Chapter 369: The golden fruit 80.

Every time three or four gathered, she stepped forward and cut through them before their numbers increased.

Yan Cijin stayed behind her shoulder.

When one slipped through, she dealt with it.

The rhythm they had developed outside the mall returned immediately.

Bai Li created the opening.

Yan Cijin closed it.

Yan Cijin identified threats.

Bai Li removed them.

They did not need to speak much anymore.

A glance was enough.

A shift of the shoulder was enough.

A single sound from Yan Cijin could make Bai Li turn in exactly the right direction.

After several floors, they reached a hallway with shattered windows.

Moonlight entered through the broken glass.

The city looked distant.

Bai Li paused beside the window.

Yan Cijin joined her.

"We’re getting a reputation," Yan Cijin said.

Bai Li looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because every time we go somewhere, something starts chasing us."

Bai Li laughed.

"That’s not a reputation. That’s bad luck."

"There are too many coincidences."

"Maybe the apocalypse likes us."

Yan Cijin gave her a flat look.

"The apocalypse is trying to eat us."

"Affection can be complicated."

Yan Cijin shook her head.

"You’re impossible."

Bai Li smiled.

"You still followed me."

"Someone has to stop you from doing stupid things."

Their eyes met.

For one quiet moment, the danger around them seemed far away.

Then a crash came from below.

Yan Cijin sighed.

"Never mind."

They continued.

By the time they reached the middle floors, the zombies were becoming more numerous.

Some were attracted specifically to the fruits.

Others had simply been disturbed by the noise.

A group poured out of an old restaurant.

Bai Li glanced inside.

Tables were overturned.

The kitchen had been abandoned.

Old dishes still sat on the counter.

For a strange second, the place looked normal.

Then the zombies came.

Bai Li stepped into the doorway.

"Stay there."

Yan Cijin raised an eyebrow.

"You want all of them?"

"Just the first wave."

"Why?"

"Because the second wave is bigger."

She was right.

The first five zombies charged.

Bai Li moved through them.

Whisperfang struck one neck.

Then another.

She stepped around a third.

Elbowed a fourth.

Shot the fifth with the revolver.

The second wave arrived.

Yan Cijin fired twice.

Then once.

The restaurant fell silent.

Bai Li looked at the bodies.

"See?"

Yan Cijin lowered her weapon.

"You make a terrible argument."

"But it works."

They passed through.

Farther down, they discovered a strange side effect of the fruit.

A dead zombie that had been lying motionless began moving when Bai Li passed.

Its body had been decaying for days.

Yet the moment the fruit’s presence reached it, the corpse twitched.

Then its head turned.

Yan Cijin noticed.

"That’s new."

Bai Li looked at the corpse.

"They’re not only attracted to the smell."

"Then what?"

"The energy."

The zombie crawled toward them.

Bai Li killed it.

She stared at the remains.

"The fruit is waking dead tissue."

Yan Cijin frowned.

"That’s not comforting."

"No."

"And if it keeps doing that?"

"Then we should not keep the fruits exposed."

Bai Li closed her soul storage more tightly.

The pressure in the mall dropped immediately.

Yan Cijin looked relieved.

"Much better."

"We can still feel them."

"But the zombies don’t seem as crazy."

"Good."

They walked another flight.

This time the hallway was almost completely dark.

Bai Li used a small light.

The beam revealed old posters on the walls.

Children’s advertisements.

Movie posters.

A restaurant sign.

The mall had once been crowded.

Now there was only blood and dust.

Yan Cijin looked at the posters.

"It’s strange."

"What?"

"People used to come here to waste time."

Bai Li looked around.

"Now people would kill to stand here for five minutes safely."

"Everything changed fast."

"Too fast."

They reached another stairwell.

Bai Li looked down.

There were dozens of bodies.

Some were zombies.

Some were human.

Most were impossible to identify.

Yan Cijin became quiet.

"The gangs were probably not the first people who tried to reach the roof."

"No."

"How many do you think died trying?"

Bai Li looked at the pile.

"Enough."

They descended.

Halfway down, they found a small backpack.

Inside were dried food packets, a medical kit, and a handwritten note.

Yan Cijin opened it.

The writing was shaky.

Someone had written about the golden tree.

About hearing voices in their dreams.

About seeing a golden light from the roof.

About believing the fruit would cure everything.

The final line simply said, "I can hear it calling me."

Yan Cijin closed the notebook.

"People really were obsessed."

Bai Li nodded.

"The fruit didn’t just attract them physically."

"It made them want it."

"Probably."

Yan Cijin looked thoughtful.

"Do you think that’s why the stronger zombies became so violent around the tree?"

"Yes."

"Then keeping the fruits hidden is even more important."

"Exactly."

Bai Li took the notebook and placed it back in the bag.

They continued downward.

A sudden roar shook the building.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Yan Cijin looked up.

"Something big."

Bai Li listened.

The roar came again.

Far below.

Something was moving through the mall.

Bai Li smiled slightly.

"Probably another monster."

Yan Cijin groaned.

"Do they never get tired?"

"Apparently not."

"You sound disappointed."

"I was hoping to have a quiet walk down."

"That was never going to happen."

"I know."

They kept moving.

When they reached the next floor, the monster was waiting.

It came through a shop entrance.

Huge.

Four-legged.

Its body looked like a twisted mixture of muscle and hardened bone.

Two rows of teeth filled its mouth.

It smelled the fruit immediately.

It roared.

The windows shook.

Bai Li looked at Yan Cijin.

"I’ll take it."

Yan Cijin nodded.

The monster charged.

Bai Li stepped forward.

Whisperfang flashed.

The monster swung one enormous claw.

Bai Li blocked.

The impact cracked the floor.

She slid backward.

"Stronger than it looks."

Yan Cijin fired.

The bolt hit its eye.

The monster roared and turned.

Bai Li smiled.

"Thanks."

She rushed in.

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TO BE CONTINUED.