Chapter 47: You're Tier 2 Already?

On the other side...

"Bin Ge, I think those girls are pretty solid. They work fast, don't ask too many questions, and they're easy on the eyes. Why didn't you take them?" Chen Hao asked, puzzled.

"Now's not the time to bring extra people. More mouths means more resources burned, and that doesn't help us. Unless they're ability users, there's no point."

"Then why'd you give them those crystals?"

"What, you want to squat there digging them out one by one? We can move freely now. Wouldn't that time be better spent killing a few more Tier-2 Zombies?"

"Uh... fair point."

"Tier-1 Zombies are everywhere now. We're not short on Tier-1 Crystals. No reason to waste time on that. Might as well do them a Convenient Favor."

"Liu Qingqing's a smart woman. Barring any accidents, they might actually surprise us. So the favor's worth something."

"You're not worried they'll bite the hand that fed them once they get stronger!?"

"She's smart. Without a serious conflict of interest, she won't turn on us. They might surprise us, sure-but they won't surpass us. I'm confident about that much." Yang Bin smiled.

"Bin Ge, sometimes I really don't think you're someone in their twenties," Hu Wenliang said with a sigh.

"Liang Zi, you've known Bin Ge for three years now. Why do you still treat him like he's our age? He just looks like he's in his twenties," Chen Hao laughed.

"......"

"Alright, quit roasting me. There's a Campus Convenience Store up ahead-let's grab some food. After that, we head to Zhongyuan Building. No going back to the dorm at noon. Today's goal: get you both to Tier-2 Peak. And keep an eye out for Tier-3 Zombies while we're at it." Yang Bin said.

"Got it."

The three arrived at the Campus Convenience Store, only to find it occupied-again.

Four people inside. No matter how much they knocked, the door stayed shut.

Yang Bin didn't bother asking twice. He kicked the door in.

"What are you doing!?" The people inside jumped.

"Relax. We're grabbing a few things and leaving." Yang Bin smiled.

"No! Everything here is ours-you can't take any of it!" A scrawny man stepped in front of them.

"Move. Don't make me move you." Yang Bin's voice went cold.

"I won't-"

Bang.

A body sailed through the air.

Yang Bin walked past like nothing happened, heading straight for the Shelves.

"You-you people are nothing but bandits!" The other three glared furiously.

"You want to fly too?"

Yang Bin glanced at them. They shut up instantly.

The three grabbed some food and a few bottles of water, then left without another word. They were on a schedule.

After eating, they reached Zhongyuan Building.

The main door was shut.

Someone was inside.

"There's no food in this place. Why would anyone come here?" Chen Hao said, baffled.

"Probably went up to scout zombie positions. If I had to guess, it's a hunting team," Yang Bin said.

No one else would bother coming to a place like this.

"So... wait for them to come down, or kick the door?"

"Kick it. Could be waiting all day otherwise."

"Works for me."

Chen Hao nodded and drove his foot into the door. It didn't budge.

"The hell? What'd they brace it with? Thing's solid."

"Probably swapped the wooden bolt for iron pipes. Cautious bunch. Let me."

Yang Bin stepped up and slammed his foot into the door. It cracked open just enough to reveal four iron pipes wedged horizontally across the frame.

Just as he'd guessed-they'd replaced the wooden bolt entirely. But under Yang Bin's raw strength, all four pipes bent inward.

A few more kicks and the door gave way.

They headed straight upstairs. On the rooftop, a group of people huddled together, mid-discussion.

Over twenty of them. Every one armed-iron pipes, Fire Axes, Tang Sabers, steel tubes. And every one of them splattered with dried blood. They'd clearly been killing.

The group stared wide-eyed at Yang Bin's trio. Nobody had expected visitors.

"How did you get up here!?" The man at the front was built like a wall, his brow furrowed deep.

"Opened the door and walked up," Yang Bin said casually.

"Impossible. I replaced the bolt myself-there's no way you opened that door!" Disbelief was written across the man's face.

Four iron pipes. Even a Tier-2 Zombie shouldn't have been able to break through.

"Then how do you think we got here?" Yang Bin smiled.

"I'm the one asking questions here. Answer straight and drop that smirk!" the man snapped.

"And if I don't?"

"Heh." The man's lips curled into a sneer. "You clearly haven't figured out how the world works now. Let me spell it out-even if we kill you right here, nobody's coming to avenge you. There's no law anymore. Don't act like it's still the old world."

"Kill us?" Yang Bin's tone dropped to ice. "You don't have what it takes."

"Oh? Got some attitude. So you're evolvers too."

"Evolvers or not-look around. Every single one of us is an evolver. Over twenty of us. You want to act tough here? Read the room."

The leader jerked his chin at the man behind him. "Second Brother. Teach them some manners. Show them that evolvers aren't all equal."

"On it."

A burly man stepped forward, steel pipe in hand, a cold grin spreading across his face as he stopped in front of Yang Bin.

"Kneel."

He barked the word and swung the pipe at Yang Bin's legs.

Thud.

Second Brother's body rocketed backward, crashing into the crowd.

"Son of a-he hit back! All of you, rush them! Kill them!" the leader roared.

Twenty-plus bodies surged forward, weapons raised.

Yang Bin, Chen Hao, and Hu Wenliang snorted in unison, Barbell Rods already swinging.

The two sides collided. Screams erupted immediately.

These people had some strength-but the best among them was Tier-1 Peak at most. The gap was enormous.

Under the Barbell Rods, they crumbled. One swing sent three or four sprawling.

Yang Bin especially. Six hundred kilograms of force behind a casual swing-anyone hit either broke or didn't get back up. Bodies dropped and stayed down.

A 20-kilogram Barbell Rod got heavy after extended use, sure. But there was no denying it-the thing was devastating in a fight.

Reach was king. Combined with the rod's sheer weight, these people couldn't even graze them. Within moments, every last one lay on the ground, groaning.

The leader stared, eyes wide, at the carnage around him. He'd never imagined three people could be this overwhelmingly strong.

"You're already Tier 2!?"