March 20th, 1:27 PM — Longwan Mall, Western Ramp (Lower Access)
John Wang POV
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"...Rou…lan…"
Her name, dragged out like a predator savouring the taste.
Everyone turned. Weapons raised. But the hallway behind us was empty—just the dim stretch of the western ramp, the flickering ceiling light that hadn't gone out.
The voice hadn't echoed. It had whispered right into our ears, like something standing just behind us, exhaling words into our necks.
Roulan's Type-9k shook in her hand. I stepped in front of her and scanned the rear.
Nothing.
But I could feel it.
We were on a downward incline now. The western ramp sloped at a slight angle, about thirty meters ahead until it hit a steel loading dock door, half-shut with an old maintenance override box beside it.
The space was tight—three meters wide, just tall enough for the average truck to pass through.
