Chapter 1503: 1501: Spreading Chaos

Chapter 1503: Chapter 1501: Spreading Chaos

The electronic timer in the snacks section was still counting down the remaining [Five Minutes].

Before time ran out, Han Dong and his group were confined between two shelves, unable to leave due to the barrier created by the invisible wall.

Taking advantage of this downtime, Han Dong immediately began analyzing the situation and adjusting his strategy.

For this type of survival escape game set in a department store, Han Dong instantly identified the primary objective.

[Surveillance Room]

A department store like this must have a surveillance room capable of monitoring all areas. If they could reach it, they could determine the exact locations of the other killers.

Moreover, Han Dong was holding onto a key card in his hand.

Suddenly, faint barking could be heard.

A Long-Mouthed Hunting Dog, woven entirely out of blood threads, with no discernible breed.

Gone was the grotesque body covered in countless mouths, the thousands of sharp teeth, and the massive, infinitely-expanding tentacles.

Due to the restrictions placed on their current abilities, the constructed [Bloodhound] now appeared just like any ordinary large hunting dog… Of course, there was still much more beneath the surface.

“Wow! This Count has never felt so weak… This is unbearable! You must know, I was born a high-ranking Blood Descendant, drinking the highest concentrations of Blood Brew since infancy.

This body is so fragile—it feels like it could be beaten to death with a single stick!”

After venting his complaints, the Count suddenly felt a gaze coming from a certain direction.

Turning his dog-head, he saw Sally tidying up her quiver, staring at him with a look that was equal parts fierce and disdainful.

“Haha, just a joke! This Count has already adapted fully. Even with such a lowly, pathetic body, I can still unleash 200% of my potential… So, what’s next, Nicholas?”

Even though the Count pretended to stay composed, his tail remained firmly tucked between his legs… No matter how you looked at him, he exuded unreliability.

Sally quietly leaned in close to Han Dong’s ear, whispering, “Can this Blood Descendant really do the job?”

“Don’t worry. The Count is actually quite reliable… If it weren’t for his help, I’d probably have been killed by the Beheading King a long time ago. Give him some time; he only just got released.”

With one minute left on the clock.

Han Dong crouched in front of the Count, speaking with grave seriousness:

“This survival match is called a ‘Survival Escape Game’ for a reason. I’d wager that as time passes, the mall will spiral Out of Control.

Given our current capabilities, it’s far from something we can handle… Our only option is to escape.

So, before chaos takes over, we need to eliminate as many other killers as possible.

My sensing abilities—both my brain and the Demon Eye—are sealed. Sally is in the same situation… This makes your nose our only sensory tool.

Leave the fighting to Sally and me; your main task is to track and sense.”

“Understood… all right!”

With everything prepared, Han Dong fixed his gaze on the timer’s final countdown.

When the timer hit zero, it reset to [00:30:00] and an additional small Ladybug icon appeared in pixel form at the end.

“A clear time signal? So, at the end of this half-hour, the Ladybug count will increase to [2].”

But just as the game officially began, Han Dong was instantly dumbfounded.

The previously vacant department store underwent a startling transformation.

At the exact moment the countdown finished, it felt like NPCs in a game world had respawned. In the blink of an eye, the previously empty halls were now bustling with crowds, like a weekend peak hour in a shopping mall.

Even the area between the shelves where Han Dong stood was now occupied by a mother and child selecting snacks, a leisurely young man passing by, and a salesperson promoting a brand of shrimp chips.

Meanwhile, a towering two-meter-tall security guard in a Walma uniform approached them head-on, radiating a faint hostility.

Sally was already reaching for her arrows, preparing for action.

However, as the guard came closer, his gaze locked onto the Count, in the form of a dog, and he barked out sternly:

“Pets are strictly prohibited in this mall. You have two options:

Either leave the supermarket under my supervision, or accompany me to the pet care station inside the store.”

“Apologies, I’ll put him away immediately.”

Han Dong quickly realized that the guard’s only focus was on the Count being categorized as a pet. He paid no attention to Han Dong wielding a human arm as a weapon and wearing an iron mask, nor did he mind Sally’s deadly bow and arrows.

This meant that the ‘NPCs’ accepted killers’ unconventional appearances, even ignoring the lethal gear they carried—however, they would enforce rules about violating supermarket policies.

Right in front of the guard, Han Dong absorbed the Count back into his arm.

The guard, unfazed by this scene, simply registered that the pet had disappeared and turned to leave.

“So much for having the Count play the ‘sensor’ role… Looks like we’ll only summon him when absolutely necessary.”

Safely tucked back into Han Dong’s body, the Count let out a silent sigh of relief, a sense of security washing over him.

“Sally, let’s figure out the layout of this place first and then aim for the surveillance room.”

“No disguises? Should we hide our weapons or take off the masks to blend in with the crowd?”

“No need… The other killers have been watching us since before we entered.

They’re all veterans who’ve played in multiple matches. At this point, they’ve probably memorized even details like our heights, gaits, and scents.

Even if we try to blend in, they’ll spot us quickly.

Besides, our weapons aren’t exactly easy to conceal.”

“Understood; I’ll follow your lead.”

With that, the two of them heightened their vigilance to the maximum and began exploring the floor occupied by the snack section.

The upper floor’s interior was ten times larger than its exterior appearance… Han Dong estimated the supermarket now spanned an area comparable to a football field.

The overwhelming density of the crowd significantly hindered direct confrontations between killers.

Han Dong stealthily swiped some cash from the pockets of a few unsuspecting customers before approaching a seemingly reliable salesperson who appeared to have worked here for quite some time.

“Excuse me, we’re not very familiar with this mall. Could we trouble you to act as our guide?”

As he spoke, Han Dong discreetly pressed a thick wad of cash into the salesperson’s hand.

From Han Dong’s perspective, since the game aimed to mimic real-life scenarios as much as possible, such details should have been accounted for.

Sure enough, the salesperson quickly pocketed the money after glancing around to ensure no one was watching.

At the same moment—

Cough, cough, cough!

A violent coughing fit, so intense it sounded as though vocal cords were being torn apart, echoed from the bulk snacks area nearby.

A customer picking out food collapsed to the floor amidst the choking, spraying fresh blood all over the ground.

A kind-hearted bystander rushed forward to assist and dial for emergency services.

However, the coughing abruptly stopped… and a gaping, bloodthirsty maw replaced it, lunging at the Good Samaritan before the call connected.

In one vicious bite, nearly a third of the bystander’s neck—flesh, blood vessels, and all—was ripped away.

Writhing on the floor in violent spasms, the wounded individual showed no signs of death… About ten seconds later, they rose in an excruciatingly twisted position and lunged at the nearest customer.

Within moments, chaos rippled through the mall.

“Zombies! And this is just with ‘one Ladybug’… What a mess.”

Without wasting any time, Han Dong dragged the bribed salesperson along and fled the area.