Unforgivable

Inside the room.

"Mommy, is that uncle... a bit strange?" The little girl glanced longingly at the food on the table. It had been a long time since she'd seen fresh food. Her mother hadn't eaten in a while either. She felt uncomfortable, and she didn't want anything to happen to her mother.

Li Mai stared blankly at the food. After a moment, she gently said,"Maybe… it's not the uncle who's strange, but us..."

She hesitated, but in the end didn't say anything more.

Back at home.

He started preparing lunch.

Today, he decided to make a rich meal—rice with pumpkin, winter melon soup, and stir-fried spinach.

He kept busy until noon, and the aroma had long filled the room.

It was very fragrant. Exceptionally fragrant.

Since this was an old residential building, there was no natural gas connection—still using gas cylinders. But that actually saved him a lot of trouble. If natural gas had been cut off, there would've been no way to cook hot food.

One dish, one bowl of soup—just enough for one person. Life was still beautiful.

At the table.

Lam Pham chewed slowly, eating without rushing.

Outside the world.

There were survivors struggling for a tiny sliver of hope.Others were driven by their inner darkness, hurting others.Some hid in corners, falling into utter despair.

But for Lam Pham, he was simply enjoying the meal in front of him.

Before, he might have wasted a little.

But now, he didn't waste anything. Not even a single grain of rice.

Things that used to come easy were often taken for granted. But in desperate times, those same things became unattainable luxuries.

"Hoo…"

"I'm full now."

Lam Pham finished the last bite, lay back on the chair, patted his round belly, and sighed with satisfaction.

This moment... was peace.

After lunch, he cleaned the dishes and returned them to their place.

He had been working constantly before and never had time to truly relax. Now, finally, he could.

With a light heart, Lam Pham lay on the couch, enjoying the silence, feeling as if he had ascended to a higher state of mind.

His household supplies were still sufficient.

He sat down in front of the computer, checking to see if there were any new messages. Unfortunately, there were none. At this point, no one probably wanted to be online anymore.

"I wonder when the power and internet will go out…"

No one could say for sure.

But then he remembered—there was no need to worry about electricity. Huangshi generated power through hydroelectricity. Even without operators, the power stations could run automatically for several years.

Of course, without maintenance, hydro stations could stop working—water intake could get blocked, or machinery could break down.

The weather was nice. Maybe he should go for a walk—get some fresh air. That sounded good.

And more importantly... Frostmourne.

What a beautiful sword.

Wearing it on his back gave him a strange and thrilling feeling, like he had grown stronger somehow.

He pushed open the door and headed downstairs.

The entire residential area was eerily quiet. No sounds except his footsteps. Not a single voice.

He left the complex and stood in front of a store, gazing at the corpses inside, lost in thought before snapping out of it.

He walked quietly along the road.

Passing by storefronts, he would pause to look inside. If he saw someone he knew, he would've greeted them.

Unfortunately, there was no one.

Then Lam Pham stopped.

Ahead, a zombie was stumbling forward.

No sound meant zombies stayed still—nodding and dumbly still, looking ridiculous.

"I'm just out for a stroll, not bothering anyone." Lam Pham smiled. He wasn't afraid. "You don't mess with me, I won't mess with you."

But soon, more zombies wandered in, staggering along, quickly spotting Lam Pham.

"Hey there," Lam Pham waved, greeting them casually.

Roar!

The zombies, upon seeing him, suddenly turned aggressive. Their clumsy movements became sharp, and they charged at him with ferocity, black, viscous blood dripping from their mouths.

"Sigh."

Lam Pham let out a breath, raised his hand, and gripped the hilt of Frostmourne on his back.

"If peace is gone, and chaos is eternal, then I shall act in the name of justice, and give you my strongest strike in self-defense."

Swoosh swoosh!

Sword light flashed, and in a blur of motion, several zombie heads flew into the air, spinning and thudding to the ground.

Given his strength now, combined with this replica divine weapon, he no longer had to play around. His strikes were powerful and decisive—if the bodies stayed whole, that was him holding back.

"Oh? Looks like someone's been here."

After walking for a while, he stopped—he spotted a zombie corpse by the road, the forehead sunken as if smashed by a heavy object.

Nearby was a parked black sedan, clearly abandoned.

"There must still be survivors."

Lam Pham thought to himself. Humanity was incredibly resilient. In the face of crisis, people could summon strength they'd never known they had.

It wasn't surprising that there were still survivors in Huangshi.

At a 4S car dealership.

Lam Pham stopped, standing outside the glass, looking at the pristine new cars inside.

A blue car—perfect curves, flashy, and dazzling. A legend among cars.

SGMW.

He had always dreamed of owning a car.

This one—he'd admired it for a long time. Even though it only cost a few thousand yuan, he had never been able to afford it.

Other cars were good, but to him, none compared to the Wuling.

Plus, its logo design was slick, vaguely resembling the luxury brand Bugatti's design.

The prices were worlds apart—but who cared? If he couldn't afford a Bugatti, at least he could chase its distant cousin.

He stood there for a long time, touching the glass as if caressing the car itself.

"Keep working hard. One day, I might get you."

"I, Lam Pham, will earn my first four-wheeled vehicle with my own ability."

After a long look, he turned and walked on.

Gradually, he started seeing more rotting corpses.

"Take a break."

He didn't want to do anything reckless. His power was limited. All he wanted was to live a normal life, to uphold morals and order—even in the darkest times.

Lose reason and morality, and you'd become a monster—forever losing yourself.

Bang!

Suddenly.

A loud thud.

Something warm and wet splattered on his face. He reached up—blood. Fresh blood.

He looked ahead.

A corpse had landed before him.

The body was blue and purple, starkly contrasting the parts of skin still intact.

It was a woman. Long hair, eyes wide open. Even with her face covered in blood, her features hinted that she had once been beautiful.

She had died with her eyes open.

A voice came from above.

"Damn, unlucky. She really jumped. Crazy bitch."On the fifth floor, a man stood on the balcony, scratches across his face.

Seeing her lying motionless made him frustrated.

She'd been a tool for pleasure for days—and now, gone just like that.

Who knew when he'd get another one of her quality?

He'd been in that building for a while. Never thought such a high-quality girl lived there. If he hadn't gone out scavenging, he wouldn't have known.

Before, he'd only dared to look—never to touch. But in the apocalypse? No more rules. He could do whatever he wanted.

Lam Pham stared at the dead girl.

He met her gaze—though lifeless, it was filled with fury.

"What… should I do?" he murmured.

In her eyes, he saw despair, rage, helplessness.Perhaps she had experienced horrors beyond imagination.

There were marks on her ankles, as if she'd been bound.

"Hey, who are you?"The man above noticed Lam Pham and was shocked.

Someone was actually out and about?

Were there really no zombies down there?

If that was the case… maybe he could go hunting for more "stray beauties."

"Why did you do this?"Lam Pham looked up, anger rising.

He rarely lost his temper.

But this time, he couldn't hold it in. He remembered a lesson from his schooling days—a passage from the book "Expanded Gentle Teachings", written to guide the youth in ancient times.

Ancient wisdom was not to be underestimated.

It spoke of showing respect to the virtuous and caution toward the wicked. Of taking a step back in the face of conflict to preserve peace. That even when triumphant, one must remain humble.

Put simply: "Endure, and the storm passes. Retreat, and the sky opens."

But this? He couldn't turn a blind eye.

"You think I care what you think? I'll do whatever I want. Get lost!"The man shouted from the balcony, his face foul and twisted.

"You'll pay for what you've done."Lam Pham picked up the girl gently and carried her into the residential area.

From the balcony, the man sneered.

"What the hell… taking a corpse home? Gonna have a go at a stiff one? Shame it won't move."

Then he scratched his crotch, walked back inside, popped open a beer, and drank heavily.

He hadn't "played" in days.

But maybe soon, if luck allowed, he'd find another "toy" to tie up.

Just the thought made his face flush with excitement.

"Fifth floor."

Lam Pham walked up to the stairs, looking up.It was quiet—maybe no zombies.But even if there were, he wasn't afraid.

What he truly despised… were the humans who acted worse than monsters.

Unforgivable.