Chapter 10 Zero–Cost Mall Raid
In about an hour, Iris had emptied all the luxury stores on these floors.
She didn’t miss a single item: women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing, sportswear, shoes, bags, watches, cosmetics–even the jewelry stores below with their diamonds and gold.
She grabbed the latest smartphones and laptops, the high–end cosmetics she’d once only admired from afar, the luxury bags that required impossible minimum purchases, and the glittering diamond rings, gemstones, and gold bars in the jewelry store
cases.
She sucking them all into her storage without hesitation.
Her spatial storage ballooned to over 350 thousand cubic feet in no time.
Luxury stores had sky–high prices–one bag alone cost tens of thousands—but tiny stockpiles. Most only displayed a handful of pieces, relying on warehouses for orders due to the exorbitant
costs.
Surprisingly, the mall had no ultra–high–end luxury items worth over one million; otherwise, Iris‘ storage would have exploded.
Luxury goods were truly valuable.
17:00
&
+3 Bonus
< Chapter 10 Zero–Cost Mall Raid
Next, she headed to the underground food court.
Iris had already raided it the day before–though she’d felt a twinge of regret spending the money then, it saved her precious time now.
Time was her most valuable asset.
The zombie virus had only just broken out; everyone was still reeling in shock.
She had to finish the raid within the two–hour window, then escape before traffic ground to a halt completely.
Since Iris had bought the food the day before, she browsed through these small, low–value stores.
Even so, she grabbed a few essentials as she ran past: ovens, ice cream makers, coffee machines–tools to help her recreate the comforts of home later.
Iris sprinted on, reaching the large warehouse–style supermarket she’d visited the previous day.
She’d spent over one million there yesterday, but that had barely made a dent in the store’s stock.
Now, the shelves still groaned under the weight of supplies.
2/7
17:00
9 +3 Bonus
< Chapter 10 Zero–Cost Mall Raid
Iris climbed over the barrier and jumped into the store, her movements faster than ever.
She ran her hands along the shelves, sucking entire rows of goods into her storage: chocolate, cookies, potato chips, pre–cooked sausages… She even darted into the back kitchen, grabbing whole freezers full of ham and rotisserie chicken.
Everything she hadn’t bought yesterday, Iris took now—no hesitation, no second thoughts.
In less than 30 minutes, the entire supermarket was stripped
bare.
By the end, she’d slipped on a pair of rollerblades, gliding through the aisles at top speed while continuing her raid.
When she finished with the supermarket, 20 minutes still remained on the system’s timer.
That was when she noticed the staff elevator.
Large supermarkets always had their own warehouses.
Iris stepped into the elevator for employees.
As the doors slid open slowly, she was greeted by rows upon rows of boxed supplies: hundreds of cases of premium grain,
3/7
17:00
+3 Bonus
< Chapter 10 Zero–Cost Mall Raid
imported snacks, alcohol, condiments, daily necessities, and feminine hygiene products.
This was the supermarket’s warehouse—the heart of their stockpile.
Now she understood why her one million purchase had barely made a difference–there was still so much more.
Gliding on her rollerblades, Iris weaved through the boxes, clearing row after row in seconds.
When the two–hour countdown hit zero, Iris was drenched in
sweat.
She grabbed a cold soda from her storage, popped the cap, and drank deeply.
The warehouse before her was completely empty–nothing left but dust and empty pallets.
This raid had earned her over 520 thousand cubic feet of storage
space.
To put it in perspective, that was roughly an 82–foot cube- about the size of a ten–story building. Yet the supplies she’d collected only filled one percent of that space, not even enough to cover a single floor.
4/7
17:00
+3 Bonus
<Chapter 10 Zero–Cost Mall Raid
The city’s largest mall was now a hollow shell.
Every last item, from the cheapest snack to the most expensive diamond, was safely stored in her spatial storage.
A satisfied smile appeared on Iris‘ face.
She swapped her rollerblades for running shoes, tossed the empty soda bottle aside, took the staff elevator back to the supermarket, then headed down the employee stairs.
Mission accomplished. Time to go home.
She avoided the main elevators but hit the button for B2 as she
passed one.
The elevator’s movement would create noise, potentially luring any zombies in the parking garage away from her path.
Safety first–always.
Iris moved quickly and silently down the stairs, her footsteps light as a cat’s.
When she reached B2, the elevator she’d called dinged open, its doors sliding apart with a soft chime.
At that exact moment, a woman who’d been trying to burst into the staff stairs spun around and ran toward the elevat, her 7:01
&
+3 Bonus
< Chapter 10 Zero–Cost Mall Raid
screams echoing through the garage.
“Help! Someone help me!”
Two blood–soaked figures in employee uniforms stumbled after her, their moans guttural and inhuman.
“Stay away! Get back! There’s someone in there–eat her instead!” she shrieked, spotting the open elevator doors.
She lunged inside, planning to push whoever was inside out as bait for the monsters chasing her.
But the elevator was empty.
Stunned for a split second by the empty elevator, she didn’t have time to react before the infected tackled her to the ground.
“Don’t bite me! Don’t bite me! Look at me–I’m Mariah! You know me!” she screamed, thrashing wildly.
As she screamed, Mariah’s eyes darted to the staff stairwell door, which had just creaked open.
A young woman dressed in simple sportswear stepped out, her expression calm and unafraid.
Mariah froze. The face was familiar.
6/7
17:01
+3 Bonus
<Chapter 10 Zero–Cost Mall Raid
Wasn’t this the poor, empty–handed girl she’d mocked yesterday at the clothing store?
Write your comment
tr Gifts
r
B
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
