They returned to the dormitory and split the food they'd looted at noon.
What should've lasted two days was gone in one, thanks to the extra mouths.
More people meant more firepower, sure-but also more consumption.
Zhao Kun's group had brought some supplies of their own, but between six people, it was barely enough for one meal tomorrow.
"Looks like we'll need to scrounge up some food before we head out tomorrow," Yang Bin said.
"Food's hard to come by on campus now. Every convenience store's been picked clean several times over, and the cafeterias are stripped bare. There are probably only two large supermarkets that still have anything left, but they're held by the two strongest teams," Zhao Kun said with a helpless shrug.
"Strongest teams? Which two?" Yang Bin asked.
"One's led by the PE Department guys. Captain's name is Qin Wei. They were out killing zombies from day one of the apocalypse. The guy's good at rallying people-his crew's close to two hundred now. Most of them are Tier-2 Evolvers, and he's already Tier 3 himself."
"The other team's led by a woman named Tang Weiwei. She's an Ability User-strength-type. Also Tier 3 now, incredibly powerful. She's got some real leadership skills too. Word is she rescued the people trapped in the cafeteria, and a lot of them joined her. Her team's already over two hundred strong."
"The two of them hold the school's two biggest supermarkets. But with that many people, their burn rate is high. Even if there's food left, it can't be much," Zhao Kun said.
"Oh? Liang Zi, your girl's pretty impressive," Yang Bin said with a grin.
"......"
"Brother Bin, can we please not go there?"
"You're such a coward. No wonder you're still a virgin in your twenties. Brother Bin's set you up so many times-if you'd just made a move, it might've actually worked out," Chen Hao said.
"......"
"I just think she's easy on the eyes. It's not even a crush. Stop making shit up."
"For a guy, easy on the eyes is all you need. If it were me, I'd lock it down first and figure out feelings later."
"And that's why you got cheated on."
"......"
"That was uncalled for."
"Alright, knock it off, you two. This is Liang Zi's business."
"Tomorrow we'll go to Qin Wei's place first and borrow some food. Then we leave campus," Yang Bin said flatly.
"Brother Bin, why not go to Liang Zi's wife?" Chen Hao asked, confused.
"Too close to home. Awkward to strong-arm."
"Uh... fair point."
"Brother Bin, food is life-or-death for everyone right now. Especially someone like Qin Wei-there's no way he'll just hand it over," Zhao Kun said firmly.
"He will." Yang Bin smiled.
Zhao Kun blinked, then it clicked. In this world, strength made the rules.
"Alright, get some rest. We're getting up tonight to watch the stars," Yang Bin said.
"Watch stars? What stars?" Zhao Kun asked, bewildered.
"Just follow us. You'll see."
"...Okay."
Wulian Supermarket.
"Sister Weiwei, we're running low on food in the supermarket. We went out searching today and came back with almost nothing. If this keeps up, we'll have no choice but to leave campus." A woman approached Tang Weiwei and spoke quietly.
"Leaving was always the plan. The school only has so many resources-we can't stay here forever," Tang Weiwei said.
"Tell everyone to pack up. We move out within two days."
"Got it."
"What's the situation with the other teams?"
"Qin Wei's group still holds Wumei Supermarket, but they're probably running low too. The smaller teams are even worse off-most have probably already started leaving. Oh, and Sister Weiwei-we found out today that Zhou Xiong's entire team was wiped out."
"Swarmed by zombies?"
"The scene looked like it, but... a few of them had their skulls shattered while their bodies were completely intact. That doesn't really match how zombies kill," the woman said uncertainly.
"Shattered skulls?" Tang Weiwei frowned. Something seemed to click. She murmured, "Don't tell me they pissed off those guys..."
Wumei Supermarket.
"Boss, just finished the food inventory. If we ration carefully, we've got about two days' worth left." A tall man reported to the equally tall Qin Wei.
"Two days. That's tight." Qin Wei frowned. "Zombie numbers on campus have dropped a lot-this is prime time to level up. I don't want to leave yet."
"Not much we can do. The other teams are probably tapped out too. Maybe Tang Weiwei's group still has something to spare."
"Forget Tang Weiwei. That woman's ability hits too hard-can't take her. Have the guys do another sweep tomorrow. I figure most of the other groups will clear out in the next day or two. Every extra day we stay is a win."
"Got it."
Late that night.
Yang Bin and the others dragged themselves up, then knocked on the next room to wake Zhao Kun's group.
Six people and one cat made their way to the rooftop again, found a clean spot, and lay down.
"Brother Bin, you dragged us up to the roof in the dead of night... this isn't actually about stargazing, is it?" Old Hei mumbled, still half-asleep.
"It is. When the Nine Stars of the Big Dipper appear, focus on them. It boosts your strength," Yang Bin said.
"...!"
"Watching stars to get stronger? How does that make any scientific sense?" Skinny Monkey's eyes went wide.
"Since you're such a believer in science, go ahead and explain where zombies came from."
"Uh..."
"Just focus and watch. We're not dragging you out of bed at midnight for a prank," Chen Hao said with a laugh.
"Fine."
Soon, the Nine Stars of the Big Dipper appeared in the sky.
Yang Bin's trio locked their gazes on the stars and quickly slipped into a meditative state.
Zhao Kun's three glanced at them, then up at the constellation, then back again-and began watching with cautious skepticism.
Elsewhere on campus.
In some random dormitory.
"Bro, these zombies stare at the sky every single night. What the hell are they looking at?"
"Beats me. There's nothing up there except those nine stars. You think zombies are into astronomy?"
"What if that's how they train? That would explain why they get stronger every night."
"Stargazing as a training method? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Even web novels wouldn't pull that."
"Exactly. Just take advantage of the zombies being quiet and get some sleep. We've got an early morning tomorrow."
"I'm gonna try it. Maybe it actually works."
A while later.
"Damn it, I'm an idiot. All this does is make your eyes burn and your neck ache." The guy flopped back onto his bed in disgust.
"Go to sleep."
At five in the morning, the Nine Stars of the Big Dipper faded from the sky. Yang Bin's group sat up and stretched, then turned to Zhao Kun's three. "How do you feel?"
Zhao Kun clenched his fist, a spark of excitement in his eyes. "I think... there's actually some improvement."
Old Hei and Skinny Monkey wore matching expressions of disbelief.
"Brother Bin, how did you figure this out?" Zhao Kun asked, still stunned. "I've looked at the stars before out of curiosity, but I never felt anything."
"My ability lets me see energy flow. When you concentrate on the stars, energy trickles into your body. But the amount that enters humans is tiny-if you only watch for a short time, you won't notice a thing. You need at least an hour or two of sustained focus before the effect becomes noticeable," Yang Bin explained.
"That explains it. Brother Bin, your ability is seriously overpowered," Zhao Kun said enviously.
"Alright, let's head back down and catch a couple more hours of sleep."
"Mm."
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