Ultimate Evolution I Became the Master of the World

At this moment, the owner of the phone shop told Michael that the phones he brought were worthless, and even the most expensive one was fake. The owner said he could only offer $500 at most. Michael sneered inwardly, knowing these phones couldn't be fake. He then proceeded to beat up the owner of the phone shop and forced him to transfer all the money in the shop to him.

Grabbing the swindler by the collar, Michael said coldly, "You've pulled this phone-switching trick a bunch of times, haven't you? Listen up, I can deal with you like a regular person, but I can also be ten times worse. You'll know what regret feels like. I'll be around here often, and if I catch you doing this again, I won't just shove the phone into your head."

"Sorry, I won't dare anymore, I promise," the swindler stammered, shaking with fear.

"People like you are so cocky until you get caught, and now you think a simple apology will fix everything? That's too easy. No wonder scammers like you are everywhere with such low consequences for lying." Michael gave him a stern warning and then walked away.

Of course, he also had an extra $100,000 in his hand, probably the most the swindler could cough up.

Even though his methods were shady, it didn't matter to him.

"Before I die, I need to make enough money for my mom. It doesn't matter if my methods are dirty. Otherwise, what will my mom do after I'm gone? She's not in good health either," Michael muttered, looking down with a sad expression. "It's a pity there's no bounty for paranormal stuff in the States. Otherwise, I could take a risk, work hard, and earn a million dollars, and then I wouldn't have to worry about money," he sighed.

He wandered the streets, looking for ways to make some cash.

Finally, he stopped in front of a utility pole covered in various ads.

Michael circled around and suddenly spotted a half-torn flyer.

It read, [Big reward for exorcism... $1,000,000 if effective.]

Below was a contact number and an address.

Michael hesitated, "Should I give it a shot?"

It could be a scam, but it could also be a real deal with someone facing a paranormal problem and willing to pay big bucks to solve it. Otherwise, the reward wouldn't be so high. "After all, it's worth a try," Michael thought for a moment and decided not to call but to go directly to the address to check if it was legit.

If it was fake, he wouldn't waste any more time.

Immediately, he took a cab and quickly headed to the address on the flyer.

On a bustling main road, surrounded by various residential complexes and communities with a significant amount of foot traffic, there was a large mall located by the roadside. The address mentioned was this mall.

Michael paid the cab fare and got out, looking at the mall.

There were police barricades outside that hadn't been removed, indicating that something had happened recently. The mall was empty, most of the lights were off, and it seemed to be closed. Michael walked over and saw several job advertisements posted at the entrance.

"From the looks of it, something did happen, but I don't know if it's a paranormal event."

Without thinking much, he walked into the mall.

As soon as he entered, Michael's face changed slightly.

A faint, almost imperceptible stench wafted through the air, but it was particularly distinctive because he had smelled it a few days ago at school.

It was the smell of a rotting corpse.

His eyes moved as he looked deeper into the mall.

Apart from the entrance area where the lights were on, the rest of the mall was dark due to being closed, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

Michael had a vague feeling that something was watching him from the darkness of the mall.

Suddenly, the crisp sound of footsteps echoed from the darkness ahead, bouncing off the empty walls of the mall.

A shadowy figure emerged from the distance, getting closer and closer.

Michael instinctively tensed up, holding his breath. Was it a ghost?

Closer, and closer.

The shadow walked straight towards him without any hesitation.

"Sorry, the mall's closed for reorganization these days. If you need to buy something, there's a small supermarket up front," said a thin young man in a security uniform as he stepped out of the darkness. "Why are you staring at me like that?" the young security guard asked, looking puzzled at Michael.

Michael was silent for a moment before asking, "What were you doing just now?"

"Going to the bathroom, why? Is there a problem?" the young security guard replied.novelbin

"Why didn't you turn on the light in the bathroom?"

The young security guard shrugged, "It wastes electricity, the boss doesn't allow it. If you have nothing else, you should leave. We're closed, and if someone sneaks in, I'll be in trouble. Last time, a kid got in, and it took me forever to find him. I almost lost my job."

Michael said, "I'm not here to buy anything. I'm here to see your boss."

"The boss isn't here today," the young security guard said.

"When will he be back?" Michael asked.

"The boss is on a business trip and will be back in a couple of days," the young security guard said. "Why are you asking so many questions? You're not here to cause trouble, are you?"

Michael thought for a moment and said, "No, I'm here for a job."

"A job?" The young security guard looked Michael up and down, surprised.

"Do you know there was a missing person case in this mall? Someone disappeared here and hasn't been found yet."

"I didn't know before, but now I do," Michael said.

"And you still dare to apply for a job?"

"Why not? The salary is good, and it's just a disappearance, not a haunting," Michael said.

The young security guard said, "Alright, follow me. I'll take you to Leila Montague, she's in charge of hiring."

Michael followed him.

In a small shop inside the mall, four or five employees were lounging on sofas, some watching TV, others scrolling on their phones, looking bored.

"Leila, someone is here for a job," the young security guard announced.

A middle-aged woman in a work uniform looked up and stood with a smile. "The mall will reopen soon and we're short on staff. We're not strict about qualifications or work experience right now. The salary is $6,000 a month, accommodation included, but the working hours are long. If you don't mind it, when can you start?"

Michael thought for a moment and said, "I can start today."

"The trial period is three days. Do you have any preferences for the position? We're short on front desk, procurement, cashier, and security staff."

Leila went on to explain some requirements and work hours.

Michael didn't pay much attention. He wasn't here to apply for a job; he was here to meet the boss and earn a fee.

"I don't have much work experience, so I'll apply for the security position. By the way, I saw a flyer outside claiming the boss is looking for someone to exorcise a ghost. Is that true?"

Leila's smile faded, and she said, "Yes, but it has nothing to do with you. Just introduce yourself first so everyone can get to know you."

She seemed to deliberately avoid the topic.

Michael felt that there was indeed something off about this mall.