"Get your people together. We're going down." Yang Bin watched the horde below thin out, then turned to Song Tielin.
"Right."
Song Tielin nodded. His command rippled outward, and within moments, squads of soldiers in camouflage filed in-about a hundred in total.
Yang Bin looked over their hardened faces and gave an approving nod. Soldiers really were cut from different cloth. Even staring down a situation like this, not a flicker of fear.
But his expression soured almost immediately. That woman had shown up too.
"Why are you bringing this dead weight? Leave her here with the civilians." Yang Bin didn't bother hiding his contempt.
"Who are you calling dead weight?! I'm a Tier-3 Evolver!" Lü Jiao puffed out her chest, chin raised.
"Tier 3... heh."
Yang Bin looked at Song Tielin.
"You want to bring her along, fine. Put her on point. But I'm not taking this job if she's tagging along behind me."
"Well..."
Song Tielin's head throbbed. He knew damn well-without Yang Bin's people clearing the path, none of them were getting out.
"Point it is then! Who's scared?" Lü Jiao marched fearlessly toward the window.
"Brave girl..." Yang Bin smiled.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. Don't let the thin numbers fool you-every zombie still down there is at minimum Tier 3."
Lü Jiao's feet stopped dead.
"All Tier 3?!"
Song Tielin stared at Yang Bin, eyes wide.
"No. I said minimum Tier 3. There are Tier 4 mixed in."
Silence.
"Captain Lü, you're staying here." Song Tielin turned to her directly.
"No! I'm going down to fight!"
"Captain Lü. I need you to think about the bigger picture." Song Tielin's tone hardened.
"I-"
Before she could finish, Song Tielin flicked a glance. Agents 01 and 02 stepped forward and hauled Lü Jiao away. Both were Tier 3 themselves.
"Good. Nuisance handled." Yang Bin's voice went flat and serious. "Everyone ready up. We jump first, you follow immediately after."
"Understood!" Song Tielin matched his tone.
Yang Bin studied the ground below. In one sharp motion, he smashed the window glass with his barbell, then vaulted out.
He dropped three stories. His legs compressed on impact, absorbing the shock, and he was stable in an instant.
Tier 4. His body was far beyond what it used to be. A ten-meter drop was nothing.
The moment he appeared, zombies converged from every direction.
Yang Bin swept the barbell in a wide arc, crushing the first wave before they reached arm's length.
Chen Hao and the others dropped down behind him, hitting the ground and joining the fight without missing a beat.
Then Song Tielin led his soldiers over the edge.
They hit the ground rolling, bled off the momentum, and were on their feet with weapons up in one fluid sequence.
The gap between trained soldiers and civilians was stark. An ordinary person would've frozen at the window ledge. These men didn't hesitate for a single second-jump, roll, fight. One continuous motion. Yang Bin had to respect it.
And once they engaged, he was genuinely impressed.
Most were Tier 2. A handful were Third.
But against zombies that were all Tier 3 and outnumbered them badly, they didn't flinch. Their coordination was seamless-one soldier would lock down a zombie's attack while his partner struck from the blind side, taking the head clean off.
Yang Bin had fought above his tier before, but never this efficiently.
He watched them work, a spark of envy in his eyes. Now these were god-tier teammates.
Too bad. Soldiers were loyal to the nation. You couldn't poach them.
He didn't necessarily plan to oppose the government. But with social order in ruins, he had no intention of being leashed by officialdom either. Sooner or later, his interests would clash with theirs.
Just like that woman-peaceful coexistence wasn't in the cards. So teammates like these would have to stay a fantasy.
The soldiers' combat ability exceeded his expectations. The breakout went smoother than he'd dared hope.
With Yang Bin's six on point, the group cut through like a hot knife through butter, carving a bloody corridor through the horde.
By the time reinforcements from the drawn-away swarm circled back, they were already clear.
Yang Bin's squad killed two Tier-4 Zombies and over a hundred Tier-3 ones in the push.
No time to loot Tier-3 crystals. But Yang Bin made damn sure to grab the two Tier-4 Crystals.
After that, the combined group sprinted into the city, dragging a tail of zombies through a maze of alleys-left, right, doubling back-until after ten-plus minutes they finally shook the pursuit.
"Alright. This is where we split." Yang Bin stopped at an intersection and faced Song Tielin. "Hope you make it back alive."
He turned and led Chen Hao's group down the opposite road before Song Tielin could respond.
Song Tielin opened his mouth, then closed it. Sighed.
A team that strong... if only they'd join the military.
He needed to report this the moment he got back. A full squad of Tier-4 Evolvers already-that was terrifying.
He gathered his soldiers and headed toward base. They didn't have Yang Bin's True Vision Eye, but they had their own recon capabilities. Getting home wouldn't be a problem.
Yang Bin's group looped wide through several detours before slipping back into the villa.
A few hiccups today, but overall? Solid haul.
The whole team was Tier 4 now. Yang Bin himself had consumed four Tier-4 Crystals earlier, plus the two grabbed during the breakout-six total. His strength had climbed noticeably.
"Two more Tier-4 Crystals and I hit peak." He clenched his fist, feeling the power coiled in his muscles.
Just as they finished cleaning up and were about to start cooking, a knock came at the front door.
Everyone tensed.
Yang Bin activated True Vision Eye and glanced through the wall. A grin spread across his face. "Relax. Just a few suckers."
"The people from that other villa?"
"Yep."
"Did they figure out we took that crystal?" Chen Hao asked.
"What do you mean 'took'? We retrieved it."
"Uh... right, right. Retrieved."
"Their faces don't look hostile. Probably here to feel us out. Monkey, get the door."
"On it."
Skinny Monkey walked over and pulled the door open.
Wang Ruikai and Wang Yueming stood in the doorway. Two bodyguard types flanked them from behind. Cautious guy, this Wang Ruikai.
"Sorry to bother you. We're in building 12." Wang Ruikai smiled politely. "Everyone else has cleared out-just our two villas left with people. Figured we should come introduce ourselves."
"You show up empty-handed? That's rude." Skinny Monkey didn't mince words.
Wang Ruikai blinked.
"Ah... sorry, left in a rush. Forgot. Next time for sure."
"Well, you've said your hello. Head on back then. It's the apocalypse-we've got nothing to offer you." Skinny Monkey moved to shut the door.
"Wait, wait, wait-"
"We're neighbors! No need to host us. We'll just come in and sit for a bit."
"Monkey, let them in." Yang Bin's voice drifted from inside. He was curious what they were after.
"Come in."