The Tier 2 zombie was fast—far faster than any of the fleeing students. It was nearly on top of the katana-wielding guy, claws outstretched, jaws wide.

Then, out of nowhere, a barbell bar came hurtling through the air and slammed into the zombie's chest with a sickening thud. The force knocked it back several steps, staggering but not down.

From behind a nearby wall, three figures burst into view.

Ethan sprinted forward and scooped up the barbell bar without breaking stride.

The zombie snarled and lunged again, this time straight at him.

Ethan didn't flinch. He let out a low grunt and swung the bar like a baseball bat, aiming straight for its skull.

CRACK.

The sound was sharp and final—bone shattering like dry wood. The zombie's head caved in under the blow, bursting like an overripe melon. It dropped instantly, twitching once before going still.

"...!!!"

The survivors stood frozen, mouths agape, eyes wide with disbelief.

That thing—the one they couldn't kill even with twenty people—had just been taken out by a single swing?

Ethan didn't even look impressed. He slung the barbell bar over his shoulder like it was a broomstick, strolled over to the corpse, and casually pried the crystal core from its skull. He slipped it into his pocket and turned to leave with Chris and Henry.

"Hey! That crystal core belongs to all of us!" the katana guy shouted, stepping forward, voice tight with outrage. "We lost a ton of people fighting that thing. You can't just show up and take it!"

Ethan didn't answer. He just turned to Henry with a faint, knowing smile.

Henry's face darkened with fury. He stepped toward the group, fists clenched. "Are you serious right now? If we hadn't stepped in, you'd all be dead! We saved your lives, and now you want to argue over the core?"

"Come on, that's not fair," another guy chimed in. "We softened it up. You think you could've killed it that easily if we hadn't worn it down first? We deserve a share."

Henry stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "You can't 'soften up' a zombie! Unless you hit the brain, it doesn't matter! You think slashing its back did anything?!"

"It was covered in wounds! We did most of the work—you just finished it off. That's called stealing the kill."

Henry was so furious he couldn't even speak. His mouth opened, then closed again, his face flushed with disbelief.

Everyone knew the only way to kill a zombie was to destroy the brain. These idiots were seriously trying to argue they'd "weakened" it?

Ethan chuckled and shook his head. He clapped Henry on the shoulder. "So? How's that feel?"

"Like I just ate a steaming pile of shit," Henry muttered, still glaring at the group. "I can't believe how shameless they are."

Ethan grinned. "Wanna know how to deal with people like this?"

Henry gave a tired shake of his head. "Please."

"Watch and learn."

Ethan strolled up to the group, all smiles. "So, you want a share of the crystal core?"

"Damn right," the katana guy said, stepping forward. "We helped take it down. Let's talk about how to split it."

"Sure," Ethan said pleasantly. "Let me show it to you."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the core, holding it up between two fingers.

The katana guy's eyes lit up. He lunged forward, hand outstretched to grab it.

CRACK.

The barbell bar moved in a blur.

"AAAGH!"

The man screamed as his arm snapped mid-forearm, the bone clearly shattered. His hand dangled uselessly, limp and twisted.

He dropped to his knees, clutching his ruined arm, howling in pain.

Everyone froze.

No one had expected Ethan to actually strike—let alone with that kind of force.

"Fuck!"

The katana guy, to his credit, didn't back down. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his blade with his good hand and swung it at Ethan in a wild arc.

CRACK.

Another swing of the barbell bar. This time, it connected with the man's skull.

His head exploded like a watermelon dropped from a rooftop—blood and bone spraying in every direction. The body stood for a beat, headless, then collapsed in a heap.

"...!!!"

The rest of the group stood rooted to the spot, stunned into silence. No one had expected Ethan to kill someone. Not like that. Not in front of everyone.

Sure, it was the apocalypse—but it had only been a few days. Most people were still clinging to the old rules, the old morality. Murder was still murder.

"You...!"

One of them pointed at Ethan, face pale, lips trembling. But the words wouldn't come.

"Get lost," Ethan said coldly.

They hesitated—until he raised the barbell bar again.

That was enough. The group scattered like pigeons, tripping over each other in their rush to get away.

Ethan exhaled and turned back to find Chris and Henry staring at him, wide-eyed.

He sighed and looked them both in the eye. "If you want to survive the apocalypse, you have to be ruthless. That's the only way people will fear you. And fear? That keeps you alive. Got it?"

"Got it," Chris said immediately, his voice steady.

Henry took a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I get it now."

"Good." Ethan glanced over his shoulder. "Let's move. A horde's heading this way."

"Right."

They retreated to a safer spot. Once there, Ethan pulled the crystal core from his pocket and handed it to Chris. "Here. You go Tier 2 first."

Chris didn't argue. He took the core, swallowed it, and within minutes, the change was visible—his aura sharper, stronger. Two out of three of them were now Tier 2.

"Next target," Ethan said.

They didn't waste time. The last thing they wanted was another run-in with a bunch of desperate amateurs.

Fortunately, the second site was clear. No scavengers, no drama. Just a cluster of a dozen zombies—one Tier 2, two Tier 1s, the rest standard.

For the three of them, it was barely a warm-up. In under ten minutes, the area was cleared. They walked away with one Tier 2 core and two Tier 1s.

Henry took the Tier 2 and leveled up. Now all three of them were Tier 2.

"Let's go. Next one."

"Yeah."

Their next target was near Mirror Lake, under the weeping willow. Only two zombies there—easily the softest target on their list.

But just as they neared the lake, something dropped from the trees.

A black blur.

It landed silently, then lunged—straight at Ethan.

None of them had time to react. At the last second, Ethan threw up his arm to block.

RIP.

A searing pain tore through him. He hissed through his teeth as four deep gashes opened across his forearm, the wounds so deep they exposed bone.

He didn't even look at the injury. His eyes snapped to the attacker.

And what he saw made all three of them freeze.

"What the hell—why is there a tiger on campus?!" Chris shouted.

"Wait, wait—what if it's a cat?" Henry said, blinking rapidly.

"..."

Chris stared at him. "A cat? That thing's the size of a motorcycle."

"But it is a cat. An orange cat."

"He's right," Ethan said, voice low. "It's a cat. Just… not a normal one."

"..."

The creature crouched low, muscles rippling beneath its oversized frame. Its fur was matted and orange, its eyes glowing a deep, unnatural red.

"Jesus. I've never even heard of a cat this big," Chris muttered.

"It's mutated," Ethan said, eyes locked on the beast. "No doubt about it."

The orange cat bared its fangs, tail lashing like a whip.

"Be careful," Ethan warned. "This thing's not gonna be easy."

...

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