"Sister, it’s just up ahead!"
Gloria pointed toward the corner and quickened her pace.
They turned and the beam of the flashlight revealed it.
A gold supermarket.
It was large—over two hundred square ters. Display counters were filled with finely crafted gold and silver jewelry.
Everything was intact. The glass cases were unbroken, the items inside neatly arranged, untouched. A thin layer of dust had settled across the surfaces.
"Wait here, I’ll go find the keys," Gloria said, moving with familiarity.
She knew exactly where they were kept.
With keys, there was no need to smash anything—just unlock and take.
She returned quickly, several keyrings in hand, handing two to Suzy.
"These are for the cases on this side." She pointed. "Let’s split up!"
"Alright."
They got to work right away. Suzy focused on larger pieces—gold bangles, pendants, heavier items. She unzipped her backpack and grabbed by the handful. Half went into the bag. The other half—quietly vanished into her storage.
If she could, she would’ve taken everything that way, but with Gloria watching, she had to be careful.
They moved quickly. In no ti, the entire store was emptied.
Jewelry was compact—one large backpack was enough to hold it all.
"Miss, I’m done!" Gloria ca over, slightly out of breath, carrying a heavy bag of gold and silver.
" too." Suzy weighed her backpack in her hands.
"Do you still have space?" Gloria asked.
Suzy set the bag down and unzipped it.
Still half full. She had deliberately chosen the largest hiking pack she could find earlier.
"There’s room."
Without hesitation, Gloria poured everything she had collected into Suzy’s bag.
It was filled to the brim.
"So heavy now," Suzy noted.
"Let carry it," Gloria offered.
"It’s fine, I’ve got it," Suzy said, waving her off.
Her body had been strengthened—this much weight ant nothing.
Still, Gloria looked at her with concern. She had lifted the bag herself—she knew how heavy it was.
And Suzy didn’t look like soone who should be able to carry that much.
"...Alright," she said softly, swallowing her hesitation.
"Let’s head back," Suzy said.
She had checked the layout beforehand––only the fifth floor had gold stores. Above that were food courts, bookstores, entertainnt—nothing they urgently needed.
This trip had already yielded more than expected.
Still... Not enough. She could feel it. Just a little more—and her storage would upgrade.
They returned to the eting point.
Thomas was still leaning against the wall, resting. At the sound of footsteps, he opened his eyes.
His gaze rested on Suzy for a brief mont—then the corner of his lips lifted slightly, as if he already knew.
"Good haul?" he asked.
Suzy couldn’t help but smile. "More than good."
Gloria glanced between them. "Miss, wait here for a bit. I’ll go tell Curtis."
Then she hurried off.
Suzy walked over and set the heavy backpack down beside him. Her eyes fell on his wound.
"How are you feeling now?" she asked.
From the look of the bandage, at least it wasn’t bleeding anymore. That was a good sign. It seed the spring water was already taking effect.
"I’m alright. It doesn’t hurt as much," Thomas said quietly.
Before they could say more, Gloria returned.
"Miss, it’s still raining outside. You should stay here with us tonight," she suggested.
The rain outside wasn’t normal anymore.
It was truly acid rain.
Curtis had tested it himself—he tossed a plastic bottle outside, and within monts, it began to visibly corrode.
It was as if the heavens had no intention of letting anyone survive.
If soone stayed out there for more than ten minutes without shelter... it wouldn’t just be skin peeling.
It would be worse.
Suzy and Thomas exchanged a glance.
"Alright," Suzy said.
There was no point forcing their way out in this weather. Taking shelter here was the smartest choice.
It had been their plan from the start.
"Co on, I’ll take you to our base," Gloria said.
This place wasn’t their base—just where they had rushed over after hearing movent, thinking enemies had arrived.
Carefully supporting Thomas, Suzy followed her.
Their base was on the seventh floor—in an employee office area of the mall.
There were many empty rooms.
They were even given a private one.
Gloria pushed open the door. The flashlight beam revealed a personal office.
It had already been cleaned—minimal dust, everything neatly arranged. Files were still stacked in order on the shelves, untouched.
"Sister, you can stay here tonight. I’ll be next door," Gloria said, pointing. "Rest for a bit—I’ll get you so blankets."
"Thank you."
"...You don’t have to thank ," Gloria smiled, cheeks flushing slightly. "You saved . This is the least I can do."
With that, she hurried off.
The room was dim, curtains drawn. Suzy helped Thomas sit down, then walked over and pulled them open. Light filtered in, pushing back the gloom.
"Not bad," he remarked.
"Yeah," she agreed, glancing out the window.
The rain hadn’t stopped. If anything, it was getting heavier. Along the edges of the window fra, faint signs of corrosion had already appeared. Even from here, there was a sharp, tallic tang in the air.
Acid rain... huh.
"Who knows how long this will last," Suzy murmured.
She turned back and sat beside him on the small sofa.
Silence settled. Only the sound of rain tapping against the glass filled the room—steady, sharp, relentless.
She glanced at him. He was already looking at her.
Their eyes t.
For so reason, she felt a flicker of embarrassnt and quickly looked away.
"Are you okay?" he asked suddenly.
"Huh? What do you an?" she blinked.
"Your hand," he said.
She looked down at her right hand—nothing seed off.
Seeing her confusion, he lifted a finger and pointed gently toward the side of her left hand.
Only then did she notice it.
A distinct red mark curved along the side of her palm.
Her skin was pale, making it stand out even more.
"...When did I get this?" she muttered, examining it.
If he hadn’t pointed it out, she might not have noticed at all.
"Does it hurt?" he asked.
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