Big Mall

"What's coming towards us?" Jiang Zhi asked in surprise.

They managed to avoid the throw thanks to Zhang Rui. However, the sound of the falling objects attracted the approaching zombies. Zombies were highly sensitive to sound.

"Hey, there are some zombies coming our way!"

"Ah, they're heading in that direction. We can't face so many zombies. Let's find a hiding place!" They ran away from the approaching horde of zombies.

"These people are so cunning. They're trying to make us get attacked so the zombies will chase us instead of them!" Zhang Rui grumbled in frustration.

"This is the end of the world and everything. It's not surprising that some people are willing to sacrifice others for their own benefit."

Shen Yize was not greatly surprised by what was happening. At the end of times like this, people would undoubtedly sacrifice each other to survive. Only a few individuals still had the conscience to show compassion towards others. That's why Shen Yize couldn't trust strangers too much.

"Let's go up to the upper floor. We can deal with them more easily from a higher vantage point!" Jiang Zhi suggested, leading his two companions while running.

However, some suspicious things were visible there. Despite a few zombie corpses on the floor, the second floor had fewer zombies and showed signs of cleaning.

Jiang Zhi, realizing this, immediately spoke to his two friends. "Yo, this isn't the right place. It feels like we're in the wrong place."

"Ah, hate this place. It feels like we're searching for food in a graveyard." Zhang Rui chimed in with a panting voice.

All the food supplies in the mini-market were gone. It was clear that it wasn't the doing of the zombies, since zombies only eat living flesh.

"Someone came before us, probably took all the good stuff." Shen Yize quickly explained his analysis.

"Yeah, but this mall is big. They couldn't have taken everything."

"Let's take what we need. No need to overdo it." Jiang Zhi said optimistically, believing there might still be some food they could use.

"Of course. Let's look for the food stands. They'll be very useful in the future." Zhang Rui said, still maintaining his nonchalant attitude that sometimes annoyed others.

They didn't stop and continued running up the stairs. They passed one flight of stairs after another until they had climbed high enough. They arrived on a certain floor, not knowing which one it was. Some scattered items and machines were visible.

"The upper floor is our best choice. Zhang Rui, don't go too far. We can't separate!" Jiang Zhi commanded his two companions, especially Zhang Rui, who were approaching an ATM. Zhang Rui tried to pry it open to see if there was any cash inside.

"Okay, okay. Just wanted to check the cashier, see if there's any cash left." Zhang Rui replied mischievously.

"Even if there is, it's useless now. Paper money has no value in this new world." Shen Yize reaffirmed.

Now Shen Yize, Jiang Zhi, and Zhang Rui wandered through the deserted and dimly lit supermarket aisles. Flashlights were their only source of light. Their eyes had to remain focused and vigilant against even the slightest movement. There could still be leftover zombies in a place like this.

After feeling safe, they began scavenging the items in the mini-market. They checked every shelf one by one.

"Not much left! It seems someone has already cleaned this store!" Jiang Zhi said while inspecting some food shelves.

"This is so frustrating! How could just a few people take almost half of this store? They must have some special storage ability." Shen Yize couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"That's true, but we have to search for whatever useful things. My place is spacious and can accommodate a lot of items. Besides, the temperature there is comfortable, not too hot or cold, perfect for storing these goods."

"Good, I'll only take what catches my attention," Zhang Rui replied, attracting Shen Yize and Jiang Zhi's gaze towards him.

Zhang Rui walked eagerly and grabbed anything he saw.

"Yo, this pan is cool. It's the pan my mom was looking at a while ago. Thinking about it makes me sad."

"Don't worry, buddy. Let's find food and supplies to keep going."

"Zhang Rui, be careful!" Shen Yize suddenly shouted.

"Damn, this zombie is serious! Looks like a security guard from this place."

"Stop joking, buddy. Your life is in danger."

"I'm not joking."

Zhang Rui quickly took out a knife from his back pocket and thrust it into the zombie. After managing to avoid its attack. The knife pierced right into the zombie's head.

Zhang Rui jumped with joy. "Did you guys see that?"

But Jiang Zhi and Shen Yize didn't respond to Zhang Rui's question.

They continued searching for items and provisions.

Suddenly, Shen Yize heard a sound from a corner.

"Shh! Wait! I hear a sound. Did you hear that over there?" Shen Yize whispered, pointing to a corner of the store.

Jiang Zhi and Zhang Rui stopped their search and paid attention to Shen Yize. They cautiously moved towards the source of the sound. Finally, they followed Shen Yize as he walked towards the sound. After a few minutes, they reached the back of the store and found a decaying corpse lying on the ground.

"Terrifying! This smell is awful!" Zhang Rui exclaimed.

"Damn! What should we do now?" Shen Yize also became frustrated.

"Just leave it and grab some supplies." Jiang Zhi made a decision quickly.

"Ah, the smell is making me dizzy."

"We have to endure it, Zhang Rui. We need to find useful items." Jiang Zhi encouraged.

Jiang Zhi and his friends approached the corpse carefully and examined it slowly. Using his foot, Jiang Zhi turned the body over. Finally, they discovered that some of its flesh was missing.

"Look at this. Another store guard who didn't turn into a zombie like the others. He lost somebody parts, but he hasn't been dead for long since he hasn't decomposed much." Jiang Zhi said.

"Do you think the zombie guards did this to him? Maybe both of them got trapped here when everyone turned, then fought and killed each other."

"Yeah, maybe."

Zhang Rui felt nauseous smelling the rotting corpse.

"Ah, this is terrible. I can't take it. Let's go before the zombies come and we turn into one of them."

After almost all they placed the items in Jiang Zhi's space, they left the area to continue their search.

"Should we check the other floors?" Jiang Zhi asked his two companions.

"Yeah, why not? Let's grab more supplies and kill some zombies to get their core crystals," Shen Yize replied excitedly.

"Sure, I'll get a few more flashlights from my space."

"Yo, when will we find a fake hand for me?" Zhang Rui impatiently asked.

"Next time, dude. We have to go to the hospital or a rehabilitation center. But be careful with the zombies there!"

"And there are no private companies here making fake body parts."

Zhang Rui nodded, listening to Jiang Zhi's explanation.

They continued walking towards another floor when suddenly they heard a strange sound.

"Did you hear that? What sound is that?" Shen Yize asked Jiang Zhi.

"I don't know. What do you think, Zhang Rui?"

"Bro, it sounded like a damn zombie."

"What? Zombies?"

"Well, let's check it out before we panic," Jiang Zhi said jokingly.

They walked closer to the sound, gradually approaching and quieting their footsteps. As they got closer, they saw a shadow behind a desk. They kept walking closer and saw someone hiding behind the desk.

Surprised, Shen Yize approached the person and asked about their condition. "Hey, are you okay there?"

"Well, I'm hiding from zombies. They're everywhere," the person replied, appearing frightened.

"We just came from the supermarket, buddy."

"They just showed up. We've been hiding here for weeks."

"We?" Shen Yize asked.

"Yeah, my friends are trying to escape this place, and I'm drawing the attention of the zombi

es so they can get away."

Upon hearing the person's explanation, Shen Yize, Jiang Zhi, and Zhang Rui remained silent, looking at each other.