"Tier 3 zombies…" Ethan let out a breath, eyes still on the corpse at his feet. "Their strength, speed, and durability are all a big leap above Tier 2s. But the worst part? They've started protecting their heads. That makes them way harder to kill."

He glanced over at Chris and Henry. The two of them, with Pumpkin darting between their legs, were steadily cutting down the remaining zombies, using the overturned tables and scattered lab gear for cover. For now, they were holding their own.

Ethan walked over to the Tier 3's body and crouched beside it. He reached into the shattered skull and pulled out the crystal core.

It was noticeably larger than the ones from Tier 2s—dense, glowing faintly with energy. Even without activating True Sight, he could feel the power pulsing inside it.

He wiped it clean on his sleeve, then, without hesitation, popped it into his mouth and swallowed.

A surge of raw energy exploded through his body.

In his mind's eye, the constellation diagram lit up—the third point on the first star flared to life.

The feedback hit like a wave, flooding his limbs, reinforcing muscle, bone, and nerve. His whole body thrummed with power.

It took a while for the energy to fully settle, but when it did, Ethan flexed his fingers, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He could feel it—his strength had definitely broken past 1,600 pounds.

"God, that rush never gets old," he muttered, then grabbed his barbell bar and jogged back toward the others.

"Ethan! You finished it off?" Chris called out, eyes lighting up as he saw him approach.

"Yeah," Ethan nodded, then swung his bar in a wide arc, smashing the skulls of several zombies that had gotten too close.

"Damn, you leveled up to Tier 3 already? That's insane," Henry said, half in awe, half in disbelief.

"Less talking, more smashing," Ethan shot back with a grin.

"Right!"

It took them over an hour to clear out the rest of the lab. When the last zombie dropped, they went around collecting every crystal core they could find.

"Ethan," Chris asked, wiping sweat from his brow, "we going after another Tier 3 next?"

"Yeah," Ethan said, though his tone was more thoughtful now. "But the others won't be as easy as this one."

He paused, thinking. "Let's check behind the teaching building first. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Got it."

The three of them left the lab and headed toward the back of the academic building.

But they hadn't made it halfway when the ground beneath their feet began to tremble—just slightly at first, then more pronounced. A distant roar of howls rolled toward them like a tidal wave.

All three froze.

Ethan immediately activated True Sight and scanned the horizon. His face darkened.

"What is it?" Chris asked, tense.

"The main dining hall," Ethan said grimly. "The zombies there are going berserk. Thousands of them. Full stampede. We need cover—now!"

"On it!"

They ducked into the nearest building and slipped into a multimedia classroom, barricading the door behind them.

"Who the hell had the balls to stir up the dining hall horde?" Henry whispered, wide-eyed.

Ethan gave a dry laugh. "Rats. A whole swarm of them. Each one bigger than a cat."

"Rats?" Chris blinked, then turned to look at Pumpkin.

The cat was perched on a desk, licking his lips, eyes gleaming with interest.

"Isn't that your favorite snack?" Chris said with a smirk.

Pumpkin's tail flicked, and he gave a soft, eager chirp—like he was ready to dive into a buffet.

Ethan flicked Pumpkin lightly on the head. "Don't even think about it. There are hundreds of those rats out there. You go chasing them, they'll strip you to the bone before you can meow. Don't assume they're still scared of cats."

"Meow!" Pumpkin let out a pitiful little cry, clearly offended, but he settled down obediently.

Chris frowned. "Why would rats be fighting with zombies in the first place?"

"Looks like they were trying to relocate," Ethan said with a half-smile. "Soon as they popped out, the zombies went after them."

"So mutant beasts and zombies are natural enemies too," Henry mused. "That means humans aren't totally surrounded after all."

"You're giving us too much credit," Ethan said dryly. "It's a three-way war, sure—but we're still the easiest target."

"...Fair point."

The chaos outside lasted another ten minutes or so. Eventually, the rats vanished back underground, and the tremors faded with them.

Ethan activated True Sight and scanned the area near the main dining hall. His eyes lit up.

"Perfect timing."

"What is it?" Chris and Henry leaned in.

"The zombies near the teaching building side of the dining hall all chased after the rats. But the Tier 3 didn't."

"You mean it's alone now?"

"Not completely. Still has a few dozen zombies around it. But that's way better than before."

Chris's eyes gleamed. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's take it down!"

"Move fast," Ethan said. "We kill it and get out before the rest come back."

"Got it."

The three of them sprinted toward the dining hall.

Elsewhere...

In a nearby classroom, eighty people crouched in silence, watching the same scene unfold.

"Vivian," someone whispered, "the zombies are gone. Only a few dozen left. Should we move?"

"Do it," said the woman in charge—Vivian, tall, broad-shouldered, and radiating command like a jungle queen.

The group slipped out of the classroom, moving with practiced stealth toward the scattered zombies.

They weren't the only ones with that idea.

Ethan, Chris, and Henry arrived at the same time, skidding to a halt as they spotted the large group approaching from the opposite side.

The feeling was mutual—Vivian's group looked just as surprised to see them.

But the zombies didn't care about the awkward standoff. The moment they saw the larger group, they charged straight at them, completely ignoring Ethan's trio.

"Get ready!" Vivian shouted, her voice sharp and clear.

The eighty Awakened surged forward to meet the undead. Men and women alike, all of them had consumed at least one crystal core—some clearly more. Two of them were already Tier 2.

Against forty or fifty zombies, they had the numbers and the power. The tide turned fast.

"Ethan, what now?" Chris asked, tense.

"We go in too. Forget the rest—just focus on the Tier 3."

Without waiting for a reply, Ethan dashed forward.

That group was strong. They could probably take down the Tier 3 on their own, but not without casualties. And Ethan wasn't about to stand by and watch classmates die if he could help it.

By the time he got close, the Tier 3 had already engaged with Vivian.

And to Ethan's surprise, she was holding her own.

"Wait a second…"

He activated True Sight and focused on her. A moment later, understanding dawned.

"Ah. Strength-type Awakened. No wonder."

But the rest of her team was wrapping up the fight fast. Reinforcements were about to join her. If he wanted to act, it had to be now.

Ethan didn't hesitate.

While the zombie was locked in combat with Vivian, he came in from behind and swung his barbell bar with all his might.

"Boom!"

The zombie's skull exploded in a spray of blood and bone.

Vivian froze, stunned by the sudden kill.

Ethan didn't waste the moment. He stepped in, reached into the corpse, and yanked out the crystal core, slipping it into his pocket in one smooth motion.

"You—!" Vivian pointed at him, fury flashing in her eyes. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"What?" Ethan blinked innocently. "I was helping."

"Who asked for your help?! Give me the crystal core!"

"I killed it. That makes the core mine. Pretty simple logic," Ethan said, calm as ever.

"Vivian, what's going on?" one of her teammates asked as the rest of the group finished off the last of the zombies and gathered around.

"He stole my crystal core!" she snapped, pointing at Ethan.

In an instant, the mood shifted. The entire group turned, surrounding Ethan, Chris, and Henry in a tightening circle.

...

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