To the south of Mingwen Girls Middle was a very extravagant shopping mall.
Normally around this time, the shopping mall plaza would be occupied by a large group of aunties, all formed into a colony under the melody of Little Apple.
Today, there was not a single soul in this plaza. The aunties who once disregarded the weather to be here might never dare to take make a show of their happiness here again. This was because just the night before, they had seen a group of Magic Wolves swallowing their dance partners in single gulps.
The bloodstains had already been washed off by the rain, and what remained on the ground was the remains of humans. Seeing this made many people feel like vomiting.
In the surroundings of the plaza a few low growl and roars arose, and occasionally there’d be a miserable shriek breaking through. With that, one would immediately know that there was one more person being eaten by a Magical Beast.
The large shopping building occupied one-third of the plaza. This was a new shopping mall, but due to the Magical Beast’s recklessness, it had been turned into ruins. Shards of glass could be seen everywhere, as well as shattered walls, and the floor tiles were a mess.
The floor beneath the plaza was precisely a Walmart supermarket. Human food was not a big attraction to the Magical Beasts, or else they would have gathered down there.
The Supermarket was very fortunate, you needed to take an elevator down, so it hadn’t been discovered by the Magical Beasts yet.
The people hiding within the supermarket were all sitting on the ground. The only thing they could do was pray; pray for the beasts to never find this place.
“We couldn’t have been abandoned like this, right?” asked a girl holding her knees as she sat in the corner, sobbing softly.
“Most of the people in the outside world have died, us being discovered here is something that will happen sooner or later.” The manager of the supermarket said apathetically as he sat on the ground..
“We can’t. Sitting here will only result in waiting for death, we must go outside. Going out will give us a sliver of hope.” said the man who was responsible for transporting the goods of the supermarket.
“I am a pipeline worker, I have been working like this for several tens of years. Follow me to the underground sewers and you won’t encounter any Magical Beasts,” said a skinny middle-aged man wearing a blue work uniform.
As everyone heard what the man said, their eyes began to shine.
According to a youth who had escaped to here, the outside world was filled with Magical Beasts, and if they were to go to the surface, they’d be eaten by a Magical Beast within seconds. If they were to use the underground sewers, they would be able to easily reach the Safety Shelters from the Mingwen Area. To actually have a worker who was familiar with the drains of the city present, that would prevent them from getting lost.
“Go, let’s hurry up and go. I don’t wanna stay in this place.”
“Yeah, under the Blood Alert, not evacuating to the Safety Shelters in time would basically mean there’s no hope for survival…”
“Go, hurry up and go. This place will be found by a Magical Beast sooner or later.”
There were around fifteen people within the supermarket. After they heard there wasa pipeline worker who could lead them out, their eyes began to flicker with a hope for survival.
Fortunately, the supermarket had an entrance directly to the sewers. This way, they would finally have hope to make it to the Safety Shelters.
Everyone quickly packed up, they all followed behind the pipeline worker as they walked toward the underground sewers.
“Wait, hold on everyone. Can someone come and help, there’s a girl sitting in a wheelchair. She probably can’t walk…” a petite girl hurriedly said toward the group of people who were about to leave.
“Are you out of your mind, with the situation like this, who has the time to care about her?”
“Yeah, you can’t pass through the underground sewer with a wheelchair. Little girl, you should just hurry up and come with us,” the fat manager of the supermarket said.
The pipeline worker was walking in the front, and the others were acting as though they didn’t hear anything as they strode behind the pipeline worker.
“Then can anyone carry her, I beg of you. Don’t leave her behind, I beg all of you.” The petite girl nearly cried as she saw the people had gone quite far. At this time, she didn’t know what to do.
Although there were a few people who turned their heads around and saw the girl in wheelchair, they revealed a look of wanting to help. Unfortunately, they still did not do so…
It was difficult to predict what would happen to them. If they were to meet a Magical Beast in the underground sewer, they wouldn’t be able to run away if they were carrying a girl.
“We probably shouldn’t be doing this, that girl looks pitiful,” a woman amongst them whispered.
“What not doing this, it’s she who cannot walk, how can we be blamed? If you pity her, then you can go and carry her, don’t blame me for not warning you. There are many pipes in the underground where you need to crawl, and ladders where you’ll need to climb until your legs don’t work. Having her come along with us would mean it’d take longer than two days to arrive at the Safety Shelters,” the pipeline worker said.
“The Magical Beasts won’t necessarily discover the supermarket, she can stay here and wait for someone to rescue her.”
As everyone heard the words of waiting to be saved, the corners of their mouths couldn’t help but draw back.
Under the Blood Alert, there was no possibility for rescues. The vast majority of the Magicians would assemble around the Safety Shelters to protect the safety of the people, and the vast majority of those who were roaming outside needed to think of their own means to evacuate.
Thus, that girl sitting in the wheelchair could only pray that the Magical Beasts would never find the supermarket.
——
The supermarket quickly became empty, and the petite girl who was talking before was precisely standing beside the girl in wheelchair. As she saw the backs of the people gradually walking further and further away, she almost bit open her lips.
“You should follow them,” the girl in wheelchair said toward the unknown girl beside her, forcing a smile.
“I’m sorry… I really want to bring you along,” the petite girl said with an incomparable embarrassment.
“Don’t worry, hurry up and catch up to them.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?”
The girl in wheelchaird seemed as though she thought of something before she quickly took off her bracelet and gave it to the petite girl saying, “If you reach the Safety Shelters, please give this to my family…”
The petite girl quickly remembered the information of the wheelchair girls family before she sincerely nodded, “Don’t worry, I will tell them and have them think of ways to come here and save you.”
The girl in wheelchair shook her head, “Please tell them that I have already been killed.”
The petite girl was so shocked that she opened her mouth, momentarily not knowing what to say.
At last, the petite girl turned around and left. She wanted to turn her head around several times but she didn’t do it with great difficulty.
—
A cold hued light sprinkled around the corner. The heart of the white collar worker, Lingjia, was suffering. She originally thought that there’d be a man among them who would be willing to carry the girl to leave, but in the end, they all hurried away…
This kind of neglect made her heart feel bitterly disappointed.
However, what could Lingjia do? Her legs were still wounded, her being able to follow the people with her limp was already very good. She was completely unable to carry that girl in the wheelchair.
The unknown girl sitting on the wheelchair looked very tranquil, when everyone decided to leave her behind, she didn’t seem to have the slightest trace of begging. There was no frenzy nor despair within her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Lingjia’s lips were bitten open, in the end, she could only unceasingly apologize and run toward the people who had left.
Soon enough, the entire supermarket was completely empty, leaving behind a simple and convenient wheelchair, and a girl wearing a green silk skirt…
The people had already left, Ye Xinxia slowly dropped her head. Her hair covered her face, her white hands were put on top of her knees.
Even if she seemed more tranquil, her fear would still open up, unconsciously grabbing onto her skirt was the best reflection of that.
In her heart, she did not blame those people. Just like her being unable to walk, who could she possibly blame that on?
Every person had the right to live.
It’s just, when you don’t know the silent danger that lurks around you, and you don’t know just when you will die, the feeling of the world having abandoned you, the feeling of helplessness slowly spreads across every inch of the body. She didn’t know whether to continue to suffer, and helplessly wait like this, or just end her life to solve all her problems. Was there any more reason to struggle while at death’s door?
As if she made some kind of decision, she slowly pushed the wheelchair as she slowly approached the kitchen utensils area.
She strenuously stood up from the wheelchair as she grabbed a sharp fruit knife.
She was able to stand up and forcefully walk a few steps. It’s just her weak legs would quickly cause her entire being to extremely tired.
As she sat on the wheelchair once again, she then slowly pushed her wheelchair back to her original location…
—
Ye Xinxia’s actions were seen by the workerLingjia’s eyes, and guilt once again washed over her heart.
If this supermarket was discovered by Magical Beasts, then the girl in the wheelchair would most likely end her own life.
Lingjia took a deep breath, but in the end, she still closed the door.
* * *
Translator : Tofu
Editor : RED