With Yang Bin's True Vision Eye active, the group encountered plenty of zombies along the way-but only in clusters of three to five. Anything over ten, Yang Bin steered them around well in advance.

Before long, they arrived at the small supermarket closest to the dorms.

The moment everyone saw it, excitement rippled through the crowd. Food. Finally.

"Huh, it's not locked?" Chen Hao said, puzzled.

"Someone bolted it from the inside," Yang Bin said.

"Oh, that explains it. Should we go in?"

"Let them have this one. We'll hit a different supermarket-no point fighting over scraps. Getting them here alive is generous enough."

"Mm."

Yang Bin turned to Zhao Kun behind him. "You guys stay here. There are people inside. Get them to open up. We're heading somewhere else for food."

"Alright." Zhao Kun nodded.

Truth was, he wanted to follow Yang Bin. But he knew-deep down, he knew. When Yang Bin had asked if they'd come along to rescue people, and they'd refused, the door to being real teammates had already closed.

Yang Bin hadn't said anything at the time. But Zhao Kun could feel it. The deliberate distance.

Yang Bin took Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang and left without looking back.

The rest didn't care where Yang Bin's group went. For them, only one thing existed right now: the supermarket in front of them.

Someone stepped up and knocked.

No response. They knocked again. And again. Nothing.

Inside, seven or eight people huddled in silence, listening to the knocking, refusing to make a sound.

Then the people outside started ramming the door.

The metallic banging echoed through the aisles. The people inside flinched. If this kept up, every zombie in the area would come running.

Left with no choice, they opened the door.

The moment it swung wide, the crowd surged in like a flood, scattering through the aisles, grabbing anything edible.

The original occupants tried to stop them. But outnumbered several times over, all they could do was watch.

Yang Bin's group knew nothing of this. They were already moving toward a bigger target.

As they walked, Yang Bin scanned for Special Zombies.

Whether it was luck or the Special Zombie count had genuinely increased, he spotted one within minutes-embedded in a small cluster of seven or eight.

No hesitation. Yang Bin led the charge.

The two sides collided. Yang Bin struck first-one wide swing of the iron pipe caved in a skull, then a straight thrust punched through another.

Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang moved in sync, dropping the zombies in front of them without pause.

First contact: four zombies down in seconds.

The Special Zombie lunged at Yang Bin. His pipe was still extended from the last thrust-no time to pull back. He planted a kick square in its chest, sending it stumbling.

Then he ripped the pipe free and drove it through the Special Zombie's skull before it could regain its footing. One strike. Dead.

He hadn't lit up the second star yet, but three crystals deep, his raw strength was on another level. Special Zombies no longer required a second hit.

Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang finished off the stragglers. The whole fight lasted under a minute.

Yang Bin crouched beside the Special Zombie's corpse and dug out the Red Crystal. He held it out to Chen Hao. "Want another one?"

Chen Hao shook his head. "Bin-ge, my strength's enough for now. Don't waste it on me. What we need is top-tier firepower-that's what keeps us alive. You take it."

"He's right, Bin-ge. Ever since you powered up, everything's been way easier on us. Besides, we wanna see how strong the second star makes you."

Yang Bin considered it, then nodded. "Fine. Once I hit Tier-2, the next ones go to you two."

He popped the crystal into his mouth and swallowed.

He felt the change-but it was small. Smaller than last time.

Yang Bin frowned. Diminishing returns. At this rate, the crystals would stop working entirely. How the hell was the second star supposed to light up?

He turned it over in his mind for a while and came up empty. Nothing to do but keep moving and figure it out along the way.

"Let's go. Keep moving."

They pressed on, dodging zombie groups where they could, putting down the ones they couldn't avoid.

After roughly half an hour of walking, they finally reached their destination-Wumei Supermarket. The biggest one on campus.

Same story. Locked from the inside.

Yang Bin activated True Vision Eye and peered through the walls.

A strange look crossed his face.

"What's wrong, Bin-ge?" Chen Hao asked.

"Familiar faces."

"Who?"

"Your old flame."

"Liu Shiya?!"

"Yep. And your love rival's in there too."

"......"

"Haha, well then-let's get in there and have a look." Hu Wenliang grinned, eager to watch the world burn.

"Just the two of them?" Chen Hao asked again. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes.

"No. About twenty-something people total," Yang Bin said. "But that doesn't change anything. You want to teach him a lesson, Liangzi and I have your back. Solid."

"Damn right, Haozi. Go handle him. I dare anyone else in there to move a finger."

Chen Hao drew a long breath. "Let's go in."

They walked up to the entrance and knocked.

The noise inside cut off instantly. Dead silence. They weren't planning to open.

Yang Bin smiled.

Then he drove his foot into the rolling shutter with everything he had. Metal buckled inward, punching a hole clean through. He grabbed the edges with both hands and wrenched them apart, peeling the steel back until the gap was wide enough to fit through. He ducked inside.

Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang followed right behind.

Inside, a crowd of people stared at them with wide eyes. Terrified.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You wrecked the door! What happens when zombies show up?!"

A guy in head-to-toe designer clothes strode forward, face twisted with anger. Decent-looking. The kind of face that was used to getting its way.

"Oh, my bad." Yang Bin's smile didn't waver. "We knocked and nobody answered. Figured the place was empty. Sorry about that. Guess you'll have to find somewhere else."

"Zombies are everywhere out there! Where the hell are we supposed to go? Fix the door. Now. Or don't blame me for what happens next." The man's voice dropped to a threat.

"And what happens next?" Yang Bin asked, tone flat.

"I break your legs and throw you outside."

"Ah." Yang Bin nodded slowly. "See, I never learned how to fix doors. But fixing people? That I can do."

"What's that supposed to-"

Thud.

The man flew back several meters and hit the floor in a crumpled heap.