Chapter 49: Killing a Tier-3 Zombie

The three returned to the dormitory, ate something, showered, changed into clean clothes, and went to bed early.

The Graduate Dormitory was a double room-only two beds, desks below, bunks above.

Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang shared one bed. Yang Bin took the other.

As for Little Orange, it had vanished somewhere during the day but found its way back at night.

Yang Bin gave it a blanket and let it sleep behind the door.

Animals were far more alert than humans. With it there, anything approaching would be noticed first.

At 11:50 PM, the three got up on schedule, climbed to the Rooftop to stargaze, and didn't return to the dormitory until 5 AM.

As Yang Bin had expected, although consuming crystals could no longer improve them, cultivation remained unrestricted. They could still grow stronger.

Yang Bin wasn't sure whether this growth had an upper limit, but for now, there was still room.

They slept until past nine, then got up and washed. The routine felt nothing like the apocalypse.

After freshening up, the three headed straight for Zhongyuan Building. Today's objective was singular: find a Tier-3 Zombie they could take down.

On the Rooftop, Yang Bin activated True Vision Eye and began scanning the zombies below.

A long silence passed. When he finally withdrew his gaze, his expression had darkened.

"Brother Bin, how's it look?"

"Five more Tier-3 Zombies today. But same as yesterday-every single one has at least several hundred zombies clustered around it."

"I watched closely. Some of the zombies that were scattered yesterday have now gathered around the Tier-3 ones."

"So I can say for certain: Tier-3 Zombies either actively summon nearby zombies, or the lesser ones instinctively gravitate toward them." Yang Bin's voice was grim.

Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang's faces tightened.

"If that's the case, taking one down is going to be brutal."

"Yeah. Brutal. But we have to move now. The longer we wait, the worse it gets. Tier-3 Zombies are already like this-if a Tier-4 Zombie appears, I don't even want to imagine it. I wouldn't be surprised if one could outright command the horde."

"If it comes to that and we still haven't leveled up, we're done."

"Brother Bin, just tell us. How do we fight?"

"I just checked. The Tier-3 Zombie near the Laboratory has the fewest around it-only a little over three hundred. We start with that one."

"Over three hundred... only?" The two stared at him.

"Don't look at me like that. It's the fewest. The others are five hundred and up."

"......"

"Fine. Among those three hundred-plus, are there Tier-2 Zombies?"

"Yeah. About ten or so."

"......"

"Can we actually win this?"

"If we get inside the Laboratory, there are plenty of tables and equipment in there. Enough to break up their numbers and keep them from surrounding us. That should make it workable."

"The unknown factor is how strong the Tier-3 Zombie itself is. No way to tell until we're in it."

"So when the time comes, I'll focus entirely on the Tier-3. The rest of the horde is on you two."

"Got it." Both nodded without hesitation.

Target confirmed. The group headed downstairs.

Under Yang Bin's lead, they reached the Laboratory quickly.

No cover in front of the building. The moment they appeared, the horde spotted them.

Roars erupted one after another. Zombies surged toward them in a frenzy.

"Don't engage-get inside first!"

"Mm."

Three people and one cat sprinted for the Laboratory entrance.

The zombies weren't clustered directly at the door, so they didn't have to punch straight through. But before they reached the entrance, the horde was already closing in from the flanks.

Barbell Rods swung in wild arcs, smashing aside every zombie that lunged.

Twenty-some kills later, they finally reached the door.

Aluminum alloy. And it opened outward-the worst possible design. Yang Bin wrenched the handle clean off and still couldn't get it open.

Zombies crashed in behind them. Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang immediately turned, forming a wall, beating back the charging bodies.

Yang Bin gripped one end of his Barbell Rod and drove it into the seam between the double doors.

Several brutal strikes. The gap cracked open.

He jammed the rod in and pried outward with everything he had. The door wrenched free.

"Go!"

He hauled it open. Three people and one cat poured inside.

Zombies flooded in right behind them, streaming through the gap.

They'd hoped to hold the entrance. No chance. They abandoned the door and ran deeper in.

The Laboratory was massive-rows of tables, racks of equipment, instruments everywhere.

Yang Bin's group wove through the gaps between workstations.

The zombies plowed straight through, smashing tables and scattering equipment across the floor. Their momentum bled off with every collision.

The three used the obstacles as cover, swinging backward every few steps, whittling down the numbers.

Then-a zombie vaulted onto a table and launched itself at them, fast and deliberate.

"Tier-3 Zombie!"

Yang Bin's eyes locked on. He swung the Barbell Rod with full force.

CRACK.

The rod connected with the zombie's body, driving it back. But Yang Bin skidded backward several steps too.

"Strong." His voice was low, tight.

"Brother Bin-can you handle it?" Chen Hao asked.

"I'm fine. This one's mine. You two deal with the rest."

"On it!"

The Tier-3 Zombie recovered and charged again.

Yang Bin retreated fast, drawing it away from the others.

Too many bodies here. Bad ground for a fight.

He ran to the far end of the Laboratory. The zombie pursued without pause, closing the distance, then launching itself at him.

Yang Bin spun. He thrust the Barbell Rod straight at its skull like a spear.

Almost there-and the zombie's head jerked sideways. The strike punched through empty air.

Its speed didn't falter. Before Yang Bin could reset, it slammed into him, driving him to the floor. Jaws gaped wide, lunging for his throat.

In that split second, Yang Bin jammed the Barbell Rod crosswise into its mouth. He shoved with both arms, forcing it off, then rolled clear.

"Damn it. Killed how many of these things, and one still pins me."

He spat the words out, eyes harder than before. A Tier-3 Zombie that could dodge. The difficulty had just spiked.

No time to think. It was already coming again.

Yang Bin rolled, evading the lunge, then snatched up the Barbell Rod and brought it crashing down toward the zombie's head.

At the last instant, the zombie threw its arm up to block.

CRACK.

The arm shattered on impact. Residual force carried through into its skull, staggering it back several steps.

Yang Bin's strength wasn't something an ordinary Tier 2 could match.

One arm destroyed-and the zombie didn't even flinch. It came again.

Yang Bin wound up and swung.

CRACK.

The second arm shattered. The zombie stumbled back again.

"Now let's see you block."

Yang Bin pressed forward, driving the Barbell Rod down at its exposed head.

CRACK.

No dodge this time. The rod landed dead center. The skull split open, blood spraying wide.

Yang Bin's full strength behind that hardened steel bar-even a Tier-3 skull couldn't take it.