beat faltered—a familiar feeling emanated from the clouds, rendering everything around him silent, save for his own heartbeat.

In the distance, a faint light emerged from the center of the clouds, accompanied by sporadic thunderous sounds. The mall was directly under the center. An ominous feeling rose within Tao Ci, prompting him to quicken his pace.

Pedestrians also noticed the peculiar sky and paused to take selfies, boasting their unique experience on WeChat. Inside the mall, the shoppers were unaware of the strange phenomenon above them, going about their regular day.

Before long, the clouds began rotating, slowly at first, then picking up speed. Tao Ci's heart raced as he sprinted towards the mall. Yet, despite dashing, the short distance seemed to mock him, refusing to shorten, as if morning's run had drained all his strength.

The rotation intensified. Just as Tao Ci entered the mall, a gust of wind brushed across pedestrians' foreheads, making them instinctively raise their hands to adjust their forelocks. In an instant, chaos erupted! The wind turned fierce, so strong that people struggled to stand, seeking support. Suddenly, someone was lifted into the air! Horrified, onlookers realized a human was flying, drawing a circle following the clouds’ rotation.

“Crack!” Trees were uprooted, swept into the vortex. Screams and cries filled the air, and everything capable of floating rose skyward.

The mall began to be bombarded by flying debris, disintegrating from its top floor. People finally noticed the abnormality, and faced with an apocalypse-like scene, desperately flew into the sky.

"Where are you on the third floor? Things look bad!" Tao Ci shouted frantically, dialing as he ran to the third floor.

"We’re at the checkout! The exit is blocked by the crowd! Xiao Ci, leave! Don't worry about us! Go to the basement! Beep...beep…" The desperate voice trailed off. The phone lost signal; the fourth floor was about to break apart. Tao Ci, in a frenzy, dashed towards the elevator. He had to find his parents. Even if it meant death, abandoning them was never an option.

The exit crowd resembled a wildebeest migration on the African savanna. Eyes wide, mouths agape, everyone tried to breathe more oxygen to sustain their escape. Trampled bodies lay on the floor, with more people falling and being crushed.

Tao Ci pushed against the crowd, feeling his strength rapidly depleting. Only a few minutes in, he was already exhausted, his legs failing him. Yet the thought of his parents kept him going, step by step.

Advancing ten more meters, he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye, making his pupils dilate. In the distance stood a woman, calmly observing the crowd, seemingly ignored by the frantic masses. It was the woman who had bi

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