"Xiaowu, go upstairs and get everyone. We’re heading to Building Four," Qin Ziwen said to Qin Ziwu.

"Okay, Brother."

"Iron Mountain, what’s our current weapons stockpile?"

Li Tieshan said, "Sir, we have five newly-forged iron Long Spears, two Large Beast Traps, one Small Beast Trap, and two Bows. Forging the Iron Armor is time-consuming and still not complete. The only armor we have on hand is your suit of Mountain Armor."

Qin Ziwen did a quick mental inventory. Factoring in Qin Ziwu’s Broadsword, Du Yu’s Precepts Saber, and his own Three-pronged Fork, they had just enough weapons to manage.

They also had some kitchen cleavers and Mountain-Climbing Knives they had confiscated earlier, but those short-handled weapons would be sorely inadequate against large beasts.

"Alright. Iron Mountain, you, Zhang Meng, Shi Hu, and Da Zhuang each take a Long Spear. Du Yu, you take a Long Spear too, then put on the Mountain Armor," Qin Ziwen ordered. "Iron Mountain, bring the Beast Traps and the Bow and Arrow."

Du Yu said, "Sir, maybe you should be the one to wear the armor."

Qin Ziwen refused. "No. You’ll get more out of it than I will."

Soon, Qin Ziwen had assembled a team of ten.

Li Yue, Deng Guang, Zhao Pu, Qin Ziwu, Du Yu, Zhang Meng, Li Tieshan, Da Zhuang, Shi Hu, and counting himself, that made ten people in total.

Downstairs, Wang Yun and Yang Cunshen were already armed and had been waiting for some time. In his left hand, Wang Yun held a white gasoline can.

Wang Yun grinned. "Knew you guys would be going."

Qin Ziwen smiled at his words, raising a clenched fist to bump it against Wang Yun’s.

"Since everyone’s here, let’s head out. We’re going to Building Four first. Remember to conceal your movements and don’t make a sound."

Wang Yun asked, "Aren’t we calling for Yuan Ming?"

Qin Ziwen waved a hand dismissively. "No need. He lives on the ninth floor—it’s too high up. Besides, we aren’t planning a frontal assault. The stairwell is narrow, so we don’t need too many people. With twelve of us, we can split into three teams of four and rotate to rest."

From balconies on either side, many neighbors watched as Qin Ziwen’s group headed north.

Some watched with numb eyes; others were itching to act.

Yuan Ming stood on his balcony, listening to the battle cries outside the north gate, and couldn’t help but clench his fists.

His gaze shifted from Building Eight back to the north gate.

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto the figures gathering below Building Eight. "Damn it, they’re going without me!" he yelled, feeling wronged.

Yuan Ming rushed back into his bedroom and retrieved his prized Iron-Plated Long Spear.

"Where are you going?" Hu Huilan asked.

"I’m going to fight monsters with the Captain!" Yuan Ming shouted eagerly.

"You—" The words died on Hu Huilan’s lips. After a moment’s hesitation, she finally said, "Be careful!"

After Yuan Ming left, the usually silent Yuan Dajun threw on a jacket, grabbed a homemade, long-handled Wolf Fang Club from behind the bedroom door, and followed him out.

Hu Huilan didn’t try to stop him. She only asked, "Will you be back for breakfast?"

"I’ll bring our son back to eat with you," Yuan Dajun’s voice drifted back.

In the adjacent apartment, Zhang Liang listened to the sounds from the hallway, a complicated look in his eyes.

Lin Xing whispered, "Did they really go?"

"Yes, they’re gone."

Zhang Zihan suddenly understood why Yuan Ming always managed to scavenge so many supplies. "Dad, should we go help them?"

Zhang Liang fell silent. "The Alliance Association hasn’t issued a notice. Let’s just wait."

...

"Wait up!"

Yuan Ming came running up from behind, out of breath, with Yuan Dajun following close behind him.

"What are you two doing here?" Qin Ziwen asked, turning around in surprise at the base of Building Four.

Yuan Ming looked at his captain reproachfully. "Captain, I saw you guys gathering. I rushed right down without even grabbing a jacket."

Qin Ziwen teased, "Well, that’s what you get for living on the ninth floor. Do you have any idea how hard that climb is without an elevator?"

"Captain Qin, I’d like to join the team, too," Yuan Dajun said, getting straight to the point.

"Uncle Yuan, welcome aboard."

Afterward, Qin Ziwen led everyone up the stairs in Unit Two of Building Four.

Yuan Ming was a bit confused. ’I thought the only way out was through the north gate. Why are we going into Unit Two?’

But he quickly understood why.

Qin Ziwen knocked on the door of Apartment 202 in Unit Two of Building Four.

It was silent inside, but if one listened closely, they could hear the soft sound of footsteps just on the other side of the door.

"Boss Zhang, it’s me. I’d like to borrow your place for a moment to deal with the beasts outside."

After a moment, the door opened.

Zhang Bo silently eyed the large crowd of people standing behind Qin Ziwen.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "You show up here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping... For a second, I thought you were..."

"How could anyone sleep with all that noise?" Qin Ziwen said, gesturing to the window. "Mind if we use it for a bit?"

"I opened the door, didn’t I? What do you think?" Zhang Bo said irritably. "Next time, announce why you’re here before you knock. That was actually pretty terrifying."

"Haha, Boss Zhang, you’re a class act!" Qin Ziwen gave him a thumbs-up and led his team members inside in a single file.

The north gate was right next to Building Four, and the windows in Zhang Bo’s kitchen and second bedroom offered a clear view of the grounds outside the compound wall.

The pack of Giant Hyenas was in the process of destroying the entrance that led upstairs.

The students had constructed several layers of wooden barricades, but now they were almost completely destroyed.

Two Giant Hyenas already lay on the ground, but their deaths hadn’t intimidated the pack. Instead, the beasts had only grown more frenzied.

"Set the traps in the stairwell," Qin Ziwen commanded.

A moment later, Zhang Meng reported, "Sir, they’re set."

"Good." Qin Ziwen glanced at the Quiver; there were still 20 Arrows left inside.

But those twenty Arrows were to be shared between the two Compound Bows.

It wasn’t a huge amount, but it wasn’t a small number, either.

Qin Ziwen narrowed his eyes and took aim.

SWOOSH—

In an instant, the Arrow became a blur.

It struck the massive rump of the Giant Hyena King fifty meters away.

"ROAR!!!"

The Giant Hyena King whipped its head around, its eyes filled with fury.

Behind it was a scrawny Giant Hyena, smaller than the others of its kind. While the rest of the pack was destroying the wooden barricade, it had been hiding behind its leader’s rear.

Seeing its leader’s furious glare, the small Giant Hyena turned its head in confusion. There was nothing behind it.

The Giant Hyena King shot a vicious glare at the little squirt behind it, then turned its head away.

THWACK!

A short, sharp sound came from its rear.

The pain made the Giant Hyena King instinctively jerk its hips forward.

Then, it slowly turned its head and landed a heavy slap on the small Giant Hyena’s head.

The blow sent the smaller creature flying.

The Giant Hyena King glared fiercely all around.

Just then, another Arrow sliced through the air and struck the Giant Hyena King squarely on the forehead.

The arrowhead penetrated slightly before getting lodged in its thick skull.

This time, the Giant Hyena King finally saw him.

Its blood-red pupils locked onto Qin Ziwen from dozens of meters away.

SCREECH—

A Beaked Eagle cried out as it cut across the night sky, gliding over the pack of Giant Hyenas.

Seeing this, Cao Biansheng roared to boost morale, "Reinforcements from the Gated Community are here! We’re not fighting alone!"

...

...