Desert, Base.
"Professor, the material inside this crystal isn't any substance we know of."
A researcher reported the situation. Ever since they obtained the crystal, they had been studying it nonstop, hoping to uncover the secret of the zombies. Their greatest ambition was to develop a gas deadly to zombies but harmless to humans, using it to wipe them out.
"How stable is the energy?" the professor asked.
"Extremely stable. The crystal's exterior structure is like an umbrella made of glass, but strangely, it resembles human skin—only much tougher," the researcher explained.
The professor fell into deep thought. For the base to have survived, its equipment had to be top-tier. But even with the best devices, they still hadn't figured out the true purpose of the crystals found in zombies' brains.
A young researcher once mentioned a theory drawn from novels: absorbing the energy within these crystals could grant supernatural powers.
The professor had contacted both the Dragon Palace Base and the Galaxy Base about it.
After discovering the existence of the crystals, those bases also hunted zombies. However, they found that ordinary zombies didn't have any crystals.
They concluded that only special zombies might possess crystals.
This pointed to a disturbing possibility—zombies could evolve. For the remaining humans, this was very bad news. If they couldn't find a way to counter it, humanity might truly...
He didn't dare imagine the consequences.
Sunshine Apartment Complex.
Lâm Phàm handed a stack of books to Old Man Vuong, then gave Manh Manh her toys before returning to his duties.
Room 804.
"Sir, what's this?" Tran Hac asked, puzzled as he looked at the books the old man had brought.
"I asked Tiểu Phàm to find you some books, all related to the internet," Old Man Vuong chuckled. "I don't understand these books, but you're the expert here. When you have time, study them carefully. Maybe you'll come up with some ideas. Tiểu Phàm's internet is still waiting for you to fix it."
He simply liked bringing warmth to people.
In this world, there was no such thing as something you couldn't learn.
As long as you were willing, you could understand anything.
Tran Hac looked at the books, then at Old Man Vuong, his eyes revealing a vast, helpless bewilderment.
"Thank you, sir," he said, accepting the old man's kindness.
Alright, studying it is.
When Phi Phi returned from her classes and saw Tran Hac holding two thick books, her eyes sparkled brightly.
She had gotten used to studying even during the apocalypse. Now seeing her uncle learning too, her tiny heart was filled with immense satisfaction.
But it wasn't enough.
"Good afternoon, Grandpa Vuong," Phi Phi greeted sweetly.
"Good, good, such a good girl," the old man laughed warmly. Though he couldn't leave the complex, occasional chats with young people kept his spirits high.
Then, Phi Phi turned toward Tran Hac and suggested, "Uncle, Dinh Dinh is already eight years old—she should be in second grade. Grandma Lương's teaching is pretty good. Why not let Dinh Dinh study with me?"
Dinh Dinh, who was still traumatized by the apocalypse, looked up in a daze when she heard this, staring blankly at her sister figure.
If she were a little older, she would surely have thought: Wow... this girl has some serious scheming skills.
Tran Hac looked at Phi Phi, at Old Man Vuong, at the books in his hands, and then at his stunned daughter.
If this is a dream, please let me wake up soon.
He didn't know why, but he always felt there was something strange about the people living here.
Not that they were bad.
Just... really odd.
Hoang City, rooftop of an apartment building.
"I got it! I got it!"
A crazed young man held a zombie crystal tightly, grinning maniacally with excitement all over his face.
His name was Khuong Hao.
A long-time fan of apocalyptic novels, he had been surviving clumsily just like everyone else. But being younger, he remembered the stories describing crystals inside zombies' heads.
Although zombies were strong and fast, they were mindless. He managed to kill one using a trick but found nothing inside its head.
Later, he spotted a particularly odd zombie. He believed that this one must have a crystal.
Originally, there were seven other survivors with him—eight people in total. However, to confirm his theory, Khuong Hao had lured the others to their deaths.
Finally, he retrieved a crystal from the zombie's brain.
"If I absorb this crystal, I'll become stronger. Then I can keep killing zombies, keep leveling up, and eventually rule this apocalyptic world! Nothing will be out of my reach!"
His mind swirled with visions of his glorious future.
Just like the novels: beautiful women in both arms, standing atop the world—just imagining it made him tremble with excitement.
He looked at the crystal, cleaning it thoroughly to remove any trace of zombie blood. He was terrified of turning into a zombie himself if he wasn't careful.
In the end, seeing no better option, he swallowed the crystal whole.
Khuong Hao stood tall, spreading his arms wide as if embracing the entire world.
"Come on! I'm ready! Let this power transform me! Let me become the king of the apocalypse! I'll become the man who changes women every day of the year!"
"Hahaha..."
After a moment.
"Hmm?"
He touched his body, feeling no change, confused and disappointed.
"Why is nothing happening? Is the crystal useless?"
Suddenly.
A sharp pain exploded in his abdomen.
"Ah, it's coming, it's coming!"
Clutching his stomach, he collapsed, rolling on the ground. Despite the agony, his eyes still gleamed with madness and anticipation.
He was dreaming of his powerful future.
But—
Splurt!
Unable to hold back, he vomited a mouthful of blood.
He coughed violently, every cough spraying more blood.
Huff, huff, huff...
The ground was quickly stained red.
Fear crept into Khuong Hao's expression.
This wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Splurt!
Another mouthful of blood gushed out—this time with chunks of flesh, as if some internal organ had rotted and ruptured.
"No... impossible...!"
He felt weaker and weaker. His vision blurred as blood poured from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.
Eventually.
All movements ceased. Even after death, blood kept flowing from his body.
Thus ended the dream of a young man who had schemed, betrayed, and killed for a crystal—only to die in desperate, bitter disappointment.
Sunshine Apartment Complex.
"Mmm, smells so good,"
Lâm Phàm twitched his nose, catching a whiff of the delicious aroma. Turns out it was Sister Lý cooking at her place again—her cooking skills were top-notch.
Checking the time.
It was already 10:30 AM.
"Almost time to head home and cook."
Life in the apocalypse couldn't compare to the past.
But even so—
He was determined to live as well as he could.
Returning home, he opened the fridge and saw that food supplies were running low. He thought to himself: Better go out and restock this afternoon.