?

Outside the Library...

"Bin-ge, you sure this is gonna work?" Chen Hao stared at the hundred-plus zombies ahead and swallowed hard.

"Well... we've gotta try, right? It's rare to run into a Special Zombie." Yang Bin wasn't exactly brimming with confidence either. The sheer number was genuinely terrifying.

"Haozi, why not use your Way of Assassination and grind them down slowly?" Hu Wenliang suggested.

"With this many? Even with the Way of Assassination, there's nowhere to hide. One swarm forward and they'd slam right into me-cover blown." Chen Hao shook his head.

"Then... what do we do?"

Yang Bin activated his True Vision Eye and swept the surroundings. His gaze sharpened. "I've got an idea."

"What idea?" Both turned to him.

Yang Bin pointed behind the Library. "Yuxin Lake is right over there. The arched bridge in the middle is only about 2.5 meters wide. We lure these zombies onto that bridge-fighting there is simple. Just knock them into the water."

"But that bridge is a good thousand meters away. If other zombies cut us off along the way, we're dead." Hu Wenliang frowned.

"I just checked. There aren't many zombies between the Library and Yuxin Lake. But I couldn't see everything-too far, too many obstacles. My ability has limits.

So here's the plan: you and I go ahead first and clear the path. Haozi stays here. Once we've cleaned it up, he leads the horde over.

With your current physical stats, as long as the road's clear, those zombies won't catch you." Yang Bin said.

The reason he picked Chen Hao as bait was obvious-Invisibility. Even if something went wrong, he could vanish and escape.

"Got it." Chen Hao nodded without hesitation.

"One more thing. See the one on the left? Blue T-shirt, crew cut. That's the Special Zombie. Keep your eyes on it. I don't care if the rest follow or not, but that one cannot get away."

"Understood." Chen Hao nodded again.

With the plan set, Yang Bin took Hu Wenliang and headed toward Yuxin Lake.

Just as Yang Bin predicted, the path had few zombies. The two moved forward steadily, putting down every zombie they encountered so nothing would block Chen Hao's route later.

Before long, they arrived at Yuxin Lake-one of the campus's scenic spots.

The scenery was beautiful. Rows of willows lined the shore, benches tucked beneath their drooping branches.

Back when they were just students, plenty of people came here to read. The atmosphere was calming, almost meditative.

It was also the campus's premier dating spot. Those benches were always occupied by couples.

But neither of them had any interest in the view right now. They went straight to the arched bridge and sent Chen Hao a message.

On Chen Hao's end, the moment the text came through, he picked up a rock, activated Invisibility, and walked toward the zombie cluster.

He stopped about seven or eight meters out, lined up the Special Zombie, and hurled the stone.

Thud.

It cracked against the Special Zombie's skull. No blood, but the impact was solid.

"Roar-!"

The Special Zombie bellowed. The entire horde stirred into agitation.

"Hey there!"

Chen Hao dropped his Invisibility and waved-polite as anything.

The sight of a living human appearing from thin air sent the zombies into a frenzy. They surged toward him.

The Special Zombie's blood-red eyes locked onto Chen Hao like a predator marking prey.

Mission accomplished. Chen Hao spun and ran.

A massive horde stampeded after him. The scene was almost cinematic in its absurdity.

Inside the Library...

"Huh? Why are the zombies leaving?" Someone peering through a crack in the door sounded confused.

Zhao Kun rushed over. When he saw the horde was genuinely moving away, excitement flooded his face.

"They're actually gone. Perfect."

"Get ready. Once they're far enough, we move." Zhao Kun turned to Old Hei and Skinny Monkey.

"Got it."

Chen Hao led the horde all the way toward Yuxin Lake. Yang Bin and Hu Wenliang had swept the route clean-not a single straggler remained.

With his enhanced physique, Chen Hao was noticeably faster than the zombies. He reached the rendezvous point without breaking a sweat.

Yang Bin and Hu Wenliang were already in position.

"Nice work, Haozi. Need a breather?"

"Nah. That little jog? Not even winded." Chen Hao grinned.

"Good."

The three of them gripped their iron pipes and took their stance at the highest point of the arched bridge. At 2.5 meters wide, the three of them could hold the line perfectly.

The horde hit the bridge moments later. But the narrow width worked exactly as planned-they couldn't swarm forward all at once. Zombies in the front ranks collided and shoved each other off the edges, splashing into the lake below.

The water near the banks wasn't deep, though. Those zombies scrambled out almost immediately.

One by one, zombies clawed their way up the bridge and lunged.

Yang Bin struck first. A horizontal sweep of his iron pipe sent several zombies flying off the bridge and into the water.

The guardrails were only 70 centimeters high-barely knee-level. With Yang Bin's strength, launching them over was effortless.

Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang joined in, smashing each charging zombie off the side.

"Haha! Bin-ge, you genius. This is perfect!" Chen Hao laughed.

"Right? Way easier than actually killing them." Hu Wenliang was grinning too.

"...You're celebrating too early." Yang Bin's voice went flat.

"What?"

"Look down."

Both of them leaned over the railing. Their expressions shifted through several stages of disbelief.

"What the fuck-these zombies can swim?!"

Below, the zombies that had fallen in were paddling toward shore, arms churning through the water in clumsy strokes.

Calling it "swimming" was generous. Their heads stayed fully submerged the entire time. Their arms moved like some brainless reflex-just... paddling.

But that was the thing. They didn't need to breathe. They just had to keep moving.

"Are you kidding me?! This was all for nothing?!" Chen Hao's voice cracked with disbelief.

Yang Bin grimaced. He hadn't expected this either. He'd assumed that brainless zombies would sink like stones once they hit water.

But no. They could paddle. Which meant knocking them off was pointless-they'd just crawl out and come right back.

"...Guess there's no shortcut. We kill them the hard way." Yang Bin sighed.

"Figures."

Chen Hao and Hu Wenliang shook their heads with bitter smiles, then switched from sweeping to stabbing.

Fortunately, with the terrain advantage and their combined strength, killing the zombies wasn't difficult. Just exhausting.

Zombies dropped one after another under their iron pipes. Blood pooled across the bridge until the stone was slick and red.

After they'd put down over thirty, the Special Zombie finally pushed its way to the front.

Yang Bin tightened his grip. He drove forward with everything he had, ramming the iron pipe straight into the Special Zombie's skull.

The resistance was enormous-but the pipe punched through. One strike. Dead.

After consuming the second Red Crystal, Yang Bin's strength had climbed again. At full force, even a Special Zombie couldn't withstand his blow.

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