March 20th, 8:24 AM — Longwan Mall, Second Floor, North Wing
John Wang POV
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The moment my foot hit the second-floor landing, I knew we were walking into something worse.
The air was thicker here. Not warmer. Just heavier. It clung to the skin like a leech, quietly sucking each person's lifeblood. It smelled faintly of wet rust, like copper that had been left in a damp sink too long.
Behind me, Tang Wei swept her shotgun across the darkened corners, keeping low and steady.
Jiang Roulan took the left side with both tonfa in hand, twirling one once in a habitual motion before locking her grip. Shen Yifei didn't speak, but her fingers tensed around the shaft of her spear, loosening and tightening in a slow, deliberate rhythm.
Something was stalking us. I couldn't see it. Not directly. But I felt the shift in pressure, the small tremors in the air—vibrations running along the ground, just beneath conscious notice.
