At exactly ten in the morning, the ghostly taxi driver knocked on Chen Mu's door right on time. Opening it, Chen Mu found the driver looking at him with utmost respect, holding a bag of food in his hand.
"Mr. Chen, I'm here to pick you up. I thought you might not have had breakfast yet, so I bought some food for you on the way," the driver said, respectfully offering the bag to Chen Mu.
Chen Mu was pleasantly surprised; he hadn't expected the driver to be so considerate. It seemed his offer had struck a chord, and the driver was determined not to lose this job.
Taking the bag, Chen Mu looked inside to find youtiao (Chinese fried dough sticks), soy milk, and a tea egg, all still warm. Having only eaten a dry piece of bread earlier, the idea of something warm was appealing. And here it was, delivered right to his doorstep!
"Thank you, you're very thoughtful," Chen Mu nodded appreciatively.
Praised by his boss, the driver's mood instantly lifted. If the boss was happy, then so was he. Keeping the boss content was the key to his own satisfaction!
However, the driver didn't mention to Chen Mu the shock he'd experienced earlier when he saw a ghost with gouged-out eyes ordering "a cup of soy milk, a youtiao, and a tea egg" at the breakfast stall.
Enjoying his breakfast and observing the respectfully standing driver beside him, Chen Mu asked, "By the way, do you know where I can find a shopping mall? The more upscale, the better. I need a place to buy items for the eerie, and money is no object."
Believing his boss truly had money to spare, the driver thought for a moment before earnestly replying, "Boss, I know of a mall in the outskirts of the city called the Fallen Mall. Everything there is expensive; it's a recently opened luxury mall. It's said to be the most high-end among several cities nearby!"
"The Fallen Mall? Excellent, that's the one! Let's go, take me there," Chen Mu finished his breakfast and instructed the driver.
Before leaving the house, Chen Mu selected some items from inside and stored them in his spatial ring. He had no intention of returning to this old place, but taking a few things along would serve as a keepsake.
A few minutes later, Chen Mu boarded the ghostly taxi. The driver, wearing white gloves, respectfully closed the car door and set off towards the Fallen Mall.
It must be said, the ghostly taxi was incredibly comfortable! Not only was it fast, but it ran smoothly, and the best part was—it was silent as the grave. Despite the hustle and bustle outside and the furious honking of cars overtaking them, none of the noise penetrated the interior!
Yesterday evening, there had still been a faint smell of blood in the car, with bloody handprints on the windows. Today, however, the blood smell was gone, replaced by a faint floral scent, and the handprints had been wiped clean.
Private, exclusive service was truly unmatched!
Chen Mu finally understood why, in the previous life's eerie apocalypse, the rich specifically sought out the ghostly taxi. For the right price, it was truly comfortable! It was a shame that the city's only ghostly taxi had been reserved by him. Even with money, others would find it hard to experience such luxury.
In less than ten minutes, the taxi came to a smooth stop at their destination.
Stepping out, Chen Mu looked up at a six-story abandoned building. Only now did he recall the existence of this abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. Originally intended to be a large shopping center, it had been abandoned due to urban development plans and other reasons.
Unexpectedly, after the eerie apocalypse, this place had become an eerie scene.
"You wait here by the car. I'll go in and buy some things, then come out," Chen Mu instructed the driver, before walking towards the abandoned building.
Initially, the driver had wanted to enter and protect his boss, but upon reflection, he realized the boss's intentions were profound. Leaving the taxi, he, at best, possessed the strength of an Eerie Soldier. If there were real trouble, it wouldn't be of much use. Leaving the driver in the car meant he could rush in to rescue the boss if needed, enjoying an unbeatable temporary invincibility buff inside the taxi.
The boss truly was the boss; his thoughts were far more nuanced than those of ordinary eerie entities!
Upon entering the Fallen Mall, Chen Mu immediately felt the temperature drop sharply. Despite the scorching summer heat outside, the mall was unusually cold. The surroundings were shrouded in a dull gray hue.
On the entrance doors of the mall were layers of bloody handprints, as if countless people had tried to escape, only to be forcibly dragged back, leaving behind a trail of desperate handprints.
Just then, a chill swept over him, causing Chen Mu to shudder involuntarily. Following the source of the cold, he saw a woman in a red uniform approaching with a sinister smile.
Her smile was unsettling, with her mouth stretched unnaturally wide to her ears, blood trickling from the corners. If it were an ordinary person, they would have been frightened out of their wits, but Chen Mu remained calm.
Thinking the man might have been scared silly, the woman stepped forward, smiling as she reached out and took Chen Mu's arm, preventing him from fleeing.
"Welcome to the Fallen Mall, sir. Is there anything you'd like to purchase?" the woman said, her smile dripping with blood, appearing particularly eerie.
If it were a regular person, they would have long been terrified, but Chen Mu still wore a calm expression.
"Ah, no need to play these games with me," Chen Mu smiled back. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the first rule of the Fallen Mall: customers who make purchases can leave freely."
"Sir, you're quite clever. Please, come and buy something, and then you can leave," the woman urged, trying to prompt Chen Mu to make a purchase.
"No need to rush me. Your rules are quite interesting, and I'd like to ponder them a bit. If I'm not mistaken, not buying anything also allows one to leave safely," Chen Mu smiled knowingly.
Hearing this, the woman's expression changed, and she cast a cautious glance at Chen Mu. She hadn't expected him to see through their scheme so easily.
Seeing Chen Mu's smile, he continued, "This kind of rule, I've seen plenty of in the eerie apocalypse. It's misleading, suggesting you hurry and make a purchase. But once you do, you fall into the trap of the rule. Some people, encountering this rule for the first time, panic and buy something just to leave as soon as possible. However, those people either don't have underworld coins or the items they want are too expensive. I suspect you have a second rule: if you don't have enough money to pay, you'll die in the Fallen Mall. These two rules form a trap, and I reckon quite a few people have fallen into it. The way out lies in the fact that the rules never say you can't leave the mall without buying anything. Therefore, for those lacking underworld coins, the best way out is to turn around and leave now."
Chen Mu's words were eloquent and concise, delivering a clear message.