Chapter 335: The golden fruit 46.

"We knew somebody would come."

Yan Cijin’s gaze hardened.

"Let them go."

The man laughed.

"No."

Bai Li took one step forward.

The rifle came up.

The leader pulled the little girl in front of him.

"One more step and she dies."

The girl trembled.

Bai Li stopped.

Yan Cijin’s eyes narrowed.

The leader grinned.

"Smart."

"Not really," Bai Li said.

"What?"

Bai Li looked at the civilians.

Then at the gang.

Then at the rifle.

"You made a mistake."

The leader laughed.

"What mistake?"

Bai Li pointed at him.

"You thought I needed to come closer."

The rifle vanished from his hand.

He stared at his empty fingers.

The weapon appeared in Bai Li’s hand.

Yan Cijin stepped forward at the same moment.

The gang opened fire.

The bullets stopped in the air.

Every single one.

The civilians stared.

The leader went white.

Bai Li looked at the suspended bullets.

"That is enough."

She turned her wrist.

The bullets dropped harmlessly to the floor.

Yan Cijin moved.

The first guard fell.

Then another.

A third tried to grab the teenage boy.

Yan Cijin struck him so hard he slid across the floor.

Bai Li appeared beside the leader.

He pulled the girl tighter.

"You will not kill me."

Bai Li looked at the child.

"No."

She reached past him.

The girl’s restraints opened.

The child ran to her brother.

The leader stared.

Bai Li hit him once.

He collapsed.

The rest of the gang attacked in desperation.

This time there was no warning.

Bai Li and Yan Cijin did not bother with restraint.

The fight was fast.

A machete swung.

Bai Li caught it.

She twisted.

The metal broke.

She stepped forward and struck the attacker in the chest.

He hit the wall and did not get up.

Another man rushed Yan Cijin.

She ducked under his punch and drove her elbow into his ribs.

He folded.

She caught the back of his helmet and threw him over the railing.

A scream echoed downward.

The last two hesitated.

Bai Li looked at them.

"Run."

They ran.

Yan Cijin watched them go.

"You are letting them leave?"

Bai Li looked at the civilians.

"Not after that."

She disappeared.

A few seconds later, the two men stopped running.

Their footsteps did not return.

Yan Cijin understood.

"You really did not like them."

"No."

The civilians stood frozen.

The teenage boy looked at Bai Li.

"Are they all dead?"

"Yes."

The girl stared at the bodies.

Then at Bai Li.

"Are you a good person?"

Bai Li paused.

Yan Cijin almost smiled.

Bai Li answered honestly.

"I do not know."

The girl frowned.

"But you saved us."

Bai Li looked at Yan Cijin.

"She did too."

The girl looked at Yan Cijin.

"Then both of you are good."

Yan Cijin looked away.

"Do not decide so quickly."

Bai Li laughed softly.

The civilians were moved to a locked office.

Bai Li left them enough food for several days.

Before leaving, the teenage boy asked, "Are you really going to the top?"

"Yes."

"For the fruit?"

"Yes."

He hesitated.

"People say it can change everything."

Yan Cijin looked up toward the ceiling.

"Maybe."

Bai Li opened the next stairwell door.

"We will find out."

They stepped inside.

The climb became harder.

The first few floors had smelled like blood and smoke.

Now the air smelled sweet.

Unnaturally sweet.

The golden fruit was getting closer.

Bai Li could feel it.

So could Yan Cijin.

The craving was not hunger.

It was something deeper.

An instinct.

Every cell in the body seemed to recognize that something extraordinary waited above.

The mall itself seemed to react.

The walls were warm.

The lights flickered despite having no power.

Small roots had begun growing through cracks in the concrete.

They were golden near the edges.

Yan Cijin touched one.

It pulsed once.

She withdrew her hand.

"We are close."

"Very."

A roar came from above.

Not one roar.

Several.

Different voices.

Different creatures.

Bai Li looked at Yan Cijin.

Yan Cijin smiled.

"That sounds promising."

Bai Li smiled back.

"Now we are getting somewhere."

They climbed.

Behind them, somewhere far below, the mall echoed with distant human screams.

Ahead of them, something enormous scraped its claws across the floor.

The stairwell lights died completely.

Bai Li stepped forward in the darkness.

Yan Cijin followed.

Neither hesitated.

The next floor waited above them.

And whatever had claimed it had already smelled the golden fruit in their direction.

They walked on.

The next landing opened into a wide service level that had once been used by maintenance workers and delivery crews. In the old world, it had probably been one of the least interesting parts of the mall. Now it felt like a border between two different worlds. The concrete walls were covered in pale stains and long scratches. Broken pipes hung from the ceiling. Several emergency doors stood open, and through them Bai Li could see empty storage rooms, abandoned carts, and piles of old supplies. Nothing moved at first.

That did not make the place feel safe.

Yan Cijin walked half a step behind Bai Li, her eyes moving constantly.

"Too quiet."

Bai Li nodded.

"Humans usually make more noise."

"That is not what I meant."

"I know."

A drop of water fell from a pipe.

Plink.

Another.

Plink.

Then a third sound came from the darkness.

Plink.

Yan Cijin stopped.

"There is no water in that pipe."

Bai Li glanced upward.

Something moved along the ceiling.

It was thin and almost impossible to see. A pale body stretched between the pipes, flattening itself so completely against the concrete that it looked like a wet stain.

Bai Li raised one finger.

The creature froze.

It had eight limbs, each ending in a cluster of hooked fingers. Its head had split open into three sections, each covered in tiny teeth.

Yan Cijin looked at it.

"Another ugly one."

Bai Li sighed.

"At least it is trying."

The creature dropped.

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TO BE CONTINUED.