"Get behind us."
The creature rose.
It was angry now.
It charged again.
Yan Cijin punched it.
The blow lifted its entire body.
It crashed through a storefront.
Bai Li followed with a second strike that sent it into another wall.
The monster tried to stand.
Bai Li sighed.
"Why are they always so stubborn?"
Yan Cijin smiled.
"It is probably personal."
Bai Li ended the fight.
The survivors remained silent.
A middle-aged man eventually said, "Thank you."
"Do not thank us yet," Yan Cijin said.
They looked at the injured man.
Bai Li examined him.
"Broken ribs. Deep cut. No bite."
The man's wife looked relieved.
"Can you help him?"
"Yes."
Bai Li used their limited supplies and helped stabilize the wound.
The group explained that they had been traveling upward from the lower levels.
They had heard about the fruit and wanted to see it for themselves.
Bai Li asked how many people were above.
The answer was disturbing.
