Ultimate Evolution I Became the Master of the World
Chapter 33 Strange Smell

"What have you been up to lately? Did you forget about me? I haven't heard from you at all. I'm bored out of my mind. How about I come over? Or we could go out tonight and meet some girls?" Michael was at the mall when he got a call from David.

"Better not come over. My dad might be around. I ran into him last night, and he almost killed me. I'm working outside now," Michael said, slipping into his security uniform in the locker room. "Didn't you tell me your dad passed away?" David asked, confused.

"He did, which is why I got a job with room and board. I didn't dare stay at home," Michael replied.

"So your house is haunted?" David said, shocked.

"Yeah, it's haunted, but I can handle it," Michael said. "So, what's up? Why'd you call?"

"Nothing much, just bored at home and wanted to chat," David said, wiping sweat off his forehead. "By the way, where are you working?"

"A mall," Michael replied.

"Are they hiring? I could use a job. I'm on break from school and have nothing to do," David said.

"Better not. This place might be haunted too. I smelled something rotten when I first got here. I heard someone went missing in this mall, and the police have set up a perimeter, but the case hasn't been solved. The missing person is probably decomposing somewhere in the mall, but they can't replace the body," Michael said.

"Can't you replace a normal place to work? If you really have nowhere to stay, you can crash at my place. My bed's big and warm, and I'll even feed you," David said.

"Sophia's dad called me today. He said Sophia's been acting weird lately, saying something's following her. She might be targeted by that Ghost Baby from school. You should be careful too. I can't be sure if the ghost baby will target others. If you're free, let the group know," Michael said.

"Dude, stop. I just bought a new computer today. Come over and let's play some games. Let's just hide away like this forever. With anime and games, who needs work? I'll even give you money," David said. What was wrong with this world? Why were there ghosts everywhere?

"I can't. I have things to do. Anyway, be careful," Michael said, hanging up the phone.

He finished changing into his security uniform and walked out of the locker room.

"Why are you so slow?" another young man outside said. His name was Nico Costa, a recent college grad who had just started working at the mall.

"According to the rules, we have to patrol the entire mall five times a day: once in the morning, once at noon, once in the afternoon, and twice in the evening. It's 4 PM now, so let's start early," Nico said.

"Are we the only two security guards in the whole mall?" Michael asked as he followed Nico.

"Yeah, just us two. There used to be one more, but he went missing. They haven't been able to hire anyone since then," Nico said.

"Went missing? With so many disappearances, why haven't you quit? Aren't you scared?" Michael asked.

"I'm not from around here. It's hard to replace a job that provides accommodation and pays decently right after graduation. So I'm sticking with it for now. Are you a high school student? Shouldn't you be in school? Exams are coming up," Nico asked.

"I'm on a break from school. Probably won't take the exams," Michael replied.

Nico didn't push further and said, "I usually start patrolling from the fifth floor down. After checking the parking lot, we're done. The mall's power is out, so the elevators aren't working. We'll have to take the stairs."

"Have you noticed anything strange about this mall while working here?" Michael asked, turning on his flashlight to light up the surroundings.

Nico paused. "What do you mean?"

"Like any weird smells?" Michael asked.

"Occasionally, but it's probably just some spoiled frozen food in the freezers. The stores clean it up before opening," Nico said.

"I mean, do you think this mall could be haunted?" Michael asked.

"Haunted?" Nico laughed. "You're a high school student and you believe in that? If it were haunted, why wouldn't I have encountered something by now? The boss believes in that too. He even brought in an exorcist recently, but it didn't help. Now he's looking for a famous exorcist from out of town."

"If it's not haunted, how do you explain the disappearances? Someone went missing in the mall, and it's not that big. Where could they go?" Michael asked.

"That person might not have gone missing in the mall. The police's last footage of the missing person was in the mall, but it could be a kidnapping or robbery. Disappearances have rarely happened since the mall closed," Nico said. "Wait," Michael suddenly stopped, his face changing.

"What's wrong?"

"You said we're the only two patrolling the mall, right? Then who's that?" Michael pointed ahead.

A figure stood motionless in the darkness, like a wooden statue.

Nico shone his flashlight on it, revealing a mannequin.

"Just a mannequin. Don't freak out," he said, picking it up and placing it in a nearby store.

The dark store was filled with mannequins, all missing limbs and arranged haphazardly, clearly neglected for a long time.

"All clear. Let's patrol the next floor," Nico said.

"Why was that mannequin in the middle of the path? Didn't you see it during your earlier patrols?" Michael asked.

"I didn't see it during my noon patrol. Maybe Leila and the others were using it for fitting clothes. It's not the first time," Nico said.

"Got it." Michael nodded.

Michael couldn't shake the feeling that the smell of decay he noticed earlier had grown stronger.

As they left, another mannequin appeared at the store entrance, motionless, its head seemingly turned towards the direction Michael and Nico had gone. After patrolling the mall, nothing unusual happened.

Maybe he was wrong and this was just a regular criminal case with no supernatural involvement.

Earning that million dollars from the mall owner wouldn't be easy.

Michael decided to stay for the three-day trial period. If nothing happened, he'd quit and not waste any more time.

After finishing his patrol and returning to the security room to rest, his satellite phone rang.

It was Sophia's father, Declan.