With Star Fall Squad joining the fight, the thousand-plus zombies didn't last long.
True to Yang Bin's core philosophy, the six of them muscled their way through two hundred people and snatched the lion's share of Tier-4 Crystals. Tang Weiwei's team was livid.
Soon, everyone regrouped around Yang Bin.
Hu Wenliang stole a glance at Tang Weiwei.
Some things start as nothing. But talk about them enough, and nothing becomes something.
That's exactly what happened to Hu Wenliang. He'd only had a vague fondness for her before, but after Yang Bin and the others kept running their mouths, seeing her again stirred something genuinely different in his chest.
Yang Bin clapped him on the shoulder. "Liang Zi, Captain Tang agreed to let you chase her. Said if you don't, you're not a man."
"......"
Tang Weiwei's eyes went wide. That is NOT what I said.
Hu Wenliang froze too, but one look at Tang Weiwei's expression told him everything-Bin-ge was absolutely full of shit.
After a moment's thought, Hu Wenliang turned to face Tang Weiwei directly for the first time.
"Don't read too much into it. That's just how Brother Bin is. Honestly, I don't have any designs on you.
This is the apocalypse. Nobody's got the headspace for romance. But if one day we survive this, find our footing, and our paths cross again-I'll come for you. Prove I'm a man."
Tang Weiwei studied him seriously, then nodded.
"Deal."
"There we go." Yang Bin grinned.
"Alright, we'll part ways here."
He turned and led his people away.
"Uh-Captain Yang, wait!"
Jiang Tianming scrambled after them. He'd already pieced together Yang Bin's background from the others.
Watching him chase after them, a cold smile tugged at Yang Bin's lips.
"Something else, Assistant Jiang?"
"Mayor Ma would like to meet you. The official vehicle is on its way. Come back to the Survival Base with me."
"Pass."
"........"
"Captain Yang, it's Star City Mayor Ma Zhongguo who wants to see you." Jiang Tianming stressed every syllable.
"He wants to see me, so I have to go? Who the hell does he think he is?" Yang Bin's voice was flat and cold.
The smile finally died on Jiang Tianming's face.
"Captain Yang, watch your mouth. Some words shouldn't be spoken carelessly. Trouble starts with a loose tongue."
"Heh. And some things shouldn't be done carelessly. Careful you don't lose your life."
"Are you threatening me?" Jiang Tianming's voice dropped to ice.
"No. I never threaten people." Yang Bin tilted his head slightly. "I just prefer to act."
The Barbell Rod blurred through the air. Under Jiang Tianming's horrified gaze, his skull burst apart like a melon.
The entire scene went dead silent.
Every person present-except Tang Weiwei, who'd already known-stared at Yang Bin in disbelief.
That was a government official. He just-how could he-
The stunned members of Tang Weiwei's team looked like their brains had short-circuited.
Yang Bin didn't spare the corpse a second glance. He waved casually at Tang Weiwei, then walked off with Star Fall Squad like nothing had happened.
Watching their backs recede into the distance, Tang Weiwei let out a long breath. She hadn't expected him to be that decisive. No hesitation. No second thoughts. Just death, delivered mid-sentence.
"Weiwei! What do we do? Jiang Tianming's dead-Mayor Ma is going to be furious!" Mo Yu's voice pitched high with panic.
"Which is why we need to leave. Now." Tang Weiwei's tone was heavy.
"But if we run, the government will assume we killed him! We're done for!"
"And if we stay? Wait here for them to arrest us? He died on our watch. Whether we swung the weapon or not, we're already implicated."
"......"
"I told you we should've stayed away from them," Mo Yu muttered. "Every single time we cross paths, disaster follows."
"Weiwei-jie, maybe we should just wait here," another voice piped up. "If we hand over information about the killer and agree to join the government, they'll definitely let us off-"
His sentence ended with his head.
Tang Weiwei's Tang Saber flashed once. The severed head arced through the air, trailing red.
"!!!"
The entire team went rigid. Every pair of eyes locked onto the headless body crumpling to the ground.
"Anyone else want to suggest joining the government?" Tang Weiwei's voice could have frozen steel. "Same result."
Thunderous. Absolute.
She knew this was the tipping point. If she didn't seize control of the team right now, she'd be dragged into a position she could never recover from.
No one breathed.
"I know some of you still want to join them. Fine. I'm giving you this chance right now. Step forward if you want to go. I won't stop you. When the government vehicle arrives, you walk away with them."
Her gaze swept across the crowd.
"But if you stay silent now and I find out later-no mercy."
Eyes flickered. Jaws clenched. The internal struggle played out across dozens of faces.
"Weiwei-jie... I'm sorry."
One person stepped forward.
Jiang Tianming had painted him a picture: safety, guaranteed food, free crystals, recognition for his strength. A real future.
Between Tang Weiwei and the government, he chose the government.
He'd grown up in modern society. Deep down, he still believed the state was more reliable than any one person.
And if he stayed with Tang Weiwei? A life of running. Forever.
Once the first domino fell, others followed.
One by one, those Jiang Tianming had gotten to stepped out of formation.
The count climbed past sixty before it finally stopped.
"Anyone else? Last chance. This offer doesn't come again."
Silence. No one moved.
The ones who remained stood with steel in their eyes.
"Good."
Tang Weiwei nodded, then turned her gaze on the sixty-odd defectors.
"Take care of yourselves. Next time we meet, we're enemies."
"Move out!"
She led her people away without looking back.
Those left behind watched them go, expressions complicated.
"Did we... make the right call?"
"What's wrong with it? The government is the legitimate authority. I don't get why she's so dead-set against joining. If you ask me, she's just power-hungry-wants to play queen."
"Exactly. With the government still standing, people like her never end well. Better we got out early."
"Yeah. Definitely."
Minutes later, a Troop Transport Vehicle roared up and braked nearby.
Soldiers poured out, submachine guns at the ready, followed by two middle-aged men in pressed suits.
The suits surveyed the group and frowned.
"This is it? Where's Captain Tang?"
Everyone talked over each other, spilling the story in fragments.
When they heard that Jiang Tianming's skull had been caved in by a single swing, both men's faces darkened with fury.
"The audacity. Killing a government official."
"Completely lawless. This kind of person needs to be made an example of."
"And Tang Weiwei's group-openly defying the government. Do they really think the apocalypse means we can't touch them?"
"Put both teams on the wanted list. The moment they're spotted, move in and bring them back."
"Understood."