Yang Bin materialized in the middle of the crowd, and panic rippled outward like a shockwave.
The fighters nearest to him scrambled to holster their submachine guns and draw blades instead.
As if that would help.
If Tier 5 crushing Tier 4 was a steamroll, then Yaoguang Realm against Tier 4 was a strike from another dimension entirely.
Tier 4 peak topped out at 1,500 kilograms of force. Yaoguang Realm started at 5,000.
No technique. No flourish. Every casual swing of the Barbell Rod was beyond anything these people could absorb.
There were no wounded. Only the dead.
On the other flank, Chen Hao's figure blinked into existence beside a cluster of enemies. He joined the fight without a word.
Already at Tier 5 peak, he was every bit as savage.
A beat later, Zhong Yuansen dropped the earth wall and charged into the fray alongside Zhao Kun and the others.
They caught a few rounds on the way in. Didn't matter much.
Just as Yang Bin had predicted-at Tier 5, ordinary firearms were background noise.
The moment they hit the crowd, the battle erupted in full.
Fighting people wasn't like killing zombies. Zombies attacked in one dimension: grab and bite.
Humans were unpredictable. And this group came well-equipped-military-issue combat knives across the board. It wasn't a cakewalk.
But humans feared pain. They had more weak points than zombies. The Barbell Rod didn't need to find a skull-one solid hit anywhere on the body and a fighter dropped out of the equation.
Zhao Kun and the rest were veterans of a hundred battles. Raw power and hard-won instinct carved a bloody corridor through the enemy ranks.
Wang Zhendong and Shen Hong stood frozen, words failing them.
"They're... all Tier 5!"
"How the hell are these people this monstrous?!"
Watching his painstakingly cultivated elites get mowed down like wheat, Wang Zhendong's expression turned murderous.
He'd never imagined these few could be this strong.
Which meant they absolutely could not be allowed to survive.
"Secretary Shen, let's move. They're separated now-two Fifth Orders hitting them simultaneously, we pick them off one by one!" Wang Zhendong turned to Shen Hong.
"Agreed." Shen Hong nodded, drawing a custom-forged dagger from her waist, eyes cold as she surveyed the battlefield.
Wang Zhendong pulled his military spike and charged ahead, targeting the one who looked weakest-Skinny Monkey.
But the moment he rushed forward, Shen Hong-full of fighting spirit just seconds ago-quietly slipped away.
"This is your Wang family's mess. Like hell I'm dying for it." Shen Hong's thoughts were crystal clear.
Sure, two Fifth Orders working in tandem with the surrounding Tier-4 Evolvers could theoretically pick them apart.
But there was a goddamn Tier 6 on that field. Pick apart what, exactly?
That thing was an unsolvable equation. Better to leave now before she ended up a statistic.
When Wang Zhendong hit the battlefield and realized Shen Hong wasn't behind him, he whipped around-and his face went black.
"That fucking bitch played me!"
He spat the curse through clenched teeth, but there was no time to settle scores. Besides, she belonged to Mayor Ma. He didn't dare.
All he could do was grit his teeth and keep pushing toward Skinny Monkey.
Then a blur of orange lightning exploded from the villa.
It slammed into Wang Zhendong and raked across his face in one fluid motion.
Four ragged claw marks opened up, blood sheeting down instantly.
Wang Zhendong recoiled in horror-and found himself staring at a tiger-sized Orange Cat.
"Fuck! A cat thinks it can get in on this? I'll gut you!"
Blind with rage, he swung his military spike at Little Orange.
But a Tier-5 cat with that kind of agility? She might as well have been made of smoke.
Little Orange wove through the crowd like a pinball. Wang Zhendong hacked and slashed for what felt like an eternity without touching a single whisker-but managed to cut down two of his own men.
Wang family fighters started actively dodging away from him, shooting him looks of pure resentment.
"Second Master, we're already getting slaughtered out here. Could you maybe not make it worse?"
It took him a solid minute to realize what was happening. He forced himself to stop swinging.
But he stopped. Little Orange didn't.
She kept darting in, claws flashing. Within moments, Wang Zhendong was shredded head to toe.
The mighty Second Master of the Wang family-brought to the edge of a breakdown by a house cat.
Meanwhile, Yang Bin had been tracking the entire battlefield even as he fought.
The instant he spotted Shen Hong slipping away, a cold smile touched his lips.
"You came to my door and think you can just walk out? That's a little too disrespectful."
Anyone else, he might have let go. But not this woman.
Confirming the others faced no real danger, Yang Bin bisected four or five more fighters with a single sweep-then vanished.
The surrounding enemies stared at empty air, dumbfounded.
One second he was there. The next-gone.
---
Shen Hong slipped clear of the battlefield and broke into a run toward the residential complex exit.
She had to get back to Mayor Ma immediately. A Tier-6 Evolver had appeared in Star City.
This was critical intelligence.
Tier 6 meant fully igniting a star. A massive leap in raw power.
The military had been humiliated repeatedly by that Tier-6 zombie-proof enough that Sixth and Fifth weren't even in the same conversation.
They'd always assumed the government held an insurmountable lead. Never bothered watching the independents.
But today she'd seen a Tier-6 Evolver with her own eyes.
It shattered everything she thought she knew. Even the official forces hadn't produced a Tier 6 yet.
Mayor Ma needed to hear this. Now.
But as she reached the edge of Jinghe Garden, a figure appeared in her path.
Shen Hong's entire body went rigid.
"Hey, beautiful. Where you headed?" Yang Bin stood there smiling, relaxed as anything. "You're already here-come in for some tea."
"Ah... tea really isn't necessary." Shen Hong forced a casual tone. "I have business to attend to. Next time, maybe."
"No next time. This is the time. Let's go." Yang Bin reached for her.
Shen Hong's expression hardened-then shifted in a heartbeat to something soft and vulnerable.
"Little brother, don't be so eager..." She let her voice go breathy. "You've got seven big strong men back there. How's a delicate woman like me supposed to feel safe walking in alone?"
She stepped closer, tilting her chin up. "How about we find somewhere private? Just the two of us. Whatever you want. What do you say?"
Crack.
Yang Bin's open palm connected with her face and sent her sprawling.
"I said move. Cut the act."
"......"
Shen Hong pressed a hand to her burning cheek, eyes wide with disbelief.
"You-!?"
"Save it. That shit doesn't work on me."
His tone didn't waver. Flat. Final.
"Since you won't cooperate, I'll knock you out and carry you back. Same result."
He stepped forward, hand already descending toward her neck.
Shen Hong wasn't the type to go quietly. Her dagger flashed toward his midsection in a viper-quick thrust.
Useless.
Yang Bin caught her wrist mid-strike and squeezed. Bones ground together. The dagger clattered to the pavement.
One precise chop to the side of her neck.
Shen Hong's eyes rolled back and she crumpled.
Yang Bin grabbed her by the collar, hoisted her up, and walked home.