While they were negotiating the timing.
A creaking sound.
The sound of a door opening.
"Old man, are you trying to die?"
Xiao Ben saw Wang Zhongguo take advantage of their inattention and actually open the iron door. He was immediately filled with shame and anger. If the other side got bitten by a zombie, they would all be done for.
He pretended to want to kick Wang Zhongguo to the ground.
"What are you doing? How can you hit someone?" Lam Pham, with a glance, saw a young man about to strike an elderly person and immediately shouted in anger.
As a successor of the new era, how could he not respect the elderly and love the young?
Xiao Ben and the others retreated, warily eyeing Lam Pham, wondering if he had been bitten by a zombie. If he had, they would have to deal with him first.
Lam Pham was very pleased. It seemed his shout had worked. He had successfully prevented an elderly person from being harmed.
The four old men opening the door had a simple idea.
They were willing to give their chance of survival to the young people. As for them, they would return home and wait for death.
"Please don't worry. I have no ill intentions. May I ask, who is Mr. Tran?" Lam Pham asked as he looked at these people. They appeared mentally exhausted and worn out, clearly living in constant tension in this apocalyptic world.
But he was helpless; he was just an ordinary person who happened to help others with a small task.
"I am he," Tran Cuong replied, observing Lam Pham. There was something strange about the young man. The sword on his back reminded him of something... Could it be that he recognized it from a game artifact?
"Good, Mr. Tran, I was hoping to rent a room for a while."
"Fine, I have a room to rent. You can stay as long as you need."
"Thank you."
Lam Pham didn't expect things to go so smoothly. He then pulled out a stack of cash from his pocket. This was his salary from a while back, which he hadn't deposited in the bank. He didn't expect that so soon, he would need to spend it... It really came fast, and now it would be gone just as fast.
"Mr. Tran, here are five thousand yuan. It's a bit short, but for now, this is all I have. I will transfer the rest to you later."
Everyone around them was a bit stunned. Was this person really that clueless?
"Alright, fine. You can stay as long as you need. Go ahead," Tran Cuong urged.
He was starting to suspect that the young man wasn't all there mentally.
Now, in the apocalypse, money was useless. Even if there was money on the table, it was just useless paper.
"Thank you." Lam Pham was very polite. He could sense that this landlord was easy to deal with and didn't want to stay too long to avoid bothering them.
After saying that, he turned to leave.
He was also polite enough to close the iron door behind him.
At this moment.
Lam Pham turned to the four elderly people, asking with concern, "Hello, are you sure you don't want to go back to the rooftop? It's dangerous outside, and with your age, you might not be able to run if you encounter zombies."
Suddenly.
Lam Pham looked at Chu Ai Quan, seemingly remembering something, and exclaimed, "Are you Chu Ai Quan, the elder?"
Chu Ai Quan, who had been preparing to return home to wait for death, calmly looked at this strange young man.
"Yes, that's right. Young man, do you know me?"
Since the apocalypse came, they weren't afraid, but what they feared was the erosion of humanity. When a person's humanity was completely gone, it would be a disaster like no other.
"I know you. I saw you on the military channel before. You are a very skilled military expert. You were the one who led a team to break through various technical barriers and helped our country develop weapons that made us all proud."
"I have a lot of respect for you. I've also read other people's reviews of you on forums, and they said that you are the reason our country's military level, within just twenty years, reached the level of the great powers."
Lam Pham hadn't expected to see this living legend. He felt that renting a room this time was quite easy.
Wang Zhongguo chuckled, "Chu Lao Di, I didn't expect to meet a fan in the apocalypse."
"Brother Wang, don't make fun of me." Chu Ai Quan was very pleased. Though he didn't say it aloud, he was happy. Despite all his struggles and hardships throughout his life, he didn't care about being remembered by the world. But if a young person could remember him, he felt very satisfied. "Young man, what's your name?"
"My name is Lam Pham. I'm from the Hoang family, living in Dương Quang residential area. I'm here to rent a room for someone," Lam Pham quickly explained. In his eyes, the old man in front of him was a hero, and he wasn't one to chase fame. He preferred to watch the stories of those who contributed to the country and explain their heroic feats.
He then looked at Wang Zhongguo and said, "This old man here looks very extraordinary. He must have been a soldier."
"Haha..." Chu Ai Quan patted Lam Pham's shoulder, "You have a keen eye, young man. This old fellow Wang was a fierce soldier in his younger years. He once single-handedly charged the enemy's position, a spear in hand, and knocked out over ten people. He was a level-one hero. Don't be fooled by his old age, just a few years ago, he took on some human traffickers on the street. He didn't hesitate to rush up and fight them, beating them all into the hospital."
Wang Zhongguo laughed at Chu Ai Quan's teasing, momentarily forgetting the dire situation of the apocalypse.
Reflecting on past deeds was a pleasant thing. In his old age, those memories were some of his happiest.
Lam Pham's mouth opened wide in admiration. He hadn't expected the old man before him to be a hero, someone who had sacrificed so much for the country, and now deserving of everyone's respect.
"Two old gentlemen, why aren't you returning to the rooftop? It's very dangerous outside right now," he asked again.
He needed to clarify.
"We won't return. We don't have many supplies left. We'd rather leave the hope to the younger people. We're old now, and we don't have any more use. We won't waste any more resources."
Hearing this, Lam Pham fell silent.
He wasn't a fool. His mind quickly processed many possible scenarios. The people on the rooftop probably didn't want to share resources with the elderly. In fact, they might even want to kill them.
He realized that the apocalypse had made many people more daring, twisted, and dark.
Now, these two old men were deserving of respect. They had contributed greatly to the country, and anyone who saw them now would surely extend a helping hand. The life they had now was made possible by people like them who had sacrificed their lives for the future.
In old age, they shouldn't have to suffer like this.
If he knew that the resources in the residential area had been taken by the elderly, he would definitely take up arms and go teach the others a lesson. How could they be so heartless?
Lam Pham felt he couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Please follow me. Come to my Dương Quang residential area. It's very safe there, and I believe I have the ability to protect you." Lam Pham spoke up.
This was his initiative to invite them back to the Dương Quang residential area.
"You can stay there first. I'll rent a room for you."
The four old men looked at the sincere young man before them, falling into deep thought.
Wang Zhongguo: ...
Chu Ai Quan: ...
Tu Quy Fen: ...
Luong Yen: ...
Wang Zhongguo said, "Young man, thank you for your kindness, but forget it. Following you would only be a burden. We're old, and we're of no use anymore. We're happy that you have such thoughts, and we just hope you can live well and that people like you will continue to lead the future."
"Aiya, stop saying that. I'm very strong. Come with me," Lam Pham said, feeling that the four old men were too considerate. He knew they meant well, but they were elderly and definitely less capable than young people. He, Lam Pham, had received excellent education, and how could he stand by and watch respected heroes suffer?
Once they had protected us, it was time for the younger generation to protect them.
This kind of protection should not end here.
It needed to develop further.
...
Rooftop.
"Is he out yet?" Tran Cuong asked.
"Not yet, probably taking his time. Hurry up." Xiao Ben removed the barricade and looked down, still not seeing Lam Pham's figure.
Around them, various items were piled up.
These were all things to be thrown down in a bit.
"Here he comes."
Xiao Ben shouted, then his face twisted into a cruel grin. "Smash them! Throw them down hard and attract the zombies."
The lucky survivors didn't hesitate and began throwing various items down.
In this situation, they only wanted to survive.
Whoever died didn't matter to them.
Xiao Ben grabbed a flowerpot, chose an angle, and threw it in front of him, not aiming to hit the other person, but to make noise and attract the zombies.
"As long as the noise draws the zombies, they'll run toward the residential area, and then we'll be temporarily safe. We can look for supplies." Xiao Ben sneered.
He didn't know how many zombies were in the residential area, but with these people, he had confidence. He intended to use them as bait to create a survival path.
Boom!
A loud crash was heard.
Lam Pham turned back and saw, about five or six meters away, a flowerpot falling and breaking on the ground.
"Where did the flowerpot come from?"
As he thought about it, more objects fell from above, hitting the ground with a loud crash.
He looked up and saw people on the rooftop throwing items down.
At this moment, Xiao Ben looked around suspiciously. Where were the zombies? How could there be none? He tried to throw more objects but realized there was nothing left.
This wouldn't do. It couldn't be like this.
In that moment, Xiao Ben saw a large survivor slump on the ground. His evil intentions took over, and he went mad with violence.
He growled and lunged at the survivor's back, grabbing their legs and tossing them off the rooftop.
"Aaa..."
A piercing scream echoed.
The surrounding survivors were stunned by Xiao Ben's actions.
They never expected Xiao Ben to throw someone down.
"What are you looking at? Throwing things won't attract zombies. This is the only way to draw them to the residential area," Xiao Ben growled.
The apocalypse is not frightening; what is truly terrifying is the darkness in people's hearts, the face that lacks restraints, completely unleashed.
And he feels that this, right now, is what life truly is.
There is no one capable of punishing him, he can do whatever he wants.
Cruel methods, terrifying the surrounding survivors, causing them to tremble in fear.
They are panicked, terrified.
Even Tran Cuong widened his eyes, this is such a vicious person.