March 20th, 1:25 PM — Longwan Mall, Rear Loading Corridor
John Wang POV
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Liang Mei's hands worked fast, clumsy but careful, pressing gauze and wrapping bandages across Mu Qinglan's side.
The salve I'd given her was already melting into the cuts, white cream bleeding into red. Qinglan didn't flinch. Just sat there quietly, eyes half-lidded, lips pressed into a thin line.
"She'll be fine," Liang Mei said, not quite meeting my eyes.
I gave a short nod. "Good."
But my attention was already elsewhere.
Five red dots. No labels. No signs of retreat.
They weren't Crawlers.
They were closing in — each one from a different side of the map. Slow at first, now accelerating. Angled. Coordinated.
The Ghouls had learned how we moved, or reaction, and now they were tracking us.
