Chapter 216: The Sound of Bells

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: The Sound of Bells

Jaxon ignored their exchange and looked toward Alyssa. "Have you seen any other infected besides the ones you mentioned?"

"Not many. Most of the streets around here are empty. And some of them may be hiding inside buildings."

After another ten minutes, they arrived at a large shopping mall. Its front entrance had been damaged, with several glass doors shattered and part of the sign hanging loose above them.

"This is the place," Alyssa said, pointing toward the entrance. "A lot of the food has already spoiled, and some sections were probably looted. But there should be a lot of things left. The medical section is on the second floor, not far from here."

Jaxon looked over the building, then nodded. "That should be enough for us to start with."

Alyssa, however, stepped away from the entrance.

"Wait," Bong-gu said. "Where are you going?"

"I’ll look around outside for a while," she replied. "There’s something I’m searching for."

Bong-gu looked at Alyssa’s back as she walked away.

"Don’t follow her, Bong-gu," Natasha said, stopping him before he could move.

Bong-gu froze. "I wasn’t going to follow her."

Jaxon glanced at the corner where Alyssa had disappeared before turning toward the mall.

"Whatever she’s looking for is her business. As long as she doesn’t cause trouble, we don’t need to interfere. Let’s focus on what we came here for. We’ll search the food section first, then check the medical supplies."

The group soon entered the mall carefully.

Inside, the place was a mess. Several shelves had been knocked over, cabinets hung open, and broken glass covered parts of the floor. Dust had settled over nearly every surface, while the smell of rot lingered in the air.

Even so, not everything had been ruined.

Rows of canned food remained scattered across the shelves. Some packages had been torn open, but many cans were still sealed. There were also unopened bags of chips, chocolate bars, bottled drinks, and other packaged food that could still be used.

"Won’t she notice if all the supplies suddenly disappear?" Cindy asked as she watched Jaxon store another box of canned food.

"I’ll deal with it if it comes to that," Jaxon replied. "Take everything useful. Don’t hold back."

He glanced toward the other section of the mall. "Once we finish here, we’ll check the medical area. Prioritize medicine, batteries, hygiene products, and anything else that might be useful."

The group continued working.

They found several unopened boxes of medicine, painkillers, bandages, disinfectants, and other basic medical supplies.

Jaxon stored what they collected, filling his Storage Space little by little until there was barely any room remaining.

By the time they finished searching the first section, several shelves had been completely cleared of anything worth taking. They moved on to the next area and continued working until hours had passed and the sky outside was beginning to darken.

Bong-gu glanced toward the entrance and frowned. "Why hasn’t Alyssa come back yet? Do you think something happened to her?"

"She can take care of herself," Natasha said. "Let’s return to the parking garage. If she still plans to travel with us, she can meet us there."

Bong-gu hesitated. "Shouldn’t we at least look for her?"

Natasha gave him a flat look. "You mean you want to look for her."

"Let’s go," Jaxon said, cutting off their exchange. "We can’t waste more time."

The group left the mall and began walking through the quiet streets. They had only gone a short distance when a faint voice echoed between the buildings.

"Help... Is anyone there?"

Thomas raised his weapon and looked around. "Did you hear that?"

Jaxon nodded, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the sound. "Yes."

"Help..."

The voice came again. It sounded like a young girl calling from somewhere.

Jaxon led them and followed the sound, turning from one street to another as the voice grew clearer.

"Help!"

Jaxon turned his head, listening carefully. "That building."

He pointed toward an old apartment building a short distance away. Its entrance was partially blocked by fallen debris, and several windows on the lower floors had been shattered.

"Someone might be trapped inside," Thomas said.

Jaxon was about to move when he suddenly turned his head toward the side. "You’re here too?"

Alyssa stepped out from around the corner and approached them with her usual calm expression. She glanced toward the apartment building. "I wouldn’t recommend going inside."

Thomas frowned. "Why not? That voice sounded like a child."

Alyssa did not answer immediately. Her eyes remained fixed on the building.

"Are you saying there’s no one inside?" Thomas asked.

"We’ll see," Alyssa replied.

Without waiting for them, she calmly walked toward the apartment entrance and disappeared into the darkness.

"Hey! Wait!" Thomas called after her, but Alyssa didn’t stop.

He turned toward Jaxon. "Should we follow her?"

Jaxon glanced toward the entrance where Alyssa had disappeared. "There’s an infected inside"

Thomas’s expression tightened.

"And judging by her reaction, she already knows what we’re dealing with."

Bong-gu swallowed. "Then why did she go in?"

"Let’s find out."

"Won’t it make a lot of noise if she starts firing that shotgun?" Cindy asked.

"We haven’t encountered any infected so far," Natasha replied. "If there are any nearby, we’ll deal with them."

"That’s not exactly reassuring," Bong-gu muttered.

Jaxon soon stepped into the apartment building. Thomas followed closely behind him, while Natasha, Cindy, and Bong-gu spread out enough to avoid crowding the entrance. Their flashlights swept across the dusty lobby, illuminating overturned furniture, and cracked walls.

They moved toward the stairwell, keeping their weapons ready as they climbed toward the third floor.

The faint voice continued to echo through the building, its trembling tone growing more unsettling.

"Someone... help me..."

The voice suddenly stopped. A moment later, a childlike laugh drifted through the corridor.

Then came the clanging of bells, one after another, as if children were playing somewhere in the darkness.

Bong-gu’s expression stiffened. He lowered his voice and glanced around nervously. "This place is seriously creepy. Is that thing trying to scare us?"

"Probably," Cindy whispered.

"Where’s Alyssa?" Bong-gu asked, looking toward the upper floor.

Before anyone could answer, a loud smashing sound erupted from somewhere ahead.

"That way. Move!" Jaxon broke into a run, with the others following close behind.