A lewd smile and greedy eyes—it was no different from the twisted perverts she had seen in her nightmares.
"I'm still half-asleep here."
To Tieu Hieu stayed lying on her mat, eyes closed, pretending she hadn't woken up. Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide, her breathing heavy, her face showing unprecedented tension.
She got up cautiously and lifted a corner of the curtain, her palms slick with sweat, suppressing the fear rising in her chest as she peered outside.
There was no sign of anyone. No freaks.
As expected.
To Tieu Hieu mocked herself with a wry smile. There was no way there would actually be any perverts lurking outside. It was just her mind playing tricks on her under all the stress.
"My mind really isn't doing well at all."
Just as she released the curtain and let it fall—
A smiling face appeared on the other side of the glass.
The smile, bathed in the soft morning sunlight, should have been a heartwarming scene. But in To Tieu Hieu's eyes, it was pure terror.
"Ahhh!"
To Tieu Hieu let out a blood-curdling scream, overwhelmed by horror. She clutched her head and yanked at her hair, the curtain falling to cover the window once more.
Bang! Bang!
There were crashing sounds inside her room as if things were being thrown around.
"I didn't even say anything yet!"
Lam Pham stood outside with his mouth agape, his face full of awkward helplessness.
"Was my attitude not friendly enough? Was my smile not warm enough?"
After thinking it over, he realized running a business wasn't as simple as he had imagined. He placed a promotional flyer on the windowsill, weighed it down with a small stone, and quietly left.
Sometimes, giving people time was the best way to let fear fade. Once the fear subsided, communication would become much easier.
After a long while—
To Tieu Hieu, still shaken, covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound. She strained her ears, listening for any movement outside. Silence.
"Has he left?"
To Tieu Hieu, her spirit worn thin by the apocalypse, distrusted everyone. She felt that the absence of noise might just be a trick. She carefully lifted a corner of the curtain again.
The creepy face was gone.
She finally let out a sigh of relief.
Oh?
She noticed a flyer on the windowsill, held down by a small stone.
After making sure there was no one around, she quickly opened the window, grabbed the flyer, and glanced at it.
"Your comfort, our peace of mind. Our company provides you with warm, safe housing."
"What the heck is this?"
To Tieu Hieu stared at the flyer in confusion. In this post-apocalyptic world, why would someone deliver something like this? What was he thinking?
On the road—
Lam Pham wandered about, looking for new clients. He considered the survivor at the cake shop as a potential customer. Though there had clearly been a misunderstanding, he was confident it would be resolved soon.
Once the misunderstanding cleared, he could have a proper conversation with her. Human relationships are built through communication, after all.
Meanwhile, at a shop on the second floor of a building:
"Triệu Tường, someone's watching me. Come and take a look," said Vuong Bang, his face haggard with fear as he urgently called out to his companion sleeping on the floor.
They had been holed up in an arcade. The first floor had normal gaming machines; the second floor was rigged with gambling setups to scam customers. When the apocalypse hit, they were terrified out of their minds.
"What now?"
Trieu Tuong, shirtless and showing off his tattoos, got up. He didn't have much patience for Vuong Bang's nerves. They had already seen many survivors during their hiding, including some dangerous types—like those under Phong Lang Vương Đại Phú, a notorious thug.
If Trieu Tuong saw them, he knew not to approach. Falling in with those gangs was asking for death.
Going to the window—
He looked where Vuong Bang pointed.
Indeed, there was a person standing there.
"When did he show up?" Trieu Tuong asked.
"Just now. I was looking outside, and he appeared. He even seemed to see me and is now heading our way. Who walks around so openly these days without fearing zombies?" Vuong Bang muttered.
"Shit, he's coming toward us."
Vuong Bang's guts were nowhere near as tough as Trieu Tuong's.
But Trieu Tuong remained calm.
"Don't worry. The door downstairs is locked. He can't get in. And don't trust anyone right now. That guy looks weak and clueless—probably bait to lure survivors."
"You remember what happened last time? Phong Lang Vương's men drove around pretending to save people, but it was all a trap. You can guess what happened to those two women they tricked."
Vuong Bang nodded grimly.
Though life hiding in the arcade was tough, it was better than ending up in the hands of predators.
Food and drink were limited but manageable for now.
At this moment—
"Hello there!"
Lam Pham stood in front of the arcade entrance, waving cheerfully at them.
He felt lucky to find two survivors, and they even looked like they were in decent spirits—though a bit worn out.
Vuong Bang and Trieu Tuong scrutinized him.
He was clean, with some odd items strapped to his back. Honestly, he looked a bit crazy.
Trieu Tuong opened the window. "Who are you?"
From the second floor, they weren't afraid of someone on the ground.
"My name's Lam Pham. I'm an agent from Tan Phong Housing Services. I'm here to ask if you're interested in renting a place. Our community is beautiful and well-cultured. In these times, mutual support is key! Plus, our rental rates are super affordable. Totally worth a look!"
Lam Pham introduced himself seriously, feeling he had done everything properly.
But Vuong Bang just gawked at him, speechless. The only thought in his mind was: Is this guy bait? Or has he just lost his mind from the apocalypse?
Trieu Tuong sneered coldly. "Oh really? Are you also going to say there are lots of survivors living happily there, safe and sound?"
"Yes, exactly!" Lam Pham nodded enthusiastically. "Everyone's really happy!"
"Ha." Trieu Tuong snorted. "Are you planning to sweet-talk your way in here, and once inside, wrestle us down to open the door for your hidden gang?"
"Get lost! I don't need any damn house. I'm fine right here—plenty of food and drinks."
He had no intention of trusting Lam Pham.
Not even a little.
In the apocalypse, the most terrifying thing wasn't zombies—it was people.
Even Trieu Tuong himself sometimes had dark thoughts, though he hadn't acted on them.
If Lam Pham insisted on barging in, he would be thrown out the window to fend for himself.
Supplies were everything now. Once they ran out, death would follow.
Lam Pham, seeing their attitude, felt helpless."Alright then. If you're not interested, that's fine…"
Waving his hand casually, he turned and left.
That's how selling works — you always run into unfriendly people. If they're not potential customers, no matter how much you say, it's useless.
Better to keep searching than waste time here.
Vuong Bang watched Lin Fan's receding figure. "What the hell is he?"
Trieu Tuong said, "Doesn't matter. Whatever he is, it's got nothing to do with us."
But just then—
"Zombies! There are zombies! He's running into zombies!" Vuong Bang cried out, panic-stricken. The fear of zombies was deeply rooted — those things weren't something you could just easily deal with.
Trieu Tuong stared without blinking. "Watch. He's dead for sure. One, two... ten zombies. Let's see how he survives this. He can't outrun them — zombies are like machines, they never get tired. Even if he runs to the ends of the earth, it won't help."
Hearing this, Vuong Bang also watched eagerly. In this nerve-wracking apocalypse, watching others being chased and torn apart by zombies had oddly become a kind of stress relief.
But very soon—
What happened in the distance left them utterly dumbfounded.
The man drew a sword from his back and swung it casually — unbelievably, all ten zombies were chopped down.
"He... he killed all those zombies," Vuong Bang murmured in disbelief.
Trieu Tuong said, "How's that possible? Zombies are terrifying. How could he kill them with just a sword? If we had followed him earlier, does that mean..."
The two looked at each other, a mixture of shock and a flicker of hope in their eyes.
"Big bro... please..."
They called out desperately, but unfortunately, Lin Fan's figure had already disappeared from sight.