The pounding footsteps quickly came to a stop, the figure instantly steadying itself, accompanied by rapid breathing.
"You, you all…"
The figure made a sound, and it was clearly a human voice.
"Stop,"
Lin Ye barked.
The figure immediately halted its steps.
This reaction made the others realize that this one was probably human.
"Name,"
"I, I'm Makino Hiroki,"
"Occupation,"
"Stu—student,"
"How did you come to be here?"
The continuous questioning made this somewhat winded youth even more anxious, but he did his best to explain, terrified of causing a misunderstanding.
Makino Hiroki, a High School Student, had been playing games in the mall's gaming area, but when he stepped out to use the restroom, he discovered upon coming back out that he had arrived at this utterly different mall.
At first he thought there had been a power outage, that the entire mall had shut down.
But when he reached the corridor and found the entire fourth floor utterly silent, without even a single human figure, he realized something—he thought of how he had been drawn into a mysterious event.
And as a High School Student, he had seen many, many works of science fiction and fantasy. Facing this mysterious event, after his initial worry, he immediately transformed it into excitement and exhilaration.
He believed this was his opportunity to begin a brand-new life, the beginning of him growing stronger.
Thereupon, he began to explore, until he discovered a shop suffused with an orange-yellow glow.
He had originally intended to go inside and take a look, but it seemed his survival instinct and his fear of death made him ultimately refrain from entering.
And after quite a while, as he cautiously explored, he heard human voices and began searching.
This was everything Makino Hiroki had experienced up until now.
By this point,
the male high school student had already walked up in front of the group,
and the three of them—Lin Ye included—got a clear look at the man's appearance and condition.
Human.
Lin Ye used perspective to observe and confirmed that the man's internal structure was that of a human, completely different from those black figures whose interiors were pitch-black and full of an indeterminate, Strange aura.
Adding in Murakami Mamoru, whom they'd encountered on the first floor, there were now a total of five people in this mall.
"Before you discovered you'd come here, did you encounter anything? Like a cat, or a dog?"
As the words fell,
everyone's gaze converged on this male high school student.
The yoga instructor thought of the cat she had been asked about earlier.
This male high school student—could he too have run into a cat?
"It seems… no, I don't think so!"
His face showed hesitation, but as his mind racked itself searching its memories, he frowned and recalled something. "I think I heard a cat meowing."
A cat.
A cat again.
This didn't even need Lin Ye to say it—both Haruno and the female yoga instructor felt this matter couldn't be separated from cats.
Since it was because of a cat that they had come here, then perhaps the key to their return also lay with that cat.
But from the beginning until now, they had not encountered a single cat.
This made them can't help but feel that finding the cat would mean finding the way to leave this place.
"Not a dog barking?"
Lin Ye countered in a grave tone.
This made the male high school student show a troubled expression. Instinctively he felt Lin Ye couldn't be wrong, yet his own memory indicated it really was a cat meowing.
"It was a cat's sound, I'm basically certain,"
"Mm."
Lin Ye's "Mm" made the male high school student realize—this was a test! This was a further confirmation of him.
He looked at Lin Ye and realized that this man, who looked not much older than himself, actually had a very high mental composure; they were not on the same level at all.
"Change into these shoes first,"
Lin Ye set the sneakers he'd found on the third floor down in front of the female yoga instructor.
Two pairs of sneakers.
The female yoga instructor tried them on and, after some consideration, decided to wear the black pair.
"Whew, thank you, Student Lin. I will definitely repay this kindness,"
As she spoke,
she felt this empty promise of hers was too meaningless, so she immediately added, "There are quite a few pretty girls in the yoga classes I teach, and they all have great figures. I can introduce them to you,"
Compared to directly offering herself, this was a better approach; her motive wouldn't be so obvious, and it would be even less likely to provoke any possible aversion.
The female yoga instructor, Kurosawa Eiko, also knew that sometimes, faced with a woman's initiative, a man would instead hold a greater wariness.
How envious the male high school student was!
A yoga instructor introducing beautiful female students—such a good thing, why couldn't he ever run into it!
Looking now, this female yoga instructor's figure was truly amazing.
And besides this female yoga instructor, the other girl with the black shoulder-length hair wasn't bad either!
Both were beauties—in high school they'd be the school flowers.
So envious!
The male high school student was so envious he was about to cry.
Right now he also wished he could be as strong as this male student, so that he too could win the attention of beauties.
In this moment, his craving for power grew ever stronger.
Lin Ye of course had heard the hidden meaning in the female yoga instructor's words. Just now, when she spoke those words, her eyes had also clearly given a hint, enough to set one's imagination running.
But Lin Ye was not the kind of man who got carried away easily.
"Talk about it after you make it out of here alive."
At least give the person a bit of hope, to avoid possibly more entanglement later.
Next, entering that special orange-yellow shop would still require manpower.
"With you here, Student Lin, we'll definitely make it back alive! Hahaha."
The female yoga instructor revealed a beautiful smile.
Haruno sneered inwardly. She definitely did not believe Lin Ye would be so easily seduced by a woman like this.
Haruno had firsthand experience of this man Lin Ye's self-control in matters between men and women. Faced with her own throwing herself at him, Lin Ye remained as unmoving as a mountain—let alone a woman of unknown origin like this one.
Although this female yoga instructor had decent looks, a great figure, soft and easy to handle, it absolutely would not reach the point of making Lin Ye obsessed.
"Lead the way! To that fourth-floor shop bathed in orange-yellow light."
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, okay,"
The male high school student nodded repeatedly. To him, leading the way was nothing at all.
Moreover, that shop—he had long wanted to go inside and look; it was only that when push came to shove he'd gotten scared and not dared to enter. But now, with so many people, even if it were just Lin Ye alone, he felt he'd dare to go in together.
He was already imagining the scene of successfully entering, finding clues, and then receiving the admiring gazes of the two beautiful women.
He began to daydream.
Soon, the group of four arrived at the fourth floor.
The male high school student led the way in front.
"Don't worry, I circled around the fourth floor several times earlier and didn't run into any monsters. I think the fourth floor should be monster-free."
The male high school student patted his chest and gave his guarantee.
After learning from Lin Ye's group that there were monsters on the first, second, and third floors, he felt fortunate he hadn't rashly gone downstairs—if he had run into a monster, he'd probably have been done for.
According to the female yoga instructor's description, those monsters were soft and floppy, and kicks couldn't deal much damage. This made him realize that although he had courage and strength, if he couldn't inflict damage on a monster, then he merely possessed power with no way to do anything.
He wanted to prove himself.
If he really did encounter a monster, he would definitely display the power that belonged to him.
The same age as Lin Ye, he absolutely wouldn't be inferior in any way.
'Tap, ta-tap…'
The footsteps kept sounding,
as the group of four paid attention to their surroundings, especially keeping a careful watch on the pitch-black shadows.
Some monsters might just be hiding in the shadows, making them hard to distinguish with the naked eye.
Two minutes later,
as they advanced, Lin Ye finally saw the shop ahead bathed in orange-yellow light.
"We finally found it."
Haruno sighed.
The whole way she hadn't seen it; she'd even momentarily doubted whether the male high school student was lying.
Now, finally seeing that shop, she could at last let out a breath of relief.
"I told you we were almost there,"
the male high school student said.
He had been under pressure just now too—pressure from Haruno. Lin Ye, on the other hand, hadn't said much, and had given him his trust.
"Outside isn't dangerous, but who knows about inside,"
Having said that,
the male high school student faced Lin Ye's group of three and walked backward toward the shop.
"This is a real estate agency. The fourth floor is mixed shops—a cinema, a gym, a yoga studio, and this real estate agency. It's still somewhat similar to the real Chiba Mall."
He worked through his memory, demonstrating his own value.
'Creak…'
A creaking sound rang out, abnormal.
"Careful,"
the female yoga instructor cried out reflexively.
The male high school student instinctively spun around to look toward the direction of that strange noise behind him.
It was a dim, dark figure.
A thin, small body that was nonetheless abnormally tall and large.
By the time he reacted, the male high school student saw that dim dark figure suddenly change—its head abruptly split open as if exploding, and a huge bloody maw gaped open.
A red tongue shot out with a whoosh.
"Ahhhhh!"
The male high school student instinctively dodged, avoiding the fatal strike, but his left hand was struck.
The intense pain made him cry out loudly.
Lin Ye made his move, but the alloy Dagger couldn't deal much damage to the monster's body.
He had even specifically chosen that tongue as the target part, but in the end there was no change whatsoever.
Using the time of Time Stop,
he found a method—only the damage was limited, and in the end he first led the three of them away.
At the instant Time Stop ended,
Lin Ye immediately shouted, "Go,"
The wounded male high school student received his care.
"Ooh, ahh!"
The male high school student gritted his teeth and tried to force back the pain, but the agony coming from his left hand made him grimace hoarsely; only by constantly crying out could he relieve this pain.
The female yoga instructor ran extremely fast, not pausing in the slightest, her long legs striding with all her might.
After changing her shoes, she felt as if reborn, completely different from her previous state.
As long as she ran faster than the others, it would be fine—that was the female yoga instructor's thinking.
Haruno was different from the female yoga instructor. She wasn't completely governed by instinct; instead, she focused on Lin Ye and drew closer to him.
'Tap, ta-tap…'
Going downstairs—she was also certain Lin Ye intended to go downstairs.
She knew very well that the chance of relying on her own power to survive in this Strange mall and successfully return was very small.
Only by relying on Lin Ye was there a way out.
"Once we reach the third floor, we'll be safe,"
"The monsters won't cross the line."
Just as she reached the third floor, Haruno reflexively said this.
But,
in the blink of an eye she saw that the monster behind the male high school student had not given up—it was chasing after them.
Its gaping bloody maw was vivid, the tongue it spat out swinging about, every so often slamming toward the male high school student and Lin Ye ahead.
It was only that the hit rate was too low, or some other factor, causing it to keep failing, never landing a strike.
"Left,"
Just as the female yoga instructor reflexively ran toward the right, and Haruno was about to follow and flee to the right as well, Lin Ye immediately spoke up.
Haruno at once turned and ran to the left.
Listening to Lin Ye was never wrong.
The female yoga instructor heard it too. She hurriedly braked to a stop and turned, about to run to the left, but by this time the long-tongued monster had already drawn near the stairwell entrance.
If she turned back, she would inevitably meet that monster head-on.
"Damn it,"
There was no choice.
She hurriedly ran in the direction away from it.
At least fleeing alone now still offered a hope of survival; if she caught up with Lin Ye's group at this moment, she might be killed by the monster.
'Thud, thud, thud…'
At this moment,
upon reaching the third floor,
Lin Ye burst into action, one hand pulling the injured male high school student, the other pulling the clearly slowing Haruno,
while behind them the long-tongued, big-mouthed monster seemed to have locked onto these three, pursuing relentlessly—though it couldn't catch up, its speed wasn't very fast, showing no explosive, sprinting burst of speed.
"Lin, Lin-kun, that monster behind us…"
Hearing the sounds coming from behind,
Haruno couldn't help but ask.
One of her hands was pulled by Lin Ye, her two legs striding hard, no longer obeying her.
Even sprinting on the school athletic field had never been this thrilling and exhausting.
"Relax,"
Just those two simple words instantly put Haruno's heart at ease.
To her, this single promise from Lin Ye was enough.
As for the monster behind them, it would definitely be dealt with.
Haruno asked no more and kept running.
In no time, the orange-yellow glow appeared ahead.
That was the third-floor shop.
"Makino, in a moment you immediately run into that dining room. If the monster follows you in, find a place to stall it, then look for a chance to run out,"
"If it keeps chasing us, then you'll be safe."
Facing Lin Ye's arrangement, the male high school student was stunned.
"Ah!"
"I, I can…"
"You have no right to refuse. If you refuse, I'll throw you in,"
"…"
The male high school student fell silent,
but he also knew that if he really did refuse, Lin Ye would absolutely do exactly that.
Being able to survive until now was also thanks to Lin Ye; if not for Lin Ye stepping in, he would have had no chance of surviving until now.
'Thud, thud, thud…'
The distance grew closer.
When they were five meters away,
Lin Ye let go,
and the male high school student, gritting his teeth and enduring the intense pain in his body, ran toward that orange-yellow-glowing shop and dashed in with a roar.
Next it depended on which one the monster would chase.
And at this moment Lin Ye pulled Haruno and accelerated, even using the Invisibility skill, vanishing from the monster's field of vision.
This caused the monster to lose its target for a short time.
The monster captured and locked onto prey through vision.
Haruno hadn't expected it could be done this way.
Her heart instantly settled.
Upon discovering that her body was now transparent, she truly hadn't expected Lin Ye to have such a skill as well.
He already had perspective,
so adding an Invisibility wasn't all that unusual?
Haruno grew ever more curious about what other skills Lin Ye had.
It was as if Lin Ye's skills were inexhaustible.
Standing in place,
Haruno, feeling her own heartbeat, fixed her eyes on that monster. Its originally gaping bloody maw had already mostly closed; it turned its head and glanced around, as if wanting to find something.
Finally,
it looked toward that shop bathed in orange-yellow light,
'Thud…'
'Thud, thud…'
Its footsteps heavy,
it walked toward that shop, and finally walked in.
And the male high school student, who had just ducked into this buffet restaurant of the third-floor shop, was completely not okay.
What was going on?
How had the monster come in?
What to do, what to do?
He swallowed, his heartbeat ceaselessly accelerating, but the most severe thing was still the wound on his left hand; the stabbing pain made him grit his teeth and bear it.
If he made a sound right now, it would definitely draw the monster's attention, and then he would certainly not survive.
'Thud…'
'Thud…'
The monster walked in.
It walked in step by step, glancing all around. The tongue it had retracted now extended out, licking at the somewhat spoiled food on the tables.
'Crunch, crunch…'
Faint chewing sounds.
These were the sounds of feeding.
The male high school student grew even more afraid.
He even momentarily wondered whether this was Lin Ye's or Haruno's body, now being—rejected—by the monster.
He cautiously shifted, poking his head out, looking toward the direction the sound came from.
The monster was hunched over, eating.
He shifted his steps, cautiously moving toward the entrance door of the buffet restaurant.
Five meters left to the entrance.
Move.
Keep moving carefully.
The male high school student poured all his courage into every step. His legs were a bit weak, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered.
He didn't even dare look in the monster's direction, terrified that the touch of his gaze would draw the monster's attention.
"Creak…"
The sound suddenly changed.
The male high school student froze, immediately realizing something.
"Run."
The voice coming from the doorway instantly made him instinctively break into a wild dash; his thin, small body erupted with unprecedented power.
He sprinted heedlessly, wanting only to leave this dangerous, monster-filled dining room.
'Whoosh…'
And from behind came a whistling sound.
The male high school student had no time to turn his head; he charged forward with all his might, the agony from his arm instead further increasing his will to survive.
'Splat…'
He didn't know what he'd stepped on—his foot slipped and his whole body lurched forward and slid. By sheer coincidence, this just so happened to dodge the long-tongued monster's strike.
Lin Ye yanked the male high school student out and rapidly retreated.
From afar, Haruno watched with her heart in her throat.
Next, that snarling, fanged monster should come charging out.
'Thud, thud, thud…'
But,
this monster seemed to have hit an invisible wall—no matter how hard it pushed, it couldn't leave.
It pressed, it strained, but it simply could not get out.
What was going on?
Could it be that Lin-kun had done something?
Was this Lin-kun's ability?
Several conjectures flashed through Haruno's mind.
But no matter which conjecture it was, she felt they were all possible.
She needed Lin Ye to resolve the questions in her heart.
...
...
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