Duong Quang apartment, unit 704.
The four elders, Ly Mai and her daughter, and Lam Pham.
Seven people gathered around the dining table. Ly Mai had meticulously prepared dinner, and the fragrant aroma drifting in the air was enough to make anyone's appetite surge.
In the middle of the table was a softshell turtle soup pot, surrounded by simple everyday dishes, mainly made from pickled vegetables.
In the apocalypse, to have such a hearty dinner this late was already luxurious. Other survivors were likely still struggling amidst danger.
"Phi Phi, from now on you'll learn from nai nai. Literature, math, history, physics, chemistry—nai nai is very proficient in them all."
Grandma Luong Yen never imagined that she'd get to teach children again. It gave her an indescribable joy. Having dedicated her life to teaching, even in retirement, she couldn't stay idle and would tutor the kids in the apartment complex.
She used to think the apocalypse meant the end of education, but now, with a child to teach again, how could she not feel happy?
"Okay, Grandma Luong." Phi Phi nodded, her heart full of despair—there was no escaping from studying in the end.
This uncle was truly terrifying.
Just like those firefighter uncles who would rescue kids from burning buildings and then help them finish their homework.
With Lam Pham's introduction, Ly Mai and her daughter had gotten familiar with the four elders.
Learning about their identities, Ly Mai was nothing but respectful.
The days of fear and uncertainty faded at this moment, filling her with hope for the future.
"Xiao Pham, do you have any plans?" Old man Vuong Trung Quoc knew Lam Pham had some skills, but now that the apocalypse had begun, things were different. Without a good plan, it might be hard to survive for long.
During this time, he'd observed the brutal creatures the young ones called tang thi.
They were transformed humans, spreading infection through bites, and once bitten, people turned into tang thi.
You had to hit them in the head to kill them.
This made them much more dangerous than regular people. Worse yet, with guns banned in the country, the only option was close combat.
These tang thi had speed and strength similar to, if not stronger than, normal humans—especially when frenzied.
Once they noticed you, escaping was nearly impossible.
Lam Pham said, "I plan to start by growing some vegetables in the apartment complex. I already bought seeds and chemical fertilizer. If we can grow our own food, we'll be more self-sufficient. A lot of produce outside has rotted, and prices at supermarkets are high. Better to save where we can."
Just those few words—
Everyone at the table looked at Lam Pham in surprise.
Even Phi Phi, young as she was, often watched videos and thought this uncle's idea was kind of weird—like, in a funny way.
Old man Chu Ai Quan nudged Vuong Trung Quoc, clearly asking, "Brother, what's up with this kid?"
But who would've thought...
Vuong Trung Quoc nodded. "Mm, makes sense. Survival is the top priority now. Xiao Pham, take this bank card. You'll need money to buy things. If you have time and can do it safely, go get some frozen food from the supermarket."
He understood Lam Pham's logic. Though it sounded odd, it actually made sense. He even saw it as a good reminder for himself.
In the apocalypse, many people lost themselves, becoming mad and lawless. Anyone who stayed in that environment too long would be affected.
It's not that you want to go crazy—it's that the apocalypse forces you to.
"Lao Chu, what are you standing around for? Give your bank card to Xiao Pham too," Vuong Trung Quoc said.
Chu Ai Quan, being a military-industrial researcher, was smart, but not as socially savvy as Vuong Trung Quoc. Still, he handed over his card without hesitation.
Lam Pham looked at the bank cards in front of him, deeply touched. The trust these four elders placed in him gave him a strong sense of responsibility. He knew he had to face reality and put the cards away carefully.
He solemnly promised—he would never misuse a single cent.
Even Ly Mai handed him her bank card.
Lam Pham tried to refuse. "You all gave me that high-end VR simulator already. That's expensive enough—I can handle the food." But Ly Mai insisted, and he had no choice but to accept.
Holding her bowl of rice, Phi Phi said, "Uncle, it's the apocalypse now—stuff might not even cost money."
She often played zombie games with her classmates. They always said, "If a zombie outbreak happens, we won't need to go to school or pay for anything. Just take whatever you see."
Even in dramas, it was like that.
"Phi Phi, you still have to pay for what you take. Everything on those shelves is put there with someone's hard-earned money. Even in the apocalypse, our country still exists, and so does our morality."
"Studying isn't about being better than others—it's about knowing what's right, understanding the law, and following it."
"The world may have changed, but we can still control our own actions."
Lam Pham said calmly. It wasn't nonsense—he really believed it made sense.
"Oh..." Phi Phi lowered her head and kept eating. It was delicious, really delicious. She hadn't had such a good meal in so long. And even though this uncle made some sense, she wasn't ready to agree completely.
Something about it still felt... off.
Seeing her mother glaring at her, she shrank down and said nothing more.
Better fill up tonight—tomorrow she'd have to carry her school bag and find Grandma Luong to study.
That night.
Lam Pham took everyone to their floor but didn't head home right away.
Instead, he wandered through the apartment complex.
He wasn't admiring the scenery.
It was because the four elders and Ly Mai's family were staying here. He was afraid there might still be tang thi lurking, so he went on patrol.
He had promised to ensure their safety—and he meant to keep that promise.
Even a 1 in 10,000 chance of danger would make him feel guilty if someone got hurt.
He walked around every corner.
After confirming everything was safe, he returned to the entrance and shut the iron gates. The old apartment building didn't have any electronic gates—just two big slabs of steel.
Unit 603.
"Old man, do you think this place is safe?" Tu Que Phan asked the sleeping Vuong Trung Quoc beside her.
He smiled. "It's safe. This is the safest place. We've been together so long, seen every storm and wave. What's left to be afraid of?"
"Xiao Pham's a good kid—but I suspect he might be a little... mentally off." Tu Que Phan was a military doctor, not a psychiatrist, but she could still sense something off.
Vuong Trung Quoc replied, "Stop guessing. What could be wrong? Even if something is wrong, it's a good kind of wrong. He's a good kid."
Tu Que Phan said no more.
Maybe that was true.
Right now, everything felt pretty good.
Unit 704.
Lam Pham stood on the balcony with a drink in hand, gazing out at the night.
There was no beautiful view—just darkness. The city that once echoed with explosions was now silent.
No lights, no traffic noise.
Only the occasional screech of a tang thi.
Huang city was big—maybe in other districts, survivors were still fighting tang thi. But they were too far away to be heard from here.
"I really wish it could be like before, when the city lights sparkled and the streets buzzed with people."
Leaning on the balcony, the night wind cold on his face—
He wanted to shout:
"Is anyone out there...?"
But with the four elders downstairs and Ly Mai's family above, and her kid having school tomorrow, he didn't want to disturb anyone.
He stared in silence.
In his mind, he could almost see a bustling, lively Huang city once more.
Huang City – Old Liberation District – Water Plant
Inside a sealed room.
A young man stood exhausted. Thin by nature, not due to starvation—just one of those people who never gains weight.
His name was Vuong Khai.
A veteran employee at the water plant, working there for seven years. Before the apocalypse, he had a bright future.
His salary reached over 8,000, and with bonuses, it was easy to break 10,000 at year's end. Thanks to hard work, he'd become a mid-tier manager.
An orphan, he was lucky to be adopted. School wasn't his strong suit, but he passed the exam and entered the plant—partly thanks to his adoptive father, a mid-level leader there.
Social connections helped, but that was normal.
When the apocalypse hit, zombies spread. He was terrified, hiding in the plant as coworkers turned into tang thi. Thankfully, the number of infected was low, and the plant was in the suburbs—fewer tang thi.
He killed several and survived.
At first, he considered fleeing, looking for a better chance at life. But in the end, he stayed—because, as dumb as it sounded even to himself...
He realized if no one guarded the plant, the city's water supply would stop.
Water is the source of all life. There must be many survivors hiding in their homes.
Without food, people can hold out longer. But without water, they won't last long.
So he became the plant's sole guardian. Familiar with all the machinery, he ensured the city still had water.
At one point, seeing zombie corpses floating in the tanks nearly made him faint. Could the contaminated water still be drunk? Would it turn people into tang thi?
Thankfully, the plant had a dog.
To test it, he tied the dog up and fed it some water.
When nothing happened, he sighed in relief.
Now—
He held the dog in his arms, peering through the tiny window into the pitch-black world.
He didn't know when this apocalypse would end.
Behind him... rows of dog food crates.
He silently thanked the kind people who had sent donations in the videos he used to watch.
Thank you for sending dog food.
Otherwise... he'd be dead for sure.
"Woof…" the dog whimpered softly.
Vuong Khai patted its head. "Let's eat."
He opened a pack, poured some out for the dog.
Then he grabbed one for himself—treating it like a bean snack—and popped it into his mouth.
It tasted fine.
But still...
I want to eat hotpot.