Holding Onto Hope, Giving It to You All

Tran Cuong seemed like the long-standing overlord among the survivors in this house.

He carried immense authority.

He glanced at the young man—precisely the one who had suggested killing the four elderly people—and watched as he moved through the crowd, pulling each survivor into a corner for hushed conversations.

Tran Cuong noticed: those being pulled aside by the young man showed expressions that shifted from shock, to hesitation, and finally to resolve. Their changing eyes betrayed the transformation.

Clearly, they had been persuaded. It made sense—resources dictated survival. In matters of life and death, who could remain truly selfless?

Two elderly individuals sat quietly on vine-woven chairs.

"Que Phan," the old man said, "we're old now. The survival supplies are running low. The young ones probably see us as burdens, wanting to get rid of us. I think... we should just pass our hope of survival to them. This country, this society—it still needs the young to rebuild it."

The elderly man gently patted his wife's hand.

Fifty years of hardship, surviving together.

Leaving in this way... was not a bad ending.

The old man was named Vuong Trung Quoc. In his youth, he had been a soldier. Back then, the country was just beginning to rebuild. Countless people rolled up their sleeves, filled with absolute faith in national construction. He was one of them.

He had fought in countless battles, shed blood for the nation, and dedicated his youth to his homeland.

His wife, sitting beside him, had once been a military doctor. She followed the troops into battlefields, saving wounded soldiers. That was back in the 1970s. During one particular war, he was wounded and saved by Que Phan. She found him pleasing to the eye, and they ended up together.

"Alright. I'll follow you," Que Phan smiled. She, too, understood the intentions of the young people. Along their journey, she had seen everything. In her youth, she'd used her sharp instincts to catch many spies. These naïve, young minds—they were easy to read.

They were able to stay here thanks to their daughter, who hadn't followed in their military or medical footsteps, but had gone abroad for business. After buying them this apartment, she rarely returned.

Now that the apocalypse had come and zombies roamed the streets, there was little hope for her survival.

"Old Brother Vuong, you're the one who always keeps a clear head."

At this moment, another elderly man sitting nearby chuckled.

His name was Chu Ai Quan, sixty-nine years old, still physically fit. A military industrial expert, he had developed many weapons for the nation, receiving numerous medals and honors. In gratitude, the government had gifted him a premium international-standard apartment.

Old Man Vuong gave a soft smile. "Old Brother Chu, you're thinking the same, aren't you?"

Old Man Chu nodded, "I gave my whole life to the country. Aside from service, there's nothing else. Can't really blame the kids—survival matters most now."

Chu's wife looked at him, "You've spent your whole life with machines."

"Wife, you've endured this life with me," Chu said with deep emotion.

His wife used to be a teacher, long since retired. In recent years, the thing she cared most about was helping poor children study online. She used her retirement money to support them—hoping they'd become something more.

"We've argued for decades. What's the point of saying that now?" she scolded lightly.

At that moment—

A group of people persuaded by the young man started heading toward the four elderly individuals.

They were on the verge of mental collapse after suffering so much during the apocalypse. The urge to survive flooded their minds. At first, they hesitated and felt guilt. But after the young man explained the benefits and logic, they decided to throw the four elders off the building.

First, it would save resources.

Second, they wanted to test how many zombies were still in the complex. Throwing someone off would create a big noise, potentially drawing the hidden zombies out. If the zombies left the area, even better.

Old Man Vuong stood up.

"Children, we understand your thoughts. Don't worry, we won't use your supplies. You don't need to push us off the building. Doing so will only hurt your conscience. It's a kind of torment for all of you too. We'll just return to our apartment and wait for death."

Those about to act were stunned by his words.

They didn't expect him to see through their plan.

An awkward feeling rose within them.

They all lived in the same building and naturally knew these four elders.

In the past, they had all been kind, honorable people.

"We can't let them go. Who knows if they'll open the emergency exit downstairs and attract zombies," someone said suddenly.

The others snapped back to reality.

"That's right! If we let them go, who knows what they'll do? We have to throw them down."

Their true thoughts spilled out. At this point, their hearts were fully hardened. They no longer feared or cared. The lives of the elderly were no more than ants in their eyes.

Suddenly—

The iron door was knocked on. A voice called out from outside.

"Mr Tran, are you there?"

Though the voice was quiet, to those inside plotting evil, it was like a bolt of thunder crashing through their hearts.

Someone's here?

"Mr Tran, I'm the one who called earlier. I wanted to rent your place." Lam Pham stood outside the iron gate, speaking softly.

Upon hearing this, Tran Cuong's expression shifted instantly.

"Who the hell are you?" Tran Cuong didn't believe for a second that this person was really looking to rent. Who in their right mind would come now to find housing?

"I'm here to rent, like we discussed on the phone," Lam Pham replied calmly.

"How did you get up here?"

"I walked."

At this moment, the young man who had been persuading everyone stepped up to Tran Cuong and said cautiously, "Brother Tran, let's open another door. At this point, we can't just let anyone in. We don't have extra supplies to spare."

"Besides, what if he was bitten by a zombie? He could turn any second."

From the sound of his voice, the stranger was clearly young. If they let him in, he'd just be another competitor for resources. The thing that bothered him most was—the emergency exit below was locked tight. Without a key, how had he gotten up?

Tran Cuong nodded. "Yeah, I've got this. I definitely won't let him in."

Suddenly—

The young man's eyes lit up. An idea sparked. He leaned over and whispered in Tran Cuong's ear.

"Brother Tran, I've got a plan. Just pretend to rent him the place. Then we watch him go down the stairs. When he reaches the bottom, we throw the four old geezers down to make a loud noise. The zombies will come running. He'll definitely run and end up luring them away. That'll make this place even safer for us."

Tran Cuong nodded slowly.

Yes... That made perfect sense.

He looked at the young man differently now.

This kid was sharp.

And wicked enough.