◇The 2nd Floor◇

Moving up the staircase they had found a few shops away from the shop they had been at...

Lu Xing had helped steady Kuan Mo during his first steps, and as unbalanced as they had been at the start...Kuan Mo had quickly gotten the hang of it.

Grabbing, and donning the katana's and other weapons from prior shop, they were now heading to the 2nd floor.

'I hope this risky choice doesn't blowup in my face.' Lu Xing thought grimly.

☆☆☆

"Grraaggghhhghaa...grraaagggha..." The big bulking monster grunted every few seconds, its head swiveling from side to side in quick motions as it continuously sniffed...

Nearby... A girl was sprawled near the restrooms, her hands muffling her heavy breathing. Tears from fear formed, and she prayed that 'it' would pass right by without noticing her.

Her prayers seemingly went unheard.

The thing turned her way, and was within a few feet of her.

She glanced terrified only to watch as the thing got closer, but from the corner of her eye caught a familiar figure...

Suddenly the monstrous thing was stabbed straight through by someone who had come up right behind it. It made gurgling sounds as it paused to look down then growled, not in pain but seemingly enraged. It twisted around, greenish yellow boiling liquid dripping down where the sword had pierced.

The one who had attacked only to instantly move away was none other than Lu Xing who had decided to step in at the reckless actions taken by Kuan Mo. Not really knowing why, Lu Xing had had a nagging sensation that Kuan Mo was someone important in his prior life... Realizing the man had stupidly gone in to save the girl, Lu Xing had been unable to simply walk away in search of the baby essentials he had come for.

Knowing that plenty of survivors were hiding inside the mall had made Lu Xing consider killing the zombie inside...up until the moment he had confirmed something from Kuan Mo's description of it.

'Damn...its an a Acid Spitter!' Lu Xing felt the heavy reality of the situation he was in finally hit home.

"Fuck yo mama!" Lu Xing cursed out as he readied his blue flames.

The Acid Spitter turned around furiously like a frantic bull seeking its target.

Lu Xing had yet to assess its level...but considering the amount of cracked skulls strewn about the place... This monster had been happily leveling up. And in most likelihood...

'Its a reincarnated mutant zombie.' Lu Xing thought, 'and highly self aware.'

Aggrieved by the situation... Lu Xing debated using time pause on the Acid Spitter before him, or as to whether its level was high enough that its immunity would practically nullify it. Just as the thing readied itself to spit at Lu Xing, he quickly threw a flame at it.

'Screw it.' Lu Xing quickly motioned for the two people behind it to run.

Only when the flame touched the Acid Spitters forehead did Lu Xing make a move.

Kuan Mo's eyes widened, he hadn't personally seen Lu Xing throw a flame from where he had been...but he almost instantly felt that Lu Xing's next actions were sheer suicide.

Just as Kuan Mo motioned for the girl to keep running...

Lu Xing was within the Acid Spitter's arm length, his sword drawn upward and swiftly arched down diagonally into the things shoulder blade. Except that the blade within a few seconds of entering the flesh had begun to melt... And with just those few seconds that it took the Acid Spitter to nullify Lu Xing's time pause.

'Shit.' Lu Xing could practically feel the thing gurgle as it got ready to spew out acid right into his face within a matter of seconds, 'I guess this is how I die...this time...'

Once the acid hit his right arm...Lu Xing would die for certain.

Closing his eyes he let the sword go and attempted to run away from the things shooting distance...but it was already opening its mouth...

Even shadowstep wouldn't get him out of this one.

"Watch out!" Kuan Mo forcefully shoved Lu Xing out of the way.

Shocked at the strength behind the shove Lu Xing practically flew into a nearby shops window, the glass shattering.

Lu Xing picked himself up just in time to watch the acid hit the man.

'You idiot.' Lu Xing thought, his face darkened with anger, and inside there was one feeling that he hated the most...

Helplessness.

The moment the Acid Spitter stopped spewing its contents was the moment Lu Xing shadowstepped towards the thing, his flames in full glory as they began to cover him from hand to shoulder.

"Die." Lu Xing's rage leaked out in that one word as his right fist slammed with a loud resounding bang against the side of the Acid Spitter's head.

The thing was caught completely off guard and was thrown a few feet away, its skull partially caved in.

Lu Xing threw his flames out onto it...his flames burning what they could.

The inhuman sounds that came next caused many of the people still hiding nearby to flinch and cower.

Lu Xing turned to face the remains of the one named Kuan Mo.

Not so surprisingly, the remains were not much of anything anymore. The acid had quickly eaten away at the flesh, a few bones barely still left... Yet one thing gleamed from the pile of corroding remains...

Lu Xing who could control his flames as long as it was within a few feet of himself, threw a flame at the core laying within the mess.

'Nothing but a core leftover...' Lu Xing thought gloomily as he retrieved his flame now holding the core within it.

Having to stop himself from throwing the damn thing away, his flames were just barely done nullifying the acidic particles off it...when...

"GRAARGGGGHRRRR!" the enraged roar could be heard.