Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Turmoil

“If you can’t afford Later, then stop talking big.”

Ling Mo lifted her head and gave Ji Zhi Zhi a look dripping with contempt. “I’m leaving. Let’s not meet again.”

In the end, Ling Mo still didn’t take the ice cream. It cost more than two hundred thousand. Even if she could afford it, taking something like that would make her conscience itch.

She only wanted to teach those sharp-tongued young ladies a lesson.

She might not be the original owner of this body, but she still wouldn’t let anyone use the girl’s parents as ammunition.

She checked the time. If she stayed any longer, it would be fully dark outside.

Just as Ling Mo turned to go, every light in the mall died at once.

The entire building sank into darkness. Panic surged—shouts, startled cries, and people trying to calm those around them.

In the dimness, a sudden sting hit Ling Mo’s shoulder. Someone hooked her backpack and yanked hard.

“My bag!” Ling Mo shouted. “Thief! Robbery!”

She snapped out her phone and turned on the flashlight. After hearing her, people nearby did the same, beams blinking on one after another.

But the snatcher was already gone, swallowed by the crowd.

Ling Mo could only trust what she’d felt and pick a rough direction. She stared after it, frowning, while people around her hurried over to comfort her.

“Miss, it’s fine. Stuff is stuff. As long as you’re safe.”

Ling Mo wore a wavering, about-to-cry expression, but inside she felt nothing at all.

That backpack had only been for show. There was nothing inside but a pack of tissues; anything valuable was already stored in her pocket space.

Before long, the mall’s broadcast crackled to life and explained the outage.

The outside temperature had become so extreme that large sections of wiring had caught fire, causing the blackout. The government was organizing emergency repairs, but no one knew when power would be restored.

Ling Mo didn’t hold out much hope. It was simply too hot. Even if they fixed it, the electricity might fail again at any time.

With the air-conditioning dead and so many people packed together, the heat climbed rapidly. Restlessness spread through the crowd.

To avoid a stampede, Ling Mo slipped into a fitting room and waited.

Bored, she took out a box of popsicles and started eating. Much better than that overly sweet ice cream. As she ate, she opened the game forum and skimmed the posts.

They weren’t the only ones suffering. Blackouts were hitting all over the world. In some less developed countries, the grid had collapsed entirely.

The forum was flooded with doomsday talk—people urging others to loot while the lights were out, to carve out territory, to “become kings.”

When power didn’t match someone’s character, this was what happened.

Ling Mo watched as more and more people piled into the threads. Some had already formed little groups. There were plenty of people who believed they were destined to rule.

Worse, the speeches were persuasive. Follow their train of thought long enough and you’d get dragged in without realizing it. Even when you knew they were selling dreams, you still felt the urge to join.

Ling Mo closed the forum. Today’s mess had reminded her of something important: she should withdraw the money still sitting in her bank account.

If the heat kept rising, rolling outages would become normal. When that happened, who knew whether mobile payments would still work?

She’d spent a lot lately, but her bank account still held a few hundred thousand. Add the one million she’d withdrawn earlier, and it was enough.

With her mental power, Ling Mo sensed the crowd outside slowly thinning.

It made sense. Everyone had come for the air-conditioning. Now that it was gone, staying only meant suffering in a packed, boiling mall.

Not everyone was leaving honestly, though. Some people began pocketing items from the shops.

At first it was one or two. Then, as others saw it, copycats multiplied.

Hearing the noise outside grow harsher, Ling Mo decided it was safer to stay put.

After a while, the commotion faded. Ling Mo was about to open the door when a sudden shout froze her hand.

Through the crack, she saw purple light flash, heard the harsh crackle of lightning, and then the sounds of fighting.

Players.

She’d only just read about people taking advantage of the blackout to rob for supplies, and they were already acting.

Ling Mo curled up tightly, making herself as small and silent as possible.

Luckily, whoever was fighting wasn’t searching the second floor. Ling Mo escaped trouble.

But she knew this wasn’t a place to linger. When her mental power confirmed the area was clear, she eased the door open and sprinted for the mall exit.

With her mental power guiding her, she didn’t run into anyone on the way out. She burst outside in one smooth dash.

It was still scorching, but the open air felt safer than the suffocating darkness inside.

Plenty of people were fleeing just like her. Ling Mo found her electric scooter and called the police.

The moment she mentioned awakened troublemakers, the officer on the line became sharply attentive.

As Ling Mo rode away, she saw similar chaos unfolding elsewhere. Some supermarkets had even been taken over by awakened people.

Huge banners hung outside: Welcome all awakened. Let’s rule this world together!

Ling Mo clicked her tongue. Whoever wrote that must be terminal cringe. Rule the world together? More like die together.

Maybe that kind of stunt could work overseas. In her country, it was basically begging for death.

Looks like she wasn’t buying supplies today.

She found an ATM and decided to withdraw everything in her account.

It took several machines to drain her balance, but she eventually got it all. She stuffed the cash into her backpack, and only after she left the bank did she store it in her pocket space.

When she got home, she flipped on the lights.

They came on.

Relief loosened something in her chest. She’d prepared for a blackout, but the later that day arrived, the better.

She swept the house with mental power to make sure no one had snuck in. Then she covered the pool, grabbed insecticide, and sprayed thoroughly.

Once she was done, Ling Mo slipped into her pocket space.

Since the heat wave started, the bugs hadn’t decreased—they’d multiplied. Anywhere with water was the worst. The mosquitoes were so dense that a single slap could kill a dozen.

If anyone walked past, they’d end up with at least ten swollen bites.