On the other side...
"Damn it, what a waste. I thought they were a group of powerhouses, turns out they're just a bunch of nobodies. Total waste of time." Wang Ruikai's face was dark.
"Right? We were so polite to them for nothing. I say we should've just killed them on the spot and taken all their supplies." Wang Yueming scowled.
"Young Master, it's a good thing you didn't act on impulse back there." One of the bodyguards behind them frowned.
"What do you mean?" Wang Ruikai turned to look at him.
"The people inside... every single one of them gave me immense pressure. I don't think... I could beat any of them." The bodyguard's expression was grave.
Wang Ruikai and Wang Yueming both stared, eyes wide with disbelief.
"How is that possible?!"
"He's right. You two can't sense it, but the two of us used to be mercenaries. We spent years dancing on the edge of death. Because of that, we have an instinctive sense for danger." The other bodyguard's voice was dead serious. "If we'd made a move back there... we'd be dead."
Silence.
"But didn't they say they don't even have a Tier 3?"
"Brother Kai, I remember he said there wasn't a single Tier 3 among them. What if... they're all Tier 4?"
Wang Ruikai wanted to say impossible, but the words died in his throat. If even A San and the others admitted they were outmatched, what else could explain it besides Tier 4?
But a squad of six, all Tier 4-that was almost too absurd to accept.
Wang Ruikai's expression cycled through about five emotions at once.
What the hell did I just walk away from?! Six Tier 4 fighters. If they joined the Wang family, the family's combat strength would double overnight.
"Xiao Ming, you think they'd kick us out if we went back now?" Wang Ruikai whispered.
"Brother Kai, how about we bring some gifts and visit again tomorrow? Going back right now feels a bit..."
"Yeah, you're right. We'll prepare something proper and go tomorrow." Wang Ruikai exhaled. "Thank god we didn't offend them today."
Late at night...
Yang Bin and the others lay back in reclining chairs, watching the stars all night.
The daily gains weren't huge, but this was a game of persistence. As long as they kept at it, they'd stay infinitely ahead of the curve.
And tonight brought good news-Little Orange had broken through to Tier 4.
Little Orange was different from Yang Bin and the rest. She cultivated entirely on her own, no crystals needed for advancement.
Aside from occasionally begging for crystals as snacks, she was low-maintenance.
Taking her in had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Now it looked like one of the smartest calls they'd ever made. With Little Orange guarding the home, they never had to worry about someone raiding their base.
Now that she was Tier 4, the security margin was even wider. Unless a horde of zombies or a large force of high-order Evolvers showed up, they could sleep easy.
Yang Bin activated True Vision Eye and looked toward the backyard of the nearby villa. His eyes lit up.
"Nice. Two of them."
He turned to the others. "You guys head down and sleep. Haozi and I are going to collect some crystals."
"Got it."
Soon, Yang Bin and Chen Hao arrived behind the villa again.
The four guards inside were still posted at their positions.
Probably because of yesterday's screwup, all four were forcing their eyes wide open, fighting off drowsiness.
Yang Bin brought Chen Hao up into a tree and pointed at the two zombies in the iron cage.
"Those two are Tier-4 Zombies. But they're in different spots. Getting the crystals without alerting the guards won't be easy."
"Relax, Brother Bin. Watch this." Chen Hao grinned, then activated Invisibility and slipped into the yard.
He picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it straight at a window.
Crash.
The sound of shattering glass made all four guards jump. They rushed over to investigate.
The noise also set off the caged zombies, which began roaring and thrashing.
Chen Hao seized the moment. One swing of his axe split a zombie's skull wide open, his figure there and gone in a flash.
He dug out the crystal and pocketed it in one smooth motion.
The zombie roars intensified, but since they'd already been howling, the guards didn't notice anything different. They were still staring at the broken window in confusion.
"How is this glass so shit? Just shatters out of nowhere. Nearly gave me a heart attack," one of them said.
"Probably the installer cut corners with cheap materials. We'll have to report it to Young Master Wang tomorrow."
"Yeah."
While they stood around critiquing the glass quality, Chen Hao had already dispatched the second Tier-4 Zombie and slipped away clean.
When the guards finally turned back and saw the scene inside the cage, they froze.
"What the fuck-two more zombies are dead?"
"Do these damn things know we're watching them? The second we look away they start killing each other?"
"Quick, get the crystals out first. If Young Master Wang finds out tomorrow, we're done for."
"Right."
They rushed to the cage and reached into the split-open skulls.
"Nothing?"
"How can there be nothing? They got eaten that fast?"
"Maybe the zombies attacked each other for the crystals?"
"But I've never heard of zombies eating crystals."
"What if it wasn't the zombies? Look at these wounds-they look like axe cuts."
"Fuck off, don't say that. It's the middle of the goddamn night and there's not a soul around. Who the hell would be out here chopping zombies with an axe?"
"I don't know, man, but these wounds really do look like axe marks."
"Shit. You think it's actually ghosts?"
A chill ran down all their spines. Two zombies with their skulls split open in the dead of night, no explanation in sight. The thought alone made their skin crawl.
"So what do we do? Wake up Young Master Wang?"
"You want to get chewed out at this hour? And how exactly would you explain this?"
"Just tell him the truth."
"The truth? Hah. You don't even believe it yourself-you think he will? Knowing his temper, he'll assume we stole the crystals ourselves. I don't need to spell out what happens after that."
"..."
"But if we don't tell him now, it'll be just as bad when he finds out tomorrow."
Silence fell over the group.
"Fuck this." One of them broke the quiet. "It's the goddamn apocalypse and we're still someone's lapdogs. I'm done. Money's worthless now anyway. With my Tier-3 Peak strength, I can make it anywhere. Worst case, I leave Star City. I'd like to see the Wang family try to track me down in a world like this."
The others flinched. Years of fearing the Wang family had kept the thought from even forming.
But then it clicked-it was the apocalypse. The Wang family's reach wasn't what it used to be. One by one, their eyes lit up.
"Alright, let's all go. Maybe the four of us can actually build something out there."
"Ha, building something big might be a stretch, but at least we won't be living like dogs anymore."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move."
"Should we kill the rest of these zombies before we go? Those are all Tier-3 Crystals in there."
"Bad idea. Too much noise. If we wake them up, we're not getting out."
"Fine."