The moment the Special Zombie dropped, Yang Bin booted the next zombie off the bridge and dragged the corpse over to his side. No point coming back later to dig through a pile of bodies.

Half an hour later, every last zombie was dead. Corpses littered the bridge and the banks below. The lake had turned a murky red.

The three of them collapsed onto the ground, completely spent.

It was a while before Yang Bin hauled himself up. He walked over to the Special Zombie's body and, with practiced hands, dug the crystal out of its skull.

Before he could even open his mouth, Chen Hao spoke first. "Bin-ge, don't bother asking. Just eat it. See if you can light up the second corner."

"Yeah, Bin-ge. I'm curious too," Hu Wenliang said.

"Mm."

Yang Bin nodded, skipped the pleasantries, and swallowed the crystal whole.

A moment passed. His brow furrowed again.

"What's wrong, Bin-ge? Still not lit?" Chen Hao asked.

"No." Yang Bin shook his head.

"Did your strength go up at least?"

"It did. But the effect was weaker than the last one." Yang Bin sighed.

"That's fine. As long as it's still improving. Worst case, you eat a few more. It'll light up eventually." Chen Hao shrugged.

"Mm."

They rested a bit longer, then got to their feet and headed back toward the dormitory.

The sky had already gone dark. No way to keep fighting tonight.

When they reached the dormitory building, they were met with an unexpected sight-the other residents of their building had returned.

A group stood in front of the entrance, faces grim, clearly about to head upstairs. They looked like they'd just gotten back.

Yang Bin's group drew their attention immediately.

Zhao Kun and his people spotted Yang Bin. A complicated resentment flickered in their eyes.

Yang Bin glanced at Zhao Kun, mildly puzzled. "How come you're back?"

"Man, don't even get me started." Zhao Kun let out a bitter laugh, then gave Yang Bin the rundown of what had happened.

"The canteen's completely surrounded by zombies. No way in. We had no choice but to turn around." Zhao Kun spread his hands.

"Damn. That's rough," Yang Bin said.

"If some idiot hadn't lured those zombies away from the Library, we'd probably still be stuck in there." Old Hei shook his head, lingering fear in his voice.

Chen Hao's expression soured instantly.

"Oi, Heizi. Who are you calling an idiot?"

"I wasn't talking about you."

"Wait-" Old Hei's eyes went wide. "That was you?"

"What do you think? I saved your asses. So how are you planning to thank me?" Chen Hao grinned.

"It was really you? How the hell did you get away from a hundred-plus zombies!?"

"Simple. Killed them all. Problem solved."

"......"

Zhao Kun and his two companions were speechless, but none of them doubted it. They knew-with Yang the Madman involved, it was entirely possible.

Zhao Kun's group believed it. The rest of the crowd did not.

Someone scoffed immediately.

"What kind of bullshit is that? A hundred zombies and you killed them all? Why not say you can fly while you're at it?"

"That's hilarious. So you're saying all of us together aren't worth as much as you three? You really love running your mouth."

"Exactly. We were out there risking our necks while you hid in your dorm rooms too scared to come out. And now you're standing here acting tough?"

Zhao Kun and his two companions exchanged a look, then turned to stare at the hecklers with something close to pity.

These people had no idea what they were walking into.

Meanwhile, the four from Room 708 kept their mouths firmly shut.

They'd recognized Yang Bin and Chen Hao at first glance. But they said nothing. Their time in the Library had shown them exactly what kind of people this crowd was. They weren't about to offer a warning.

"Bin-ge." Chen Hao looked at Yang Bin. "My hands are itching."

"Go ahead. Don't hold back on my account."

"Gladly."

Chen Hao walked straight up to the two loudest mouths, raised his hand, and swung.

Crack.

The slap echoed off the building walls. The guy hit the ground hard, two teeth skittering across the pavement.

"What the fuck-why are you hitting people!?"

"Yeah! What gives you the right? We can't even call out a liar now?"

The crowd bristled.

Chen Hao didn't spare them a glance. He backhanded the second guy to the ground just as easily.

"This is insane! Who does he think he is!?"

Anger rippled through the group. This was a slap to all of their faces.

"Zhao Kun, what's your take!?" Despite their fury, they still looked to Zhao Kun. He knew these people, and his strength on the road back had earned their respect. His opinion mattered.

"You want to die, leave me out of it," Zhao Kun said flatly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Means exactly what I said. You want to get yourselves killed, I won't stop you. But don't drag me down with you." Zhao Kun stepped back, drawing a clean line between himself and the mob.

Provoke that madman? These idiots had a death wish.

The crowd went quiet, stunned by Zhao Kun's reaction.

They'd watched him all the way back. They'd seen how vicious he was in a fight-he'd killed most of the zombies on their route himself.

And a guy that fierce was afraid of these people?

Realization dawned on most of them. You didn't need to be a genius to see these weren't people you messed with.

Most of them got the message. The two on the ground did not.

Blind with rage, both men scrambled to their feet. One snatched up a fruit knife. The other ripped a steel pipe from a bystander's hands and swung it at Chen Hao's head.

"I'll fucking kill you!"

Chen Hao smirked. His iron pipe came down on the one with the steel pipe first-a single blow that drove the man face-first into the ground. Then he pivoted and kicked the knife-wielder square in the chest.

The guy flew back several meters before crashing down.

The crowd sucked in a collective breath.

Several meters. From a single kick. What kind of strength was that?

Zhao Kun and his two companions exchanged a look. The answer was obvious.

Chen Hao had gotten stronger too.

The two men on the ground weren't getting up anytime soon. When they finally lifted their heads, their eyes were full of fear.

"Consider this a lesson," Chen Hao said, voice flat. "Watch your mouths from now on."

He turned, fell in behind Yang Bin, and the group headed for the stairs. People scrambled out of their path.

Only then did it click for the onlookers-the one who'd just demolished two men wasn't even the leader.

So the guy in front was worse?

The moment they disappeared upstairs, the entire crowd exhaled.

Zhao Kun looked down at the two groaning on the ground and shook his head. "Count yourselves lucky. If Yang the Madman had been the one to move, you'd already be dead."

"He wouldn't dare kill someone!"

"Heh." Zhao Kun's smile didn't reach his eyes. "What world do you think this is now? Killing someone-is that really so hard?"

"....."

A chill ran through the crowd. He was right. The world had changed. Life wasn't worth what it used to be.

Severed limbs and corpses lay everywhere outside. Any one of them could be next. Maybe it was time to think before speaking.

The two who'd been beaten shut their mouths. They didn't dare say another word.