secret texts, talismans, and other covert communication methods. It wasn't something Zhang Jing created out of thin air; rather, Zhang Taihe directly used the coded language system of Yunxiao Mountain, making only slight modifications. After all, as a long-established Xuanmen (mystical) sect, Yunxiao Mountain had already developed its own unique coded language system throughout its long history. Similar systems of secret texts and codes are not only common in Xuanmen sects like Yunxiao Mountain, but also frequently found in some long-established Western religious groups and sects.

In his previous life, Zhang Jing had read a novel called *The Da Vinci Code*, which partially described this phenomenon. He even knew that many classic texts, whether from Taoism in his past life or Xuanmen in this life, were written in cryptic language, and only true disciples could understand them.

An Huiling was quite interested in these kinds of code words. The sense of mystery and belonging that came with being part of a secret organization made her approach each new piece of knowledge with a serious attitude. However, being a beginner, it took her a moment to realize what she meant.

Then, she immediately adopted a serious expression, fell silent, and began to vigilantly observe her surroundings.

As a cultivator who has embarked on the path of cultivation, An Huiling's five senses are far more acute than those of ordinary people. She quickly noticed the movement coming from the direction of the kitchen.

Soon, the commotion grew louder and louder, accompanied by footsteps heading towards the restaurant...

An Huiling subconsciously took off the bracelet on her wrist and held it in her hand. As long as she activated her inner energy, the bracelet could transform into a long sword and shoot out at any time.

In just a dozen breaths, the rapidly growing commotion drew the attention of all the diners in the restaurant. Then, someone rushed into the restaurant, and before the diners could react, the walls burst open!

As the wall shattered, long, shadowy black tentacles appeared. The two senior and junior disciples, who were already prepared, immediately got up and retreated.

The restaurant was now filled with panic and chaos. As the walls exploded, fragments of stone shot out like arrows, propelled by kinetic energy, towards the diners. Accompanying the rubble were countless black tentacles.

Zhang Jing and An Huiling were facing more than a dozen tentacles that were flying towards them. These tentacles were incredibly fast and arrived in front of them in the blink of an eye.

Even though she was prepared, An Huiling was caught off guard. After dodging several flying pebbles, she instinctively sidestepped two flying tentacles. However, in that split second, a sense of danger from the back of her head made her realize that something was wrong. But by then, she was no longer able to dodge...

Chapter 391 Fin

Those two tentacles, which she had seemingly avoided, drew an arc and lashed back from behind her head at a tricky angle, about to strike the back of her head...

At that critical moment, An Huiling suddenly felt a tightness around her waist as a strong arm held her firmly. Then, the world spun around her, and when she came to her senses, everything around her had changed. To her surprise, she found herself on a small hillside.

She was surrounded by dense forests, and below the hillside was the Riverside Residence restaurant. Only then did she realize that she was actually on a hillside more than a hundred meters away from the Riverside Residence. Linzhou is mountainous, and this place is an extension of the Yunhu Scenic Area, with some quite spectacular views on the mountain.

Later, she belatedly realized that the strong arm belonged to her senior brother. She was being held tightly by him, their bodies pressed together, and she could even feel the warmth emanating from him.

A blush instantly spread to the back of her ears, accompanied by a strong feeling of dizziness. Her body felt weak, and her heart began to pound violently, even more violently than when she faced the crisis earlier.

Just then, the arm around her waist suddenly loosened, and a sense of loss welled up in her heart. An Huiling staggered for a moment before regaining her balance.

"Junior sister, are you alright?" A deep and slightly magnetic voice came from beside her ear. It was her senior brother asking. An Huiling quickly shook her head, trying to cover up her panic, and said, "No... I'm fine. It was really dangerous just now. Thank you, senior brother."

Zhang Jing assumed she was just experiencing a sudden danger and was feeling emotionally flustered. In the darkness, he didn't notice his junior sister's flushed cheeks and simply smiled slightly, saying, "There's no need for thanks between fellow disciples."

Just then, another change occurred at the restaurant down the mountain. From the perspective of the two people on the mountain, after a muffled sound, half of the restaurant collapsed. As a result, many people were running out of the restaurant, and at the same time, cries and shouts for help filled the air.

Behind them, a gigantic monster crawled out of the ruins. It looked like a hybrid of a giant mutated mollusk and a fish, its body covered with dark scales. At first glance, its body reminded Zhang Jing of the "cleaner fish" he had seen in the aquarium.

Its body is covered with a large number of twisted tentacles, which writhe and writh constantly. The tentacles are covered with sharp teeth, which allows it to crawl freely even on the shore.

The monster occasionally emitted cries that sounded like weeping. These cries spread, causing many people who were fleeing ahead to collapse to the ground, clutching their heads and howling in apparent pain.

An Huiling frowned, a faint feeling of nausea rising in her heart, but she quickly suppressed the feeling by circulating her internal energy.

This monster clearly had a penchant for cannibalism; its black tentacles lashed out repeatedly, grabbing people and dragging them backward, directly into its enormous mouth.

"What...is that?" Through the gaps in the trees, An Huiling couldn't help but cover her mouth and murmur unconsciously.

"Qi'e is a monster conceived over many years by the resentment of those who died violently in the river. Its cry is like that of an infant, and it likes to eat people."

"Junior sister, wait here, I'll go take care of something..."

....................................

........................

"Damn it, what the hell is that?!" Muttering to himself, Li Tian was running for his life, not even daring to turn around and look at the terrifying thing behind him.

As a 25-year-old from a well-off family, he had originally planned to have dinner with his girlfriend here tonight, and it was supposed to be a romantic evening.

Until five minutes ago, everything seemed to be going according to his plan. He was even planning to see a movie after dinner, and then find a hotel room nearby…

However, everything was ruined at this moment. He was now holding onto his girlfriend with his other hand, running for his life. He didn't even know what that unprecedented monster behind him was!

However, his girlfriend Tang Meimei, who was running beside him, kept turning her head back, holding her phone in her other hand and talking into the phone while panting.

"Dear friends... phew... phew... let me say it again... this is not a staged photo, nor... not special effects..."

"Meimei went out for dinner today and unexpectedly encountered this incident... Huff... Huff... Several people have already been eaten by that monster... Huff..."

"Meimei is on the front lines right now... relaying this to you all... phew..."