The Walk-in Closet Safehouse CH7
Chapter 7: Praise the Great Lord Rabbit
Returning to the mall today was a world away from yesterday’s desolation. The place was packed to the brim. The last time it had been this crowded was during the initial outbreak of the Scale-Spot virus.
Back then, every household had rushed to panic-buy supplies, but this frenzy was far more manic. During the first wave, small shops on every street corner were still operating; now, they were all shuttered. People had no choice but to swarm the mega-malls for any hope of survival.
Soldiers stood guard around the perimeter, not just to maintain order, but to protect the masses.
With such a massive gathering of people, the cacophony of voices, footsteps, and blaring car horns had long since drowned out the sound of the rain. It was like a siren song for the water monsters lurking in the shadows. Gunshots and pleas for help rang out in tandem.
Those at the back of the line constantly shoved the people in front, urging them to hurry. They stared in horror at the carcasses of the slain water monsters, terrified the creatures might resurrect on the spot and sink their fangs into them. But no matter how much they pushed, the reading time on the thermal scanners wouldn't decrease by a single second.
Anyone detected with a temperature too high or too low was forcibly escorted away. It was an unsettling sight, even those certain of their health couldn't help but feel their hearts race when the thermal gun was pressed toward them.
Cui Ye watched the man in front of her. His legs were shaking so violently he could barely walk, only shuffling forward when prompted by the staff. Impatient shouts erupted from behind again, but fortunately, his temperature was normal. He let out a long, pent-up breath and followed the crowd through the mall doors.
Cui Ye passed through smoothly as well and hurried inside. Shopping carts were already a myth, but she had come prepared. She wore her largest backpack with an oversized waterproof shopping bag tucked inside. She headed straight for the beverage section.
Every corner of the supermarket was teeming. Even though management had capped the number of people allowed inside, the sections for food, water, clothing, and waterproof gear remained a chaotic sea of humanity.
By the time she arrived, the shelves had long been picked clean. Cui Ye searched for a long time before spotting a bottle of soda water tucked under the very back of a bottom shelf. It was identical to the one she had left at home, though it bore a footprint—likely kicked under the shelf during the scramble, allowing her to find this lucky remnant.
She shoved the water into the pack on her chest. Having just witnessed someone stealthily lift a pack of biscuits from another person's cart, she immediately swung her backpack around to the front.
Faced with the choice of scouting other "war zones" or waiting for a restock, she decisively chose the latter. Her goal was different from the rest. Most people were trying to hit multiple targets, forced into a game of supply-run guerrilla warfare.
People like her, who came specifically for water, were in the minority. Many would see the empty shelves, realize a restock wasn't imminent, and move on to other sections.
Ten minutes later, when staff arrived dragging a heavily laden pallet jack, Cui Ye was already at the front. The moment she saw the cart, she lunged, successfully snagging two cases of water.
In moments like these, Cui Ye wished she had more than two hands. Then again, she was alone. Taking too much might mean she couldn't defend it. Even as she retreated quickly with her haul, someone with ill intentions took notice.
A hand reached out through the gap in the crowd, aiming to snatch the water from her. But as the person pulled, they felt a heavy weight—Cui Ye had pinned the water to the floor with her foot, making it unbudgeable.
Seeing the first attempt fail, the person moved to try again. Cui Ye’s eyes darkened. The boning knife slid silently from her sleeve. A sharp scream rang out, but in the frenzy for goods, no one paid it any mind.
The surroundings were a mess of noise and desperation. For the sake of families waiting at home, and for themselves, everyone was fighting for their lives. What did a few bumps or bruises matter? It wasn't until someone yelled about blood that people noticed a man bleeding in the wake of the cleared shelves.
A gash ran across the back of his hand, blood oozing out—clearly a wound from a sharp blade. Staff arrived with a first-aid kit, and after checking the wound, tried to soothe him: "It didn't hit the bone. Just stop the bleeding and you'll be fine."
The man was not comforted. His wailing didn't stop. He hadn't gotten any water, and now his hand was mangled. How was he supposed to loot—err, shop—now? That damned woman!
The fleshy-faced man howled in pain, shouting for the security footage and demanding compensation for his medical bills.
Unfortunately, everyone in the mall was far too busy to care. Seeing that he still had enough energy to make a scene, the staff slipped away. When the man eventually stumbled to the front desk to demand an explanation, he found the queue so long that people injured for various reasons could have formed a whole football team.
Meanwhile, having escaped the fray, Cui Ye found a quiet corner to pack. She split the two cases between her backpack and shopping bag. The two cases were of different specs—one was twelve 600ml bottles, the other sixteen 500ml bottles.
When the water was being unloaded, it was all piled together; there was no time to be picky. She had simply grabbed the two closest cases. Avoiding the sugary sodas and landing a sixteen-bottle pack was a stroke of luck.
Twenty-eight bottles. If she was frugal, it might just last her the next fourteen days. However, instant noodles and snail noodles were likely off the menu for now. Luckily, she still had plenty of self-heating pots to occasionally improve her diet.
[Daily Mission: Obtain three survival items (Completed)]
[Mission Reward: 1 Gold Coin]
Following the philosophy of "since I'm already here," Cui Ye swung by the snack aisle on her way to the checkout. It was still mostly empty, but she managed to find a few bags of puffed snacks that no one wanted.
These items took up a lot of space, had short shelf lives, and weren't filling—but none of that was a problem for her. She had space in her bag, and shelf life didn't matter once they were tucked into the Safe House’s "pause" button. They would last her a long time.
After filling every remaining gap in her bags, Cui Ye joined the checkout line. The endless queue moved at a snail's pace. Compared to this, the security check at the entrance had been lightning-fast. No wonder they paused the entry of new groups to control the numbers; otherwise, the mall would have turned into a sardine tin.
She had left her home before one in the afternoon, but by the time she boarded the subway again, the moon was already out. Almost all her time had been consumed by waiting. By the time she emerged from the subway station with thirty pounds of weight on her back, she was on the verge of collapse.
Due to a power failure, the escalators were out. she had to lug everything up by hand. When she finally reached ground level, she realized night had fallen.
It was only August, but sunset had shifted forward to five o'clock. The wind had died down, but the rain was falling harder than ever. The sandbags at the subway entrance could no longer keep the flood at bay; the stairs leading underground were being slowly swallowed by water. The water level in the city streets had already reached Cui Ye’s shins, a grim declaration that the urban drainage system had completely collapsed.
Faint moonlight pierced through layers of rain clouds, illuminating a world drowned in the storm. Weighing down by her heavy pack and clutching her shopping bag, Cui Ye trudged through the water.
Looking around, there was nothing but the sound of the falling rain. The thick curtain of water made it impossible to see the path ahead—and equally impossible to see the figures moving rapidly beneath the surface.
Grey-white gills breathed freely in the water. Feet, unshackled by land, had grown fleshy, fin-like webbing. The water monsters in the rain swam with the speed of fish, using the cover of the downpour to close in on their prey—a far cry from the sluggish creatures she’d seen in the hallway the night before.
At the same time, other players returning with supplies faced the same plight. Some sensed the danger; others were oblivious. Screams and pleas for help were swallowed by the storm as red blossoms bloomed on the water’s surface. Safe Houses popped into existence here and there, saving those lucky enough to hide in time. The rest were not so fortunate.
[DANGER APPROACHING!] [DANGER APPROACHING!] [DANGER APPROACHING!]
This was the first time Cui Ye had seen red warnings moving at such high speed. The giant exclamation marks looked like jagged, bloody gashes. She had somehow triggered three of them at once. What an honor. She wasn't sure if her small frame, split into three, would even fill their bellies, but it was certainly time for dinner.
Splash—!
The lead water monster lunged from the water, its maw agape for the kill. It expected to taste warm, wet flesh, but was instead snatched by the throat and hoisted into the air...?
[Use Item: Plushie Collector (Durability: 99/100)]
A black rabbit stud appeared on Cui Ye’s left ear. It even kindly pierced the hole for her on the spot; a single drop of blood slid down the black rabbit's ear.
The sharp sting in her ear caused Cui Ye’s grip to tighten. The water monster, now a plushie, struggled frantically in her hand. But as the stitching at its neck snapped and the cotton stuffing spilled out, the struggle vanished.
Cui Ye let go. The plushie fell into the water and disappeared, replaced by the headless corpse of a water monster.
[Killed Level 1 Water Monster: Gold Coin 1]
This was the item she had pulled from the Vending Machine’s blind box. The moment she opened the box, the item’s ability had etched itself into her mind. When activated, it could turn any creature within a one-meter radius into a plushie. The item provider was — [The Rabbit].
The ability was strikingly similar to the vending machine’s punishment protocol, but with a slight difference. Cui Ye hauled the other two suicidal monsters out of the water. Looking at the hideous plushie versions of the monsters in her hands, she made a face of pure disgust.
Why could the vending machine turn rule-breakers into cute little animals, but she could only get shrunken-down, ugly versions of these things?
Using the same method, she pocketed two more gold coins. Simultaneously, a new game prompt appeared:
[Player has killed three Level 1 water monsters in five seconds while remaining unscathed. Achievement unlocked — Water Monster Butcher]
[Water Monster Butcher: Player's movement speed in water is increased by 30%]
Cui Ye, after reading the achievement's effect: "Praise the Great Lord Rabbit!"
Somewhere in a Ticket Hall hundreds of miles away, a plump black rabbit wearing a bowtie flicked its ears. It glanced toward a certain direction for a moment, then went back to studying the coffee machine in front of it.
Cui Ye was currently lost in the joy of having "water cuties" in both hands. With her acting as bait, a steady stream of water monsters lunged at her, only to be turned into plushies the moment they got close. The plushies immediately soaked up water and sank to the bottom like stones, helpless, waiting for Cui Ye to harvest them one by one.
The gold coin notifications popped up second after second. If the infection warning hadn't jumped out, she probably could have stood in the rain until the end of time.
[Infection Level: 10%]
Cui Ye felt a slight itch on her face.
Returning to the mall today was a world away from yesterday’s desolation. The place was packed to the brim. The last time it had been this crowded was during the initial outbreak of the Scale-Spot virus.
Back then, every household had rushed to panic-buy supplies, but this frenzy was far more manic. During the first wave, small shops on every street corner were still operating; now, they were all shuttered. People had no choice but to swarm the mega-malls for any hope of survival.
Soldiers stood guard around the perimeter, not just to maintain order, but to protect the masses.
With such a massive gathering of people, the cacophony of voices, footsteps, and blaring car horns had long since drowned out the sound of the rain. It was like a siren song for the water monsters lurking in the shadows. Gunshots and pleas for help rang out in tandem.
Those at the back of the line constantly shoved the people in front, urging them to hurry. They stared in horror at the carcasses of the slain water monsters, terrified the creatures might resurrect on the spot and sink their fangs into them. But no matter how much they pushed, the reading time on the thermal scanners wouldn't decrease by a single second.
Anyone detected with a temperature too high or too low was forcibly escorted away. It was an unsettling sight, even those certain of their health couldn't help but feel their hearts race when the thermal gun was pressed toward them.
Cui Ye watched the man in front of her. His legs were shaking so violently he could barely walk, only shuffling forward when prompted by the staff. Impatient shouts erupted from behind again, but fortunately, his temperature was normal. He let out a long, pent-up breath and followed the crowd through the mall doors.
Cui Ye passed through smoothly as well and hurried inside. Shopping carts were already a myth, but she had come prepared. She wore her largest backpack with an oversized waterproof shopping bag tucked inside. She headed straight for the beverage section.
Every corner of the supermarket was teeming. Even though management had capped the number of people allowed inside, the sections for food, water, clothing, and waterproof gear remained a chaotic sea of humanity.
By the time she arrived, the shelves had long been picked clean. Cui Ye searched for a long time before spotting a bottle of soda water tucked under the very back of a bottom shelf. It was identical to the one she had left at home, though it bore a footprint—likely kicked under the shelf during the scramble, allowing her to find this lucky remnant.
She shoved the water into the pack on her chest. Having just witnessed someone stealthily lift a pack of biscuits from another person's cart, she immediately swung her backpack around to the front.
Faced with the choice of scouting other "war zones" or waiting for a restock, she decisively chose the latter. Her goal was different from the rest. Most people were trying to hit multiple targets, forced into a game of supply-run guerrilla warfare.
People like her, who came specifically for water, were in the minority. Many would see the empty shelves, realize a restock wasn't imminent, and move on to other sections.
Ten minutes later, when staff arrived dragging a heavily laden pallet jack, Cui Ye was already at the front. The moment she saw the cart, she lunged, successfully snagging two cases of water.
In moments like these, Cui Ye wished she had more than two hands. Then again, she was alone. Taking too much might mean she couldn't defend it. Even as she retreated quickly with her haul, someone with ill intentions took notice.
A hand reached out through the gap in the crowd, aiming to snatch the water from her. But as the person pulled, they felt a heavy weight—Cui Ye had pinned the water to the floor with her foot, making it unbudgeable.
Seeing the first attempt fail, the person moved to try again. Cui Ye’s eyes darkened. The boning knife slid silently from her sleeve. A sharp scream rang out, but in the frenzy for goods, no one paid it any mind.
The surroundings were a mess of noise and desperation. For the sake of families waiting at home, and for themselves, everyone was fighting for their lives. What did a few bumps or bruises matter? It wasn't until someone yelled about blood that people noticed a man bleeding in the wake of the cleared shelves.
A gash ran across the back of his hand, blood oozing out—clearly a wound from a sharp blade. Staff arrived with a first-aid kit, and after checking the wound, tried to soothe him: "It didn't hit the bone. Just stop the bleeding and you'll be fine."
The man was not comforted. His wailing didn't stop. He hadn't gotten any water, and now his hand was mangled. How was he supposed to loot—err, shop—now? That damned woman!
The fleshy-faced man howled in pain, shouting for the security footage and demanding compensation for his medical bills.
Unfortunately, everyone in the mall was far too busy to care. Seeing that he still had enough energy to make a scene, the staff slipped away. When the man eventually stumbled to the front desk to demand an explanation, he found the queue so long that people injured for various reasons could have formed a whole football team.
Meanwhile, having escaped the fray, Cui Ye found a quiet corner to pack. She split the two cases between her backpack and shopping bag. The two cases were of different specs—one was twelve 600ml bottles, the other sixteen 500ml bottles.
When the water was being unloaded, it was all piled together; there was no time to be picky. She had simply grabbed the two closest cases. Avoiding the sugary sodas and landing a sixteen-bottle pack was a stroke of luck.
Twenty-eight bottles. If she was frugal, it might just last her the next fourteen days. However, instant noodles and snail noodles were likely off the menu for now. Luckily, she still had plenty of self-heating pots to occasionally improve her diet.
[Daily Mission: Obtain three survival items (Completed)]
[Mission Reward: 1 Gold Coin]
Following the philosophy of "since I'm already here," Cui Ye swung by the snack aisle on her way to the checkout. It was still mostly empty, but she managed to find a few bags of puffed snacks that no one wanted.
These items took up a lot of space, had short shelf lives, and weren't filling—but none of that was a problem for her. She had space in her bag, and shelf life didn't matter once they were tucked into the Safe House’s "pause" button. They would last her a long time.
After filling every remaining gap in her bags, Cui Ye joined the checkout line. The endless queue moved at a snail's pace. Compared to this, the security check at the entrance had been lightning-fast. No wonder they paused the entry of new groups to control the numbers; otherwise, the mall would have turned into a sardine tin.
She had left her home before one in the afternoon, but by the time she boarded the subway again, the moon was already out. Almost all her time had been consumed by waiting. By the time she emerged from the subway station with thirty pounds of weight on her back, she was on the verge of collapse.
Due to a power failure, the escalators were out. she had to lug everything up by hand. When she finally reached ground level, she realized night had fallen.
It was only August, but sunset had shifted forward to five o'clock. The wind had died down, but the rain was falling harder than ever. The sandbags at the subway entrance could no longer keep the flood at bay; the stairs leading underground were being slowly swallowed by water. The water level in the city streets had already reached Cui Ye’s shins, a grim declaration that the urban drainage system had completely collapsed.
Faint moonlight pierced through layers of rain clouds, illuminating a world drowned in the storm. Weighing down by her heavy pack and clutching her shopping bag, Cui Ye trudged through the water.
Looking around, there was nothing but the sound of the falling rain. The thick curtain of water made it impossible to see the path ahead—and equally impossible to see the figures moving rapidly beneath the surface.
Grey-white gills breathed freely in the water. Feet, unshackled by land, had grown fleshy, fin-like webbing. The water monsters in the rain swam with the speed of fish, using the cover of the downpour to close in on their prey—a far cry from the sluggish creatures she’d seen in the hallway the night before.
At the same time, other players returning with supplies faced the same plight. Some sensed the danger; others were oblivious. Screams and pleas for help were swallowed by the storm as red blossoms bloomed on the water’s surface. Safe Houses popped into existence here and there, saving those lucky enough to hide in time. The rest were not so fortunate.
[DANGER APPROACHING!] [DANGER APPROACHING!] [DANGER APPROACHING!]
This was the first time Cui Ye had seen red warnings moving at such high speed. The giant exclamation marks looked like jagged, bloody gashes. She had somehow triggered three of them at once. What an honor. She wasn't sure if her small frame, split into three, would even fill their bellies, but it was certainly time for dinner.
Splash—!
The lead water monster lunged from the water, its maw agape for the kill. It expected to taste warm, wet flesh, but was instead snatched by the throat and hoisted into the air...?
[Use Item: Plushie Collector (Durability: 99/100)]
A black rabbit stud appeared on Cui Ye’s left ear. It even kindly pierced the hole for her on the spot; a single drop of blood slid down the black rabbit's ear.
The sharp sting in her ear caused Cui Ye’s grip to tighten. The water monster, now a plushie, struggled frantically in her hand. But as the stitching at its neck snapped and the cotton stuffing spilled out, the struggle vanished.
Cui Ye let go. The plushie fell into the water and disappeared, replaced by the headless corpse of a water monster.
[Killed Level 1 Water Monster: Gold Coin 1]
This was the item she had pulled from the Vending Machine’s blind box. The moment she opened the box, the item’s ability had etched itself into her mind. When activated, it could turn any creature within a one-meter radius into a plushie. The item provider was — [The Rabbit].
The ability was strikingly similar to the vending machine’s punishment protocol, but with a slight difference. Cui Ye hauled the other two suicidal monsters out of the water. Looking at the hideous plushie versions of the monsters in her hands, she made a face of pure disgust.
Why could the vending machine turn rule-breakers into cute little animals, but she could only get shrunken-down, ugly versions of these things?
Using the same method, she pocketed two more gold coins. Simultaneously, a new game prompt appeared:
[Player has killed three Level 1 water monsters in five seconds while remaining unscathed. Achievement unlocked — Water Monster Butcher]
[Water Monster Butcher: Player's movement speed in water is increased by 30%]
Cui Ye, after reading the achievement's effect: "Praise the Great Lord Rabbit!"
Somewhere in a Ticket Hall hundreds of miles away, a plump black rabbit wearing a bowtie flicked its ears. It glanced toward a certain direction for a moment, then went back to studying the coffee machine in front of it.
Cui Ye was currently lost in the joy of having "water cuties" in both hands. With her acting as bait, a steady stream of water monsters lunged at her, only to be turned into plushies the moment they got close. The plushies immediately soaked up water and sank to the bottom like stones, helpless, waiting for Cui Ye to harvest them one by one.
The gold coin notifications popped up second after second. If the infection warning hadn't jumped out, she probably could have stood in the rain until the end of time.
[Infection Level: 10%]
Cui Ye felt a slight itch on her face.
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