At this moment—
To Lieu Binh, the situation before him felt almost unreal.
He had just grabbed the cleaver, intending to intimidate the man into leaving Nhan Ny Ny behind. Who could have predicted that in just the blink of an eye, before he could even react, the cleaver would be snatched away by his opponent?
"You, you..."
Lieu Binh was stunned.The man in front of him gave off a strange feeling — carrying a sword with an odd design on his back, which, upon closer inspection, was clearly a weapon from a video game.
"Do you realize that wielding a cleaver is a dangerous act?"
"Threatening someone with a weapon without causing actual harm is a violation of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law. It falls under administrative detention and fines."
"Normally, it's five days of detention or a fine of up to five hundred yuan. I hope you can understand that what you're doing is wrong."
Lam Pham earnestly lectured him about the law, with no other intention but to help him recognize his mistake. Now that the apocalypse had arrived and the outside world was fraught with danger, he didn't want anyone to end up suffering from petty misdeeds.
Hearing these words,Lieu Binh was dumbfounded.Even Nhan Ny Ny was stunned.
At first, she had found Lam Pham's way of speaking a bit odd, but now, she could no longer chalk it up to just a "weird feeling".
Then—
Lam Pham handed the cleaver back to him."Here, take it. Just don't do anything stupid. If you attack me, I will defend myself, and things will get a lot messier."
The cleaver belonged to Lieu Binh, not Lam Pham, so it was only fair to return it.
Lieu Binh, mouth agape, dumbly accepted the cleaver.
Nhan Ny Ny wanted to shout out to stop him but realized it was too late—the cleaver was already back in Lieu Binh's hands.
Of course, she believed in the strength of the man in front of her. Even if he returned the weapon, he would be fine.
Just then—
Lieu Hong appeared at the doorway.
Nhan Ny Ny stared at this somewhat chubby woman, once her trusted agent. She couldn't believe that, even in the midst of the apocalypse, this woman had changed so much, even trying to aid her brother in assaulting her.
After becoming an internet celebrity, Nhan Ny Ny had treated Liễu Hồng exceptionally well, considering her more like a sister than an employee.
But everything crumbled after the apocalypse.
When their eyes met,Lieu Hong, remembering what she'd done, looked away in shame, unable to meet Nhan Ny Ny's gaze.
"Let's go," Lam Pham said.
"Okay," Nhan Ny Ny replied, staying vigilant toward the Liễu siblings.
At that moment—
"Stop."
Hearing the voice,Nhan Ny Ny hid behind Lam Pham, trembling slightly. Any conflict on the stairs could be fatal.
"Is there something you need?" Lam Pham asked, puzzled.Had the man realized how foolish his behavior had been and now wanted to express gratitude? If so, there was no need.
Lieu Binh, eyes filled with greed, stared at Nhan Ny Ny, then turned back to Lam Pham."You're taking her because you want her body, aren't you?"
He refused to let her go.
"Your words are truly unpleasant," Lam Pham said coldly.
Lieu Binh ignored him, focusing on Nhan Ny Ny instead:"Ny Ny, think carefully. Stay here and face only me, or leave with him and who knows how many others? Ten? Maybe twenty? Fat, short, ugly—taking turns humiliating you. You'll wish you were dead. Can you imagine it?"
"This is the apocalypse—no law, no morality. No one will see you as a person. Staying here is your best option."
"Because you'll only have to deal with one man."
He tried brainwashing her, hoping she'd stay.
Nhan Ny Ny shrank closer behind Lam Pham, disgusted and frightened by his vile words.How had human nature fallen so far just because the world ended?
"Lieu Binh, dream on. I'd rather die than stay here!" she snapped.
Lam Pham shook his head. There was no point arguing with trash like this. The apocalypse truly brought out the worst in people.
Being rejected enraged Liễu Binh. His face twisted with madness. Gripping the cleaver, he thought—If I kill this guy, Nhan Ny Ny will be mine.
Earlier, he'd lost the cleaver because he wasn't careful. This time would be different.
He made up his mind.
"Fuck you! I'll kill you!" he roared, wildly swinging the cleaver at Lam Pham's head.
Nhan Ny Ny froze in horror.
Boom!
For Lieu Hong, everything happened too fast.One moment, she was ready to assist her brother; the next, something flew past her. Her brother was gone from view—and then—
Crash!The sound of a heavy body slamming into the wall behind her.
Turning around, she saw—
Her brother had smashed through the coffee table and hit the wall hard.
"Ah—Brother!" she screamed, running over.
Lam Pham dusted off his hands casually."This was self-defense. Not my fault."
Nhan Ny Ny was speechless.She had never seen anyone this strong—one moment her attacker was standing, the next he was smashed like a rag doll.
While she stood there stunned,Lam Pham said, "Let's go."
Nhan Ny Ny snapped out of it and hurried after him.
—
Downstairs—
The sight shocked Nhan Ny Ny into silence.Zombies were everywhere, blood blackening the ground. Judging from the scene, these zombies had been killed recently.
She looked at Lam Pham walking ahead of her, filled with countless questions.
Who exactly was he?An agent from Tan Phong Real Estate?
She didn't believe it—not for a second. She felt he must have been joking.
Thinking back to Lieu Binh's words, fear gnawed at her heart.What if this man was hiding his true nature, waiting to reveal it once they were too far from help?
The thought made her shiver.
Still, she had no choice now. She had already decided to follow him.
On the surface, he looked gentle and kind—not at all like a bad man.For now, she chose to trust him.
Still, she had one secret:Inside her bag, she carried a fruit knife—not to kill Lam Pham, but to end her own life if necessary.
She knew how far they had to travel to reach Duong Quang Residence.It wasn't extremely far, but it certainly wasn't near either.
Could they really make it safely?
She couldn't help but ask, "Um... Did you kill all these zombies?"
Lam Pham answered calmly, "Yep. When I got here, they were wandering around. They charged at me, so I had no choice but to take them all down."
Nhan Ny Ny nodded vaguely.
It was like she understood—And yet, she didn't.
Without seeing it firsthand, she couldn't grasp just how overwhelming the scene must have been.