So many people.
This was Shen Ning’s first time at such a bustling place, and she didn’t dare stray too far, sticking closely behind her classmates.
The two girls in front were still chatting, and Shen Ning finally caught what they were saying—
“Half the stuff on your list is for your boyfriend?”
“Yep. Didn’t I tell you? Get a boyfriend from another class; that way you’ll have two shopping days every month.”
“That does make sense, but isn’t your boyfriend two grades above us? He’s going to graduate soon.”
“That’s even better! Once he applies to stay local, he can help me buy stuff every day.”
So they weren’t talking about shopping at all; they were just showing off their boyfriends.
No wonder they could talk forever.
When they finally noticed Shen Ning walking behind them, they glanced back, curious.
“Hey, miner girl. This your first time shopping? Buying something for your boyfriend too?”
“No. I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Just a future cup… a future wife.
“Then what are you buying?” one girl pressed.
Shen Ning thought for a moment.
“Something for myself. Chocolate. Some candy.”
Both girls burst into laughter.
“Of course we know chocolate is candy. Who wouldn’t?”
“You just figured that out or what?”
“Where’d you hear that from?”
Shen Ning slowed her pace and put a bit of distance between herself and the less-than-friendly girls.
That reminded her — even though Xu Chuyao was forever trying to mess with her, she never mocked Shen Ning for being ignorant.
Xu Chuyao only ever teased her for being clumsy, slow-witted, or like some bottom-feeder…
Still so infuriating.
Finding the chocolate section wasn’t hard; all the candy was together.
Shen Ning quickly grabbed a bar of simple, plain-wrapped milk chocolate and frowned slightly at the price.
So expensive, and the packaging was so flashy.
After some indecision, she chose a modestly packaged milk chocolate — a plain square bar — then set off to look for chocolate milk.
Ten minutes of searching the candy aisle later, she realized she probably ought to check the dairy section instead.
The problem was she had no idea where that was.
Shen Ning followed the store layout deeper inside.
Passing a section of specialized gear, her gaze was drawn to a gas mask.
A protective respirator, the kind she used to wear going down into the mines.
Ever since her spiritual energy had awakened, she no longer feared toxic gas — nor had she been into the mines at all.
Feeling nostalgic, Shen Ning placed the “childhood memory” into her cart and continued her search for chocolate milk.
…
“See that bus? It’s from Ascension Academy.”
Near the entrance of the plaza, several people who looked like casual shoppers slowly gathered together, their eyes fixed on the bus parked at the gate.
“Man, they even get chauffeured for shopping. Must be nice.”
“Not for long,” someone replied.
Next to the bus, a woman with a scarf and sunglasses strolled by casually.
She was on the phone, but the next second she suddenly stuck to the bus
A strange melody seeped into the windows — the driver instantly slumped over.
“Okay, we’re good. Let’s go,” she murmured.
Besides the one who took control of the driver, seven others pulled their bags close and headed toward the basement level of the shopping center.
“I sent you all the intel,” someone spoke up.
“Fourteen students total.”
They checked their phones — one by one, photos appeared onscreen.
Every single one was a candid shot of Shen Ning’s classmates as they’d gotten off the bus.
“You have thirty minutes. Ten of that is for evac. Don’t leave a single one behind — let the world witness the debut of the Supreme Order!”
The team pulled on clown masks one after another, then grabbed two cans of spray paint and started tagging the front doors — silver tower shapes up top, a multicolored clown face on the bottom.
One of them had already stepped into the mall.
The receptionist at the front desk stiffened when she saw his bizarre getup.
“Sir, may I help you with anything?”
The yellow-faced clown grinned.
“First Squad of the Supreme Order — the Joker Gang. Here to say hello~”
BANG—!
An explosion echoed from the mall’s entrance.
Screams followed, and everyone who’d been happily shopping spun around.
Just then, the overhead lights in the basement mall went dead, plunging everything into pitch darkness.
“What’s going on?”
“No idea — it’s so dark!”
“Quick, turn on your phone light!”
A few scattered beams of light appeared — tiny, sharp, and hardly enough to illuminate much.
Shen Ning stayed rooted to the spot without moving.
She realized she must have taken a wrong turn because she was standing in the kitchenware section — shelves of cleavers and knives around her.
Ahead, someone held up a phone flashlight and moved cautiously forward.
“Hey! Who are you guys? What do you want?”
No one had time to see what happened.
A sharp burst of laughter split the silence as the class president was flung into the air like a broken kite.
Blood spattered across the shelves as their body crashed into a rack, dark liquid glistening in the faint light.
“Ah!”
“Th-they’re killing people! They’re killing people!”
Students raised in the sheltered halls of the academy had never witnessed anything like this before. Frozen, they could do nothing but stand and tremble.
Shen Ning, crouching behind one of the shelves, clutched a butcher knife tight in her hands as she watched.
Two girls from earlier had their phone light on, and one of them was suddenly face-to-face with a hideous red-nosed clown mask.
Thud!
A large hammer hit the girl on the head and she fell down limply, lifeless.
They are not ordinary people, but spiritualists, and they should be similar to me.
Shen Ning quickly came to the conclusion.
Her heart sank.
She thought back to the massacre in the mine three years ago — enclosed space, deep darkness, outnumbered —
but back then it had been beasts driven purely by instinct.
This was different.
This was a prepared team.
And all she had was this kitchen knife.
Could she win like this?
Or was there some other ace up her sleeve?
The girl parted her lips and whispered a few silent words.
[Achievement Points: 1 — Do you want to use it?]
Use confirmed.
Phantom summoned — a version of you three years from now. Tactical support granted.
In the dim light reflected off the tiles, Shen Ning saw her own shadow flicker.
A slightly different silhouette appeared before her, one that smiled and spoke with a voice only she could hear.
“A fierce fight, huh? The good news is none of them are above the second tier. You can handle this with your current strength.”
And you won’t even need to resort to blunt kitchen tools.
Shen Ning opened her mouth and communicated silently.
“I’ve never fought people like this before. They’re trained. They’re not like those mindless creatures in the mines.”
Her reflection grinned at her.
“Humans in a fight will often throw everything away and fight with pure instinct.
You have fourteen classmates from Rising Spirit Academy here, none much weaker than you.
Your enemies? Far fewer in number. So what’s stopping you?”
“Because…” Shen Ning hesitated.
“…I’m scared,” she finally whispered.
Her reflection’s smile deepened.
Oh damn. Shit’s getting serious.