XG 8 - Become a dangerous tool to attract danger

Vihaan was about to voice out more of his capabilities when Suzie Yap asked another unexpected question to her daughter.

“Are there any other good points?”

Facing her mother while working hard to keep her face neutral, Wong Xue Guo wondered if she had wrongly misunderstood when her mother was actually hinting for her to provide benefits in accepting new team members.

At the other side, Vihaan's mouth was already twitching as he wondered if this was a mother teaching daughter session. If yes, this was such a bad taste for the involved parties.

Since her mother was speaking so forwardly, how could the filial daughter Wong Xue Guo not do as she wished? She sighed in her heart and dug up the good points she barely thought of.

“They look like they are people with a sensible mind and would not cause trouble without good reason. Helping them will be beneficial for us to gain helping hands and ease our burden." Wong Xue Guo shifted her gaze to the boy. "He is a poor boy who had lost his parents and had no one else but us to protect him. What would his parents in heaven think if we left him behind?”

Vihaan: That is laying it way too thick, isn’t it?

“I know the staff passageway and the passwords to bypass the locked doors,” Vihaan finally spoke of an acceptable reason even if Suzie Yap had shown her desire in accepting them. Her daughter’s provided reasons were a little hard to accept.

“Guo Guo’s words are right, Mr. Vihaan will be a good help to us.” Suzie Yap smiled. “Then we will form a temporary group until we reach safety.”

Relieved even if Suzie Yap seemed to ignore his words, Vihaan started to share his findings. "I manage to hear from one of the people that they will have a helicopter land on the rooftop to pick them up. If we reach there before the helicopter takes off, they might take us with them."

He did not say it was also a possibility that the person the helicopter was supposed to pick up would not survive or failed to arrive at the rooftop that was locked to outsider’s access. They could not possibly just leave the survivors on the rooftop to die, right?

"There might not be enough space for all of us," Suzie Yap countered. "And if that owner will allow strangers to hitch a ride. It's too risky."

“We still had to try. That is the only way out without taking a great risk.” Vihaan continued on. “The way to the rooftop is only known by the internal department staff working for the shopping mall. Those staff with the key are less than three people. Coincidentally, I have one of them. The rooftop is just above this floor and the stairs to it are beside the elevator at the center location of this floor."

"There's a large number of them in front of the elevator." Suzie Yap hummed in understanding as she eyed one particular screen. That was why Vihaan wanted to form a team.

There were no living humans around the elevator, but the zombies still gathered at the area, as if they were sure that their food was around there.

"I think they were attracted by the sound made by the elevator." Vihaan pointed at the display screen on top of the elevator. The numbers were changing as if there were passengers riding in it.

"I can clear the way to the staircase, but we will part ways after that," Suzie Yap said. "I prefer leaving with my own trusted vehicle."

Vihaan also preferred that, but he does not have the capability of fighting his way to the parking lot with a young boy with him. "It will take a long time and be too exhausting for you to fight on every floor."

"Not if I take the elevator."

"I suggest not to," Vihaan said grimly. "Every time the elevator stops at a floor, it will let out a sound that attracts those monsters over. It will stop at every floor because those buttons on every floor should have been pressed, with the people thinking to escape through the elevator. Could you stop those monsters from charging into the elevator without a way to escape?"

The arrival music was purposely picked by the management to be loud in order to attract the attention of the distracted visitors while they were waiting for their ride.

But now, it has become a dangerous tool to attract the zombies.

From the monitor screen, Vihaan had seen a group of youngsters with the same plan in using the elevator to escape. But they had not foreseen that there would be monsters waiting for them inside the elevator, with the amount too large for them to handle. Two of the survivors were instantly attacked, with the others screaming as they ran away.

He does not know where they were now, or whether they managed to survive.

"I'm talking about the staff's elevator. This mall has it, right?"

Vihaan sighed and shook his head. "The staff's elevator was broken down for days and yet to be fixed. Everyone had been using other ways to get to their office."

"That staircase beside the elevator, does it go down?"

"No. The design of the staircase is only towards the rooftop so that no random people could go there for reasons unknown." Vihaan had heard from the grapevine that the owner of this mall had done that to avoid people using his building to commit suicide. That would instantly destroy Diamond mall's reputation and sales.

Even if the real reason was typical of business-minded men, it also prevented dangerous cases so no one complained about it.

"There is another staircase for staff that could reach down the parking lot," Vihaan added.

"I know. I used that to come up, but I would not advise that path. It’s compromised." At that time, Suzie Yap was annoyed at how slow the elevator was and decided to use a lesser occupancy stairway to rush up to the highest floor.

Her running up was in contrast to other people that were rushing down to escape. Some good-hearted people advised her to turn back but she just smiled and thanked them before continuing on. It was only thanks to her honed reflex and sharp instinct she managed to bypass the failures she met halfway up. Some of them changed targets to her and chased her relentlessly, which also led to even more failures towards her.

Unfortunately, that staircase could not be used anymore after she locked the door and barred it with heavy equipment. Those failures might still be banging on the door, or went away after distracted by other sounds. She would have used that route again regardless of the danger, but she was considerate of her baby's stamina and running skills.

"Well, even if you did successfully make your way to the parking lot, it might be even more dangerous there," Vihaan said solemnly.

The parking lot was naturally one of the places where survivors would go because most of their transportation was there. Vihaan does not dare to think the situation there was any better than inside the mall. The thought of those monsters manages to leave the shopping mall and infect everyone in the city was too horrifying to imagine. He only hoped the rumored army that had surrounded the building was true.

"As long as they can be killed, there's nothing to be afraid about. Arm yourself with some weapon that can kill those zombies. We will be leaving soon," Suzie Yap said.

While the adults were talking, Wong Xue Guo had her ears on them and her eyes on her mobile phone that had lit up to inform her she received a message.

Nurul Hanani had replied to her message!

However, she could see that the sender was actually Low Lin Ya, who likely had her phone destroyed and borrowed Nurul Hanani’s.

Low Lin Ya: Hani has been bitten and she does not look good. We are hiding in a big sports shop. Outside is full of those zombies. Guo Guo, you are out of the shopping mall, right?

Unfortunately, no.

Since Low Lin Ya had the time to reply to her message, Nurul Hanani must have not turned into a zombie yet, even if it should have been more than fifteen minutes. There should be more conditions on how fast a person would turn into a zombie as well as whether there were humans with immunity towards it.

For Low Lin Ya’s sake, Wong Xue Guo hoped Nurul Hanani was a special human with immunity to the virus!

"Where is the sports shop?" Suzie Yap asked. "I have someone I need to pick up."

Wong Xue Guo's fingers stopped moving and raised her head to look at her mother. Such a coincidence?

Wong Xue Guo: Who else is around you?

Low Lin Ya: Yibo and Jiang An.

Low Lin Ya: They helped us and stayed with us when everyone ran away because Hani got bitten.

Low Lin Ya: I saw them get eaten by those zombies in the elevator. It's so freaking disgusting!

"That shop is near the elevator, if I remember correctly, two or three shops away," Vihaan furrowed his brows and scrutinized the screen. Then he tapped at a spot on the screen. "There."

The sports store was dark with its shutters down, which stood out from the other stores that were still open with brightly lit lights and left unattended. It was a high possibility that there was someone hiding inside if one judged from sight alone.

"That will save time." Suzie Yap nodded, pleased that both places were in the same direction.

Wong Xue Guo guessed that the person her mother wanted to save was Chen Yibo.

Aside from being the class monitor of Class 5-1 and Head Prefect, he was also Wong's next-door neighbor and good at karate. He was also the reason why she was allowed to go out without any bodyguards today because he will help looking out for her. He must have contacted Suzie Yap to make sure Wong Xue Guo was telling the truth that her mother will be picking her up and that the message was not faked.

If Wong Xue Guo was really lying to do something else secretly, she would be terribly pissed. But since it was the truth, she just felt a little annoyed.

Wong Xue Guo: Stay there. We will be coming for you.

Low Lin Ya: What?

Low Lin Ya: What do you mean???

Low Lin Ya: Aren't you at home now?!?!?!

Wong Xue Guo: No. Haven't left yet. Mother picked me up just now and we are still inside the mall.

Wong Xue Guo: Don't go anywhere.

Wong Xue Guo: We are still on the same floor, no worries.

Low Lin Ya: Telling me not to worry will make me worry!!!