March 20th, 6:00 PM — Longwan Mall, Service Wing
Jiang Roulan POV
——
Steam still clung to my skin when I slipped out of the shower.
The curtain barely whispered closed behind me. My legs trembled—not from exertion. Not really. But the memory of the heat spreading inside made it feel like some was still inside me as the cold air pricked my chest.
My throat felt dry even though I'd just rinsed my mouth out.
But I hadn't said a word when I left.
Nor did I even look back.
And I wasn't followed.
The others were still in the main room, dim light casting long shadows across the broken vending machine and cluttered lockers. Tang Wei sat near the barricaded door, her shotgun resting across her knees, eyes flicking toward me the moment I stepped through.
Chen Xun and Liang Qiu barely glanced up. Shen Yifei, though... her sharp gaze penetrated through me... as if she knew everything with that smirk.
No one said anything.
But they'd heard something.
