Chapter 86: Conspiracy

Su Zhan was following Wang Mingyuan's footsteps when he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck.It felt like something was watching him.

He spun around sharply, blade held horizontally across his chest.

But only saw several dark shadows flash past the railing on the mall's second floor.

"They haven't left."

Su Zhan said to Wang Mingyuan: "They're watching us from the shadows."

"Although Scythe Mist Mantises are low-level mist creatures, they have strong hunting instincts."

Wang Mingyuan didn't turn around, speaking calmly: "They now know they can't chew through tough bones like us, so naturally they won't come up to throw their lives away."

Su Zhan narrowed his eyes.

Faintly seeing dozens of compound eyes glowing eerily in the shadows on the second and third floors.

Those monsters crouched quietly behind railings, inside shops, even hanging upside down from the ceiling.

Their scythe-like forelimbs were slightly retracted, yet not a single one rashly pounced down again.

Su Zhan thought to himself.

Class had mentioned that most mist creatures act on instinct, and the behavior of these Scythe Mist Mantises before him resembled a biological instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm.

They now understood that attacking these two meant certain death.

Naturally they wouldn't make aggressive moves.

"Don't overthink it—they're not afraid of you, they're afraid of me."

Wang Mingyuan seemed to see through his thoughts: "Low-level mist creatures have an instinctive fear of high-concentration spiritual energy."

As if to prove this point.

He released a trace of spiritual energy pressure.

The next moment.

All the compound eyes throughout the mall trembled simultaneously, followed by dense wing vibrations.

These Scythe Mist Mantises were actually retreating backward.

"See?"

Wang Mingyuan withdrew his pressure: "But this retreat is temporary. Once I show signs of fatigue, they will no longer fear me."

Su Zhan nodded.

These monsters hadn't abandoned the hunt—they were just waiting for a better opportunity.

"I didn't release pressure earlier because I wanted you to get some practice first."

Wang Mingyuan explained: "There's another situation with mist creatures where, even if their opponent is hundreds of times stronger, they still attack like madmen."

"Knowing it's certain death, yet still charging forward like moths to flame?"

Su Zhan countered.

"Correct."

Wang Mingyuan nodded slowly, then continued: "This is knowledge you haven't learned yet, but I'll tell you now. This situation mostly occurs at the borders—that's how mist creatures behave when attacking our border defenses."

Su Zhan's expression turned serious, all ears.

"For the 300 years since the mist descended, Daxia's exploration of the mist has never ceased."

Wang Mingyuan continued: "But the mist's danger is certain. Even Ocean Realm awakeners dare not venture into the mist's depths, let alone other awakeners.

This prevents us from understanding the mist's deeper secrets.

Experts can only speculate that this counter-instinctual behavior stems from mist will, or control by higher-level mist creatures."

Su Zhan nodded seriously, indicating he was listening.

This counted as gaining knowledge while coming out to fight.

The two walked through the deathly silent mall, stepping over corpses and blood covering the floor.

The glass at the second-floor cosmetics counters was completely shattered, expensive perfume bottles broken across the floor.

Su Zhan used his blade tip to move aside a fallen display rack.

Behind it were only several time-frozen bodies—no one else.

"Everyone's hiding."

Wang Mingyuan scanned the surroundings: "Normal people's first reaction when encountering mist is definitely to find cover."

The two moved toward the emergency exit.

The stairwell was scattered with lost shoes, broken bag straps...

and other items.

Whether important or unimportant.

Su Zhan frowned slightly.

Reducing weight was naturally best, but even losing shoes while running...

That was very bad.

Su Zhan's gaze sharpened.

He noticed the fire hydrant at the corner had been opened, and the fire axe inside had vanished without a trace.

It seemed someone had tried to defend themselves with the fire axe.

Makes sense—this thing was standard apocalypse equipment.

When people encountered disasters resembling apocalypses, having self-defense tools naturally increased survival rates.

The two searched upward floor by floor.

The women's clothing section was in complete disarray, mannequins lying haphazardly everywhere, several fallen dresses hanging motionless on railings.

The fitting room doors were all open, empty inside.

The dining area presented the most chaotic scene.

Glass partitions of several restaurants were completely shattered, ingredients scattered on the floor mixed with blood, killing anyone's appetite.

...

The two searched all the way until they reached the mall's seventh floor rooftop, the highest level of this shopping center.

But throughout their journey, they hadn't encountered a single survivor.

"Teacher."

Su Zhan stopped walking, frowning as he asked: "Why are we only doing quick checks on each floor instead of thoroughly searching those corners where people might hide?"

This way they were just wasting effort.

Survivors definitely wouldn't hide in obvious places.

Yet they weren't searching hidden areas either.

What was the meaning of this?

"Just eliminating the most obvious places first."

Wang Mingyuan explained: "The central area on the first floor is most open, suitable for gathering survivors. Starting now, we'll work from the seventh floor downward, carefully searching every possible hiding spot."

"But that place is too exposed."

Su Zhan frowned: "If real danger appears, ordinary people can't outrun those monsters at all..."

Before he finished speaking, he trailed off.

Wang Mingyuan looked directly at Su Zhan: "You're worried this mist is targeting us?"

"Just speculation."

Su Zhan didn't deny it, voicing his thoughts: "If that's really the case, gathering survivors together... if we actually encounter danger, it would instead... instead become a situation where we're afraid to act for fear of harming them."

"I understand your concern."

Wang Mingyuan's voice remained calm: "I have old injuries, but I'm more than capable of handling these low-level mist creatures. Moreover, without evidence, I can't abandon rescue efforts because of this."

Su Zhan fell silent.

His teacher would never gamble with ordinary people's safety.

He would definitely save these people, even if the consequences might be as described.

If this really was a trap targeting them, then the other party had calculated this exact point.

An overt scheme they had no choice but to walk into.

He could only pray his teacher was strong enough.

That way, even if there really was a mastermind behind this, they would have nothing to fear.

"Understood."

Su Zhan could only comply, even offering his suggestion: "I suggest starting with restroom searches. These places are usually in remote locations, with cramped stall spaces that still offer some sense of security."

This came from his personal experience.

The two arrived at the seventh-floor restroom area.

Su Zhan entered the men's room.

Just entered.

He immediately heard suppressed coughing sounds from the stalls.

"Come out, it's safe now."

Su Zhan tapped the stall door with his knife handle.

The door slowly opened a crack.

After a cautious eye checked the situation.

The door fully opened.

A middle-aged man emerged holding a young boy. The man's suit was crumpled, while the boy clung tightly to his neck, face buried in his shoulder.

"Thank heavens..."

The man saw the white light on their bodies, his legs weakening almost to kneeling: "Monsters... everywhere monsters..."

Wang Mingyuan steadied him: "Can you still walk?"

The man nodded vigorously, hoisting his son higher: "Yes! As long as we can leave this damned place!"