The stillness—

Didn't last.

More infected gathered around the collapsed remains of the building, their movements converging without hesitation.

Bodies pushed through debris-strewn ground, stepping over broken concrete and scattered fragments of what used to be walls and support beams.

The stronger ones moved first.

They stepped forward into the pile, hands digging into slabs of concrete and twisted steel. Muscles strained—not cleanly, not naturally—but enough.

They lifted chunks free and hurled them aside with violent force—

Debris scattered outward, smashing into the ground or other infected nearby. Some were struck directly—bones snapping, bodies folding under the impact—

CRK—!

—but none reacted.

No flinch.

No adjustment.

They all continued.

Others didn't bother with lifting.

They turned away.

Their heads shifted toward the compound exits, attention snapping elsewhere as if pulled by something unseen.

Then they moved—fast. Limbs jerked and twisted as they broke into motion, some sprinting across the grounds, others launching upward into the air, hovering or drifting as they began to leave the area.

A few remained above.

Watching.

Then—

The pile moved.

A low tremor rolled through the debris—

KRK—…KRK—~

It spread outward across the ground, subtle at first but enough to carry.

The infected felt it.

All of them.

On the ground—

In the air—

Every head turned.

Blank eyes fixed on the same point.

One of them stood closer than the rest.

A former student.

Its limbs bent wrong, joints reversed in places that shouldn't allow movement—yet it stood. Its eyes glowed a bright, unnatural green, staring directly into the shifting debris.

It saw something.

There was no change in its face.

No expression.

But the moment held—

And spread.

Without a word—

Without hesitation—

They all acted.

Attacks launched all at once.

Projectiles tore through the air from multiple directions—compressed bursts of force, arcs of flame, shards of hardened matter forming mid-flight and driving down into the pile.

Each impact tore into the debris, blasting chunks free, splitting slabs apart as the bombardment intensified.

Others charged in physically.

Hands slammed into the rubble, punching through layers of concrete and steel.

They dug.

Tore.

Dragged pieces free and threw them aside without care for what they hit.

Some of the projectiles struck other infected.

Directly.

A blast caught one across the torso, tearing it open.

Another was hit by a thrown slab, its body crushed into the ground beneath the weight.

None of them reacted.

The ones attacking didn't adjust.

Didn't slow. Didn't change angle.

The ones hit didn't move away.

Even as their bodies broke apart, they continued whatever motion they had been in until they couldn't.

Then—

The ones that had begun to leave—

Came back. Fast.

Their movements snapped mid-retreat, bodies turning sharply before rushing back toward the pile with the same erratic speed.

Limbs dragged, twisted, snapped into motion as they rejoined the others, climbing over debris, over each other, over anything in the way.

The air filled with impact after impact.

The pile broke apart piece by piece.

Until—

It shifted again.

This time—

More violent.

Some infected paused.

Just for a fraction.

Others continued.

But it didn't matter.

Because in the next moment—

BOOOOM—!!!

The entire pile detonated outward.

Not an explosion from heat—

From force.

A shockwave tore through the debris, ripping it apart from within as concrete slabs, steel beams, and fragmented remains were blasted outward in every direction.

The nearest infected—

Were gone instantly.

Bodies disintegrated under the pressure, torn apart before they could even react.

Those slightly further were thrown.

Launched backward as debris slammed into them, crushing limbs, tearing through torsos.

Some lost entire sections of their bodies mid-flight, fragments scattering across the compound as they hit the ground in broken pieces.

Others—

Barely survived the initial wave.

Their bodies twisted, damaged beyond function—but still moving, still trying to push forward even as they collapsed.

The shockwave didn't stop at the pile.

It spread outward across the compound, blasting through the open space and clearing everything in its path.

Loose debris was carried with it, smashing into anything still standing—

WHOOOM—!

Walls cracked.

Remaining structures trembled.

The infected—

Were wiped from the immediate area.

When the force settled—

There was nothing left in the center.

Only a crater.

Wide.

Deep.

Its surface burned red-hot, heat radiating upward in visible distortion as smoke rose in thick streams from the ground—

SSSS—~

At its center—

Redstar hovered.

Barely above the surface.

Her body upright, arms relaxed at her sides, expression unchanged.

Behind her—

The remains of the elevator shaft stood twisted and exposed, metal bent inward and collapsed around the opening, barely recognizable under the damage.

She didn't look back.

Didn't move immediately.

Then—

Slowly—

She rose.

Higher.

The distance between her feet and the ground increased at a steady pace, her body lifting with controlled ease as the smoke curled around her form.

From above—

The campus came into view.

Every section.

Every movement.

Scattered across the grounds—

Students and staff still fighting.

Still running.

Still trying to survive.

Some saw her.

Their heads tilted upward, eyes locking onto her rising figure.

Hope flickered.

Brief and fragile.

But the infected saw her too.

And their response was immediate.

Those closest turned and rushed toward her position, bodies breaking into motion across the ground with violent speed.

Others launched upward, taking to the air in uneven flight paths, all converging toward the same point.

Outside the main academic building—

Mr. Xiao watched.

He stood with both hands held behind his back now, posture straight, gaze lifted slightly as he observed Redstar ascend.

A faint frown touched his expression.

Small.

Brief.

Then gone.

He turned.

Calm as ever.

And walked back inside.

The doors slid shut behind him.

Inside—

Frostbite was already looking at him.

Her eyes tracked his movement the moment he stepped in, posture shifting slightly as she straightened from where she had been leaning.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Xiao didn't stop.

Didn't look at her.

He passed by at the same measured pace, voice even as he replied—

"Quite the opposite. This shall all be over very soon."