The second fast infected screamed so close Luo Yan felt spit hit his cheek.
He froze for half a second.
Not fear only.
Shock.
It was too fast. Too near. No space.
Then Lan Huan moved between them.
Lightning snapped from his hand, not a wide strike, just a tight crack across the infected's jaw.
The infected jerked back, still moving, still not dropping.
It was stronger than the first ones.
Or just angrier.
Zhao Qingshan shouted, "Hold the gate! Don't open it!"
Soldiers shoved hard. The inner gate ground shut another inch.
Outside, zombies hit it like waves. The metal screamed but held.
Inside, the fast infected stayed low and circled, trying to get around Lan Huan.
It kept its eyes on Luo Yan like Luo Yan was the meal it wanted.
Luo Yan's hands shook.
He could screen again, but he knew it would crack. And he didn't want to flash Void in the middle of a crowd.
But if it reached him, he'd be dead.
His system chimed in his head. Private.
Ding.
DAY 5 EMERGENCY: SURVIVE THE SECOND FAST INFECTED
Objective: Do not get bitten
Optional: Force it to drop a core without revealing storage
Reward: Void Screen Stability +1
Luo Yan swallowed hard.
The infected lunged again, low, for Luo Yan's legs.
Luo Yan threw Void Screen down like a floor panel.
The infected hit it and the impact erased.
The screen shattered immediately.
But it bought one step.
He Chenyu grabbed Luo Yan's shoulder and yanked him back. "Move!" he snapped.
He Li bent light near the infected's eyes. Not a flash. Just a shift. The infected misjudged the distance and slammed into the truck tire instead of Luo Yan.
It screamed, furious.
Lu Ziming stumbled forward, breathing hard, and kicked a burst of wind straight into its face.
The infected's head snapped back.
Zhao's metal blades shot out like nails again, pinning the infected's sleeve to the wet ground for a second.
Not enough.
The infected tore free.
It turned its head and saw the crowd.
So many warm bodies.
For one second, it hesitated. Like it was choosing a better target.
Lan Huan didn't give it time.
He stepped in close and put his palm on the infected's chest.
Lightning surged through wet skin.
The infected convulsed and dropped to its knees.
It didn't die.
It opened its mouth and tried to bite Lan Huan's wrist.
Luo Yan's stomach dropped.
He threw a small Void Screen at the bite point. Not big. Just enough.
The teeth hit the screen and erased.
The screen cracked, but it held.
Lan Huan's eyes flicked back at Luo Yan for a heartbeat.
Then he slammed the infected's head into the concrete.
Once.
Twice.
The infected's skull cracked.
Zhao's blades pinned it again, tighter this time.
Soldiers rushed in and fired into its head until it stopped moving.
The crowd started screaming again. People realized there had been two. They realized more could get in.
Someone shouted, "Close everything! Don't let anyone in!"
Someone else shouted, "My family is still outside!"
Fights started right there in the gate lane. Grabbing. Punching. Screaming.
Zhao Qingshan turned red with rage. "If you fight here I shoot you myself!" he roared.
People froze for half a second.
Then started again.
Because fear makes people stupid.
Medics dragged injured away. Soldiers pushed the crowd back with rifle butts. The inner gate finally slammed shut.
A heavy metal thud.
For a moment, the base was sealed.
Inside the lane, the dead fast infected lay twisted, smoke still rising from where Lan Huan's lightning had hit it.
Luo Yan saw the core in its cracked skull.
It was bigger than the others.
Grey, with a faint violet thread.
His stomach tightened.
Optional: core.
But there were too many eyes.
He didn't move.
He didn't even look too long.
Lan Huan did.
Lan Huan crouched like he was checking the corpse.
Then he stood and walked away like nothing happened.
A second later, as they moved, Lan Huan's hand brushed Luo Yan's sleeve.
Something small and hard slid into Luo Yan's pocket.
Luo Yan's breath caught.
A core.
Lan Huan had taken it.
And he had given it to Luo Yan without a word.
Luo Yan swallowed hard and kept walking like nothing happened.
They got away from the gate lane and into a narrower container path.
Only then did Lan Huan stop.
He looked at Luo Yan. His voice was low. "You okay?"
Luo Yan nodded. "Yes," he lied.
Lan Huan's gaze stayed on him for a beat. "You blocked that bite," he said.
Luo Yan swallowed. "Instinct," he said.
Lan Huan didn't push. He just nodded once.
He Li came back from a quick look at the gate lane. "It's sealed," he said. "But outside is loud. They'll press it all night."
Zhao Qingshan's voice echoed from the gate lane, barking orders.
Lan Huan exhaled once. "We go back," he said. "We rest in shifts. Tomorrow we start training for real."
Qin Yi rubbed his head. "Tomorrow," he muttered. "Always tomorrow."
Lu Ziming grinned anyway. "Tomorrow sounds great," he said. "I'm alive."
Mu Yan looked back toward med lane, worried. "People are going to turn," he said quietly.
He was right.
And as they walked back, Luo Yan felt the bigger core in his pocket like a weight.
Not just power.
A secret getting heavier.