Sixth Day of the Apocalypse. Ordinary zombies had all but vanished from the streets. Everything out there was Tier-1 now.

Anyone who hadn't secured crystals early on had no realistic chance of getting them anymore.

An ordinary person couldn't beat a single Tier-1 Zombie, let alone a pack.

Of course, if you had a gun, that changed things.

But gun control in China was strict. The odds of a civilian owning one were slim.

And even if you did, a standard pistol held too few rounds, and the noise would draw every zombie in earshot. You couldn't afford to fire recklessly.

So those who'd been too afraid to venture out and kill zombies in the early days were now trapped in whatever corner they'd found, waiting helplessly for rescue.

But was rescue really coming that easily...?

---

In a conference room somewhere in Star City, several high-ranking officials argued heatedly.

"No-we have to launch rescue operations now. Every day we wait, countless civilians die. We can't keep stalling!" A young man in military uniform slammed his palm on the table.

"Star City has a population of over ten million. Nobody knows how many are still alive, but we can be certain the zombie count is no less than eight million. With our current ammunition reserves, we can't do a damn thing." Another man, middle-aged, shook his head.

"Then we fight hand-to-hand! I refuse to sit here while civilians get torn apart!"

"Hand-to-hand!? You want to send every soldier to their death? Once zombies surround you, not a single one of you is coming back!" The middle-aged man's voice rose in anger.

"If I feared death, I wouldn't have enlisted. I'm a simple man-not as clever as the rest of you. All I know is that I became a soldier to serve the people. The people need us now, so I step up." The young man's jaw was set, his eyes unwavering.

"Zhao Hu, calm down. I understand how you feel-we all feel it. But the worse things get, the cooler our heads need to be."

"Setting aside whether rescue is even feasible-say you pull people out. Then what? Where do they go?"

"Food, water, sanitation, shelter-all of that has to be accounted for. Rescue alone doesn't solve anything." The man at the head of the table spoke with measured authority.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Priority one: establish a Survival Base large enough to hold them. Give civilians a safe destination. Then broadcast the location and let them come."

"You're saying let them come on their own?"

"Yes. Rescue operations will happen, but in phases. We cannot extract everyone at once-our troop strength and weapons simply don't allow it. If people can make it here themselves, that's the best outcome."

"You think ordinary people can make that journey?" Zhao Hu's voice was cold.

"If they can't... then we hope they hold on until we reach them."

Zhao Hu opened his mouth again, but the leader cut him off. "Enough. It's decided. Now let's discuss how to establish the Survival Base."

"...Fine."

---

School.

Girls' Dormitory.

Yang Bin stood in the corridor, looking down at the zombies below. His expression was grim.

"What's wrong, Brother Bin?"

"They're all Tier-1 down there now. And I count seven or eight Tier-2 Zombies mixed in. The growth rate is getting scary."

"Yeah... looks like we need to pick up the pace too."

"Mm. Go get the girls. We keep killing."

"Got it."

Once the girls came down, the group resumed their slaughter.

Only three hundred-odd zombies remained below. It took the entire morning, but they finally cleared every last one.

When nothing else came charging up the stairs, all three men felt the tension drain from their bodies-the bone-deep relief of survival.

"Hah..." Chen Hao let out a long breath. "Finally don't have to be stuck in this building anymore."

"Yeah. Turns out female zombies and male zombies look the same after a while. Stare at enough of them and you just want to puke."

"......"

Just as Yang Bin had observed, eight of the three hundred-plus zombies were Tier-2.

He consumed two more Tier-2 Crystals. After that, additional crystals had no effect.

So the cap was six Tier-2 Crystals to max out at Tier 2.

At his limit, Yang Bin's raw strength sat around six hundred kilograms-a full hundred kilograms beyond the officially announced five-hundred-kilogram ceiling.

He'd cultivated for three nights now. The extra hundred kilograms matched almost exactly.

"So the strength from cultivation really is additional," Yang Bin thought.

A slow grin spread across his face. "At this rate... I'm about to become something monstrous."

The remaining Tier-2 Crystals went to Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang. Both jumped significantly in power.

With the zombies dealt with, Yang Bin fished out over a dozen crystals from his pocket and held them out to the girls. "You did well. Here's extra. I hope you can stay alive out there."

But the girls-who'd lit up with excitement every time they saw crystals before-didn't reach for them.

Liu Qingqing looked Yang Bin in the eye. "Can we... come with you?"

Yang Bin blinked. "Why would you want to follow us?"

"Because we want to live." No hesitation in her voice.

Yang Bin studied her face, then the determined expressions of the others. He thought about it.

Then shook his head.

"We're not looking to add people right now. With your current strength, as long as you're willing to fight, survival shouldn't be hard. Next time we cross paths-if you've gotten stronger and still want in-I'll consider it."

Disappointment flickered through their eyes.

"It's fine." Liu Qingqing recovered fast, a smile returning to her face. "I know we'll survive. And next time we meet, we won't disappoint you."

Yang Bin watched her and sighed inwardly. This woman was something else.

After a moment's thought, he spoke again. "Tell you what-I'll leave you an opportunity."

"The zombies we killed today should have plenty of crystals in them. We're heading out and don't have time to harvest. They're yours. Use them to grow."

"You're... giving them to us!?" Their eyes went wide.

This many corpses-even conservatively, that had to be dozens of crystals.

"Mm. Take your time digging. Next time I see you, don't let me down."

Yang Bin turned and headed downstairs with Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang.

Tier-1 Crystals were negligible to them now. Since they could finally leave, there was no point wasting time harvesting. Better to hunt Tier-2 Zombies and push their strength higher. That was what mattered.

The girls watched the three figures descend, emotions tangled in their chests.

"They're... really good people," the cute girl murmured.

"Yeah. But why won't they let us come along?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're too weak."

"......"

Liu Qingqing stared at their retreating backs, a silent vow forming in her chest.

"I'll make you see me differently. Count on it."

She turned to the others. "Alright-start harvesting crystals. Now."

"Mm."

Two days of hauling corpses had hardened their nerves. Cutting into zombie skulls for crystals barely fazed them anymore.

But the further they went, the wider their eyes grew.

"Why do they all have crystals? Didn't the official announcements say only a small number of zombies carry them?"

"Could it be... they killed nothing but Special Zombies!?"

The girls exchanged glances, shock mirrored in every face.

"This really is a massive opportunity."