Tran Hac looked very sincere, listening to the old man in front of him speak.
He listened carefully.
Something felt off.
Security guards?Getting paid?Needing money to buy things?
This...
Tran Hac's mind was a mess, a bit overwhelmed.
"Old sir, isn't there something wrong with this?" Tran Hac asked.
"Problem? What problem could there be? Buying things with money is perfectly normal. The apocalypse may have come, but in our Duong Quang Residence, this is how we do things. You might feel it's pointless now, but if you think carefully, you'll realize that this behavior is actually a form of maintaining order. And with order, we have a future," the old man Vuong said passionately.
Grandma Tu stared at her husband in surprise.
Old man Chu also exchanged glances with his wife and nodded knowingly, as if saying, "Old Vuong's way of thinking has changed quickly. We shouldn't say anything bad, just nod along."
Tran Hac thought for a long while and eventually nodded silently, accepting the old man's reasoning.
"Do you have any money?" Old Vuong asked.
"Uh..." Tran Hac was flustered. Honestly, if it weren't for these kind-hearted people saving him, he would have suspected that he had somehow ended up in a mental hospital. He had heard that some psychiatric hospitals had excellent welfare programs where they simulated normal life to help patients better integrate into society.
"Old sir, after the apocalypse, forget money, I don't even have a phone anymore," he answered truthfully.
Old Vuong pulled out a red banknote, "Here, take this."
Tran Hac: ???
Old Vuong said, "Little Pham ran this errand for you for a hundred bucks. Later, if you don't pay him, he might hold a bit of a grudge against you."
Tran Hac: ...
Honestly, when he was rushing to save his daughter, he didn't think about anything else. He just wanted to get her out, even if it meant dying together. But now, listening to these survivors talking about money and order, his mind was spinning, leaving him completely baffled.
Somehow, he accepted the hundred bucks... and even sincerely thanked the old man.
"Since you don't have any money right now, you can't rent a room here at the residence. But that's okay. You seem skilled with internet installations. Little Pham mentioned recently that the computer lost connection, and he couldn't even watch movies. It gets really boring. Now that you're here, that problem should be solved!" Old Vuong said with a smile.
"Old sir, internet outages aren't that simple to fix. I'm just a broadband installer. I..." Tran Hac started explaining but was immediately cut off.
"Young man, don't look down on yourself. You're an expert in this field! Just give it a try," Old Vuong encouraged.
Tran Hac looked around and saw everyone nodding very seriously.
Little Phỉ Phỉ added, "Uncle, I believe in you! You can definitely fix the internet. If you don't know how, just read some books and learn. Learning is easy!"
She really wanted the internet back so she could watch Ba La Ba La Little Magic Fairy.
Tran Hac: ...
...
"That way, facing the sun, that's the bell tower."
Lam Pham looked at the building in the distance and knew he had reached his destination. He continued searching for the Tan Phong Motel. Around him, there were faint roars — a few zombies shambling by the roadside.
"They can't see me?"
He glanced at the zombies but didn't bother with them. He didn't want to greet them either and continued on his way.
Soon, he found the Tan Phong Motel.
Several zombies near the entrance "greeted" him — not in a friendly way, of course. He casually cut them down with his sword in self-defense.
The main entrance of the motel was locked. He spotted an open window on the second floor and jumped up. The second floor was unfinished and still under construction.
He went up to the third floor.
He found a door tightly closed.
He knocked softly.
"Dinh Dinh, are you there?" Lam Pham called out.
Silence.
Still silence.
But if he listened carefully, he could hear faint breathing from inside.
"Dinh Dinh, your father paid a hundred bucks to send me here to get you. Please open the door; Uncle is not a bad guy," Lam Pham said, recalling scenes from TV dramas — he had to show he wasn't a threat since kids these days were very smart.
Still no response.
Lam Pham didn't force the door. He thought again, then remembered another trick: good guys sing songs.
"Dinh Dinh, Uncle will sing you a song — it's a song only good people sing," he said warmly and began singing.
"Every night, I remember mother's words,The shimmering dewdrops bloom into ice flowers,The stars in the sky say nothing,And the little baby on the ground..."
Click.
The door opened slightly.
A dusty little face peeked out.
Lam Pham smiled warmly.
It worked!
The song really did show he was a good person — the little girl opened the door.
"Did my dad really send you?" Dinh Dinh asked timidly.
"Of course! Let's go!" Lam Pham smiled, gently holding her hand, and they left the motel together.
...
By the roadside, inside a bakery.
Tô Tiểu Hiểu was terrified when she saw that figure again.
And he was even holding a small girl who looked about 8 or 9 years old!
She peeked cautiously.
When she realized he noticed her, he even waved... and smiled mischievously.
"Ooohhh..."
Tô Tiểu Hiểu crouched in a corner, covering her mouth, shivering in fear. She was convinced he was a bad guy, and now he had captured a little girl. She imagined all sorts of terrible fates awaiting the child, making her tremble even more.
Damn it! This beast! This scum!The apocalypse had truly become a playground for monsters like him.
She desperately wished she were like the strong female protagonists from zombie apocalypse novels — strong enough to rescue the little girl.
Outside.
Lam Pham felt that the survivor hiding in the bakery was a little weird. She really seemed traumatized — maybe even mentally unstable?
Whatever.
Better not to get involved.
Mentally unstable survivors were scary and unpredictable.
...
Back at Duong Quang Residence.
"Ooooh, Dinh Dinh..."
"Daddy!"
Tran Hac and his daughter reunited, creating a touching scene.
Lam Pham smiled and waited quietly.
Old man Vuong gave a thumbs up, clearly impressed. After letting them have a moment, he cleared his throat.
"Little Pham is really efficient at running errands, huh? Tiểu Trần, remember to pay the fee quickly!"
Tran Hac rushed over, grasped Lam Pham's hands, and repeatedly thanked him. Then, overwhelmed with gratitude, he knelt down and kowtowed, handing over the hundred bucks.
Lam Pham happily put away the money — easy money!Though singing that song was a bit embarrassing, it was worth it.
With Tran Hac and his daughter joining, the residence gained two more members.
Lý Mai even offered to let Tran Hac and his daughter stay together with her and her daughter.
...
In front of the computer.
Tran Hac stared blankly at the little red "×" over the network icon.
Lam Pham eagerly stood behind him.
"So... can you fix it?" Lam Pham asked.
Tran Hac looked a bit nervous, "The network might have bigger issues. We probably need to check the base station and server rooms. I don't think we can fix it quickly."
Lam Pham was a little disappointed, "Really? Well, whenever you have time, we'll go check it out. This broken network is really frustrating. I even paid for a full year of internet access."
Tran Hac looked at him with innocent, helpless eyes, "Maybe... give it a little time?"
"Alright, no problem," Lam Pham said. He knew these things couldn't be rushed.As long as there was a plan, everything would be fine.
Nighttime.
After coaxing Manh Manh to sleep,he casually glanced at the interface.
When boredom struck again,he opened it up to take a look.
[Name]: Lam Pham.[Strength]: 205 (Superhuman)[Stamina]: 130 (Superhuman)[Speed]: 126 (Superhuman)[Points]: 0
"I killed that many zombies?" Lam Pham muttered to himself.One point equaled one zombie, and he had earned several hundred points—especially today, when he had slain the most.
"Sigh, it's really not very friendly."
After adding the points, he didn't feel sleepy at all.He tried clenching his fists—feeling the surge of strength within—just one punch now could probably kill ten bulls.
Walking onto the balcony,he gazed out into the distance.The night was truly dark.
Boom!
Thanks to his enhanced eyesight, he saw something very far away—an explosion suddenly erupted, and a fireball shot up into the sky.
Immediately after—
the roar of zombies echoed across Hoang City,spreading through the quiet night.
"Hoang City seems to be getting worse and worse."
A hint of sorrow welled up within him.
Once a beautiful city,how did it become like this?
"Bit by bit, I'll rebuild it. Tomorrow morning, at Thien Ha Lou, I'll clear out the corpses.I want to make Duong Quang Residence sparkling clean,and bring brightness and prosperity back to this street."
"I believe..."
"I can do it."
He clenched his fist toward the night sky, his entire body brimming with passion.
He knew his personal strength was limited.
"Weak as I am, in this apocalyptic world, I'm barely noticeable.I can only handle a few of these unfriendly zombies."
Tonight—
some lucky survivors were still struggling for their lives,some had already fallen and become food for the zombies,and some betrayed their comrades,just to cling to a little more life.
As the darkness descended,and as the apocalypse dragged on,the world would only grow even more terrifying,even darker.
Deep within Hoang City—
inside Unit 704 of Duong Quang Residence—a faint light continued to shine.
It seemed to whisper to the surviving souls—
Persevere, believe in yourself.There is still a faint light illuminating the darkness of Hoang City.