5: Chapter 5 Shopping Mall

Just at this moment, the "monster" that had just finished its bite seemed to sense something and slowly raised its head.

Its face was twisted and ferocious, covered in bloodstains. A pair of turbid eyeballs shone with a scarlet luster, locking firmly onto Mo Yufei, who was standing frozen in place.

Immediately after, it let out a low, hoarse roar like a wild beast, and with stiff yet rapid strides, it staggered towards his direction.

That roar seemed to come from hell, making one's scalp tingle and soul scatter in terror.

"Oh no! It's targeted me!"

The instinct for survival erupted completely at this moment, overpowering all numbness and fear.

Mo Yufei's exhausted legs suddenly erupted with unprecedented strength. He turned abruptly and ran for his life toward the depths of the street.

The concrete road beneath his feet retreated rapidly. The whistling wind by his ears, the heavy footsteps drawing closer behind him, and that hair-raising roar wove together into a deadly symphony.

He dared not look back, dared not pause for even a second; he could only exhaust every ounce of his strength, running for his life.

His lungs felt like they were on fire, his throat so dry it felt like it might bleed, and his legs were as heavy as if filled with lead. Every breath brought sharp pain, yet the terrifying sound of the hunt behind him followed him like a shadow.

In his panic, he looked up and saw not far ahead a large crowd of panicked people crying and rushing towards a large Mall. The glass doors were being squeezed until they were tottering; everyone was rushing inside like madmen, trying to hide from the terrifying monster behind them.

"Run to the Mall! Hurry!"

Someone, not sure who, let out a heart-wrenching scream, completely igniting everyone's desire to survive.

Mo Yufei's eyes lit up. He had no time to overthink. Gritting his teeth, he mustered the last bit of strength in his body and, following the fleeing crowd, charged fiercely towards the Mall entrance.

The crowd was incredibly packed. Pushing, crying, and cursing mixed together. Someone was pushed to the ground and instantly swept forward by the panicked crowd; the scene was chaotic to the extreme.

He was jostled back and forth by the crowd, his shoulders and back constantly being bumped, but he followed the person in front tightly, not daring to fall behind by even half a step.

The zombie behind him was getting closer and closer, its turbid roars right in his ear. He could even feel the oncoming scent of blood and decay; the shadow of death was inches away.

At the very moment the zombie was about to pounce, he finally used the force of the crowd to stagger into the Mall lobby!

A cool blast of air conditioning hit his face, completely different from the sweltering, chaotic street outside. However, there was panic inside the Mall as well; everyone was squeezed at the entrance, desperately retreating towards the interior. Many people knocked over shelves in their panic, causing merchandise to scatter all over the floor.

A loud bang came from behind. A few brave people worked together to slam the Mall's glass doors shut, then moved counters and heavy objects from the side to brace the door panels tightly.

The next second, the zombie slammed heavily into the glass door, emitting a dull, thunderous sound. The entire door shook violently, cracks spreading instantly. Turbid blood-stained claws scratched the glass, making a piercing sound that turned everyone's faces pale. They huddled tightly in the depths of the Mall, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Mo Yufei leaned against the cold wall, sliding down in complete exhaustion. He gasped for air, staring in lingering fear at the door that could be breached at any moment, having finally escaped disaster for the time being.

Outside the glass door, the dull thuds of the zombie's impacts grew heavier with each strike. The originally sturdy glass door was already covered in spiderweb-like cracks, as if it would be completely shattered the next second.

He saw the ferocious zombie face pressed against the glass, its turbid eyes staring fixedly at the crowd inside. Sharp nails scratched the door frantically, making a piercing scraping sound, terrifying the crowd into retreating further, with cries and gasps rising and falling.

"Quick! Don't let it break in! The door is about to give way!" A middle-aged man in work clothes, his face deathly pale, shouted at the top of his lungs, instantly breaking the crowd's panicked helplessness.

The crowd jolted as if waking from a dream. At this moment, no one cared about fear; the desire to survive overpowered everything.

Some were trembling all over but still forced themselves to move. Everyone spoke over each other, discussing in a chaotic mess.

"Find things to block the door! Move everything you can!"

"The shelves over there, the cash registers, and these mannequins and cargo boxes, push them all over!"

"All men come over and lend a hand, women move back into the Mall, don't block the way!"

Amidst the noisy discussion, there was gradually some order. A few brave men rushed forward first.

Mo Yufei also forced his still-weak legs to join in. Working together, they shoved the metal cash register at the entrance hard, firmly bracing the door frame.

Following that, they laboriously moved rows of heavy cargo shelves, solid wood display cabinets, and even the giant advertising board from the Mall entrance, stacking them layer upon layer to form a temporary barrier, firmly propping up the teetering glass door.

With every zombie impact, the entire door shook violently, and shards of broken glass fell with a rustling sound. Everyone's hearts tightened as they used all their strength to hold against the shelves in front of them, fearing that the slightest slack would allow the zombie to break through the defense line.

"Hold it! Don't let up!"

"Are there any more heavy things? Find some more!"

Someone ran quickly towards the interior of the Mall, bringing back piles of cargo and buckets, dumping them all behind the barrier.

In just a few minutes, everyone was drenched in sweat. Some had their skin scraped by shelves, others had their hands cut by broken glass, but no one dared to stop, and no one cried out in pain.

Only when that heavy barrier completely blocked the entrance, the zombie's impacts gradually weakened, and the scratching sounds were cut off outside, did everyone dare to breathe a sigh of relief. They collapsed onto the floor one after another, gasping for air, their faces full of lingering fear.

No one dared to speak, and even fewer dared to move, as if they hadn't yet recovered from the bloody scene of the zombie devouring people. Everyone was trapped in the despair of the apocalypse descending.

Only Mo Yufei was not immersed in the panic of having survived the disaster.

Having struggled for seven days in the secret realm on grass roots and raw water, his stomach had long been aching from emptiness. The sensation of hunger was like fine needles, pricking his internal organs every single moment.

His physical strength had already been overdrawn from running for his life just now. At this moment, his legs were weak, and his vision was blackening in waves. If he didn't eat something to replenish his strength, even if he was safe for the moment, he wouldn't last long.

He quietly supported himself against the wall and slowly stood up, trying as much as possible not to attract the attention of others.

His gaze quickly swept across the entire Mall. The first floor was the supermarket area, where bread, mineral water, and snacks were neatly arranged on the shelves.

Mo Yufei swallowed his saliva.

The people around him were still immersed in fear; no one noticed his movements.

Mo Yufei took a deep breath, lowered his posture, and moved quickly towards the supermarket area. He kept his footsteps extremely light, his gaze locked firmly onto those foods. At this moment, for him, finding food to fill his stomach was more important than any emotion.