The atmosphere turned tense all over again.

Chen Hao patted Yang Bin on the shoulder and said quietly, "Bin-ge, don't. I know what's going on."

Yang Bin pulled back his cold stare and turned to Chen Hao. His eyes were bloodshot.

"Haozi, I'm sorry. If I hadn't told you to kick that thing, this wouldn't have happened."

"Bin-ge, it's not your fault. I was careless." Chen Hao forced a bitter smile.

"Bin-ge, you know what? You're the person I admire most in this life. Being your brother is the thing I'm proudest of.

If... if I really am going to turn, can you do it before it happens? I don't want to become one of those things and hurt people."

His eyes grew wet as he spoke.

"That's not going to happen. Stop thinking like that. There has to be a way."

Yang Bin activated his Special Ability and fixed his gaze on the wound on Chen Hao's ankle.

He saw it almost immediately-a faint wisp of gray energy, barely visible, gnawing steadily into the wound. But something inside Chen Hao's body was pushing back. Another energy, formless and unnamed, held the gray at bay. The two forces were locked in a stalemate.

Relief flooded Yang Bin's face. He didn't know why Chen Hao could resist the gray energy's invasion, but one thing was clear: maybe-just maybe-Chen Hao wasn't going to turn.

"Bin-ge, can you promise me something?" Chen Hao kept talking as though he hadn't noticed. "After I'm gone, can you find my parents? They haven't answered my messages. I'm worried about them."

"Go find them yourself," Yang Bin said, and smiled.

The gray energy was fading. Shrinking. Dissolving bit by bit. The weight pressing on Yang Bin's chest finally lifted. Chen Hao was going to be fine.

"......"

"Bin-ge, I'm literally dying here and you're laughing? Are all these years of brotherhood just a joke to you?" Chen Hao's face crumpled.

"Who says you're dying? You look perfectly fine to me."

"But I'm about to turn into a zombie!"

"Not anymore."

"Really?!" Chen Hao's eyes went wide.

"Of course. You don't even trust me now?"

"I trust you, but-"

"No buts. I said you won't turn, so you won't." Yang Bin's voice was iron.

Chen Hao looked into those steady eyes and let out a long, shuddering breath. He knew this man. Yang Bin would never bullshit him about something like this.

"Okay. I believe you, Bin-ge." Chen Hao nodded.

"You're celebrating too early." Zhao Kun's voice cut in. "He hasn't turned yet because it hasn't been long enough. I'm telling you-get him away from us. Otherwise we push him off the edge. I'm not betting our lives on your gut feeling."

"Try it." Yang Bin's tone dropped to freezing. "Any of you makes a move, I break your legs."

"You-!" Zhao Kun nearly lunged forward, but his eyes caught the steel pipe in Yang Bin's hand. He ground his teeth.

"Fine. You win. But don't say I didn't warn you. You're the closest one to him. When he turns, you'll be the first thing he eats."

He turned and led his two guys to the far side of the rooftop.

"Bin-ge, maybe you should keep some distance too. Just in case..." Chen Hao said, uneasy.

"There is no 'just in case.' I said you're fine, so you're fine. Sit still. I'm bandaging that. The wound's shallow, but it's hot as hell up here-last thing you need is an infection."

Yang Bin tore a strip from his own sleeve, crouched down, and wrapped the scratches carefully.

The gray energy around the wound had almost entirely dissipated. No more danger.

Chen Hao watched with red-rimmed eyes as Yang Bin worked. He didn't say thank you. Between them, that word had been unnecessary for years.

"Done. Get some rest. By tomorrow you'll be good as new." Yang Bin clapped his hands and stood-then caught sight of Chen Hao's bloodshot eyes and flinched.

"The hell-don't scare me like that. You're not actually turning, are you?"

"No. Sand in my eyes." Chen Hao rubbed at them quickly.

"Good." Yang Bin exhaled.

"Bin-ge, honestly, my foot's fine. It's just a few scratches. As long as I'm not turning, it won't slow me down."

"Rest anyway. We've got more fighting ahead."

"Mm."

Half an hour passed. Zhao Kun and his guys watched Chen Hao from across the rooftop. His color hadn't changed. He wasn't twitching. He looked... normal.

"Didn't the internet say you turn within minutes of getting scratched? How is he fine?"

"Yeah, that makes no sense. Was the internet full of shit?"

"No way. I've got a video right here-clear footage of someone going from normal to full zombie. That wasn't fake."

"Then what's his deal?"

"No clue. Should we ask?"

"I'm not going over there. That Yang Bin is scary as fuck. Kun-ge, you go."

"I already talked all that shit. If I go ask now, I'm slapping my own face."

"Forget it then. Maybe the scratch wasn't deep enough. Or maybe that Chen Hao's got some kind of special constitution."

"Mm. Now that you mention it..." Zhao Kun's eyes narrowed. "Something about that Chen Hao is off."

"What do you mean?"

"You guys probably didn't see it. That zombie was right on top of him-about to grab him-and he just vanished. Gone. Then the zombie turned around and went after Yang Bin instead."

"Bullshit. That sounds way too crazy." Skinny Monkey shook his head.

"If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it either. But it happened. The guy told me it was a magic trick. A magic trick. Does he think I'm a fucking idiot? What magic trick works without props?"

"Holy shit... you think he's got Invisibility?"

"Don't know. But that guy is weird. We need to watch ourselves around him."

"Yeah."

"Shut it-Yang Bin's coming over."

Yang Bin walked straight up to them. "I'm going to open the door and keep luring zombies up here to kill. You in?"

"Again?!" All three stared.

"What, you'd rather starve to death on this roof?"

"No!" Skinny Monkey and Old Hei shook their heads immediately.

"Who's doing the luring?" Zhao Kun frowned.

"I'll go. If we pull the seventh-floor zombies up one at a time and take them out, we can hit the dorms down there for food."

Their eyes lit up. Even Zhao Kun couldn't help but look at Yang Bin differently.

They'd been sitting here waiting for rescue like idiots. Yang Bin had already figured out how to eat. And he wasn't sending anyone else to do the dangerous part-he was going himself. Zhao Kun couldn't find a single thing to criticize.

"You sure you can handle it? If not, I'll go. I know the seventh floor better." The words left Zhao Kun's mouth before his brain caught up. Habit.

"Sure. You go then," Yang Bin said.

"......"

Zhao Kun's face went blank. He stared at Yang Bin.

Yang Bin didn't even look at him. He picked up a few stones from the ground and pressed them into Zhao Kun's hands. "Be careful down there. If you spot a zombie, hit it with a stone from a distance, then lead it up. Don't lure more than one."

Zhao Kun stood there holding the stones, mouth open, nothing coming out. He wanted to slap himself. Why the hell did he have to run his mouth?

And so, under everyone's watchful gaze, Zhao Kun descended the stairs with the expression of a man walking to his own funeral.