Chapter 13: The Corrupted Marketplace

At exactly ten in the morning, the Underworld taxi driver knocked promptly on Chen Mu’s door.

Chen Mu opened it to find the driver respectfully looking at him, holding a bag of food in his hand.

“Boss Chen, I came to pick you up. I noticed you hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, so I took the liberty of bringing you some morning snacks,” the driver said, handing over the bag with deference.

Chen Mu was somewhat surprised; he hadn’t expected such thoughtfulness from the driver. It seemed the terms he offered were very attractive—no matter what, the driver didn’t want to lose this job.

Taking the bag, Chen Mu opened it to find fried dough sticks, soy milk, and a tea egg—all still warm.

He had only eaten a hard piece of bread that morning and was craving something hot, so this was perfect.

“Thank you, that’s very thoughtful of you,” Chen Mu said, nodding with satisfaction.

The driver felt elated by the boss’s praise; when the boss was happy, so was he. Pleasing the boss was his comfort.

What Chen Mu didn’t know was the internal shock the breakfast vendor had experienced when a strange figure missing its eyes ordered “a cup of soy milk, a fried dough stick, and a tea egg.”

As Chen Mu ate, looking at the respectfully standing driver, he asked, “By the way, do you know where there’s a shopping mall? Preferably a high-end one—the higher the better. I want to buy something for the weird entity. Money’s no object.”

The driver believed the boss truly had no shortage of money. After a moment’s thought, he answered seriously, “Boss, I know of a place on the outskirts of the city called the Fallen Mall. It’s a newly opened large luxury shopping center where everything is expensive. Among the surrounding cities, it’s said to be the most upscale.”

“The Fallen Mall? Perfect, that’s where we’re going. Let’s go,” Chen Mu said after finishing his breakfast.

Before leaving the apartment, Chen Mu selected some belongings and stored them in his spatial ring. He had no plans to return to this rundown place, but he wanted to keep a few things as mementos.

A few minutes later, Chen Mu got into the Underworld taxi.

The driver, wearing white gloves, respectfully closed the door and drove straight for the Fallen Mall.

There was no denying it—the Underworld taxi was incredibly comfortable!

Not only was it fast, but it ran with remarkable smoothness.

Smooth was one thing, but the silence was astonishing—

Outside, the cacophony of honking horns from furious drivers being overtaken was completely inaudible inside the car!

Last night, there had been a faint metallic scent of blood in the car, and handprints stained the windows.

This morning, the blood scent was replaced by a subtle floral fragrance, and the handprints on the windows had been wiped clean.

Private exclusive service was truly something else!

Chen Mu finally understood why, in the previous bizarre apocalypse, wealthy people specifically sought out Underworld taxis.

As long as you paid enough, it was unbelievably comfortable.

Unfortunately, the city had only one Underworld taxi, and he had leased it himself—others, no matter how rich, could hardly enjoy this experience.

In less than ten minutes, the taxi came to a smooth stop at the destination.

Stepping out, Chen Mu looked up to see a six-story abandoned building.

Only then did he remember that indeed, on the city’s outskirts, there was such an unfinished building.

Originally intended as a large shopping center, it had been abandoned due to shifts in urban planning and other reasons.

He hadn’t expected that after the strange apocalypse, this place would transform into an eerie scene.

“You wait here and watch the car. I’ll go in and buy a few things, then come right back,” Chen Mu told the driver.

The driver had initially thought to go in and protect the boss, but upon reflection, he realized the boss was far more cunning.

The driver’s own combat ability was only at the level of a strange soldier; if real trouble arose, he would be useless.

Staying in the car was safer—if anything happened, the driver could drive in to rescue the boss, and the car carried a temporarily invincible, godlike buff!

Truly, the boss was a boss—his mind was more meticulous than ordinary strange beings.

The moment Chen Mu entered the Fallen Mall, he felt the temperature drop sharply.

Though it was the height of midsummer, the mall was unusually cold.

Looking around, everything was cast in shades of gray and black.

The entrance doors were stained with layers of blood-red handprints.

They overlapped in a chaotic pattern, as if countless people had tried to escape but were forcibly pulled back, leaving only the frantic marks of their hands.

At that moment, a chill approached, causing Chen Mu to shiver involuntarily.

Following the direction of the cold air, a woman dressed in a red uniform approached, smiling broadly.

Her smile was unsettling; upon closer inspection, the corners of her mouth stretched all the way to her ears, grinning in a horrifying manner at Chen Mu.

“Sir, welcome to the Fallen Mall. What would you like to purchase today?” the woman said, blood trickling from her mouth, making her appearance all the more terrifying.

An ordinary person would have been scared out of their wits by now, but Chen Mu remained calm.

The woman mistook his composure for shock and fear that he might flee. She stepped forward, warmly grabbing his arm to prevent escape.

“Sir, don’t even think about running away. Once you’ve purchased something here, you can leave naturally,” she said, eyeing Chen Mu like a lamb awaiting slaughter.

“Heh, no need to play games with me,” Chen Mu smiled. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s the Fallen Mall’s first rule: customers who buy something can leave freely.”

“Wow, you’re very clever. Come on, buy a little something, and you’ll be free to go,” she urged in a seductive tone.

“No rush. Your rules are quite interesting, so let me think them over. If I’m right, someone who doesn’t buy anything can also leave safely,” Chen Mu chuckled.

Upon hearing this, the woman’s expression changed, and she glanced cautiously at Chen Mu, surprised he had spotted the loophole at a glance.

Chen Mu smiled and said:

“I’ve seen this kind of rule many times in the strange apocalypse.

The rule says: as long as you buy something, you can leave the mall.

This is actually a misleading rule, meant to push you to make a purchase.

However, once you buy something, you fall into the trap of the rules.

Some people, the first time they come here, panic and buy something just to get out quickly.

But those people either lack enough ghost coins or the items are too expensive.

I guess you have a second rule: if you don’t have enough money to pay, you die inside the Fallen Mall.

These two rules form a trap, and I’m sure many have fallen into it.

The way out is that the rules never said you can’t leave if you don’t buy anything!

Therefore, for those short on ghost coins, the best survival strategy is to turn around and leave now.”