The wilderness.
A carriage stopped by the roadside.
Quy Thu Nguyet stood before the carriage, surveying the desolate surroundings, sandstorms sweeping through.
Lonely and solitary.
She had developed grave doubts about her own condition. To this day, she had not been infected with the zombie virus, and she was still alive, not even knowing what kind of impact the lucky cells had truly had on her body.
From what she knew.
The lucky cells would devour the normal cells in her body.
Thus, without the zombie virus infection, she would eventually die. But now, she was safe and sound, though her body had undergone changes.
She lifted the clothes over her abdomen. Blue veins emerged on the surface of her skin, crisscrossing like a spiderweb.
She knew she was different from humans now.
The lucky cells were transforming her body, pushing her towards becoming a monster. She had no regrets, only hoping that her future existence could bring useful value to humanity's fight against the zombies in this apocalypse.
At this moment.
On the desolate road, a modified vehicle drove over, slowly stopping beside Quy Thu Nguyet's carriage.
A yellow-haired man (Hoang Mao) saw Quy Thu Nguyet, his eyes lighting up. "Hey beautiful, all alone? It's dangerous out here, you know. How about coming with us big brothers? We big brothers treat girls really well. At our place, there's food, drink, anything you could want."
Hoang Mao glanced around, confirming there were no zombies, and boldly walked over. The people in his car also opened their doors and got out. Seeing such a fine girl in the apocalypse, their eyes all lit up, and ideas began to form.
Ever since the apocalypse erupted, it was still somewhat tolerable in the early stages.
But now, don't even mention it, it was simply unbearable to look at.
Either they were as thin as firewood, or they hadn't bathed for ten days to half a month, stinking all over like beggars, a sight that killed any desire.
The girl before them now, although her clothes had bloodstains, was overall quite good.
"No need." Quy Thu Nguyet calmly glanced at them.
Hoang Mao approached with a smile. When he got close to Quy Thu Nguyet, he pulled out a dagger from his waist, waving it in front of her, and said with a sinister chuckle.
"Little sister, it's not that you don't need it, it's that we want it. If you don't want to get hurt, you'd better come with us obediently."
The other men who got out of the car also chuckled sinisterly.
If it were the Quy Thu Nguyet of the past encountering such a situation, she would definitely be nervous, scared, and even scold them for their behavior. But now, she already felt she was no longer human, but a monster affected by the lucky cells.
The survivors before her had a fierce glint in their eyes.
She knew this group had adapted to life in the apocalypse.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
Quy Thu Nguyet walked towards their vehicle. In her vision, the internal organs of their bodies were clearly visible. This situation had made her gradually accept it, from her initial panic to now.
She could face it calmly.
"Hehe, smart girl, less suffering for you. Don't worry, us big brothers really like to dote on people. We guarantee you'll feel like you're in heaven." Hoang Mao rubbed his hands, a little impatient.
Of course, he still wanted to take the girl back, let her have a good bath, and make her smell fragrant.
Even in the apocalypse, this sense of ritual could not be skipped.
Duong Quang Residential Area.
"So fast?"
Co Hang looked at Lam Pham, dumbfounded.
How long had he been out?
They had just returned to the residential area one step ahead, and Lam Pham returned right after.
This round trip was only a difference of a dozen minutes or so.
Lam Pham said: "The distance is very close, not very far, so I arrived quickly."
Co Hang: ...?
Alright then.
If he still couldn't understand after being with Lam Pham until now, then there was definitely something wrong with his head.
"How is Huong Son base?"
"Very good, but its geographical location isn't too great, too exposed. If targeted by a zombie horde, they can only engage head-on. Fortunately, they have city walls to protect them, which can block the vast majority of zombies."
Hearing Lam Pham talk about this, Co Hang thought how good it would be if Hoang City had surrounding walls. It was just a pity that Hoang City once had city walls, but for the sake of development, the ancient remnants of the city walls had to be demolished.
Co Hang sighed, "The people at Huong Son base are lucky to have met you."
Lam Pham smiled and said: "There's no such thing as lucky or unlucky. In this kind of apocalypse, being able to unite and fight against zombies is what I want to see. They have several thousand survivors there. If they were breached by zombies, it would be a real pity."
Co Hang nodded. Indeed, if several thousand people were bitten and turned into zombies, then this world would have several thousand more zombies. For the living, this would also be an unimaginable pressure.
He thought of the crystals within the zombie horde.
With his understanding of Lam Pham, he definitely left the crystals there; it was a no-brainer.
In his eyes, Lam Pham possessed strength that no one could match, yet he was extremely gentle and friendly to everyone, and could understand their needs. Moreover, he would never use his own strength to do whatever he wanted or bully others.
"Brother Hang, I'm heading out first."
Lam Pham was very busy, but he never tired of this; hacking zombies was his favorite thing to do.
He wasn't a pervert, not someone who got excited seeing zombies chopped in half and blood splattering everywhere. Instead, he thought of the zombie horde in Hoang City and the joy of one less zombie among them.
This was a kind of realm.
Just as he was preparing to leave the residential area.
"Uncle Lam!"
Phi Phi's voice came from afar.
Turning his head, he saw Phi Phi running over with a flustered expression.
"Phi Phi, what's wrong?"
He had never seen Phi Phi look so flustered.
Something must have happened.
Phi Phi grabbed Lam Pham's arm, pulling him along as she spoke, "Uncle, something's happened! Little sister Wen Wen suddenly started floating, you have to come see!"
Floating up?
Without thinking, he took Phi Phi and ran towards the classroom building.
At the classroom door, many people were gathered. The art teacher, Lo Oanh, stood there, not knowing what to do. The current situation left her clueless, and she hadn't even imagined that something she wouldn't believe unless she saw it with her own eyes would happen.
When Lo Oanh saw Lam Pham, it was like seeing her pillar of support. She hurriedly said: "Brother Lam, quickly look at Wen Wen! I was just about to start class when Wen Wen suddenly screamed, as if in great pain, and then she started floating."
Lam Pham signaled Lo Oanh to calm down.
Then, he entered the classroom.
He saw Wen Wen floating, and the surrounding desks were also floating.
"Is this an awakening of abilities?"
He knew Wen Wen was an Awakened, but she had never been able to actively control her own abilities. Occasional losses of control also happened at night while she was asleep, unconsciously unleashing her psionic power.
He noticed that Wen Wen's eyes were open, her pupils glowing golden.
A very magical scene.
"Wen Wen!"
When Dai Hung found out, he dropped what he was doing and rushed over. To him, his daughter was his last spiritual pillar. If something happened to Wen Wen, he really didn't know how he would survive.
Lam Pham stopped him, "I'll handle this, don't come in."
Dai Hung stood anxiously at the door, clenching his fists, nervous and scared. He chose to trust Lam Pham and waited at the door, watching. He might not trust anyone else, but he would absolutely choose to trust Lam Pham.
Lam Pham approached Wen Wen, feeling a wave of psionic power, as if countless invisible threads were connected to the surrounding desks, causing them to float in mid-air.
He also felt a resistance against his body, but this resistance was extremely small to him, almost negligible.
"Wen Wen, don't be afraid, this is a very normal situation."
Lam Pham came up to Wen Wen, reached out his hand, ignoring the psionic resistance, and gently carried Wen Wen down from mid-air. As he made contact, Wen Wen's golden pupils instantly returned to their original appearance.
The desks floating in mid-air clattered to the ground.
Perhaps due to the overdraft of psionic power, Wen Wen fainted.
Lam Pham walked to the door, handed Wen Wen to Dai Hung, comforted him, told him there was no danger, and then looked at Lo Oanh.
"Teacher Lo, can you tell me specifically about Wen Wen's situation at that time?"
He asked softly.
Lo Oanh saw that the matter had ended, recalled the situation at that time, organized her words, and then recounted what had just happened to Lam Pham in detail.
Lam Pham listened very carefully.
He was quite concerned about Wen Wen's matter. He always believed that the ability Wen Wen displayed was psionic power, also known as a Psionic Awakened. Psionic power was very strong; in conceptual systems, the terror of psionic power was that one could, with a single thought, travel from the ground to the end of the universe. This was the capability of psionic power.
Of course, he was thinking a bit too extravagantly.
How could it be that perverted?
Because of what happened to Wen Wen, Lam Pham did not leave Duong Quang Residential Area to clear zombies on the streets, but stayed by Wen Wen's side.
In the room.
Wen Wen lay on the bed, breathing softly.
Lam Pham moved a chair and sat by the bed, waiting.
Lam Pham saw that Dai Hung was still extremely anxious, pacing back and forth in the room, so he smiled and said: "It's alright, Wen Wen just overused her psionic power. She'll be fine after some sleep. Also, don't think otherwise, Wen Wen is very special, like a little treasure given to us by Heaven."
Hearing these words.
Dai Hung relaxed a lot. It was still the same sentiment: he believed what Lam Pham said.
"Good, as long as she's okay, that's good. I'll stay with her."
Lam Pham waved his hand, "It's fine, I'll accompany her. When she wakes up, I have some things I want to say to Wen Wen. After all, she's a child. When things happen to them, adults can accept it, but for children, if they are not counseled in time, it's very easy for them to think they are monsters."
When he had nothing to do before, he liked to watch all sorts of movies.
There were many similar plotlines.
Dai Hung looked at Lam Pham with gratitude. He was truly very grateful. Ever since coming to Duong Quang Residential Area, Lam Pham had taken great care of them.
Lam Pham looked gently at the sleeping Wen Wen.
He was very interested in Wen Wen's awakened ability, but more than that, he hoped Wen Wen could grow up happily and not have to fight zombies just because she had abilities.
They, the adults, weren't all dead yet.
Only when they were all dead would it be the children's turn.
The Prison.
"Brother Ha, good morning."
"Brother Ha, morning."
A group of survivors greeted Ha Minh Hien. This kind of treatment was unheard of before, but ever since he convinced this group of survivors with his personal charm, he had gained a measure of respect.
They all knew about Ha Minh Hien's relationship with Ton Nang.
In the past, they all cursed Ha Minh Hien in secret, calling him a shameless, disgusting man who was willing to be with Ton Nang to gain benefits.
But now…
They no longer had such thoughts.
They unanimously believed that Ton Nang had forcibly oppressed Ha Minh Hien, and Brother Ha had agreed in order to protect them. After all, only with the right to speak and power could he better take care of them.
As for the truth, it was no longer important.
They had the best relationship with Ha Minh Hien, so they chose to believe the truth they themselves imagined.
Ha Minh Hien also greeted everyone.
He could feel the respect everyone had for him.
He had never thought he could be so popular. Thinking about it now, it felt really good. After the baptism of the apocalypse, Ha Minh Hien's lowly temperament gradually dissipated, replaced by a kind of stability and calmness.
Plus, recently being trained rather harshly by Phung Kiet, he had lost a lot of weight.
Of course, to outsiders, this physique still appeared fat, but to Ha Minh Hien, he was already very satisfied.
"Brother Minh Hien, my sister is looking for you."
Mieu Dich ran over.
"Oh."
Ha Minh Hien acted very normally. He couldn't appear overjoyed just because he heard Mieu Yen was looking for him.
Ton Nang was truly petty.
And moody. Being with him, even Ha Minh Hien felt terrifyingly shivery.
Led by Mieu Dich.
He met Mieu Yen, and there were other survivors around. They looked at Ha Minh Hien without any contempt, but with that kind of respect.
Mieu Yen said: "Ton Nang said that this time, the search for supplies will be done by them."
Ha Minh Hien looked at the group Mieu Yen pointed to, and couldn't help but widen his eyes. They were all old men and old women over sixty.
"Is he serious?"
Anyone seeing this for the first time would have one thought: Ton Nang wanted these old folks to go to their deaths. Sending them out to find supplies, they would basically have no way to survive if they encountered zombies.
An old man walked up to Ha Minh Hien and knelt down, saying: "Brother Ha, it's okay for me to go, but can you please not let my old wife go?"
Ha Minh Hien helped the man up.
He had already guessed Ton Nang's intentions. It must be that he didn't want to support useless people in the prison, so he wanted to find an excuse to send these old folks to die.
"Can't we change the people?"
Mieu Yen shook her head, "No, he specifically instructed it, that's why I came to find you, to tell you about this."
The other survivors around watched the current situation with wide eyes. Regarding this matter, they indeed had a lot to say, but in their hearts, Ton Nang was truly a terrifying existence.
The only one who could talk to Ton Nang.
Was Ha Minh Hien.
If it were the Ha Minh Hien of the past, he would have long waved his hand and declared it had nothing to do with him, that it was their problem, not his. But now, his mentality had unknowingly undergone an earth-shattering change.
"I'll go talk to him." Ha Minh Hien finished speaking.
The survivors watched Ha Minh Hien's departing figure. For some reason, that seemingly slightly decadent back figure actually appeared so tall and imposing.
"Mieu Yen, thank you." The old man said with utmost gratitude. In the current situation, it was truly very difficult for someone to be willing to speak up for these old, weak, sick, and disabled people.
Mieu Yen shook her head, "Don't thank me, thank him. Perhaps for a short sentence, he will have to pay a very, very heavy price."
In the office.
Ton Nang leisurely sat on the sofa chair, looking at Ha Minh Hien who stood there, not daring to breathe loudly.
No words were spoken.
The quiet atmosphere made Ha Minh Hien feel an indescribable nervousness.
It felt as if a pressure was ruthlessly pressing down on him.
"Ha Minh Hien, I find you're very arrogant now. Do you already see yourself as a savior?" Ton Nang slowly spoke.
Looking at Ton Nang's seemingly calm, yet somewhat playful eyes, Ha Minh Hien nervously swallowed and said with his eyes closed.
"I'm not. I've never seen myself as a savior. It's just that if you let them go out, you're sending them to their deaths. They are all of this age, living here, they don't consume many supplies each day. I am willing to lead people to find supplies for them."
Ha Minh Hien could only do this.
He really wanted to slam the table angrily, glare at Ton Nang, point at him, and declare, "I'm going to protect them, if you dare spout any more nonsense, I'll deal with you."
It was just a pity that these were all his thoughts. The real situation was that he could only stand there obediently and fearfully, waiting for Ton Nang's next words.
"Haha."
Ton Nang laughed. His laughter was a bit gloomy, making Ha Minh Hien feel like a storm was brewing.
Suddenly.
Ton Nang took out a pistol from the drawer and aimed it at Ha Minh Hien.
"Since when did you dare to talk to me like this? Have I given you too much freedom?"
Seeing the current situation, Ha Minh Hien was very nervous. Although he had such a relationship with Ton Nang, in his view, Ton Nang's mentality was extremely strange. Perhaps one second he was laughing and joking, and the next second he would become very irritable.
"I..."
Bang!
Just as Ha Minh Hien was about to speak, he heard a gunshot. Reflexively, he was so scared he almost jumped up. Looking down, he saw smoke rising from the ground beneath his feet, a bullet embedded in the floor.
Ton Nang stood up, picked up the dagger on the table, and slowly walked in front of Ha Minh Hien, gently waving the gleaming dagger, its sharp blade pressed against his face.
"Do you think that just because I like you, you dare to provoke my authority?"
Ton Nang walked behind Ha Minh Hien, put his arm around his neck, and whispered in his ear. The warm breath made Ha Minh Hien feel extremely itchy, but the gloomy tone sent shivers down his spine.
"I..."
Ha Minh Hien wanted to say no.
But, he didn't know why, when facing Ton Nang, he was very nervous, extremely scared, like some kind of bloodline suppression.
He had also thought about resisting. This thought always lingered in his mind, but whenever he saw Ton Nang, this thought vanished completely. Perhaps Ton Nang was like a demon, having become a shadow in his heart.
Just then.
The dagger in Ton Nang's hand gently cut Ha Minh Hien's cheek. Crimson blood flowed down. Feeling the warmth of the blood and the pain, Ha Minh Hien couldn't help but tremble.
"Remember, this is the last time. Otherwise, next time it won't just be your face that's cut."
"Get out."
Hearing this icy voice.
Ha Minh Hien left in a fluster. Only when he turned his back did he also let out a heavy sigh of relief. Although the process was terrifying, it was good that he got the desired result.
It's just that his face really hurt.
Ton Nang watched Ha Minh Hien's departing figure, then looked at the empty office, his thoughts wandering.
Mieu Yen's side.
When Ha Minh Hien returned, he found that everyone's expressions were a bit off.
"What's wrong with you all? I've already spoken to him, and he agreed. You don't need to go out to find supplies."
Everyone looked at Ha Minh Hien, whose forehead still had sweat on it.
They had all heard the gunshot just now.
All of them were terrified.
They didn't know what had happened, but they knew that Ha Minh Hien must have suffered unimaginable humiliation for their sake.
"Brother Ha, are you alright?" A survivor asked with concern.
Ha Minh Hien smiled and said: "I'm fine, what could happen? Everything went smoothly. You can all rest assured. Although I don't have great abilities, I can still solve these matters."
Everyone saw Ha Minh Hien's relaxed face, and then saw the wound on his face.
They could imagine what had just happened.
It was just that Ha Minh Hien didn't say it.
He just didn't want them to worry.
Some survivors clenched their fists tightly, their hatred for Ton Nang increasing in their hearts. They now truly respected Ha Minh Hien, who was always running around for their affairs. Thinking about what Ton Nang had done to Brother Ha in the past.
Which incident wasn't an extreme humiliation?
Trampling Brother Ha's dignity ruthlessly underfoot.
"Brother Ha, we know." A survivor walked up to him and took Ha Minh Hien's hand.
"What do you know?" Ha Minh Hien was stunned, blinked, a little dazed.
"Don't say it, we all know."
"?"
Ha Minh Hien looked on, dumbfounded.
He really didn't know what to say to this group of people.
He always felt muddle-headed.
Forget it, it's better not to think about it.
Anyway, the way this group of people looked at him always seemed like they were worshipping him.