"I feel that guy is weird. He's carrying a sword—I'm very familiar with it. In the world of Magic Beasts, Frostmourne is common, I get it. But now it's the apocalypse. I seriously suspect something's not right with his head."
"You guys think this might be a trap?"
If this were before, no one would be this cautious.
But now that the apocalypse has come, after everything that's happened recently, people have truly seen how sinister human nature can be.
Once shoulder-to-shoulder companions, not just casual friends—yet for the sake of survival, they'd stab you in the back just to gain a few seconds to escape.
That's why they were extremely cautious now. In times like these, letting your guard down meant losing your life.
Even in times of peace, it was hard to earn someone's trust, let alone now—gaining trust had become even harder.
"We mean no harm. If we've disturbed you, please forgive us," the short-haired girl said.
She also couldn't figure out what was up with this guy.
Back when the world was normal, people reading in a library was a common thing.
But now? In an apocalypse? Danger everywhere. How could someone just be reading books?
"No worries. You guys go ahead—just keep your voices down a bit. It is a library, after all."
Lam Pham sat down and continued reading. Studying agriculture was surprisingly interesting. He wanted to quietly finish his book.
The girl softly said to the others, "Keep your voices down from now on."
She had a gut feeling—this man in front of them wasn't someone to mess with. It wasn't from any actual knowledge, just a woman's instinct.
Time passed.
Lam Pham heard their footsteps as they left. He stood up and glanced over, seeing them hurriedly heading out.
"You're leaving already?" Lam Pham asked.
The short-haired girl replied politely, "Is there something you need?"
She was calm and didn't show any impatience.
"You're taking so many books with you. You need to register them first. These aren't personal books—any borrowed ones must be signed out." Lam Pham wasn't trying to be difficult. He was just giving a reminder.
What?
Not just the short-haired girl—even the two men with her stared wide-eyed.
Honestly, it wasn't just them.
Anyone hearing this would be dumbfounded.
What the hell?
"Bro, you seriously got something wrong with your head," the guy in the cap couldn't help but say. He wanted to laugh. Was this guy from some mental hospital? The whole city of Huangshi… was there a psych ward named Qing Shan or something?
He clearly didn't realize what times they were living in.
Still talking about signing out books? Was he out of his mind?
"Do you really know what it's like outside right now?" the short-haired girl asked gently.
She hadn't thought he was crazy before, but now… yeah, she was starting to wonder.
He wasn't normal. Way too not normal.
"I know. It's the apocalypse. There are zombies outside biting people. Aside from that, not much has changed," Lam Pham replied calmly.
"Bro, even if you know what's happening out there, you should still act accordingly… ah, whatever. You've got your ideas, and we've got ours. Let's just stick to our own paths," the cap guy said.
He wasn't some violent criminal. Before all this, he was just a regular dude living a nine-to-five life. Law-abiding, not looking for trouble, just trying to survive and improve his life a little.
Lam Pham noticed they were a little nervous. He smiled and said, "Don't worry. It's nothing. I just wanted to remind you—things are indeed dangerous out there. You probably wouldn't want to come back here again. I understand."
"Oh, and remember my name. I'm Lam Pham. I live in Sunshine Complex, Unit 704, Block 22. If you ever get surrounded by zombies and your lives are at risk, come find me. I'm really strong. Even 180 zombies aren't a match for me."
Short-haired girl: …
Cap guy: …
Other man: …
This guy was nuts.
Totally insane.
But they didn't say anything.
"Thanks. If we really run into danger, we'll come find you," the short-haired girl said quickly, then dragged the others away.
The two men gave Lam Pham one last long look.
Maybe they were thinking: Bro, your bragging is next level.
"They left so fast… didn't even get their names," Lam Pham muttered, watching their backs disappear. A bit disappointed, but oh well. Learning made him happy. He returned to his seat and continued reading.
Agriculture was a little complex.
Whether he could be self-sufficient in the future depended on his own efforts.
The library fell silent again.
Only the sound of pages turning echoed softly in the quiet space.
Outside the library—
"Big sis, I swear, 100% that guy is mentally unstable. He's definitely gone crazy from fear of the apocalypse," the cap guy said confidently.
"Yeah, I think so too," the other man agreed.
"Enough. Let's just get out of here," the girl said.
The three of them climbed into the steel beast of a vehicle. When Old Mao, the driver, saw they were safe, he breathed a sigh of relief and drove off quickly.
The engine roared to life, drawing the attention of a few zombies nearby.
But those few weren't even a threat to this beast of a vehicle. Like grasshoppers trying to stop a cart—they got crushed instantly, blood and gore splattering the road.
"Awesome, Old Mao! Every time I see your truck crush zombies like that, it feels amazing," the cap guy said.
Through the window, the short-haired girl glanced back at the library.
She didn't know when this apocalypse would end.
It was like being stuck in darkness, with not even a sliver of hope in sight.
…
"There's too much content—I can't finish it all at once."
Lam Pham had stayed in the library for a long time. As the sun set, golden light streamed through the glass, quietly merging with the floor.
He closed the book.
"Guess I'll borrow it and take it home to finish."
The book on agriculture recorded a lot of planting techniques for fruits and vegetables.
He had a lot of respect for farmers who knew these things by heart—sometimes even more thoroughly than the textbooks.
"Time to go home."
He grabbed a book and headed to the library counter to sign it out.
If you didn't have a library card, you had to pay a 100-yuan deposit and leave your ID number.
He just borrowed one book. Any more and it'd slow down his learning. Plus, he wouldn't take them seriously.
He remembered watching a TV show where an expert said: at the end of a library trip, just borrow one book. Borrowing more was just for show.
Especially when it came to guys—better to borrow one and actually read it. With too many distractions, they'd just skim everything and end up learning nothing.
After paying the deposit, he left with the book, closing the door behind him.
Outside—
The distant sky was glowing gold and red. Sunset had arrived, and darkness was coming.
He walked quietly down the empty streets. Both sides of the road were silent. Not a soul in sight in the buildings.
Here and there, a rotting corpse lay ignored.
A breeze blew past.
Lam Pham sneezed. His nose tickled.
He had long since gotten used to the surroundings. It wasn't much different from before. The only real change was the absence of people.
Back then, he used to rush everywhere without paying attention to anything. Now, walking slowly home, he could take it all in—like enjoying a stroll.
Back at the seed company—
There were all kinds of vegetable and fruit seeds, clearly labeled.
He picked out a few, wrapped them up, and put them in his bag.
Also grabbed some fertilizer—that was key to making the crops grow well.
"Here's the money," Lam Pham said, placing the cash on the counter.
Even if the owner wasn't here, he couldn't just take things for free. It was a matter of principle.
Get used to taking things for free, and it'd become a habit.
And that would be dangerous.
Leaving the seed store, he headed home.
He had a lot to do next.
He needed to pick a spot to start planting.
There was an empty plot in his complex—that might work. But of course, it wasn't his alone. If he wanted to use it, he'd need the neighbors' approval.
Back at home—
He placed the book and seeds on the side, along with the fertilizer.
Today hadn't been a waste.
He had met survivors trying hard to live—and also people causing trouble.
"Doing your best is the biggest help you can offer others," Lam Pham muttered, patting his face to stay relaxed.
Even without entertainment, he poured his energy into learning.
It was getting late.
Dinner wasn't ready yet. He still had some vegetables left. He could finish them off.
Soon, the room filled with the smell of cooked food.
"A man who can cook really is the best kind," Lam Pham thought happily.
Even in the apocalypse, he kept a positive mindset.
That night—
He sat at his desk, reading and taking notes, memorizing useful content.
He'd have to return the book eventually. Better to jot things down now, so he wouldn't forget later.
Time passed.
His eyelids grew heavy. He closed the book, lay down, hugged a little teddy bear, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.
The quiet night was broken only by the occasional howl of zombies.
A reminder to all survivors—danger was always near.
Elsewhere, in a desert bunker—
Zombies could be seen roaming, but they were all under control.
Inside, people in protective suits were conducting various experiments.
"Very strange. Based on our analysis, zombie cell activity increases slightly each day."
"You mean… they're evolving?"
"That's one way to put it."
"Forget that for now. I want to know—can we make a vaccine?"
"No. This virus is too strange. We've never seen anything like it. Not even anything remotely similar. Do you know about vampire genes?"
"You're saying… these people died and came back to life, in some other form?"
"Hard to say…"
"Keep researching. No matter what, we must develop a cure and destroy the zombies. Bring the world back on track."
"Yes, sir."
Since the outbreak, even this base had suffered.
Luckily, things weren't too bad.
With some sacrifice, the infected staff were taken care of.
Now fully aware of the chaos outside, they were under immense pressure.
They had no choice but to rely on this facility—and go all in on finding a cure.
They hoped they could succeed.
And completely wipe out the zombies.
If this went on much longer, the world would be doomed.