Chapter 34

Seeing that his subordinates couldn't find any bullets, the middle-aged police chief, Deputy Chief Zhang Yuting of the Xinjiang Branch, looked extremely grim. The situation today was too bizarre, encountering a criminal who could take so many bullets and still not die, which was truly unsettling.

Deputy Chief Zhang knew that the safest method was to stay far away and shoot the criminal, preferably killing him with a barrage of bullets.

However, he and his subordinates had run out of bullets, and it would take at least one or two minutes for reinforcements to arrive. The criminal still had a female hostage, and there were many civilians present. If he did nothing and just waited for reinforcements, watching the criminal bite the hostage to death piece by piece, the public would surely tear him apart. Would he still be able to keep his position as deputy chief?

Deputy Chief Zhang's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Get the batons out! Go, beat this beast to death!"

Xu Yan and Zhu Youxiang stood close to the police. When Deputy Chief Zhang issued the order, Zhu Youxiang pursed her lips, seemingly unimpressed.

Xu Yan immediately asked her, "Xuanyun, what's wrong?"

Zhu Youxiang shook her head and said indifferently, "These officials, if they dare to fight the monster bare-handed, will likely die a terrible death."

Xu Yan was taken aback. Everything that had happened so far had confirmed Zhu Youxiang's predictions. He no longer dared to ignore her words.

"Xuanyun, what do you mean? Can so many police officers not defeat a half-dead monster?"

Zhu Youxiang shook her head slightly. She acknowledged that the firearms of Earth's natives were indeed advanced, with much greater power than the bows and crossbows of the Ming Dynasty's army.

However, no matter how powerful the firearms were, they were still mundane weapons, not magical artifacts. For a monster's host, even if it was killed a thousand times by mundane weapons, it would not significantly harm the monster's true form—only the human body it possessed would be injured, not the monster's spiritual body.

The best way to deal with such a monster's host was to send skilled exorcists to purify it with cleansing spells or holy light spells, directly attacking the monster's spiritual body. Under the principle of elemental suppression, the monster would be instantly obliterated. This was the most efficient and straightforward method.

If no skilled exorcists were available, other types of cultivators could also suffice. For example, powerful warriors, spellcasters, or mages, whose attacks carried effects like sword qi, true qi, or magical power, could also harm the monster's spiritual body while attacking the possessed host.

However, in many places where disasters occurred, there were no cultivators stationed. This was not surprising, as the Ming Dynasty was vast, and cultivators were rare elites who could not cover the entire territory. When a disaster struck, if cultivators could not arrive in time, the local troops had to deal with the monster's host.

After many painful lessons, the Ming Dynasty's army had summarized their experience and procedures. To deal with a possessed monster, at least five first-class soldiers were required, fully armored and equipped with heavy shields, long weapons like halberds and spears. They had to form an array and avoid close combat. The strategy was to first sever the limbs of the possessed host to immobilize it, then wrap it in thick cloth and burn it to ashes to ensure its complete destruction.

The few Earth officials present had no mages or spellcasters, no magical artifacts, no armor, and no heavy weapons like halberds or spears. They were going to engage the monster in close combat with just short batons. In Zhu Youxiang's view, although this was brave, it was no different from courting death.

In Zhu Youxiang's opinion, the Earth natives' weapons were indeed advanced and powerful. However, they focused solely on the destructive power of their weapons, neglecting the cultivation of their own bodies and souls. Relying solely on external tools without self-cultivation, they were defenseless against incorporeal spiritual monsters.

As it was now, so many officials were struggling to deal with a weak spiritual monster. If a large-scale disaster occurred, Zhu Youxiang couldn't imagine how they would survive.

"Master Xu, let's go. These officials are no match for the monster. Staying here will only cause trouble."

Zhu Youxiang had stayed to observe the Earth officials' combat capabilities. Now that her purpose was achieved, she no longer wished to stay.

"Xuanyun, do you mean these police officers will... die?"

Zhu Youxiang nodded lightly and said clearly, "Master Xu, monsters are not easy to deal with. Although this spiritual parasite is the lowest-level monster, its combat strength is not weak. The possessed human may have lost intelligence, but it has gained the instincts of a beast, immense strength, and extraordinary speed. Without heavy armor and long weapons, even our soldiers would find it difficult to defeat it in single combat. These officials rushing in bare-handed are likely courting death."

Xu Yan asked softly, "Xuanyun, can you help kill this monster? It shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

Zhu Youxiang shook her head firmly, "Master Xu, I can indeed kill this beast, but I cannot act."

"Why?"

"Master Xu, I have said that if you are in danger, no matter how perilous, I will do my utmost to save you, regardless of the cost. Gratitude and repayment are the family precepts of the Yan clan. However, these officials, and..."

Zhu Youxiang paused, her tone unchanged, but her eyes revealed a hint of disdain, "These onlookers, what do they have to do with me?"

Indeed, this was Zhu Youxiang's thinking. These people were strangers to her, and they had never shown her any kindness or goodwill. Why should she risk her life for them?

If she were in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youxiang would not be so cold-hearted. If the people were Ming Dynasty citizens, she would have a duty to protect them from monsters, as it was her responsibility as a member of the royal family and a cultivator. But now, these people were uncivilized barbarians, not even considered assimilated citizens of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Zhu Youxiang felt no guilt in not helping them.

In this unfamiliar world, revealing her identity as an outsider would come at a great cost. Between her own safety and the lives of a few barbarians, Zhu Youxiang would undoubtedly choose to protect herself.

Xu Yan said anxiously, "Xuanyun, how can you be so cold? After all, these are human lives!"

Zhu Youxiang said indifferently, "Birth, aging, illness, and death, wars and disasters, people die every moment. I am not a deity; what can I do?"

"But they are right in front of us, and you could save them with just a move!"

Zhu Youxiang looked at Xu Yan and said calmly, "I can, but Master, please give me a reason to save them."

From Zhu Youxiang's calm tone, Xu Yan could sense her firm resolve, which could not be swayed.

Xu Yan was racking his brain to persuade Zhu Youxiang when he heard a commotion from the crowd. He turned around and saw that in the few seconds they had been talking, the situation had drastically changed. The few police officers had been knocked to the ground, covered in blood, and it was unclear if they were dead or alive. Only two or three officers were still using their batons to fend off the monster, but they dared not engage in close combat, only waving their batons from a distance and shouting, not daring to get closer.

Seeing how easily the police were defeated, the crowd, who had been watching from a distance, began to jeer, "The police are useless!"

"We taxpayers are feeding a bunch of pigs!"

Hearing the jeers, Deputy Chief Zhang Yuting of the Xinjiang Branch was so angry that he almost fainted. If he had the strength, he would have crawled up and, disregarding discipline and image, shouted at the jeering crowd, "Who the hell is calling us useless? Why don't you try it yourself?"

But he couldn't get up. His mouth was dry, and he was spitting out blood in large gulps. To boost his subordinates' courage, he had led the charge and was the first to be injured. Zhang Yuting didn't even understand what happened. The monster's hand moved so fast, he could barely see it. He only managed to block with his baton, but then he felt a powerful blow to his chest. The force was overwhelming, and he was thrown several meters, crashing into a counter and shattering the glass, which cut his back, leaving him bleeding and in pain.

But he was lucky to hit the glass counter. Zhang Yuting knew that if he had hit the wall, the force could have broken his spine and killed him instantly.

"This beast, where does it get such strength? One punch can throw a person so far? Even an elephant wouldn't be that strong!"

Zhang Yuting was both angry and confused. His back burned, and his chest ached. He felt a sweet, metallic taste in his throat and kept spitting out blood. He knew he was seriously injured, with several broken ribs and internal bleeding, and many cuts from the glass.

He was badly hurt, but seeing his colleagues, Zhang Yuting suddenly felt lucky. The colleagues who had charged with him were all on the ground, motionless, covered in blood, and it was unclear if they were dead or alive.

Zhang Yuting struggled to raise his hand, and the simple act of lifting his arm caused excruciating pain. He pressed the communication button on his shoulder and called out, "East Gate requesting backup, East Gate requesting backup... This is Zhang Yuting, I am injured, many officers are injured... The criminal is extremely vicious, has injured many officers and civilians..."

"The SWAT team is rushing to East Gate from the third floor, they will be there in one minute! Chief Zhang, please report the situation and protect the civilians!"

"Quick, bring guns, bring more bullets, bring shotguns... Hurry! This is a monster, handguns are ineffective, can't kill it... Oh no, the criminal is heading towards the crowd, hurry, hurry!"

Earlier, when the police were fighting the monster, the crowd had been jeering and mocking the police. Now, with the police dead or injured, the crowd realized that the police they had mocked had been holding back the monster. With the police down, no one was left to stop the monster.

"Ahh~"

A woman's scream broke the silence, and everyone realized the police were finished, and they were no longer safe. The crowd erupted into chaos, and people began to flee, pushing and shoving each other. The weak, including women, the elderly, and children, were pushed to the ground, and everyone struggled to escape.

In the chaos, a little girl, about four or five years old, was left alone at the edge of the crowd. She was crying and calling out, "Mom, mom, wake up, mom!" Her mother was the woman lying in a pool of blood, and the little girl, oblivious to the terrifying monster nearby, stumbled towards her mother's body.

The little girl's cries caught the monster's attention. It looked up at the approaching child, a sinister smile on its disfigured face, and extended its bloodied, deformed hand...

Just then, reinforcements arrived. The city's SWAT team and the criminal investigation team from the west entrance of the mall arrived almost simultaneously. Seeing the dangerous scene, the police were alarmed, and several voices shouted, "Stop! Don't move!"

"Little girl, don't go over there, run over here!"

But it was too late. The little girl was too close to the monster, and the reinforcements were still dozens of meters away. No one dared to shoot for fear of hitting the little girl or the fleeing crowd. Everyone could imagine what would happen next. Some had already closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight.

Suddenly, a tall young man rushed over and, using his momentum, kicked the monster in the waist, knocking it down.