In the apocalypse, Trinh Thien Hao's life was very leisurely.
It all started when he became a Mutator.
Wealth had long been useless in the apocalypse. Strength represented everything. As long as one had strength, then everything would be as easy as turning over one's hand.
The woman wearing the dog leash had a numb expression, her eyes full of despair. She had been brought here by him and had suffered all kinds of humiliation. The only thing to be thankful for was that he had not physically abused her, but what was more terrifying than physical abuse was spiritual abuse.
He walked onto the balcony.
"What a beautiful scenery."
Trinh Thien Hao looked into the distance and sighed from the bottom of his lungs. Except for the early days of the apocalypse that made him suffer a lot, the situation afterwards made him very excited. He was truly able to do whatever he wanted, without any restraint.
As he appeared on the balcony, the group of bodyguards in the courtyard below all raised their heads and stared at Trinh Thien Hao.
"Brother Hao, good morning."
A smile appeared at the corners of Trinh Thien Hao's mouth. This group of people were his playthings. Everyone wanted to become a Mutator, but the prerequisite for becoming a Mutator was to have a connection with the organization.
Thoi Tieu Phi could make all the students of the Vo Giao become Mutators, which meant that becoming a Mutator was very simple.
But without a connection, even a simple matter would become extremely difficult.
They all wanted to become Mutators and possess unimaginable power, but Trinh Thien Hao would not let them become Mutators so easily. They had to please him before he would give them a chance to become stronger.
Thinking of the seven Mutators under his command who had been shaved to death, this made Trinh Thien Hao very displeased. Although he was not sure that it was done by Lam Pham from the Hoang City Sunshine Shelter, it was definitely somewhat related to him.
So he sent two more people over to cause some damage.
It was to let the other party know what the consequences of offending him, the butcher Trinh Thien Hao, were.
Trinh Thien Hao looked down at the woman he was holding, "Do you also want to become a Mutator? After gaining absolute power, you want to take revenge on me fiercely. I can see the hatred for me in your eyes. Unfortunately, you will never have such a chance, hahaha..."
The woman kneeling on the ground lowered her head, and a trace of despair imperceptibly appeared in her empty eyes.
She was truly full of despair for the apocalypse, and didn't even have a chance to die, because Trinh Thien Hao would not let her commit suicide, just to humiliate her like this.
"Huh?"
Just then, Trinh Thien Hao discovered that three figures appeared in the distance. Having become a Mutator, his eyesight was naturally very good. Even from such a distance, he could still see the other's appearance clearly.
"It's them."
He recognized at a glance that two of them were his subordinates.
"It seems their operation went very smoothly."
Their return meant that everything was fine. Later, he had to ask them properly about the process, whether they had followed his request, killed the person in the Sunshine Shelter, left a message, and told the people there that the action was done by the butcher Trinh Thien Hao, a perfect Mutator from the Mutator organization.
Then, Trinh Thien Hao's gaze fell on the third stranger.
"Who is he?"
Trinh Thien Hao frowned, observing carefully. The other was wearing very simple clothes, and seemed to be carrying a sword on his back. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration sparked in his mind.
The picture recorded in the "Zombie Illustrated Guide."
Clatter!
Although he was still very far away, Trinh Thien Hao couldn't help but take a step back, and then grabbed the balcony railing with both hands to steady his trembling body. His throat moved.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
His pupils contracted slightly.
"Get your weapons! Get your weapons for me!" His first voice was not loud, but the second was a roar. From the sound, one could tell that his emotions were a little panicked at this moment.
The bodyguards in the courtyard were briefly stunned, and then, as if they understood something, they moved at high speed without thinking. When they came out, they were already holding guns, ready to receive Brother Hao's orders at any time.
The woman kneeling on the ground couldn't help but look up at the panicked Trinh Thien Hao. She had never seen him so flustered. She really wanted to stand up and meet Trinh Thien Hao's gaze.
She also wanted to see what had appeared in the distance that was so far away.
Why did it make him so afraid?
In the distance.
Lam Pham brought the two Mutators over.
"Is that the place?" Lam Pham saw the building in the distance and wondered who had thought of building a house here in times of peace.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, that must be something only a person with taste would do.
The strong man said, "That's the place. The butcher Trinh Thien Hao is staying there."
The two who wanted to survive had long since sold Trinh Thien Hao out.
Lam Pham said, "Who else is there?"
The strong man hurriedly said, "There are quite a few people. Trinh Thien Hao controls the chance to become a Mutator. Only those who listen to him are qualified to become Mutators, so the people there are all his subordinates. Let me think, there are a total of twelve bodyguards, and a chef, oh right... and a woman, but she is tied with a dog leash by Trinh Thien Hao and kept as a dog."
He told him everything about the situation inside.
Without any concealment.
The yellow-haired man on the side continued, "He, Trinh Thien Hao, is really crazy, using this kind of method to humiliate others. We all disapprove, but we are too weak, so we are really angry but dare not say anything."
Lam Pham listened to them and couldn't help but shake his head. They were really so skilled at going against their conscience and saying these words.
But when he heard that a woman was being kept as a dog by Trinh Thien Hao.
His mood was really not good.
This kind of behavior was too much. But he knew that this kind of situation was a very normal thing in the apocalypse. Many people's mentality had already been twisted by the apocalypse.
They would do many terrifying things.
Just hearing about it made one shiver.
Just then.
Rat-a-tat-tat...
The sound of gunfire came.
Bullets roared over.
"He knows we're here. He probably discovered me and wants to kill us with weapons. This kind of behavior is really terrible. We have to stop it."
Lam Pham muttered to himself, then turned his head to look at the two of them, "Don't be nervous. With me here, your lives will be guaranteed. Facing this kind of threat to your lives, I naturally can't sit back and watch. I will take self-defense measures. You guys can just be my witnesses."
The two Mutators had question marks all over their heads.
They didn't understand what Lam Pham was saying.
Self-defense?
Witnesses?
As Mutators, they dared not say much else, but these ordinary firearms were really very difficult to pose a threat to them.
Just as they were thinking of telling Lam Pham that it was okay, that they were not afraid of these firearms, an astonishing scene occurred.
Lam Pham reached out and caught the incoming bullets, and then, in an instant, he returned all the bullets he had caught in his hand.
Bang!
Bang!
The sound of the explosion was very heavy.
Every bullet accurately hit the heads of those bodyguards. The concentrated sound of gunfire also completely dissipated.
The two Mutators swallowed their saliva.
They recalled what Lam Pham had just said. What self-defense, what witnesses? This was probably his deliberate revenge. He was extremely bloodthirsty, just to shave these people to death.
In order to express their repentance to Lam Pham, during their conversation just now, they had already told him about the bodyguards here, their cruel mentality, their endless evil deeds, and the many people they had killed.
Now this group of bodyguards had died just like that.
So... Lam Pham never thought of giving them a chance to live.
"You see, this is self-defense. They were shooting at us with very dangerous firearms. In order to ensure your safety, I had no choice but to kill them," Lam Pham said with a straight face.
The two Mutators looked at each other, their facial expressions gradually changing from shock and horror to emotion. Even a face-changing act in Peking opera might not be able to compete with them.
The strong man said, "Thank you, thank you so much. Otherwise, we would definitely be dead."
The yellow-haired man said, "If we had met you earlier, we definitely wouldn't have been like this. They are really too despicable. It's just to kill people and silence them."
Lam Pham blinked. He was just saying it casually.
Their performance made Lam Pham very uncomfortable. Too fake. The relationship between people shouldn't be like this. Sincerity should be the first step.
"Let's go. He wants to run. We can't let him run."
Lam Pham grabbed their arms, increased his speed, and sped towards the villa.
At this moment.
Trinh Thien Hao looked at the scene of the bodyguards collapsing to the ground, his whole person already numb, a kind of indescribable panic. He really hadn't expected the other to have already come to his door.
"Damn it, you two actually betrayed me."
Trinh Thien Hao knew why the other had found him. The only reason was that those two guys had sold him out.
He absolutely couldn't let this continue.
Otherwise, he would definitely die.
Trinh Thien Hao had never seen Lam Pham make a move, but he knew his strength was very terrifying, and definitely not something he could deal with. So he already wanted to run now. He couldn't meet the other face-to-face, otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he died.
But...
"Hello there."
A strange yet friendly-sounding voice came.
Trinh Thien Hao, who was just about to run, stiffened. He really hadn't expected the other's speed to be so fast. The distance was clearly still very far. Who would have thought he would arrive so quickly.
It was truly beyond his imagination.
Trinh Thien Hao's eyelids twitched a few times, and he forced himself to pretend to be calm, "Lam Pham from the Hoang City Sunshine Shelter."
"Yes, I am Lam Pham," Lam Pham replied, then stopped communicating with Trinh Thien Hao and looked at the woman kneeling on the ground. He sighed slightly, walked to the woman's side. The woman shrank back, obviously a little scared.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person. Let me untie you first."
Lam Pham untied the dog leash on the other's neck, then gently helped the woman up. Looking at the woman's empty pupils, he knew that the spiritual torture was very difficult to recover from. He could only use a warm smile to influence her and bring a glimmer of warmth to her desperate heart.
"It's all over. A new life has truly begun. Believe me, okay?"
Lam Pham always believed that only sincerity could enter the other's heart.
The woman looked at Lam Pham's gentle smiling face. A rare glimmer of hope appeared in her empty eyes. This glimmer of hope was like a bud, growing healthily under the sunlight.
She also truly felt the goodwill conveyed by Lam Pham. The woman gradually reacted, and this reaction was like a volcanic eruption, becoming more and more intense.
"Wah..."
The woman threw herself onto Lam Pham's shoulder and cried her heart out. Tears flowed down her cheeks, as if she had found some kind of reliance, making her no longer need to be afraid.
"Take it slow, don't rush. Everything is safe now."
Lam Pham let the woman sob, and at the same time, gently patted her on the back. He knew that she needed to vent the fear in her heart. When the fear accumulated in her heart was completely released, then everything would return to normal.
The butcher Trinh Thien Hao, standing there, didn't know what to do for a while.
He just stood there foolishly.
He definitely wanted to run, but in the current situation, it was clearly impossible to run.
He looked at the two guys who had sold him out with anger.
The strong man and the yellow-haired man also straightened their backs, their gazes meeting Trinh Thien Hao's without any fear, as if to say, "Do you think we're still afraid of you? Can't you see that Lam Pham from the Hoang City Sunshine Shelter has already come here?"
"We have a backer now."
"You'd better put away those impractical tricks, or what awaits you will be severe punishment."
Trinh Thien Hao clenched his fists, wishing he could beat them to death. If it weren't for them, the other would definitely not have been able to find this place.
But it was too late to say anything now.
A moment later.
The woman's emotions gradually stabilized. Lam Pham helped her to the side to rest and gently told her not to be afraid, that everything was over. After he finished dealing with the matter, he would take her to the Sunshine Shelter, where she would meet more friendly and amicable survivors.
The woman believed Lam Pham's words and sat obediently on the side, waiting.
Lam Pham turned his head to look at Trinh Thien Hao, and Trinh Thien Hao was a little scared by Lam Pham's gaze. He couldn't help but lower his head, not daring to have any eye contact with him.
"Have a seat. We can have a chat."
Lam Pham reversed the roles of guest and host, leading Trinh Thien Hao to the dining table. Seeing the two-eyed chef lying in a pool of blood, he didn't need to check to know that the other's heartbeat had stopped.
This chef had died at his hands.
"We are all compatriots. There's no need to be so cruel. Survival is very difficult, don't you think so?" Lam Pham spoke.
He suppressed his anger in his heart.
He didn't let it erupt.
Trinh Thien Hao said, "Yes."
He obediently sat opposite Lam Pham. The blood flowing from the chef gave off a smell of blood, which stimulated Trinh Thien Hao's nerves. What he had done was laid bare before the other, and there was no way to hide it.
"Do you know why I came to find you?" Lam Pham asked.
"I know. I sent them to cause trouble in Hoang City."
"No, that's not the key. The key is that I want to know the location of the Mutator organization's headquarters. Can you tell me where it is?"
He had been searching all this time.
But the information he had now was really too little.
"I don't know either. Although I'm a perfect Mutator designated by the organization, I really don't know the location of the headquarters," Trinh Thien Hao said hurriedly.
"I believe you really don't know, but I want to know, do you have a way?"
Lam Pham really didn't expect the people from the Mutator organization to have hidden their location so well. It was beyond his imagination.
"There's no way. If there's any mission, it's always the headquarters that proactively comes to us."
Trinh Thien Hao said truthfully. His mind was a bit chaotic now. Besides answering questions, he was just thinking about how to survive. He could sense that when he had no value to be used, the other would definitely not let him live.
"Then do you know when they will come to you?"
"I don't know."
Lam Pham pondered. He increasingly felt that these organizations in the apocalypse were a bit anxious. In the chaotic state of the apocalypse, each one of them acted so inhumanely, treating ordinary living people like pigs and sheep, arbitrarily humiliating and killing them.
He used to think that as long as the zombies were cleaned up, everything would be fine.
But after coming into contact with these organizations, he understood that what truly made people feel desperate in the apocalypse might not be the zombies, but the terrifying humans who understood humanity.
"I'm willing to cooperate with you. As long as you let me go, when the people from the Mutator organization come, I will definitely inform you immediately," Trinh Thien Hao said hurriedly.
Lam Pham shook his head, "I'm sorry, I don't think I'll be able to cooperate with you. I can see the real you in your eyes. You are very cruel, you are very ruthless. The innocent survivors who have died at your hands, I think two hands and two feet are not enough."
Hearing these words, Trinh Thien Hao's face turned pale.
"Are you really not going to give me a chance?"
"It's not that I'm not giving you a chance, but that you never gave yourself a chance from the beginning."
"You..." Trinh Thien Hao's hips lifted slightly, his hands gripping the side of the table, his breathing a little hurried. This was not the result he was willing to accept, nor was it what he had thought. But looking at Lam Pham's expression, he knew that perhaps no matter what he said, it would be useless.
Lam Pham sighed and said, "I've met many survivors like you. I also know that surviving in the apocalypse is a very difficult thing. To live, you might have to harm others. I can understand all of this, so when I meet these survivors, I will give them a chance."
"But there are also many existences like you. You clearly already have the strength to protect yourself, but you still choose to shift your pleasure onto the lives of innocent survivors. Your mentality has changed, and you have become like a demon."
Trinh Thien Hao stood up abruptly, and the chair behind him fell to the ground with a crash. He leaned on the table, his gaze fixed on Lam Pham, "What are you telling me all this for now? When I was trying to survive in the apocalypse, where were you? Why couldn't you appear before me like a savior? You had to wait until I became like this before you appeared?"
Lam Pham said, "So you want to make innocent survivors go through the same suffering you've been through?"
"Hahaha..." Trinh Thien Hao laughed out loud, "Don't fucking lecture me! The apocalypse is about the survival of the fittest! The order is long gone! You're appearing in front of me now, telling me all this, just because you're stronger than me, so I have to listen! Isn't that also bullying me? You're being so righteous, who are you trying to show off to?"
The strong man and the yellow-haired man looked at each other.
The yellow-haired man immediately stood up and said angrily, "Trinh Thien Hao, watch your attitude! Don't think I don't know what you've done! The reason you're alive today is because of your own efforts? You're just an ungrateful person!"
The strong man said, "That's right! You told us before that during the apocalypse, you were just a security guard. It was the business owner who took you in. You saw that she was an orphan and a widow, so you killed her child and took the female business owner as your own. You are simply a beast!"
The yellow-haired man continued, "Later, a rescue team formed by survivors appeared. You lied to them and said that the dead mother and child were your wife and child. You acted as if you were in despair about the world and wanted to go with them, gaining their sympathy. They took you away. Later, when the concept of Awakened appeared and crystals could enhance strength, you deliberately killed people in the team for the sake of crystals."
The strong man said, "That's right! Don't think we don't know! We know everything about you!"
"Shut up!" Trinh Thien Hao roared, his crimson eyes staring at the two of them, "You two traitors! I should have killed you long ago!"
The strong man and the yellow-haired man said, "We know we've done wrong, but that was all forced by you! We are now willing to accept reformation, willing to be human again! We want to be irreconcilable with evil!"
Trinh Thien Hao gritted his teeth, making a vicious sound like a fierce dog, "Lam Pham, you really don't want to give me a chance to live."
Lam Pham said, "It's still the same sentence. It's not that I don't want to, but that you never gave yourself a chance."
"Damn it!"
Trinh Thien Hao stared at Lam Pham.
Creak! Creak!
His body was expanding, his flesh and blood were writhing madly, and a viscous liquid flowed from the corners of his mouth.
The clothes on his body were constantly exploding.
"You're not giving me a chance! I'll fight you to the death!"
Trinh Thien Hao knew that with his current situation, he was absolutely no match for Lam Pham. His only hope was to mutate his genes, completely turn into a monster, and let his own strength soar, surpassing his current limits.
The strong man said, "He's about to mutate! He's about to go all out!"
The yellow-haired man said, "We have to be careful."
Lam Pham shook his head and said, "I wanted to hand you over to Officer Hoang to deal with, but you want to mutate. It seems you really have no intention of repenting. When I encounter a threat, I can only defend myself and ensure my own safety."
From the apocalypse until now, the humans Lam Pham had killed had all taken the initiative to attack him. Faced with this kind of situation, he could only defend himself, which ultimately resulted in a fatality.
Even if Officer Hoang saw it, he would understand him.
After all, self-defense is not a mistake.
Swish!
A silver-white light appeared.
The strong man and the yellow-haired man's mouths were wide open, looking at the current situation in great shock. The mutating Trinh Thien Hao had actually turned into an ice sculpture. Just a flash of silver light, and he had become like this. It really stunned them.
Crack!
The ice sculpture shattered, and ice shards scattered all over the ground.
"What a pity. I couldn't get any useful information."
Lam Pham was a little helpless. If he could have gotten some useful information, it would have been great. Unfortunately, there was no way. The other party didn't know the location of the headquarters either.
Just then.
The woman he had saved came to his side and knelt down with a thud. This startled Lam Pham, and he hurriedly helped the woman up.
"What's wrong?"
The woman said pleadingly, "Can you do me a favor?"
"Go ahead."
"I have a boyfriend. When I was taken away, my boyfriend was looking for supplies outside. I don't know if he's still there now. I want to go see. Can you take me to have a look?"
"Okay, no problem."
Without a second thought, Lam Pham agreed to her request.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Everything will be fine."
...
A very small town.
Lam Pham brought the woman here. The strong man and the yellow-haired man knew about this place. Before, Trinh Thien Hao had captured this woman here. But they didn't expect this woman to have a boyfriend.
Soon, they came to a low and old residential area.
The woman and her boyfriend lived here.
"Third floor, right?" Lam Pham asked.
"Yes," the woman nodded.
Lam Pham could naturally sense that there were no zombies around. Although he didn't know where all these zombies had gone, now was not the time to think about these things.
"You guys watch her. I'll go see if anyone else is here," Lam Pham said.
The strong man and the yellow-haired man nodded.
Lam Pham entered the staircase corridor and soon reached the third floor. The security door was ajar, not closed.
He frowned.
This was not a good sign. It was very likely that something had already happened.
He opened the door and entered.
The room was covered in dust from not having been lived in for a long time.
This was a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment. According to the woman, this was a house she and her boyfriend had worked hard to buy together. Neither of them had much money, and their families couldn't help them, so they could only rely on their own efforts.
Fortunately, she and her boyfriend were both very hardworking. In three years, they had their own small house in this small town.
Although it was old and small, they were very satisfied.
"It hasn't been lived in for a long time."
Lam Pham glanced at the living room and found nothing. He went to the kitchen and looked, still nothing. Then he pushed open the master bedroom door and looked inside. There was a corpse on the bed.
The corpse had already decayed. The stench had long since dissipated. The time of death was not short.
His heart jolted. If he hadn't guessed wrong, this was probably the woman's boyfriend.
He walked to the bedside. There was a dagger on the floor. He guessed that it might have been a suicide by slitting his wrist.
There was a notebook on the bedside table.
He opened it and looked.
The content inside should have been left by the man.
[Vien Vien, where did you go?]
[Vien Vien, there are zombies everywhere outside. Where on earth did you go? Did you turn into a zombie?]
[I'm going out to find you.]
He flipped the page. The second page.
[No, I can't go out. What if you come back and don't see me?]
[Five days. I still haven't received any news from you. I also haven't found you among the zombies.]
[Ten days...]
He flipped the page. The third page.
There was no content.
Lam Pham picked up the notebook, looked at the bones on the bed again, then tore out the second page.
He took a deep breath.
He turned and left the master bedroom.
Downstairs.
"I only found this. I've read the contents. I think your boyfriend left this place to look for you after he found out you were missing."
Lam Pham handed the notebook to the woman.
The woman eagerly flipped through it. The contents made Vien Vien cover her mouth, "He went to look for me, but he doesn't know where I am."
As she spoke, tears dripped down.
Lam Pham said, "I think he must be somewhere continuing to look for you now. Don't be anxious, take it slow. I think one day, you will meet."
"Really?" Vien Vien asked.
Lam Pham said, "Really. You definitely will."
He didn't want Vien Vien to know the truth. Although this was very selfish, Vien Vien's mental state had just recovered a little. If she suddenly learned that her boyfriend had committed suicide, she might do something bad.
So... I'm sorry.
I can't tell you.