The golden roots became thicker.
They covered entire walls now.
Their glow was faint but unmistakable.
The fruit's influence was spreading through the building.
Bai Li touched one root.
It was warm.
Yan Cijin looked at her hand.
"Does it hurt?"
"No."
"Anything?"
"It feels like sunlight."
Yan Cijin smiled.
"That sounds nice."
Bai Li looked at her.
"You want to touch it?"
Yan Cijin shook her head.
"Later."
Something about the word made Bai Li pause.
Later.
It sounded more like a promise than a casual answer.
She did not know why that made her chest feel slightly warmer.
Neither of them mentioned it.
The next floor began the true transition.
The ceiling was higher.
The stores were larger.
The abandoned advertisements were torn into strips by claws.
Deep grooves covered the walls.
The blood here was fresher.
Bai Li stepped over a severed claw.
"Level two?"
Yan Cijin looked at it.
"Not yet."
"Soon."
"Very soon."
