In the dorm, Chen Hao stared at the red crystal in Yang Bin's hand, eyes wide with curiosity. "Bin-ge, can this thing really boost someone's strength that much?"

"Mm." Yang Bin nodded, then placed the crystal directly into Chen Hao's palm. "Try it and find out."

"Huh? For me!?" Chen Hao's eyes went round.

"Who else would I give it to?" Yang Bin rolled his eyes.

"Bin-ge, I think you should eat it. If you take another one, maybe your strength goes up again. Then these zombies would be nothing to you." Chen Hao pushed the crystal back toward him.

"What, you wanna be deadweight and let me do all the heavy lifting alone?"

"No-Bin-ge, that's not what I mean. I just think it'd be better used on you. Giving it to me feels like a waste." Chen Hao's voice dropped low.

Yang Bin sighed and clapped a hand on Chen Hao's shoulder. "Haozi, this is the apocalypse. If you want to survive, you need strength. You're the only person I trust enough to watch my back. So we progress together.

If I'm the only one getting stronger while you stay where you are, you'll end up as deadweight eventually. You don't want that, right?"

"No. I don't want to be deadweight."

"Then that settles it. It's one crystal. Once you're stronger too, the two of us can hunt more together. Think we can't manage that?"

"Fair point. Alright, I'll eat it."

Chen Hao wasn't the type to dither. Once he'd thought it through, he stopped hesitating. He took the crystal, wiped it on his shirt, squeezed his eyes shut, and tossed it into his mouth.

The Energy Crystal dissolved into pure energy almost instantly, flooding into his body.

A long moment passed before Chen Hao opened his eyes. He clenched his fist, face lit up with excitement.

"This is insane. I feel like I could punch a bull to death right now."

"Focus inward," Yang Bin said. "See if there's anything new in your mind."

Chen Hao closed his eyes. A second later they snapped open, staring at Yang Bin in disbelief.

"Bin-ge-there's a Nine-Star Big Dipper Map in my head. Exactly the same as the Nine Stars of the Big Dipper we saw in the sky last night!"

"As I thought. Same for everyone." Yang Bin nodded.

"What the hell is going on? Why would a star map identical to the one in the sky show up inside my mind?" Chen Hao's voice shook.

"I don't know either. I've been turning it over for a while now. The only explanation I can come up with is that we've unlocked some kind of cultivation system."

"What do you mean?"

"The Nine-Star Big Dipper Map in my mind was completely dark. We swallowed one Energy Crystal and lit up a single corner of the first star-and our strength nearly doubled.

If I'm right, the more of that map we light up, the stronger we get. Maybe down the line, we'll even unlock new abilities." Yang Bin's gaze was distant, calculating.

"That sounds way too mystical." Chen Hao shook his head slowly.

"You think your Invisibility isn't mystical?"

"...It is."

"Then there you go. We already have supernatural powers. Cultivation isn't that big a leap."

"I guess that tracks."

"Mm. Stop overthinking it. Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, we fight again."

"Mm."

---

Night fell, and fear blanketed the globe.

The sudden zombie outbreak had blindsided everyone. The world's order shattered in hours.

In a single day, streets once packed with people became hunting grounds for the dead. The living could only cower in hidden corners, clinging to whatever slim chance they had.

Governments were in freefall. Key officials across every level had turned. Social order was functionally paralyzed.

Roads looked like pileups-vehicles strewn at every angle, zombies drifting between them.

From apartment buildings, muffled crying leaked through walls. No one dared step outside.

A few hard people stood up to fight. But they were the exception.

Most couldn't even keep their legs steady at the sight of a zombie, let alone swing a weapon.

Humanity's numbers were plummeting. Every industry ground to a halt. Survival was the only thought left.

Day one of the apocalypse. The entire world... fell apart.

Late that night, the Nine Stars of the Big Dipper reappeared in the sky-but the brightest star, Polaris, was gone. The mysterious red star did not return either.

The roaring of zombies faded to nothing. The world sank into a silence like death.

No one could remember the last time a night had been this quiet.

A few streetlights still burned stubbornly, but the warm glow of homes had vanished. Every household sat behind locked doors in the dark, lights off.

Bars, nightclubs, karaoke halls-all shuttered tight.

Across the world, zombies tilted their heads upward, gazing at the Nine Stars of the Big Dipper.

Faintly, as if drawn by the starlight, wisps of spiritual energy drifted from the air and seeped into their bodies.

It wasn't just zombies. Mutated beasts also stared skyward at the constellation, spiritual energy trickling into them in thin, silent streams.

---

Early the next morning.

Yang Bin was up before dawn.

He grabbed his phone out of habit and saw a notification. One new message.

He opened it-and his expression shifted instantly. The message was from Hu Wenliang.

"He's alive." Yang Bin's pulse jumped as he read.

"Bin-ge, are you guys still alive? The apocalypse hit. Liu Bo turned. I hid in the bathroom and barely made it, but I think it knows I'm here. I don't know how much longer I can last. If you're alive, find somewhere safe. Please survive."

Yang Bin's chest tightened. Liu Bo was gone after all.

But Hu Wenliang was still breathing.

"Haozi, wake up!" Yang Bin kicked the side of Chen Hao's bed.

"Wha-what's wrong, Bin-ge?" Chen Hao dragged himself upright, still half-asleep.

"Liangzi's alive!" Yang Bin couldn't keep the urgency from his voice.

"Seriously!?" Chen Hao shot upright, fully awake. "What about Liu Bo?"

"He... turned." Yang Bin said quietly.

Chen Hao's face crumpled for a moment.

"It's okay. At least Wenliang made it." He forced a thin smile.

"Mm. He's trapped in the bathroom. His situation's bad. We need to get down there and pull him out." Yang Bin said.

"Mm."

They moved fast-splashed water on their faces in the bathroom, changed into clean clothes they'd scavenged the day before.

Their old clothes had been shredded and soaked in blood. They'd tossed them before crashing last night.

Backpacks on, they headed to Zhao Kun's dorm and knocked.

Skinny Monkey opened the door almost immediately. The three of them were already geared up, waiting.

"What's the move today?" Zhao Kun asked.

"We're going down to the third floor to rescue someone. You in?" Yang Bin didn't waste words.

Zhao Kun's brow furrowed. "Getting from here to the third floor means passing through six, five, and four. We go down like that, we're guaranteed to alert every zombie on those floors. If they close in from above and below, we're done."

"Mm. It's dangerous. That's why I'm asking. If you're not coming, Chen Hao and I go alone."

"..."

Zhao Kun thought it over, then shook his head. "Sorry. I can't take that risk. I've got Skinny Monkey and Old Hei to think about."

"I get it." Yang Bin nodded.

Their relationship was cooperation, nothing more. Honestly, it wasn't even a warm one. No reason for Zhao Kun to gamble his people on someone else's friend.

"Then we're heading out. Watch yourselves." Yang Bin turned and walked away, Chen Hao falling in beside him.

"Yang Bin." Zhao Kun's voice came from behind. "I hope you make it back."

Yang Bin raised a hand without looking back. "Relax. You'll be dead long before we are."