March 21st, 1:42 PM — Longwan Mall, Upper Retail Sector
John Wang POV
——
The mall felt different now.
Not quiet or peaceful. Just… less tense.
The kind of calm that comes after a battle, when the blood's still drying and the air hasn't moved yet.
We'd killed the Ghouls. Cleared out most of the Crawlers. For now, there were no alarms, no red dots blinking on my system map—just grey.
Static.
Zhou Xue moved ahead with quiet precision, her steps sure, shoulders relaxed. The four elixirs had kicked in—her balance was tighter, breath quieter. Her bow moved with her like it belonged on her back.
I walked beside Roulan while Liang Mei moved along the other side, occasionally drifting toward Zhou Xue.
"Upper sector's clear so far," Roulan said, checking her Type-9k's chamber. "Two dead Crawlers by the jewellery counter. They've been dead a while. Looks like Qinglan passed through here earlier."
