"Phuong Duong, give it up. It's useless. Given our current location, do you really think anyone will come to rescue us?"
A young man with long hair looked helplessly at his companion.
They were currently in a fireworks factory. Because the situation here was quite unique and to ensure the factory's safety, the surrounding walls were very high, which in turn provided them with a safe place of refuge.
Phuong Duong was a technician at the fireworks factory, skilled in manufacturing. What he had just launched was a type of colorful smoke distress firework. This kind of colorful smoke was a low-yield variety, usually supplied to extreme adventurers.
If they encountered danger in the snowy mountains, launching this colorful smoke could let the search party know their location without causing an avalanche, thus ensuring their own safety.
"It's worth a try. At least there's some hope," Phuong Duong said in a low voice, looking at the colorful smoke in the sky as it gradually dispersed and vanished.
The long-haired young man looked outside the fence, at the few scattered normal zombies wandering around. "Look outside. These zombies are scattered but never leave, always wandering around us. We don't dare to leave and can only be trapped here. Luckily, this factory used to be a closed-off facility and stored enough food for us to have a chance to survive."
Phuong Duong said, "But the food will run out one day, and recently, the remaining food has started to spoil."
The long-haired young man fell silent.
There were three of them left now. There used to be six. Two of them had left one after another to find a way out, driving away two trucks, but they never returned, and there was no news.
In the apocalypse, what this kind of situation meant was basically self-evident. They had certainly died outside, with no way to survive. But he hoped that those two had truly found a way out, and it was just that the journey was long and they couldn't make contact, so they could only live well on their own.
As for the other one, he had truly gone mad, unable to bear the pressure of the apocalypse, and had committed suicide in the dormitory.
In the distance.
Two figures were sitting on a large rock, holding cup noodles and slurping down the delicacy of the apocalypse.
"They're setting off fireworks again." A sneer appeared on the corner of a Mutant's mouth. He didn't pay any mind to this group of ordinary people barely surviving in the apocalypse.
They were the high and mighty Mutants, possessing strength that ordinary people couldn't even imagine.
They could decide the life and death of ordinary survivors at will.
"How many times have I told you, those aren't fireworks, that's distress smoke."
"Who cares what it is. What's the plan now? Are we still waiting? We've already waited for two days, and no other survivors have shown up. I don't think anyone has found them."
"Alright, then let's make our move. Three is better than none. If we hand them over to headquarters, we might get a reward."
"Damn it, I'm so envious of those new guys who appeared recently. The serum they were injected with is the latest research from the organization. Its effects are extremely strong, and their power is ferocious."
They were very envious of this.
They were clearly injected later than them, but who would have thought that each of them would be so fierce.
Thinking of this, he felt a deep sense of envy and jealousy.
"Let's go. It's time to take them away. They think they're waiting for someone to rescue them, but they don't know that it's us they're waiting for."
"Haha."
The two of them casually tossed away their finished noodle cups. This kind of uncivilized behavior was unacceptable. Even in the apocalypse, one should pay attention to protecting the environment.
Whether future generations could live well depended on whether their predecessors had this kind of awareness.
At the entrance of the fireworks factory.
A large gate blocked their path.
The surrounding zombies saw them but acted as if they didn't.
As Mutants, they possessed the aura of zombies. To normal zombies, they were considered their own kind, so of course, they wouldn't be bothered.
At this moment.
Their arrival attracted the attention of the three survivors inside the fireworks factory.
"Someone's at our gate." Phuong Duong was observing the surrounding situation from the rooftop. When he saw the two figures appear, his mood suddenly became excited, but soon, the excitement dissipated because he noticed that the two survivors who had arrived were being ignored by the surrounding zombies.
This situation was truly beyond his imagination.
Having been stuck here all this time, they didn't know about the Zombie Pictorial, so they also didn't know how much the outside world had changed.
It could be said that they were frogs in a well.
The other two companions were revitalized.
"Then let's let them in."
"Yeah, we've been setting off distress fireworks all this time. I can't believe someone actually came."
Phuong Duong said, "Wait, something's not right. There are zombies outside, but these two survivors are just standing casually at the entrance, and the zombies around them are acting like they don't see them. I think there's a problem."
"Huh?"
"What?"
The two companions showed looks of astonishment.
They somewhat couldn't believe what Phuong Duong was saying.
"It's true, I saw it with my own eyes. If you don't believe me, come to the rooftop with me," Phuong Duong said.
The companions looked at each other, then went to the rooftop with Phuong Duong.
At a glance, they saw the two strangers standing at the entrance. They didn't come in, but instead stood at the entrance chatting. The scattered zombies around were still wandering, and they really didn't launch an attack on the two people standing at the gate.
This situation was beyond their understanding.
In their existing cognition, zombies were brutal. When they saw a living person, they would open their viscous maws and savagely tear at the flesh and blood of the living.
At the gate, the two Mutants looked up, their faces holding malicious smiles as they met the gazes of the three survivors on the rooftop.
"Look, they've found us."
"Nonsense, they're not blind, of course they saw us."
"So what's the plan? Kick down the door, or jump in?"
"Don't you think it would be more satisfying if we jumped in and pretended to be saviors, and then, just when they believe it, we tell them the truth? Wouldn't that contrast be more thrilling?"
"A savior?"
"That's right, Lam Pham from the Hoang City Sunshine Shelter, isn't he always playing the role of a savior? If we use his name, I think it's very suitable."
"What if the other party has seen the Zombie Pictorial?"
"Didn't you see their expressions? They're shocked to see us, wondering why the zombies around aren't hurting us. If they had seen the Zombie Pictorial, would they have that expression?"
"Makes sense."
There wasn't much fun to be had in the apocalypse. The most common thing to see was zombies. Could you really treat zombies as entertainment? Only if you had a problem with your brain.
Things developed very smoothly.
"Your name is Lam Pham?"
Phuong Duong looked at the man who called himself Lam Pham, feeling a bit dazed. The other party had jumped in from over the main gate. When he saw this scene, he was so shocked he didn't want to speak. It was too incredible.
How could a human have such abilities?
The round-faced Mutant nodded, "Yes, my name is Lam Pham, from the Hoang City Sunshine Shelter. I established that safe zone. If you've seen the Zombie Pictorial, you would know, but I really didn't expect that you haven't seen it."
Phuong Duong and his companions were completely bewildered. They had no idea what this so-called Zombie Pictorial was.
They had never even heard of it.
"We've been staying here all this time, we haven't gone anywhere."
Phuong Duong was suspicious of the Hoang City Sunshine Shelter they mentioned. How should he put it? The two who had just appeared didn't seem like good people. The behavior and demeanor they exuded gave him a very strange feeling.
"No wonder. But consider yourselves lucky. We happened to see the smoke you released. Later, just follow us back to Hoang City. There are many survivors there, you won't have to worry about food and drink, and life is exactly the same as before."
The round-faced Mutant was thoroughly deceiving them. He felt he truly had a talent for acting. From beginning to end, what he said was flawless, as if he had undergone special training.
Perhaps the name Lam Pham was just too famous.
It had been lingering in his mind for so long that, over time, he had become familiar with it.
"Is... is that true?"
Before Phuong Duong could speak, his two other companions asked excitedly.
They were already immersed in the world painted by the round-faced Mutant's promises.
Images appeared in their minds.
"Of course, it's true."
The round-faced Mutant smiled, wanting to laugh wildly in his heart. Look at these three stupid survivors, they actually believed it. Interesting, really interesting. Impersonating someone else was truly satisfying.
Even if he did something bad later.
It would be under Lam Pham's identity, so he wouldn't feel any guilt at all.
The other Mutant looked at his companion. He was really playful, but it sounded quite interesting.
Watching the ignorant and helpless survivors being deceived like this gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
But at this moment.
"Hello, I hope I'm not disturbing you."
A strange voice came.
Everyone was startled.
Someone else had come.
Before, they couldn't even see a ghost's shadow. Who would have thought that just by launching a signal today, so many people would come? This situation truly exceeded their expectations.
Phuong Duong and his companions saw Lam Pham coming out from the stairwell. He was very young, completely unfamiliar, carrying a sword on his back. Looking at the design of the hilt, it was very familiar. Wasn't that a prop from an old game?
Someone was carrying this in the apocalypse?
To be honest.
This situation had surpassed their imagination.
The first time the two Mutants saw Lam Pham, their eyes had already completely widened.
Damn it!
They looked at each other.
Panic and anxiety flickered in their eyes.
Others might not know who he was, but how could they not know.
The photo in the Zombie Pictorial was crystal clear. His appearance had long been deeply ingrained in their minds.
They had heard of Lam Pham's fierce reputation more than once.
Some mutants said... you might survive an encounter with the Creator, but if you met Lam Pham, you wouldn't even have a chance to live. Where did all those powerful Mutants from headquarters go? No need to think, they must have encountered Lam Pham and been beaten to death.
Why did headquarters need to cultivate new Mutants?
It was all because of Lam Pham.
Their legs were trembling, their hearts pounding. This fear came from the depths of their souls.
Lam Pham could see it at a glance. Three were ordinary survivors, the other two were Mutants.
He walked over, coming before the two Mutants.
"Mutants, I didn't expect to meet you here. What are your names? Why did you come here?" Lam Pham's expression was calm as he asked in a friendly manner.
Conversations could be had amicably.
Even if a conflict arose, the conversation could still be had amicably.
Even when a conflict escalated, the method of conversation would still not change. The most important thing was to get results.
Just as the round-faced Mutant was about to speak, Phuong Duong spoke first.
The round-faced Mutant's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "We're done for."
"His name is Lam Pham, from the Hoang City Sunshine Shelter. He wants to take us to the shelter to live. Did you also come because you saw our smoke?" Phuong Duong asked.
He found that this stranger who arrived later gave him a very comfortable feeling.
Unlike the first two who came, who gave him the feeling that they were not good people.
"Oh?"
Lam Pham's expression was strange. Having the same name was understandable, but having the same name from the same shelter was truly unheard of.
He looked at the two trembling Mutants, and seemed to understand something. Would Mutants actively rescue ordinary survivors? It was definitely impossible, unless they were intentionally deceiving the other party, and even borrowing his name.
"What a coincidence, my name is also Lam Pham, and I'm also from the Hoang City Sunshine Shelter. Are you really too?"
Lam Pham looked at the round-faced Mutant and asked with a smiling expression.
To others, such a smile was very warm, and one could tell at a glance that he was a good person.
But in the eyes of the two Mutants.
This smile was no different from the arrival of the Grim Reaper.
Thud!
The pressure on their minds completely collapsed.
The two Mutants knelt on the spot.
The round-faced Mutant had a pleading expression, begging bitterly, "Don't kill me, I know I was wrong. My name is not Lam Pham, my name is Vuong Bao Nhuan. I lied to them and said my name was Lam Pham just to play a prank. I really didn't have any other intentions."
Shock.
Phuong Duong and the others stared, glancing at Vuong Bao Nhuan, then at the smiling, real Lam Pham. Their minds went blank, completely confused by them.
Immediately after.
Phuong Duong and the others gradually became vigilant.
They even began to be wary of Lam Pham. This was the apocalypse, and danger was everywhere. Human nature was equally treacherous. At the beginning, they were too excited to see other living survivors and didn't think of the bad possibilities.
Now that they started to recall, they realized what a big mistake they had made.
Lam Pham temporarily didn't talk to the two Mutants, but faced Phuong Duong and the others.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Lam Pham, from the Hoang City Sunshine Shelter. The reason you might believe he is me is definitely because you've never seen the Zombie Pictorial. Coincidentally, I always carry it with me. You can turn to this page, there's a personal introduction about me."
Phuong Duong and the others took the Zombie Pictorial.
They looked at the content inside.
There was indeed a page with a smiling photo. Comparing it carefully, it was exactly the same.
There was also a written introduction.
The specific introduction was... who Lam Pham was, where he came from, what his accomplishments were, etc. It was recorded in relatively detail. After all, the editor was Lam Pham himself.
If he wasn't even familiar with himself, then what fun would there be?
"Is everything introduced in here true?" Phuong Duong asked with a hint of suspicion.
Lam Pham said, "Of course it's true. From the very beginning of the apocalypse until now, I have been continuously cleaning up the zombies outside, hoping to create a paradise for the surviving humans."
Phuong Duong's mouth hung open, his expression one of great shock.
He was clearly stunned by Lam Pham's ambition.
"If you still don't believe me, you can ask them." Lam Pham pointed to the two Mutants.
Hearing this, the two Mutants nodded frantically.
"Everything he said is true."
"He is the nemesis of evil in the apocalypse."
"He is the zombie cleaner of the apocalypse."
"He is the guardian god of the Hoang City Sunshine Shelter."
Blah, blah, blah...
One sentence after another, they directly praised Lam Pham to the heavens.
They were blowing his trumpet so hard.
All in the hope that Lam Pham would give them a chance to live. Ordinary Mutants like them could only bully ordinary survivors. If they really encountered Lam Pham, they wouldn't even have the thought to resist.
Phuong Duong and his companions looked at each other, now completely convinced.
"Alright, that's enough." Lam Pham told them to stop.
Vuong Bao Nhuan and the others lowered their heads, waiting obediently.
Lam Pham looked at Phuong Duong and the others and said with emotion, "The fact that you can survive proves that you are full of hope for the future. When your heart holds hope, heaven will not abandon you. It will definitely let you welcome the sunshine."
"Come back with me to the Sunshine Shelter. That is your future. Everything you think about, everything you seek, it's all there."
"Are you willing?"
A sincere invitation, giving the choice to them.
Phuong Duong and his companions looked at each other.
Finally, they nodded very seriously.
"We are willing."
Lam Pham smiled.
He was in a good mood.
This was the joy of finding survivors.
In this land, there were definitely still people persevering and trying to survive.
Even in places he had already cleared, there might still be survivors who had slipped through the net.
. . .
Hoang City, Sunshine Shelter.
The two Mutants felt an unprecedented pressure enveloping them.
They squatted obediently on the ground, just short of putting their hands on their heads.
Lam Pham, Dam Thanh, Co Hang, Captain Lei, and the others were chatting casually, but every sentence of their conversation seemed to be deciding the fate of the two Mutants.
"I feel that I shouldn't handle things like I used to. I need to take the initiative."
Lam Pham wanted to know the location of the headquarters. Searching alone was like finding a needle in a haystack. Relying on Chung Hong and the others depended on fate. Therefore, he had to change his strategy. Infiltrating the enemy's interior was the right choice.
"How do you plan to take the initiative?" Captain Lei asked.
Lam Pham looked at the two Mutants and said softly, "I know what you've done, and I also know your inner thoughts. But have you ever heard of 'leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist'?"
"We've heard of it, we've heard of it."
"Good, then let me ask you, where were you planning to take them?"
"First, let me explain slowly. The two of us are followers of the perfect Mutant, Dam Ao. Dam Ao has formed an alliance with the newly promoted perfect Mutants. Then he sent us out to find survivors and bring them back to the alliance. Finally, people sent by headquarters will take the survivors away. Everything else really has nothing to do with us."
Beside him, Dam Thanh couldn't help but smile. Well now, he even had the same surname as him, what a coincidence.
"Are you sure?"
"We're sure. Everything we've said is true, not a single lie. If there's a lie, may we be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."
Vuong Bao Nhuan was truly terrified of Lam Pham.
This fear came from the depths of his soul, so he didn't dare to hide anything, telling everything as it was.
"Very good. I have something I hope you can help with. I wonder if you're willing." Lam Pham asked softly, acting very friendly, trying to soothe their fearful hearts.
He hoped that from now on, they wouldn't be too nervous, as it would be detrimental to future developments.
"We're willing, we're willing."
Without any hesitation, the answer was very decisive.
"With your situation, it's very difficult to survive, but I'll give you a chance to atone for your crimes and live a good life. Are you willing?" Lam Pham didn't mention the matter directly, but started the conversation from another angle.
"We're willing, we're willing to atone for our crimes. To be honest, our hearts yearn for the light, but the dark demonic hand is always pulling us, causing terrible damage to our bodies and minds. Now that we've met you, in our eyes, you are a ray of sunshine in the darkness, leading us towards the path of light."
Vuong Bao Nhuan's CPU was already overheating severely.
He said everything he could think of.
Co Hang and the others seemed to have already thought of the situation Lam Pham was talking about. Thinking about it carefully, if it was really like that, it wasn't impossible.
"Very good, then you can pretend you never met me, and I will become a survivor deceived by you. You take me back and hand me over to the people from headquarters. How about that?" Lam Pham said his idea.
"Huh?"
Vuong Bao Nhuan blinked, looking at Lam Pham with a very confused expression. "How is that possible? It's not that we don't want to, but your appearance is already known to all of us. If I take you back, they will recognize you at a glance."
When Lam Pham drew Frostmourne, Vuong Bao Nhuan and the others were so scared their faces turned pale. It wasn't until they saw Lam Pham put Frostmourne on the ground that they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Damn, you almost scared us to death.
They thought Lam Pham had drawn Frostmourne to kill them.
"I won't bring Frostmourne. I'll wrap my face in bandages and say I'm injured. Do you think that will work?" Lam Pham asked.
Vuong Bao Nhuan shook his head, "It's useless. The organization is particularly strict in this regard. No matter what the situation, they have to see the person's face. It wasn't like this before, but after headquarters learned that you were looking for them, it became particularly strict."
Lam Pham didn't expect the Mutant organization to be so cautious.
They were really afraid of him.
Faced with this situation, Lam Pham couldn't just disfigure his own face in order to find the Mutant organization. Although he really wanted to destroy the organization, it hadn't reached that point yet.
He thought, if this plan didn't work, were there any other plans?
Dam Thanh said, "Let me go. Your appearance is recorded in the Zombie Pictorial, but they don't know what I look like. And with my current abilities, I have no problem protecting myself."
Lam Pham waved his hand, "Don't take the risk. I don't want the people around me to take risks. The Mutant headquarters cannot be underestimated. They have very strong guys over there. You are not their match."
He knew that what Dam Thanh said was indeed a method.
But this method was too dangerous.
Vuong Bao Nhuan said, "It's really dangerous. They are very smart, and the checks are particularly strict. Ever since you started searching for the headquarters' location, all kinds of reviews have become stricter than ever."
Lam Pham stared into Vuong Bao Nhuan's eyes, knowing that the other party was not lying.
Having been rejected, Dam Thanh said, "But this is the only feasible method."
"It's really not necessary. There's no rush to find the headquarters' location," Lam Pham said.
Seeing that Lam Pham was unwilling to agree, Dam Thanh said no more. He didn't even think about deceiving Lam Pham to do this kind of thing. Without good coordination, acting rashly alone was a very foolish act.
"Then... now that there's no chance to atone for our crimes, can we still live?" Vuong Bao Nhuan asked cautiously.
Lam Pham said, "Honestly, do you think you Mutants have a future?"
"A future?"
"That's right. In the future, there is me, and I will continue to search for the location of the Mutant headquarters in the future. When I find it, do you think that group of Mutants will have a future?"
"No."
Vuong Bao Nhuan's answer was very sincere. Indeed, there was no future.
As far as he knew, no Mutant was Lam Pham's opponent. If they really met, it was just a dead end.
"Very good, I am willing to give you a chance to live. I will give you two satellite phones. You go back to your perfect Mutant alliance. When you encounter innocent survivors being captured, you notify me. How about that?"
"This..."
Vuong Bao Nhuan thought, this was asking them to be spies over there.
If they were discovered, they would definitely die a miserable death.
"In the past, during the peaceful era, you were all ordinary people, working hard to earn money to support your parents. Now that the apocalypse has come, you have become like this because the times have pushed you to become like this. It's not what you willingly wanted. Although you have done many wrong things, you should still have a chance to atone for your crimes."
"Ask yourselves, are you really willing to become neither human nor ghost in the apocalypse?"
Lam Pham was willing to give people who had done wrong things a chance, unless they were truly heinous. Otherwise, for others, he usually wouldn't deliberately hand them over to Officer Hoang.
Vuong Bao Nhuan pondered, and finally bit his lip, "Okay, I am willing to be your spy."
The other Mutant also hurriedly said, "I'm willing too."
Lam Pham helped them up, patting their shoulders lightly, "Very good, I believe you can do it well, and the innocent survivors you save will also thank you in the future."
When he sent them back to their original place, he arranged for them to have two satellite phones.
At the fireworks factory.
Vuong Bao Nhuan and his companion watched Lam Pham's rapidly departing direction.
They looked at each other.
For a long time, they couldn't come back to their senses.
"Brother Nhuan, is this reliable?"
"If even he is not reliable, then there is really no one reliable. The path is right in front of us. Either we become spies, or we pretend nothing happened, throw away the phones, and leave the alliance, hiding somewhere else."
He had already told Lam Pham the location of the alliance.
Lam Pham didn't uproot the alliance because he wanted to rely on it to find survivors. There is strength in numbers, not to mention this group of professional survivor-seeking Mutants.
"Brother Nhuan, do you think the headquarters will be able to rise up in the future?"
"Rise up my ass, there's no chance. Actually, I feel that being a spy is not so bad. Once we're established, he will be our backing. If I don't say anything, and you don't say anything, who will know we are spies, right?"
"Right."
"So, I think this path of being a spy has some potential. Atoning for our crimes, heading towards the future."
"Brother Nhuan, I'll listen to you."
"Good, let's go back."
"Okay."
Vuong Bao Nhuan and his companion walked away together, heading towards the distance. As for what had just happened, it was already buried deep in their hearts. The transformation into spies often happened in an instant.
They did not choose this path themselves.
It was Lam Pham who gave them this chance to turn over a new leaf.
. . .
Sunshine Shelter.
Captain Lei said, "Lam Pham, are they reliable?"
Lam Pham said, "I believe in the humanity left in the depths of their hearts. And this is also the best choice. We are looking for survivors, and the Mutant organization is also looking. Since that's the case, we might as well trust them."
Dam Thanh said, "The only areas that haven't been cleared yet are the Northwest and Southwest. In my opinion, the headquarters of the Mutant organization is likely in one of these two areas."
"It's possible, but the area is too large. Even if it's really there, finding it would be like finding a needle in a haystack." Lam Pham was not an omniscient god. He couldn't just pinch his fingers and calculate the location. If he were to use his power to push through and blow up these two areas, he could do it.
But at this moment.
Ring ring ring.
The satellite phone rang.
Lam Pham saw that the call was from Vuong Tu Hien. Without much thought, he answered the phone. Before he could speak, he heard the other party's fearful and nervous voice.
"B-Big Brother, can you help me? I... I... No, something happened to Trieu Van."
"Wait for me."
Lam Pham had never heard Vuong Tu Hien's voice so terrified.
Even the first time they met, when Vuong Tu Hien was clearly very scared, he had never been so nervous.
Thanh City was very close to Hoang City.
In less than a minute.
Vuong Tu Hien's hand holding the phone was still trembling.
Lam Pham had already appeared in front of him.
"What happened?"
"Big Brother, follow me."
Vuong Tu Hien hurriedly led the way. Due to excessive nervousness, he tripped and fell, but quickly got up. All these signs indicated that the matter was probably not simple.
When they arrived at the room.
When Lam Pham saw Trieu Van's condition, his eyeballs nearly popped out.
Her abdomen was swollen, like she was six or seven months pregnant. More importantly, Trieu Van's face was covered in tiny, dense blood-red veins.
"What's going on?" Lam Pham looked at Vuong Tu Hien. How did a perfectly fine person become like this?
Vuong Tu Hien was at a loss, so anxious he was about to cry. He then recounted what had happened.
Hearing these things.
Lam Pham's eyes widened, staring dumbfounded at Vuong Tu Hien.
Love really breaks boundaries?
And was this a joke?
It just happened last night.
And today she became like this?
Really, no matter what happened, it was very difficult to shock Lam Pham, but the matter before him had completely surpassed his understanding.
"Brother Lam, I'm worried."
"Hold on."
Lam Pham approached Trieu Van. At this moment, Trieu Van was very calm. Regarding her current situation, she also had a bewildered look on her face, constantly thinking in her heart... It wasn't even a second, how did it become like this.
"A strong and vigorous life force. It is indeed gestating a life."
"Vuong Tu Hien, you're amazing."
"First, prepare a car to go to Hoang City, and have the experienced ones there check her."
What could Lam Pham do? He was an expert at killing zombies, but making him do this kind of check was really pushing it.
"Ah ah ah, I'll go right now."
Vuong Tu Hien scrambled away.
Lam Pham didn't dare to take the risk. What if they went directly, and the bumps on the road caused other problems? He couldn't bear such a responsibility.
It was better to be cautious.
At the same time, he was also very curious, how on earth was this possible.
Although Vuong Tu Hien acted no different from a human.
He was still a zombie, after all.
The boundary between zombies and humans... it shouldn't be possible to cross it so casually, right?