The two officers reached Yang Bin's group within moments.
The Colonel-the middle-aged man in the lead-looked them over, surprise flickering across his face.
"Didn't expect a bunch of kids this young."
"Judging by your age, you're college students, right? From Zhongxiang Academy?"
"That's right." Yang Bin nodded.
"Well, well. Heroes really do rise young. Impressive strength for your age."
"But how'd you end up surrounded by this many zombies?" the Colonel asked, puzzled.
"We were trying to escape the school and find somewhere safer. Didn't expect a massive horde to pop up out of nowhere on the way. Lucky you showed up when you did-otherwise we'd be dead." Yang Bin gave a bitter smile.
"You held out against thousands of zombies for that long. You've got to be at least Tier 3, all of you. So-interested in joining the military?" The Colonel extended the offer directly.
Before the apocalypse, military recruitment would never have been this casual. But now, the authorities were desperate for powerful Evolvers.
"Ah, sorry, Colonel. We're used to doing our own thing. No plans to enlist right now." Yang Bin declined politely.
"Don't be so quick to refuse. Think it over. Join us, and the military provides crystals to boost your strength. A lot safer than hunting them yourselves."
"Your abilities are solid, but your numbers are too small. Situations like today? They'll keep happening."
"Mm, we appreciate the offer. We'll think about it." Yang Bin kept his tone courteous.
He had zero intention of joining. Sure, it might be safer, but the military had too many rules. And any crystals they earned would get confiscated and redistributed. No thanks.
"Alright, give it some thought. By the way-how many survivors are left at your school? We're heading there for a rescue operation."
"Roughly six or seven hundred."
The Colonel's expression froze.
"That's all?" Pain crossed his face. A campus of over thirty thousand, reduced to a few hundred. The death toll was staggering.
"Come on, get in the vehicle. We'll head to your school together."
"Uh, about that... we'll pass. We just got out of there, and our injuries aren't exactly suited for another round of action." Yang Bin declined again.
"All the more reason to ride with us. We've got medics on board-they can patch you up. Once we're back at the Survival Base, we've re-established a full medical system. Standard external injuries are no problem."
"You've already set up a Survival Base?" Yang Bin raised an eyebrow.
"The outer wall is complete. Absolutely secure inside. We've been broadcasting on all channels, directing every survivor in Star City to head there."
"Then how about this-you go handle the school rescue, and we'll make our own way to the Survival Base. There are still ten to twenty thousand zombies on campus. We really can't afford another fight." Yang Bin tried once more.
He didn't want to tag along. Sticking with the military meant doing nothing on his own terms.
"It's over ten kilometers from here to the Survival Base. We've swept the route once, but there's no guarantee new zombies haven't wandered in. Going on your own is risky."
"We'll manage. We did just survive a few thousand zombies, after all." Yang Bin smiled. "Right?"
The Colonel studied him for a long moment before relenting. "Fine. Be careful. Take the overpass over there, get on the Outer Ring Road. About fifteen kilometers out, there's an old abandoned factory district-that's been converted into the Survival Base. Someone will meet you when you arrive."
"Got it. Thank you." Yang Bin's gratitude was genuine. Without their arrival, his team would be corpses.
By now, the soldiers had finished collecting crystals from the ground.
"Stay safe. We're moving out."
"Will do."
The two officers climbed back into their vehicle. The soldiers followed suit, filing into the convoy. The Troop Transport Vehicles rumbled forward, rolling down the road that Yang Bin's team had already cleared of obstacles.
Inside the lead vehicle-
"Zhou Feng. What'd you make of them?" The Colonel glanced at the young man beside him.
"Strong. But cocky." Zhou Feng said flatly.
"Heh. Cocky doesn't cover it. Those kids have real ambition." The Colonel shook his head.
"I guarantee they won't go to the Survival Base."
"Why not?"
"Because I saw it in their eyes-they don't want to answer to anyone. People like that don't want protection. They want to grow on their own terms."
"Too bad. That type tends to die first."
"Yeah. Young people with ambition-nothing wrong with that. I just hope they figure out reality before it kills them."
Meanwhile, on the other side-
"Boss, we're not actually going to that Survival Base, are we?" Skinny Monkey asked nervously.
"Why the hell would we? The pool villa's way better. That base is probably still under construction-we'd end up hauling bricks." Yang Bin waved it off.
"Good. I still want the pool villa."
"Yeah. Let's find another car and keep moving. They cleared this road, so it should be smooth sailing."
"Got it."
As they searched for a working vehicle, Yang Bin felt eyes on them. A persistent, crawling sensation.
He activated True Vision Eye and scanned the area.
There it was. The black-clad zombie, standing in a building window, watching them with cold, predatory stillness.
Yang Bin snorted and drew a finger slowly across his throat.
Whether the zombie understood the gesture or not, its expression seemed to darken further.
"Your minions are gone," Yang Bin said coldly. "Come at us again, and I'll put you down for good."
"Boss, what is it?"
"The Tier-5 Zombie. It's watching us."
"What?!" The others tensed immediately.
"Relax. It's got no pawns left-it won't make a move alone. We leave now, build our strength, then come back and take its head." Yang Bin's voice was calm, final.
He held grudges. That thing had beaten them half to death. He wouldn't rest easy until he had its crystal.
"Right."
They found a working vehicle soon enough-a five-seater, but a full-size SUV with enough cargo space for people to crouch in the back.
The SUV pulled away under the Tier-5 Zombie's frigid gaze.
Inside, Hu Wenliang got to work treating everyone's wounds.
This fight had left them all seriously injured. Even Yang Bin. The only reason they'd lasted as long as they did was raw power and sheer stubbornness.
The road ahead was clean, just as promised. A stray zombie here and there-stragglers that had wandered in after the sweep-but nothing worth worrying about.
Fifteen kilometers later, they spotted it in the distance: a tall wall of stone and poured concrete, a solid three meters high.
The Survival Base.
Streams of people were already making their way toward it. Official personnel lined the roadside, directing survivors.
Yang Bin's team didn't slow down. They drove right past.
Finally, after another ten-plus kilometers, they reached their destination-Jinghe Garden.
The route from the Survival Base to Jinghe Garden was just as clear. No zombies. Even the abandoned cars had been pushed aside. The military had obviously come through here too.
Made sense. If they'd sent a convoy to rescue a university, they'd definitely prioritize Jinghe Garden. This was where Star City's elite lived-first on any rescue list.
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