Chapter 24
An impending rat infestation.
After An Kang left, Jun Shutong asked curiously, "Did you come to see me about something?"
"I just wanted to ask if you were going out to look for supplies today, Sister Jun." Lu Li wanted to bring Jun Shutong along because she had the Old-Era Truth.
More importantly, aside from being a little softhearted, she was almost flawless as a teammate-she dared to charge into danger first, and, rarer still, she was genuinely willing to cover his retreat.
"Where do you want to go?" Jun Shutong asked.
"How about we look around the third floor?" Lu Li asked.
The mall's basement housed a supermarket. The first floor was a food court with various restaurants, the second floor sold health and beauty products, and the third floor was the clothing section.
When she heard that Lu Li wanted to visit the third floor, Jun Shutong gave him a thoughtful once-over.
"No problem. I need a change of clothes myself." Jun Shutong nodded.
Ever since water had become scarce, she hadn't bathed or washed her clothes. Besides, what woman would complain about having too many clothes?
"Wait here for a moment. I'll go get changed." With that, Jun Shutong turned and entered the bedroom.
Calling it a bedroom was generous; it was actually a small converted storage room. Lu Li had been inside before. It was cramped, with only a basic single bed.
Jun Shutong usually stayed in the women's dormitory. She only rested in the bedroom behind her office when she was particularly busy.
A little while later, Jun Shutong emerged in flat shoes, her hair tied back, looking crisp and capable.
Neither said anything. With an unspoken understanding, they left the office and headed straight for the third floor through the emergency stairwell.
"Are there any Magical Beasts on the third floor?" Lu Li asked curiously.
Jun Shutong shook her head and explained, "Quite a few people have already searched the third floor for supplies. None of them encountered any Magical Beasts."
Hearing that there were no Pokémon on the third floor, Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief.
He had never dared to gamble his life on luck. He couldn't guarantee that every Pokémon he encountered would be relatively nonaggressive.
Once they reached the third floor, they carefully made a circuit of the area.
After confirming there was no danger, they split up.
Jun Shutong went to a lingerie shop, while Lu Li entered a men's clothing store.
Underwear came first.
He had been wearing the same underwear for almost three days. Now he had two choices: put on a brand-new, unwashed pair, or keep wearing the old one.
Lu Li decisively chose a new pair. Picking clothes was even easier: he looked for things suitable for vigorous activity, preferably with plenty of pockets.
After all, survival always came first in the apocalypse.
Lu Li picked out seven pieces of clothing, then found a few bread rolls in a box by the counter.
They were probably breakfast or dinner prepared by the store's receptionist, but now he got to enjoy them.
Living in a mall during the early days of the apocalypse really did have its perks. Almost every day, he could shop without paying a cent.
After getting dressed, Lu Li waited outside the women's clothing store for Jun Shutong.
All the glass on the third floor was one-way glass. It let in plenty of light without allowing anyone outside to see in, but Jun Shutong had still warned him to stay away from the clothing stores along the outer edge.
Women always took a long time shopping for clothes, especially in a relatively safe environment. Even Jun Shutong was no exception.
Lu Li helplessly took out his phone and checked the time. Almost an hour had passed, and she was still inside trying on clothes.
He sat outside, bored out of his mind as he waited.
Just then, a thunderous crash rang out.
Boom!
A slight tremor ran through the floor, and Lu Li shot up from his chair.
Jun Shutong hurried out of the clothing store with a gun. She had only a single pistol in her hand.
"What happened?" Jun Shutong asked, her face tense.
Lu Li shook his head blankly. "I don't know."
"That wasn't an earthquake, was it?"
Gradually calming down, Lu Li reasoned, "An earthquake wouldn't stop after a single jolt. It felt more like something slammed into one of the mall's load-bearing walls."
Jun Shutong's expression instantly darkened.
Both of them immediately guessed the culprit.
"Those damned rat Magical Beasts aren't gnawing through the load-bearing walls, are they?" Jun Shutong gritted her teeth. Never in her life had she hated rats as much as she did today.
Lu Li tried to reassure her. "It doesn't necessarily mean a load-bearing wall collapsed. Something might have just hit it hard."
Rattata had habits much like ordinary rats. Because of their two large front teeth, they were almost constantly looking for things to gnaw on.
More importantly, Rattata were highly mobile. Almost every day, they were either eating or on their way to find food.
At that thought, Lu Li realized the mall might not be as safe as he had imagined.
At least forty Rattata lived in the mall's basement.
That was a truly terrifying number.
After all, Rattata were far stronger fighters than Pokémon like Caterpie. A Rattata that knew Tackle could easily ram an adult to death, while stronger ones might even know moves like Quick Attack and Super Fang.
His expression growing grim, Lu Li said, "What we need to worry about now is whether this was an isolated incident."
"If it was, that's fine. It means the mall might hold up for a while longer. But if those rat Magical Beasts are deliberately destroying the load-bearing walls..."
"Then what do we do? It's not like we can go down there and check what those rat Magical Beasts are doing." Jun Shutong looked frustrated too. All they could do was speculate, and the more they speculated, the more frightened they became.
Lu Li patted Jun Shutong on the shoulder and reassured her, "Let's hope it was just a coincidence. If this happens more than three more times, we'll have to consider relocating the camp."
Looking rather grim, Jun Shutong nodded, then went back into the store to collect the clothes she had picked out.
"Let's head back to camp first. This has probably thrown everyone into a panic," Jun Shutong said.
Just as Jun Shutong had expected, the tremor had thrown the camp into chaos. Fortunately, Liu Li had stepped forward at the crucial moment to calm everyone down.
"Liu Li really knows how to put people at ease. Apparently, before the apocalypse, she owned a dance training business-a nationwide chain, even," Fatty Lei explained.
Lu Li narrowed his eyes as he watched Liu Li soothe the crowd. He thought she certainly knew how to conduct herself. When Jun Shutong stepped forward, she cooperatively
handed the "stage" back to Jun Shutong.
She's useful when it counts, and she doesn't hog the credit or fish for praise. This woman really does have something going for her, Lu Li thought approvingly.
Seeing Fatty Lei still smugly singing Liu Li's praises, Lu Li rolled his eyes at him. "The next time something like this happens, you need to step up yourself. It's your responsibility, after all."
Fatty Lei rubbed his nose awkwardly. What management experience did he have? Before the apocalypse, the only thing he had done that could remotely count as "management" was looking after his younger siblings at home.