Chapter 00151: Spatial Disorientation
# Spatial Disorientation
Chapter 151
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 151: Spatial Disorientation
It has been said many times before, the small place where Li Chengxi lived was not heavily populated, and public order was excellent.
It had been a long time since a theft had occurred in his neighborhood, let alone other vicious crimes.
Yet in less than two months, there had been two armed robberies in a row.
If his phone didn't still show 'China Mobile', Li Chengxi would have thought he had unknowingly transmigrated to the Amerikana region.
This made no sense!
Clearly, Li Chengxi was not the only one dumbfounded by this situation.
The surrounding tourists who were just strolling around first froze, then looked at the Robber's appearance.
Although most people could not accurately identify the model of the AK Rifle—perhaps it was a Type 56 Assault Rifle—they could still tell it looked like a real Gun.
In an instant, screams mixed with the sound of chaotic footsteps echoed through the Shopping Mall.
Even though the man had said not to move, the panicked crowd paid him no mind, immediately pushing towards the Main Gate.
However, the people near the Robber did not dare to move recklessly.
They all put their hands on their heads and squatted down.
Immediately after, another bang was heard.
Li Chengxi could even see the sporadic flames spitting from the Gun's muzzle, but he did not know where the shot had hit.
This shot snapped Li Chengxi back to his senses.
He quickly signaled for the three of them to squat down and use the table for cover.
Lei Lei complained:
“Brother Li, that mouth of yours….”
“What? This has nothing to do with me.”
Li Chengxi felt awful too.
I was just speaking casually, but it actually came true.
And this situation seemed even more vicious than the last one.
The last one was an armed robbery; this one was practically a Terrorist Attack.
He quietly peeked out for a look.
The people in the Shopping Mall were either pushing towards the exit or running to places they thought were safe.
In short, everyone was moving away from the armed Robber.
Only the people near the Gold Shop, perhaps afraid of provoking the Robber, did not dare to run, all squatting with their heads in their hands.
Their position was neither far nor near.
Although still within firing range, the armed Robber probably had not noticed them.
Li Chengxi saw him take a Crowbar out of his Backpack, smash the glass display cases around him, and then grab a Salesperson, forcing her to stuff all the Gold Rings and Gold Necklaces into his bag.
Honestly, Li Chengxi did not really understand people like this.
No matter how hard it was to make a living these days, it had to be easier than risking execution for robbery.
But there was no time to ponder the Robber's psychological journey now.
“Lord, what is that?”
Viola pointed at the Gun in the Robber's hand.
Tense, Li Chengxi forgot to correct Viola's form of address.
He explained while observing their surroundings:
“Just think of it as a powerful Magic Weapon. If a person gets hit by it once, they're gone.”
As he spoke, he saw a passageway to their right.
A Snow King mascot figure was placed there, which could provide some visual cover.
It definitely was not safe to stay where they were.
Li Chengxi waved to the others, signaling them to follow.
The young female employee from the Milk Tea Shop, who had been hiding behind the Cashier Counter, also noticed Li Chengxi's group was planning to escape.
After all, they were the only four customers in the shop, making them very conspicuous.
After weighing the pros and cons, she seemed to decide it was safer to run with them, so she followed behind.
The group took small, hurried steps, quickly moving to the passageway to the right of the Milk Tea Shop.
From here, you could not see the armed Robber unless you peered around the edge of the back wall.
But this was only temporary safety.
Who knew if that bastard would wander around other places after robbing the Gold Shop.
It was best to get as far away as possible.
There was no way they could get out through the Main Gate.
Not only did they have to pass the Robber to get there, but the Main Gate only had three revolving doors, and too many people were crammed there, making it impossible to push through.
“Let's go, we'll head for the emergency exit.”
A Shopping Mall definitely could not have only one exit; that would not comply with fire safety regulations.
Since it was an old Shopping Mall, Li Chengxi, as a local, had been here often and knew exactly where the emergency exit was.
Besides, there were clear signs along the way, so there was no need to worry about getting lost.
But when the group cautiously made their way to the emergency exit, they saw that it was also crowded with people hoping to escape.
Moreover, the door seemed to be locked; it would not open at all.
An emergency exit should not be locked...
It was very unsafe for so many people to be gathered here.
If the Robber flew into a rage and just held down the trigger, this group of people near the emergency exit, with no cover whatsoever, would all be killed on the spot.
So at a time like this, there was no strength in numbers.
After all, no matter how many you were, you could not face off against an Automatic Rifle.
“I know a fire escape. The exit is on the Second Floor. That one shouldn't be locked.”
The young Salesperson from the Milk Tea Shop contributed a crucial piece of information.
“Let's go. We'll take the fire escape.”
Seeing the Milk Tea Shop girl leading the way in a flustered panic, Li Chengxi quickly said:
“Don't take the Escalator. We'll take the stairs.”
The Escalator was directly facing the Gold Shop where the Robber was busy.
Taking the Escalator now would be like making themselves a target.
Li Chengxi could be considered experienced by now.
Although nervous, he was not panicking.
The girl from the Milk Tea Shop, however, looked extremely flustered, nearly walking with her same-side arm and leg in sync.
He turned and grabbed Viola to keep her from getting separated, then confirmed that Lei Lei and Gan Xiaoyan were right beside him.
The group hurried up the stairs to the Second Floor.
The Second Floor was almost empty by now.
Many people were running towards the fire escape, while others were heading up, perhaps thinking the upper floors were safer.
Then he heard Gan Xiaoyan say:
“There's no signal on my phone, not even a WiFi signal.”
He pulled out his phone to check, and sure enough, there was no signal.
It could not be a Signal Jammer, could it? Jamming the signal for an entire Shopping Mall was not something a portable Signal Jammer could do; it would probably require a vehicle-mounted one.
Every year during the College Entrance Exam, you could always see similar vehicles on the streets near the high schools, so it was not an unfamiliar sight.
“Maybe they turned off all the Signal Boosters in the Shopping Mall before they made their move. They might have other accomplices too.”
Large buildings like this Shopping Mall actually have very poor signal, so they usually install Signal Boosters to ensure smooth communication.
“Let's talk about calling the Police after we get out of here. The Police are probably already on their way.”
There were definitely Police patrolling near the Shopping Mall.
With such a commotion, even a blind person would know something was wrong.
The Armed Police, SWAT, and Ambulances were probably already rushing over with sirens blaring.
The girl from the Milk Tea Shop was an employee here and was much more familiar with the layout than Li Chengxi.
Before long, she found the exit on the Second Floor near a toy store.
The door was now wide open, and many people were running out through it.
Seeing the exit, Li Chengxi also felt that as long as they ran through it, the rest would be a job for the Police.
He stopped at the doorway, letting the others go in first to make sure no one got lost.
Only then did he hurry through the door himself.
And just then, Li Chengxi felt a flash of light before his eyes.
It seemed to be the bright sunlight from outside, but the effect was as blinding as someone shining a Flashlight directly into his eyes.
After recovering for a moment, Li Chengxi thought he had just been in the Shopping Mall for too long and was not used to the sunlight outside.
But when he opened his eyes, he saw that he was still inside the Shopping Mall.
The three girls who had entered just ahead of him were standing not far away, also looking completely dumbfounded.
“What's going on?”
Li Chengxi scanned his surroundings.
“This….. seems to be the Fourth Floor!”
(End of Chapter)