"What did you do to my brother?"
Nham Giai Le had a bad feeling.
"Die!" Ha Minh Hien roared furiously, getting up. His obese body charged towards Nham Giai Le. "Taekwondo? Screw Taekwondo!"
Nham Giai Le let out a roar, executing a flying kick, displaying her skills proficiently. But who would have thought? Ha Minh Hien charged forward howling, his massive frame knocking her straight to the ground. Amidst her screams, Ha Minh Hien straddled her, pressing down with his weight, making it impossible for Nham Giai Le to breathe.
"I want you dead! I want you dead!"
Ha Minh Hien tightly gripped Nham Giai Le's neck, his face savage, roaring furiously, "Taekwondo! I'll show you Taekwondo! You and your brother bullied me! I want you both dead!"
"Ugh... ugh..."
Nham Giai Le struggled to breathe, her eyes rolling back, the suffocation driving her to despair.
At this moment, her mind recalled her instructor's words: "At your current seventh-dan level, the number of ordinary men who can stand against you can be counted on one hand."
It seemed now she had encountered one of those few.
She wanted to beg for mercy.
But she saw his eyes – they were crazed. She thought of movie plots: play dead, counterattack from dire straits. Her legs went limp, trying to feign death.
But Ha Minh Hien kept strangling Nham Giai Le's neck.
"Strangle you! Strangle you!"
Nham Giai Le couldn't fake it anymore; she struggled. But who could imagine the suffocating sensation of nearly two hundred pounds pressing down on her?
Her tongue lolled out, low sounds of pain escaping her throat. Her face became increasingly distorted, blue veins bulging.
...
"Life isn't just about the messy present; there are also the core socialist values."
"I should work harder."
On the quiet street, that figure was always walking, adding a touch of humanity to the desolate road, rather than the feeling of zombie-induced fear.
He was Hoang city's eternally unfading ivy, immortal through the ages.
Recently, he had been diligently cleaning the storefronts around the residential area. The condition of those storefronts was terrible—filthy and squalid. If there were a civilized city contest, Hoang city would definitely fail because of the state of these shops.
Often, the quality of an environment can affect one's mood.
His mood was indeed affected by these surroundings. If he couldn't adjust himself, it would surely worsen.
"Keep working hard, surely I can clean up the surrounding shops, then expand the business to the neighboring areas. Hoang city can definitely become clean."
The future must be filled with hope. A future without hope is just not right.
Walking, walking.
The cake shop.
He stopped, looking towards the distant cake shop. There was a survivor there. He didn't know if she had recovered well. Mental aspects were difficult to treat with medicine; often, one had to rely on self-adjustment.
The apocalypse drove people to despair, and suppressed emotions born from despair were terrible things. If the other person was willing to accept him, he was willing to have a good talk with her.
"She is watching me."
Lam Pham murmured to himself, said no more, and continued searching for survivors, pitching his Cu xa Duong Quang. To do this line of work, one needed thick skin. Without it, nothing could be accomplished.
Like pursuing girls: if you don't have much money or good looks, you need thick skin. As long as you're thick-skinned enough, one out of ten will always succeed.
As Lam Pham walked away.
On the second floor of the cake shop.
To Tieu Hieu hid in a corner, sighing, "Who on earth is he?"
At the very beginning of the apocalypse.
She had been extremely paranoid; everyone seemed like a bad person in her eyes.
Gradually, having hidden in the cake shop for many days, she no longer thought anyone could break down the main door and rush in from outside.
"Why isn't he afraid of zombies?"
"Why has he remained safe all this time? Is there some rule for avoiding zombies?"
She recalled a line from a movie she once watched.
Fierce predators often have fatal weaknesses. That horde of zombies are fierce predators, but what are their weaknesses?
To Tieu Hieu didn't think her brain was capable of figuring out such complex problems.
She lowered her head.
Don't think, don't dwell, don't ponder.
...
Inside a pharmacy.
A man with a buzz cut was quietly searching for medicine among the shelves.
Suddenly.
It sounded like something had fallen to the floor, making a crisp noise.
The sound was faint, but it startled Co Hang. His expression tensed as he scanned his surroundings. Looking towards the source of the sound, he saw a dark shadow cast on the ground.
He knew it was a zombie.
Having been in the army for many years, his physical fitness was definitely much better than an average person's. However, facing this type of zombie unarmed, he really couldn't say he was confident.
Slowly, he moved his feet, retreating towards the outside, step by step. His eyes remained fixed on the corner. A flash of white clothing appeared indistinctly, followed by a zombie limping out, swaying, its expression blank. When not seeing prey, the zombies appeared quite sluggish.
Co Hang bolted, not waiting to be discovered by the zombie and trigger its aggression before thinking of escape.
Getting even a one-second head start on the zombie – wasn't that better?
Much better, okay?
The zombie in the white coat heard the noise. Its pale eyes rolled, its head twitched. It looked towards the source of the sound – no one was there. It felt like someone had just been standing there.
Footsteps echoed from outside. The white-coated zombie shrieked and ran towards the source of the sound.
...
Splat!Thwack!
"Told you not to be like that, but you just wouldn't listen."
Several zombie corpses lay before him. Just moments ago, he had been walking along fine, observing the roadside scenery with regret and helplessness. Seeing such a bustling city turned into this state made his mood quite unpleasant.
Who would have thought a few zombies would appear, swaying, charging like mad dogs? He had no choice but to draw his sword in self-defense, quickly and cleanly dispatching the group.
He flicked the sticky fluid off Frostmourne. Looking closely, he felt that Frostmourne seemed much sharper than before, possessing an inexplicable radiance.
"An illusion?"
He shook his head, not thinking too much about it.
"Ugh... ugh... Roar."
Waves of low growls drifted over, accompanied by crashing sounds.
Following the sound.
The scene before him slightly startled Lam Pham.
A horde of zombies surrounded a bus. The zombies were extremely aggressive, constantly ramming it, causing the bus to shake violently. On the roof stood a man with short hair, wielding a wooden stick, repeatedly striking at the zombies' heads.
Due to his precarious position and the sheer number of zombies, even when the wooden stick hit a zombie's head, the effect was ultimately minimal.
There were many zombies, jostling each other, piling on top of one another. Given the current situation, the zombies would soon breach the height barrier.
Co Hang continuously swung the wooden stick in his hand, hitting zombies trying to climb up. Facing such an encounter, even if he tried to remain calm, he felt his own safety was precarious.
If there was no other way.
The consequences were imaginable: certain death.
Thump!Thump!
The wooden stick struck zombie heads. With each swing, the stick became stained with thick, dark blood.
He swung left and right, back and forth on the roof, while scanning the surroundings, hoping to find a path to survival. When he ran out of the pharmacy, he hadn't expected to be seen by zombies and relentlessly pursued. In his panic, he had climbed onto the bus roof.
Which led to the current situation.
Suddenly.
Co Hang saw Lam Pham standing dumbfounded not far away. He quickly waved his hand, "Go! Get out of here quickly!"
His eyes weren't blind.
He knew it was a living person.
Zombies don't understand human language, so he yelled, wanting Lam Pham, who had stumbled onto the scene, to take the chance to escape while the zombies hadn't noticed him.
But...
Co Hang was left utterly dumbfounded by Lam Pham's actions. Not only was the other person not scared stiff by the zombies, but he was actually walking towards him, waving.
"Hello there. Looks like you're in trouble. Need a hand?"
For Lam Pham.
When he saw a survivor, his eyes would light up, and a smile would even appear on his face. This was the smile of seeing a survivor, the smile of seeing hope, and also the smile of a broker.
He noticed a certain aura about the other person.
Not an aura of wealth, nor one of power.
But the aura of one belonging to the people's army.
This kind of aura wasn't cultivated in just one or two years of service, but the kind developed over many years in the military, gradually fostering an elite, confident demeanor.
The longer one spent in the army, the more distinct this aura became. Although not necessarily eccentric, careful observation revealed that this passerby was different from ordinary people.
As Lam Pham spoke, the zombies that had been relentlessly pounding the bus paused slightly, turning their heads towards the source of the sound.
"Damn it, why won't he listen?"
Co Hang's expression turned ugly. Faced with this situation, he felt truly helpless. He had clearly warned the other guy. If he had wanted to run then, he really could have escaped, because the zombies' attention was focused on him. As long as no sound was made, the zombies wouldn't have been attracted.
Lam Pham looked at the uncontrollably aggressive zombies. "You guys are making things really difficult for people. Assaulting someone in public is extremely outrageous. See this Frostmourne? It's not a sword that enjoys cutting you down, but a sword for self-defense."
"Ugh... ugh... Roar."
A fat zombie couldn't bear it anymore. It loved to eat before, and loved it even more after becoming a zombie. Delicious flesh and blood were right in front of it; how could it resist? It charged savagely towards Lam Pham.
"It's over." Co Hang sighed, clearly wanting to fight the enemy but powerless to do so.
But...
Swish!
Co Hang's eyes widened. In his sight, the fat zombie was beheaded by the other man with a single sword stroke. Its obese body was then kicked, flying over ten meters, dragging a long mark across the ground.
"How is that possible..."
He gaped, utterly speechless. Even the strongest guy in their unit couldn't possibly kick someone weighing nearly two hundred pounds that far.
If something like that really happened, it could only be in a wuxia world.
Clearly, this wasn't wuxia; this was reality.
"Ugh... ugh... Roar."
The zombies stopped pounding the bus and turned towards Lam Pham, charging at him. Their numbers weren't huge, but there were easily twenty or thirty zombies, forming a powerful momentum.
Facing this unreasonable horde of zombies, he was prepared.
"When words cannot stop your aggression, then I will surely use the Frostmourne in my hand to enlighten you."
Holding the sword in one hand, he swung and slashed. The sound of sonic booms could be heard – a representation of swinging speed pushed to the extreme.
The scene unfolding before him made Co Hang's eyes nearly pop out. He couldn't even see the sword in the other man's hand; instead, every time he looked, a zombie lunging towards the man had already been explosively cut down.
"Is this really something a human can do?"
Co Hang was completely dumbfounded.
His whole being was stunned.
If this is an illusion, please wake me up. I don't want to have hallucinations during a dangerous time.
A moment later.
Lam Pham looked at the zombies littering the ground and sighed, feeling quite helpless.
"Making the ground dirty again. This is the last thing I want to see. The environmental protection aunties work very hard cleaning up."
He cleaned the stains off Frostmourne, slung it back onto his back, looked up at Co Hang standing on the bus roof, gave a slight leap, and landed on the roof, face-to-face with Co Hang.
"Hello, my name is Lam Pham. What's yours?"
Lam Pham greeted the other person.
He received no reply.
Strange?
Lam Pham looked at the other person doubtfully. He was clearly staring intently at him, yet didn't answer. Could he be deaf?
After all, he had just heard the man speak.
He pondered for a moment.
Lam Pham raised his hands, wanting to use sign language to communicate, but paused, unsure how to sign "name". After thinking for a bit, he unexpectedly thought of the best possible method.
"Heart gesture."
This scene, combined with Lam Pham's finger heart gesture, made him look like he was having some sort of episode, no matter how you looked at it.
Still in shock, Co Hang finally reacted, "I... My name is Co Hang."
"So you're not deaf."
"No."
"Oh, then that makes it easier. I'm Lam Pham, living at Cu xa Duong Quang."
"Hello. How did you do that?"
"What?"
"I mean, how did you deal with the zombies so easily?"
"Very simple. See this realistic artifact replica? An artifact from the World of Warcraft, an evil sword. Very powerful."
"Are you rescuing survivors?"
"Hmm... I work part-time at Tan Phong Brokerage. I'm a housing salesperson, looking for reliable households. I was passing by here and saw you. You've served in the army, haven't you?"
"I'm still an active-duty soldier. I came home to visit family and encountered this situation."
Co Hang exchanged a few words with Lam Pham for several minutes and found that this mysterious and powerful young man's way of speaking was very strange. To put it bluntly, it seemed like he might have some intellectual issues.
But that was just his thought.
Perhaps the guy was just used to communicating this way.
Lam Pham nodded. Hearing the man's profession, he felt this was someone trustworthy. If even someone from the army wasn't trustworthy, then truly no one could be trusted.
"Are you interested in moving to Cu xa Duong Quang? Cu xa Duong Quang's geographical location is good, the surrounding facilities are complete, the price is very favorable, and the homeowners living there are all very nice." Lam Pham took out a flyer, handed it to the man, and explained with a smile.
Co Hang extracted useful information from these words.
Cu xa Duong Quang... not far from here.
There are other survivors.
Thinking about the explosive martial power the man had just displayed, it seemed he wasn't a bad person and had saved quite a few survivors.
Thinking of this.
"Rent. I'll rent." Co Hang didn't hesitate, immediately deciding to rent.
He knew this was the best choice.
Don't just see him as a soldier with excellent physical quality; based on the situation just now, even a hundred of himself probably wouldn't be enough for the other guy to cut down.
Hearing this.
Lam Pham beamed. Hardworking people truly reap rewards.
Making money from idiots in the morning, brokering a housing deal in the afternoon... a preliminary calculation suggested a rhythm of breaking a thousand per day.
He knew only in these special times could he have such good luck.
However, he didn't consider raising the price. That would be bad behavior. Fellow victims, why scam each other?
...
...
A certain residential area.
Co Hang brought Lam Pham here. He noticed many crushed zombie corpses within the complex, quite a number. Lam Pham didn't know who did this, but assumed it was Co Hang.
Inside the room.
There was also a pregnant woman.
No one else.
"Is this your wife?" Lam Pham asked.
Towards a pregnant wife, carrying such a large belly, yet still staying together without abandoning her – he truly admired it. He had heard people say, "Husband and wife are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly their separate ways."
A soldier is truly a soldier, worthy of respect.
Co Hang shook his head, "No, her name is Duong Tue. We are survivors who gathered together after the apocalypse began."
"Then where is her husband?" Lam Pham asked.
Before Co Hang could speak.
Duong Tue said, "He's dead."
"My condolences."
Co Hang didn't elaborate, but thinking about it made him truly furious. How could there be such a man? Previously, there were three other women here, and one man – Duong Tue's husband.
Who would have thought, just this morning, they encountered a group of survivors. This was a well-prepared group. Seeing their plea for help, they actually came.
For Co Hang, if people could unite in the apocalypse, the chances of survival would be much higher.
But who would have imagined, that group of survivors saw the pregnant woman and immediately abandoned the idea, stating directly they couldn't possibly bring a pregnant woman along. If the others wanted to go, they could follow.
He could understand the other three women leaving, but he absolutely never expected Duong Tue's husband to also leave with them, completely disregarding his pregnant wife.
He didn't go, but stayed behind to accompany her.
"Pack up a bit, come with me to Cu xa Duong Quang. When we get there, I'll show you the unit types; you'll definitely be satisfied," Lam Pham said.
If the handsome boss were still alive and saw such a professional employee, he would absolutely be moved to tears of joy.
With an employee like this, what more could one ask for?
"Okay."
Co Hang made the decision quickly, without any hesitation, and began packing things at high speed.
At this moment.
Duong Tue clutched her belly, her face showing pain.
Having finished packing, Co Hang quickly went to support her. "She might be going into labor."
This was the most troublesome matter.
He didn't know how to deliver a baby.
Plus, the troubles caused by childbirth were far from simple.
"Going into labor?" Lam Pham was surprised, then said, "Then let's hurry. At our Cu xa Duong Quang, Tu nai nai is an old military doctor. Her medical skills are superb; she'll definitely have a way."
Hearing these words.
Co Hang was overjoyed. He hadn't expected Cu xa Duong Quang to actually have an old military doctor.
In the apocalypse, this was the most important kind of person.
Just as they were leaving.
"Did you bring your bank card?" Lam Pham casually mentioned.
"Huh? What for the bank card?"
"Renting a room requires payment."
Co Hang paused, then felt his pocket. He indeed had his wallet. "Brought it."
"Let's go."
He was a bit bewildered by Lam Pham's question but maintained his composure.
"Lam Pham, you don't think a pregnant woman is a burden, do you?" Co Hang asked. This was his concern. He was afraid the other man would bring him to Cu xa Duong Quang, then say something like, "A pregnant woman is a burden, we can't take her in." In that case, Duong Tue would only have death awaiting her. But staying here, there was still a sliver of hope.
Lam Pham hadn't expected Co Hang to ask such a thing. "How could that be? You two are my guests."
Co Hang: ...
Co Hang had a car. Because the pregnant woman had difficulty moving, they could only drive to Cu xa Duong Quang. The sound of a car indeed easily attracted zombies, but it didn't matter – at least not to Lam Pham. Zombies were really nothing to him.
Cu xa Duong Quang.
Unit 603.
Inside the room, Tu nai nai was examining Duong Tue.
In the living room.
Lam Pham and Co Hang sat on the sofa. "Take a look, the unit types here are all excellent. What's your choice?"
As a qualified broker, one must seize the time.
Co Hang looked towards the people in the room.
Vuong Khai was picking his nose.
Phi Phi and Dinh Dinh were playing face-to-face, clapping hands: "You clap one, I clap one..."
Nhan Ny Ny and Ly Mai were chatting and laughing softly.
Tran Hac was reading a book, learning internet knowledge.
Vuong lao gia tu said, "Xiao Co, what are you dithering about? As a soldier, be decisive, make a quick decision. Xiao Pham has laid out the unit types before you. Just pick one; the price is reasonable anyway."
Co Hang didn't feel the group was strange, but rather felt they seemed accustomed to this way of life. He also hadn't expected to meet an old chief here. Hearing the old chief, he carefully examined the floor plans, understanding the implication.
"Let's take this one." Co Hang pointed to one of the floor plans.
"Second floor, unit two, apartment 204. Mm, very good." Lam Pham smiled. "This unit isn't too expensive, one thousand five hundred a month. I suggest renting for half a year first. Plus the commission fee, you need to pay an extra month's rent. Is that acceptable?"
"Acceptable."
"Good, no problem."
Vuong lao gia tu said, "Xiao Co, if you have the bank card, just give it to Xiao Pham. He will handle it properly for you. Xiao Pham is a good person, reliable. You can rest assured and boldly entrust it to him."
"Understood, Old Chief."
Vuong Khai, picking his nose, saw Co Hang take out the bank card and felt extremely ashamed.
He once encountered a colleague borrowing money. He didn't want the other person to lose face, but also wanted them to know he didn't have any either, so he could only speak to them this way.
"There are many ways to humiliate someone, but you used the most vicious method to humiliate me. We are similar in age; if even you don't have it, what makes you think I do?"
At this moment.
Tu nai nai came out from the room.
"Tu nai nai, how is the situation?" Co Hang quickly asked.
Tu nai nai said, "She's already dilating, likely about to give birth soon. The environment here isn't good, and we lack tools. The risk is extremely high. All men listen, don't wait here. Ly Mai, Nhan Ny Ny, you might have to work hard later, coordinating with me and Luong nai nai. We can only give it our best shot."
Everyone's expression turned serious.
The danger of giving birth at home was imaginable.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
Giving birth is like taking a stroll through the Gates of Hell. If real danger is encountered, it's truly life-threatening.
"Childbirth is very painful."
Lam Pham thought. Then, thinking of this, he stood up, drew Frostmourne from his back, and walked towards the door.
"Xiao Pham, where are you going?" Vuong lao gia tu asked.
Everyone in the room looked towards Lam Pham.
Lam Pham smiled and said, "Giving birth is very painful. One needs to shout to gain strength. I'll go stand at the community entrance. You can tell her it's okay, shout as much as she wants. I can guard the community gate."
Co Hang knew Lam Pham was very powerful, but still said worriedly, "It's very dangerous. Actually, we could move somewhere else, a sealed environment..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted.
"Dangerous or not isn't important. A general once said, 'We must fight to win time for childbirth.' Me guarding the entrance, striving for a safe environment – that's no problem."
"We are facing the apocalypse, anticipating the arrival of hope. This hope could be us, or it could be her, her, and her..."
He pointed to Phi Phi, Dinh Dinh, Manh Manh.
"Hope is created by us together, ultimately left for the children."
"Childbirth requires attention to the environment, air circulation... it's fine..."
"Besides, I am Cu xa Duong Quang's security guard, earning a five thousand salary. Taking this money means I must do work worthy of it."
After speaking, he turned and left.
Everyone watched Lam Pham's departing figure.
Dinh Dinh, who loved to learn, asked, half-understanding, "Vuong lao gia tu, which general said that?"
She just loved learning.
Asking whenever she didn't understand.
Vuong lao gia tu patted Dinh Dinh's head and slowly said, "During the Long March, a female soldier was about to give birth. Enemy troops were constantly pursuing them from behind. A General Dong resolutely led his troops to engage the enemy, ordering, 'We must fight for the time needed for childbirth!' In that battle, he led the soldiers in a rearguard action one kilometer away, holding out desperately for several hours, indeed waiting until that female soldier had given birth to her child."
"Many soldiers died in that battle. Some didn't understand: sacrificing so many people just for one baby?"
"Later, when someone questioned him, General Dong angrily retorted, 'For whom do we sacrifice and shed blood? Isn't it for the children, the ones we are supposed to protect? This is a battle that only we countrymen understand; foreigners wouldn't comprehend it.'"
The community entrance.
One chair, one man, one sword.
Lam Pham sat there, his back straight, hands folded, palms pressing down on the hilt of Frostmourne. His gaze was calm yet sharp, looking straight ahead.
The quiet street.
A gentle breeze blew past.
His heart was very calm.
He was like Cu xa Duong Quang's Guardian God, quietly waiting, quietly protecting.
A security guard isn't regular military.
But the responsibility he carried could not be underestimated.
This wasn't just about money.
It was the security uniform he wore that made him understand: the community's safety was his to bear.