Chapter 302: The golden fruit 13.

The elevator doors opened with a soft mechanical sigh, and Bai Li stepped out first.

The hallway outside was quieter than it had been a few minutes ago. The building had its own strange kind of silence now, the kind that only existed after the world had already fallen apart and whatever was left inside had learned not to waste energy making noise. Dust drifted lazily through the weak light leaking in from a broken window at the far end. Somewhere below them, a loose metal panel clicked every few seconds, carried by the draft.

Yan Cijin came out behind Bai Li and looked down the corridor. "So this is the glamorous part of the trip?"

Bai Li glanced back at her. "You were expecting a red carpet?"

"I was expecting something less depressing."

"You are traveling with me. You should have adjusted your expectations by now."

Yan Cijin gave her a look, then followed without another complaint.

They moved through the hallway without hurry. There was no reason to hurry. The building was mostly empty, and anything dangerous enough to make a serious difference to either of them would have to try much harder than the creatures they had already dealt with. Bai Li walked with one hand loosely in her pocket, her posture relaxed, while Yan Cijin carried herself with the same calm efficiency that had become familiar to Bai Li in the short time they had spent together.

There was still something slightly strange about walking side by side with Yan Cijin.

Bai Li had gotten used to her presence faster than she cared to admit. The silence did not feel awkward anymore. Small comments had become normal. So had the occasional glance that lasted a little too long before one of them looked away. Neither had said anything about it. Neither had any intention of saying anything about it anytime soon.

At least, that was what Bai Li told herself.

Yan Cijin was thinking something similar, although she would never have admitted it either.

They reached the service stairwell and took the stairs down. The emergency lights were dead, leaving most of the stairwell dark, but Bai Li did not bother with a flashlight. Yan Cijin did not either. They could see well enough.

A few floors below, something thumped behind a closed door.

Both women paused.

Another thump.

Yan Cijin tilted her head. "You think?"

Bai Li nodded once. "Probably."

The thing behind the door hit it again.

Bai Li opened it.

A zombie lunged immediately.

It had probably once been a middle-aged man, judging by its clothes. Now its face was gray, one eye hanging uselessly, its mouth opening and closing as if it were trying to remember how speech worked.

Bai Li caught it by the throat before it could touch either of them.

The movement was so casual that Yan Cijin almost laughed.

Bai Li held the zombie one-handed, lifted it just enough to pull its feet off the floor, and turned toward the stairwell wall.

Crack.

The body went limp.

Bai Li let it drop.

Yan Cijin looked at her. "You always do that?"

"It is efficient."

"It is also a little dramatic."

Bai Li started down the stairs again. "You noticed."

Yan Cijin followed, and there was the faintest curve at the corner of her mouth.

They reached the underground levels after another few minutes. The air grew cooler as they descended. At the lowest landing, a security door stood open, its metal frame bent outward. Beyond it was the underground garage.

Bai Li stepped through first.

The garage was large enough to fit several dozen cars. Most of them had been left behind in awkward positions, some with doors open, some with windows shattered. A few had been burned. Water leaked from a pipe overhead and had formed a dark puddle near one of the support pillars.

The Kawasaki Ninja 400 was still there.

It stood exactly where Bai Li had parked it before, tucked into a corner near a concrete pillar, mostly untouched despite the chaos around it.

Yan Cijin looked at the bike and then at Bai Li.

"You actually left that here."

"I told you I did."

"I thought you were joking."

Bai Li walked toward it. "I rarely joke about useful things."

She crouched beside the motorcycle for a quick inspection. The tires were fine. The chain was clean enough. The fuel tank was empty, which was the only problem.

Bai Li rested one hand on the seat.

"System."

The familiar interface appeared in her mind.

"Use fifty crystal cores as fuel."

The response came almost instantly.

[50 low-grade crystal cores consumed.]

[Energy conversion complete.]

[Fuel supply restored.]

Bai Li stood.

Yan Cijin watched the entire exchange, still trying to decide whether she would ever get used to how casually Bai Li treated things that should have required serious preparation.

"So that really works."

"It does."

Yan Cijin stepped closer to the bike. "You know, normal people put gasoline in these."

"Normal people are having a difficult time right now."

That earned a quiet laugh.

Bai Li swung one leg over the motorcycle and settled into the seat. She checked the mirrors, twisted the throttle once, and the engine answered with a deep mechanical growl that echoed across the entire garage.

The sound brought movement.

Several figures stirred between the abandoned cars.

Yan Cijin looked toward them.

"Company."

"Unfortunately."

Four zombies stumbled into view, followed by two more from the opposite side.

Bai Li did not get off the motorcycle.

She looked at Yan Cijin. "You coming?"

Yan Cijin raised an eyebrow. "You are asking me to sit behind you?"

"There are six zombies."

"That was not my question."

Bai Li stared at her for a second, then said, "Get on."

Yan Cijin climbed onto the pillion behind her.

The moment she settled in, Bai Li accelerated.

The motorcycle shot forward.

The first zombie reached for them, and Yan Cijin leaned slightly to the side as Bai Li passed close enough for the creature to miss by inches. Bai Li lifted one hand from the handlebar, caught the zombie’s wrist as they passed, and used its own momentum to yank it sideways into a parked sedan.

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TO BE CONTINUED.