Outside, Yang Bin and the other two had already made it back to the cafeteria.
"Still not open!?" Yang Bin's voice was tight with urgency.
"No. The people inside aren't responding." Tang Weiwei shook her head.
"You've got all that strength-why not just kick it in?" Yang Bin said flatly.
"I was afraid of breaking it! Then it wouldn't hold against zombies later!" Tang Weiwei said, embarrassed.
"Fuck 'later'! If you don't kick it now, the zombies are gonna twist your head clean off in a second!"
Yang Bin spat the words out, then slammed his foot into the door.
Bang.
Over eight hundred kilograms of force-and the door didn't budge. That surprised him.
He activated True Vision Eye and peered through. The other side was piled high with tables, chairs, and every heavy object they could find.
"Are you kidding me..." Yang Bin muttered.
But he understood. Without that barricade, the zombies would've gotten in long ago.
Yang Bin thought for a moment, then shouted toward the interior: "Open up! We're a rescue team! The zombies on this side are gone-you can get out through here!"
"......"
Tang Weiwei and the others stared at him, wide-eyed. The audacity of that lie.
But what shocked them more was the immediate response-scraping and shuffling from inside as tables and chairs were dragged away.
The word "rescue" was enough to override fear. Wasn't that exactly what they'd been holding on for?
The gang inside heard "rescue team" and flinched, tried to stop it-but most of the survivors were already moving. They couldn't hold back the tide.
Yang Bin watched the progress inside, then glanced back at the horde closing in. His jaw tightened.
The zombies were almost on them. There were still barricades left unmoved.
He couldn't wait any longer. He drove his foot into the door again with everything he had.
Bang.
The door burst inward. Tables and chairs scattered across the floor.
Everyone rushed inside. The door slammed shut behind them.
"Hurry! Get the furniture back over here!" The people bracing the door screamed.
But the survivors inside just stared at the newcomers, blank-faced and confused.
"Didn't you say the zombies were gone?"
"You took too long opening up. They came back." Yang Bin's tone was perfectly calm.
"......"
"So can we still get out?"
"Not for now."
"......"
Fortunately, Tang Weiwei's team had numbers. They swarmed the furniture back into place and braced the door in seconds.
"Hah..."
Everyone exhaled hard. Four or five thousand zombies outside. Not a joke.
Then the group turned and took in the cafeteria.
The smell of blood hit them first. In one corner, corpses were stacked in a heap.
This was nothing like what they'd expected.
The survivors sat with hollow expressions. Many were injured-cuts, bruises, worse.
"What happened here?" Tang Weiwei's brow furrowed.
No one answered. Every head stayed down.
Tang Weiwei walked straight to a girl crying quietly and crouched beside her. "What's going on?"
The girl opened her mouth-then her eyes flicked toward one direction. She clamped her jaw shut and dropped her gaze.
Tang Weiwei followed the look.
A cluster of men stood against the far wall, watching everyone with cold, flat eyes. The moment Tang Weiwei's gaze landed on them, their expressions shifted-smiles sliding into place like masks.
"Did you do this?" Tang Weiwei pointed at the pile of corpses.
"How could we?" The leader forced a grin. "Two days ago, a fight broke out over food. Over a thousand people in here-it got ugly. Those people got caught in the crossfire."
His eyes kept drifting to the blood-stained weapons in the newcomers' hands. He was being careful.
"Is that true?" Tang Weiwei turned to a nearby survivor.
"Ah-y-yes. Yes." The person nodded frantically.
Tang Weiwei's frown deepened. Something didn't add up.
"Weiwei, there are over a thousand people in this cafeteria," a man beside her said. "Fights over food are inevitable. This isn't something we can manage."
Tang Weiwei pressed her lips together and nodded.
On the other side of the room-
"Bin-ge, what do you think?" Chen Hao kept his voice low. "Something's off in here."
"Very off." Yang Bin's voice was cold.
Then he looked at Tang Weiwei. "Hey, fat girl. You might want to check behind the kitchen."
The gang's faces twisted instantly-every one of them glaring daggers at Yang Bin.
"Where am I fat!? This is called sturdy!" Tang Weiwei whipped around, furious.
"Uh. Okay. Sturdy girl."
"......"
"I have a name! It's Tang Weiwei!"
"Fine, fine. Tang Weiwei. You want to check the back kitchen or not?"
"What's back there?"
"Go look and find out."
"Fine!"
Tang Weiwei nodded and led her people toward the kitchen.
The smiling men moved to block the path.
"You're here now, so stay out front. You'll get fed. Beyond that-don't stick your nose in." The leader's smile was gone. His voice was ice.
"And if I insist?" Tang Weiwei matched his tone.
"Then things get ugly for everyone."
"With just you?"
Tang Weiwei snorted and drove her foot into his chest. He flew backward and crashed to the ground.
"You bitch-you dare!?"
The men behind him pulled weapons instantly, snarling at Tang Weiwei.
Tang Weiwei's team drew their own. Both sides faced off.
Tension snapped taut between them.
But though the gang had slightly more bodies, they had nothing else. Tang Weiwei's entire squad was Tier 1-most at peak Tier 1, with two Second Orders among them. The opposition was just a pack of vicious ordinary people. Not even close to the same league.
"Move." Tang Weiwei's voice left no room.
The gang hesitated. Fear flickered in their eyes-but they didn't step aside.
"Take them down."
Tang Weiwei gave the order.
Her people surged forward. The two sides clashed-though "clash" was generous. It was a one-sided beatdown.
The gang crumbled under Tier 1 strength. Less than two minutes, and every one of them was on the floor.
Tang Weiwei stepped over their bodies and walked into the back kitchen.
"You know what," Chen Hao said, watching. "Having a big team is pretty impressive."
"Mm." Yang Bin nodded.
"We need to expand too. But not carelessly-I'd rather have nobody than the wrong people. My requirement's simple: they have to have abilities."
"......"
"You call that simple?"
"We're Taking the Elite Route, after all."
"Sure. With you around, finding ability users won't be a problem."
"Mm. Shame the fat girl already has a team. She'd actually be a solid pick." Yang Bin shrugged.
"She's not fat. That's called healthy," Hu Wenliang said.
"Oh?" Yang Bin turned to him with a grin. "You into that type?"
"Wh-no, I'm not-" Hu Wenliang's face went red.
"If you like her, just own it. No need to be shy. Honestly, her face is pretty good. Build's a bit strong, sure, but paired with your beanpole frame? Actually a decent match."
"......"
"Liangzi, don't worry." Chen Hao clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll teach you some moves. Guaranteed to win her over."
"Pass. Those aren't moves-that's simp technique. Simp your way to nothing. I'll pass."
"......"
"Say one more word about this and I swear I'll end you."
"There it is-he's getting anxious! He's getting anxious!"