Encountering Survivors

"Ah, can't believe I haven't seen any by now."

Lâm Phàm didn't think too much of it. He picked up the wallet, inside was an ID card.

Lý Đại Tráng, male, born in 1980, address...

One red bill, three green bills, and two one-yuan coins.

Back when he was a kid, he had learned a song — from his teacher, no less.

"I picked up a coin on the roadside..."

He heard that it used to be about a single cent.

Later, a cent was no longer a thing — it became a whole yuan. That was society changing fast.

Of course, no matter how it changed, the song still taught the same moral: if you pick up money, turn it in to the police uncle.

Even in the apocalypse, he still felt that turning things in to the police uncle was the right thing to do.

He was very poor now, just got a job, but if it wasn't his money, he wouldn't take it. That had always been his way.

He pushed the trash cart away, placing it back where it was originally, then took the wallet and walked toward the local police station.

On the Road.

Suddenly, a zombie appeared and lunged at Lâm Phàm. But facing the power of his sword, all were sliced in half with a single strike, leaving no room for resistance.

Money had become useless in the apocalypse.

That was the common belief.

But for Lâm Phàm, useful or not, he still wanted to hand it over to the police station — to the police uncle.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of a cake shop, a pair of bright eyes peeked from behind the curtain, quietly watching Lâm Phàm outside.

Seeing someone walking so casually down the road without caution, the girl behind the curtain was shocked.

Outside was full of terrifying zombies.

Was he really not afraid?

Those bright eyes belonged to Tô Nhỏ Hiểu.

When the apocalypse began, she had been hiding in the small room of the cake shop. One day she lifted the curtain to get some fresh air, only to see complete chaos outside.

People attacking each other, biting, blood splattering — a horrifying, gory scene.

Her first thought was: this must be a zombie apocalypse.

During this time, she had seen many survivors — some driving, others sneaking around quietly. She never made a sound, just silently observed.

They were all young people, the modern generation, very exposed to pop culture.

Movies, web dramas — many scenarios where women are threatened, assaulted, and turned into playthings by survivors. Sometimes, when faced with danger, they would even be offered to zombies as bait.

She was young and beautiful, even a bit famous online for her cakes.

She loved wearing Lolita-style outfits while filming her baking videos, attracting a crowd of fans.

Of course, being online, she'd encountered some truly disgusting comments. One netizen named Thu Đao Trảm Ngư, with a profile picture of a fat, greasy man, once commented:

"Really wanna lift your skirt while you're making cake and take you from behind… hehe."

Though many fans defended her and flamed him, that pervert seemed like an experienced troll, unbothered by the hate.

Because of that, when the apocalypse struck, she knew she absolutely couldn't let other survivors find her. It'd be too dangerous. Even good people might turn bad when there's no law or order left.

Desire is often the scariest thing.

So, she quietly observed, not daring to make a sound.

At that moment, as Lâm Phàm was preparing to head toward the police station, he suddenly felt a gaze. He paused and looked toward the cake shop.

Startled, Tô Nhỏ Hiểu quickly ducked behind the curtain, not daring to make a sound.

"Was I discovered?" she wondered nervously.

After a long while, she peeked outside again and saw no one. She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

But then, her nerves flared up again.

What if he had seen her and was now sneaking around the back, or climbing up to the second floor?

Her imagination ran wild with all kinds of terrifying images.

Panicking, she spotted a glass jar nearby, opened the window slightly, and threw it with all her strength into the distance.

Clang!

The sound of shattering glass echoed loudly.

It didn't take long.

Roar!

A zombie's growl rang out.

She hoped the noise would scare Lâm Phàm off.

At the Police Station.

Lâm Phàm stepped inside.

It was eerily quiet.

The place didn't look abandoned, rather, it still had a dignified, sacred feel to it. He thought about the person he brought here last time — seemed like the police uncle had taken them away.

After all, those who make mistakes must pay a price.

He placed the wallet on the counter and began filling out a report, noting the circumstances and his own contact information — just in case.

Nowadays, some kindhearted folks returned lost wallets, only to be falsely accused of theft because money was missing.

Maybe rare, but it happened.

He looked around — all quiet.

He turned to leave.

Walking down the hallway, he glanced at the slogans on the walls. Every time he saw them, he felt an overwhelming sense of power within. Maybe this was what justice meant.

Just as he was about to reach the door—

A black SUV rolled up. The vehicle stunned Lâm Phàm with its dominating presence.

One by one, the doors opened. Four buzz-cut men stepped out, cautiously checking their surroundings before proceeding.

When they noticed Lâm Phàm, they were visibly surprised — didn't expect to see another survivor.

They all eyed him warily.

"Hello," Lâm Phàm greeted politely, trying to leave a good impression.

The four were well-equipped, even wearing steel-plated arm guards.

"Should we take him out?"

"Not yet — don't want to attract zombies. Let's find the guns first."

"Yeah."

They were here to look for weapons.

In China, guns were strictly regulated. They couldn't find any elsewhere, so they figured a police station might still have some.

With firearms, they'd have absolute advantage among survivors.

Before the apocalypse, they had been part of the Huang City underworld — loan sharks, gamblers, extortionists. They even ran scams on school campuses. If not for crackdowns, they might've taken over all of Huang City's schools.

The SUV outside was bought by their boss.

It was a BR7-grade armored MPV, four-wheel drive, 20-inch clearance from the ground, equipped with a 6.7-liter V8 engine. The body was reinforced with special steel — no problem running over zombies.

Perfect transport for the apocalypse.

They usually drove around scavenging for supplies — and for women.

When they found a woman, they pretended to be kind, offered help and protection, but once she was taken to their base — that was the real apocalypse.

Their boss got first pick.

Then the rest would have their turn.

Eventually, the woman would be discarded, thrown out onto the street as zombie food.

The four men ignored Lâm Phàm and headed inside.

Meanwhile, the man in the driver's seat stared at Lâm Phàm with a calm gaze.

He wondered… what would happen once they came back out?

Maybe they'd tie him up, drag him behind the car, and throw him to the zombies?

That sounds about right.

Lâm Phàm walked up to the window, gently tapped on the door, and smiled.

Meeting survivors in the apocalypse — that was a good thing.

Still, he didn't know why, but he felt a strange unease from these men.

Was it just his imagination?

He didn't leave right away.

Instead, he stayed to see what those guys were planning to do inside the police station.