Without hesitation, she pushed it open and stepped inside.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Unlike the mall floor, this place was packed.
Goods were arranged neatly in towering shelves....jewelries, packaged foods, electronics, luxury items... it was a hidden treasure trove.
Then....
{Thirty minutes left, Host.}
"Oh... that’s more than enough ti to clean all of this out," Ivy muttered under her breath, a faint grin forming on her lips.
Stretching out her hands, she activated the system again.
Items began disappearing in rapid succession.
Rows collapsed into emptiness as if erased from existence.
With her skates still on, Ivy darted through the warehouse, her movents fluid and efficient. Every turn, every glide, every reach was calculated.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
By the ti she slowed down, the once overflowing warehouse had beco eerily empty.
Not a single item remained.
A satisfied, almost triumphant smile curved her lips.
Then....
{Ti ends.}
{Congratulations, Host. You have successfully completed your mission within the given ti.}
{Host now possesses 20,800 cubic ters of storage space after clearing the city’s largest mall.}
"Twenty... thousand, eight hundred?" Ivy repeated, her eyes widening as her jaw slowly dropped. "That’s insane... what the hell kind of number is that?"
{Congratulations once again, Host. You may now leave the mall before the apocalypse escalates further.}
"It’s already dangerous," Ivy murmured, her gaze drifting toward the glass windows.
Outside...
The world was changing.
Humans staggered unnaturally, their movents twitchy and erratic. Though they hadn’t fully transford.
"They’re already a threat..." she whispered. "And they can infect others."
Not wasting another second, Ivy slipped out of the mall.
She had removed her skates now, her steps quieter and more cautious.
The hotel, however, was no better.
Everywhere she looked, people were on the brink....infected, unstable, waiting for full transformation.
Ivy’s eyes narrowed as she rember the monsters react to sound hence an idea ford instantly.
Without hesitation, she pressed the elevator button.
Ding!
The sharp sound echoed through the hallway and just as she expected....
The half-transford infected imdiately turned and rushed toward the elevator, drawn by the noise like predators to prey.
Using that distraction, Ivy moved swiftly and silently toward the staff exit.
Unlike the main entrance, the staff door was deserted. Most employees had likely fled earlier, abandoning their duties the mont chaos broke out.
Perfect.
She slipped through without resistance but then the parking lot wasn’t safe either.
Several infected lingered there, their bodies turning, their eyes unfocused.
Ivy carefully navigated her way toward her car, her movents slow and deliberate.
Almost there but suddenly a hand grabbed her leg promting her to freeze.
A surge of cold terror shot through her veins.
Fuck... I’m going to get bitten.
Her heart pounded violently as she slowly turned her head, bracing for the worst.
But it wasn’t an infected.
It was a man.
A middle-aged man in a black suit, bald-headed, clinging to her leg as if his life depended on it.
"Help ... please," he begged, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with desperation. "I’m the manager of this mall. I....I promise I’ll compensate you. Just... just get out of here."
Ivy stared at him, unimpressed.
"I haven’t even gotten myself out yet, and you’re already asking to save you?" she scoffed quietly. "Shouldn’t I be the one asking for help?"
The man pointed weakly toward her car.
"That’s your car, isn’t it? I saw you check into the hotel last night. I have a sharp eye for faces..."
"And don’t you have your own car?" Ivy asked flatly.
"I do," he replied quickly. "But it’s farther away. Yours is closer. If we use yours, we can both survive!"
Ivy raised a brow, folding her arms.
"Your car is literally parked near mine. So what exactly are you trying to say?"
The man’s expression hardened.
"Enough talking," he snapped in a hushed but urgent tone. "Go get your car, bring it here, and pick up. Let’s leave together."
Ivy let out a soft, disbelieving laugh.
"Do you realize I’m pregnant?" she said coldly. "If anything, you should be the one running over there to get your car and pick up."
The manager’s eyes widened in anger.
"How dare you compare your life to mine?!" he shouted....
Then imdiately froze, horror flooding his face as he realized what he’d done but it was too late.
The sound had already attracted attention as the infected already turned towards them.
"If you don’t want us to die," the manager whispered frantically, gripping her tighter, "then do as I say..."
Before he could finish...
CRACK!
Ivy stomped hard on his leg with enhanced strength.
A sickening snap echoed.
The man scread as his bone broke through flesh, blood gushing out instantly.
"That’s what you get, you bald bastard," Ivy muttered coldly.
His screams grew louder and just as she intended....the infected sward him.
They fell upon him in a frenzy, tearing into his flesh as he howled in agony.
Ivy didn’t look back.
Using the chaos as cover, she rushed into her car, slamd the door shut, and sped out of the parking lot.
*******
As she drove into the city....her grip on the steering wheel tightened.
The world outside was collapsing.
Cars clogged the roads, horns blaring endlessly. So vehicles were abandoned entirely, their doors left open.
People ran as they were screaming while so were already attacked.
Others had changed.
Half-transford victims lashed out violently, biting anyone within reach.
Public transport buses were packed, trapping workers who had been returning from early shifts now becoming so of the first casualties of the apocalypse.
Hotlines were overwheld while sirens wailed in the distance.
Smoke began to rise from different parts of the city.
Ivy exhaled slowly, her eyes sharp and alert.
"This is just the beginning..."
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