Tan Phong Real Estate Agency
"Boss, I'm borrowing the electric scooter for a bit, I'll return it soon."
Lam Pham called out to the shopkeeper from the storefront. After waiting a while with no reply, he figured the handsome boss wouldn't refuse anyway—he was a very generous man.
He grabbed the helmet from the basket, put it on.
It's essential to stay safe when going outside.
If the traffic police catch you without a helmet, there's a fine.
Earning money is hard, so anywhere you can save, you save. Be cautious when you can—safety comes first.
"The water plant seems kinda far from here."
Lam Pham checked the remaining battery on the electric scooter. Overall, it looked fine—one trip should be doable.
Typically, water plants are located upstream along rivers. From here, it'd take about half an hour.
He tapped his helmet.
"Let's go..."
The Emma-brand scooter with its exotic style started humming along the road, steadily heading into the distance.
Each day was incredibly full.
It always felt like there was a lot to do.
Maybe that's the meaning of life. He didn't know how others spent their days, but his life was like this: work, work, and more work.
He always chased the sunlight. That was hope and a new beginning each day. The wind blew on his face—cold and biting. The only imperfect thing was… he hadn't seen a living person for a while.
He glanced at the storefronts on either side.
Just as he thought, they'd been severely damaged—some with cars rammed into them, some seemingly burned black by fire.
Sigh.
All of that was people's property.
A red light ahead.
He gradually slowed down, stopping just behind the zebra crossing.
Even though there was no one else around, as long as the red light flashed, he'd stop and wait for the green. Was it an obsessive habit? No—it was a kind of responsibility to himself, a sign of his respect for traffic rules.
It's not like he was in a rush to reincarnate.
He looked both ways.
To his surprise, some shambling zombies appeared far off on both sides of the road. From a distance, they looked like ordinary citizens wandering the street, but up close, their stiff movements and drooping heads made them seem like drug addicts lost in a hallucination.
Lam Pham's gaze remained calm—he wasn't surprised by the zombies.
They weren't acting any differently than usual.
There was no need to be shocked.
The zombies, seeing Lam Pham standing at the crossing—fresh human flesh—were instantly attracted. They couldn't help but growl and roar, like they had just seen the most delicious meal in the world, and charged at him madly.
As time passed, zombies were getting scarier.
First, their clothes were filthy and emitted all sorts of stench. Some had bloodied, mangled faces—compared to the early days of the apocalypse, they now looked several times more horrifying.
The green light lit up.
"Bye-bye…"
Lam Pham waved at them. The electric scooter went from slow to fast in seconds, speeding away. The chasing zombies, losing their target, stopped in confusion, looking around before resuming their shambling wander.
Their intelligence was extremely low. They could only track prey by sound and sight.
From a distance, a few survivors caught sight of Lam Pham riding his scooter and instinctively rubbed their eyes, thinking they were seeing things. When they tried to get a second look, the figure had already disappeared down the road.
For any survivor, walking around in a deserted city was no different from courting death.
Still, no one could figure out where this guy got such courage.
Hoang City Water PlantSealed Room
Emaciated Vuong Khai looked even more haggard now—sunken eyes, dark circles. He was mentally at the edge. Trapped in a confined space with no one to talk to and danger always looming… even the strongest minds would crumble.
The room was filled with an awful smell.
A mix of urine and feces.
He ate, drank, and slept all in that room—it had become extremely unpleasant.
He stared blankly at the emergency rations in front of him. No one knew what he was thinking. Next to him, Doggi, his dog, was quietly eating dog food. Even as a dog, it felt loneliness and unease at times.
But in Doggi's eyes, his owner was everything. As long as he had his owner, he wasn't alone.
Besides, he had food and water. Life was good.
What he didn't know was that his master's mental state was nearing collapse.
Doggi leaned against Vuong Khai's leg, rubbing against it as if to say, I'm still here.
Vuong Khai stared vacantly at him.
"Woof…"
Suddenly, a sound broke the silence, making Doggi freeze. He tilted his head curiously—why was his master barking like a dog?
"Woof…"
Thinking his master was playing, Doggi responded with a bark of his own—letting his owner know: I'm talking back!
"Doggi, I think I might be at my limit. My mental state's a mess. Look at the door… it's like it's glowing. It feels like if I open it, I'll see light again." Vuong Khai's expression was dull and dazed. Logically, a few days of isolation shouldn't have caused this, but the psychological pressure had broken him. Day or night, his mind stayed in high alert, expecting danger at any moment.
Especially when he heard the zombies' howls—it felt like they were right outside, ready to break in.
Doggi seemed to understand. He rubbed against Vương Khai's pant leg again, then tilted his head with confusion in his dog eyes. Why does my master seem so unwell? I'm clearly having fun being with you.
A faint bell rang.
It was a reminder that it was time for work.
Vuong Khai clutched his head, muttering in pain:"I'm just a normal person. I really am just an ordinary guy. I can't do this. I just can't. I really want to crawl out of here through the water pipe, away from the city. I bet there are no zombies out there."
Still mumbling to himself.
Doggi, hearing the soft bell, went over to the phone and pushed it toward his owner.
This was their usual game.
Every time the bell rang, the phone would be tied to him, and he'd be let out. When the bell ended, he'd come running back.
It always happened like that.
So, he hoped his master would hurry up—Doggi wanted to take a walk.
Vuong Khai looked at the phone, then at Doggi, frozen in place for a while before coming back to reality. In the apocalypse, patrolling the water plant once a day was already the limit.
It was incredibly dangerous.
He didn't have the courage to face the zombies directly.
"So you think I should keep going, huh?"
"Woof…"
Doggi barked softly. He was smart—he knew danger lurked outside, so he didn't make loud noises.
It was like he was showing his resolve.
Vuong Khai slapped himself twice, trying to snap out of it.
Then he tied the phone onto Doggi.
He stood up, went to the door, carefully listened for movement, then peeked through the curtain. Once he was sure there were no zombies, he gently opened the door.
Doggi immediately dashed out.
The message was clear:
Work.Run.Wander.And dodge.