In the room...
A group of people sat around the table, eyes glued to the kitchen, drool practically pooling on the floor.
The smell was unreal.
The aroma had drifted halfway down the block-imagine what it was like for the people actually inside.
"Dog meat's ready..."
Finally, the kitchen door swung open and Yang Bin walked out carrying a massive pot of steaming dog meat.
Nobody could hold back. The second the pot hit the table, everyone shot to their feet, ladles in hand.
"Relax, there's plenty. Eat all you want." Yang Bin grinned.
"Mmm... Bin-ge, your cooking is on another level."
"This is insane. I never imagined eating something this good during the apocalypse."
"Joining Star Fall is hands-down the best decision I've ever made." Zhong Yuansen let out a long sigh.
Now this-this was living.
The apocalypse? That was other people's apocalypse. What did it have to do with Star Fall Squad?
Nobody cared about burning their tongues. They were Wolfing down food like starving animals.
The rich aroma of dog meat was so thick it drifted next door. The mother and daughter were practically crying from how good it smelled.
But then they remembered the guy across the hall killed people without blinking, and stayed put.
Half an hour later...
Everyone leaned back rubbing their stomachs, faces slack with satisfaction.
That husky had weighed over three hundred jin. Yang Bin had only cooked a small portion, but it was more than enough to stuff all of them.
He sliced the remaining meat into thin strips, roasted them dry, and packed them into everyone's backpacks.
Once they got back to base, they could finish drying it into jerky-way better than bread.
After the meal, Yang Bin wandered over to the window and spotted people fighting below.
He activated True Vision Eye for a quick look, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Liang Zi, your wife's here looking for you."
"......"
Hu Wenliang rolled his eyes, but walked over anyway.
Classic. Says he doesn't care, body says otherwise.
The others crowded around the window too, curious, but the distance was too far to make out faces.
"Tang Weiwei's team?" Zhao Kun asked.
"Yep."
"Why would they be all the way out here?"
"Who knows. Probably followed Liang Zi's scent."
"......"
"Should we go down?"
"Your wifey can handle these zombies fine. But there's a Tier-5 camper skulking in that horde-I'm not giving that one away. She hasn't married into the family yet." Yang Bin smirked.
"Let's move. Bellies are full, time to earn our keep."
"Right."
They ripped the security bars off the window and dropped down.
Meanwhile...
Tang Weiwei's team was cutting through zombies in tight formation.
The horde numbered around a thousand-mostly Tier 3, a scattering of Tier 2, a few dozen Tier 4, and one Tier-5 camper hiding in the pack like a coward.
Tang Weiwei's team was about two hundred strong, every member at Tier-3 Peak with a handful of Fourth Orders mixed in. Backed against the compound wall, they should have been fine under normal circumstances.
Then the Tier-5 zombie struck without warning, killing two members instantly and punching a hole in their formation.
Nobody had spotted it coming. That was the whole point of a camper-the ambush worked perfectly.
The Tier-4 zombies surged forward the moment the Tier-5 moved, and the formation buckled.
Tang Weiwei reacted fast. She intercepted the Tier-5 zombie herself and directed her Tier-4 fighters to lock down the rest, pulling the line back together.
Her ability gave her a massive strength boost. At Tier-4 Peak, she already packed over two thousand kilograms of raw force-more than enough to go toe-to-toe with a Tier-5 zombie.
The two traded blows evenly.
Then chaos erupted behind the horde.
A group of people was tearing through zombies at a speed that defied belief.
Seven of them. All swinging Barbell Rods. Every swing sent zombies crumpling in waves.
"It's them!" Tang Weiwei's eyes went wide.
Her team recognized Yang Bin's crew too. Surprise rippled through the ranks-nobody expected to run into them out here after leaving the school.
The only unfamiliar face was Jiang Tianming.
But when Jiang Tianming saw how these seven fought, his eyes lit up immediately.
Within moments, Yang Bin and the others had carved a path straight through to Tang Weiwei's side.
Tang Weiwei's brain caught up a second too late. She panicked and shouted: "That one's mine!"
Too slow.
Yang Bin had already circled behind the Tier-5 zombie. Before her words finished echoing, his Barbell Rod caved in the creature's skull.
Blood sprayed. The head burst like a melon.
Back when he was Tier 4, killing a Tier-5 zombie took real effort. Now that he'd crossed into Tier 5 himself, a single blindside swing was all it took.
The zombie's body hadn't even started falling before Yang Bin's hand shot out and plucked the crystal from the wreckage.
"You-"
Tang Weiwei stared at him, fury written across her face.
Again. This bastard stole her crystal again.
"Hey, Beauty Tang. Long time no see. Our Liang Zi's been missing you." Yang Bin smiled pleasantly.
"......"
"You stole my crystal again!" Tang Weiwei snapped.
"Stole? I killed it, I take the crystal. That's how it works."
"......"
Tang Weiwei exhaled through her nose. She knew this guy was a straight-up bandit. Once a crystal landed in his hands, it was gone forever.
"What are you even doing here?" she asked.
"Killing zombies."
"What a coincidence-we came here to kill zombies too."
"Oh, just a coincidence? I figured you came looking for Liang Zi specifically."
"......"
"Was that dog meat yours?"
"Yep."
"Any left?" Tang Weiwei licked her lips. She was clearly starving for it.
"I'm out. Liang Zi probably still has some, though."
"....."
"Can you stop bringing up Liang Zi every other sentence?" Tang Weiwei said flatly.
"Can't help it. The man likes you."
"Tch. If he's really a man, he can come chase me himself!"
"You heard her."
"Yo, Liang Zi! Quit killing zombies-come build some chemistry!"
"......"
Hu Wenliang rolled his eyes. He was currently surrounded by several dozen zombies. Chemistry could wait.
Everyone else was still mopping up too. Only Yang Bin and Tang Weiwei stood in a cleared pocket with nothing left to kill.
But with Star Fall Squad in the mix, the remaining zombies didn't stand a chance.
Jiang Tianming watched the two chat like old friends and strolled over.
"Captain Tang, you know them? Mind introducing us?"
Tang Weiwei glanced at him and said nothing.
Yang Bin looked Jiang Tianming up and down, mildly puzzled. "I thought your team was all students from our school. When'd you pick up someone this old?"
"........"