Chapter 341: The golden fruit 52.

"Only when I know who I am facing it with."

For half a second, Bai Li said nothing.

Then she smiled softly.

"Come on."

They started climbing.

The golden glow swallowed them one step at a time.

And somewhere above, several enormous creatures shifted in their sleep.

They had finally sensed the two humans coming.

They had finally realized that the scent climbing toward the fruit was not the scent of prey.

It was the scent of something that could fight back.

Bai Li and Yan Cijin disappeared into the darkness above.

The door below them swung slowly shut.

The human floors were behind them now.

Ahead waited the stronger levels.

And beyond those levels, at the very top of the mall, the golden fruit continued to ripen.

Unaware, or perhaps entirely aware, of how many creatures were waiting for it.

The darkness above was different from the darkness below.

It was not empty.

It felt occupied.

Bai Li climbed another ten steps and stopped.

Yan Cijin stopped too.

There was a faint scratching sound from the wall.

Then another.

Something was moving parallel to them.

Not on the stairs.

Inside the wall.

Bai Li leaned closer.

The scratching stopped.

Yan Cijin whispered, "Do not tell me that thing is going to jump out."

Bai Li smiled.

"Why would I spoil it?"

Yan Cijin gave her a look.

The wall exploded.

A long creature shot through the concrete.

Its body was narrow and armored, like a snake made of bone.

It opened its mouth wide enough to swallow a person.

Yan Cijin caught its upper jaw.

Bai Li caught its lower jaw.

The creature twisted violently.

Both women held on.

It thrashed again.

The wall shook.

Bai Li looked at Yan Cijin.

"Together?"

"Obviously."

They pulled in opposite directions.

The creature’s jaw cracked.

It screeched.

Bai Li released one hand and struck its head.

Yan Cijin followed immediately.

The creature collapsed.

Its long body rolled down the stairs and disappeared.

Yan Cijin watched it go.

"That was unpleasant."

"Very."

They continued.

The stairwell eventually reached another floor.

This one had no shops, only a massive open hall.

At the center stood a dried fountain.

Golden roots had grown from the fountain and spread across the entire room.

The roots were thick enough to resemble tree trunks.

Some had broken through marble.

Others had cracked the ceiling.

Bai Li walked closer.

The air was almost bright here.

Not sunlight.

Something warmer.

Something alive.

Yan Cijin stared at the roots.

"This mall is becoming something else."

Bai Li nodded.

"It is being reshaped by the fruit."

A tiny golden flower grew from one root.

It opened.

Then another.

Then another.

Within seconds, dozens of flowers covered the fountain.

The scent became overwhelming.

Both women felt the urge to move closer.

It was subtle.

Not a command.

Just a gentle pull.

Bai Li closed her eyes for a second.

Yan Cijin noticed.

"You feel it."

"Yes."

"Do you want to go to it?"

Bai Li opened her eyes.

"Yes."

Yan Cijin was quiet.

"So do I."

Neither moved.

Bai Li looked at her.

"That is dangerous."

"I know."

"Then why say it?"

Yan Cijin looked away.

"Because I did not want you thinking you were the only one feeling it."

Bai Li stared at her for a moment.

Then she nodded.

"Good."

They left the fountain.

The flowers closed behind them.

The moment they entered the next hallway, three creatures attacked.

The first was a long-limbed zombie.

The second looked like a giant hyena.

The third was covered in thick scales.

Bai Li kicked the hyena into the scaled monster.

Yan Cijin caught the zombie by the arm.

She swung it into the ceiling.

The creature fell.

Bai Li finished it.

The hyena attacked again.

Yan Cijin struck it through a pillar.

The scaled monster opened its mouth.

A wave of heat rushed through the hallway.

Bai Li raised one hand.

The heat stopped.

She pushed forward.

The monster’s body bent under the pressure.

Yan Cijin came beside her.

Together, they crushed it between two waves of force.

The hallway went quiet.

Bai Li looked down at the remains.

"Getting stronger."

Yan Cijin nodded.

"Much stronger."

They climbed again.

At the next landing, the doors were covered in golden vines.

Bai Li touched them.

They moved away from her hand.

Yan Cijin looked impressed.

"They recognize you."

"Maybe."

"That is a little creepy."

"A little."

Beyond the doors was another dark corridor.

A roar came from the far end.

Then another.

Then several more.

The sounds overlapped.

Bai Li and Yan Cijin exchanged a glance.

This time there was no need to say anything.

They both understood.

The upper section had begun.

Bai Li stepped through the doorway.

Yan Cijin followed.

The doors closed behind them.

And for the first time since they entered the mall, there was no sign of any human life above them.

Only monsters.

Only golden light.

Only the path upward.

They had crossed the final human-controlled barrier.

The feeling was immediate.

No more footsteps followed from below.

No more voices shouted warnings.

No more desperate survivors waited around corners.

The air itself seemed heavier.

Bai Li walked at a steady pace.

Yan Cijin matched her.

Their footsteps echoed through the empty hall.

A small piece of glass rolled across the floor.

Then stopped.

From somewhere above came a low growl.

Bai Li looked up.

Yan Cijin flexed her fingers.

"Here we go."

Bai Li smiled.

"Now it gets interesting."

They climbed the first step toward the higher floors.

A second growl answered.

Then a third.

The sound rolled through the mall like distant thunder.

Neither woman slowed.

The golden light ahead grew stronger with every step.

And behind that light, something moved.

Something large.

Something hungry.

Something that had been waiting for a very long time.

Bai Li and Yan Cijin continued upward together.

For a while, neither woman spoke.

There was no need.

The mall had become strangely peaceful above them, and that peace was more threatening than the noise

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TO BE CONTINUED.