The rumble grew louder.
Not random impacts.
Not collapsing buildings.
Rhythmic.
Organized.
Zhao Ren stepped onto a higher barricade platform and focused his hearing.
Enhanced Perception activated instinctively.
Dozens of footsteps.
Not scattered.
Moving in formation.
Chen Wei immediately understood.
"They're grouping."
"Yes," Zhao Ren replied calmly.
Night monsters were no longer wandering aimlessly.
They were gathering.
And heading directly toward populated zones.
Including this one.
Chen Wei reacted fast.
"All outer units fall back."
"Second line reinforce the north side."
"Keep spacing tight."
No panic.
No shouting.
Clear structure.
The survivors moved efficiently.
Zhao Ren noticed something important.
Chen Wei wasn't trying to hold the entire perimeter.
He was narrowing it.
Reducing surface exposure.
Smart.
Zhao Ren climbed to a vantage point above the entrance.
He needed visibility.
Within two minutes
They appeared.
At least thirty monsters.
Mixed types.
Basic variants in front.
Two Night Stalkers behind them.
And in the center
A larger silhouette.
Level 5.
Humanoid shape.
Long armored limbs.
Controlled movement.
That explained it.
It was guiding the wave.
Not intelligence like a human
but command instinct.
If left alive, it would continue organizing attacks.
Chen Wei saw the shift in Zhao Ren's expression.
"Leader unit?" he asked.
"Yes."
Chen Wei didn't hesitate.
"Target it."
"I'll stabilize the front."
That was the first true coordination between them.
No argument.
No ego.
Just division of responsibility.
The first monsters crashed into the barricade.
Wood and metal shook under impact.
Survivors pushed back with controlled strikes.
No reckless charges.
Zhao Ren didn't join the front line.
He moved along the rooftop edges.
Silent.
Waiting.
The Field Commander remained in the rear.
Observing.
Directing movement.
Intelligent positioning.
It would not expose itself easily.
Zhao Ren adjusted.
He intentionally dropped into view.
A calculated mistake.
The Commander noticed him immediately.
Its head tilted.
Assessing.
It redirected two Night Stalkers toward him.
Exactly as he predicted.
He retreated through a narrow side alley.
Limited space.
Restricted movement.
The Night Stalkers entered first.
One lunged.
Zhao Ren sidestepped.
Countered cleanly.
Minimal wasted motion.
Second variant followed.
Faster.
But his Agility was now nearly equal.
Three exchanges.
Then silence.
He absorbed both quickly.
The Commander advanced.
This time
It entered the alley itself.
Confident.
Powerful.
It swung its armored arm downward.
Zhao Ren rolled beneath it.
Concrete cracked behind him.
He targeted joints.
Not torso.
Not head.
The elbow seam.
Repeated impacts.
The Commander adapted.
It shifted stance.
Attempted to trap him against the wall.
But Zhao Ren wasn't fighting for dominance.
He was buying time.
At the barricade
Chen Wei gave a sharp signal.
Two survivors triggered a prepared trap.
A metal shelving unit tipped from above the alley entrance.
Blocking retreat.
The Commander hesitated.
Briefly.
That hesitation was enough.
Zhao Ren stepped in close.
Used the broken pipe as leverage against the weakened elbow joint.
Applied full force.
A fracture sound.
The Commander's balance broke.
He pivoted.
Drove the weapon upward beneath its armored jaw.
Precise.
Repeated once more.
Then it collapsed.
The remaining monsters outside lost formation immediately.
Without coordination, they became chaotic.
Easier.
Manageable.
Zhao Ren placed his hand on the Commander's body.
The system vibrated stronger than before.
His mind felt clearer.
Not smarter
But more aware of movement patterns.
Flow recognition improved.
Useful.
He stepped back into the open.
The wave had broken.
Survivors were breathing heavily but standing.
Minimal casualties.
Chen Wei approached.
"You drew it perfectly," he said.
"You trapped it well," Zhao Ren replied.
This wasn't gratitude.
It was acknowledgment.
The system notification appeared again.
A new interface opened.
Three options appeared before Zhao Ren.
Precision Strike (Active Skill)
Enhanced Recovery (Passive Upgrade)
Threat Detection (Passive)
He didn't choose immediately.
Night was not finished yet.
And the strongest player in the city
Still hadn't shown himself.
Above them
For a brief second
The ranking board flashed again.
Rank 1 – Level 4
Zhao Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
Someone had just leveled up.
During the wave.
And not here.