Chapter 348: The golden fruit 59.

Its armor became thicker.

Yan Cijin’s expression hardened.

"It is evolving."

Bai Li smiled.

"Then we should not give it time."

They attacked together.

Bai Li forced the zombie left.

Yan Cijin forced it right.

The creature could not decide which threat to follow.

Bai Li landed a strike.

Yan Cijin landed another.

The zombie stumbled.

Then Bai Li struck its knee.

Yan Cijin struck its neck.

The creature fell.

Bai Li finished it.

The corpse dissolved into black dust.

Inside the dust was a crystal core brighter than any they had collected.

Yan Cijin stared at it.

"That thing was waiting for the fruit too."

"Yes."

"Then we had better hurry."

They climbed.

The twenty-sixth floor contained almost nothing except bodies.

The twenty-seventh was covered in golden vines.

The twenty-eighth had been torn apart by battles.

The twenty-ninth was full of nests.

The thirtieth had no walls.

Wind poured through the broken structure.

Rain entered through gaps in the ceiling.

The golden glow was now so bright that the sky outside looked dark by comparison.

They could see the top of the mall.

Not far.

One more stairwell.

Then another.

But the closer they came, the heavier the pressure became.

Yan Cijin stopped on the thirty-second floor.

"Listen."

Bai Li listened.

The sounds from above were impossible to count.

Roars.

Hissing.

Scraping claws.

Heavy breathing.

Something banging against metal.

Something else scratching at stone.

There were dozens of creatures near the top.

Maybe more.

And all of them were waiting.

Yan Cijin let out a slow breath.

"This is going to be annoying."

Bai Li smiled.

"Probably."

"You are enjoying this."

"A little."

Yan Cijin shook her head.

"You really are strange."

They climbed again.

The next three floors became the hardest fight of the entire ascent.

Level two monsters attacked continuously.

They came from rooms, corridors, walls, ceilings, and broken stairwells.

Some were enormous.

Some were tiny and fast.

Some attacked directly.

Others used abilities.

A creature covered the corridor in poisonous mist.

Bai Li destroyed it before the mist could spread.

A giant armored beast charged through a wall.

Yan Cijin stepped aside and redirected it into another monster.

A flying creature tried to carry Yan Cijin away.

Bai Li cut it down in midair.

A group of crawling creatures attempted to surround them.

They moved back to back and cleared the entire corridor.

The fights blurred together.

At one point, Yan Cijin lost sight of Bai Li in the smoke.

She heard a roar.

Then another.

She followed the sound.

Bai Li was standing on a broken balcony surrounded by eight monsters.

She looked completely calm.

Yan Cijin landed beside her.

"Need help?"

Bai Li looked at the monsters.

"Maybe."

Yan Cijin grinned.

"Good."

They fought together.

Eight became six.

Six became three.

Three became none.

Neither woman stopped smiling.

They reached the thirty-sixth floor.

There was a door.

A massive steel door.

Beyond it was the final stairwell.

The door was covered in claw marks.

Most were old.

Some were fresh.

One set had bent the steel inward.

Yan Cijin placed her hand against it.

"There is something on the other side."

Bai Li nodded.

"More than one thing."

They opened it.

The final stairs were wide.

The walls were covered in golden veins.

Every few seconds, the light pulsed.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The closer they climbed, the louder the pulse became.

At first it was like a heartbeat.

Then like a drum.

Then like thunder.

They reached the next landing.

A huge shadow moved above them.

Bai Li stopped.

Yan Cijin stopped beside her.

Something enormous was blocking the stairs.

It slowly turned its head.

Two golden eyes appeared.

The creature was at least twice the size of a human.

Its body looked like a mixture of bear and insect, covered in black armor and thick golden veins.

It had six legs and two massive claws.

Level two.

But stronger than anything before.

The monster roared.

The stairwell shook.

Yan Cijin smiled.

"Here we go."

Bai Li nodded.

The monster charged downward.

They charged upward.

The collision shattered several steps.

Bai Li slipped beneath one claw.

Yan Cijin struck the other.

The creature roared.

Its rear legs kicked backward.

Bai Li was forced aside.

Yan Cijin moved in.

The monster slammed its claw against the stairs.

The impact sent a wave through the concrete.

Yan Cijin jumped over it.

Bai Li struck its chest.

Armor broke.

The monster staggered.

Yan Cijin struck the same opening.

The armor cracked wider.

Bai Li attacked again.

The creature collapsed.

They did not stop.

The thirty-seventh floor did not look like a mall anymore.

It looked like the inside of a ruined fortress.

The walls had been reinforced by layers of hardened roots and black mineral growth. The floor had been split into narrow pathways by deep cracks that glowed faintly from below. There were no storefronts left. No advertisements. No signs. Only long stretches of stone, broken doors, and enormous marks where something had been dragged across the walls.

Bai Li stepped onto the floor first.

Yan Cijin followed.

Neither spoke.

A soft scraping sound came from somewhere ahead.

Then stopped.

A second scraping sound came from behind them.

Yan Cijin looked over her shoulder.

Nothing.

"We are being surrounded."

Bai Li nodded.

"Yes."

"How many?"

Bai Li closed her eyes for a moment.

"Seven. Maybe nine."

Yan Cijin frowned.

"That many already?"

"More are moving."

She opened her eyes.

"They are waiting for us to step farther in."

Yan Cijin smiled.

"Then let us disappoint them."

She stepped backward toward the stairwell.

The first monster jumped from the wall.

Bai Li moved.

She caught its arm before the claw reached Yan Cijin, twisted, and sent it crashing into the floor. Another creature dropped from the ceiling at the same time. Yan Cijin turned and cut upward. The strike hit the monster beneath its jaw and sent it spinning.

Two more charged from opposite sides.

Bai Li stepped aside.

Yan Cijin ducked.

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TO BE CONTINUED.