Alisha's sudden scream spread throughout the entire mall like a piercing arrow, instantly doubling the fear and tension in the atmosphere.
Like a predator chasing it's prey Youlang immediately rushed toward the direction of the sound.
Hidden together in a dimly lit corner, Alisha, Younshu, and Fangxi felt their hearts sink in fear.
All three of them had already realized that Youlang was heading straight toward their hiding spot, and death was now standing right above them.
In the middle of that terrifying tension, Younshu whispered angrily to Alisha in a low voice,
"Alisha... what did you do? Why did you... scream?!"
Hearing him blame her like that, Alisha instantly got irritated. Making an annoyed face, she whispered back in frustration,
"This happened...because of you! You crushed my hand... so hard, understand?!"
After hearing her sharp reply, Younshu also made an irritated face and whispered back,
"Are you really.... that delicate, huh?! You completely ruined...everything!"
The angel of death was getting closer with every second, yet Alisha and Younshu continued arguing with each other in the dim light without holding themselves back at all.
Neither of them realized that even their quiet whispers could drag them straight into death's jaws.
Alisha and Younshu's pointless argument had now brought danger right over their heads.
Fangxi had completely lost his patience. In a low but furious voice, he snapped at both of them,
"Will you two stop this nonsense right now?! Otherwise, I'll personally throw both of you in front of Youlang!"
Fangxi's harsh warning worked instantly. The attitude on Alisha and Younshu's faces disappeared at once,
and both of them fell completely silent in fear. In embarrassed whispers, they quickly said together,
"Sorry... Sorry!"
The tension hanging in the air still hadn't faded. Fangxi took a deep breath and whispered seriously,
"We need to do something... right now... he's coming straight... toward us!"
Panicking, Younshu turned toward him and asked,
"But what are we...supposed to do?!"
At that exact moment, in the dim corner where they were hiding, Alisha's eyes suddenly fell on the watch tied around Younshu's wrist.
An explosive idea flashed through her mind. Without wasting even a second, she quickly whispered,
"Younshu! Take off your watch... Hurry up!"
Younshu was completely stunned by the sudden demand. He instantly pulled his hand back and whispered in disbelief,
"Why?! Why should I give you..my watch? It was a birthday gift for me!"
Hearing Younshu's words, Alisha became slightly irritated. Whoever at the exact moment,
the heavy sound of Youlang's boots echoed dangerously close to them.
The three instantly held their breath and listened carefully to each approaching step.
Seeing death standing right over their heads, Alisha whispered angrily in a low voice,
"I was the one who... gifted you that watch on.. your birthday... now quietly give me back what... belongs to me! This is the only thing that... can save us now!"
Younshu stared at her in disbelief and muttered under his breath,
"You're seriously so.. mean! And how is this even...supposed to help us?"
But unlike the two of them, Fangxi had no intention of wasting time. He instantly understood what Alisha was planning to do.
Without hesitating for even a second, he quickly snatched the watch from Younshu's wrist,
slowly slid backward across the floor, and Through the glass window nearby, he hurled the watch as far as he could with all his strength.
"Swaaashhh... Chataaakkk!"
The watch crashed straight into a glass door in the distance, shattering it into countless pieces.
The loud noise ripped through the deadly silence of the mall, and Youlang's approaching footsteps stopped instantly.
He froze for a second before sharply turning toward the direction where the glass had shattered.
A cruel hunting gleam appeared in his eyes, and without wasting another moment, he rushed toward the false direction along with all of his armed men.
Fangxi carefully peeked out from the corner. There was no sign of any thug or even their boss, Youlang, anywhere nearby.
The enemies had completely fallen for the trap and rushed toward the shattered glass area.
Seeing this, Fangxi finally felt a little relief and let out a slow, cold breath.
But Younshu still wasn't done complaining. Making a sulky face, he looked at Fangxi and whispered in an annoyed tone,
"Boss! Why did you throw... away my favorite watch? I really liked.. it!"
Even after escaping death by inches, Younshu's childish complaint made Fangxi lose his patience. Glaring at him angrily, he replied in a low voice,
"Be quiet! I'll buy you ten watches...like that myself... This isn't the time... for your drama!"
Fangxi's sharp scolding worked instantly. Younshu immediately went silent and shut his mouth in fear.
But far away from them, inside another store of the mall, the condition of the trapped staff members was terrible.
Their breaths were stuck in their throats as they waited nervously for whatever would happen next.
The fear among the mall staff hiding inside the dimly lit store kept growing stronger.
Their breaths felt trapped in their throats. Just then, one of the Fashion Consultants gathered some courage and whispered to the manager in a trembling voice,
"Sir... we have to do..something. We can't just stay hidden... like this! Otherwise, that monster Youlang will find us... one by one and do anything...he wants..."
The manager could clearly understand the fear hidden in her words. Letting out a helpless sigh, he replied softly,
"But what can we...even do?! Right now, we don't have our phones,.. and we can't even contact...the boss. We're completely..trapped!"
Hearing this made the fear in the air grow even heavier. But at that exact moment, the Fashion Consultant suddenly remembered something.
She recalled how Sheyaan alone had beaten Youlang badly just a little while ago inside the same mall.
Without wasting another second, she whispered excitedly to the manager,
"Sir! Do you remember...that girl... the one who taught that.. thug Youlang a lesson all by herself and..completely overpowered him?"
The manager thought for a moment before quickly replying,
"Yes! Of course I..remember... That girl did the right thing to that... disgusting man! But... why are you suddenly talking...about her right now?"
The moment the manager asked that question, the Fashion Consultant quickly moved closer and whispered her idea in a low voice.
"Sir... what if we ask..that girl for help? I'm certain sure she can...save all of us!"
Hearing this, a new spark of hope lit up in the hearts of the hidden staff members. One after another, they quietly whispered to the manager,
"Yes sir... Senior is right. We should somehow.. talk to her."
The manager paused for a moment, worry clearly visible on his face. He slowly nodded but asked in a troubled tone,
"You're right... but where is that girl...right now?"
As soon as he said that, the entire staff began looking around carefully in the dim light, trying to find Sheyaan.
But none of them knew how dangerous the situation outside had already become.
Meanwhile, in the large hall of the mall, Youlang and his men found no one near the door. One of the gunmen said firmly,
"Boss, there's..nobody here."
The moment Youlang heard that, his anger exploded. He shouted furiously,
"Find every single one of them..and drag them out!"
As soon as the order was given, the gunmen started searching every corner of the mall like madmen.
Youlang's rage had completely taken over him. Using the back of his gun, he began smashing the glass doors and windows of every store in sight.
"Chataakkk! Chataakkk!" The terrifying sounds echoed throughout the mall.
Hidden behind counters and inside stores, people held their breath as they watched the monster's madness unfold, their fear growing deeper with every passing second.
Youlang's anger had completely crossed its limit. He suddenly slammed the gun in his hand onto the floor with full force and roared like a madman,
"These people won't... come out so easily... Plant bombs all over this.. mall! And set timers..on them!"
The moment they heard their boss's bloodthirsty order, all the gangsters immediately sprang into action.
Without wasting even a second, they started pulling out bombs and wires from their black bags.
With a cruel smile spreading across his face, Youlang slowly walked forward through the mall and shouted loudly,
"Hide as much as...you want... Today, along with this... palace-like mall, all of you will turn... into dust! I'll only count..till ten... If no one comes
"out before...that, I won't hesitate for even a second to... press the remote button. All of you will be blown... away together!"
After saying that, Youlang let out a disgusting laugh and sat down on a nearby chair like an arrogant king, crossing one leg over the other. The countdown to death had officially begun.
Hearing Youlang's terrifying announcement, the breaths of the entire mall staff, the hidden civilians, and even Fangxi, Alisha, and Younshu got stuck in their throats.
Inside the store, Zavian and Sheyaan were also left completely shocked by this sudden disaster.
As the deadly countdown echoed through the mall, Sheyaan became extremely restless.
Holding Zavian's hand tightly, she asked in a trembling and frightened voice,
"Zayan..! What are we..going to do now? They planted bombs all over.. the mall... Why aren't you doing...something?!"
Even after seeing Sheyaan this disturbed and panicked, there was no fear or reaction on Zavian's face. In a cold and flat tone, he replied,
"I can't help those... people... because every help I give passes..through a 'demon contract.' And that is my..biggest rule."
Hearing such a heartless answer from him broke Sheyaan's heart, and sadness filled her eyes. In a low, hurt voice, she asked,
"Just to make someone...sign a contract... would you really put.. innocent people's lives..at risk?"
Hearing her question, a faint mysterious smirk appeared on Zavian's lips. Slowly turning toward her,
he leaned his face close to hers and said... Leaning close to Sheyaan's face, Zavian said in a mysterious tone,
"I don't put anyone's... life at risk... people choose the path of..their own lives themselves.
And... that is my greatest... treasure!"
Hearing his voice so close to her and those strange words completely stunned Sheyaan.
Nervously, she quickly moved her face back and said in an annoyed tone,
"Then forget about us ever... going back home... now we'll probably meet God..directly!"
Seeing her innocent frustration and fear, a soft smile appeared on Zavian's lips.
Slowly, he brushed her messy hair aside with his fingers and whispered in a calm yet reassuring voice,
"Don't worry... I won't let you go...anywhere that easily!"
The deep confidence hidden in Zavian's eyes left Sheyaan speechless for a moment,
and she quietly kept staring at him. In that dimly lit store, a silent connection seemed to form between the two of them.
But on the other side, the fear among the mall staff was becoming unbearable. Breathing heavily, the manager said in a trembling voice,
"We need to find that...girl quickly! She's our last... hope now!"
The moment he said that, the Fashion Consultant quickly scanned the area in the dim light.
Suddenly, her eyes landed on Fangxi hiding inside a nearby store! Without wasting a second, she immediately pointed toward him and exclaimed excitedly,
"Sir, look over there! That boy... he was with that... girl!"
The Fashion Consultant quickly continued speaking,
"Sir! Maybe that boy is somehow...related to that girl. We should talk to.. him quickly!"
The manager immediately nodded and replied,
"Alright! Find a way to reach him... without getting noticed by the.. enemies."
The entire staff was still trying to think of a safe route when the Fashion Consultant carefully peeked out from the corner.
Right in front of her, Youlang was sitting proudly on a chair while his men were busy planting bombs around the mall.
Seeing this, the girl suddenly gathered her courage. She stood up and quietly ran at full speed toward the store across from them, the one where Fangxi was hiding.
Luckily, none of the gunmen noticed her. But Youlang, who was sitting on the chair, suddenly sensed some movement.
He suspiciously looked around, causing everyone hiding nearby to hold their breath in fear.
Meanwhile, the moment the Consultant entered the store, Alisha, Fangxi, and Younshu noticed her.
Frightened, Alisha quickly grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her closer before whispering angrily,
"Are you crazy?! Why did you run here... like that? If that thug Youlang had seen...you, none of us would've survived!"
The Fashion Consultant panted heavily for a moment before taking a deep breath and whispering desperately.
"We... we need help!"