Desolate street, beside it, the top floor of a tall building.
A figure stood there, looking down. The number of zombies was very large, crowded and piled up, among them many evolved types.
"The quantity is more than I imagined. One, two... four."
Standing high, the wind is stronger.
Looking far into the distance, how could one have seen such a scene before? Casually climbing to someone else's top floor, one might be treated as attempting suicide.
"The cleanup workload is really huge. If I were employed as an environmental protection worker, I'd definitely ask for more money."
Slowly, he drew Frostmourne.
The sword's edge glinted with silvery white radiance, dazzling, brilliant.
He descended, heading against the wind, and shouted towards the zombie horde. The zombies lifted their heads, observing the figure descending from the sky. In an instant, a silvery white light appeared, transforming into an invisible sharp edge that swept across. Zombie bodies split open, viscous liquid falling all over the ground.
"Truly an unfriendly bunch of guys."
He casually swung Frostmourne, swift, fierce. Unlike before when one slash could only kill one, now his strength was immense; one swing of the sword, and the ruthless sharp edge could sweep through countless zombies.
A moment later.
Quiet.
Everything around fell into silence.
Lam Pham, carrying his sword, skillfully cut open the heads of the evolved zombies, taking out the crystals within. "White crystals, the level is a bit low, but it's understandable; not all zombies have potential."
He knew that zombies had limitations on their evolutionary potential, just like people. Some people had high potential, some had little. When they turned into zombies and gained the ability to evolve, their potential manifested.
But at this very moment.
Rumble, rumble.
The thundering sound of footsteps, a huge shadow loomed, and a deep, muffled sound could be heard approaching.
If ordinary survivors encountered such a terrifying sense of oppression, even if they couldn't see what it was, their hearts would absolutely pound violently, sweat streaming down their faces.
The sense of oppression was extremely magical.
One could feel it even without seeing.
Lam Pham straightened his back, looking at the zombie before him. Its physique was even taller and larger than a strength-type zombie, comparable to a Tyrant, but its appearance was more threatening than a Tyrant's.
A ferocious face, its chest split open, white bone spikes protruding, like an abyssal maw capable of devouring prey whole.
"Hello, new type of zombie. Did you suddenly appear because you saw me killing normal zombies, which thereby made you feel angry?" Lam Pham greeted it.
Appearing alone before him, a strange type, exuding an extremely strong sense of oppression.
Looking closely, one could see viscous liquid flowing from the split in its chest. Disgusting, truly very disgusting.
"Ao ao!"
The unknown zombie roared, its voice very deep and powerful, like a wild beast roaring. From the sound alone, one could feel its difference from other zombies.
Lam Pham blinked, not feeling any fear at its roar.
The unknown zombie pounded its sturdy thighs, ferociously charging towards Lam Pham, swinging its arm hard. Its arm was not like a normal zombie's arm but resembled a Tyrant's scythe. As Lam Pham dodged, the flesh scythe slammed into the ground. The cement ground was viciously split open with cracks, spreading, leaving behind a deep pit.
"Very strong."
The flesh scythe grazed past his face as it came down. He felt the enveloping blade wind, sensed the erupting power. It had to be said, this thing was truly strong. If it landed on a vehicle, it would absolutely be sliced in half.
"Can humans really have a chance of winning against this type of zombie?"
He thought of Dai Van Van with her awakened telekinesis, but that child still couldn't control it, or rather, apart from manifesting it once subconsciously, there had been nothing since.
Thinking of these things, he then swung Frostmourne. Silver light flashed, directly tearing the unknown zombie's waist, flesh and blood gushing and falling to the ground.
[Killed Mutated Tyrant]
[Points +25]
Taking out the crystal, he observed it. Within the clearly black crystal, a faint golden color had already appeared. This crystal was evolving towards gold.
He looked at the mutated Tyrant at his feet, lost in thought. Tyrants were also evolving; it was truly a terrifying matter. What kind of monster would they eventually evolve into?
The apocalypse was truly terrifying; it could always breed all sorts of chaotic monster zombies.
Continuing forward.
One street, then another street cleared. He had clearly accelerated his cleanup speed. Whether it was normal zombies or evolved zombies, in his hands, they all met the same end.
One slash was often enough to clear them out.
At this moment.
A vehicle gradually drove towards the Duong Quang Complex area.
Inside the vehicle were four survivors.
They came from the Hanh Van Hao. Among them were three men and one woman. From their faces, not a trace of hope for the future could be seen. The faces of all four survivors were extremely gaunt, as if they hadn't eaten or drunk anything for some time.
"I really want to floor the accelerator, speed up, and crash into a gas station. Death would be good too."
The survivor speaking was the driver, donkey-faced, with a distinctly long face, already without much flesh. Now, needless to say, he was so gaunt it was heartbreaking to look at him.
"Don't! A bad life is better than a good death. We've come out to find supplies now; we should be able to find some," the other survivors hurriedly consoled.
"Big brother, don't do anything rash."
Being alive still offered some hope; if one died, then there would be nothing left.
They feared the zombies outside and could only hide on the Hanh Van Hao. However, the Hanh Van Hao was extremely realistic: cowardly trash lived worse than dogs. That's right, just like that.
They had seen a group of survivors raising a dog; that dog even had fragrant dog food, making them extremely envious.
The only female among these four survivors looked outside with bewildered eyes. She was afraid of zombies, but also afraid of starving to death; she could only come out to take risks.
Although some women on the Hanh Van Hao traded their bodies for food, she couldn't accept it, couldn't take that step. She didn't want to become a plaything, even less so the kind of base creature that knelt before men and women for food, allowing them to wantonly torture her body.
"Look, there are no zombies around, but there are many zombie corpses on the ground. I think a very fierce battle must have taken place here," the male driver said.
Everyone looked outside. The countless already decayed corpses delivered a huge shock to their hearts.
"Do you think it was the army that came to save us, that the army killed these zombies?"
"If it were the army, that would be great, but I think... it's probably impossible."
"That's right. If it were the army, we would have been saved long ago. How could it be the current situation?"
Although the current situation made them mention the army, in their hearts, they understood that some things were ultimately just a fantasy.
The only thing that could comfort them was that no zombies had appeared in the surroundings.
They had only just left the Hanh Van Hao not long ago when they were chased by zombies. Luckily, they sped up and shook off that group of ferocious zombies. Whenever they thought of those terrifying zombie faces, their hearts would pound with fear.
"There are no zombies here now. Can we get down and collect some supplies?"
"Seems doable."
Their minds became active. They had come out precisely for supplies. Only by having supplies on the Hanh Van Hao could they gain a firm foothold and live somewhat beautifully.
Survivors without supplies were worse than dogs there.
The driver tried honking the horn, making a sound, to see if there were any zombies hidden in the surrounding shops. As the "beep beep" sound rang out, they looked outside nervously and expectantly.
The quiet street, a breeze blowing, swirling up the garbage on the ground. No matter how one looked at it, it appeared extremely desolate.
"Safe."
"Go!"
They quickly got out of the car and ran towards the shops beside them. Coming out, they grabbed food from the shelves. Starving and unbearably hungry, they tore open instant noodle packages, chewed raw, eating like hungry tigers, feeling this was a delicacy of the human world, a deliciousness they had never imagined before.
If there were a bowl of rice now, even if it had shit mixed in it, without thinking, they would stuff it into their mouths.
While biting into food, they also transported food to their vehicle.
There were still many supplies in the city now, but those places all had zombies, in large numbers. The difficulty of going in to collect supplies was very high, or rather, it was fundamentally impossible.
Not to mention those zombies that were different from ordinary ones.
They had heard from a sole survivor of a scavenging team that he had managed to lure away a group of zombies, but there was a zombie there that seemed extremely intelligent.
It actually knew how to return, thereby tearing that group of survivors to pieces.
When they heard that, they were terrified. Were the zombies outside all that scary, that vigilant?
Very quickly.
The vehicle could no longer hold any more.
They hurriedly returned to their car seats, their faces full of excitement and elation.
"I didn't expect us to actually find supplies!"
"Yeah, I'm so excited I want to cry. This place is simply a miracle!"
"Can't tell anyone, absolutely cannot tell anyone. If they knew there was still such a safe place, they would definitely loot this place clean in an instant. Then we wouldn't have any supplies to find."
The group nodded.
They strongly agreed with this statement.
The vehicle drove on. They now wanted to continue to see what the situation was like in this area, then turn off from the front and return to the Hanh Van Hao.
Although returning to the Hanh Van Hao meant handing over half the supplies, for them, even with half the supplies remaining, as long as they were a bit frugal, it was enough for them to survive for a period.
Gradually.
The vehicle slowly stopped. They looked at the situation outside the car. There were iron railings blocking the road, which had cut off their direction of departure.
"Those iron railings blocking the road, is it a survivor shelter?"
"Do you remember some time ago, a guy carrying a sword came to the Hanh Van Hao, seemed to mention Duong Quang Complex? We are near Duong Quang Complex now."
"Remember, I remember."
"Look, someone is waving over there."
They saw on the roof of that two-story shop, there was a survivor, waving at them.
They looked at each other. Faced with this situation, any survivor would be vigilant. After all, in this current era, anyone still foolishly naive was just seeking their own death.
However...
Sometimes, people's hearts often harbor a kind of expectation or a kind of curiosity.
Quan Hao, seeing a vehicle drive by, was immediately happy and hurriedly waved. He was stationed here to keep watch. Standing high, one sees far. If he saw zombies heading this way, and if the numbers were extremely small, he would pick up an iron lump and throw it at the zombie's head.
But if it was a situation with a large number of zombies.
He would shout for everyone to quickly hide in the shops, lock the doors, zombies were coming.
It wasn't just him keeping watch; there were people watching from another location as well.
Ensuring the safety of all positions.
The vehicle drove up. Three survivors got out. They lifted their heads and looked at the other party skeptically.
"Hello, my name is Quan Hao. Where are you from?" Quan Hao asked about the other party's basic situation. Often, one could obtain the other party's true situation through exchange.
"Hanh Van Hao."
"Hanh Van Hao? Then do you know a survivor named Vuong Sieu?"
He thought of Brother Sieu. Since parting ways with Brother Sieu, he had never seen him again. Regarding his initial choice, he had no regrets whatsoever. Everyone has their own thoughts. He didn't want to wander aimlessly. Seeing the environment here was not bad, he stayed. Now it seemed his choice was wise.
In his heart, Brother Lam was YYDS.
"Don't know."
Quan Hao didn't expect Brother Sieu to have so little prestige, to still not have made a name for himself by now.
In his impression.
Brother Sieu was super brave, dared to fight, dared to risk, dared to charge, dared to act. Such a character should be the focus of everyone's attention, unlike him who was content with his lot, had no ambition to strive, just wanted to live, no need to be too outstanding.
Since they didn't know, he wouldn't discuss Brother Sieu's affairs.
"This is the shelter outside Duong Quang Complex. How were things for you on the Hanh Van Hao?" Quan Hao asked.
"Not too good. We could only come out to find supplies ourselves."
"I see you don't look like bad people. Are you interested in understanding the living environment and rules of Duong Quang Complex?"
"How do you see that we're not bad people?"
Towards this young man who said he wanted them to understand this place, their hearts maintained vigilance from beginning to end. After all, all sorts of terrifying things could happen now. For example, being tricked inside, having all personal supplies plundered, or even being used as bait to lure zombies – these were all possible.
Quan Hao said, "You just said things weren't good, so you must be extremely haggard. To still be healthy now, you must be capable people. Plus, looking at your eyes, it's very easy to tell."
The three survivors standing there looked at each other, convinced by the other party's reasoning. Strange reasoning, yet it seemed to have some truth to it.
"Do you know if Ha Nha is here with you?" one of the female survivors asked.
She knew Ha Nha had been brought to Duong Quang Complex. Before, she had heard others say Ha Nha wanted a "calf" and actually followed someone else to Duong Quang Complex, fearing she would be "broken down."
"Know her. Superstar Ha is right in Duong Quang Complex. She's doing quite well."
Quan Hao also liked Ha Nha, belonging to the category of a normal admirer. Thinking about it now, it was indeed true that good people and good people have an attraction, easily drawn together.
The female survivor said nothing. In her mind appeared an image that definitely needed to be censored: that Ha Nha had already become that kind of plaything, colloquially known as an unspeakable existence.
Quan Hao noticed their gazes were a bit strange and said in surprise, "Do you have some prejudice against our place? It's absolutely not what you think. I understand your experiences; it's normal for you to have such thoughts. But if you trust me, you can come in and see. This place accepts anyone who is full of hope for the future."
The three survivors standing outside looked at each other.
Evidently, they were considering this situation, whether to look or not.
Inside. (Translator's note: "Bên trong." likely refers to inside the vehicle from which the three survivors got out, implying the driver stayed.)
Two men and one woman. The other driver survivor wouldn't enter even if it meant death.
As they entered and saw the situation inside, the three survivors were somewhat shocked. The current situation was different from what they thought, not that gloomy and lifeless atmosphere of the Hanh Van Hao. Although the number of survivors present wasn't large, they could see heartfelt smiles on the faces of this group of survivors.
Quan Hao, just like a tour guide, introduced, "I've resided here for a period. They just arrived. Everyone is cleaning the environment. The surrounding shops are our residences. There's a kind of rule prevalent here, though not really a rule – just like normal, work to earn money, use money to buy supplies. Actually, whether you can earn money or not is the same; everyone here can eat their fill."
The three survivors truly hadn't expected that in the current apocalypse, there would still be such a place.
A survivor bumped into him as he walked over.
Quan Hao smiled and said, "Not bad, eh? Buying so many vegetables, what are you planning to make?"
The survivor smiled, "To light a fire for hot pot. Haven't eaten hot pot in so long, craving it badly."
Quan Hao said, "Then you have to save a pair of chopsticks for me."
"No problem, but you have to bring beer and smoked sausage, and also instant noodles."
"Okay, no problem."
The survivors following Quan Hao were dumbfounded.
Damn it, are you kidding?
Hot pot?
In this situation, you can still eat hot pot? No matter how they looked at it, it felt unimaginable.
Quan Hao looked at their shocked expressions and said with a smile, "Actually, when they first arrived, their expressions were exactly like yours. This place is truly very good, so good it's hard for you to imagine. I know you are the same kind of people as us. If the Hanh Van Hao is really not good, don't go back. Stay here and strive to live with us. I can't say much else, but you'll eat your fill without worry, and safety is absolutely no problem. It's just doing some work every day."
"I feel like what you're saying is as if in a dream," a survivor said.
Quan Hao smiled, "If a dreamscape can be like this, then we are dreaming right now."
Immediately after.
"Look, that's Superstar Ha! See if it's her."
They all looked towards the distance in unison. What entered their eyes was Ha Nha. Seeing her for the first time, they were shocked. In their impression, Ha Nha living on the Hanh Van Hao was extremely wretched, extremely haggard, so thin she had no spirit left, already developing towards a soulless husk.
But the Ha Nha in their eyes at this moment was still so radiant, wearing clean clothes, smiling and conversing with other survivors, as if discussing something.
Completely different from the Ha Nha on the Hanh Van Hao, as if they were two different people.
"She's actually living so well." That female survivor's eyes widened. She then hurriedly ran towards Ha Nha, wanting to ask clearly. She knew Ha Nha's character in peacetime; she thought she would get an affirmative answer from her. She only trusted Ha Nha; other survivors, she didn't trust much.
"Sister Ha Nha." The female survivor walked up to Ha Nha, her gaze fixed on Ha Nha's eyes, wanting to see a trace of coercion in the other's eyes. If there was anything slightly amiss, she wouldn't believe it.
"Hello," Ha Nha smiled.
The female survivor said, "I also came from the Hanh Van Hao. Can you tell me, is this place really as he said?"
Ha Nha looked at Quan Hao, then with a serious and firm expression, said, "Yes. You asked me; I know you want me to tell the truth. So now I will tell you the truth. It is really very good here, very safe, very fair. It won't let you despair. You can live like normal. You can stroll around, chat with friends, and also dress up and adorn yourself."
Hearing these things.
This female survivor already believed.
"I understand."
Ha Nha smiled and said, "Trust your feelings. Here is the beginning of a new life."
"Thank you."
The female survivor bid Ha Nha farewell, returned to her companions, and said with a face full of emotion and excitement, "I believe this place. I'm not going back. I want to stay here and live full of hope like them."
The other two survivors looked at her, then at the surrounding environment. They didn't know if it was an illusion, but they found the air here really fresh, really comfortable, with a kind of feeling that put people at ease.
Returning to their vehicle.
"We've decided to stay here."
The three survivors told the driver what they had seen and heard.
The driver, hearing these things, was completely dumbfounded. "True or false? You just went in for a short while and already decided? And saying all this, it always feels a bit strange. Do you really not need to go out and collect supplies yourselves?
Just work, earn wages, and you can buy all sorts of things? Do you think this is a bustling peacetime street?
And Superstar Ha Nha living so comfortably – this is impossible no matter which shelter it is. Such a beautiful celebrity, if not becoming someone else's plaything, then becoming the shelter big boss's plaything..."
Though he thought this way.
"I believe what you said. How about this: you all stay here first. I'll go back to the Hanh Van Hao for a trip. If this place is our hope-filled place, why not tell other sufferers like us?" The driver, after some thought, stated his idea.
"Are you sure? This might be dangerous."
"No problem, I drive like a bandit."
"Alright then, you yourself be careful about your safety."