James Lone walked about 100 meters underground before surfacing in an area with fewer plants.

In front of him was a parking lot. The once-asphalt pavement was now overgrown with green grass. Nearby, a traffic light post still worked, cycling through red, yellow, and green lights.

However, the metal pole, originally as thick as a plate, was now enveloped by climbing plants, turning it into a massive plant column thick enough for two people to wrap their arms around.

A rabbit, the size of a pig, nibbled on grass in the waist-high vegetation.

James suddenly made a threatening gesture.

The rabbit jumped in fright, leaping over 7 or 8 meters high and more than 10 meters away.

With a few quick hops, it disappeared.

James let it go, silently estimating in his mind:

"Its movement speed is slightly faster than mine, but not by much. Its strength seems much weaker. If a rabbit like this can survive in the wild, I should be able to as well."

He felt reassured but reminded himself this was only the current situation.

Evolution in plants and animals was ongoing.

The most obvious example was the height of banyan trees, which continued to grow. Similarly, rats were now the size of cats. While most had stopped growing, some with unique traits were still increasing in size, with no end in sight.

James Lone stepped onto the road.

The ground was covered in shrubs and weeds, their roots piercing the asphalt. Walking on it wasn't enough to damage his boots, but it was extremely difficult to traverse.

For regular vehicles, driving would be nearly impossible; speeding could easily blow out rubber tires.

Visibility was limited to 5 meters, with everything shrouded in a reddish haze. Thankfully, his perception remained unaffected.

He spotted a small supermarket nearby with its doors tightly shut. A man lay curled up on the ground beside it, still alive but in poor condition.

Walking further, James Lon's pants picked up a large patch of burr-like plants. They were tough to remove and could easily scratch the skin, which was dangerous given the mutated viruses around.

With waist-high shrubs everywhere, movement was exhausting.

James Lone decided to experiment with a new use for his Phasing ability.

Activating it, he remained on the surface but phased through the shrubs as he moved.

This way, he could enjoy the benefits of moving straight through obstacles without sinking underground, where soil would slow him down and make breathing uncomfortable.

Before long, James Lon arrived at the entrance of Sam's Club.

The bustling mall of the past was now eerily silent.

The main entrance of Sam's Club was locked, as if it had been shut down when the purple mist first appeared.

While there were no ivy-covered walls here, the wild grass was taller than at Sunshine Garden, reaching over 1.5 meters. Shorter women would struggle to see over the top.

The grass teemed with giant insects like grasshoppers, crickets, and praying mantises.

The praying mantises, in particular, emitted a faint red glow, signaling their danger.

James phased through the entrance.

Inside, the mall was dark and sinister, with no survivors in sight.

Unable to locate the light switches, he pulled out a flashlight, combining it with his perception to search for supplies.

After orienting himself, he headed straight for the supermarket section of Sam's Club.

The moment he stepped inside, he was greeted by several skeletons lying on the ground.

The flesh had been completely stripped away, leaving gnawed, incomplete bones—likely dragged off by some kind of animal.

Judging by the tattered uniforms nearby, these were probably the mall's security guards.

James Lon grew cautious.

Still, his perception revealed no immediate threats within 50 meters—only some rats and flies.

As he entered the supermarket, the stench of decay hit him like a wall.

The fresh produce section had turned into a massive garbage dump.

Rotting meat, vegetables, and fruits were piled high, emitting an unbearable odor. Flies swarmed everywhere, and rats and cockroaches scurried across the ground.

Covering his nose, James Lon quickly passed through the area and reached the other sections.

Shelves lined with products stood untouched, showing no signs of human activity.

James Lon guessed that when the purple mist first appeared, Sam's Club had likely closed to avoid chaos, leaving only a few security guards behind.

At the time, people had probably stayed home, waiting for rescue. But as plants grew wildly and animals mutated, it became impossible to reach the mall.

"It's all mine now!" James Lon grinned and began looting without hesitation.

From cigarettes and alcohol to pots, pans, bedding, clothes, tissues, and mops, James Lon took everything.

Even the shelves and shopping carts weren't spared.

After combing through the store, he found the storage area.

Before him stood towering shelves reaching the ceiling, stretching out into the misty distance.

The shelves were stacked with unopened boxes of goods, far more than what was displayed outside.

It took James Lon half an hour to store everything, including the shelves and two forklifts used for moving goods.

He also found a large cold storage room, still operational.

Inside were neatly arranged boxes of frozen meat—fish, pork, beef, lamb, chicken—every kind imaginable.

Many of the expensive items James Lon wouldn't have splurged on before were now his for the taking.

"With all this, I'll never have to worry about food again!"

He cleaned out the cold storage without a second thought.

Finally, he located the security monitoring room.

The surveillance system was still running, but the purple mist had obscured most useful footage.

To ensure no one discovered his activities, James Lon removed the monitoring server. Instead of destroying the hard drive, he simply tossed it into his spatial backpack.

Sam's Club Plaza had four floors in total, with more shops and restaurants upstairs. There were likely more supplies to be found, but none of it seemed particularly urgent.

Glancing at his phone, James Lon noted the time.

"It's late. I'll come back tomorrow."

Survivors were growing increasingly desperate. It wouldn't be surprising if someone dared to attack him.

After James Lone left, the dark and silent Sam's Club Plaza grew still once more.

Suddenly, a faint blue circular membrane, about the size of a washbasin, appeared mid-air over 2 meters high.

The membrane rippled like water, sending out faint waves.

Moments later, a girl with twin ponytails poked her head out of the membrane, holding a flashlight.

Carefully surveying her surroundings, she muttered with relief,

"It really is Sam's Club ! I'm a genius!"

She squeezed through the blue membrane, jumping into the mall.

Unfortunately, the height was greater than she expected, and she landed hard on her backside.

"Ouch!"

Tears filled her eyes as she whimpered,

"My butt hurts!"

After a while, she got up, still rubbing her sore bottom.

The silence around her was oppressive.

In the eerie red glow of the mist, illuminated by her flashlight, the atmosphere felt suffocating.

Terrified but out of food at home, she had no choice but to take the risk.

Trembling, she began cautiously exploring the mall with her flashlight.

Familiar with the layout of Sam's Club, she quickly found the supermarket entrance.

Staring into the pitch-black entrance, she swallowed hard and forced herself to go inside.

The fresh produce section reeked of rotting food, with flies buzzing everywhere.

Covering her nose, she hurried past and finally reached the supermarket shelves...

"Huh? Where are the shelves?"

She stared blankly at the empty space.

"Did the people at Sam's Club move all the supplies?"

As she debated whether to check the storage area, her flashlight caught a pair of giant green eyes in the darkness.

A cat, the size of a tiger, emerged slowly from the shadows, tilting its head as it stared at her.

"Meow?"

It seemed to detect a familiar scent on her.

"Ahhhh!" she screamed, her twin ponytails nearly standing on end.

"Stay away from me!"

Tears streaming, she swiped her hand through the air, creating a blue line.

Grabbing the line with both hands, she tore it open to form a blue membrane and scrambled through it in a panic.

Pop!

The blue membrane vanished.

The orange tabby tilted its head, staring at the spot where she had disappeared.

Unable to understand how the two-legged creature had vanished, it sniffed around before wandering off.

"If they're all this scared of me, I must be a god!"