March 20th, 8:12 AM — Longwan Mall, West Wing Service Hall
Mu Qinglan POV
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The air changed the moment we stepped off the main corridor.
The tiled floor gave way to cracked linoleum. The overhead lights dimmed behind us, swallowed by yellowed walls and hanging exit signs that no longer glowed.
A faint chemical stench clung to the corridor, like damp cleaning fluid mixed with rusted steel. Not rot. Not blood. Just… something off.
I motioned Zhou Xue forward. Her black bow angled low, eyes sharp, calm. Liang Qiu and Deng Hua stayed middle formation. Chen Xun brought up the rear with Liang Mei trailing beside him, tense and too quiet.
We passed under a low archway marked SERVICE STAFF ONLY. The mall's backrooms opened into a tangle of old storerooms, rusted folding chairs, broken mannequins, and disused stage props.
No windows. No airflow. Only the smell of dust, faded paper, and something electrical sparking behind the walls.
Liang Mei coughed once.
