?

The Tier-2 Zombie was faster than any of them could match. The leader was half a second from being tackled to the ground.

Then a Barbell Rod came hurtling through the air and slammed into the zombie's chest. The impact knocked it back several steps.

Three figures burst from behind a nearby wall.

Yang Bin sprinted forward and scooped up the Barbell Rod.

The zombie was already back on its feet, lunging straight at him.

Yang Bin snorted and swung the rod down at its skull with everything he had.

"Bang-"

Bone shattered. The zombie's head burst apart like a watermelon under a single strike.

"!!!"

The entire group stood frozen, staring in disbelief.

A zombie that more than twenty of them couldn't bring down-killed in one hit.

Yang Bin acted like he'd swatted a fly. He slung the Barbell Rod over his shoulder, crouched beside the corpse, pried out the crystal, and pocketed it. Then he turned to leave with his two companions.

"Brother, that crystal-we get a share, right?" The leader, still gripping his Tang Saber, rushed forward. "We lost so many people fighting that thing. You show up and just take it? That's not right."

Yang Bin said nothing. He just turned to Hu Wenliang with a knowing half-smile.

Hu Wenliang's face went dark with anger. He rounded on the man. "If we hadn't stepped in, you'd all be dead. We saved your lives. You don't even say thanks, and now you want the crystal?"

"That's not how it works," another person from the group cut in. "If we hadn't worn it down first, could you have killed it that easily? No matter how you look at it, we deserve a share."

"Worn it down?" Hu Wenliang stared at them. "That's not how zombies work."

"Look at its body-covered in wounds. All from us. You landed one hit. You just swooped in at the end."

"......"

Hu Wenliang was too angry to speak.

Everyone knew by now that only a headshot could kill a zombie. Wounds anywhere else were meaningless. And these people were seriously arguing they'd "worn it down"?

Seeing Hu Wenliang's expression, Yang Bin smiled and shook his head. He patted Hu Wenliang on the shoulder. "So? How's it feel?"

"Like eating a mouthful of shit," Hu Wenliang said bitterly. These shameless people genuinely disgusted him.

"Know how to handle people like this?" Yang Bin asked.

Hu Wenliang shook his head numbly.

"I'll show you. Watch."

Yang Bin walked toward the group with a relaxed smile. "You want a share of this crystal?"

"That's right. We put in the work. Take it out-let's talk about how to split it," the leader said.

"Sure. Here, have a look."

Yang Bin actually pulled the crystal out.

The leader's eyes lit up with naked greed. He reached for it.

"Bang!" The rod blurred.

"AHHH-!"

A scream tore from the man's throat. His outstretched hand folded at an unnatural angle, dangling limp. The bone was shattered clean through.

Everyone froze. No one had expected him to strike-or to be that vicious.

"Fuck you!"

The man was tough. He grabbed the Tang Saber with his other hand and slashed at Yang Bin.

"Bang-"

Another swing. The man's head exploded like a watermelon. Blood sprayed in every direction.

The headless body toppled straight backward and hit the ground.

"!!!"

Everyone stood rooted in place. No one had imagined Yang Bin would actually kill someone in broad daylight.

The apocalypse was only days old. Most people still clung to the old rules. Killing another person was still something the mind refused to accept.

"You-!!!"

The others pointed at Yang Bin, faces white with terror, mouths working but no words coming out.

"Get lost," Yang Bin said flatly.

Someone opened their mouth to protest-then saw Yang Bin raise the Barbell Rod again. They scattered like startled birds.

Yang Bin shook his head and turned around. Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang were both staring at him, slightly dazed.

He sighed and looked at them seriously. "If you want to survive the apocalypse, you have to be ruthless. Only when you're ruthless will people fear you. And fear keeps you alive longer. Understand?"

"Understood." Chen Hao adjusted fast.

Hu Wenliang was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Understood."

"Good. Now let's move-there's a large group of zombies heading this way."

"Right."

They relocated to a safe spot. Yang Bin handed the crystal to Chen Hao. "Haozi, you advance first."

"Got it." Chen Hao didn't hesitate. He took the crystal and swallowed it.

Minutes later, Chen Hao reached Tier 2. Two of the three were now Tier 2.

"Let's go. Next target."

They moved quickly toward the second location, mainly to avoid another group of scavengers showing up to claim credit.

It wasn't dangerous-just revolting.

Fortunately, no one else was at the second site. Among a cluster of over ten zombies, there was one Tier-2 Zombie and two Tier-1 Zombies-proof of how rapidly the Special Zombie ratio was climbing.

For the three of them, this lineup wasn't much of a threat. A few minutes of work cleared them all out: one Tier-2 Crystal and two Tier-1 Crystals.

Hu Wenliang swallowed his crystal and advanced. All three were now Tier 2.

"Let's go. Next one."

"Mm."

They headed toward the next target.

This one was beneath a willow tree near Yuxin Lake. Only two zombies. The easiest of the bunch.

But just as they neared the lake, a black shape launched from the branches overhead-claws outstretched, aimed straight at Yang Bin in the lead.

The attack came too fast for any of them to react. Yang Bin barely got his arm up in time to block.

"Hssss-"

Searing pain. Four gashes ripped across his forearm, deep enough to show bone.

Yang Bin didn't look at the wound. His eyes locked onto whatever had hit him.

What he saw made all three of them freeze.

"What the fuck-there's a tiger on campus?!" Chen Hao blurted.

"Is it possible... this is a cat?" Hu Wenliang said.

"......"

"Your family's cats are that big?" Chen Hao's eyes went wide.

"But it really is a cat. An Orange Cat."

"Liangzi's right. It's actually a cat," Yang Bin confirmed.

"......"

"But it's massive. I've never seen anything like it-never even heard of one."

"It's mutated." Yang Bin's voice dropped low. The Orange Cat crouched before them, blood-red eyes fixed on the group, unblinking.

"Stay sharp. This one won't go down easy."