Ultimate Evolution I Became the Master of the World
Chapter 53 The Shameful Escape

The mall was dim and creepy quiet.

The elevator had stopped, and the footsteps that echoed everywhere had gone silent. Even the cries for help had disappeared. But the mall wasn't empty.

A nasty smell filled the air, and pale, rotting bodies stood on the fifth floor, blocking the way like they were guarding something. These folks should've been dead a long time ago, but just a bit earlier, they'd crawled out from different corners of the mall. Calling them people wasn't right; they were more like ghosts.

Mr. Wagner was all tense, eyes shut tight, too scared to look at the nightmare around him.

He kept praying, hoping God would save him from these ghosts.

After a while, Mr. Wagner noticed everything was quiet, and he was still alive and unharmed.

He didn't survive because of his prayers, though. It was Michael.

"Mr. Wagner, quit playing dead and open your eyes. Don't act like you didn't hear me earlier. You're only safe for now. Whether you get out of here is still up in the air. If you're willing to pay my fee, I can make sure you all get out alive," Michael said.

Mr. Wagner slowly opened his eyes, looked around, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the rotting corpses nearby.

"I'm right here, Mr. Wagner. What are you looking at?" Michael said, standing to the side.

Seeing Michael, a living person, Mr. Wagner sighed in relief. "Can you really guarantee I'll get out of here alive?"

"Mr. Wagner, are you doubting my skills? Just think about how you survived earlier. And don't get up; lying on the ground is safer for now," Michael said.

Ethan, lying nearby, chimed in, "Don't be fooled by his age. He's an Interpol officer from Asia, a government employee. His word is good. Besides, no one else can guarantee your survival. You know the situation; it's beyond my capabilities." "So, I suggest you let Michael get you out of here. Of course, if you're tight with money, just forget it," Ethan added.

He was being generous, passing the business to Michael since he couldn't handle it himself.

"So, what do you think? Consider it. I won't give you much time. Ten minutes tops, and I'm out," Michael said, checking his phone.

He wasn't sticking around until dark.

Once it got dark, it'd be like stepping into a Ghost Realm, with dangers doubling.

Mr. Wagner cautiously asked, "So, officer, how much is your fee? Is five million dollars enough?"

Anyway, the money would go to Ethan or this young officer. At least he could make a friend, considering the officer was from Interpol.

Though five million dollars was steep, it was nothing compared to his life.

"Alright, five million dollars," Michael's eyes lit up.

Scaring Mr. Wagner first made it easier to raise the price. If he'd approached Mr. Wagner directly about this earlier, not only would he not have believed it, but the price wouldn't have gone up.

"But you need to pay first. That's my style. If that's okay, you can start the payment now," Michael said.

"No problem," Mr. Wagner agreed immediately.

For a mall owner of his stature, five million dollars was no big deal.

"You, stop playing dumb. Lucas, I'm talking to you. Mr. Wagner is paying five million dollars for his safe exit. How much are you willing to pay? Don't think I'll take you out for free. If you can't pay, I'll leave you here," Michael said. Lucas's face went pale. He looked at Michael with a desperate expression, "I can't come up with five million dollars. I only have five hundred thousand. That's all I've got."

Michael smirked, "I see the cunning in your eyes, but I'm a fair guy. You insulted me earlier, but I don't hold grudges against you. So, let me check your account. If it's less than five hundred thousand, I'll take that. If it's more, sorry, all of it goes towards my fee, or I'll leave you here."

"I'm very fair in business, Lucas. You can trust me," Michael said seriously.

"What?" Lucas was stunned.

"Don't waste time. If I don't get the money, I'll only take Mr. Wagner," Michael said.

"Fine, I'll pay you," Lucas said tearfully, handing his phone to Michael.

Michael checked his account and said, "You are really rich, over 1.8 million dollars. According to our deal, please transfer all the money to me."

He handed the phone back to Lucas.

'Swindler, he's a swindler, practically extortion,' Lucas thought, wanting to curse Michael but not daring to.

And he had no choice.

Money could be earned again, but life, once lost, was gone forever.

In the end, he paid.

After getting the money, Michael turned his attention to Mr. Rossi. Then he walked over gratefully, holding Mr. Rossi's trembling hand, saying, "Thanks to you, your idea of closing the doors was brilliant. Not only did it get your assistants killed, but also many mall staff."

"You almost got yourself killed, too," Michael gave Mr. Rossi a thumbs up.

If it weren't for him locking the doors, none of this would have happened. Everyone could have left and many people wouldn't have died.

Mr. Rossi's face was a mix of fear and anger.

Finally, Mr. Rossi spoke, "I only have a little over three million dollars on me. That's all. The rest is not on me. I'll give it all to you if you take me out of here. I apologize for what I did earlier."

"What are you saying? Mr. Wagner paid five million dollars. You must be wealthier. How about eight million dollars? I'll take you out. If you don't have enough cash, you can use items as collateral," Michael said.

Mr. Rossi trembled but eventually transferred over three million dollars to Michael, along with a watch, a luxury car key, and other odd items, barely making up the amount.

'Over ten million dollars now. Now I'm also a filthy rich man,' Michael thought, looking at the balance notification on his phone, feeling a bit thrilled.

If it weren't for becoming a Ghost Handler, he wouldn't have earned this much in a lifetime through studying and working.

But as a Ghost Handler, he made this much in just one day.

No wonder Ghost Handlers abroad worked as mercenaries, taking bounties. The high payback was indeed attractive.

"So, when will you take us out of here?" Mr. Wagner asked anxiously.

Michael put away his phone and said, "Right now."

He walked into the storage room and retrieved the key from Leila's corpse.

"Follow me, but remember, don't stand up. Keep your back to the ground," Michael said.

"How do we move with our backs to the ground?" Lucas asked.

"Have you seen a caterpillar? It's similar, but reversed, like backstroke swimming. It's easy," Michael said.

"What? You're definitely messing with us. Why can you walk upright without any problem?" Lucas said, annoyed.

"I'm an Interpol officer with the ability to deal with ghosts. Do you have that? If you think this is embarrassing, fine, stand up and risk dying. I won't be responsible," Michael said. Lucas was silent for a moment, then quickly pushed himself along the ground like a caterpillar.

"Like this?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, just like that. You're doing great, fast and steady," Michael nodded.