Inside the apartment…

A dozen people sat crowded around the table, eyes glued to the kitchen door like kids waiting for Christmas morning. The smell of beef stew had them practically levitating—mouths open, stomachs growling, eyes glazed with hunger.

It was torture. Delicious, slow-cooked torture.

And for the poor souls inside—Chris, Henry, Sean, Big Mike, and Skinny Pete—it was even worse. The scent had been building for hours, thick and rich, curling through the air like a siren's song.

Then finally—

"Beef stew's ready!"

The kitchen door swung open, and Ethan emerged like a culinary messiah, carrying a steaming pot big enough to bathe in.

The room erupted.

Chairs scraped back. People surged forward. The stew hadn't even hit the table before spoons were clattering and bowls were flying.

"Easy, easy," Ethan said, laughing. "There's plenty. Eat as much as you want."

And they did.

"Goddamn, Ethan," someone groaned between bites. "This is insane."

"I can't believe we're eating this in the middle of the apocalypse."

"I swear," Garrick said, eyes misty with joy, "joining Fallen Star was the best decision I've ever made."

This—this was living.

Let the rest of the world burn. Let the Safe Zone ration protein bars and powdered soup. Fallen Star Squad was feasting.

No one cared about burned tongues or table manners. They devoured the stew like it was their last meal on Earth—rich chunks of beef, tender potatoes, thick broth that clung to the spoon like velvet.

Next door, the mother and daughter who'd been rescued earlier could smell it too. The scent had them in tears. But after seeing what Ethan's crew had done to the men who'd hurt them—how casually they'd killed—they didn't dare knock.

Half an hour later…

Everyone leaned back in their chairs, bellies full, faces glowing with post-meal bliss.

The freezer had held over 150 pounds of beef. Ethan had only cooked a fraction of it, but it had been more than enough to stuff the whole squad.

The rest he'd sliced into strips, dried over low heat, and packed into their bags. Beef jerky for the road—easy to carry, easy to eat.

After the cleanup, Ethan wandered over to the window, stretching lazily. Then he paused.

Below, in the street, a fight was breaking out.

He narrowed his eyes, activated True Sight—and smiled.

"Well, well," he said. "Henry, your darling Vivian's come to visit."

"...Seriously?" Henry rolled his eyes but walked over anyway.

He tried to act annoyed, but the way he leaned in said otherwise.

The others crowded around, curious, but the distance made it hard to see faces clearly.

"That Vivian's team?" Sean asked.

"Yep."

"What the hell are they doing here?"

"Probably followed the smell of stew," Ethan said with a smirk.

"...Fair."

"Should we go down?"

"Vivian can handle this batch," Ethan said, watching the scene unfold. "But there's a Tier 5 hiding in the horde—sneaky bastard, waiting to ambush. That crystal core's mine. No way I'm letting her snag it. Not until she's officially your girlfriend, Henry."

He grinned. "Come on. We've eaten. Time to get back to work."

"Hell yeah."

One by one, they vaulted out the window like it was nothing.

...

Down below…

Vivian's squad was moving with precision, cutting through the undead like a well-oiled machine.

There were over a thousand zombies in the area—mostly Tier 3s, a few Tier 2s, and a couple dozen Tier 4s. But the real threat was the Tier 5 lurking in the crowd, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Vivian hadn't spotted it yet.

But Ethan had. And he was already on his way down.

Vivian's squad—just over two hundred strong—was made up entirely of Tier 3 elites, with a handful of Tier 4s mixed in. Backed up against a solid wall, they should've been fine.

But then the Tier 5 zombie struck.

It moved like a shadow, fast and brutal, and in the blink of an eye, two squad members were dead. The formation buckled instantly.

Not everyone could spot a Tier 5 at a glance. That was what made the ambush so effective.

And once the Tier 5 made its move, the Tier 4s followed suit, surging forward with savage precision. The squad's formation unraveled into chaos.

Vivian reacted fast.

She intercepted the Tier 5 herself, locking it down before it could do more damage. At the same time, she barked orders, directing her Tier 4s to hold off the others. Slowly, the line stabilized.

Vivian's ability gave her a massive strength boost. At the peak of Tier 4, she could throw around over 4,000 pounds of force—more than enough to go toe-to-toe with a Tier 5.

She and the zombie clashed like titans, blow for blow, neither giving an inch.

Then, a sudden commotion erupted behind the horde.

A group of seven people was tearing through the zombies with terrifying speed. They weren't using guns—just barbell bars, swinging them like warhammers. Every strike sent zombies flying, skulls crushed like eggshells.

Vivian's eyes widened. "It's them!"

Her squad recognized them too—Ethan and the others. The infamous Fallen Star Squad. No one expected to run into them here, outside of Starlight State University.

Everyone was stunned—except Thomas, the government plant embedded in Vivian's team. He didn't know who they were, but the moment he saw how they fought, his eyes lit up.

In no time, Ethan's crew had bulldozed their way through the horde and reached Vivian's position.

Vivian's heart skipped a beat. She suddenly remembered the last time she'd seen Ethan—and what he'd done.

Her eyes snapped to the Tier 5 zombie she was still fighting.

"Wait! That Tier 5 is mine!" she shouted, panic creeping into her voice.

Too late.

Ethan had already slipped behind the zombie. Before her words even finished echoing, his barbell bar came down like a guillotine.

CRACK.

Blood sprayed. The Tier 5's skull shattered under the blow, its body crumpling before it even realized it was dead.

If Ethan had still been Tier 4, that might've been a tall order. But now that he was Tier 5 himself? One clean hit was all it took.

Before the corpse even hit the ground, Ethan reached in and plucked the crystal core from its brain like a magician pulling a coin from behind someone's ear.

"You—!" Vivian stared at him, furious.

Not again.

The last time they'd crossed paths, he'd stolen her kill. And now, here they were, same story, different day.

"Hi, Vivian," Ethan said with a grin. "Fancy seeing you again. Henry's been missing you something fierce."

"..."

"You stole my crystal core!" she snapped.

"Stole?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "I killed it. I took the core. That's just how it works."

"..."

Vivian let out a long sigh. She knew there was no point arguing. Once something ended up in Ethan's hands, it was as good as gone.

She crossed her arms. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Killing zombies," Ethan said casually.

"Funny. So are we."

"Oh? Total coincidence, then? I figured you came looking for Henry."

"..."

"Was that beef stew yours?" she asked, licking her lips.

"Yep."

"Any left?"

"Not on me. Henry might have some."

"...Can you stop saying his name every five seconds?" Vivian said, exasperated.

"Can't help it. He likes you."

"Pfft. If he's really a man, he should come chase me himself."

Ethan's grin widened. "You said it."

He turned and shouted, "Henry! Stop playing with those zombies! She just gave you the green light—go build some chemistry!"

"..."

Henry rolled his eyes. He was still knee-deep in undead, swinging his barbell bar like a scythe. Romance would have to wait.

The rest of the Fallen Star Squad was still busy mopping up the horde, but with their arrival, the tide had turned. The zombies didn't stand a chance.

Just then, Thomas wandered over, watching Ethan and Vivian banter with growing interest.

"You two know each other?" he asked, smiling. "Vivian, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Vivian shot him a look and said nothing.

Ethan, meanwhile, gave Thomas a once-over, frowning slightly.

"Wait a second," he said. "I thought your squad was all Starlight State students. When'd you pick up this old guy?"

"..."

Thomas's smile froze.

...

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