March 21st, 1:42 PM — Longwan Mall, Upper Retail Sector
The mall felt different now.
Not quiet or peaceful. Just... less tense.
The kind of calm that comes after a battle, when the blood’s still drying and the air hasn’t moved yet.
We’d killed the Ghouls. Cleared out most of the Crawlers. For now, there were no alarms, no red dots blinking on my system map—just grey.
Zhou Xue moved ahead with quiet precision, her steps sure, shoulders relaxed. The four elixirs had kicked in—her balance was tighter, breath quieter. Her bow moved with her like it belonged on her back.
I walked beside Roulan while Liang Mei moved along the other side, occasionally drifting toward Zhou Xue.
"Upper sector’s clear so far," Roulan said, checking her Type-9k’s chamber. "Two dead Crawlers by the jewellery counter. They’ve been dead a while. Looks like Qinglan passed through here earlier."
We were heading north, toward the old electronics chain near the cinema wing. One of the few places that hadn’t been looted to the foundation. I remembered passing through it in the past before I was fighting zombies and leading a group.
Although the system couldn’t identify any dangers...
Old caution didn’t go away just because the map was clean. It lingered like smoke.
Zhou Xue pointed to a side hallway. "Let’s try down here. Signage says staff lockers. Might be tools or chargers inside."
Liang Mei nodded. "Maybe snacks too."
Her eyes sparkled. "I said maybe."
It was strange how normal it sounded now, like students whispering between classes. Not survivors in a warzone.
We entered the corridor together. The tiles here were cleaner, probably because the area had remained sealed until yesterday’s fighting shook half the place loose. Sunlight filtered through the cracked ceiling. Dust caught in the beams like glitter.
Zhou Xue stopped beside a shuttered storefront.
"Security lock’s bust," she said. "I can pry it open."
I gripped the lock and yanked it, causing the rusted metal to crack and break like a piece of glass dropping to the floor with a thud. "See?"
Old locker room. Empty shelves. A few scattered staff uniforms. Most of the lockers were already broken open, but a few still held sealed kits—emergency rations, chocolate bars, flashlights, ID tags.
Roulan picked up a dusty thermos. "This place feels untouched."
Liang Mei found a charger dock for handheld radios, phones and other devices. "Well, it should help."
Zhou Xue tossed me a full bottle of electrolyte and water.
I caught it and smiled. "Not bad."
Sometimes, survival wasn’t about killing monsters.
Sometimes, it was just about small wins.
It was strange how much was left intact.
Not untouched—just forgotten.
We moved past a frozen yoghurt stall and a makeshift massage kiosk through the employee-only corridor. Liang Mei found the entrance to a chilled storeroom and pushed it open with her shoulder. The air that greeted us was dry, cold, and stale.
Inside, rows of metal shelves held sealed boxes, some collapsed, others still banded with brittle plastic wrap. One was marked Health & Personal Use. Another had March Shipment half-faded across the top.
"Jackpot," Zhou Xue muttered.
It wasn’t just emergency rations.
Cans of beans. Sliced fruit. Compressed sweetbread. Tinned fish. Some were dated next year, others with months left. More importantly, female hygiene packs. Basic meds. Water-purifying tablets. Antibiotic sprays.
Half the group gravitated toward the sweets aisle. Liang Mei found a tin of caramel hard candy, popped one in her mouth and nearly moaned.
Zhou Xue raised an eyebrow. "Control yourself."
Even if I could spawn half this from my system store, they didn’t know that. And frankly, this was better. It felt genuine, like the reward for us clearing the mall... but I still couldn’t forget the amount of corpses and bones in the basement.
How many survivors died here?
Plus, if this food hadn’t rotted?
Then it was better to use it for a greater good, right?
I glanced up at the ceiling.
The air was colder here with sealed vents with mesh, no sign of leakage or mould.
There were small solar panels still fixed outside the corner skylight—the emergency backup system was probably still trickling power into the isolated freezers.
Zhou Xue pulled out a pack of flatbread and turned it over. "Still sealed."
Roulan examined a crate of tampons and birth control packets without a word. Her expression was unreadable.
Liang Mei hummed, cheeks puffed with sugar. "We could live off this stuff for weeks."
"We’re not taking all of it," I said. "Just what we can carry. Prioritise long-term shelf stability. Protein, carbs, water aids, and medicine."
"What about flavour?" she mumbled, stuffing another candy into her cheek.
Zhou Xue opened a satchel and began sorting. "He’s right. This stuff might be fresh now, but it won’t last. Don’t be greedy."
"No, I was wrong... if you can fit it into the extra bag, then you can keep it."
I realised that being too stingy was stupid.
Why should we hold back?
Others would have died before even coming here.
The girls worked smoothly, wasn’t their first supply run.
I leaned back against a wall and watched them.
Roulan caught my gaze, then smiled slightly. "You look like a proud father."
She chuckled and tossed a bottle of heated lube at me and winked.
Sometimes, it was easy to forget the world was broken.
My comm crackled to life with a faint burst of static.
"John?" Mu Qinglan’s voice came through, calm but slightly breathless. "We’ve swept the upper levels. No more movement. Just a few Crawlers in the emergency stairwell, but the others handled it."
I tapped the side of my earpiece. "Everyone alright?"
"We’re in one piece. Packs are full. Standing by on the rooftop now."
"Copy. We’re en route."
She didn’t reply immediately.
Then: "You’ll want to see the view. Clear skies today."
I turned to the others.
Zhou Xue finished cinching her pack, one of the heavier-duty types from a staff locker. Full to the brim. Roulan had looped several medical bags over her shoulder and was tucking a flashlight into her belt. Liang Mei waddled slightly under the weight of two plastic bins stuffed with tins and snacks, her cheeks puffed with effort.
"We’re good," Zhou Xue answered, pulling her hair back into a tight ponytail.
The walk to the rooftop access stairwell wasn’t long, but we moved slowly. No urgency. No need. Our boots echoed against the concrete steps, mingled with the soft clink of metal canisters and crinkling food packs.
At one point, Roulan reached out to steady Liang Mei, who nearly tripped on her enthusiasm.
"I’m fine!" she whispered. "Just... not used to carrying so much."
"That’s because you packed every sweet you could find."
Roulan smiled, but her fingers never strayed far from her weapon.
Even now, she didn’t relax completely. And neither did I.
At the final landing, we paused.
Sunlight spilt in from the open hatch above.
Clear blue sky. Warm breeze.
Mu Qinglan waited for me near the door, her dark outfit rustling lightly as wind tugged at the hem of her coat. Shen Yifei crouched beside a small pile of salvaged supplies, checking for damage.
The students—Deng Hua, Chen Xun, Liang Qiu—were resting, seated in a loose circle near the ventilation tower. They all looked exhausted, barely keeping themselves awake after the past two days... I couldn’t blame them.
I stepped out onto the roof and let the sun hit my face.
The warmth enveloping me and the light helping my eyes to relax, though it hurt for a moment, and after a few seconds, I was alright.
Just the low hum of wind, and the soft voices of my people.
It felt almost... safe.
Mu Qinglan sat on the edge, her hair blowing in the wind. She looked almost like a fairy from another world, but the moment I was about to call out, something echoed in my mind and everything shattered.
[Stage 2 Horde Detected]
[Parasite-Type Mutation Detected — Stage 3 Confirmed]
[Stage 3 Ghoul | Awakened | Type: Parasite Caster]