I’m Not a Fan of Owing People

Somewhere in a residential complex.

At the dining table.

"Bro, is he okay?" While eating, Mặc cho Giai Lệ looked up and asked.

The dishes on the table weren't anything extravagant, but still decent and edible.

Tomato omelet.

Mustard green soup.

Minced pork with green peppers.

And, of course, the signature dish paired with their foster mom's rice — even without proper food, just her rice alone could fill a bowl.

"He's fine. The first time is always like that. Not bad, actually. Fat guys have their perks — the skinny ones just scream and shout. But him, haha..."

Nhậm Nham grinned with satisfaction. After days of frustration, he finally had a sense of release. He was naturally indifferent to women, never even remotely interested in them.

Mặc cho Giai Lệ knew her brother's nature. She had seen those soft and pretty boys he brought home. Honestly, who would've guessed — this scholarly-looking guy in glasses had such... peculiar tastes.

Some of those soft boys even tried to jump off buildings after being dumped.

But one glare from her brother made them obediently come back down, curling up like scared chicks. Two smacks from her brother's thick arms had them seeing stars, while he coldly scolded them, "You wanna jump? Then do it somewhere else. Get lost."

In their eyes, she didn't see hatred — only a deep sense of submission. It was... unsettling.

"Bro, we can't keep hiding here forever. We need to find a way out soon."

She had already rationed the supplies in the house — they'd last ten, maybe fifteen more days. Water was still drinkable. Her brother had gulped it down without issue, proving it was safe. She could never be that brave.

"Mm, during this time, keep watch from the balcony. If you see someone driving a car, try to lure them up here. Now that the apocalypse has begun, anyone who can drive around must have some survival skills. When a person can secure their own safety, their top priorities become women and supplies. Don't underestimate this world — morals collapse fast. When things get tense, women become their release."

Nhậm Nham said while eating.

"Bro, that's extremely disrespectful to women."

"Haha, not disrespect — just facts. Anyone still alive now is no pushover."

...

Inside a room.

Thu Dao Trảm Ngư Hà Minh Hiên was tied up, looking worn out. His eyes were hollow as he stared at the ceiling.

A single thought echoed in his head:

How did it come to this?

He knew in this world, you couldn't trust people. But he had always been confident in his physique. Even if someone tried anything, he could handle it.

Who would've thought... someone even stronger than him would appear.

He was even ready to submit — to be a loyal follower in this new world, doing dirty work and fighting battles.

But who would've thought... that guy would actually...

Ugh...

He didn't want to talk about it. It was just too humiliating. Even now, his butt still ached, and he felt like puking.

He tried to struggle, but the ropes were too tight. That big brute had done all sorts of things to him: hitting, spitting, humiliating...

If he didn't escape soon, things would get worse. The hospitals were closed, no doctors left — let alone a proctologist.

Just then—

Nhậm Nham walked in, holding a bowl of rice. He shoved some fabric into Hà Minh Hiên's mouth and started feeding him.

"Sweetie, don't even think about running. You're better off here — food, entertainment, and someone to care for you. Be a good boy. If not, I'll toss you out to the zombies. They're not as friendly as I am."

"Come now, eat up."

To Hà Minh Hiên, refusing food would be plain stupid. So he swallowed each bite.

Seeing him eat so well, Nhậm Nham smiled in satisfaction.

"Eat lots, get your strength back. Later, I'll love you all over again."

Hà Minh Hiên: ???

What the actual hell — you're a damn beast!

...

At the water plant.

Vương Khai and his dog Tugou were eating dog food. He was about to vomit.

But there was no other choice — aside from the dog food, nothing else was edible.

At night, the screams of zombies drove him mad. If not for Tugou, he'd have lost his mind already.

The water plant needed patrols and equipment checks — critical work to keep the city's water running.

He had scoped out where the zombies roamed. They mostly stood still like they were in hibernation, only moving if disturbed.

His secret weapon?

Tugou.

He'd tie a phone to Tugou with an alarm set. While he did his rounds, Tugou would run out, lure the zombies with the ringing, and buy him time.

This plan only worked because Tugou was clever — he could understand commands.

Another patrol time came.

"Tugou, I'm counting on you. After the alarm stops, sneak back home."

He patted Tugou's head, opened the door, and the dog sprinted off. Soon, the loud alarm echoed. Zombies stirred and staggered toward the sound.

And Vương Khai took the chance to inspect the equipment.

...

At Dương Quang Complex.

In the security room.

Lâm Phàm adjusted his new security uniform in the mirror. It was brand new — left behind by a former guard.

Looking at his reflection—

"I'm a security guard now. I'll keep this complex safe," he mumbled.

The job sounded both simple and hard. If someone came, he'd record them. If not, he could relax a little, maybe even hum a tune.

But he wasn't lazy.

While on duty, he checked the area for suspicious activity or trash. If he saw any garbage, he'd pick it up and toss it.

After patrol, no signs of intruders. The complex was safe.

He jumped over the gate and looked outside.

"Ai ya, what a mess."

The once-clean street was now filthy.

Compared to his cleaned-up shop, the difference was striking.

"Still, my shop's better. Totally worth the 100 bucks for cleaning."

Now with a child to care for, pressure doubled. He had to work hard.

He didn't go far.

Tân Phong Real Estate Agency.

"Boss, your shop's a mess. Let me clean it up. There's a lot of broken glass, so it's a bit dangerous, and flyers everywhere make it tough work."

"Hmm… I owed you some commission. Just treat this as repayment."

He hated owing people money.

Even though the boss was generous and chill, Lâm Phàm wouldn't use sympathy as a crutch.

He preferred to repay debts with hard work and sweat.

And so he got to work.

Cleaning the hardest part — the flyers. He didn't go slow this time, but picked up the pace while staying thorough.

Once spotless, he dragged the trash bin over. Looking at the corpse of the boss (whom he had accidentally split in two), he sighed.

He gently placed the "Long Life & Wealth" banner in the trash too.

In the end—

He smiled at the sparkling shop.

"Boss, if you could see this, I'm sure you'd be happy," he said with pride.

Still early — not time to clock out yet.

Back at the security room, he sat quietly.

Watching the locked gate — the only entrance and symbol of the complex's safety.

He wouldn't slack off.

He'd guard it with everything he had.