Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Basement Supermarket and the Survivors

After more than ten minutes, Chen Qing returned to the bedroom doorway, cradling the lifeless body in his arms. Only after they arranged “it” neatly according to its shape did the two of them head back to the staircase. They glanced once at the rooftop, then continued upward, deliberately avoiding any side passages they had previously passed. Upon reaching the landing of the third floor stairs, the entrance to the fourth floor lay just within reach.

They stepped forward, ascending one step at a time, yet no matter how many steps they took, the entrance seemed to recede farther away.

Tilting their heads slightly, they tried to look down at the floor beside them, but even this simple movement became unbearably difficult. Their vision stretched infinitely, and moving felt like an insurmountable challenge.

The mere twelve steps before them now appeared as a flat plane unfurling endlessly.

Placing their feet on it caused their steps to falter. Should they lift their legs? Or was it just flat ground?

Yet the moment Chen Qing acted on these thoughts and stepped down, his body suddenly staggered violently.

His arms instinctively reached out to the side, and his palms instantly found the handrail.

“What’s happening?” he asked, eyes wide with alarm. Though his mind remained sharp, his intention to “move forward” lagged inexplicably. His body felt normal, yet observing elsewhere became profoundly uncomfortable.

And somehow, he had misstepped.

Wait—misstepped?

A sudden jolt struck his mind.

How could he have made such a mistake?

He closed his eyes and carefully probed forward with his unaffected toes. He felt the middle of the step, then the edge, brushing against the raised line marking the stair’s boundary. Ahead...

Wait, why did reaching forward feel like touching the stair’s edge?

His thoughts spiraled into confusion. Attempting to retreat two steps, the moment his foot tried to lift back, an overwhelming resistance halted him.

He couldn’t step backward. He couldn’t pull his foot back.

Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to keep moving forward. And at that instant, all the constraints binding his thoughts, body, and vision vanished, replaced by a warm voice greeting him: “Welcome.”

Opening his eyes, the view before them stunned both of them. Above and to the side, distinct rows of protruding houses and towering backrooms stretched out.

Ahead stood a colossal shopping mall.

The entrance doors were right before them, flanked by two rows of open turnstiles. Above these gates hung enormous billboards displaying information about this place.

Yet the characters were faded, indecipherable.

Turning back to find their path, they realized the stairs leading upward were now at least a hundred meters away.

Jiang Wan’s face had turned pale. “How is this possible? That far? That’s nearly half a basketball court! But I’m certain I only climbed one flight of stairs.”

Chen Qing pondered silently, pulling out his phone to check. The screen saver showed only two minutes had passed.

“Looks like... the fourth floor connects directly to this place,” he murmured, uncertain what might happen if they descended the stairs again.

“Should we go in?” Jiang Wan tugged down her sleeve, barely concealing the gun in her hand.

She looked up. The mall’s perimeter was fenced with square tiles. From the entrance gates, they still had to walk about ten meters to reach the shopping area.

She glanced at the smiling faces painted on either side, a feeling of unease settling in her chest.

Chen Qing nodded, hesitant but recognizing they had no other choice. Taking the lead, he walked toward the mall, covering about ten steps before arriving beside the supermarket.

Above the supermarket’s entrance hung a large yellow notice board. Affixed to it was a red-headed, black-backed sheet with white letters stating:

“1. No stealing inside the supermarket.

2. No skipping payment.

3. No aiding merchandise escape.

4. Offenders will be dealt with by staff.

Believe me, you don’t want to know what happens to those who cause losses here.

—Supermarket Management”

Chen Qing furrowed his brow. Those few lines stirred many thoughts within him.