Just like that, they searched through each room one by one.
The group arrived at the women's restroom door and gently knocked: "Is anyone inside? We're awakeners, here to rescue you."
After several seconds of silence.
A trembling female voice came from the innermost stall: "R-really awakeners?"
Wang Mingyuan condensed a wisp of white light at his fingertips that drifted under the door gap: "Vermilion Bird Academy special rescue team."
"Ah, it's spiritual energy!"
The stall door suddenly swung open.
A young girl in salesclerk uniform rushed out, tear stains still visible on her face: "Please take me out of here! I've been hiding here for two hours!"
She still clutched a mop handle with a fruit knife tied to the end with a leather strap—clearly a makeshift weapon she'd fashioned herself.
Wang Mingyuan said as white spiritual energy formed a thin protective film around the girl's body.
They continued searching room by room.
In the storage room, they found three janitors hiding behind shelves.
In the employee break room, they discovered a couple curled up inside a wardrobe.
Behind an overturned vending machine, they rescued a security guard using a fire extinguisher as a weapon.
Each time they rescued people, Wang Mingyuan would allocate a strand of spiritual energy to protect them.
Soon, the white halos connected into a continuous glow.
The group moved downward, eventually gathering over a hundred survivors.
Fortunately, it wasn't a weekend, and it was during the afternoon when foot traffic was lighter, otherwise the casualties would have been much more severe.
"Take the emergency exit."
Wang Mingyuan directed the crowd: "No crowding, maintain order."
The long line slowly descended along the staircase.
Su Zhan walked at the very front clearing the path.
Wang Mingyuan guarded the rear of the procession.
Just as the group reached the second floor.
The ventilation ducts in the ceiling suddenly rattled—Scythe Mist Mantises!
Although these monsters feared Wang Mingyuan's spiritual energy, faced with so much prey, they ultimately couldn't suppress their hunting instincts.
They swarmed out from every corner, pouncing toward the survivors in the middle of the line!
"Duck down!"
Wang Mingyuan called out softly.
He raised his right hand lightly, his five fingers moving through the air as if stroking a zither.
Several white spiritual blades instantly shot out, bisecting the charging monsters.
Green mucus splattered against the walls, deflected by the spiritual energy barrier.
After several failed attacks.
The remaining Scythe Mist Mantises finally retreated, rustling back into the darkness.
The group finally safely reached the first floor.
Wang Mingyuan guided everyone to the open area of the central hall.
The sightlines here were clear, with few hiding spots around, making it actually less susceptible to ambushes.
"Listen."
Wang Mingyuan's voice sounded somewhat tired: "I've been maintaining spiritual energy protection on each person individually, but the consumption is too great.
Now I'm switching to an overall protective barrier. The effect is the same, and it's actually safer."
The crowd looked at each other uncertainly, one person timidly asking: "S-sir, is it really safe this way?"
"Safer than your current situation."
Wang Mingyuan pressed his palms together, then slowly drew them apart.
A massive white light curtain descended like an inverted bowl, enveloping everyone within.
Simultaneously, the individual spiritual energy shields on each person disappeared.
"Stay inside the light barrier—it's absolutely safe."
Wang Mingyuan's voice came through the spiritual energy barrier: "Now, I need volunteers to help count everyone and check for injuries..."
Hearing this, Su Zhan felt somewhat uneasy.
He approached Wang Mingyuan and asked in a lowered voice: "Teacher, how's your energy holding up?"
Wang Mingyuan's brow furrowed slightly, fatigue evident on his face.
Su Zhan's heart immediately tightened.
"Those words just now were to reassure the survivors."
Wang Mingyuan's voice was so soft only Su Zhan could hear: "My spiritual energy reserves are sufficient, but maintaining individual shields for everyone is too mentally draining.
Over a hundred separate spiritual energy nodes—if we encounter an emergency situation, that would consume too much of my mental energy."
Su Zhan immediately felt relieved.
So his teacher's apparent exhaustion had been an act for the survivors' benefit.
This massive protective barrier, while covering a large area, only required maintaining a single unified structure, actually conserving mental energy.
Su Zhan watched Wang Mingyuan's back as he walked toward the crowd.
This was yet another of his teacher's habitual tactics.
What did these survivors fear most?
Death.
If he'd directly said he was changing the protection method.
Their first reaction would undoubtedly be panic: Why change? Is he running out of power? Will he abandon us?
But Wang Mingyuan understood human nature too well.
He first told the truth.
Maintaining dispersed protection consumed too much energy, and he couldn't sustain it much longer.
This immediately struck at the survivors' deepest fear: What if our protector becomes exhausted?
Just as panic was about to spread.
He then offered the solution: switch to an overall protective barrier, same effect, and it would let him last longer.
Who would oppose this now?
Some might even urge him to make the change faster.
He'd seen his teacher use this approach too many times.
Just as everyone had settled down.
"Kekekekeke..."
A sinister laughter suddenly echoed through the shopping mall, making everyone's hair stand on end.
"W-what's that?!"
"Is something else coming?"
The survivors immediately grew restless, but surprisingly, the panic wasn't as severe as expected.
"Why panic? Didn't you see how easily Sir dealt with those monsters just now?"
"Exactly, this gentleman's spiritual energy is so powerful..."
Though most people were nervous, their eyes turned toward Wang Mingyuan, showing more dependence than despair.
After all, those ferocious Scythe Mist Mantises from earlier.
Had indeed been utterly helpless before this man.
Wang Mingyuan stared directly at a shadowy area on the fourth floor, raising his hand and making the entire protective barrier glow slightly brighter.
"Stay where you are and don't move."
His voice wasn't loud.
But it was exceptionally effective.
Everyone obediently fell silent.
Su Zhan crossed his twin blades before his chest, following his teacher's gaze.
But he couldn't see anyone.
Good news—his guess had been correct.
Bad news—his guess had been correct.
He could only pray in his heart that his teacher could defeat these unknown enemies.
That sinister voice sounded again, echoing through the empty mall:
"Teacher Wang, I never expected... even knowing this mist might be a trap set specifically for you, you still came.
Sometimes I truly admire people like you—willing to take such great risks to save people who have no connection to you whatsoever."
Wang Mingyuan coldly retorted: "A monster like you could never understand."
"Hahaha—"
The sinister laughter suddenly erupted, so maddening it was bone-chilling.
The laughter mingled with some non-human screeching.
The vibrations made survivors within the protective barrier cover their ears.
The laughter abruptly ceased.
"Teacher Wang..."
The voice lowered: "I hope you'll remain just as confident later."
As the final word fell.
All the lights in the entire shopping mall suddenly went out.
In the darkness.
Something was slowly approaching from all directions...