The group arrived at the Jinghe Garden compound. The main gate had been forced open long ago, so they walked right in.
Zombie corpses and battle scars littered the grounds. The military had clearly already swept through.
Figures. Even in the apocalypse, class hierarchy held firm. Everyone living here was either rich or powerful-naturally the first priority for rescue.
Still, it worked in their favor. No zombies to clear.
They searched the compound for a while before finally finding a villa that was clean and untouched inside.
The residents were either not home when things went south, or hadn't turned and got evacuated.
Judging by the lack of any packing-no suitcases pulled out, no drawers left open-they probably just weren't home.
Rich people having multiple houses was nothing unusual.
To avoid breaking the door lock, they climbed up to the second floor and slipped in through a half-open window.
"Wow..."
Inside the villa, staring at the lavish décor, everyone let out sounds of disbelief.
"Holy shit, poverty really did limit our imagination."
"This is insane. A month of part-time work probably couldn't buy a single tile in this place."
"You know what? The apocalypse isn't so bad. Otherwise, broke losers like us wouldn't live in a villa like this if we grinded for ten lifetimes."
"For real. Before all this, the rich just kept getting richer while we stayed broke as hell. A lifetime of hustle couldn't match someone's monthly pocket money. Pisses me off just thinking about it."
"Exactly. Especially with women. You pour your whole heart out, and she runs off the second some rich guy crooks his finger. That's the power of money for you," Hu Wenliang sighed.
"Hu Wenliang!!! Say that again and see what happens!" Chen Hao snapped.
"Haha, why are you so worked up? I wasn't talking about you."
"......"
"The apocalypse is here. Money's worthless now. Society's getting reshuffled," Yang Bin said. "From here on, strength is king. Focus on getting stronger. Only real power gets you what you want in this world."
"Brother Bin's right. Once we're strong enough, those rich bastards will be serving us," Old Hei said with a grin.
"Don't underestimate the wealthy. They thrived before the apocalypse for a reason-their vision and their methods aren't something ordinary people can match. Add their resources on top of that, and even now, they'll do better than most."
"True, but with Brother Bin leading us, I know we'll surpass everyone else," Chen Hao said firmly.
"Same here," Zhao Kun and the others nodded.
"Alright, enough ass-kissing. Did any of you grab high-order crystals back there?" Yang Bin asked.
"Yeah. I got one Tier-4 Crystal and one Tier-3," Chen Hao pulled two crystals from his pocket.
"I've got two Tier-3 ones."
"One here."
The others produced their crystals as well. They hadn't had time to harvest anything Tier-2 or below, but they'd snagged Tier-3 ones in the chaos.
"Got a few myself." Yang Bin pulled out three Tier-3 Crystals-collected after the Tier-5 Zombie fled.
They tallied everything up, and grins spread across their faces.
The battle had been brutal, but the haul was solid: one Tier-4 Crystal and nine Tier-3 Crystals.
Yang Bin handed the Tier-4 Crystal to Chen Hao. He was already at Tier-3 Peak-absorbing this would push him straight to Tier 4. Besides, he'd killed that Tier-4 Zombie solo. It was rightfully his.
Of the remaining nine Tier-3 Crystals, Hu Wenliang took three to reach Tier-3 Peak. The other six all went to Zhao Kun.
The team's overall strength jumped again.
"Alright, pick a room and rest up. We move to the supermarket in thirty minutes," Yang Bin said.
"Got it."
The villa was massive, rooms everywhere. Each of them claimed one, showered, changed into fresh clothes, and collapsed onto the beds.
The high-end Simmons mattresses were a world apart from the rock-hard beds back at school.
Other survivors were scraping by in misery, and here they were living better than before the apocalypse. Life really wasn't fair.
Then again, the danger was real. They'd nearly not made it back.
That thought settled into Yang Bin's mind like a weight. From now on-careful. Always careful.
---
In another villa within Jinghe Garden, two figures stood by a third-floor window, watching the villa Yang Bin's group had entered.
The military had come through for rescue, but not everyone chose to leave for the Survival Base. Some preferred to stay.
These two were among them.
"I thought everyone in this compound had left. Figured I could finally move freely," the handsome man at the front said, frowning. "Didn't expect outsiders showing up."
"Probably just a bunch of broke nobodies who've never seen a villa before," the younger man beside him said. "Taking advantage of the military clearing the zombies to play rich for a day."
"They'd better not get in my way," the man said coldly.
"Brother Kai, why don't we just-" The younger man drew a finger across his throat.
Brother Kai shook his head.
"They climbed to the second floor like it was nothing. They're evolvers. Don't make a move until we know what we're dealing with."
"Brother Kai, you're a Tier-3 Peak evolver with an ability on top of that. Even if they're evolvers, so what? You could wipe them out easy."
"Don't be stupid. How do you know there isn't a Tier-4 Evolver among them?"
"That... no way, right? Besides the military, who could possibly have Tier-4 Evolvers out here?"
"Never gamble on assumptions. That's how people die ugly deaths," Brother Kai said, his voice flat and cold.
"Yes... you're right, Brother Kai."
"This is a critical moment. As long as they stay away from here, avoid conflict. Once the Tier-3 Zombie in the backyard evolves to Tier 4, I advance. With my ability on top of that, no one at this stage can touch me."
"Hell yeah, Brother Kai!"
"By the way-did Lin Yifei go to the Survival Base with the others?"
"She did."
"Tell my father to find a way to get her under control. Her ability is powerful. Best if we have her in hand."
"Understood."
---
Meanwhile.
After their thirty-minute rest, Yang Bin and the others headed out, leaving Little Orange behind to guard the house.
No car this time. Five kilometers total-not worth it.
The area surrounding Jinghe Garden was all landscaped greenery. No other buildings within a two-kilometer radius. The whole selling point was the pristine environment.
So aside from inside the compound itself, there were barely any zombies nearby.
If not for the food problem, just staying put would've been comfortable enough.
They walked for over ten minutes before another residential district came into view.
Yang Bin activated True Vision Eye and scanned the area ahead. His expression darkened.
"Monkey. Getting to Walmart-do we have to go through that residential area?"
"Not necessarily. There's another road that loops around. Just a bit longer."
"Good. We're taking the detour."
He'd just looked. The zombie density over there was absurd. Cutting through was out of the question.
The military had gone to Jinghe Garden for rescue but completely ignored this neighboring district.
Even in the apocalypse, certain people still got preferential treatment.