Chapter 69: The Building |
After filling Lucy's stomach and his own, Bai Mu continued to carry her in his arms, parkouring his way through the buildings.
Eating and drinking their fill eased Lucy's mood considerably. Eating was inherently a comforting activity; when some people suffered immense emotional pain, they couldn't help but binge eat simply because food offered relief from their agony.
Of course, Lucy's hearty meal had nothing to do with inner turmoil. She was simply hungry.
Bai Mu did his best to avoid crowded and noisy areas, but after traveling for about ten minutes, he inevitably had to step onto the main road.
Only in the older neighborhoods could he pull off acrobatic parkour maneuvers. The Crown District was a booming economic hub dominated by towering skyscrapers. The architecture here offered zero footholds for free-running; it was nothing but a concrete and steel jungle lined with monotonous glass facades.
Here, unless you were a superhero capable of shooting webs from your wrists to swing between skyscrapers, it was much wiser to stick to the ground.
Stepping out of an alleyway, Bai Mu peered around the corner and spotted an expansive plaza with a large fountain built in the center. Cafes and hot dog stands bordered the square, with towering skyscrapers looming right behind them. He had successfully reached the Crown District.
He scanned the area and located the building that matched the one in the photo. It was not hard to find, standing in a highly prominent spot. It seemed Lucy's mother held a rather prestigious job, which explained how she could provide her daughter with such a comfortable lifestyle.
By the time Bai Mu arrived, the scene in the plaza had become somewhat gruesome.
Not a single normal human remained in sight. Anyone capable of escaping had fled long ago. The only ones left in the area were pulseless corpses and mindless Infected.
Fortunately, the number of Infected was smaller than he had anticipated. They had been drawn away in all directions by the sounds of a panicked crowd, preventing them from congregating in this open area.
"Those are people dressing up as monsters for the festival," Bai Mu whispered to Lucy, pointing at one of the Infected. "If the monsters catch us, we'll be punished. So, we have to stay perfectly quiet around them. It's best not to say a word."
By now, Lucy had already put on her gas mask. The yellowish-brown tinted visor helped filter the gruesome reality of the bloodstains from her vision. She clamped her hands over the mask's mouthpiece and gave a solemn nod.
Her little body tensed up again. Bai Mu had no idea if she was still falling for his flimsy excuse about a "festival." His intuition told him that she had likely figured out the grim reality of the scenes unfolding before them, yet she still chose to place her complete trust in him.
What other choice did she have? Aside from trusting the man who had rescued her from the children's playground, there was absolutely nothing she could do.
Bai Mu patted her shoulder gently, leading her out of the alleyway and making a beeline for Building B-63, just as indicated in the photograph.
He moved in a straight line toward the fountain. These creatures harbored a natural aversion to water, meaning they wouldn't congregate near the pool. They were primarily drawn to sudden flashes of light and loud noises. As long as one had the nerve to keep their cool and avoid walking directly into their line of sight, getting attacked was actually easily avoidable.
Lucy did an excellent job of staying silent, neither crying nor fussing, allowing Bai Mu to reach the front entrance completely unhindered.
It was a massive set of sliding glass doors, likely automatic sensor doors. They were currently jammed wide open; the sensors had been smashed, locking the doors in place. Bai Mu boldly strode right inside.
The first floor lobby was incredibly spacious, and the interior lights were still blazing. The city center's power grid was holding up for the time being, saving them from having to stumble around in the dark.
Straight ahead lay the reception area. The businesses housed here appeared to be in the financial sector, evident from the massive wall-mounted screens displaying stock market charts and mutual fund data.
Bai Mu spotted several corpses scattered across the lobby floor, with a few Infected lurking among them. He kept his footsteps as light as possible, but the creatures still picked up on the subtle movements. Emitting guttural shrieks, they charged wildly in his direction.
The creatures' eyes were entirely bloodshot, and thick drool leaked from the corners of their mouths like teething infants. As they sprinted, their bodies spasmed wildly like patients suffering from severe seizures. Their facial muscles twitched at an alarming rate, contorting their features into an array of bizarre, grotesque expressions.
There was nothing endearing about it—only pure, unadulterated savagery.
Bai Mu raised the pistol he had scavenged from the dead police officer and aimed dead center at their brows. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Five rapid shots echoed out, each one finding its mark perfectly. Five Infected collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
The deafening gunfire seemed to terrify Lucy. She clung tightly to Bai Mu's left arm, burying her face into it like a frightened kitten.
He patted her back soothingly, using reassuring body language to remind her that he was still right beside her, before pressing forward.
At the front reception desk, he began searching for any clues related to Lucy's mother. Lucy only had the photograph and had no idea which specific office her mother worked in; her mother had made it a rule to never bring work matters home. He would have to gather the information himself.
Rummaging through the desk drawers, Bai Mu discovered a company directory. He cross-referenced the phone number written on the back of the photograph and matched it to a string of characters: A-23-1.
It didn't take long for him to decipher the code. The office plaques on the first floor followed a similar naming convention, such as "A-1-13" or "A-1-12". The implication of the code was obvious: Area A, 23rd Floor, Office 1.
Under normal circumstances, that was the office where Lucy's mother worked.
He had no idea if she would still be there. If she had survived and avoided infection, her first instinct would have been to escape. Alternatively, she might have barricaded herself in a secure, enclosed space like a restroom or an archive room.
Since they had already made it this far, he had to go up and check. After all, it was the only lead he had.
The building's elevators were still fully operational, sparing him the grueling task of climbing twenty-three flights of stairs.
However, the elevator car was currently occupied by a cold corpse. It was a man whose neck had been completely bitten through, leaving his throat a mangled, bloody mess and his expensive suit and tie ripped to shreds.
Before Bai Mu had entered the lobby, an Infected had been crouched over the man, viciously gnawing on him. The victim's body had become wedged between the elevator doors, triggering an incessant "Beep-beep-beep" warning alarm and forcing the doors to remain jammed open.
Using his foot, Bai Mu kicked the mangled corpse out of the threshold, stepped inside the carriage, and hit the button for the twenty-third floor.
The doors slid shut, and the elevator began its ascent. It was an observation elevator rather than a fully enclosed box; aside from the solid steel doors, the other three walls were made of transparent glass, offering a sweeping, bird's-eye view of the city as they rose.
Looking out, Bai Mu could barely spot a single normal person below; the streets were swarming with frenzied Infected. As the elevator ascended past the floors, guttural roars echoed from the other side of the shaft. Drawn by the mechanical hum of the moving carriage, the Infected clawed and slammed against the external doors as they passed.
"Ding!" A soft chime rang out, indicating they had reached the twenty-third floor. Before the doors even began to part, Bai Mu slammed a fresh magazine into his pistol and leveled the barrel directly at the center crack.
But as the metal panels slowly slid apart, he held his fire. The face that appeared through the widening gap belonged to none other than Lucy's mother.