Upon leaving the mall and reaching the floor above, the one where she had killed the dismembered zombie.
Li Yunlong and four others broke through the locked door and entered the mall.
The mall was plunged into darkness due to a power outage. As the five stepped inside, their vision was completely black.
Transitioning from a bright world to a dark one, the group found it difficult to adjust.
Fortunately, Li Yunlong could conjure fire. He opened his palm, and a blazing fire erupted.
The flames illuminated their surroundings.
Seeing the zombie corpses strewn across the floor, the five gasped in unison.
Zhang Miaomiao's jealousy towards Su Ling intensified upon witnessing the scene in the mall.
Jiang Zhimin silently observed the severed limbs and remains before her. She said nothing, but her heart was filled with admiration for Su Ling.
Xu Lin rummaged through his backpack and found flashlights, which he distributed to everyone. He then turned to Li Yunlong and said, "Brother Long, this fire consumes a lot of energy, and we don't know what the situation is like in this dark place. It's better to use flashlights."
Li Yunlong nodded, extinguished the fire in his hand, and turned on his flashlight.
The beam of the flashlight pierced the darkness of the mall, illuminating their path forward.
They walked on, stepping over the fallen zombie bodies.
"Ugh—"
Zhang Miaomiao was utterly disgusted by the scene and, covering her mouth, rushed to the side to retch.
Her extreme reaction was understandable. The zombies they had seen along the way had their heads split open, with brains and other fluids splattered everywhere. The putrid smell lingered in the air, making it unbearable.
Zhang Miaomiao gagged for a long time but couldn't force anything up.
She hadn't eaten much, so her stomach only contained a bit of stomach acid.
Jiang Zhimin found a bottle of water from her bag and went to Zhang Miaomiao's side. She unscrewed the cap and handed it to her.
"Thank you." Zhang Miaomiao took the water and drank a few mouthfuls, temporarily suppressing the nausea and discomfort in her stomach.
Jiang Zhimin looked at Zhang Miaomiao's pale face with some concern. Seeing Chen Jiakai and the other two approaching, she said, "By reaching this point, it's highly probable that Su Ling possesses something like a personal space."
"She could find an excuse to deflect suspicion regarding the warehouse. But this mall, it's difficult for her to escape accountability. Besides the zombie remains, all the merchandise has been completely cleared out, leaving nothing behind."
Chen Jiakai rubbed his nose, agreeing with his girlfriend's assessment. "Moreover, Su Ling's strength is truly terrifying. She single-handedly cleared out all the zombies in this mall, and with such efficiency and decisiveness, she is not to be underestimated."
Xu Lin had gone ahead to scout and didn't accompany them.
Li Yunlong held Zhang Miaomiao's hand, wanting to say something, when Xu Lin's voice called out, "Come over here quickly."
Hearing the voice, Li Yunlong quickly pulled Zhang Miaomiao along with Chen Jiakai and Jiang Zhimin towards Xu Lin.
They reached Xu Lin and saw the dismembered zombie lying at his feet. Its neck was severed, with only a thin layer of skin connecting it to its head. The skull had been pried open, and brain matter was flowing onto the floor.
Zhang Miaomiao couldn't bear to see another such sight and buried her face in Li Yunlong's chest.
Jiang Zhimin looked at the dismembered zombie on the ground, then shone her flashlight back the way they came, her gaze returning to the zombie. "Have you noticed a commonality among these zombies after they were dealt with?"
"Their heads were split open," Xu Lin interjected. His handsome and refined face held a serious expression. "Su Ling, who split open the zombies' heads, seemed to be searching for something."
"If I'm not mistaken, she was looking for crystal cores."