Night.
Manh Manh was sleeping soundly. The apocalypse was truly unfair to children — no matter how much they wanted to live, they couldn't move, couldn't protect themselves, and could only become food for the zombies.
Manh Manh was lucky. Lucky to have a great mother. Lucky to have persisted until Lam Pham passed by. And lucky that Lam Pham turned out to be a very kind person.
A table, a small desk lamp.
Adjusting the brightness of the lamp.
Seriously studying how to become a qualified real estate agent.
No matter what kind of job, one must put in the effort.
He had never done brokerage work before. How to start a conversation when meeting someone? How to introduce the property? These were not things he could casually say without understanding the situation.
After a while.
Manh Manh, still sound asleep, woke up crying from hunger. It was midnight. Holding Manh Manh in one arm while reaching for the formula with the other. He had never done nanny work before. Aside from being a bit flustered at first, he gradually adapted and even started to feel okay about it.
Tired? Of course he was tired, but his body did not allow him to collapse from exhaustion.
After coaxing Manh Manh back to sleep, he grabbed a bottle of water and stood on the balcony, letting the wind blow over him.
Looking at the night outside — pitch black, without a single glimmer of light, silent, as empty as a wasteland. Thankfully, there was a bright moon overhead, scattering bits of radiant light, bringing some warmth to the pitch-dark night.
"Hoang thi..."
At first, he had felt lonely, isolated, and uncomfortable.
But now, he was prepared. Starting from the Duong Quang residential complex, he believed that little by little, everything would return to its once vibrant state.
He was working hard, and so were the others in the community.
Morning.
Lam Pham got up early, went into the kitchen, washed rice and cooked porridge, then brushed his teeth and washed his face to look more energetic. He found a relatively nice casual outfit from his wardrobe.
Last night, he had washed his security uniform and hung it out to dry on the balcony.
The aroma of porridge filled the air.
He served himself a bowl and prepared a small portion for Manh Manh, letting it cool on the side.
Sitting at the dining table, he ate porridge and boiled eggs. After peeling the egg, he dipped the yolk in soy sauce — he loved mixing the yolk with soy sauce; the taste was simply the best.
This was the kind of life that should be possible even in the apocalypse.
After filling his stomach, he grabbed a spoon, prepared a bowl of porridge for Manh Manh, and tested the temperature with his lips — it was warm but not too hot.
Cradling Manh Manh in his arms, he patiently fed her spoonful by spoonful.
He wasn't in a hurry. He had patience.
"Such an adorable little baby."
After feeding her, he sent Manh Manh to Sister Ly's place.
...
Downstairs, by the exercise equipment.
"Good morning, elders," Lam Pham greeted with a smile. Everyone was neighbors, and he was a polite person. Saying hello was normal.
Old Man Vuong, stretching his legs, smiled and said, "Good morning! Dressed so sharply today, full of ambition. Going to hand out flyers for housing sales?"
"Yeah, I just spoke with the boss yesterday. Doing some part-time work. Not sure how it'll go," Lam Pham said modestly, still a little confident.
"I believe in you! You'll definitely succeed from the start," Old Man Vuong chuckled.
Boss?
Which boss?
Important? Maybe not so important.
"Oh right, how's your research on that stuff going? Made anything yet?" Old Man Vuong turned to Tran Hac.
Tran Hac smiled awkwardly. "I'm trying my best."
He truly was.
The apocalypse had devastated his life. His wife's tragic death left him deeply depressed and bitter, but at least his daughter Dinh Dinh was still with him.
In his youth, he had watched some apocalypse movies. He knew that without skills or talents, it would be hard to survive in the apocalypse relying only on others' help.
Old Man Vuong had told him: "We can live safely here in the complex all thanks to Tieu Pham. Don't think that just because you're saved, you can just lay flat. You must contribute and bring change to our community."
"See those iron doors and wooden panels? Lao Chu and I built them. Don't think we're useless just because we're old. We're still contributing."
He understood that.
So he worked hard, even though the books he was reading were very complex and difficult to understand. He studied anyway, no matter what.
Lam Pham waved to Tran Hac with a smile. Although they weren't very familiar, relationships among people from the same hometown were built over time. He still wanted Tran Hac's help fixing his computer.
Who could imagine how miserable life without a computer could be?
Tran Hac said to Lam Pham, "Lately, I've been studying internet technology. It's a bit complicated, but I think I can manage."
He wasn't close to Lam Pham yet.
But he wanted to show Lam Pham that he was useful — that he could bring value, not be considered trash to be kicked out along with his daughter.
He knew.
In the apocalypse, the most precious thing was resources.
At least in Tran Hac's heart, he already saw Duong Quang complex as the only safe haven left.
"It's okay, just take your time. High-tech stuff always takes time to study."
After saying that, Lam Pham waved goodbye and left the complex to start handing out flyers.
Even if it was a part-time job, he had to try hard.
He wanted to earn money. When he lived alone before, he had struggled to work hard and make money because having no money brought many troubles — like being unable to pay property management fees.
It was so embarrassing it made his toes curl.
He had hands and feet; how could he allow himself to fall into that situation again?
Tan Phong Agency.
Entering the office, he found it empty. He grabbed some flyers and started looking for potential customers.
Even though there were many zombies on the roads, he couldn't just catch a zombie and ask if they wanted to rent a place. That would never work, not for him nor for the agency.
Walking along the quiet streets.
He looked around stealthily — not to guard against zombies but to check for other survivors.
In the apocalypse, danger still existed everywhere. Wandering zombies were plenty. Just because he encountered few didn't mean they were few — maybe they had been drawn away by other noises.
This area wasn't the city center, so the population density wasn't that bad.
Crossing the street.
He arrived at the entrance of a cake shop, looked at the shuttered door, stepped back a few steps, and glanced up at the second floor. Curtains blocked the windows, making it impossible to see inside.
He thought about knocking.
But considering the survivor inside seemed mentally unstable, sudden knocking might not be a good idea. So he stood quietly outside, staring up at the second floor.
First, observe the situation. If things looked good, he might be able to make contact.
If successful, he could earn a decent commission.
Thinking about that, he chuckled and kept his eyes fixed on the second floor.
Inside, on the second floor, a carpet covered the floor.
To Tieu Hieu woke up from a nightmare, rubbing her eyes.
She felt like her nerves were close to collapsing. The long-term tension of surviving the apocalypse had completely worn her down. She didn't even know what it meant to still be alive.
Without hope, despair came easily.
And thoughts of death even easier.
She got up, walked to the window, and lifted a corner of the curtain. She wanted to see the sun, to see the bright morning light, to let the sunlight warm her frozen heart.
"Apocalypse... give me, To Tieu Hieu, a little hope..."
Lifting a corner of the curtain.
Looking outside.
Immediately.
Her pupils shrank suddenly, and panic filled her eyes.
"This is a dream — I'm still dreaming. This nightmare hasn't ended yet."