Chapter 338: The golden fruit 49.

"Get behind us."

The creature rose.

It was angry now.

It charged again.

Yan Cijin punched it.

The blow lifted its entire body.

It crashed through a storefront.

Bai Li followed with a second strike that sent it into another wall.

The monster tried to stand.

Bai Li sighed.

"Why are they always so stubborn?"

Yan Cijin smiled.

"It is probably personal."

Bai Li ended the fight.

The survivors remained silent.

A middle-aged man eventually said, "Thank you."

"Do not thank us yet," Yan Cijin said.

They looked at the injured man.

Bai Li examined him.

"Broken ribs. Deep cut. No bite."

The man’s wife looked relieved.

"Can you help him?"

"Yes."

Bai Li used their limited supplies and helped stabilize the wound.

The group explained that they had been traveling upward from the lower levels.

They had heard about the fruit and wanted to see it for themselves.

Bai Li asked how many people were above.

The answer was disturbing.

"Enough to fill several floors," the man said. "But we were separated. The stronger groups took the direct routes."

Yan Cijin asked, "And the gangs?"

The man looked at her.

"There are several. The worst ones are near the middle. They take food from weaker survivors and force them to clear rooms."

Bai Li’s expression remained calm.

"They will not last."

The man nodded slowly.

"You killed the group below, did you not?"

Bai Li did not answer.

The man looked frightened.

Yan Cijin said, "They were using people as shields."

The man’s expression hardened.

"Then they deserved it."

Bai Li glanced at Yan Cijin.

She saw the same quiet agreement in her eyes.

The survivors were guided toward the clinic level.

Before leaving, the injured man’s wife bowed her head.

"I do not know who you are."

Bai Li shrugged.

"That is fine."

"But if we survive..."

"Survive first."

The woman nodded.

Bai Li and Yan Cijin left.

As they climbed higher, the signs of human life became less common.

There were fewer camps.

Fewer fires.

Fewer discarded supplies.

The reason became obvious.

The monsters were getting stronger.

The next floor contained a parking deck that had been partially enclosed by debris.

Three creatures walked between abandoned cars.

They looked like zombies at first.

Then one turned.

Its shoulders were covered in thick bone plates.

Its arms had grown longer.

Its fingers had fused into claws.

Another had a second row of teeth inside its mouth.

The third moved silently.

Bai Li and Yan Cijin approached.

The monsters noticed them.

None attacked immediately.

They simply watched.

Yan Cijin whispered, "They are smarter."

"Yes."

The silent one moved first.

Not toward them.

Around them.

It was trying to circle.

Bai Li smiled.

"At least someone is learning."

The fight became a game of positioning.

The creatures used parked vehicles for cover.

One attacked from behind a truck.

Yan Cijin caught it and drove it into the hood.

Another leaped from a car roof.

Bai Li caught it by the ankle.

She swung it into the third.

The silent creature backed away.

Bai Li allowed it.

Yan Cijin looked at her.

"Why let it go?"

"It is leading us somewhere."

The creature ran.

They followed.

It led them through the parking deck to another stairwell.

Then it disappeared.

Bai Li stopped.

"Trap."

A roar came from above.

The stairs shook.

Dozens of smaller creatures poured down.

Bai Li looked upward.

"Definitely a trap."

Yan Cijin smiled.

"Good."

They walked into the swarm.

The first wave hit Bai Li.

She drove her fist forward.

The air cracked.

Five creatures were thrown backward.

Yan Cijin swept her arm sideways.

Another group crashed into the railing.

The swarm kept coming.

Bai Li stepped forward with every strike.

Yan Cijin moved beside her.

They cleared one landing.

Then another.

The creatures began attacking from the walls and ceiling.

Bai Li looked upward.

"This is inefficient."

Yan Cijin nodded.

She raised both hands.

The pressure in the stairwell changed.

Every loose body was forced downward.

The swarm collapsed into a pile.

Bai Li walked to the center.

One strike.

The pile stopped moving.

Yan Cijin lowered her hands.

"Better?"

"Much."

They continued.

At the next level, they found a room with shelves filled with food.

Bai Li stopped.

"That is suspicious."

Yan Cijin looked at the shelves.

"Very."

There were cans, bottled water, medicine, and packaged food.

Everything was still neatly organized.

No dust.

No blood.

No footprints.

Bai Li walked slowly inside.

At the center of the room was a chair.

Someone had placed a note on it.

YOU CAN TAKE ONE THING.

Yan Cijin picked it up.

"Why would anyone leave this?"

Bai Li looked behind the shelves.

"To see what people choose."

A click came from above.

Bai Li moved.

A metal blade dropped from the ceiling.

She caught it.

Yan Cijin looked upward.

More wires were connected to the shelves.

The entire room was a trap.

Bai Li pulled one cable.

Nothing happened.

She pulled another.

A small door opened in the ceiling.

Inside was a camera.

Yan Cijin stared at it.

"Someone is watching."

The speaker above them crackled.

A man’s voice spoke.

"You are not supposed to be this strong."

Bai Li smiled.

"And you are not supposed to be this stupid."

The speaker went silent.

Yan Cijin looked at the camera.

"Are they nearby?"

Bai Li nodded.

"Probably."

"Want to chase them?"

"No."

"Why?"

"They are afraid."

Bai Li turned away.

"People who are afraid make mistakes. We can use the mistakes later."

They left the room without taking anything.

Three floors higher, they found evidence that the watcher had not been the only one tracking them.

A wooden sign had been nailed to the wall.

TWO WOMEN.

DO NOT ENGAGE.

UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Yan Cijin looked at Bai Li.

"Famous."

Bai Li smiled.

"We should charge money."

They climbed another flight.

The higher they went, the fewer human voices they heard.

Instead, there were growls.

Heavy movements.

Something dragging itself across the floor.

.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED,