The rustling sound grew closer.
Lu Shiyan made a defensive gesture. Xiao Han and A Mo immediately spread out to the left and right, forming a triangular defensive formation, shielding Su Wan in the middle. Su Wan, holding a pistol, followed closely behind Lu Shiyan.
In the darkness, several pairs of eyes, glowing with an eerie green light, peered out from the corner of the second-floor stairwell.
"Mutant rats!" Xiao Han's face showed a hint of disgust.
Seven or eight mutant rats, comparable in size to house cats, with sharp fangs bared, scurried down the stairs. Their fur was grayish-black, sleek and shiny, their eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty ferocity, and they moved as swiftly as the wind.
"Quickly finish them, don't attract more," Lu Shiyan said coldly, directly throwing several fireballs.
Xiao Han was not to be outdone; his short blade flashed, and invisible Wind Blades shot out, tearing apart several mutant rats that attempted to attack from the side.
A Mo, meanwhile, stood steadily in front of Su Wan, a silenced pistol appearing in his hand at some point, its muzzle spitting tiny sparks, each shot accurately hitting a mutant rat's head.
Su Wan also followed up with shots.
The battle ended quickly, leaving seven or eight mutant rat corpses on the ground. The smell of blood in the air grew thicker.
"Pah! That's disgusting!" Xiao Han kicked away a still twitching mutant rat corpse and wiped off the blood splatters on his face.
Lu Shiyan checked the surroundings, confirming there were no other threats, then said, "These things always come in groups. Let's go upstairs, get what we need, and leave this place quickly."
The second floor was the men's clothing and sports brands section. Like the first floor, it had been ransacked, but clearly not as thoroughly. Many clothes were thrown haphazardly on the ground, some still with their tags attached.
"Looks like the people who ransacked this place were quite picky," Xiao Han casually picked up a down jacket that looked relatively clean, held it up against himself, "This one's good, thick enough."
Su Wan also began to act. She started frantically collecting items into her space.
Lu Shiyan and A Mo, meanwhile, stood guard.
"Sister Su Wan, grab more socks and underwear. You can never have too many of these!" Xiao Han instructed while rummaging.
Su Wan's mouth twitched, and she glared at him irritably, but still did as he said.
Soon, the clothing sections on the second and third floors were cleared out. They had a considerable haul; at least basic clothing for this winter was no longer a concern.
"Next, let's go to the fourth-floor maternity and baby section," Su Wan said, with a hint of anticipation in her voice. That's where she and her baby needed things the most.
The fourth-floor maternity and baby section appeared tidier than the floors below, with fewer signs of being ransacked. Perhaps it was because in the apocalypse, the survival rate of infants was too low, making these supplies of little use to most survivors.
Formula, diapers, baby clothes, small blankets, cribs… a dazzling array of items. Su Wan's eyes lit up at the sight. Without hesitation, she directly collected them into her space.
Lu Shiyan picked up a small rattle, weighed it in his hand, then put it back where it was.
Xiao Han and A Mo, meanwhile, searched for useful medicines and disinfectants on the other side.
Just as everyone was engrossed in collecting supplies, a faint sound of footsteps, accompanied by hushed voices, came from another entrance on the fourth floor.
"Boss, it looks like someone's been here!" A rough male voice spoke.
"Damn it! Hurry up! See if there's any formula or medicine left! Those women are pressing us!" Another hoarser, more vicious voice cursed.
Lu Shiyan and Xiao Han exchanged glances, a sharp glint flashing in their eyes.
"Someone's here," Lu Shiyan said succinctly, motioning for Su Wan and A Mo to stop.
Su Wan's heart immediately tightened. Judging by the other party's tone, they were clearly not good news.
The footsteps grew closer, and soon, seven or eight men armed with machetes and steel pipes appeared, cursing, at the entrance to the maternity and baby section. They were shabbily dressed, with fierce expressions, and the characteristic numbness and brutality of apocalypse survivors on their faces.
Leading them was a burly bald man with a hideous scar running from his left eye to his chin. When he saw Lu Shiyan and the others, he was first startled, then a glint of greed and ferocity flashed in his eyes.
"Well, well! Didn't expect to find some fat sheep here!" Scarface grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth, "Brothers, looks like our luck's in today!"
The men behind him also showed malicious smiles, gripping their weapons tighter.
Xiao Han scoffed, took a step forward, and spoke casually, "I say, gentlemen, this mall is so big, there are plenty of good things around, why bother trying to snatch what's in someone else's bowl?"
Scarface's triangular eyes narrowed as he sized up Xiao Han, then looked at Lu Shiyan and A Mo behind him, finally letting his gaze fall on Su Wan, a lecherous glint in his eyes: "Kid, you've got a big mouth! In this apocalypse, whoever has the biggest fist gets the stuff! Be smart, leave the supplies you've found, and that chick, and I might consider sparing your dog lives!"
Su Wan felt a wave of disgust at his blatant stare, frowned, and hid behind Lu Shiyan.
Lu Shiyan stepped forward, completely shielding Su Wan behind him, a chilling killing intent radiating from him. His voice was devoid of warmth: "Get lost."
"Heh! You want to take a toast, but eat a forfeit!" Scarface's face darkened, and he roared, "Brothers, get them! Kill the men, keep the woman!"
Before his words faded, the men behind him howled like hungry wolves and charged forward.
"Seeking death!" The cold light in Lu Shiyan's eyes intensified, and lightning instantly surged from his palm, transforming into a thick electrical serpent that directly struck the two men charging at the front.
"Zzzzt—"
A piercing electrical sound rang out, accompanied by two agonizing screams. The two men were instantly charred black, emitting smoke as they collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before going still.
This sudden scene stunned Scarface and his remaining subordinates. They hadn't expected the other party to be an ability user, and such a powerful one at that!
"An… ability user!" Scarface's voice trembled slightly, his ferocity replaced by fear.
Xiao Han sneered, his figure blurring as he ghosted into the crowd. Wind Blades condensed at his fingertips, each swing bringing a spray of blood.
A Mo also drew his gun, aiming at those attempting to flee or resist, calmly firing precise shots.
The battle was almost a one-sided slaughter.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Scarface turned and tried to run.
"Trying to run?" A murderous glint flashed in Lu Shiyan's eyes. His figure was like lightning, instantly catching up, and with a hand chop imbued with the power of thunder, he struck Scarface's back neck fiercely.
With a crisp "crack," Scarface collapsed limply without even managing to let out a scream.
In just a few minutes, all seven or eight aggressive thugs were dead.
A strong smell of blood permeated the entire maternity and baby section.
Su Wan was already used to Lu Shiyan killing people. How should I put it? It was a bit handsome!
Xiao Han whistled, walked over to Scarface's corpse, and kicked it with his foot: "An overestimating fool, daring to stir trouble with the tiger."
Lu Shiyan had expected Su Wan to be scared as before, but to his surprise, she was looking at him with an envious expression.
Lu Shiyan awkwardly coughed twice. "Ahem... Dispose of these bodies, and once we've collected the supplies, we'll leave here as soon as possible." Lu Shiyan withdrew his hand, his voice returning to its usual cold hardness.
Su Wan's heart gave a sudden leap, her cheeks feeling a little warm.
Su Wan took a deep breath, calmed herself, and continued to collect maternity and baby supplies.
Soon, they had cleared out all the useful supplies on the fourth floor. Su Wan's space was almost completely filled with various clothes, food, medicine, and maternity and baby items.
"Let's go, let's check the supermarket on the first basement floor. There should still be quite a few cans and drinking water there," Lu Shiyan said.
The supermarket on the first basement floor was also in a mess, with shelves collapsed and goods scattered everywhere. But just as Lu Shiyan expected, there were indeed quite a few unlooted cans, compressed biscuits, and bottled water.
Everyone started again, collecting all these long-lasting foods and water sources into Su Wan's space.
Su Wan felt something was very wrong, like the sound of claws scratching against walls, a lot of them... "No, we need to leave here quickly."