Suzy’s heart skipped at his reply.
What did that even an? Did she really want to hear about that?
She didn’t dare ask. Lowering her head, she continued stuffing the gold into the bag.
It filled quickly.
Before she and Thomas could move on to the next store, a sudden commotion broke out outside—splashes of water, hurried footsteps.
"Over here! There’s a mall!"
Soone had arrived. And it was not just one person.
Suzy and Thomas both turned sharply toward the entrance.
Flashlight beams flickered outside, accompanied by voices and irritated complaints.
"This damn weather—why won’t the rain stop?"
"Quit whining. Just find supplies. If we don’t bring food back, we’re dead."
Suzy’s chest tightened. Her eyes darted around.
There was only one entrance to this store—and they were heading straight toward it.
She glanced at Thomas, silently asking: What do we do now?
He didn’t panic. He simply shook his head slightly, signaling her to stay still.
Then he switched off both their flashlights.
Darkness swallowed the space instantly.
There was no ti to warn Leonard on the other side. All they could do was hope he’d hear the noise in ti and stay alert.
The footsteps drew closer.
Then suddenly, a shout rang out in the distance—
"There’s soone!"
A beam of light swept into another store.
Leonard’s store.
Suzy’s heart clenched. They’d found him.
Every nerve in her body tensed, her mind already preparing to pull out a weapon from her storage and strike first, but the group didn’t seem interested in him.
Their voices carried over.
"Wait... isn’t that a gold shop over there?"
"Yeah, jewelry and gold, I think."
"Tch. What kind of idiots are these? Still chasing money at a ti like this? Why look for gold instead of food? That stuff won’t fill your stomach."
"Forget it. Leave them. Let’s go."
Their footsteps shifted direction, heading straight for the second floor.
In their eyes, food mattered far more than gold or jewelry.
No matter how valuable those things once were, now, survival ca first.
Within monts, they were gone.
The noise faded.
It was a false alarm.
Suzy let out a quiet breath.
If she could avoid conflict, she would. But if trouble ca looking for her, she wouldn’t hesitate either.
"We were lucky," she whispered.
"Yeah. But too many people around isn’t good. Let’s move," Thomas nodded.
She nodded too, switching her flashlight back on as they headed for the next shop.
anwhile, Leonard had already finished clearing out his store.
Compared to Suzy, his luck had been far better.
After entering, he’d managed to find the display case keys with little effort.
He opened everything quietly, swiftly transferring all valuables into his storage.
Before Thomas could join him, he worked with maximum efficiency.
In the end, he left a small portion behind—just enough to make it seem like he hadn’t taken everything.
There were plenty of jewelry stores on the first floor.
Each of them checked three shops, and beyond that, there were several other branded stores—watches, antiques, specialty boutiques.
thodically, they swept through them all.
By the end, every store on the first floor had been picked clean.
Suzy’s backpack was packed to the brim, unbearably heavy.
Gold, gemstones, diamonds—items once worth fortunes now sat piled together as if they were nothing.
"We’ve basically cleared the first floor," she said.
They had studied the mall layout before coming. The upper floors were mostly clothing and accessories—things they didn’t need. Higher up were snack shops and food stalls.
The supermarket in the basent was already flooded, so those people earlier were likely heading for the snack stores on the upper floors.
"Then let’s head out?" Leonard suggested, glancing at Thomas. "Anything you want to look for first?"
There were a few phone stores on the first floor.
Thomas stepped inside one and picked out several unopened phone boxes, placing them into his backpack.
After that, the three of them withdrew.
It was still early—and more importantly, the rain had eased.
After a brief discussion, they made a decision: Leonard would return with the supplies. Suzy and Thomas would continue searching outside.
It was Leonard’s idea.
He gave Suzy a look, and she imdiately understood.
He would take the gold, store it safely in his storage, then continue separately.
They had planned this in advance.
Splitting up would greatly improve efficiency. And now that Leonard had his own storage, it made things even easier.
As for Suzy staying with Thomas... She couldn’t use her storage freely—but in exchange, she gained sothing else.
Safety.
And... the chance to grow closer to him.
That alone was enough to outweigh the inconvenience.
Besides, even if they found a lot of supplies, he wouldn’t let her carry the burden alone.
Like earlier, the backpack had mostly been on him.
"Alright, then it’s settled. I’ll head out first. Stay in touch," Leonard said, lifting his satellite phone.
The signal network was getting worse, but this would still work reliably.
Suzy raised hers in response.
Thomas Kim had one too—she had given it to him earlier.
"Be careful," he said.
Leonard gave him a long, complicated look. "Take good care of Suzy. If anything happens to her, I won’t let it slide."
"I will, you know ," Thomas said firmly.
"Stay in contact, Uncle," Suzy added.
Leonard climbed onto the raft, the heavy bag of gold beside him.
On the surface, he would return to Starlight Towers, store everything, then head back out.
But in reality, there was no need for that anymore.
He found a secluded, hidden spot, transferred everything into his storage, and set off again.
They had already planned everything.
Leonard’s second destination was a jewelry district farther away.
It was remote, with fewer people—perfect for avoiding attention and using his storage freely.
As for Suzy, her next destination was an exhibition hall she had seen online.
When the disaster struck, the exhibition had still been running.
Various displays—rare items, unique artifacts—had never been cleared out.
And that... was exactly what she was after.
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