Ethan, Chris, and Henry made it back to the grad apartments, grabbed a quick bite, took showers, changed into clean clothes, and hit the sack early.

The building was reserved for graduate students, with a mix of double rooms and single suites—either two separate beds or private bedrooms. For safety's sake, the three of them picked a double. Chris and Henry squeezed into one bed, while Ethan took the other.

As for Pumpkin, no one knew where the little guy had wandered off to during the day, but he showed up again by nightfall.

Ethan tossed him a blanket and let him curl up behind the door. Animals had sharper senses than humans—if anything happened, Pumpkin would be the first to know.

At exactly 11:50 p.m., the three of them got up and headed to the rooftop to stargaze. They stayed there until five in the morning, soaking in the mysterious energy before heading back to crash.

Just as Ethan had suspected, even though crystal cores no longer boosted their abilities, the rooftop stargazing still worked. The mysterious energy wasn't blocked—it still helped them grow stronger.

He wasn't sure if there was a ceiling to this kind of growth, but for now, they still had room to improve.

They slept in until a little after nine, then got up to wash up. Honestly, their routine felt nothing like the end of the world.

Once they were ready, they headed straight for Capstone House. Today's mission was simple: find a Tier 3 zombie they could actually take down.

On the rooftop, Ethan activated his True Sight and scanned the streets below.

After a long moment, he pulled back, his expression darkening.

"How's it look?" Chris asked.

"There are five more Tier 3s today," Ethan said grimly. "But just like yesterday, each one's surrounded by at least five hundred zombies."

"I watched closely—some of the scattered zombies from yesterday have gathered around the Tier 3s today."

"That confirms it. Tier 3 zombies can either summon nearby zombies or naturally attract them. Either way, they don't stay alone for long."

Chris and Henry both frowned at that.

"That's gonna make killing one a hell of a lot harder."

"Yeah, it's a problem," Ethan agreed. "But we can't keep stalling. The longer we wait, the worse it gets. If Tier 3s are already like this, I don't even want to imagine what a Tier 4 would be like. I wouldn't be surprised if it could command other zombies."

"If that happens and we're still stuck at our current strength, we're screwed."

Chris nodded. "So what's the plan?"

"I've been watching. The Tier 3 near the Science & Technology Building has the smallest crowd—only about three hundred zombies. That's our best shot."

"Three hundred is the smallest?" Chris and Henry stared at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Don't look at me like that. The others all have five hundred or more."

"...Right."

"Are there any Tier 2s mixed in with those three hundred?" Henry asked.

"Yeah. Around a dozen."

"...Great."

"Can we even take that on?"

"We'll have to get inside the lab in the Science & Tech Building," Ethan said. "There are a lot of tables and equipment in there. If we use the layout right, we can keep them from surrounding us. That gives us a fighting chance."

"The only wildcard is how strong the Tier 3 actually is. That's the unknown."

"So I'll focus on the Tier 3," he continued. "You two handle the rest."

Chris and Henry exchanged a look, then nodded seriously. "Got it."

With the target locked in, the three of them headed back down the stairs.

Under Ethan's lead, the group quickly reached the front of the Science & Technology Building.

The area out front was wide open—no cover, no shadows to hide in. The moment they stepped into view, the horde spotted them.

A chorus of guttural howls rose up, and the zombies surged forward like a wave of rotting flesh.

"Don't stop to fight—get inside the lab!" Ethan barked.

"Got it!"

The three of them—and one very alert cat—bolted for the lab entrance.

Luckily, the zombies weren't stationed right at the door, so they didn't have to plow through the thick of them. But they weren't even halfway there before the undead started flanking from the sides.

Barbell bars swung in a blur. The trio fought while sprinting, smashing down anything that got too close. After cutting through more than twenty zombies, they finally reached the lab doors.

The doors were reinforced steel with a heavy-duty safety latch. Ethan yanked at the handle with everything he had—so hard he nearly tore it off—but the damn thing wouldn't budge.

Behind them, the horde was closing in fast. Chris and Henry immediately stepped up, forming a wall between Ethan and the oncoming dead.

Ethan grabbed one end of his barbell bar and slammed it into the seam between the double doors. Again. And again. Metal rang out with each strike.

Finally, the seam cracked open.

He jammed the bar into the gap and wrenched it sideways with a grunt. The door gave way with a screech.

"Go!"

He yanked it open, and the three of them—and Pumpkin—rushed inside.

The zombies weren't far behind. They poured in after them, one after another, like water through a broken dam.

They'd hoped to hold the entrance, but with the flood already inside, that plan was toast. They turned and ran deeper into the lab.

The place was huge—rows of tables, shelves, and scattered lab equipment everywhere. Perfect.

Ethan and the others weaved through the maze of furniture, while the zombies barreled straight through, knocking over tables and smashing glass. The chaos slowed them down.

Using the clutter as cover, the trio struck back when they could—swinging their bars behind them to thin the herd.

Then, without warning, one of the zombies leapt onto a table and launched itself at them.

"Tier 3!" Ethan's eyes narrowed.

He swung his barbell bar with full force, slamming it into the creature mid-air.

"Boom!"

The hit landed squarely, knocking the zombie back—but Ethan staggered too, forced to take several steps back.

"Damn, that thing's strong," he muttered.

"Ethan! You got this?" Chris called out, voice low but urgent.

"I'll handle it. You two take care of the rest!"

"Roger that!"

The Tier 3 zombie recovered fast and lunged again.

Ethan backpedaled, drawing it away from the others. There were too many zombies here—he needed space to fight.

He led it deeper into the lab, dodging overturned tables and broken glass. The creature stayed on him, relentless. As soon as it got close, it pounced.

Ethan spun and thrust his barbell bar straight at its head.

But the zombie jerked its head to the side at the last second—dodging the strike entirely.

Before Ethan could react, it slammed into him, knocking him flat on his back. Its jaws snapped open, diving for his throat.

In a flash, Ethan jammed the barbell bar between its teeth and shoved with everything he had. He rolled hard, breaking free from its grip.

"Holy shit," he gasped, scrambling to his feet. "I've killed how many of these things, and I still got tackled?"

His eyes sharpened. This wasn't just brute strength anymore—this thing had instincts. It dodged. It aimed. That made it a whole different kind of threat.

No time to think. The zombie lunged again.

Ethan rolled aside, grabbed his bar, and swung it in a brutal arc at the creature's head.

At the last second, the zombie raised its arm to block.

"Crack!"

The bar shattered its forearm, but the momentum still carried through, slamming into its skull and knocking it back a few steps.

Ethan's strength was far beyond a typical Tier 2's.

The zombie didn't even flinch at the ruined limb. It charged again, unfazed.

Ethan met it head-on, swinging hard.

"Crack!"

The second arm snapped like a twig. The zombie stumbled back again.

"Let's see you block this one," Ethan growled.

He stepped in, barbell bar raised high, and brought it down with everything he had.

"Boom!"

This time, the zombie didn't dodge. The bar smashed into its skull with a sickening crunch. Its head split open, blood and brain matter spraying across the floor.

Even a Tier 3 couldn't take a direct hit like that—not from Ethan, not with that weapon.

The body collapsed in a heap.

Ethan stood over it, chest heaving, barbell bar dripping with gore.

...

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